One of the first major projects Brent Wright designed early in his career—the towering 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere in Las Vegas (opened in April 1996)—is also perhaps the most high-profile project he’s ever worked on, giving him incredible experience and confidence as a young engineer.

Wright took full advantage of that opportunity and went on to establish Wright Engineers in 1997, a prominent structural engineering firm with offices in five states (including Utah) that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. 

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” said Wright, 58, whose firm was again honored in 2022 by the Zweig Group as the ‘Best Structural Engineering Firm’ to work for, its fifth consecutive year earning that award. “In a lot of ways, it feels like it was yesterday. It’s a big milestone.”

A native of Payson, Wright earned a Master of Structural Engineering at Brigham Young University in 1989 and landed a job with JAS Cashdan, one of the premier structural design firms in Las Vegas at the time. Wright’s decision to move his wife and three young children from Happy Valley (Provo) to Sin City was initially made on the premise he’d work for a couple of years and then head back to the Wasatch Front. 

Wright worked under Dan Cashdan—who was in the twilight of his career—for two years, gaining invaluable design experience not only on the Stratosphere, but also on Grand Slam Canyon, a large adventure dome project in Circus Circus that spanned five acres and occurred when construction of the Stratosphere was unexpectedly delayed for a year due to a fire.

The Stratosphere remains one of the most memorable projects of his career, particularly his interactions with Bob Stupak, a mercurial, legendary casino owner (he opened Bob Stupak’s Vegas World in 1979 prior to Stratosphere) and poker player. Midway through construction, Stupak decided he wanted the project to extend higher beyond what had originally been designed and told Wright to crunch numbers to see what was possible. 

During one meeting, Stupak (who Wright said was notorious for calling people out and belittling them) asked him if the project was going to cost an extra $1 million, even challenging Wright to a $10,000 bet (which he won, but never collected). 

In 1991, two senior engineers he worked with at JAS Cashdan left the firm and offered Wright a 10% stake in a new firm called Mendenhall Smith (later Mendenhall Smith Wright once he earned his professional license), which he accepted. In 1997, armed with nearly a decade of experience and confidence in the relationships he had developed locally with owners and architects, he took out an SBA loan and started Wright Engineers with a junior engineer and drafter, working out of a tiny, one room office with faded blue carpet and a roof that leaked when it rained. 

“That’s how we started, and we immediately had work,” Wright recalled. “By the end of our first year we had 10 employees and did almost a million (dollars) in billings. We paid off the SBA loan and actually had money in the bank.”

Healthcare is another key market for the firm, including projects like the Rocky Mountain Care Skilled Nursing Facility in Heber City (photo courtesy Wright Engineers).

Rapid Expansion; Long-Term Success and Stability 

Growth came quickly for Wright Engineers, with the firm expanding to 45 employees by the start of the 21st century, while adding MEP, civil and geotechnical services on top of its bread-and-butter structural design. 

Geographical expansion followed, with satellite offices opening in Irvine, Calif. (’04), Phoenix (’05), and Salt Lake City (’06), the latter headed up by David Winn, a Principal who started with the firm in 2003. A year ago, Wright Engineers opened its fifth office in Dallas. Licensed in every state, Wright is also proud of the fact that the firm has designed at least one project in all 50 states. Wright Engineers has 80 total employees, including 10 at its Sandy office. 

In 2015, Wright and other executives made the decision to scrap other engineering disciplines and revert back to being strictly a structural firm. 

“The reality is, in engineering you can be good 95% of the time and mess up 5% and you’re going to (go out of business),” said Wright. “You need to be good 100% of the time and we were never able to do that with those other disciplines. I’m a structural engineer—I know what good structural engineering looks like. Even though you can do (other disciplines) it doesn’t mean you should do it. We’ve always been very successful with structural. That’s what made us money and built our reputation.”

Winn said the Sandy office has been thriving in various markets including multi-family, healthcare, retail and office, and is looking at making inroads into the industrial sector as well. Wright said the firm’s multi-family design has been particularly well-received by owners and contractors. 

“I’m really proud of the way we’ve developed our multi-family wood design and the way we engineer and detail it,” he said. “It’s economical, it’s put together in a way that is structurally sound and financially sound, and the builders love it because it’s easier to build.”

Culture and image have always been top priorities for Wright, who rolls with the belief in being a “destination employer. If you get the best people and take care of them, everything falls into place.” 

Making the Zweig Group’s ‘Best Firms’ list (Wright Engineers was the top structural firm and fourth overall in the 50 to 99 employee category) is a testament to the firm’s culture, which Winn said is a testament to Wright’s ability to maximize employee talents.

“Brent is the reason I’ve been here 19 years,” said Winn. “He’s good at delegation. He builds up your confidence and he trusts you. When I was a young engineer, he’d say things like ‘if it were me, this is what I would do’ and then tell you to go find a solution. Bring answers to the table and we can work through it together.” 

Wright has also distinguished himself by his unique marketing efforts, which includes a monthly newsletter and cartoon called ‘The Right Brain’ that he has been churning out since 1999. The cartoon, which he usually draws himself and is quite good, puts a humorous spin on working in the A/E/C industry. He’s drawn enough cartoons to publish two full books, making it more than just an amusing hobby. He credits following the advice of Zweig Group founder, Mark Zweig, for the cartoon’s inception more than 22 years ago. 

“(Zweig) once wrote that you should be in front of your clients once a month,” said Wright. “So we put together a newsletter and every month I would draw a different cartoon. It’s been fun.” 

Both Wright and Winn are optimistic about the firm’s future, both regionally and within the Beehive State. 

“Things are great right now and the outlook is good,” Winn said of the market along the Wasatch Front. “How much (a recession) hits us, we’ll see, but I think the construction industry in Utah is going to stay strong.” 

“Our goal is to continue to grow with 15% growth per year,” Wright added. “We’re going to grow smart and profitably.” Wright hopes to add 2-3 new offices in the next five years, perhaps even one on the east coast, pending the economy. He’s grateful for where the firm is right now and looking forward to pushing hard through the end of the 20s. 

“I was fortunate enough to get great people early on and it’s just kind of taken care of itself,” he said. “I’m really proud of where we are and what we’ve accomplished. I know there is a lot more we can do and will do.”