WHEELING — Mapping out an exciting new future for clients is the name of the game for McKinley Architecture & Engineering, and the ability to adapt to changing trends in the industry isn’t just a strategy for success, it’s part of the plan — by design.

Sean Doyle, chief operating officer for McKinley Architecture and Engineering, has been with the company for six years. In his role as COO, he is part of the company’s leadership team, focusing on operations and culture building, and always looking at different avenues to help the company grow.

“Being an architecture and engineering firm, our focus is on helping clients look at new buildings or renovations, helping them to establish a vision for a project and see that come to light,” Doyle said.

McKinley Architecture and Engineering has a full architectural staff with expertise in all areas of building design from mechanical to electrical, plumbing, fire protection.

The firm has construction administrators and a marketing and business development staff to provide a full range of services for its clients. Although the company is design-specific and does not build its projects, its team remains involved every step of the way.

“We work with the client and the contractors to make sure that the project’s done the right way and delivers the client a finished project they can be proud of,” Doyle said.

While the company has served the community for decades, the growth McKinley Architecture and Engineering has seen in recent years has been substantial.

“When I started six years ago, our staff had probably around 17-18 employees,” Doyle said. “We’re currently at 60. We had a Pittsburgh office with one staff member — that’s now 25. We just built a brand new office location there, renovated an entire second floor of a commercial space and moved our team in there. Our Wheeling office moved into the Fort Henry Building two years ago, having grown significantly.”

The company also has grown in Charleston and has begun to do the same with its office in the Martinsburg, W.Va., market.

Doyle credited company owner David H. McKinley for fostering the firm’s growth and continued success.

“We have an owner in David who is an incredible leader and a true visionary,” he said. “Watching our team go from 15 to 60 was not accidental. That is a clear vision that David had in place, and he challenges us as leaders in the firm to execute. I think that we’re going to continue to grow.”

McKinley Architecture and Engineering works with private development as well as working for municipalities and other government entities.

From public education buildings to sports facilities, higher education buildings and other structures — the firm has its fingerprints on the blueprints of major projects throughout the region.

“The majority of our work is in the K-12 area,” Doyle said. “I’d like to think that we’re one of the best K-12 design firms in the region. In the state, we’re designing, bidding or constructing 15-20 brand new schools across the entire state of West Virginia.”

Doyle said as the company grows, he would love to see them spearhead additional work on new schools and other projects in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

While McKinley Architecture and Engineering continues to grow and evolve, the industry itself is also transforming in a number of ways, Doyle noted.

“There’s always going to be a need for design. A building needs an engineer. You need a creative vision to help somebody put a building together,” he said. “But where our industry is changing is — like a lot of people — artificial intelligence is providing avenues now that say ‘hey, you can do that a lot more efficiently with technology.’ So we have to adapt. We need to make sure that we’re able to utilize the current resources and technology in place to keep us at the front end of our industry.”

Doyle said the company remains focused on being ahead of the wave of changing times.

“I think that’s our greatest focus — making sure we’re on the front end of that,” he said. “I don’t think it’s replacing anybody in our industry right now, but I think that people need to understand how to utilize AI and they need to utilize resources to keep themselves relevant.”

With a home base in the Friendly City, the team at McKinley Architecture and Engineering is proud to play a role in the ongoing renaissance taking place throughout the downtown and beyond.

“Being right here in the heart of Wheeling — the city is really revitalizing and redefining itself,” he said. “I think our goal is certainly to be able to impact and influence this area more. That’s something we take pride in. David’s always been committed to West Virginia and Wheeling. So I think having the ability to help shape where our city goes with that vision when it comes to design — it’s a goal and priority of ours, and I think it’s something we’ll continue to focus on.”