Growth Mindset: Nathan Beil’s Legacy of Expansion and Excellence at KCI Technologies
Nathan Beil’s engineering journey almost ended before it began.
Raised by a roofing contractor and the first in his family to graduate high school, Beil did not start out with a carefully charted path or a lifelong passion for engineering. It was his mother’s vision, and her insistence that her sons pursue opportunities beyond the family’s roots in farming and contracting, that led him to Lehigh University in the late 1970s to study civil engineering.
Beil ran into trouble early on. He struggled with the foundational concept of free-body diagrams in structural engineering and was even advised by a professor to reconsider his choice of major. “He said, ‘Son, I strongly suggest that you give up engineering right now,’” Beil recalled. “If you want me to do something, tell me I can’t do it. That, combined with a Pennsylvania Dutch stubborn streak, meant I was going to become a civil engineer.”
That determination paid off. Beil earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a focus on water resources and began his career at KCI Technologies in an entry-level position. Within four years, he launched the firm’s water resources division. In just six years, he became a vice president. Over time, his leadership roles expanded to include President, CEO, and eventually Chairman of the firm.
“I’ve come to realize that I grow things for a living—organizations and people,” he said. His early work, expanding the water resources division from a team of two to 25, culminated in securing the top hydraulic contract with the State Highway Administration within just two years.
But growth wasn’t without setbacks. When that same contract was not renewed, despite positive performance, Beil had to quickly find new projects to keep those team members employed. “If we don’t have enough work for good people, that becomes my worst day on the job,” he said. That experience cemented his philosophy: “There’s always an opportunity. It might not be where you are or what you’re doing, but you have to go figure out where it is and how to get it.”
His career has been defined by a willingness to take on hard tasks, often stepping in personally to ensure success. Following a major bridge collapse in the Midwest in the late 1980s, he led KCI’s efforts to secure bridge scour contracts, including one for the Delaware Memorial Bridge, one of the world’s largest suspension bridges.
Not all challenges were technical. In the early 1990s, Beil was asked to lead a major project for North Carolina’s Department of Transportation. The assignment required regular presence in Raleigh—just as his first child was born. “So, I would find myself driving to Raleigh on Sunday afternoons, working the week, driving home Saturday morning, spend a week at home, then a week in Raleigh. I did that for two and a half years.”
Beil’s leadership was further tested in the mid-1990s when he was asked to revitalize KCI’s environmental group, which was facing operational challenges. Early on, several contracts were lost due to performance concerns, highlighting the need for a new direction. Through direct intervention and a bold, unconventional hire, Beil helped reshape the group, building a 30-person energy services team within a year. Today, that unit generates nearly $80 million in annual revenue.
His eye for emerging trends also led him to pursue Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, contracts early on. Collaborating with KCI’s IT staff, he secured the largest GIS contract in Baltimore’s history at the time: a $3.5 million project that required hiring over 100 people in just three weeks and maintaining 24-hour operations for months.
Later, as President and CEO, Beil initiated a company-wide transformation, overhauling KCI’s accounting, HR, and business practices while reshaping the firm’s corporate culture. The rollout began in 2012 and set the stage for a decade of sustained growth. “We’ve made every budget and growth projection since 2013,” he said.
Under Beil’s leadership, KCI’s annual revenue has grown from $130 million to over $500 million. As an employee-owned company, it has also seen share values increase by 20 percent annually, creating more than 80 employee millionaires. KCI has additionally been named The Baltimore Sun’s top workplace among large firms and earned recognition as Engineering News-Record’s Mid-Atlantic Design Firm of the Year.
After more than four decades of impact, Nathan Beil’s story stands as a testament to perseverance, innovation, and an unwavering belief in people. For his commitment and dedication to the industry, he is the recipient of this year’s MDSPE Industry Icon Award, a fitting recognition for a leader who has shaped not just a company, but the future of engineering leadership.
Please join us in celebrating Nathan Beil as the MDSPE Industry Icon on May 13th at the annual Engineers Reception & Awards Night at the historic Engineers Club in Baltimore.