Goodwyn Mills Cawood acquires South Coast Engineers

Jan. 22, 2025
The acquisition will bring expertise in coastal engineering, resilience and nature-based solutions.

Architecture and engineering firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) is further expanding its services through the strategic acquisition of South Coast Engineers (SCE) in Fairhope, Alabama.

SCE was formally established in 2007 and is nationally known for its expertise in coastal engineering, resilience, and nature-based solutions. Bringing SCE on board fortifies GMC’s engineering team and enhances the firm’s expertise by adding coastal engineering.

“We have worked with GMC for over 20 years and are proud to be able to make our partnership official,” said Scott Douglass, SCE founder and president, in a press release. “We are excited to bolster the firm’s services by adding coastal engineering, as we continue to serve our communities and clients and expand our reach even further through this new venture.”

The two firms have worked on several notable projects over their decades-long relationship, including most recently, Dauphin Island’s East End Beach and Dune Restoration.

Comprised of Scott Douglass, PhD, PE, BC.CE, Bret Webb, PhD, PE, BC.CE and Thomas “Beau” Buhring, PE, the SCE team boasts an impressive 75 combined years of experience. They are nationally recognized leaders in coastal engineering, with Douglass and Webb being two of only 73 Board-Certified Coastal Engineers practicing in the U.S.

South Coast Engineers has provided services in the planning and design of bay and beach shoreline erosion solutions, coastal ecosystem restoration, coastal highways and bridges, coastal wave and circulation modeling, marina and port design, seawall and coastal revetment design and more for coastal regions throughout the country and beyond. The team has a strong, established reputation in the Southeast region, with a history of expertise and successful working relationships with clients throughout their communities.

“We are thrilled to have Scott, Bret and Beau joining GMC. Their nationally recognized team will allow us to expand our capabilities in shoreline protection, resilience and coastal ecosystem restoration,” Lee Walters, GMC regional vice president, said in a press release. “We honor all of the tremendous work SCE has done over the years and are excited about the opportunities we have together with them leading our coastal engineering practice.” 

Named ENR Southeast’s 2024 Design Firm of the Year, GMC is one of the Southeast’s most comprehensive multidisciplined architecture and engineering firms. In addition to now offering coastal engineering, its in-house services include architecture, interior design, civil engineering, environmental services, landscape architecture, planning, transportation engineering, geotechnical engineering, mechanical, electrical and plumbing and disaster recovery.

Douglass and Buhring will join GMC’s Daphne office and Webb will join the Mobile office.