George A. Little, a Birmingham native and 1981 graduate of UAB, has been named CEO of the global employee owned firm HDR. Founded in 1917, the 7,800-employee firm based in Omaha, Neb., has more than 185 locations worldwide. In 2011, the UAB School of Engineering named Little one of the 40 Engineers Making a Difference at its 40th anniversary celebration.
“Through hard work and leadership, George has achieved a level of success that we hope for all alums of the UAB School of Engineering,” said UAB School of Engineering interim Dean Melinda Lalor, Ph.D. “We look forward to following the growth and success of HDR under George’s leadership for many years to come and wish him only the very best in his new position.”
Little, who served on the UAB School of Engineering’s Advisory Board from 2009-11, joined HDR in 1989 and took over the engineering division in 1998. While engineering represents two-thirds of the company, Little is overseeing the firm’s architectural expansion in Europe, Russia, South Korea, Dijibouti, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and China. HDR’s work in China includes recently completed designs of a medical city, which would be three-fourths the size of Manhattan, in Beijing featuring hospitals with 10,000 beds.