Celebrating 75 Years!
Making a Real Impact in communities for 75 years.
Founded in 1949, Bolton & Menk has evolved over the decades to become a trusted partner for the communities they serve. The firm’s dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for millions of people are the pillars of their success.
Over the past 75 years, Bolton & Menk has successfully completed thousands of notable projects, including the Anoka/US Hwy 10/169 Improvements Project, numerous ocean outfall projects, the Buffalo Wastewater project, and more. Bolton & Menk designs infrastructure critical to enhancing transportation networks and ensuring the communities they serve have clean, functional, and safe spaces to live, work, and play.
“Celebrating 75 years of Bolton & Menk directly correlates to the hard work, dedication, and vision of our founders, employees, and clients who have contributed to our success over the years,” said Bradley DeWolf, President and CEO of Bolton & Menk. “We take pride in the positive impact we’ve had on communities, and we look forward to advocating for our clients and creating meaningful spaces for many decades to come.”
Our commitment to communities began in Minnesota in 1949 with John Bolton and Martin Menk. They saw people in their surrounding communities who had dreams of a bright future, a desire to grow, and a common challenge of aging infrastructure. John and Martin’s goal was to help communities make progress by listening to what people want, finding the best solutions for their needs, and treating them right. Their legacy lives on. We still want to help, we work hard every day, and we always remember what got us here—we’re people helping people. We believe all people should live in safe, sustainable, and beautiful communities and we take pride in our ability to make that happen.
Our story.
Our history.
What started in a humble garage in 1949 has flourished into one of the largest multi-regional engineering firms, and we’re not done expanding our reach. Our employees take John and Martin’s example and are at the heart of everything we do – we’re real people providing real solutions.
John Bolton, after nearly twenty years as a university engineering professor, reconnected with Martin Menk, his former student at Gustavus Adolphus College, in the spring of 1949. Martin was back in town after serving in WWII and both were ready for something new. They met one day, and the conversation landed on engineering. Questions were asked that would help start a long-lasting business: Was there room for a different kind of engineering company? A company dedicated to the needs of local towns and municipalities unable to afford their own full-time engineer?
“We spent a week convincing ourselves that we had a good idea by traveling Southern Minnesota, stopping in a variety of towns, and asking their opinions.” Martin explained in a 1989 interview for the Mankato Free Press. “We were met with great enthusiasm.” They would tell their story to all who would listen and explain their vision for a new company. “We heard over and over ‘Just what we need.’”
One week later, on June 13, 1949, Bolton & Menk was born.
Time capsule photos.
