Their engineering firm built a legacy in KC; why these KC Chamber winners are rebranding
June 17, 2025 | Startland News Staff
A streamlined brand identity for one of the Midwest’s most influential engineering firms positions “T&B” as one of the secret weapons behind the evolution of Kansas City, the company announced, just moments after earning a top small business award from the KC Chamber.
Taliaferro & Browne — the first minority-owned engineering firm to receive a prime contract on a $1 billion construction project in Kansas City — will now be known simply as T&B.
The company was named winner of the Legacy of Kansas City Award Tuesday at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Celebration Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center.
“This rebrand is more than a logo — it’s a legacy, reimagined,” said Hagos Andebrhan, CEO and co-owner, of Taliaferro & Browne. “We’ve been a quiet force behind some of Kansas City’s most transformative projects. We’re not changing who we are — we’re elevating how we show up and making sure our name reflects the caliber of the work we do.”
Founded in 1968 by the late Will Taliaferro and Bruce Browne, the firm was acquired in 1992 by long-time friends and engineers Andebrhan and Leonard J. Graham, both graduates of the University of Missouri. Under their leadership, Taliaferro & Browne restored financial stability, expanded its staff, and grew into a powerhouse behind some of Kansas City’s most iconic infrastructure and community development projects.
Leonard Graham, president of Taliaferro & Browne, right, speaks about businesses helping fellow businesses during an entrepreneur panel for the 2025 Top 10 Small Business of the Year finalists hosted by the KC Chamber; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
T&B was named a KC Chamber Top 10 Small Business in 2024 and 2025, as well as previously winning the chamber’s Small Business Equity Award.
“It takes vision, grit and purpose to build something that lasts,” said Peter Flynn, director of investor relations for Evergy, who presented the Legacy award at Tuesday’s luncheon. “This year’s recipient has been serving Kansas City for decades as one of the region’s largest minority-owned, multidisciplinary firms offering expertise in civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture and construction inspection.”
The firm’s updated identity reflects its long-standing commitment to equity-driven infrastructure, landmark design, and transformative impact in the built environment, Andebrhan and Brown said.
T&B made history by leading all of the landside civil engineering responsibilities with eight minority- and women-owned companies working under their guidance for the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport, the largest infrastructure investment in the city’s history.
Hagos Andebrhan and Leonard Graham, T&B, Taliaferro & Browne; courtesy photo
The firm also serves as the civil engineer of record for 98 percent of the development along Berkley Riverfront, including the KC Current Soccer Stadium, the world’s first purpose-built stadium exclusively for women’s professional soccer.
Recently, T&B was announced as the civil engineer of record for the Nelson-Atkins Museum, marking the firm as the only local company beating out more than 200 competitors.
Additional landmark projects include the Power & Light District, Kauffman Performing Arts Center, Beacon Hill Urban Renewal District, One Light, Two Light, and Three Light, and the $400 million Revive the Vine initiative, to name just a few, the firm said.
From the archives: Global talent builds success for Taliaferro & Browne
“For decades, we’ve been a steady, humble force behind Kansas City’s transformation,” said Graham, president and co-owner at T&B. “We’ve always let the quality of our work speak for itself—and that won’t change. But as we evolve, we’re stepping forward with purpose, clarity, and a renewed commitment to empowering our team to carry this legacy of excellence forward. This is what it means to work with Taliaferro & Browne — or simply, T&B.”
Click here to read more about the Small Business of the Year winner and other Small Business Celebration awards.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC startup founder pivots into pickleball haters’ biggest complaint, eliminating court noise
SLN/CR is serving the sweet sound of silence to neighbors of outdoor pickleball courts, said Eliot Arnold, a serial entrepreneur-turned avid pickleball player who’s taking a swing at the source of critics’ irritation. His Kansas City-based startup — pronounced “silencer” — offers a fabric-based noise mitigation system that uses nanotechnology to absorb nuisance noise, said…
Kansas student’s mobility tech for visually impaired users wins Congressional App Challenge
An Overland Park eighth grader’s app idea — using object detection and text-to-speech technology to help visually impaired individuals navigate their surroundings — earned him a visit to the principal’s office, then an opportunity to showcase his innovation in Washington, D.C. “I actually came across a video online, and it was about this blind woman…
Chatterbox speaks the language of reluctant learners: games featuring global cast of AI tutors
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WICHITA — A Kansas-built language-learning app takes a gamified approach to fluency — inspired by travel and the simple joys of players feel when competing in traditional board games, said…
Hella Good lunar launch party celebrates KC’s rising Asian culture, bringing ancestors to the night market
Béty Lê Shackelford hopes Hella Good Deeds — the nonprofit sister organization of the popular Vietnamese coffee shop Cafe Cà Phê — makes members of Kansas City’s Asian community feel held and hugged, she said. “Hella Good Deeds is here; we love you; and we’re really open to collaboration,” explained the founder and executive director…