Established One of the Nation's Top Engineering Consulting Firms

LAUREL, MD – November 9, 2007 – A. James O'Mara, P.E., P.L.S., the retired co-founder of the engineering consulting firm Greenhorne & O'Mara, passed away on November 7, 2007 at the age of 87. Mr. O'Mara and Marcus Greenhorne founded the firm in 1950 in Maryland, and under Mr. O'Mara's leadership, the small firm grew to a national consulting firm that is today ranked among the nation's top engineering firms.

After 35 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Mr. O'Mara retired in 2000 and served thereafter as Chairman Emeritus of the Greenhorne & O'Mara Board of Directors. He believed in the value of community and professional contributions, and was a recipient of the Sylvanus Thayer award in recognition of his contributions to Dartmouth College and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Mr. O'Mara was a member of regional professional associations and a supporter of Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C.

A graduate of Dartmouth College in 1942 and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in 1943, Mr. O'Mara subsequently joined the Navy Civil Engineering Corps (the Fighting SeaBees) and served in the South Pacific, where he was a part of the construction of fortifications that were critical to the U.S. effort in World War II. After the end of the war, Mr. O'Mara worked in private sector engineering firms in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland before co-founding Greenhorne & O'Mara in 1950.

Greenhorne & O'Mara's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer John J. Healey, Ph.D., P.E., said of Mr. O'Mara, "Jim O'Mara's professionalism, warm nature, and willingness to give of himself in troubled times has led him to be held in the highest esteem by his peers, employees, clients, and friends. His entrepreneurial spirit and caring nature have left a legacy of corporate success, an employee-friendly culture, and a client-centric focus. His presence will be missed by all of us at G&O, our clients, and those in the industry who had the pleasure of knowing and working with this fine gentleman."

Mr. O'Mara is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lois Johnson O'Mara, five sons, six grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Greenhorne & O'Mara is a national, full-service engineering consulting firm that has provided general civil, transportation, environmental, water resources, and hazard mitigation and security solutions for more than 55 years. G&O is ranked among the top 125 leading engineering consulting firms in the United States by Engineering News Record. With 17 offices in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the firm provides a comprehensive range of services throughout the U.S. and abroad to public and private sector clients.

Related Links: In Memoriam: A. James O'Mara | A. James O'Mara: a distinguished life and career in pictures | G&O Company History