History

Over 45 years ago, Willy Van Hemert, PE, had an unorthodox idea. He believed he could create a firm that would become a leader in Alaska civil engineering. A lot of people think that. 

Willy’s idea was different. He knew success starts with happy employees:

Happy Employees = Better Work Products = Happy Clients = Repeat Clients

Our goal is for all of our clients to be repeat clients.


Today, CRW Engineering Group, Inc. (CRW), founded in 1981, is a multi-discipline engineering and land surveying firm. Our goals are consistent for all of our projects: serving our clients with dedication and responsiveness and helping to make the communities we work in better places to live.

With over 80 staff and over 45 years of experience in urban, rural, and remote projects, we provide civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, and environmental engineering; land and aerial surveying and mapping; and planning. CRW provides innovative solutions to diverse challenges on a myriad of projects with deliverable requirements ranging from small studies to large reconstruction efforts. CRW has the resources to work in almost any environment. We provide start-to-finish, one-stop solutions for planning, permitting, surveying, engineering, and construction-management needs.

CRW works with federal and state agencies, municipalities, small communities, and private companies in Alaska and throughout the northwest. CRW has current and ongoing projects with the Alaska Native entities, several school districts, local and regional healthcare facilities, public works departments, major airports, utility companies, multiple private developers, and the United States military.

CRW logos over time: 1981-2023