Matt Crafton receives top honor of American Council of Engineering Companies

Matt Crafton, president and CEO of Rogers-based engineering and design firm Crafton Tull, has been named a fellow of the American Council of Engineering Companies.

According to a news release, the fellowship is the highest honor awarded by the association and is presented to those who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, commitment to excellence, and significant impact in the engineering field. Crafton was recognized at the ACEC National Fall Conference in New Orleans last week.

The association’s College of Fellows comprises engineers who their peers select in recognition of their professional achievements and contributions to their communities. Fellows are charged with enhancing the image of engineering and helping to encourage and recruit future engineers.

“I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to our ACEC Arkansas board of directors and other industry colleagues in the state who nominated me for this recognition,” Crafton said. “I’m also thankful for Crafton Tull’s support of my service in this great organization. ACEC is truly the voice of the engineering industry, and our firm is very proud to support its mission.”

Crafton has led Crafton Tull as CEO for over 15 years through growth and success. He oversees the operations of Crafton Tull’s nine offices and is responsible for quality control on multiple engineering projects. The firm has more than 300 employees.

According to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2024 Largest Private Companies list, Crafton Tull’s revenue increased by 12.66% to $45.4 million in 2023 from $40.3 million in 2022.

Crafton started his career as a civil engineer in the U.S. Air Force, where he managed the design and construction of various projects for Air Force missions globally, including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Restore Hope. In 1998, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve and joined the company his father, Bob Crafton, co-founded. In his early years with the company, Matt Crafton managed several large highway design projects and rose to the position of chief operating officer before the Crafton Tull Board of Directors appointed him to the position of CEO in 2009.

Matt Crafton has professional engineer licenses in seven states, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional, serves on the ACEC Transportation Committee and is the ACEC Arkansas national director. He’s the past president of ACEC Arkansas, past chapter president of the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers, and inductee and past board member of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering. He is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Rogers, serves on multiple nonprofit boards, and retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel.

“We are so proud of Matt and his contributions to ACEC Arkansas and the engineering industry as a whole,” said Angie Cooper, ACEC Arkansas executive director. “He’s been instrumental in growing our association and educating our youth about the opportunities in the engineering industry. We are thrilled to recognize and honor Matt as our newest ACEC Fellow in Arkansas.”