Cleary Zimmermann is thrilled to be celebrating an important milestone in 2026: our 20th anniversary! A lot has happened in the 20 years since we started our firm, and to celebrate, we wanted to take you on a journey back in time to 2006. Picture it: Twitter was just launched, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet, High School Musical had just come out, but the best news – Cleary Zimmermann Engineers was founded in April in San Antonio, TX.
Join us as we blow out our birthday candles and reflect on 20 milestones from the past 20 years.
2006: Cleary Zimmermann was Founded
Our firm was founded in 2006 after Wade Cleary and Danny Zimmermann (our founders) met while working at Marmon Mok Architecture. After a change of strategy at Marmon Mok led to the dissolution of their engineering department, Danny and Wade decided to take the plunge and file the paperwork for their own engineering firm. And we are so glad they did!
2007: Wade and Danny bought out their angel investor
When Cleary Zimmermann Engineers was founded in 2006, a generous angel investor provided the company with financial backing to help it gain momentum that first year. In just one year, Danny and Wade were able to pay the investor back in full. Also in 2007, Danny designed the very first logo!
2007: The Addition of Commissioning
In 2007, our firm expanded into providing Commissioning services with the addition of Steven Archer to our staff. Steven helped grow our commissioning department until 2013, when Brian Keller joined the team in 2013. Brian Keller has 36 years of experience in building systems commissioning, MEP QA/QC, DDC controls testing, and test and balance. Brian also holds membership and certifications in the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) and currently serves as a Director on the NEBB National Board of Directors. The addition of both Brian and the Commissioning Service line expanded not only our services but also our ability to better serve our clients and their MEP-related needs.
2008: CZ Moves to 1344 South Flores
In 2008, Cleary Zimmermann, with 6 full-time employees, moved into what is now an easily recognized part of our brand, our San Antonio office. Located in Southtown in an old, 100-year-old tractor warehouse, Danny and Wade took a gamble when looking for a new space. The realtor, worried they would not like it, took them to the old warehouse as a favor to a friend, and it was love at first sight. Soon after, Wade’s carpentry handiwork started appearing around the office. The team built all of the original desks for the office. Please see Trey McDougall (employee number 3 and 20-year CZ veteran) helping Wade assemble their new office furniture.
2008: CZ Weathers the 2008 Financial Crisis
Starting a new company two years before a financial recession is a high-risk endeavor. Obviously, Wade and Danny were unaware of the pending recession when they launched CZ in 2006, but due to their commitment to service, their book of business, and their relationships with clients, CZ and its staff were able to weather the storm, even as a small business. Though CZ did feel some effects, and the business was impacted, we persisted.
2009: The CZ BBQ Pit is Purchased, and the First CZ Employee Appreciation BBQ is Held
2009 was a big year for BBQ (at least for CZ!). In 2009, Wade purchased the first CZ BBQ pit. It was a runaway hit and he soon commissioned the 20-foot branded BBQ pit that we all know and love today! When Wade finished the refurbishments, we hosted our first-ever employee appreciation BBQ. This is also when CZ began providing BBQ to our clients as a gesture of appreciation. Today, you can even occasionally catch Wade towing the pit down I-10 (if you’re lucky!).
2010: The San Antonio Office moves into the Large Warehouse Building at 1344 S. Flores
Danny and Wade bought the property 1344 South Flores in 2008 and moved into the front suite (where our friends, the American Institute of Architects, are now located) due to the renovations needed for the larger warehouse building attached. After two years’ wait and much anticipation, we were finally ready to move into the larger warehouse area. Danny and Wade made sure to keep all the character of the building, including original doors, a very large safe, and even the graffiti markings on the wall.
2010 Cleary Zimmermann Wins San Antonio’s Best Places to Work for the First Time
Cleary Zimmermann celebrated its first time winning San Antonio’s Best Places to Work. CZ has won this award 12 times since. Every time we are nominated, we like to celebrate with our employees. In 2017, we brought in Amy’s Ice Cream (a local favorite in San Antonio) just for the occasion.
2014: Water/Wastewater added to Cleary Zimmermann Service Lines
2014 was the year that Water/Wastewater was added to Cleary Zimmermann’s service lines. Headed by John Cleary, CZ added the service line to better assist in areas of electrical, control, instrumentation, data acquisition engineering, and mechanical systems related to water and wastewater treatment facilities. Currently, our Water/Wastewater department is headed by Conner Sturdivant, who is a skilled mechanical AND electrical engineer (don’t see that combination every day).
This was also around the time we had some familiar faces join CZ. Do you spot any future CZ/Moose principals in this photo?
2018: Cleary Zimmermann opens a new office in Bryan/College Station, TX
In 2018, we expanded! After 12 years as a San Antonio-based company, we expanded to include Bryan/College Station as part of the CZ family. With Randy Rogers at the helm, this broadened our ability to better serve our clients in the Brazos Valley and Northeast region of Texas. We Our love of old buildings carried through to this new home:
Our Bryan/College Station office moved into the historic Amity Building in Bryan, TX. And don’t worry, Wade’s carpentry work can be seen in the office as well, with the addition of a conference room table.
2018: Moose Engineers was born!
2018 saw a monumental step for both Cleary Zimmermann and one of its employees, Mike Hayes. In 2018, Mike Hayes, along with Wade and Danny, founded Moose Engineers. Named after the aircraft he used to fly, Moose Engineers is a service-disabled veteran-owned VetHUB consulting engineering firm specializing in the design of MEP building systems. In 2018, our two firms also signed an SBA Mentor/Protégé Agreement, backed by Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center. Today, Moose Engineers has grown from two employees in 2018 to 12 and continues to maintain a close relationship with Cleary Zimmermann Engineers. We’re so proud of you, Mike!
2019: Cleary Zimmermann opened an Office in Houston, TX
After the success of the Bryan/College Station office, Cleary Zimmermann continued to growby expanding into the Houston market. Currently, Miles Nommenson serves as our Principal | Building MEP of our Houston office, with a team of 14 full-time employees. To make sure that we added that CZ touch, we hung our wonderful CZ graffiti sign.
2020: The Pandemic and Remote Work
The pandemic sent shockwaves around the world, and nothing was more historic than 2020. This period also marked the first time all of our staff were working from home full-time. Although we eventually returned to the office, we couldn’t do a 20-year look back without including 2020. Our CZers got creative with their at-home setups, including our CEO, Wade.
2020: First Drive Thru BBQ
As the world adjusted to life during the COVID-19 pandemic, so did CZ. While working from home, our team sought ways to safely serve our clients and the community. This is where our idea of a Drive Thru BBQ was born. Our team invited different clients to “drive thru” to our San Antonio Office to get our famous CZ BBQ “to go”. We still host our Drive Thru BBQs, with our most recent being in 2024 in Austin.
2021: The First Cowboy Breakfast
In 2021, during a historic freeze, Cleary Zimmermann hosted its first-ever Cowboy Breakfast. After watching hospital staff serve our communities during the pandemic, CZ wanted to return the favor and serve our healthcare heroes. Our team got up in the early morning hours (some say that Wade parked the BBQ pit in the hospital parking lot at 3am) to cook and serve the hospital staff at Methodist Texsan a hot, TexMex-style breakfast. After the success and positive feedback, we decided to make it an annual event!
2022: Cleary Zimmermann Opened a New Office in Austin, TX
2022 brought the addition of our Austin office. Aaron Heaps had joined CZ soon after graduation in 2015, and in 2022, he moved back to his native Austin to open and serve as the principal of our Austin office. Our Austin office has grown continually and now works on projects with University of Texas at Austin, Texas Facilities Commission, and Austin ISD.
2024: Houston Office Moved to the Energy Corridor
In 2024, our Houston office was experiencing rapid growth. We quickly realized that the current office would not be able to accommodate the growth projected for our Houston team. So, it was time for some new digs. Miles Nommensen and our Houston team moved into a beautiful new office off the Katy Freeway. We may be biased, but we think it looks great!
2025: IT/Security Design was Added as a Service
On January 1st, 2025, we launched our IT/Security service line with Jaime Katz as Director of IT/Security. Jaime has over 25 years of experience as a tradesman electrician and construction administrator and with his intimate knowledge of building electrical systems and designs, his experience created a natural progression into the IT/Security field. Since adding IT/Security to our service lines, Jaime and the IT/Security team have surpassed their 2025 financial projections. Way to go, Jaime! We can’t wait to see what you do in 2026.
2025: New Co-Owners
For the first time since 2006, CZ expanded its ownership, with Aaron Heaps, Aaron Lovelock, David Bourassa, Zac Stevenson, and Thomas Watson joining Wade and Danny as owners of Cleary Zimmermann. Several of our new co-owners began their careers at CZ, and we are so happy to have them officially part of the “owner” family.
2026: Cleary Zimmermann opened a new office in Dallas
We are starting 2026 with another milestone, marking the opening of our Dallas office. This new office, located in Plano, is led by Trent Oliver, who started in our San Antonio office in 2020. Our Dallas office currently has four employees and is expected to continue growing through 2026. We are so proud of Trent and the Dallas team.
