WGPM, Inc. is a privately owned structural engineering consulting firm located in Charlotte, NC. The firm was founded as Wright-Gibson Group, Inc. in April 2000 by Lewis Wright, P.E. and Marc Gibson, P.E. In October 2001, Wes Patton, P.E. joined the firm and the name changed to WGPM, Inc. In January 2014, Ben Abernathy, P.E. and Andrew Blain, P.E. joined the firm as principals. WGPM, Inc.’s engineering staff consists of three senior engineers, two project engineers, an entry-level engineer, and an AutoCAD/Revit specialist.
The principals of WGPM, Inc. have more than 100 years of combined experience in the structural design and project management of structures in more than 40 states. They have served as project engineers on various sized projects from the 290,000sf, $34,000,000, Southminster Retirement Community, to single story retail buildings. WGPM, Inc. specializes in the structural design of numerous project types including automotive, college/university, financial, hotel/motel, industrial/manufacturing, commercial office, retail, school, senior living, performing arts centers and sports facilities.
Over the past 15 years, WGPM, Inc. has become one of the leading industrial warehouse designers in the Southeast. With millions of square feet of floor space designed by its engineers, WGPM, Inc. has become accustomed to designing various types of industrial buildings including concrete tilt wall, precast concrete, metal panel, and masonry. WGPM, Inc.’s industrial experience includes large distribution warehouses, refrigerated storage facilities, and light and heavy manufacturing buildings which include bridge cranes, equipment platforms, and heavy equipment foundations.
WGPM, Inc. designs and produces detailed tilt wall shop drawings that give the contractor an advantage during construction. The quality and detail of the shop drawings ensures the accuracy of the panels during forming in order to meet aggressive construction schedules. WGPM, Inc. also consults with the contractor throughout construction of the project to ensure that the panels are constructed per project specifications. WGPM, Inc.’s experience with tilt construction allows them to provide sensible repair details when deviations from contact drawings occur. This level of service has resulted in WGPM, Inc. becoming the preferred engineer for tilt wall design build projects for multiple contractors and concrete subcontractors all over the Carolinas. Its resume includes manufacturing and distribution warehouses up to 750,000sf, airport hangers, multistory office buildings up to four stories, and one of the highest concrete tilt wall panels in the Southeast, the zMax Drag Strip at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The engineers at WGPM, Inc. have a very diverse background that allows them to undertake any type of project while providing a level of service above that of other engineering firms. They utilize state-of-the-art design and analysis software as well as more than 50 structural programs developed in-house. WGPM, Inc.’s engineers are accustomed to working in a fast paced environment where a structurally sound, efficient, and timely design is a necessity.
