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PROFILE
A strong foundation: Chad Drummond CEO and president of Drummond Carpenter, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in civil, environmental engineering, and applied research.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
A s the 2025 U.S. Small Business Administration Veteran- Owned Business Person of the Year for the state of Florida, Drummond is building one of Florida’s fastest-growing engineering firms – one that’s tackling complex infrastructure and environmental challenges across the state and beyond. Drummond Carpenter (Orlando, FL) was also a 2025 Zweig Group Hot Firm Award winner. MILITARY EXPERIENCE SHAPED FIRM NICHE. Specifically, Drummond Carpenter is a certified Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. While Drummond was in the Navy, he knew long before joining the ranks that he wanted to work in science and engineering. His military experience only served to heighten that interest. He served in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm which he says was the catalyst for his decision to pursue environmental engineering. “I saw firsthand the environmental devastation – oil wells burning black into the sky and crude oil blanketing the water for miles,” he says. “I knew I wanted a career focused on solving those kinds of problems.”
He shares that it was his Navy training, particularly in nuclear systems, that gave him a unique foundation that continues to shape the work they do at Drummond Carpenter. “Today, one of our specialties is assisting the federal government with the safe storage and disposal of materials from the Manhattan Project era. That niche is directly tied to my naval background and the technical rigor it demanded,” he says. The majority of Drummond Carpenter’s work is with federal and municipal clients, though they also support select private and nonprofit organizations. He explains that their federal partnerships are central to their business and include agencies like NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. “One of the most significant projects in our firm’s history is currently underway with the VA, where we’re leading the full redesign of utility infrastructure – water, stormwater, sewer, and natural gas – at a hospital campus in Arkansas,” he shares.
See A STRONG FOUNDATION , page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 28, 2025, ISSUE 1595
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