CEC’s relationship with McDonald’s didn’t begin as a large, coordinated program. In fact, it started modestly—just a handful of projects managed within one office, managed by a small group that could keep pace with the early workload. But as McDonald’s development efforts expanded, so did the demands placed on its consulting partners. What followed was a three‑year period of steady growth, adaptation, and relationship‑building that ultimately led to CEC being named the 2025 McDonald’s Consultant of the Year.
According to Patrick Bennett, P.E., a Vice President in the St. Louis office, who leads much of CEC’s McDonald’s work, the scope of the program has grown dramatically. What began as a few sites handled locally has evolved into a portfolio of more than 120-140 projects touched within three years, 80‑plus of which have been active at any given time. These projects span new builds, rebuilds, and occasional remodels, with the majority consisting of ground‑up developments.
The work is largely concentrated in the Nashville-Chicago region, just one of 10-plus across the country. This region alone spans 11-12 states, and CEC has supported projects across nearly all of them. While McDonald’s continues to use a variety of consultants nationwide, CEC has carried a significant portion of this region’s workload due to its dependability, capacity, and flexibility.
Scalable Teamwork Across Offices
A major advantage CEC brings is the ability to scale, up or down, based on McDonald’s needs. When project volume increased beyond what the Saint Louis office could efficiently manage, CEC expanded the team by bringing in staff from Cincinnati, Nashville, Pittsburgh, and other offices. This allowed consistent delivery even as timelines tightened. And if workloads fluctuate in the future, the distributed approach prevents any single office from absorbing the full impact.
This operational flexibility is matched by the relationship CEC has built with the client. Patrick estimates that McDonald’s work makes up “the majority” of his day‑to‑day efforts, from high‑level program oversight to hands‑on design review. He also serves as the primary conduit between McDonald’s and CEC’s team of seven to eight project leads across multiple offices.
Trust Built Through Communication and Consistency
Over time, this constant communication has created a strong foundation of trust, particularly with his McDonald’s point person (Amy, who is an Area Construction Manager) for this region. The connection didn’t happen overnight. Patrick, CEC’s Corporate Real Estate Market Group Lead, has worked with McDonald’s for his entire career, and relationships have been built through years of collaboration.
Today, Amy knows she can contact Patrick directly whenever issues arise, whether routine updates or urgent requests. And CEC, in turn, benefits from having a consistent and responsive communication channel with the client. This “one number to call” approach simplifies life for McDonald’s. Instead of remembering who handles each piece of work, they contact Patrick, and he loops in the appropriate CEC teams.
Another major contributor to the program’s success is CEC’s ability to provide a wide range of services through a single firm. McDonald’s can access civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and structural engineering services, through CEC eliminating the need to coordinate with multiple consultants for each site. While CEC occasionally brings in outside partners based on geography or timelines, the goal is always the same: to deliver what’s best for the client in the most efficient way.
This commitment to client experience, more than anything, is what drives the team’s approach. Patrick stresses that the fundamentals are simple: stay responsive, stay connected, and stay visible. Even casual check‑ins, not just calls asking for more work, help maintain relationships in a competitive landscape where consultants can be easily (and quickly) forgotten.
Recognition and a Vision for the Future
CEC’s dedication was recognized at McDonald’s national vendor summit when it was named 2025 Consultant of the Year.
For Patrick, the recognition represents far more than a personal milestone. With more than 30 years in the industry, he describes the award as especially meaningful, not just for him but for everyone across CEC who had a hand in supporting McDonald’s projects. The real reward, he says, is always continued work, but this honor stands out as an affirmation of the team’s effort and consistency.
Looking ahead, McDonald’s continues to pursue ambitious development goals, including a major initiative to build 1,000 new stores in four years (and possibly continued growth beyond). With the company already in year three of that effort, CEC sees continued opportunity to support McDonald’s nationwide. Today, the team focuses primarily on one region, but the long‑term vision includes expanding into additional regions by making connections with new McDonald’s contacts and demonstrating the success already achieved.
Ultimately, CEC’s goal is to build and empower a McDonald’s‑savvy team across multiple offices, one that can replicate the Nashville–Chicago model in regions throughout the country. Patrick envisions a future where project managers in offices like Pittsburgh or Cincinnati become the new leaders, taking ownership of regional relationships just as he has for years.
For now, the Consultant of the Year award marks a milestone. It is one that celebrates not only the work done so far, but the collaborative spirit that defines the partnership. The story of CEC and McDonald’s is, at its core, a story of responsiveness, reliability, and the impact of showing up for clients consistently over time. And as the program grows, that commitment remains the foundation for everything CEC continues to build alongside McDonald’s.
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