Levingston Group, LLC
Engineering Excellence For 60 Years
Ernest Levingston started an engineering business on August 1, 1961, in a one-room office on West 11th Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The staff totaled one person - Ernest Levingston. He called this new business Ernest Levingston & Associates.
During the mid 60's and early 70's, the firm moved to several larger office spaces as it grew in Lake Charles. It eventually moved to Sulphur, Louisiana, in 1977, at which time the name was changed to Levingston Engineers, Inc. This Company's Home Office location remained 510 South Cities Service Highway, Sulphur, Louisiana until 2013. In March 2013, Home Office Operations moved to 210 Teal Road, Sulphur, Louisiana to accommodate business growth. Continued growth necessitated the opening of an additional office annex at 219 Teal Road, Sulphur, Louisiana in October 2018.
Key personnel during the early years included; President - Ernest L. Levingston, Vice President - W.L. Rice, Secretary - David Levingston, Treasurer - Kathleen Levingston, Director - Don Duhon, and Director - Charles Ladner.
In 1985, Levingston Engineers merged its operations with that of Austin Industrial, Inc., and remained under the Austin Companies structure until the end of 1988.
On January 1, 1989, Levingston Engineers reopened its Home Office with Ernest Levingston as President and CEO, a staff of 95 people, and active contracts with 11 clients. Ernest remained CEO until 1995 when W.J. Lechtenberg, Jr., was appointed CEO and managed the company until 2000. From 2000 to 2008 Ernest Levingston managed the operations of Levingston Engineers with the assistance of Vice Presidents Mark G. Nixon and Louis Daniel "Dan" Leveque.
In 2008 the firm was acquired by Mark G. Nixon and Louis Daniel "Dan" Leveque. Nixon currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and Leveque as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Darrel Darbonne serves as Vice President of Technical Services. In 2012, in an effort to diversify our service offerings, Levingston Engineers, Inc. changed its name to Levingston Group, LLC.
Today, Levingston employs between 250-350 persons, depending on the work load requirements. The firm provides civil, structural, mechanical, piping, process, electrical, and controls system engineering services along with technical staffing solutions for the industrial and municipal sectors.
Levingston serves clients throughout various industries, including energy, oil and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, refining, pipeline, municipal, manufacturing, and bio-fuels.
The company's business plan, strategies, and goals have remained consistent with Levingston's mission statement.
"Levingston has always and will continue to consider quality to be its highest priority. By 'quality' we mean providing clients with a service, which includes keeping the costs within budget, getting the work out on time, and producing results, which will meet or exceed the expectations and needs of the client in all regards. We will at all times maintain a high level of ethics and professionalism. We believe the people in our company makes the company. We will consistently seek to improve the working conditions, training, organization, and job security for our people, allowing them to reach their highest potential."
The owners and employees of Levingston believe strongly in giving back to their community. Among the many groups supported by the firm are United Way, Partners in Education, McNeese Foundation (Levingston Engineers Scholarships), Sowela Foundation, and Chamber Foundation for business development of the region. The company also supports various local recreational sports teams.
"Without a doubt, the employees are what make Levingston successful."