Murraysmith Welcomes Strategic Planning and Communications Partner Barney & Worth to the Team

Murraysmith is excited to announce our acquisition of Barney & Worth, Inc., a regional leader in strategic planning and communications services for public infrastructure projects.

Murraysmith and Barney & Worth are long-time partners with a history of collaboration on complex, multidisciplinary projects. Adding Barney & Worth to the Murraysmith team further strengthens this relationship and expands Murraysmith’s service offerings with senior-level expertise in infrastructure planning, funding strategies, strategic communications, digital marketing, public engagement, equity outreach, and more. Like Barney & Worth, Murraysmith believes that good decisions make great communities, and shares a commitment to economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Barney & Worth is led by Libby Barg Bakke, who is widely known for her expertise working with elected officials, interest groups, and the public to build long-term support for projects. As President of Barney & Worth, she will be joining Murraysmith's management team as the head of our new planning and communications discipline. We are thrilled to further diversify our leadership team with Libby’s fresh perspective.

“There has never been a more important time to creatively adapt the services we provide to better meet the needs of our clients,” said Murraysmith CEO Chris Rayasam. “The addition of Barney & Worth to our team not only allows us to provide innovative approaches to identifying and securing funding opportunities, but also provides our project managers, designers, and technical specialists with a deeper understanding of our clients’ challenges and opportunities.”

Founded in 1978, Barney & Worth is currently contributing to planning and communications for infrastructure projects totaling more than $2.5 billion, including Portland’s Bull Run Water Treatment Projects; the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant Secondary Treatment Plant Expansion Program; Tualatin Valley Water District, Hillsboro, and Beaverton’s Willamette River Water Supply Program; and Bend’s $190 million transportation bond measure.

Barney & Worth is a complementary partner due to the technical depth of its nine staff, who not only bring varied experience in planning and communications, but also specialize in disciplines such as water infrastructure, transportation, land use planning, and finance.