Smith & Burgess is proud to recognize Michelle Ramirez, SHRM-CP, Director of Internal Operations, who has been named Most Visionary Process Safety Operations Leader 2026 (Houston) by Acquisition International’s Influential Businesswoman Awards 2026. 

HOUSTON, January 20, 2026 - As Smith & Burgess looks ahead to 2026, we are reaffirming our ongoing commitment to fostering a workplace culture built on trust, collaboration, and technical excellence.

And as we continue to grow our global team, we remain focused on creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their best work. Clear communication, respect for diverse perspectives, and opportunities for professional growth are central to our culture and how we operate as an organization.

Houston, TX – Smith & Burgess is proud to announce that Michelle Ramirez, SHRM-CP, Director of Internal Operations, has been honored as HR Leader of the Year (Small Company Category) at the Houston Business Journal’s 2025 HR Impact Awards.

Honoring Excellence in HR

The HBJ HR Impact Awards recognize individuals who set the standard in human resources by creating forward-thinking policies, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and driving measurable employee and organizational success.

Transforming HR at Smith & Burgess

During her nearly 10 years at Smith & Burgess, Ramirez has transformed the HR function into a strategic driver of business growth and culture. Her leadership has been instrumental in:

• Expanding the workforce by over 150% across multiple U.S. and international offices, including Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Singapore, and Pune, India — with expansion into Saudi Arabia underway.
• Revamping performance evaluation systems to achieve 95% manager adoption and 90% completion rates, directly aligning performance with company goals and values.
• Advancing female representation, increasing the percentage of women at Smith & Burgess from approximately 18% in 2015 to nearly 50% today.
• Designing benefits and flexible work programs that prioritize employee well-being and work-life balance, contributing to 45% of staff maintaining tenure of 10+ years — a rare benchmark in the industry.

Houston, TX – Smith & Burgess, a leading Process Safety Management (PSM) engineering consulting firm specializing in relief and flare system solutions, announces the promotion of Aniekan Attang to General Manager. Mr. Attang previously served as Engineering Manager and brings over 13 years of expertise in process safety, project execution, and team leadership to his new role.

As General Manager, Mr. Attang will be responsible for driving both top-line growth and bottom-line performance while aligning Smith & Burgess’ services with evolving client needs. He will lead the firm’s growth strategy through strategic client acquisition, market expansion, diversification of services, and long-term partnerships. In addition, he will oversee project delivery, operational efficiency, and profitability to ensure operational excellence while consistently delivering exceptional value to clients.

HOUSTON, November 12, 2024 - Smith & Burgess, has been named a recipient of the Houston Chronicle’s Top Workplaces 2024! This prestigious award celebrates companies that excel in fostering positive workplace cultures, and we are honored to be included in this year's list.

Houston, TX – Smith & Burgess, a leading Process Safety Management (PSM) engineering consulting firm specializing in integrated process safety management solutions, today announced the launch of its new redesigned website at smithburgess.com. The revamped site features a modern design intuitive navigation, and technical content tailored to meet the needs of our clients, partners, and industry professionals.

“We are excited to unveil our new website to help clients explore solutions to achieve a high level of PSM, meet regulations and enhance efficient and reliable operations,” said Dustin Smith, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, Smith & Burgess.

"The newly redesigned website showcases our comprehensive range of PSM-compliant solutions and underscores our vision for continued growth and innovation in the field of process safety," added John Burgess, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, Smith & Burgess.

In today’s digital age, the protection of sensitive data is paramount. Businesses across all industries must ensure their data handling and security practices meet rigorous standards to maintain trust and protect their clients. At Smith & Burgess, we understand this responsibility, and we are excited to announce that our software, Salus, has achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance with an unqualified opinion. This award reflects our unwavering commitment to security, operational excellence, and client satisfaction.

Todd Mission Volunteer Fire Department Appreciation Lunch:

In June of 2019, Smith & Burgess coordinated an appreciation lunch for the City of Todd Mission’s Volunteer Fire Department at their station. Located in Grimes County and immediately next door to the area’s highly-popular Renaissance Festival, the City’s fire department covers 30 square miles and approximately 6,000 residents.

Smith & Burgess representing at the 2019 Hydrocarbon Processing Awards

In late September, Smith & Burgess was honored to be listed as finalists in three categories at the 2019 Hydrocarbon Processing Awards.

Actively supporting the Society of Women Engineers:

To celebrate Smith & Burgess’ support of “International Women in Engineering Day,” we are proud to announce Ms. Jill Bohnet as the winner of our first annual “Smith & Burgess: Process Safety Scholarship Award.”

Smith & Burgess is excited to announce our recent partnership with the Houston Chapter of "Society of Women Engineers." 

The Society of Women Engineers, also known as SWE, is an inclusive organization focused on issues of interest to women specializing in engineering and technical careers. The SWE Houston Area Chapter is the fourth largest chapter in the Nation with almost 700 members.

Like many professional engineering organizations, Smith & Burgess has benefited from the recent increase in female engineers in today's marketplace. With the addition of 10 new hires in 2018, Smith & Burgess' female engineers now represent 35% of our total engineering staff – an increase of over 40% since January of 2016.

Ms. Amanda Mueller  |  Process Safety Consultant

Ms. Mueller is a graduate from the University of Missouri with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She has extensive experience with Relief Systems and Flare Design projects. Over the past three years, Amanda has been an invaluable addition to Smith & Burgess' engineering staff and consistently exhibits the firm's dedication to quality process safety management.

Mr. Jason Spearow, P.E.  |  Senior Process Consultant

Mr. Spearow is a degreed professional chemical engineer, with over ten years in Process Safety Management, specializing in Relief Systems and Flare Design and Concern Resolution. Jason provides comprehensive relief systems expertise to efficiently solve a client's need in the most cost-effective and safe manner.

Jason has led over 30 domestic and global projects for Upstream and Downstream Oil & Gas Operators and Chemical Manufacturing facilities. Jason is also an experienced trainer responsible for new-hire onboarding and teaches the Relief Systems Design Course offered by Smith & Burgess.

Mr. Nicholas Cristea  |  Technical Lead

Mr. Cristea is a detail oriented Master-degreed chemical engineer specializing in Process Safety Management, with the main focus in Relief Systems Analysis and Documentation. He is a practical problem solver who makes quick, accurate decisions to efficiently solve a client's need in the most cost-effective and safe manner.

Nick has led over 20 domestic and global projects in Tier 1 Upstream and Downstream, Upstream Oil & Gas Operators, and Chemical Manufacturing Facilities with a total direct project revenue of over $10 million and savings generated in the region of $70 million.