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Baskerville-Donovan Becomes Donovan-Hill Group, Engineering a Legacy Six Decades in the Making

The Pensacola firm that built the region’s water systems, helped land a civic center, and brought Quint Studer to Baptist Hospital is writing its next chapter under a new name.

Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. has a new name. The Pensacola engineering firm announced this week that it is rebranding as Donovan-Hill Group, a change company leaders say reflects both the firm’s deep roots and its direction heading forward.

The new brand carries the theme “Engineering a Legacy”—a phrase that, given the firm’s history, is more of a biography than a marketing tagline.

• “Our company has always been built on relationships, integrity and a dedication to the communities we serve,” said Fred Donovan Jr., chairman of Donovan-Hill Group. “The Donovan-Hill name reflects the leadership that has shaped our firm and the legacy we are committed to continuing for our clients and partners.”

Keith Hill, president and CEO, said the rebrand better communicates how the firm has always approached its work.

• “Engineering is more than technical design,” Hill said. “It’s about listening to clients, understanding their goals and delivering thoughtful solutions that make communities stronger.”

Hill also drew a clear distinction between Donovan-Hill Group and larger national firms that have come to dominate the industry.

• “In today’s industry, many firms have become large national organizations. We’ve intentionally stayed focused on building close partnerships with our clients. That allows us to stay responsive, collaborative and accountable on every project.”

A Company Born in Gulf Breeze, Built Across the Gulf Coast

The firm traces its origins to 1927, but the story that most Pensacolans would recognize began in 1964, when a junior engineer named Fred Donovan, Sr., took a pay cut to come home.

• Donovan had graduated from Georgia Tech and landed a job with DuPont’s construction division in Kinston, N.C. But he wanted to return to Pensacola, and the only offer he found came from Bill Baskerville, who was operating a small firm out of Gulf Breeze with just a bookkeeper—and not much cash to spare.

“Bill Baskerville was a hell of a mentor,” Donovan told me in a 2024 interview. “And we just had a good time building the firm.”

• His first significant project came in 1967: helping Pace get a water system. Baskerville told him about a hundred residents in Pace who needed water service. The money wasn’t there. Donovan found it through the Farm Credit Administration.

“That was my first opportunity chasing money,” Donovan said. “Back then, I began to realize that you need to have a decent relationship with elected officials. You couldn’t just be an engineer cranking out numbers. You had to be able to help people find a way to build their system.”

“You couldn’t just be an engineer cranking out numbers. You had to be able to help people find a way to build their system.”
—Fred Donovan, Sr.

The Civic Center, the Governor, and a Handshake Deal

As BDI grew, so did Donovan Sr.’s role in shaping the region. He chaired a committee that produced a master plan for Pensacola’s waterfront—an early document that envisioned Bayfront Parkway and a mixed-use development at Pitts Slip in 1981.

• He helped push the effort to build what is now the Pensacola Bay Center. Escambia County needed voter approval for a two-cent tourist development tax, and the project required political buy-in from the statehouse. Donovan got a private moment with Gov. Bob Graham outside the Capitol.

“Graham took me out of earshot of everybody and said, ‘OK, now if I push this tax, and if that helps build the Civic Center, I want you to promise me you’re not going to do any of the engineering on it,’” Donovan recalled. “And I said, ‘That’s a deal.’ In other words, he thought it would be just terrible for him, politically, for somebody pushing it to get any work because of it. That was a smart move.”

Graham endorsed the civic center and committed to funding an expansion of the University of West Florida into a four-year college—two investments that reshaped the region’s long-term trajectory.

Finding Quint Studer

Donovan Sr.’s reach extended beyond engineering. In 1995, as board chairman of Baptist Health Care, he helped recruit an outside leader to fix a system in trouble. Patient satisfaction had fallen to the lower 18th percentile nationally. Donovan zeroed in on the top-ranked hospital in the country—Holy Cross—and the executive running it: Quint Studer.

• “We brought him down a couple of times,” Donovan said. “Finally, we hired him and made him the president of Baptist Hospital Inc.”

Studer’s first move was to skip the corner office in Baptist Tower. He set up in the basement next to the cafeteria, with plate-glass windows so employees could see in.

• “When they walked by, he would tap on the window, bring them in and ask them what he could do to make the hospital better,” Donovan recalled. “They made recommendations, and Quint would make it happen.”

Patient satisfaction climbed to 99%. Employee turnover dropped from 30% to 12%. The hospital added $1.8 million to its bottom line. Studer went on to build a national consulting practice from Pensacola, shaping healthcare culture across the country—and eventually becoming one of the city’s most prominent civic investors.

Same Mission, New Name

The Donovan-Hill Group rebrand will roll out across the company’s website, marketing materials, and communications over the coming months. Company leaders are clear that the name change does not signal a shift in mission or approach.

• Ed Spears, city manager for the City of Milton, said: “They listen—and that’s a differentiator. Most firms will tell you what they think—Donovan-Hill Group takes the time to understand what you need and then follow through on what they present. That builds trust over time.”

Fred Donovan Sr. reflected on what the firm has meant to him as he wrapped up his 2024 interview with me before heading to his beach house. “I’ve worked with some of the most wonderful people you’d ever meet in your life. Our engineers are bright and care about the community. This company’s in great hands.”

Founded in 1927. Reborn in 2026. Still Pensacola’s firm.