About Us

GW Design Group, LLC is led by Principals
Thad Gilliam, P.E., LEED AP
Jack Weems, P.E., SECB
 
The firm’s practice is concentrated in the south and eastern United States. A variety of project types are produced including commercial, educational, financial, governmental, healthcare, hospitality, housing, parking, recreational, religious, renovation and adaptive reuse, residential, retail, telecom and civil. Projects encompass various structural systems including timber, structural steel, masonry and all varieties of concrete structural systems.
 
Thad has 30 years of experience in structural engineering design and management. He has managed large projects costing over 100 million dollars, as well as efficiently managed small scale projects. Throughout his career he has held various positions of management; in particular, Thad served as Managing Director of a staff of over 50 employees. Thad is a registered Professional Engineer and is a LEED Accredited Professional. He earned a BSCE with Honors and a MSE from University of Texas at Austin.

He is registered in numerous states, a member of Chi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi honor societies, and a member of the following professional organizations: American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), and Structural Engineering Association of Georgia (SEAOG).

Thad and his wife Joy love the outdoors and spending time with family and friends. They have four married children and one grandchild. They are active members of Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville.
 
Jack has been practicing structural engineering in the Atlanta area since 1962. After earning a BSCE and MSCE from Georgia Institute of Technology, he became registered as a Professional Engineer in 1963 and has registrations in numerous states. Working for a major Architectural/Engineering firm, he performed the structural design of notable Atlanta projects including the Atlanta Regency Hotel and the Atlanta Gas Tower at Peachtree Center. He founded his own firm in 1968 and has produced structural engineering designs for thousands of buildings over the last 40 years.

Jack is a member and past officer as noted of the following professional organizations: Consulting Engineers Council of Georgia (CEC/GA) – Past Structural Chairman, Structural Engineers Association of Georgia (SEAOG) – Chairman (1997), Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). Jack served as Senior Warden at Saint Bede’s Episcopal Church for 2008 and 2009.

As an avid paddler, Jack has spent a lot of time on many challenging rivers.  He and his wife Dee enjoy spending time with their four children, their spouses, and their five grandchildren.