A Brief History of Krebs Engineering, Inc.

The firm was founded by Richard A. Polglaze and F.C. Basenberg in 1926 as Polglaze and Basenberg  Engineers. Paul B. Krebs, Sr. joined “P&G”, as it was commonly called, in 1945, and the firm had already become an established regional engineering firm specializing in the planning and design of drinking water, sanitary sewer, natural gas, and storm water systems.  Mr. Krebs was promoted to chief engineer a few months after Mr. Polglaze passed away. During the next quarter century, the firm continued to expand, gaining a reputation for exceptional service and establishing long term client relationships that have lasted as long as 70 years (and counting).  P&G’s penchant for developing innovative solutions led to the design of one of the first activated sludge wastewater treatment plants in the Southeast for Anniston, AL in 1956. This plant was also one of the first to feature a biogas/methane recovery from the anaerobic digestion process. The energy generated from the biogas was used to power the blowers, and the waste heat from the blower engines was used to heat the digesters, thus providing our client with sustainable energy decades before the concept became widely known to the public.

In 1971 the firm incorporated as Paul B. Krebs & Associates, Inc., and a branch office was opened in Montgomery, AL in the 1990’s following the acquisition of another firm.  Mr. Krebs passed away in 2004, and the firm was eventually renamed Krebs Engineering, Inc. Even now, after more than 90 years, the firm’s primary focus and areas of expertise are in drinking water, wastewater, storm water and civil-site engineering.

Krebs Engineering, Inc. was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2017.