05/05/2026
Please join us at the West Little Rock Rotary Club meeting on May 6, 2026, at St Vincent’s at Noon! Our program will include guest speaker Gradey E Harvill, P.E., President & COO, W&W|AFCO Steel.
Grady was born in Lunenburg, Arkansas, one of eight children. He went to high school in Melbourne, Arkansas, and then attended Arkansas Tech and the University of Arkansas, where he graduated in December 1971 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
Grady began working as an engineer trainee for AFCO Steel in January 1972, and in 1974 became a Project Engineer, designing and supervising steel construction projects. In 1980, with his promotion to General Sales Manager, Grady was responsible for estimating, design engineering, contracting, and subcontracting for AFCO Steel’s building and bridge sales. His responsibilities continued to grow during his career, progressing to Executive Vice President in 1992. In August 2002, Grady became President and COO of W&W|AFCO Steel, the position he holds today.
W&W|AFCO Steel is the combination of two successful steel fabrication companies. W&W Steel, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has plants in Oklahoma City and Lubbock, Texas. AFCO Steel, founded in 1909 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, has plants in Little Rock and Van Buren and Greeley, Colorado. W&W|AFCO has provided the structural steel in many significant projects. Among those are the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Titans Stadium in Nashville, the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis, the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, 30 Crossing in Little Rock and MSG Sphere in Las Vegas.
In 2018, under the leadership of Rick Cooper, Chairman and CEO and Grady, W&W|AFCO purchased Hirschfeld Steel of San Angelo, Texas and became the largest structural steel fabrication and er****on company in the United States with over 2,000 employees. W&W|AFCO has 20 plants in 11 cities and 7 states.
Because of his strong desire to contribute to the future of engineering education, Grady and his family are very proud to have endowed the Harvell Family Scholarship at the University of Arkansas in honor of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Harvell; the Harold J. Engstrom, Jr. Scholarship in honor of Mr. Harold J. Engstrom, a mentor, who hired Grady to work at AFCO in 1972 and numerous annual scholarships for U of A Civil Engineering students.
Grady is proud to have been a contributor to development of the structure’s lab for the Civil Engineering department that opened in July 2021 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. This facility will enhance the research opportunities for professors and educational advancement for students in civil engineering for decades to come. In recognition of Grady’s contributions to this effort, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees named this facility the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center.
