Not only have the Hot Firm Hall of Fame members achieved ranking as The Zweig Letter’s fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms, but these companies have accomplished this extraordinary feat many times. For the last seven years, The Zweig Letter Hot Firm list has recognized the fastest-growing AEC firms in the United States and Canada. This year, the Hot Firm Hall of Fame list is recognizing the outstanding firms that have made the annual Hot Firm list for three or more years.

WilsonMiller, a multidisciplinary planning, design, engineering, and surveying firm, ranked on The Zweig Letter Hot Firm list for the past four consecutive years (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006). Although WilsonMiller is geographically positioned in one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets—the firm has 11 offices in Florida—a leadership transition culminating in 1999 motivated the company to convene officers and principals to frame strategic direction for the upcoming decade. "Included with this strategic planning effort was the adoption of disciplined business practices to include the formulation of market-driven service groups (business units), annual business planning, financial goal setting, progress assessment, and wide-spread reporting," said Alan D. Reynolds, AICP, CEO and chairman of the Naples, Fla.-based firm. "We added intense attention to recruitment and retention, and the resulting dynamic accelerated our growth."

Reynolds recommends that firms trying to sustain growth place a high priority on maintaining the corporate culture. "Rapid growth and geographic expansion has the potential of fragmenting a company’s framework, which dilutes some of the most powerful teambuilding glue that a company possesses. Not only do employees have to like what they do, but also they need to like where and for whom they do it. If the principle of ’liking’ is disrupted, they will find another place to go."

Terracon, Inc., a consulting engineering firm headquartered in Kansas City with more than 95 offices in 34 states, made The Zweig Letter Hot Firm list three times, in 2000, 2001, and 2006. Throughout its more than 40-year history, Terracon has achieved strong, steady expansion, with an average growth of 15.5 percent per year during the last 10 years.

"Certainly in the last five years our industry has experienced a strong growing market, with high demand for services. We have consistently grown faster than the market," said Terracon President and CEO David R. Gaboury, P.E. For Terracon, growth is one of its eight key values. Committing the hard work and dedication to achieve strong growth has become part of the company culture. According to Gaboury, as a 100-percent employee-owned firm, with more than 90 percent of employees participating in ownership, everyone benefits from the firm’s success.

Terracon’s growth has resulted from growing existing offices and geographic expansion into new locations, while focusing on its core services. For example, in 2006, its existing operation in Iowa grew 23 percent. In addition, during the last 10 years, the firm’s network of offices has become national in scale, increasing from 45 to 98 locations. "To achieve our growth, we have put particular emphasis on developing, communicating, and implementing a clear, straightforward, and practical company strategy," said Gaboury.

Terracon’s strategic goal is to grow approximately 15 percent per year with two-thirds (10 percent) of this growth internal and one-third (5 percent) by acquisitions. The firm’s average growth during the last 10 years was achieved by 9 percent-per-year internal growth and 6.5 percent-per-year acquisition growth. Gaboury noted that while acquisition growth gets much notice, internal growth is critical to being a dynamic firm that provides career opportunities to employees at all levels. "For 2007, we project that our revenues will grow nearly 30 percent, with strong internal and acquisition growth. We continue to focus on our core services of geotechnical, environmental, and construction materials services. We are beginning to look to new service offerings and the international market as a component of our long-term growth path."

---

The Zweig Letter Hot Firm 2007 Conference

Now in its eighth year, The Zweig Letter Hot Firm Conference is the most exciting annual event for growing AEC firms. This two-day event, to be held Oct. 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency in Boston, features top design and environmental industry executives, entrepreneurs, and authors, as well as leaders from the fastest-growing companies in the industry and many others who gather each year to share strategies for success, learn tactics from their peers, and leave with renewed inspiration for another successful year. In addition, The Zweig Letter Hot Firm 2007 List will be announced at the The Zweig Letter Hot Firm Conference. This year, The Zweig Letter Hot Firm List will recognize the 200 fastest-growing firms in the United States and Canada. The new Hot Firm List will also recognize the top-growing firms by size and type of work, and will award Honorable Mentions in addition to the top 200. Visit www.hotfirm.com to learn more.