Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) announced the winners of the 2008 EBJ Business Achievement Awards, recognizing outstanding firms in the environmental industry. This annual awards program recognizes firms for their strong financial performance and growth, as well as for specific projects that advance the environmental industry.

Tetra Tech Inc. and Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd. were named the Gold Medal Award winners in the large firm category for Business Achievement in Consulting and Engineering. Tetra Tech grew 38 percent last year, reaching more than $2 billion in gross revenue; and SKM sustained 30-percent growth, as it has done for the last five years.

In the mid-sized firm category, Safety and Ecology Corporation grew 40 percent in 2008 and received the Gold Medal Award, while Sovereign Consulting, Inc. saw revenue grow 33 percent and was named the winner of the Silver Medal Award.

Newer and smaller firms were also recognized for their ability to thrive in a tough economic climate. "We particularly like to see the amount of small companies that continue to emerge in new and existing niches," said EBJ Editor-in-Chief Grant Ferrier. "While the old guard of the environmental industry continues to be the firms founded in the late 1970s and 1980s, new generations of companies have emerged since and new niches have evolved around sustainability, climate change, and other areas that is creating growth for the future."

What is the secret to not only surviving, but growing during these difficult times? According to Ferrier, "Most companies in our industry remain mission-driven and their mission is a significant factor in their growth, morale, and employee recruitment and retention."

The full list of award recipients is available online at www.environmentalbusinessjournal.com. Winners will be recognized at the 2009 Environmental Industry Summit, Feb. 18-20, 2009, in Coronado, Calif. The full list of winners was also published in the Jan. 19, 2009, Executive Review issue of EBJ.