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Northbound: Jim Croy Managing partner and CEO of Croy Engineering (Marietta, GA), a multidiscipline consulting engineering firm that believes in engineering the extra mile.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
A s Croy Engineering’s founder, Croy is an entrepreneur and businessman who brings an extensive public- sector background to the job and has assembled a dedicated and professional team of directors with more than 200 years of combined experience in engineering, planning and surveying. “Croy is a train – we can speed the train up, slow it down, or even change the color. People get on and off the train. But the direction of the train never changes: We go north,” Croy says. “As the leader, it’s my job to keep the train on the tracks and moving forward.” A CONVERSATION WITH JIM CROY. The Zweig Letter: Tell me about your transition from Cobb County DOT to founding Croy Engineering. What was your inspiration/vision for starting the firm? Jim Croy: From 1992 to 1999, I served as the director of Cobb County DOT. I left the role to go work under then
Governor Roy Barnes as the director of the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and deputy director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). When Governor Barnes was not re-elected in 2003, I left state government too. I wasn’t sure what my next role would be, but I’d always had jobs that involved independent decision-making and I knew I would need to have this ability in the next position I accepted. Although I was approached by various firms, I chose to take some time off to decide my next step. During this transition time, I had the opportunity to help a friend at his firm – MSE. When he put the firm for sale soon after, I decided to buy it. We became Croy-MSE in 2005, and a couple of years later transitioned to Croy Engineering. My vision and inspiration for purchasing the firm and starting Croy was simple: I didn’t want to work for anyone. I wanted the ability to do what I’d always done – be an independent decision maker. And, I’d say it’s worked out
THE ZWEIG LETTER MAR
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