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EXCEPT IONAL F IRMS
GATE MAINTAINS HOLD ON TOP SPOT DURING TOUGH MARKET FOR OIL AND GAS For the second year in a row, GATE, Inc. (Houston, TX) claimed the top spot on Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List, a feat accomplished during a historical slump in the oil and gas industry. The 305-person firm, which specializes in oil and gas engineering consulting, has had a steady climb up the rankings, going from #63 to #1 in a seven-year span, and holding onto its position in the eighth year. “For the second time in a row, our Hot Firm #1 position underscores our ability to grow in a difficult market due to a well-established and focused management team, hard-working and dedicated staff, strategic plans designed to maximize our backlog and provide new and challenging opportunities to our staff, and bring premium value to our clients and shareholders,” says Grant Gibson, Gate’s founder and CEO. ACQUISITIONS ARE KEY FOR LJA ENGINEERING’S PROLONGED GROWTH, POSITION NEAR THE TOP LJA Engineering Inc. (Houston, TX) maintained its hold on #2 for the second consecutive year. LJA Engineering is the largest employee-owned civil engineering firm in its hometown, with more than 480 owners. LJA is a multidiscipline consulting engineering firm with an expertise in public infrastructure and land development, among other service lines. A big part of LJA’s growth and profitability is based on its aggressive campaign of acquisitions. From 2012 to 2014, LJA acquired eight firms. In 2015, LJA acquired RVE Inc., WORTECH Land Surveyors Inc., and Carroll & Blackman Inc. “We are proud of LJA’s growth and team effort as we continue to make our way to the top,” says Calvin Ladner, LJA’s president. “As an employee-owned firm, each employee has a vested interest in the firm’s success. We believe in a ‘grow or die philosophy.’ Diversification of our services into new markets with strategic acquisitions along with key hires, places LJA in a position to increase our market and client base. This formula reinforces our path to achieving national recognition.” EN ENGINEERING CONTINUES ITS STEADY CLIMB UP THE TOP 10 RANKINGS EN Engineering (Warrenville, IL) claimed the #3 spot this year, up four places from its 2015 ranking of #7. The firm provides comprehensive engineering, consulting, design, integrity management, corrosion protection, and automation services to pipeline companies, utilities, and industrial customers. In June the firm announced the acquisition of CNA Inc., a professional engineering services firm based in Forest Hill, Maryland. EN Engineering broke into the Hot Firm top 10 in 2014, when it came in at #8. “It is an honor and a great responsibility to appear on the Zweig list,” says Tom Ziegenfuss, En Engineering’s president. “This appearance recognizes the efforts of our team members in growing our business both organically and through key strategic acquisitions. Our rapid growth is only possible through the commitment and dedication of our team, and the close partnerships we have built with our customers. We have been on a growth trajectory since 2006 when we had just over 100 employees and two locations. Today, we have 15 locations and more than 1,000 employees – and we are adding new professionals every week. An expanding staff and service footprint are necessary to support the growth needs of our customers. This growth also requires vigilance to ensure our teams continue to provide superior service for our customers.” HILL INTERNATIONAL A FIXTURE ON HOT FIRM LIST FOR THE LAST DECADE Philadelphia-based Hill International Inc. , the largest firm on the Hot Firm List, clocks in at #31 this year, a 35-point climb from last year’s position of #66. Hill, a publicly traded firm that specializes in construction claims and project management, does most of its work abroad. The firm is currently overseeing construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, an $800 million project. Hill has been on the Hot Firm List more than a dozen times, including a decade straight from 2006 to 2016, hitting the #1 spot in 2009. Hill joins other big firms like Huckabee (#4), Hargrove Engineers + Constructors (#7), and Langan Engineering & Environmental Services (#13), which have enjoyed long-term runs in the top 100. “It is a great honor to be included on this year’s Hot Firm List,” says David L. Richter, Hill’s president and CEO. “Having been ranked on this prestigious list for 14 out of the past 15 years is an incredible accomplishment of which our entire company should be proud.”
HOT F IRM STAT IST ICS YOUNGEST FIRMS Est. 2009: ❚ ❚ Big Red Dog Engineering & Consulting, #22
CITIES WITH MOST HOT FIRMS ❚ ❚ Houston: 7 ❚ ❚ Minneapolis: 5 ❚ ❚ Cincinnati: 3 SIZE BY STAFF
NATIONAL EXPOSURE ❚ ❚ Hot firms in 34 states ❚ ❚ West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, Northeast STATES WITH MOST HOT FIRMS ❚ ❚ Texas: 8
❚ ❚ HMT Engineering & Surveying, #83 ❚ ❚ Metro Consulting Associates, #94 ❚ ❚ Atwell LLC, #96 OLDEST FIRM ❚ ❚ Mead & Hunt Inc. – est. 1900
❚ ❚ California: 7 ❚ ❚ Minnesota: 7 ❚ ❚ Michigan: 7
❚ ❚ Largest firm: 4,800, Hill International Inc. ❚ ❚ Smallest firm: 25, Evista Industries Inc.
THE ZWEIG LETTER August 1, 2016, ISSUE 1162
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