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each other and achieved great things. Six years after I hired them, they became my partners at NTM.” “We look to hire people who have solid technical skills coupled with people skills. While it’s important to have strong technical staff, you can’t teach attitude – so a good attitude is an important part of our selection.” EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CHALLENGES. Since founding the business, Newell shares that – like any business – there are changes and challenges. For NTM, externally, there’s been a definite shift in client expectations regarding how quickly a project can be designed and it’s a constant challenge to balance staff resources and projects to meet clients’ needs. “While we work to meet expedited work schedules, we are always upfront with clients on schedule issues that are not feasible and/ or will be out of our control,” she explains. For example, one of their primary services is related to state and federal permitting. While NTM can control how long it takes to get the permit documents compiled, they are not in control of the review time that the agencies may take. “We work with the client to build reasonable review times into the schedule, but try to make sure that the client understands that the review time on the agency side can fluctuate,” she says. Internally, staffing is one of the top concerns. Newell says that it’s challenging to find staff for all markets now. And, while NTM strives for an employee-focused culture and offers a great benefits package to hire and retain good staff, it is and likely will continue to be one of their top challenges. “We look to hire people who have solid technical skills coupled with people skills, who are also focused on delivering quality,” Newell says. “While it’s important to have strong technical staff, you can’t teach attitude – so a good attitude is an important part of our selection.” After a staff member is hired, they’re assigned a peer mentor in addition to their supervisor. The peer mentor is intended to be someone
to connect with about process-related items and just to help get familiar with firm standards, etc. CREATING A CULTURE TO CELEBRATE. And
once in, staff tend to stick around. “In an industry that emphasizes the
HEADQUARTERS: Dillsburg, PA
importance of safety and regulations to the public, it’s important to make sure our employees have an environment that is not only supportive, but to also allow time for fun,” Newell says. NTM offers flexible, hybrid work schedules and respects their employee’s private lives. They strongly believe in sharing their corporate success and make great efforts to reward personnel for their contributions to NTM’s growth and exemplary reputation, including annual bonuses based on meeting strategic firm goals. They hold monthly celebrations where they acknowledge special days and accomplishments and also host planned events that tend to be less of a corporate event and more of a fun get together. Throughout the year, there are numerous food-related contests, including chili, soup, and dessert cook-offs. Halloween gets its own potluck celebration, complete with office decorations and costumes. “We’re determined to continue providing an engaging place to work while offering our employees project work that’s challenging to their professional capabilities,” Newell adds. “In an industry that emphasizes the importance of safety and regulations to the public, it’s important to make sure our employees have an environment that is not only supportive, but to also allow time for fun.” To ensure project managers and supervisors are working together and providing strong leadership to staff, NTM instituted a two-part session of supervisor training. They brought in an outside consultant to facilitate various team building and communication exercises with their supervisors. This training allows the growing firm to continue to develop internal relationships within technical groups and across the offices. They’ve also established an internal quarterly newsletter to keep communication open.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 86
YEAR FOUNDED: 2006
OFFICE LOCATIONS: 3
MARKETS: Transportation, Municipal, Higher Education, Private Development SERVICES: Water resources design, civil/site design, bridge design and inspection, environmental services, and engineering instruction for public and private sector clients. Core services include: hydrologic and hydraulic studies, waterway permitting, stormwater design and permitting, GIS, transportation and bridge engineering, bridge inspection, and technical course development and training ACQUISITION: In April 2022, Lotus Environmental Consulting, LLC was acquired by NTM. This additional expertise allows for a full range of environmental services, including environmental investigations and regulatory compliance services.
See A CELEBRATION CULTURE, page 8
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EMBER 14, 2022, ISSUE 1465
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