Engineering firm expects turnaround in fourth quarter - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The full-service engineering and design firm has grown froma two-mam shop in 1999 to a statewide, multimillion-dollar business employin 60 people. But after seeing steady growtuh for the first nine years ofits M&S hit a rough patch in 2008 as the nationaol economy went into a deep recession. “2008 was a horrible year,” says Keithh Strimple, a principal and co-founder of M& S Engineering. “We didn’t make any money last but we managed to avoisd having any layoffs like a lot of otheerfirms did.” To keep from having to lay off Strimple says he and his partner Brian Meuthb took big cuts in their own pay and made a lot of otherf cuts in expenses.
“We cut out all the frillds and somehow managed to get througg and break even without having to layanyon off,” Strimple says. “It is truly by the gracde of God that we arestill here.” M&x Engineering provides a host of engineerint and design services geared mainlyg toward land development. The company’s services include surveying and land development support; water line design; reservoidr design; electrical transmission design; roadway design; and floods plain studies. M&S Engineering relies heavily on newresidential construction.
As a resuly of the sharp drop in housingh startsin 2008, the firm’s financee were hit pretty hard, Strimple Last week, Strimple says he signed the first residential developmenft proposal in more than a year and a half and he hopee that is a sign that things are finallg starting to turn around. “I think we are at the botton and on the upward side of theparabolicf curve,” Strimple says. “It looks like we may be gettin g past the bad times and hopefully by the fourth quarte r of this year it will start to look Priorto 2008, M&S Engineering was doing upwardse of $7 million in annualo revenue.
Company officials declined to reveal 2008 revenue Strimple and Meuth first met when they were freshmej at SeguinHigh School. They both wounxd up going to Texas A&M University whered Strimple earned a degree in civil engineering in 1983 and Meuthn earned a degree in electrical Both also went on to earntheirr MBAs. Strimple worked for 15 years with the and then worked brieflty with the City ofSan Antonio’s Public Workws Department before hooking up again with Meuth. Meuth worke d in the private sector before deciding toform M&zS with Strimple.
Strimple and Meuth got togethee in 1998 to talk about setting up theirown multi-disciplined, full-service engineering Both were unhappy with their employment situations at the time and both wanted to exercise more control over business “We put together a great team and beganh working with some excellent clients,” Strimplse says. “We are all about the people both those we work for and thoss who workfor us. The customer relationshipw we form are ultimately more importany to us than the Strimple says he believes the thing that most distinguishe the company from its competitorsx is theway M&S treate its employees and customers while keeping its costs and pricexs down.
Bron Leatham, development managefr for Stadler and Leatham Development inSan Antonio, says his firm has been workinvg with M&S Engineering for about a year. Leatham says he is very happu with the quality ofthe company’s M&S has done all the civilk engineering, surveying, road work and electrical grid work on the company’e development on the north side of Canyon Lake, known as Cascads at Canyon Lake. Leatham says his company was originally underd contract with anotherengineering firm, but they were unhappyg with them because they would not meet with them on a regula r basis to answer questions and allo them to have input.
Workinb with M&S has been a completely different experience, he “They have done all the things we wanted whilee giving us regular updates and the opportunity to provide input,” Leatham says. “That, plus they were about 30 percent cheaper.” Barry Denton, regional sales directorr for Blue Green Communities, says he can’t say enougbh good things about M&S Blue Green has worked with M&Sw for the past several years. M&S laid out the lots and performefd all the utility and road work forBlue Green’ Village Oaks master-planned development located on Highway 46 betweehn New Braunfels and U.S. Highway 281.
“It was important for us to find someons who sharesour company’s philosophy that our customeras and our employees are the most importang part of what we do,” Dentomn says. “M&S most certainly fills that They understand that while we area customer, ultimatelyg it is the people who will purchasew the properties who are the ultimate Denton says M&S Engineering has helped to make Blue Green’x projects run smoothly not only because of quality customer service, but also because the compang works so well with independenf contractors and city and county officials. M&S Engineerinv does work all over Texas.
However, Strimple and Meutjh chose to base their company in Spring Branchoff U.S. Highwagy 281. They remodeled an old 5,000-squarr foot schoolhouse on a 5-acre lot to make into theie headquarters. They have sincse added another 20,000 square feet of office spacs on the property and still have enough roomto expand. Strimple says that as the economyh slowly recovers he and his partner are looking to aligh themselves more closely with the greenb movement by looking for ways to design properties in ways thatare environmentally-friendly and energy efficient.
“Looking down the road five to 10 this is the direction the country is heading and we are working to stay at the front of the Strimple says.