Hart Crowser

With the completion of Hart Crowser’s merger with Pentec Environmental in January and steady hiring in response to economic demand, the Seattle-based environmental and engineering consulting firm now employs 270 people in Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and Massachusetts. This represents an increase of more than 20 percent in the past year.

Annual net revenues also grew substantially, from $29.3 million in 1999 to $33.7 million in 2000.

“Although we’re seeing some signs of a softening marketplace, Hart Crowser is anticipating another year of double-digit percentage growth in both staff size and revenues,” said David Winter, business development director at Hart Crowser. “The recent reduction in the office space needs of the dot-coms has slowed the development and redevelopment climate, but with new projects under way every week, the startup rate has become more consistent with steady growth than explosive growth.” He said that in particular more developers are looking at contaminated sites, such as brownfields, and working to combine the cleanup with redevelopment to turn those properties into profitable ventures.

“Pentec’s natural resources capabilities complete Hart Crowser’s suite of niche services — site development, industrial property redevelopment, port and harbor development, mining engineering and mineral economics consulting, and federal agency environmental programs,” said Winter. The firm is positioned to be very active in habitat restoration, wetland and Endangered Species Act issues.