Bush, Roed & Hitchings

Practice: Surveying and civil engineering

Founded: 1966, with parent firms dating to the 1920s

Leadership: Steve Hitchings, CEO and Ron Goldy, president

Bush Roed & Hitchings: Pergola in Pioneer Square (with Ron Wright Associates)

"We have noticed a tightening of money in the private sector, compared to the funds available in the public sector,"said Steve Hitchings, CEO of Bush, Roed & Hitchings of Seattle. "However, the recession appears to have bottomed out, and we anticipate a positive future."

"The firm has evolved to serve the higher end of the market," he said. "Our clients know that they might pay a little more… When the market gets tight, clients want more for less."

The civil engineering and land surveying firm has a staff size of 52, down from 60 in 2001, and gross fees are down to $5.6 million from $6 million.

"Before the boom of the 1990s," said Hitchings, "business at BRH was always conducted at a steady pace. Now that the boom is over, we are comfortable to be back in our historic rhythm."

BRH recently completed work on the Seattle Justice Center, which includes a complex tunnel monitoring assignment; and the IDX Tower, the first Seattle high rise in over 10 years. BRH also worked on surveys to support reconstruction of the historic pergola in Pioneer Square, and on a 90-acre, full redevelopment survey for the King County Housing Authority Park Lake Homes. Other projects include Broadway Plaza, Belltown Heights, the Museum of Flight expansion, and the Jackson Golf Course, Seattle.