Business continues to be very good at Coffman Engineers, according to managing principal Scott Mohr, but there is some stabilization in the workload.

"The challenge for the past few years was to attract great employees," he said. "While we expect this to again be a major goal for 2000, it appears there may be some relief as the economy slows. We are also experiencing rising costs for office space, which is causing us to take a more careful look at the quality and types of space we provide to our workforce."

Coffman Engineers provides services in structural, mechanical and electrical engineering as well as lighting design, communications and construction management. Primary markets during 1999 were the technology industry, health care, and retail development.

The firm grew approximately 20 percent in 1999, merging with Iverson-Elder mechanical engineers and hiring aggressively. The Seattle office size is approaching 100 and there are 190 company-wide, including the Anchorage and Spokane offices. Gross fees exceeded $20 million for 1999.

"Looking ahead," said Mohr, "it appears that it will get very difficult to build projects without a long lead time for permitting. We will all need to continue to be very careful about scheduling our work."