Triad Associates

Triad Associates provides land development consulting services to residential, commercial and industrial clients, primarily in the Puget Sound region. The 25-year-old firm offers land-use planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture and site design, and land-surveying services. In the past year, it grew by about 10 percent, adding 11 new positions for a total staff of 100. Next year will be the third year of steady growth, with a projected $10.5 million in gross fees, up from $9.5 million in 1999.

“We’ve been very busy,” said president Scott Bigbie. “The region has matured, and growth regulations have changed development patterns. We’ve branched out from our traditional base of single-family residential developers to also consult for developers of mixed-use and infill projects in suburban cities and Seattle.”

Bigbie believes that the complexities of growth and environmental regulations have compelled Triad to create more collaborative models for working with clients and review agencies.

Examples of recent projects include work with Intracorp and the city of Issaquah on East Village — a 1,700-unit, mixed-use, master-planned community — and the mixed-use redevelopment of Juanita Village in Kirkland.

“Building on our surveyors’ strengths, we are increasing specialized survey services for the wireless communications industry and for redevelopment projects such as Seattle Housing Authority’s Holly Park,” added Bigbie.

“Finding qualified people to fill ever-more technical jobs continues to challenge us. We emphasize in-house training, so that employees can develop business skills while also strengthening their technical skills.” Bigbie also noted an industry trend of larger, national firms acquiring local firms. Triad is bucking that trend through its emphasis on employee ownership, he said. “Clients know who they are dealing with when a firm is locally owned and managed.”