Arcadis
Specialty: Environmental and infrastructure consulting, coastal protection, flood control, contaminated sediments, technology innovation
Management: Patrick Keaney, Steve Reed, Phillip Spadaro, senior vice presidents
Founded: 1982 (original company founded in 1888 as Nederlandsche Heidemaatschappij)
Headquarters: Highlands Ranch, Colo.; international headquarters in Arnhem, The Netherlands
2006 revenues: $1.56 million ($1.2 billion worldwide)
Projected 2007 revenues: $2.88 million ($1.5 billion worldwide)
Current projects: Stormwater projects for the Port of Seattle; projects for Chevron throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska
Photo courtesy of Arcadis Arcadis provided an ecosystem assessment along with a conceptual design report and other work for this palustrine wetland at Thrashers Corner in Bothell. |
The number of staff at Arcadis’ Seattle office has almost doubled within the last year and Patrick Keaney, senior vice president, says the growth has been driven by two markets: the oil-and-gas industry and contaminated sediments and waterfront work.
The oil and gas markets have funds to take care of past issues, but can also take on new challenges, which Keaney said they are embracing because of the high price of oil. He said contaminated sediments and waterfront work is influenced by increased infrastructure, in areas such as flood control, locally, nationally and internationally.
The Reach Regulation
New regulations continue to influence both spheres, but it’s working with the European Union’s new Reach Regulation where an untapped market lies.
“It’s probably the biggest emerging environmental market based on environmental regulation,” Keaney said.
The Reach Regulation, which went into effect June 1, requires all companies that do commercial business in the EU to comply with better and more thorough documentation of chemical usage.
So, for example, Boeing will need to comply with it before sending parts overseas.
“(It) has been the toughest piece of regulation for our clients to deal with and we are probably doing more Reach-related work than any consulting company in the United States,” he said. “It’s going to have significant effects on the industry.”
Arcadis has been doing Reach Regulation-related work for the last year and a half and Keaney expects the work will continue and grow for some time.
Corporate sustainability
The market is also growing as large companies lean towards more environmentally friendly practices and products. “These issues of constantly trying to figure out what corporate sustainability means for them — I think that’s here. I think that’s real,” Keaney said. “The market is starting to react to that.”
Keaney said Arcadis has suffered from the lack of young professionals in science and engineering, both regionally and nationally, especially in geology and environmental engineering.