Parametrix
Specialty: Infrastructure planning and development; environmental sciences
Management: Jeff Peacock, president and CEO; Darlene Brown, vice president and CFO; Diane Lenius, vice president of operations, Region 1; Robin McManus, vice president and CIO; Jan Rosholt, marketing and business development
Founded: 1969
Headquarters: Auburn
2009 revenues: $90 million
Projected 2010 revenues:
$82 million to $87 million
Current projects: Sound Transit North Link transit corridor from Northgate to Lynnwood; Spring District mixed-use development in Bellevue; Shelton wastewater treatment plant upgrade
Image courtesy of Wright Runstad & Co. The Spring District, a 36-acre development planned for Bellevue, will have more than 4 million square feet of office space, retail and up to 1,000 condos and apartments. Parametrix performed the civil design and land-use permitting, and integrated the district’s master planning with the city and Sound Transit.
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Private sector spending has been in the doldrums since the economy slid into recession, but now public sector spending is waning too.
Parametrix, an employee-owned engineering, planning and environmental sciences firm, has seen its core clients — local governments, utilities, state agencies — cut back on capital improvement projects as public coffers have run dry.
“We have had to downsize a little bit,” said Jeff Peacock, the firm’s president and CEO. Parametrix has cut its staff by 6 percent to 7 percent over the past year, leaving the firm with around 480 employees.
“We had weathered the storm pretty well, but it’s catching up with us now,” he said.
Bright spots
The firm’s transit, water and ecological services practices have been bright spots, Peacock said.
“We wanted to get more engaged in the transit market,” he said. “That’s pretty gratifying we were able to do that.”
One project he singled out was Sound Transit’s North Link line from Northgate to Lynnwood. Parametrix is analyzing alternatives, planning for different alignments and will begin work soon on an environmental impact statement. The transit corridor could be outfitted with light rail or bus rapid transit.
The ecosystem services group has developed a way to assign a value to environmental enhancements, answering questions such as how valuable is it to have a forest that filters runoff before it enters a stream. The proprietary approach is fairly unique, Peacock said, and has garnered national interest. Parametrix is using it for several projects now.
The firm has a number of offices in the Puget Sound region, but it’s expanded beyond Western Washington to Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico.
“Most of our offices have been the result of organic growth,” Peacock said, though Parametrix has also sought to acquire other firms that “strategically advance what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Renewed purpose
Peacock sees diversity as a key to the firm’s continued success, with growth in some disciplines picking up the slack for softening demand elsewhere. Parametrix also seeks to serve clients by offering a full-service approach, integrating its disciplines as a way to stand out in the market.
The recession provided the firm an opportunity to consider its mission, Peacock said, which includes creating vibrant and sustainable communities and restoring the health of the planet. The focus has helped improve the firm’s projects, he said.
It may take time to see its renewed sense of purpose bear more fruit. Revenue at Parametrix has fallen a bit since last year, and Peacock doesn’t expect to get much of a lift from the economy in the next two to three years.
“Our biggest concern is if the economy takes another downdraft,” he said. “There is still a lot of fragility in the system.”