Although the ongoing pandemic continued to challenge our ingenuity and resilience, we found plenty to celebrate in 2021. Here are 10 things we want to remember from the past year:
1. Acquired Koonce, Noble & Associates
Koonce, Noble & Associates, Inc. (KNA) of Lumberton is a civil engineering firm with a focus on utilities. By bringing KNA into the WithersRavenel family, we will be better positioned to serve clients in the southeastern North Carolina, including communities in the Fayetteville metro area.
2. Opened 2 New Offices in Lumberton and Charlotte
In addition to the former KNA office in Lumberton, WithersRavenel also opened a new location in Charlotte, NC. Our four full-time staff members are ready to deliver stormwater management and design support, transportation, and funding and asset management expertise for your public and private projects.
3. Launched Advanced Visualization, an Innovation Initiative
Advanced visualization (AV) techniques like 3D modeling can be used throughout the life of the project to educate, inform, and empower. WithersRavenel’s growth and greater focus on AV was born out of WR Works, an internal committee that solicits innovative ideas company-wide and works to put the best ones into practice.
4. Secured $128 Million in Grant Funding for Clients
With trillions of dollars of stimulus funding approved in 2021 and more anticipated in 2022, communities and consultants alike have been kept on their toes watching for funding opportunities. Our Funding Team has diligently monitored these developments and continued to help local governments secure money from regional, state, and federal sources you can read our funding success stories here. In the past year alone, they have secured $128 million in grants and loans, bringing their funding total to more than $787 million.
5. Partnered with AgileAssets, a Trimble Company
AgileAssets is a leading global provider of SaaS and mobile solutions for transportation asset lifecycle management. As an AgileAssets Certified Partner, we will combine our engineering and asset management expertise with AgileAssets’ advanced analytics and solutions-based software to help clients make data-driven plans on infrastructure management and spending.
6. Received 10 Awards
We believe the ultimate award is objectives met, results achieved, and clients satisfied. Being recognized by our industry peers, however, is a close runner-up. This year, we were proud to bring home the following awards:
- ACEC/NC Engineering Excellence Award for Project Forge
- AIA Award for Clark Townhomes
- TBJ Fast 50 Award
- Well Workplace Award
- Healthiest Employers in the Triangle
- 2021 Mid-Market Fast 40 Award
- 2021 PSMJ Premier Award for Client Satisfaction
- International Conference on Water Management Modeling, Best Paper Presentation, 3rd Place
- 2021 Space Award for Peace Raleigh Apartments & Publix at Smoky Hollow
- 2020 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Community Appearance for Clark Townhomes
7. Contracted with 178 New Clients
As the familiar song goes, “make new friends, but keep the old: one is silver and the other’s gold.” Our existing clients have enabled us to weather COVID-19, and our new clients have given us the opportunity to explore innovative solutions for communities across North Carolina and beyond. We were able to bring Capital Predictor and other infrastructure asset management tools to Matthews and High Point, NC; Topeka, KS; Collier County, FL; Penn Yan, NY; Gibson County, IN; and Sugar Land, TX.
8. Onboarded 92 New Hires + 10 Summer Interns
In 2020, we brought on an unprecedented 67 new employees to the firm. If you had told us that in a year we would increase our number of new hires by more than 30%, we would not have believed you. We have been so fortunate to expand our team in every office and discipline and at every level of experience.
Check out the New Hire tag for stories about our newest employee-owners, and visit our Careers portal to learn more about the benefits of 100% employee-ownership.
We also had the opportunity to mentor 10 interns over the summer. We hope their experiences lead to a lifelong love of engineering, and perhaps future full-time employment with WithersRavenel!
9. Created a Hybrid Work Environment
At the end of 2020, we reflected on how we had made the transition to a fully remote workplace. This year, we focused on creating a safe and successful hybrid work environment. Where feasible, our staff have the option to work in one of our eight offices, from home or another remote location, or a mix of the two. This has empowered our employees to choose the arrangement where they are most creative, productive, and satisfied. If you need more flexibility in your workplace, check out our open positions!
10. Added an HSA Plan + Increased 401k Match
Being a 100% employee-owned company means our financial successes are shared with our employees. By adhering to our Core Values of Quality and Integrity, we were able to increase the firm’s profitability. As a result, our leadership elected to offer a new Health Savings Account (HSA) option and increase the company 401k match for 2022. This investment in the long-term health and success of our employee-owners reflects our belief in the importance of building a sustainable company as well as sustainable infrastructure for our communities.