Published August 2001

Environment, traffic top Perteet's growth strategy

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

Perteet Engineering has added an Environmental Services division, attracting a local, longtime environmental engineering expert, James Jordan, to manage the new venture.

The Everett firm's expanded emphasis on environmental issues is in response to Perteet's client requests, as well as the impact of new standards for salmon protection on Northwest construction projects.

"Our annual client survey showed us their number one need was for in-house environmental services, instead of subcontracting that work on each project," company President Rich Perteet said. "Also, we're responding to the Endangered Species Act's new salmon stream regulations, which have dramatically changed the playing field."

Perteet said his firm has dealt with environmental concerns for years, but such issues as controlling storm-water runoff, preserving wetlands and protecting salmon spawning streams have intensified the need for a staff person who could contribute environmental expertise for the company's staff as well as its clients.

Jordan, with more than 25 years of experience in environmental and strategic project planning, is noted locally for his preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Navy's Everett homeport for the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its support ships and master-planning for the Port of Everett.

He also has had management roles in other Northwest projects involving ecosystem planning, licensing of energy facilities, transportation system improvements and the siting of solid-waste facilities.

Jordan is responsible for management and preparation of environmental documentation for projects, including impact statements, permitting and resource management plans. He will participate in clients' projects from conception to completion.

Using his contacts in the region, he also will be building new business for the company, Perteet said, an effort that is already showing results.

Jordan recently landed a role for Perteet in working on a community impact study for the Tri-Cities area, helping to evaluate how residents will be affected by major new government contracts for encapsulating the Hanford Reservation's radioactive tank wastes in glass. He will help the communities determine mitigation requests for adjusting to an influx of contractors and laborers.

"The biggest issue there is rapid population growth and how we need to manage resources, such as water supplies," Jordan said.

His new role at Perteet was an easy one to move into, Jordan said.

"I've known some of the people at Perteet for a long time. Some of my first consulting projects were with Kevin's father (Kevin Weed, Perteet's Vice President), and I worked with Dick Bennett (Perteet's Marketing and Business Development Manager) on the Everett homeport for the Navy," Jordan said.

Traditionally, the company has provided comprehensive civil and transportation engineering services to public and private clients, including city, county and state governments, ports, utilities and corporations, with Perteet often leading a multidisciplinary team of consultants. Projects have included work on the Everett Memorial Stadium, the SR 528 widening in Marysville, the 1,000-space Ash Street Park & Ride in Lynnwood, Everett's downtown transit service routing plan and a Freight Mobility Study for Everett and the Port of Everett.

Another expansion strategy for Perteet has been its heightened emphasis this year on its growing transportation role, with Michael Stringam as Senior Associate for Transportation Planning.

"Instead of winning a segment of a project, we have begun to work on corridor studies, such as 41st Street north to Smith Island along I-5, an area targeted for access improvements that would include an overpass extending 41st Street past I-5 toward the Snohomish River," Stringam said.

"The beauty of a corridor study is that it puts several 'pocket' developments together so transportation needs can be looked at as a bigger picture," Stringam said.

The firm's expertise in creating successful transit and transportation systems — recognized by such honors as a 1998 Award of Excellence from the state's Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for improvements to Port Townsend's San Juan Avenue — has earned Perteet a significant role in developing a major new streetscape for downtown Everett.

A city project to replace aging sewers has created an opportunity for a makeover of the city's historic Hewitt Avenue, creating improvements for managing the movement of cars, transit buses and pedestrians in the core of the city.

To broaden the company's transportation planning staff, Perteet recently hired Dennis Bloom, formerly the Transportation Systems Manager for Everett Transit, and David Browne, formerly a Vice President with Weslin Consulting Services in Bellevue, as Senior Project Managers for Transit Planning.

Perteet's reputation for transportation and transit studies has begun attracting out-of-state contracts. With transit planning studies already under way in Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, the company is enjoying a new national market that is expected to grow.

"The engineering business has changed a lot," Perteet Vice President Weed said. "Today, we bring our group of experts into a community and let the residents build our projects. We're very receptive to what they have to offer us. That's how we get opposing sides to work together. Then they develop feelings of ownership about the project."

Stringam agrees that the ownership approach produces more acceptable — and more effective — results.

"Before, we too frequently used to talk in our own jargon and tell people what we thought they should do," he said. "Now, we get the community involved so other views are offered. And we use a lot of technology — including views of simulated traffic flows in various scenarios — to show people how a finished project will look."

From its early years, Perteet has relied on transportation projects for its growth, starting with roadway designs and traffic studies. As it grew from five employees in 1992 to 40 in 1996, Perteet added civil engineering services, and its traffic studies grew to become transportation planning projects. Today, there are more than 80 people at the firm's Everett headquarters and its branch offices in Lakewood and Snoqualmie.

For more information about Perteet Engineering, call 425-252-7700, send e-mail to perteet@perteet.com or visit the company's Web site, www.perteet.com.

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