When Herbert, Rowland & Grubic began working with Cumberland County, Pa., as its bridge engineer, the county’s infrastructure was facing serious challenges—more than half of its bridges were structurally deficient. Decades of maintenance and minor rehabilitation work helped bridges stay open, but didn’t solve critical issues.

HRG came to the county with long-term solutions, showing how the county could feasibly replace or rehabilitate 16 of its 28 bridges as well as how it could fund the program. Since starting a $40-million bridge program in 2015, 10 projects in Cumberland County have been completed, and by 2022 all of the county’s bridges will be in good to new condition.

“顾问有时会告诉您您想听到的声音，”坎伯兰郡计划总监柯克·斯托纳（Kirk Stoner）说。“我希望顾问告诉我真相。HRG愿意告诉我们真相。”

Built on decades of experience helping clients of all sizes work through challenges, Harrisburg, Pa.-based HRG is quickly gaining momentum as a prominent mid-size design firm. The company focuses primarily on public clients, especially county and municipal ones. Last year, HRG claimed more municipalities and municipal agencies as clients than any other engineering firm in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Despite pandemic-related challenges, HRG tallied $41.5 million in revenue in 2020, up from $36.6 million the prior year—a 13% increase. That success follows six years of steady revenue growth at an average rate of 9% annually. For a track record of success and commitment to building better communities, HRG was named ENR MidAtlantic’s 2021 Design Firm of the Year.

Greater Good

无论是道路，桥梁还是水和废水基础设施，HRG与市政当局，县和地方当局的合作源于其最早的日子。该公司将于明年庆祝其成立60周年，与目前的一些客户持续合作了四十年。一路上，它扩大了其能力和地理范围。虽然公共工作（主要与地方政府和公用事业公司）大约有HRG业务的大约75％，但它还为许多私人客户提供服务。近年来，该公司在配送中心工作中私营部门内的增长尤为强劲。从地理上讲，它的260名员工分布在宾夕法尼亚州的八个办公室以及W.Va. Morgantown和俄亥俄州哥伦比亚省的地点。

When Bob Grubic graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Villanova University in 1973, he joined HRG—then known as Herbert Associates—as its eighth employee. Five years later, he was a partner.

“It started in a one-room storefront and just grew steadily on a commitment to great service,” recalls Grubic, who today serves as chairman and CEO.

Grubic’s growth from college grad to a leadership role is not uncommon at HRG. About two dozen people who started at the firm right out of college are in management roles today. And, like Grubic, many employees have been promoted and gained greater responsibilities within their first five years at the firm. “We don’t hold them back,” he says. “We mentor them early and give them the capability to rise to their own level—whatever level that might be.”

Grubic credits that philosophy for helping the firm maintain a staff turnover rate of 7.1%, well below the industry average. Jason Fralick, president of HRG, started at the firm as an intern in 1991. The firm’s willingness to invest in mentoring employees and to provide opportunities to them is a big reason he’s spent his entire career at HRG. “Personally, I always had the next opportunity presented to me here,” says Fralick, who has previously served as a project manager, office manager and regional vice president. “I didn’t have to go elsewhere to find that next opportunity or challenge. It was always there for me to pursue. I always felt like the best opportunities in front of me were with HRG.”

Employee Focused

Fralick says the firm isn’t afraid to challenge employees early in their careers, as long as that comes with solid mentorship. “I feel that the level of talent we see in our employees at the four-to-five-year level is on par with what we see in job candidates who have eight years of experience,” he says.

Caleb Krauter started at HRG as an intern in 2016. After graduating from Penn State the following year, he was hired full time, working in the firm’s water and wastewater practice. Less than four years later, he was promoted to a team leader position, overseeing five employees. It was a dream come true for Krauter, who says he first took an interest in engineering at age 10 after talking with a neighbor who worked at HRG. “That shaped my future,” he says. “When HRG came to a career fair at Penn State, I ran right up to the booth and said, ‘I want a job.’ And they brought me on.”

除了成为领导者外，克劳特（Krauter）了解到的最重要的技能之一是如何与非工程师客户和社区成员互动。他说：“我处理各种大小的乡镇和局。”“我可以在需要时从技术上讲，但是我经常必须每天讲话。您不会在学校学习。我学会了与我所处的社区建立关系，以便我知道他们在寻找什么，并且他们知道他们可以依靠我。”

OLD COLLEGE TRYHRG正在为三个宾夕法尼亚州立大学项目提供全面服务，包括测量，土木工程和建筑管理服务。新利18备用网址
Rendering by Payette, Courtesy of HRG

In addition to being able to communicate with clients and the public, HRG also works with clients to help find funding solutions. For the Cumberland County bridge program, HRG worked to secure federal and state grants, then tapped into a brand new state funding vehicle that allows localities to add fees to vehicle registrations as a way to fund transportation needs. The added $5 charge produces $1.2 million annually for a revolving fund.

斯托纳说：“我们是第一个使用该新工具的县。”“一旦它可以使用，我们就准备好利用它。”

HRG is also making sure its employees are financially invested in the company’s success. When the firm started looking at succession planning in 2008, HRG’s leadership decided to transition from a partner-owned entity to an employee stock ownership plan model. Recently, its ESOP completed the transition to 100% employee-owned. “Everyone has a sincere objective to make the firm better,” Grubic says. “Our share value has increased every year without a dime coming out of employee pockets.”

In addition to its business focus on communities, the firm is also heavily committed to charitable efforts. HRG regularly invests in community sponsorships, supporting local parks and recreation programs, festivals and events, youth sports organizations as well as arts and culture. Each year, the company promotes a fundraising drive, matching employee donations to the United Way. During the past two decades, HRG and its team have donated more than $300,000 to United Way.

Recently, the firm instituted a community service program called HRG Volunteers. Employee-owners receive eight hours of paid time to volunteer with the charitable organization of their choice. Team members can join together for a community service project or give their time and talent individually to an organization with special meaning to them.

尽管HRG专注于招募年轻人才以有机地提高自己的行列，但该公司利用收购来极少数增长。弗拉利克（Fralick）说，HRG更喜欢避免收购，因为两家公司之间的文化可能会发生冲突。他补充说：“我们的文化在其背后有很大的本土驱动力。”“收购必须整齐地融入我们的模型中。”

Still, as HRG looks to expand its geographic footprint, acquisitions may be necessary. Fralick says the firm is particularly interested in expanding into Maryland and Virginia. “[Expanding south] could provide larger opportunities for us, especially in areas with growing populations that have needs for our types of services,” he says.

While Fralick remains bullish on most sectors that the firm services, he sees particularly strong growth opportunities in water and wastewater. “We’ve seen a lot of opportunities for us to expand not only our client base, but also our brand,” he says. “We’ve got a really talented group of leaders in that particular space, and they are taking us to new places as a result of the great work we’ve been doing in that market sector.”

尽管过去一年半的所有不确定性，但弗拉利克说，他希望该公司在2021年和未来几年继续其增长纪录。他说：“我们的大部分工作来自现有客户，我们正在协助他们制定资本计划。”“我们知道他们的优先事项以及项目的来源。新利18备用网址根据我们的看到，我们对未来几年感到乐观。”