Submitted by SCJ Alliance
Industry insiders say one of the fastest-growing consulting firms in the country is also one of the best places to work, and it’s right here in Washington state.
Each year, the Zweig Group produces rankings for outstanding architecture, engineering, environmental, and multidiscipline firms in the U.S. and Canada. Washington’s SCJ Alliance received both the Best Firms to Work For award and Hot Firm award at Zweig’s annual conference earlier in October in Las Vegas.
“We have an incredible team and the Best Firms award is an affirmation of that,” shares SCJ co-founder Jean Carr, president and CEO. The Best Firms list is based on workplace practices, employee benefits, employee retention rates, and more, as evaluated in an anonymous survey of firm employees. SCJ, with an office in Centralia, ranked 31st in the Civil Engineering Category and 13th for firms of 100-199 employees.
Survey respondents frequently described SCJ’s workplace as “collaborative,” fun,” and “the best place I’ve ever worked.” The good work/life balance was also frequently noted.
The fastest-growing, or Hot Firms, list is based on percentage of revenue growth and dollar revenue growth over a three-year period. “The two awards are intrinsically linked,” says Carr. “When people like where they work and who they work with, those feelings transfer to their work and the clients they serve.”
As one respondent put it “Every day, the people who work here really love their work. This shows in the quality of the work they provide, but also in the kindness and high level of collaboration and mutual respect.” Employees take pride in the positive impacts they’re having on the communities they serve, added Carr.
Since the firm’s founding in 2006, SCJ has grown steadily from three employees in one location to a dynamic group of over 110 team members in eight locations. Over that time period, the firm has been able to enjoy significant growth while maintaining a great workplace culture. SCJ also landed on Zweig’s Best Firms to Work For list in 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2017, and the Hot Firms list in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2017.
SCJ specializes in civil engineering, transportation planning and design, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture and design, and public outreach. In addition to its office in Centralia, SCJ also has offices in Lacey, Gig Harbor, Seattle, Ballard, Wenatchee, and Spokane, Washington, as well as Boulder, Colorado.
