Twenty years ago, the engineering industry was surging ahead at full throttle when Navarro & Wright Consulting Engineers Inc. (N&W) began as a four-man startup with the intent of servicing this thriving industry. This year, N&W, a company of 98 employees and 5 offices, is celebrating its 20th anniversary providing civil engineering services to private- and public-sector clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Paul J. Navarro, P.E., President & CEO
“What started out on a shoe-string budget in 1996 in the basement of our home, has steadily grown into a business far exceeding anyone’s expectation,” said Paul Navarro, N&W’s President & CEO. In the early years, the firm concentrated its efforts primarily in the municipal and land development arenas, which remain viable markets today. The firm obtained its Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification within its first two years to provide surveying and mapping services to transportation consultants. Today, N&W operates as a prime and sub-consultant and has grown organically and through several strategic acquisitions/partnerships such as George Jones Surveying, Foust Geological Services and Kairos Design Group.
Private-sector work for the firm peaked in 2011 at the height of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale boom. N&W remains active in this market providing construction support to clients constructing well pads and compressor stations; however, due to the downturn in the energy sector, this work now comprises a smaller portion of N&W’s business. “We decided early on in our existence that, in order to survive downturns, we would diversify our service offerings and our market sectors to be able to weather slow periods” said Paul J. Navarro, PE, President & CEO.
In response to feedback from its clients, N&W adopted a strategy to be a go-to firm that could provide a number of different services that its clients wanted and needed. This strategy worked well and today, N&W has become a “one-stop shop” for surveying, geotechnical and environmental studies, cultural resources, air and noise, construction inspection, traffic, materials testing laboratories, landscape architecture and other civil engineering services.
“This anniversary is about thanking and honoring our clients who have put their trust in us and our employees who work hard every day to ensure our success. We will continue to grow and expand our services and we look forward to new opportunities over the next 20 years,” adds Navarro.