PBS Engineering & Environmental began as a three-person environmental firm nearly 35 years ago. Their mission was to serve clients in the public and private sectors with services related to health, safety and environmental issues. Since those early days, the company has expanded to 12 offices, including one in Vancouver, and now offers planning and environmental services, surveying, engineering and construction-related support. While PBS now offers expertise in many different disciplines, their goal remains the same: combine quality people with quality work to yield quality results.
Last year, the company acquired Vancouver-based HDJ Design Group, a reputable regional engineering firm, which put the company on an upward trajectory of growth.
“Bringing HDJ into the fold was immensely valuable for us,” said Guy Neal, principal of PBS. “Their service offerings were entirely complementary to what PBS already provided. Combining our forces allowed us to pursue large-scale, turnkey contracts that support the entire project life cycle, from feasibility studies through design and construction close-out.”
Even before the acquisition, the companies had a long history of collaborating together and because of that positive experience, the partnership was a natural transition.
“We’re now at more than 200 staff strong and are focused on a trajectory of steady but thoughtful growth,” said Neal. “We’re currently looking for new talent in each of our major service areas.”
Current opportunities and challenges
When asked about current opportunities and challenges at PBS, Neal said, “The Northwest holds great opportunity for investment in infrastructure. If road, utility and bridge improvements are financed successfully, we’re confident that PBS is well-positioned with the right diversity of services and staff expertise to meet the need.”
In addition, the company has seen significant opportunity in the way of technological advancement. Mark Leece, principal engineer at PBS, said that one of the company’s major recent developments is its new Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program that uses drones to help collect aerial information in a safe and efficient way.
“We approached the use of drones with careful evaluation,” he said. “We brought in a UAS specialist and began our initial tests on a project in Walla Walla. The benefits were immediately evident. We were able to map difficult-access areas with amazing efficiency and a high degree of accuracy.”
This program has the ability to revolutionize the way the company does business. In fact, PBS plans to research how to leverage this drone technology with a software offshoot that the company recently developed.
“We’re researching how we can combine our Verdant Web Technologies program with our drone capabilities so that users will be able to access visual tours of their facilities, coordinated with detailed environmental information,” said Neal. “This is designed to be immediately accessible by the user, regardless of their location, because the system is entirely web-based.”
Of course with the continued advancement of technology comes the challenge of staying ahead of each trend and investing in ongoing staff training. Neal noted that it can be a challenge to secure new talent in a competitive market, but PBS is committed to making itself a great place to work and grow by providing robust benefits, paths to company ownership and continued staff training.
On the subject of market competition, Neal added that PBS will continue to stand out due to the detailed, one-on-one service the firm provides its clients.
“We’re diverse enough to support large-scale projects, but we’re small enough that we can be nimble and care for our clients on an individual level,” he said. “Both from a workload perspective and a service offering perspective, we’re at the most robust point in our company’s history.”
PBS Engineering & Environmental Inc.
314 W. 15th St., Vancouver
Founded 1982
www.pbsusa.com
