The largest environmental consultants with offices in Orange County collectively billed $594 million in 2013, a 2.7% drop from a year earlier.
The dip ran counter to a slight gain in employment, which was at an estimated 3,522 jobs at OC offices, an increase of 149 positions or about 4.4%. The group combined for a 6.2% year-over-year increase on companywide billings for a total of roughly $14.6 billion.
Anecdotal indicators suggest the dip in Orange County billings resulted from internal methods of accounting for revenue, with personnel assignments an independent consideration. A contract that is credited to an office in Los Angeles, for example, might be for work done by employees from an Orange County office.
The list ranks 33 environmental consultants with headquarters or significant operations here, based on billings for OC offices. Financial data for most of the companies account for the 12 months through December.
Fifteen of the companies posted increases in OC billings, 10 were down, and eight were estimates. The top four spots remained unchanged from 2012.
Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M Hill Cos.’ office in Santa Ana retained the No. 1 spot with $167.9 million in billings for environmental work, a 5.5% decrease from 2012. The company has 272 employees in OC.
Tetra Tech
Pasadena-based Tetra Tech Inc. ranked No. 2 based on a Business Journal estimate. The company’s 2013 annual report shows $932 million in companywide revenue and operating income of $71.8 million for “technical support services” such as “management consulting and engineering services and strategic direction” for environmental assessments/hazardous waste management, climate change” and “international development,” among other offerings. Tetra Tech employs an estimated 147 in Irvine.
URS Corp. reported a nearly 5.3% increase in billings to retain the No. 3 spot, with $40 million in revenue for 2013. It has 274 employees working at its Santa Ana office. Its companywide billings remained unchanged at $2 billion.
Miller Environmental Inc., which has its headquarters in Orange, ranked No. 4, the highest among OC-based environmental firms. The company reported $38 million in billings last year—a 2.7% increase—and added 100 employees for a total of 250.
Things continue to look up this year, according to company founder and President Gregg Miller.
“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in bid opportunities for 2014, especially in the private sector,” Miller said. “Developers are coming back. They are renovating old buildings or building new ones. (The) ratio of jobs used to be 60-to-40 public versus private, and now it’s flip-flopped.”
Large projects that “have been on a shelf for a while” are coming up for a bid, he said, such as demolition of the Hollywood Park racetrack and development of the Village at University of Southern California.
Double Digits
Several firms saw double-digit percentage increases in local billings—and Stantec Consulting Services Inc. notched a triple-digit jump. The Canada-based company ranked No. 32 after bringing in nearly $2.6 million in revenue, a 155.7% increase from 2012. It added nine positions at its office in Irvine for a total of 133.
Other notable climbs on the list include Los Angeles-based AECOM Technology Corp., which moved up three spots to No. 6 with $22 million in OC billings for 2013, a 32.7% year-over-year increase. It cut 34 jobs in OC for a total of 390.
The Santa Ana office of Psomas moved up five spots on the list to No. 22 with $7.1 million in local revenue, a 36.7% uptick. The Los Angeles-based company also added 53 positions here, for a total of 156.
Ninyo & Moore, which has its headquarters in San Diego, placed No. 26 on the list, up from No. 31 slot. Its Irvine office reported $4.4 million in billings, a 30% increase from 2012. The companywide revenue rose 55.6% to $18.7 million.
Kleinfelder Group Inc., another San Diego company with an outpost in Irvine, also moved up on the list with a 30.7 % increase in revenue. The firm, which ranks No. 29, reported $3.3 million in billings from OC and nearly $136.4 million in companywide revenue. It cut two jobs in its OC office for a total of 34 positions.
Decliners
Several companies dropped in the rankings.
The Irvine office of Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based Arcadis U.S. Inc. ranked No. 10, down from No. 5 last year. It reported $17.2 million in OC revenue for 2013, a 51% year-over-year drop. Arcadis added 10 positions here for a total of 145. Companywide billings were $821 million, a 1.3% increase.
Chambers Group Inc. in Santa Ana dropped seven spots to No. 23 on the list.
It reported $5.9 million in billings from its OC office, a 43% decline from 2012. Chambers Group’s companywide billings added up to $8.6 million for a 64.2% year-over-year decrease. It also posted a 26.7% decline in its OC-based workforce, which now totals 63 workers.
The Brea office of Kansas City, Mo.-based Burns & McDonnell Corp. saw
OC billings decrease 43.4%, to $4.5 million for 2013. It ranked No. 25, down from No. 21 in 2012. The firm added five positions last year for a total of 83 working in the OC.
