Orange County’s largest environmental consultants, as ranked by local billings, experienced an increase last year in those numbers after a small decrease in 2015. The 36 firms on this year’s list combined for about $672 million in local billings for the year ended Dec. 31, a 6% increase over the approximate $634 million reported the prior year.
Total local billings have zigged and zagged since at least 2011, the most notable change an 8% increase in 2014.
One interesting aspect of this year’s list: two acquisitions announced in the past two weeks that involve the parent companies of firms with OC offices.
The firms on this year’s list also added about 108 employees—growing payrolls from 3,489 to 3,597 for a 3% gain from February 2016 to February 2017.
Environmental consultants help clients adhere to regulations related to commercial development and other projects. Efforts can range from dealing with contaminated land to conducting environmental risk assessments on projects and devising programs to comply with environmental regulations.
Big Guys
Highlights atop the list and some of the largest increases and decreases, with numbers rounded, include:
• Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M Hill Cos., which kept the top spot with its Santa Ana office billing $165 million, about a 1% decrease. The office also topped our September list of OC engineering firms with $496 million in that sector’s local billings for the year ended June 30.
• The Irvine office of Arcadis U.S. Inc., with headquarters in Highlands Ranch, Colo., saw an 82% increase from $23 million to $42 million, jumping to No. 5 from No. 7.
• The largest percentage decrease among top 10 firms was that of the Irvine office of London-based Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure Inc. Amec’s Orange County office dropped 10% from 2015 to 2016, from $20 million to $18 million. Hassan Amini, local operations manager and principal hydrogeologist attributed the drop to the effect of the energy and oil markets.
“The price of oil in that period dropped from almost $120 per barrel down to about $40 at one point, maybe even lower,” he said.
Aberdeen, Scotland-based John Wood Group PLC said on March 13 that it will buy Amec Foster Wheeler for stock worth about $2.7 billion.
• The Irvine office of Stantec had the largest percentage increase on the overall list, growing billings from about $3 million to about $9 million. It moved up to No. 23 from No. 31.
Edmonton, Canada-based Stantec said on March 21 that it will sell its software business, Innovyze, to an affiliate of Stockholm-based international alternative investments firm EQT for $270 million.
Debuts
Two companies debut on the list:
• The Santa Ana office of Pittsburgh-based Michael Baker International came in at No. 10 with $18 million in local billings—flat year-over-year, our research shows.
• The Irvine office of Jacob & Hefner Associates Inc., based in Downers Grove, Ill., placed No. 22 with $9 million in local billings, up from $8 million last year.
The two firms combined to employ 306 locally.
Jobs
Firms varied in their hiring practices—reflected in employee growth that averaged less than three new workers per firm across the list.
• The Irvine office of Kleinfelder, whose headquarters are in San Diego, cut 12 employees, the most on the list, for a 28% drop from 43 to 31.
Jim Dill, senior principal professional, said via email that part of the decline was due to “three retirements [and] three transfers,” and that the company plans to grow its geotechnical, environmental, engineering, and materials testing work this year.
“We have great people who will continue to help solve our clients’ challenges.”
