They say there’s balance in nature.
It’s one job of environmental consultants to keep it that way, even as nature gives rights of way to offices and homes.
It’s “all about finding the balance between development and conservation of natural resources,” says David Levine, founder and chief executive of Environmental Intelligence LLC.
The Laguna Beach-based firm, which says it “provide(s) clear solutions and pathways to agreement,” is new to the Business Journal’s list of environmental consultants, debuting at No. 19.
Its $10.5 million in local revenue and $11.5 million overall—it has a Los Angeles office—are up more than 20% apiece.
The firm added eight local employees for 45 here—also a 20%-plus jump.
But what sort of balance is practical in a traditionally intractable conflict between high-minded perspectives on land and highest and best uses?
“Agreement on what level of development should occur, where … and what sort of mitigation,” can offset the effects.
Development gets done, even in California.
“Typically by the time it gets to us,” Levine said, “the ‘no-project’ alternative has been eliminated.”
Intelligent Designs
The 34 companies ranked by local billings combined for $660 million in projects last year, up 4%, and added 37 workers, a 1% increase. Companywide billings were up 7% to $11.5 billion.
Development being big business, and environmental consulting touching anything involving the ground, makes for a vibrant industry as long as earthmovers move.
Three firms with local offices that often top the list are in the $2 billion revenue range companywide, but one was displaced this year by a relative upstart—only $748 million companywide.
• CH2M Cos. in Santa Ana is still No. 1 with $165 million in local revenue
• Tetra Tech Inc. in Irvine trails it with $58 million
• AECOM in Orange dropped to No. 4 with $48 million in annual local billings, displaced by new No. 3, Arcadis U.S. Inc. in Irvine, which topped $52 million on a 26% boost.
All four firms’ headquarters are outside of Orange County.
• The local Miller Environmental Inc. made the top five with an estimated $47 million in OC billings, its total take.
Walk the Line
The balance in the business extends to the list.
List toppers do eight to 10 digits apiece in revenue; No. 34, EarthCon Consultants Inc. in Orange, posted $1.2 million in local billings—just above the $1 million cutoff—and the Irvine office of HDR Engineering Inc. fell below the cutoff at $750,000 in OC revenue. Both are based elsewhere.
Fifteen of the listed firms, or 44%, bill below $10 million in local revenue; the dozen ahead of them don’t hit $20 million.
In an industry of big and small companies and concerns, Levine says the goal is to walk the line.
We “protect what matters,” he says, and what that is in a given situation is chosen by others. “The public, the laws, and the agencies decide what that is.”
Day in the Life
Environmental Intelligence employees also walk the line literally. In the photo on this page, the firm’s man on the ground is carrying a telemetry antenna for biological surveys of sensitive species.
The goal is “collecting objective data that’s repeatable” to show what effects an action could have.
It can be a solitary life, Levine agreed.
The firm “likes to send out teams of two; if you see a picture of one person, the other guy took it.”
Daily work can also include staring at a computer screen, he says.
His people “want to contribute to decision-making on development projects and protecting the environment.”
Clients include those in the energy and power industries, such as “utilities, oil and gas, and renewable energy.”
