2008 Small Business of the Year Finalist: Pellham-Phillips Architects & Engineers

Employees: 25

Pellham-Phillips Architects and Engineers Inc., with 30 years in the building industry, has left its mark, designing such landmarks as the Busch Municipal Building and Hammons Field in Springfield and Chateau on the Lake in Branson.

A secret to the company’s success: “we’re young at heart,” said Principal Larry Phillips.

“Most of us are young folks who are really ambitious and talented, and that’s the reason we’re where we are, not because of the old-timers like me.”

The 25-person staff is not without veteran expertise, however. Phillips has been with the firm for 28 years, and several others have been on hand for 20 years or more.

Phillips said that longevity is due to the firm’s stance toward growth.

“We do the jobs we can do with the staff we have, until it looks like we’re taking another step in capacity,” Phillips said. “We don’t hire people for big jobs and then lay them off. When you look around and see people that have been there for 20 years, it makes it a good place to work.”

That attitude has led to steady growth; while Phillips declined to disclose revenues, he said 2007 totals were up 15 percent from 2006, a fact he attributes to word of mouth.

“When you get a reputation in a certain area that you’ve performed work of excellence, that’s a good recommendation,” he said. “That’s the reason we’ve been successful.”