Tawnie Wilson | SBJ

2024 Men of the Year: Adam Toth

Toth and Associates Inc.

BY: Tresa McBee, Contributing Writer

Posted online April 5, 2024 | 8:33 am

In His Words

Family: Married to my wife, Erin, for about 17 years. She is a pediatrician. We have four children: Sophia, 15, Gianna, 11, Anthony, 8, and Joseph, 6. My family is the center of my life.

Words to live by: Lead your business with care of people and community above all else. Do what you said you were going to do.

Favorite place to be in Springfield area: Outside, whether at the lake, the golf course, a playground or a youth sports field.

Childhood dream: A doctor. In high school, I was in Medical Explorers. After walking in a patient room, I nearly passed out and ended up in my own hospital bed. After that, I knew medicine wasn’t for me.

Adam Toth was a college senior when he approached his dad with an idea: Let’s start a company. So they did.

In 2003, Toth and his father, Louis Toth, both engineers, founded Toth and Associates Inc., focusing on electric utility engineering. More than 20 years later, the company has expanded into a multidisciplinary firm of electrical, civil and structural engineers and other staff who serve clients ranging from municipalities to utilities and educational institutions. What began as a two-person company is closing in on 200 employees and has four other offices in Oregon, Washington and Montana.

Early on, Toth recognized where gaps existed in the firm and worked to fill them. When the company was young and lacked funds to acquire a specialized software, Toth developed a program that got the job done the first three years until finances allowed purchase of the real thing. After several years in business, Toth noticed his father preferred engineering to day-to-day operations. The younger Toth knew his skill set included human resources, accounting and marketing, so he took those on. It proved to be good training for when Toth became president in 2019 after Louis Toth stepped away from daily operations.

Toth’s approach to running his firm is twofold: building strong client relationships and creating a culture that retains long-term employees.

“From its humble beginnings with a father and son working at their kitchen table, we have transformed into the largest engineering firm in our region since 2012,” he says. “The success of Toth and Associates is not solely attributed to the scale of our operations but, more importantly, to the values we uphold and the impact we have on the lives of those involved.

“We believe that fostering a culture where people genuinely enjoy coming to work is paramount. Witnessing our firm’s positive impact on the lives of our employees and their families brings me immense joy and satisfaction.”

Under Toth’s leadership, Toth and Associates has been recognized four times with a Springfield Business Journal Economic Impact Award and was selected in 2022 for SBJ’s Dynamic Dozen Judges’ Choice Award.

“Our strength lies in our employees’ expertise and knowledge. Without our people, we don’t have a company,” Toth says. “Our people are our most valuable asset.”

If he faces personnel-related decisions, Toth employs a simple formula.

“I utilize a guiding principle that involves envisioning how I would want a company to treat one of my own four children,” he says. “Reflecting on that question often clarifies how I should address the various situations and make choices that align with our values. I lead with our people first.”

Toth has volunteered for Leadership Springfield Inc., Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and the Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. He especially loves coaching his kids’ teams.

“I am not the most skilled coach, but I really enjoy and have been successful at motivating younger children to get excited about their sport.”