ESOP spells success for Anderson Engineering

by Vera-Jane Goodin

SBJ Contributing Writer

A year ago Anderson Engineering Inc. became an employee owned business when retiring chairman James S. Anderson sold it to employees through an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. As a result, there have been some changes in the company, which was established in 1954.

A major change has been in employee attitude, said Steven Brady, president of Anderson Engineering. "They now have a stake in it they own part of the company and, with time, they gain more ownership. And that is value for them. That's been the big difference. We've seen more concern with profitability. They've been more concerned with expenses things they do that affect the bottom line of the company. Motivation, efficiency, productivity all those words.

"We had an excellent first year, which is exciting for everybody. We're starting another good year," Brady said.

Another change is in employee turnover. Anderson Engineering, which employs about 43 people, has experienced lower turnover in the year since implementing the ESOP. Most of the loss in employees in that time has been in lower-end positions and where employees hadn't yet completed the required year with the company to become eligible for part-ownership, Brady said.

Becoming an employee-owned company is the latest stage in the evolution of Anderson Engineering. Going back to its roots, the company started out as Wright-Weeks Inc., a small civil engineering and surveying company. This was followed by Wright and Associates, and in 1977, it became Anderson Engineering.

Anderson Engineering Inc. serves the four-state area and has two offices outside of Springfield. The office in Joplin has a staff of 12. The one at Ft. Leonard Wood currently has two people and may soon have a third.

As the name changed, new services were added. Now, the employee-owned business has four divisions.

"Beyond being an engineering company, we provide a full range of services, and that includes the civil engineering and encompasses geotechnical engineering which is a big part of our work," Brady said.

Also, "We do land surveying, and materials testing and inspection, as well as drilling services," Brady said.

The multidisciplinary approach brings different divisions into play at different times. "At the very start of a project we might be doing the land surveying or the geotechnical drilling on the site up to doing the design of the improvements on the site. We can be involved on a project from start to finish. During construction, we can have inspectors on the job testing the materials and inspecting the project for the owner. That's who we are," Brady added.

As the region becomes more crowded, leaving fewer building sites available, it becomes more important to know the lay of the land before construction begins.

"A lot of the good sites are already built on, so you get into marginal sites where you may have more problems. Geotech-nical engineering is a very important part of the front-end work on developing a site," Brady said.

With geotechnical engineering, "we are taking into consideration the geology of a site, the soils and coming up with recommendations for an owner or designer as to how to develop the site where to set the building, how to design the foundation system. If there are soft soils down there, you need to know because you don't want your building settling like the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

Anderson Engineering has been involved in some large projects, including wastewater sewer projects for the city of Springfield, the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, the Cox Medical Center South complex, the Ozark Mountain High Road and the expansion of the base at Ft. Leonard Wood.

Right now Anderson's engineers are working on a topographic survey of the Southwest Missouri State University campus, are under contract with City Utilities on various projects, and are doing street projects for Joplin and Webb City, as well as smaller undertakings.

Brady said his most memorable project with the firm was the wastewater treatment facilities for the city of Ozark.

"That was built in the early 1980s. We were involved from the initial studies, through working with the city on their bond elections, to designing the treatment plant and sewer lines for the entire city of Ozark, and during the construction. It was something that involved all areas of the company," he said.

But that is the past. The future is ahead, and Brady said it looks good. "It's a good time for engineers. There's a lot of activity commercial and industrial development, infrastructure needs with cities. There seems to be a lot of work that involves engineering."

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