URS Corp. expands operations through Springfield branch

URS has a presence in 20 countries, $3.69 billion in revenues and boasts the largest market capitalization ($1.9 billion) in the technical services industry, according to Yahoo! Finance. URS’ stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol URS. Shares closed Jan. 3 at $38.26.

However, Brad Tate, manager of URS’ Springfield office, said the company’s size means little to him and should mean little to his clients as well.

“Even though we’re a global company,” he said, “we still focus on our relationships in the local area.”

Tate and his three-man crew – Allen Kuhn, Michael Holesapple and Chris Cover – have been designing transportation projects in the Springfield market for several years.

However, their tenure with URS started in December 2004 when URS acquired the local office of Affinis Corp. for an undisclosed amount.

While Affinis still has two Kansas City-area locations, URS took over Springfield’s 2139 E. Primrose, Ste. F, office, its employees and Affinis’ six area projects.

“(URS) just wanted to expand their operations down here,” said Tate, adding that, “We were tickled to death” to become URS employees.

Mel Millenbruck, URS vice president and St. Louis’ office manager, said the company wanted a larger foothold in fast-growing southwest Missouri, even though URS already served area clients from its Kansas City and St. Louis offices.

“We want to … put people closer to our clients,” Millenbruck said.

URS designed a 125-foot, $680,000 bridge on Farm Road 144 that Hartman Construction completed in August. In October, crews began a $1.3 million drainage project at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Erie Street.

Three of Affinis’ inherited projects have yet to begin while Tate and crew finalize designs. According to Tate, none of them have yet been bid to a contractor.

URS is designing several small road improvements in Branson, such as widening the intersection of Roark Valley Road and Route 76. The work should cost $1.9 million and start in spring 2007.

URS is reconstructing two bridges for the Greene County Highway Department, one on Farm Road 45 and one on Farm Road 149. Tate said both locations currently have bridges that date to the 1930s or 1940s and have fallen into disrepair. He said work on Farm Road 149 should start this year and work on Farm Road 45 should start in 2007. Rick Artman, project manager with Greene County Highway Department, said both projects should cost about $700,000. Artman said Greene County chose URS because it had designed bridges for the county in the past and “We think their designs are competent. They stand behind their designs and (they) seem to be reasonable in their cost.”

Also, URS will create five lanes on Republic Road between Scenic and Golden avenues. The work should cost $1 million and start in 2008, though Tate said the project is in “limbo.”

URS has 28,000 employees firm-wide, according to its Web site, and URS is one of two divisions overseen by the company.

So far, Tate said, the Springfield branch has generated about $400,000 in revenues.

“We’re a small duck on the pond,” he said.

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