With a little digging, however, Salontai discovered that the program was in a mission statement, not in reality.
“Many companies have these programs on paper,” he says. “The best actually do it.”

Decisions on Diversification

Diversification, while key, can be another tricky area.

Some engineering firms stumble by chasing work in several sectors and “wind up a mile wide and an inch deep,” Hoffman says.

He notes that smart diversification involves building on a company’s core expertise to take a logical step toward a new but not totally alien sector

For Benesch’s Carrato, that involved building on the company’s core - transportation services - by adding landscape architecture, through acquisition.

Not only can Benesch now offer landscape architecture services on select transportation projects, but opportunities abound for the company in the private sector within a range of new markets that were typically not found in its previously government-heavy income stream, Carrato said.

The company, which has a staff of 520, has also expanded geographically as well beyond its Chicago base, acquiring transportation design firms in Boston, Nashville and Kansas City.

“We have no desire to be all things to all people but we understand to be healthy we need to continue to grow and be diverse,” he said.