PB continues the trend of going global

Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. spread its wings this year by acquiring PPK Environment & Infrastructure Pty. Ltd., a Sydney, Australia-based civil engineering and environmental consulting firm, furthering its most recent objective — and the overall industry trend — of creating a greater global sphere of influence.

"The [building] owners are increasingly looking for firms that are active all over the world," says Robert Prieto, PB's chairman of the board. "The owners themselves are changing, their needs are changing, and firms like ourselves have the right global footprint to provide them with the services they need.

"The firm down the street who has never been to Shanghai? Well, we have an office in Shanghai," says Pietro. "Our strength since we [expanded] out of New York City has been that we were going to be local so that we would become part of that community and therefore part of whatever big project happened in that community."

The emerging global client base has led PB to become increasingly involved in tying together various building services, something Pietro calls "life-cycle physicality program management." The management approach means PB is involved in building projects from the initial strategic planning and designing to construction completion and post-occupancy, when the owner may need to expand his facilities or accommodate a change in the company mission. The engineer would "stay with the owner as if on the owner's staff, and would bring with him the experience" of being there from the beginning.

According to Pietro, the advantage is that clients no longer have to bring engineers "up to speed." Instead, the consultants will have been there, recommending strategies from day one.

In the next year, PB hopes to look for meaningful acquisitions in the building market, bringing new skills to the firm and expanding its size. According to Pietro, today's growth in the building sector, its second largest practice area, will allow PB to take advantage of the market in the future. With 3,000 of its 9,000 total employees working outside the United States, PB stands to make an imprint worldwide. Pietro says, "Global is a state of mind. It's about how you think about yourself, how your clients think about you and how you relate to them."