RPA Celebrates Employee Ownership Month

Every October, we celebrate our employee-owners, who are the backbone of RPA and what makes this company special. We believe that employee ownership is key to our success at RPA and, as a 100% employee-owned company, we don’t just have employees at RPA, we have employ-owners who begin earning a piece of the pie starting from day one. As employee-owners, our employees also have an exciting retirement benefit through our Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). An ESOP is a retirement plan that gives employees ownership in the company in the form of shares of stock. This means our employees are directly invested in RPA’s success and as the company grows and succeeds, so do our employee-owners.

We are proud to be an employee-owned company and our employees are too! Check out what some of our employee-owners here at RPA have to say about employee ownership and what that benefit means to them.

Being an employee owner empowers me to take ownership of my career and my future. I enjoy being surrounded by like-minded people who are all motivated to go above and beyond for our clients and driven to see the company succeed. And although I love my day-to-day work and have no plans to retire anytime soon, I take a lot of comfort in knowing RPA’s ESOP is helping me build a healthy retirement savings!

Kerry Lynch, PE, RSP1

Once I made the decision to pursue another job, the ESOP structure was one of the key factors in coming back to work at RPA. The culture at RPA is strong due in part to an increased sense of pride and buy-in from employee owners. Employees have more emphasis on improved business practices and focus on everyone rowing in the same direction for greater firm success. Working for an ESOP company like RPA makes me feel like a valued team member with less stress on individual metrics and financial performance.

Jeremy Perlinski, PE

Being an employee-owner at RPA gives me a vested interest in the company that goes beyond my salary and that is both motivating and inspiring. Wins feel more personal, every new project or client represents a new opportunity to excel and succeed. I see the rewards from my hard work as my retirement account grows, and that’s a powerful motivator since I know I am directly working for myself and for my coworkers.

Forrest Walker, EI

RPA Recognized By PSMJ Resources, Inc.

For the ninth time, PSMJ Resources, Inc., the premier management consulting firm for the architecture and engineering (A/E) industry, has announced that Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) made the 2023 Circle of Excellence exclusive list. Only 68 exceptional architecture and engineering firms across the United States made it on the exclusive list this year. PSMJ’s exclusive Circle of Excellence highlights firms that demonstrate outstanding business achievement in the architecture and engineering industry.

 “The A/E/C Circle of Excellence award-winning firms represent the best of the best in terms of financial management. These organizations apply the best business practices to every phase of their operations,” says Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, Founder and CEO of PSMJ Resources. “The top-performing firms just think and act differently from the rest of the pack to achieve extraordinary performance.”

PSMJ designed the Circle of Excellence to highlight successfully managed firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead management, cash flow, productivity, business development, staff growth, and turnover. The Circle of Excellence represents the top 20 percent of participants in PSMJ’s annual A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey, based on 13 key performance metrics.

“The firms recognized in the Circle of Excellence set the standard for outstanding and sustainable business results,” says Stasiowski. “Some firms have been in this prestigious group year after year!”

RPA is a 100 percent employee-owned civil engineering, transportation, planning, and land surveying firm. With over 70 employees, RPA is headquartered in Helena with offices in Bozeman and Kalispell.

Justin Millar Passes his PE

Justin Millar, PE, has passed the Principles and Practices of Engineering Examination and is now a registered Professional Engineer in both the State of Montana and the State of Nevada. Justin holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) as well as a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from OIT. He joined RPA in 2017 and has proven himself an invaluable team member of the firm. Outside the office, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and long-distance backpacking.

International Women in Engineering Day

In honor of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), we’ve highlighted some of the amazing women here at RPA.

KERRY LYNCH, PE, RSP1 When I was in college I got a job counting cars for a research project at the Western Transportation Institute. With the guidance and support of one of my mentors, this simple job quickly blossomed into an interest in, and eventual passion for, traffic and transportation. I love working in the transportation industry because it’s so relatable and ingrained in our daily lives. Everyone who walks, bikes, drives, or takes the bus knows something about transportation! As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve evolved from the engineering side of things to the planning side, becoming what we in the industry lovingly call a “plan-gineer”. I love working with communities to think about the transportation system 5, 10, and even 20 years down the road and being able to put a plan in place to help achieve a shared vision. These days, I’ve really enjoyed working on projects in the realm of sustainable transportation, safety for all users, and planning for all transportation modes.

HANNAH SCHWEIKERT  Hey, I’m Hannah! I’m a Junior at Carroll College, playing volleyball and studying Civil Engineering. Go Saints! I became interested in civil engineering because of the real-world application. Being able to face a challenge and see your solution come to life is a goal I strive to achieve. I was so excited to intern at RPA to explore different fields of civil engineering and get the chance to learn from some of the best! One project I’m helping work on is the Kootenai National Forest campgrounds. I grew up in Northwest Montana and love the outdoors so redesigning the campgrounds I grew up going to is pretty special, and I’m excited to see them come together.

ELIZABETH BARTON, EI  My favorite part about a career Civil Engineering is that each day is different, no two projects are the same, and I anticipate a lifelong career of learning. I originally chose to study engineering at college because mathematics was my favorite subject in school. My high school math teacher, Ms. Bleken, was a driving force behind the reason I pursued Civil Engineering. Women in engineering continued to inspire me at college, where I was taught by multiple female professors who had walked my footsteps years before. Dr. Plymesser, my academic advisor and Open Channel Hydraulics professor, and Dr. Matteson, my Structures professor and ASCE group advisor, were two women in particular that I really looked up to. Once I started taking upper-level courses at college, I found my niche in transportation and hydrology/hydraulics. Luckily, my position at RPA in the Highways group incorporates both those interests. With only a year of professional experience, I am excited to further explore my interests and watch the population of women in engineering continue to grow.

APRIL GERTH, PE  I’m not sure I really chose to be a Transporation Engineer, I feel like it chose me. Jobs were scarce when I graduated and I felt grateful that Montana Department of Transportation offered me a position designing roadways. 30 years later, I have had the opportunity to collaborate on a wide variety of projects, from living snow fence to interstate interchanges with multiple roundabouts. Auto crashes can have devastating impacts on families and communities, and I hope I have contributed in making Montana a safer place for residents and visitors.

SARAH NICOLAI, PE, PTP  I really enjoy the opportunity to make a positive difference through transportation projects. After collecting data and conducting technical project reviews, one of my favorite aspects of my work is meeting with people in person to understand their concerns and hear their perspectives. For me, public and stakeholder meetings really reinforce the human impact and importance of engineering.

“International Women in Engineering Day began in the UK in 2014 as a national campaign from the Women’s Engineering Society. Since then, INWED has grown enormously, receiving UNESCO patronage in 2016 and going truly global the following year.”

“In 2017, National Women in Engineering Day became international for the first time due to the interest and enthusiasm developed by the international audience and participants in the previous years. International Women in Engineering Day was born to enable the celebration of women in engineering to become global.”

To learn more check out this link! https://www.wes.org.uk/

Welcome to RPA, Chris Brazda

Chris Brazda has joined the Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) Kalispell office as an Engineering Designer/Construction Technician in the Site Development Group. Chris is a recent graduate of Montana State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. To complement his education, Chris’s internship gave him valuable experience in septic system and drainfield design, as well as construction inspection. In his role as an Engineering Designer, Chris assists with various reports, preparing specifications and cost estimates, data collection and analysis and construction observation.

Welcome to RPA, Colin Sassano

Colin Sassano has joined the Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) Helena office as an Engineering Designer/Construction Technician in the Water and Wastewater Group. Colin is a recent graduate of Carroll College where in addition to earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, he also played linebacker and served as team captain of the Fighting Saints Football Team. He interned with RPA for two summers, gaining valuable hands-on engineering experience working on a variety of water and wastewater projects. In his role as an Engineering Designer, Colin assists with various reports, data collection and analysis such as sludge sampling and flow measurements, project design, and construction observation.

RPA Welcomes Three Summer Interns

We are so excited to welcome our three summer interns, Hannah, Emma, and Dustin. Throughout the summer, they will be assisting our groups on all project types and gaining hands on experience in things such as surveying, inspection, engineering design, and reporting.

Hey, I’m Hannah! I’m a Junior at Carroll College, playing Volleyball and studying Civil Engineering Broadfield. Go Saints! I became interested in civil engineering because of the real-world application. Being able to face a challenge and see your solution come to life is a goal I strive to achieve. I am so excited to intern at RPA to explore different fields of civil engineering and get the chance to learn from some of the best!

Hello! My name is Emma and I am earning my undergraduate degree as a civil engineer at Montana State University. I am currently interested in structural engineering and am working with RPA’s structural team, although I am also involved in projects within the transportation group because of my involvement with ITE on campus. I was drawn to civil engineering because I want a career in which I can make beneficial change to the world using math and systems thinking. Civil engineering is centered around communities and their needs, which means I can show up to my internship every day and help to make a positive impact with the work I partake in. I am excited to be learning from the wonderful mentors I have here at RPA and am very grateful for their wisdom, kindness, and patience as they teach me what engineering looks like outside of a classroom.

Hi, I’m Dustin and I am currently going to school for civil engineering at Montana Tech in Butte. I am most excited to learn about all the different things that civil engineering has to offer and to learn from all the engineers at RPA. My main interest in civil engineering is wastewater design. I also love using AutoCAD and am looking forward to spending time in the office and out in the field. Some of my interests outside of work are hunting, fishing, and being on the lake with family and friends. 

Welcome to RPA, Michael Nehring

Welcome to RPA, Carson Harken

Welcome to RPA, Jason Brown

Jason Brown has joined the Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) Kalispell office as a Senior CADD Operator. In addition to studying Architecture at the University of Idaho, Jason has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Drafting and Design from the ITT Technical Institute in Spokane, Washington. He brings 13 years of drafting and design experience and provides excellent technical drawings through a variety of Computer Aided Drafting platforms. In his role as a Senior CADD Operator, Jason is primarily responsible for applying engineering design standards to prepare construction drawings for a wide array of projects.