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Plumley Engineering banks on solid reputation

* Major players: Joel Plumley, founder and president; Dale Vollmer, P.E., manager of environmental services; Julian Clark, P.E., manager of civil/site services.

* What does the company do? It provides a variety of engineering services such as design services (complete plans and specifications); engineering investigations (soil properties, environmental contamination, site planning, etc.); construction management (to help ensure that project is built to specifications); and engineering studies (developing innovative solutions to solve a particular problem).

* Which makes up the bulk of your business? About 60 percent is civil/site engineering, and the other 40 percent is environmental. Of civil/site work, about 40 percent is commercial, 25 percent industrial, 15 percent residential and the rest is municipal. Of environmental work, the area focused on the most is groundwater contamination. Engineers investigate contamination, which often turns out to be petroleum, and design systems to clean it. Another service is environmental-site assessment, usually performed for real-estate transactions. Besides testing soils, other methods of the assessment include visual inspections, records research, and old photo examinations. The company also specializes in foundation, or "geotechnical" services, in which engineers use a drill rig or backhoe to test the soil or bedrock and design a foundation around the findings.

* What are some examples of your work? Plumley Engineering's body of work that is recognizable to the public includes a dam in Camden, bridges, and subdivision roads. The company was also instrumental in converting the first brownfield in New York on Paper Mill Island in Baldwinsville. The company cleaned up the abandoned paper mill and turned it into a park with an amphitheater. Plumley also designed the foundation for the water tower in Camillus.

* How does the company get clients? Mostly from referrals from existing or previous customers.

* Who are some of your clients? They range from smaller clients who've been with president and founder Joel Plumley since the beginning when he started the business out of his home, to big companies such as Kraft, Lockheed Martin, Ferris Industries, Ball Plastics, and Anheuser Busch. Other customers have included Byrne Dairy, Coldwell Banker, Fleet Bank, and government entities such as Oneida County and the villages of Baldwinsville and Skaneateles. A lot of work is done for real-estate developers.

* Now many clients? In 2003, 205 new jobs were logged. At any given time, Plumley Engineering is doing work for about 100 clients.

* Company history: Plumley worked for the Hazen and Sawyer, Dames & Moore, and Parratt-Wolff, Inc. firms before starting his own business in 1985. "I thought I could do it as well as anybody else," says Plumley. He first studied marine biology in college. "I wanted to be the next Jacques Cousteau," he says, but changed directions after realizing that to succeed as a marine biologist he would need to attain a master's degree and probably a doctorate. His roommate, who was a civil engineering student, introduced him to engineering. Eventually, Plumley Engineering outgrew two leased buildings and in 2002 moved into its own new building.

* Do you have a business plan?

Yes. New people - there were four hires last year - will expand services, and Plumley plans to do more marketing and become more proactive with existing clients. "I never wanted to be a 'big' company, but I realized some time ago that no company can stay the same size," he says. "Without growth, there is no room for the well-deserving employee to move up in the organization."

* Where does the funding come from? There was no business startup funding. Plumley started by building a desk out of plywood and 2 x 4s set up in his basement. He created a small brochure and sent it to everybody he knew. His wife, Patricia, worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst to support the family for the first few years.

* What obstacles have you overcome? "There are always business challenges health insurance, 401(k) plans, taxes, salaries, benefits. You have to watch your overhead. Our business doesn't necessarily go down when there is a bad economy, but it changes. A lot of what we do is driven by the real-estate market because of interest rates, but government work remains steady because people still need drinking water and sewage plants. We probably do more environmental work when the economy is good," Plumley says.

* Costs of services? The average contract is between $20,000 and $50,000. The range is from $3,000 to $100,000.

* What makes your company unique? "We're very, very commonsense oriented ... We solve the problem, but we think outside the box. In foundations, for example, every single time most engineers will go out with a drill rig. I will, too, 8 of 10 times. But the other two times I'll go with a backhoe and save $1,000 a day, and that entails taking a little risk ... We try to save our client money. You're reputation is more valuable than any marketing you can ever do."

* Advice to small-business owners: "You will not make it working 40 hours per week, or even 50 or 60. You must be willing to sacrifice your personal life for some period of time. And if you're not willing to do this, don't bother starting a business," Plumley says, also citing the importance of quality. "Finally, enjoy your work. If you don't, you will be unhappy, no matter how much money you make." Plumley Engineering, P.C.

3070 Belgium Road Baldwinsville, N.Y. 13027

Phone: (315) 638-8587

Fax: (315) 638-9740

Online: www.plumleyeng.com

Square Footage: 8,000

Employees: 16

Year Founded: 1985

Annual Revenues: About $2.5 million