PARTNER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE INC.

El Segundo

BUSINESS: Environmental and engineering consulting.

FOUNDED: 2007

TWO-YEAR GROWTH RATE: 437%

2010 REVENUE: $21.1 million

President Joe Derhake: The business was not so much an “idea” as the desire to do things right after 15 years of practicing engineering consulting. So, I decided to leave my former job and start my own company.

Early Days: At some point, you have to jump off the ledge. This is hard and scary – I had an infant son at home. You hope that clients and other professionals believe in you and will follow. After carrying my box out of the office of the company I left and going home to my wife and kids, I started getting knocks on the door. That night I knew that I would have a good team.

Business Model: A talented professional can join and have an entrepreneurship. Our platform allows for equity and scalable pay that is a cousin to owning your own business with a lot less risk. We will continue to expand this platform within the realm of technical real estate services and engineering consulting.

Biggest Challenge: Maintaining our values and our culture during our rapid growth. Transferring values and culture to 20 offices across the United States is challenging, but we work hard at it.