News Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Eberly & Associates

When we as individuals turn 40, we see it as a milestone that forces us to stop to take stock of where we’ve been and map out where we’d like to go. The same can be true for companies and Eberly & Associates, Inc. is turning 40. The past four decades have seen mileposts that include two seamless ownership transitions, consistent commitment to our mission, vision, and culture, and skillfully navigating the unique challenges and unexpected windfalls presented beginning in 2020.

Learning and growing from 2020 onward

Eberly & Associates, Inc. growth since March 2020 has been unprecedented in our company’s history. With increased revenues of 56% we have had to be nimble and creative in how we manage our expansion to ensure we maintain the exceptional level of quality results and client-focused service we are known for.

Expanding our team to help meet rapid growth in the market

COVID has been a painful disrupter to how we live our lives and conduct our business. It has also been a catalyst for rapid growth in ecommerce, industrial manufacturing, warehouse, and data center sectors. As metro Atlanta continues to grow, increases in population has fueled the multifamily housing market, which has also driven an increase in our business. To support this new business, our company has had to grow quickly and as a result, Eberly & Associates’ team has increased by 43%.

Hiring staff to manage expansion is a small part of why we have been successful – it isn’t just about adding bodies. At Eberly & Associates, Inc. it’s about 40 years of carefully curating our culture of training, from interns to company leadership, promoting from within, and remaining true to The Eberly Way.

At Eberly, Diversity has always been core to our values

Our diverse staff is another ingredient of our success. For many organizations, diversity is newly important. At Eberly & Associates, Inc., diversity and employee longevity have been part of our culture from the beginning. We are, and always have been, better and more creative because of our diverse employee makeup, which has evolved organically over the years. Our mission is to ensure that as we grow over the next 40 years, we continue to cultivate our inclusive and diverse culture.

The result of our longstanding commitment to intentionally and thoughtfully building our culture is that it has fostered consistency in processes, standards, and shared priorities – our people and our clients come first – our operational and cultural foundation is very strong and has positioned us to adapt quickly to this explosive growth. Are we busy? Yes. Do we get tired? Sure. Have we risen to the challenge? Absolutely!

Delivering quality service with respect for procedures

One component of The Eberly Way is our focus on quality and a respect for the procedures that enable our team to deliver quality service and exceptional results to our clients. This has been a core element of our company for 40 years and will inform our management decisions for the decades to come. The checks and balances we have in place are systematic and measured. Our QA/QC program is based on quantified data that drive informed project management decisions.

Each week the Eberly team meets to address Standard Operating Procedures and consider course corrections when necessary. Engaging subject matter experts to conduct design reviews who are not part of the project team – not once but twice during a project’s lifecycle – to put a vital set of “fresh eyes” on the project amplifies our ability to produce outstanding work.

Pride in our work centered around our clients’ goals

Excellent work for our clients is a source of pride for our company and it is the “secret sauce” that energizes our culture. We are consummate professionals who believe in understanding our clients’ business goals and working to achieve them. At Eberly & Associates, Inc. we know when our clients succeed, we succeed, so it is easy to put them first.

How do we achieve success for our clients? Our expertise and engagement during the very early development stages of a project make the difference. We are knowledgeable, our team has long-standing relationships in every metro Atlanta jurisdiction, and we understand the intricacies of how to design a site to maximize our clients’ pro formas. At Eberly we approach each project as if our own investment were at stake.

Navigating challenging sites with highly skilled specialists

We also bring value to our clients by managing highly complex and challenging sites as prime real estate options become scarcer. The most desirable sites are being snapped up at a rapid pace leaving fewer and fewer desirable tracts available for development. Consequently, available greenfield sites offer more challenging topography and environmental constraints, while developed high-density, and sites resulting from assemblages, can present zoning, entitlement, permitting and infrastructure issues.

At Eberly & Associates, Inc., our team of professional designers and engineers are highly skilled specialists who, through early engagement, guide clients through the very complex process of site assessment, can leverage longstanding jurisdictional relationships to facilitate permitting and zoning solutions, and conduct thorough due diligence to provide valuable information on which to base informed decisions to make a site work best for clients. When this process can consume nearly 50% of time invested in the land development phase of a project, Eberly’s team of specialists are essential to maximizing property investment.

Navigating this process for our clients is one part of the equation. When a site is secured and a project is ready to move forward, we are poised and prepared to tackle the unexpected and devise creative solutions to unanticipated challenges, which is even more important in today’s volatile market.

Embracing adaptability while looking to the future

If the past two years have taught us nothing else, they have taught us to be adaptable and nimble. At Eberly & Associates, Inc. we successfully address the range of rapidly shifting forces, including changing regulations, varying levels of client commitments to sustainable design and development, market forces that drive unpredictable expansions and contractions, supply chain challenges, and the impact COVID-driven work-life balance has had on development.

Despite uncertain times, our team at Eberly & Associates, Inc. has a proven its ability to develop creative solutions when outside forces demand it. If a specified material is held up in a supply chain bottleneck, our team is nimble and able to quickly redesign a solution using alternatives. These experiences and solutions become part of our solutions-based approach and are available as pro-active suggestions on other projects when applicable. Our creativity and problem-solving skill are the foundation of our ability to deliver exceptional client service and support our clients’ success.

Our 40-year history has served us well in establishing a stable, reliable company poised to embrace the next 40 years. We have remained focused on our mission, management approach, and commitment to our employees and our clients, and our ability to thrive through the toughest of circumstances while more than doubling our revenues is a feat to celebrate.

Forty years is an exciting milestone, and while we celebrate and honor our culture and history, we are focused on building on that legacy and amplifying our expertise for the benefit of our clients, our employees, and the company for the next 40 years.

As we continue to celebrate, hear our staff discuss our history and plans for our future in our video interviews here.

Join us in congratulating our Director of Marketing & Business Development, Amy Granelli, on her graduation from ULI Atlanta’s Center for Leadership!

Over the course of 9 months, she along with her classmates, participated in presentations, panels, property tours and activities focusing on the responsible development of the Atlanta region. The group also had the opportunity to provide thought leadership through a mini Technical Assistance Panel (mTAP), addressing a critical issue that the region is facing.

The 2022 class is filled with true leaders who are making an impact on our community and our City.

“It was an honor and privilege to be part of the 13^th Class of the Center for Leadership. I learned so much. The monthly classes were curated to bring differing perspectives on topics impacting the area – Development, Regionalism, Economic Development, Affordable Housing, ESG and others. It was also inspirational to meet and build friendships with my fellow CFL classmates. They are leaders in their respective fields and are doing great things and will continue to do great things for our city.” – Amy Granelli

In addition to being Eberly & Associates’ Director of Marketing & Business Development, Amy has also been appointed to AIA Atlanta’s Board of Directors.

The final parcel within Gardner Logistics Park has received approval and is set to break ground the last quarter of 2021. Started in 2018, and built in three primary phases, this latest rezoning approval allows the last building of Gardner Logistics Park to move forward. The 393-acre park is planned for 6 buildings totaling 4,254,340 s.f., of which 3 are constructed and two are under construction.

“Market demand has been very strong. This has allowed us to move quickly through speculative phases towards full buildout.”, states Daniel Madrigal of Scannell. “The design team worked proactively through the complex permitting challenges with various local and state jurisdictions, as well as existing site utility restrictions to create the opportunity to develop this distribution park.”

These greenfield sites are ideally located off of I-75 in City of Locust Grove and can easily accommodate vibrant distribution centers, but they all had or have features that require an in-depth understanding of local, state and national permitting to be constructed as desired by the end-users that are looking in this area. Due to the streams and wetlands present on the sites, access to most sites being off of state route 42 and a substantial Georgia Power easement through the middle of the first phase sites, the project scope required the site team and developer to work closely with the community to deliver a product that supported the City’s economic growth without changing its character.

The convenient and accessible location of the park created strong demand for the buildings. The team was able to accommodate the City’s vision and jurisdictional requirements to facilitate the quick delivery.

Home Depot leased the first build-to-suit building in the park and required significant site modifications to meet their programming and strict security requirements. To accommodate the end-user needs along with community concerns, the team added long roads for truck queuing off state route 42 that is accessed by a new signal at SR42 and Colvin Drive installed to service the project. Special plantings were added to create a natural screening from the interstate and state highway.

Phase II of the project was another build-to-suit distribution center for Love’s Trucking. The 205,200 s.f. facility supplies Love’s Truck stops throughout the Southeast, and has room reserved for an additional 102,600 s.f. expansion to the new facility.

Scannell Properties

Scannell Properties is a privately owned real estate development and investment company that focuses on build-to-suit and speculative development projects throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In business since 1990, we offer experienced leadership, a history of successful commercial development projects, broad geographic reach and expertise in a wide range of building types.

Eberly & Associates

Eberly & Associates is a team of expert Civil Engineers and Landscape Architects who collaboratively deliver responsive and purposeful solutions to diverse development challenges to shape our common future. We have a standard of excellence in design, with a focus on customer responsiveness and service known as The Eberly Way. Our professionals serve clients in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast in the private and public sectors, on multi-family housing, healthcare, education, industrial/distribution and mission critical projects.

Images courtesy of Scannell Properties, Evans General Contractors and Aerial Innovations.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle selected Kevin Edwards as a Most Admired CEO of 2021 for engineering, planning and architecture. Honorees were asked questions related to their leadership philosophy and success. The Most Admired CEO’s were celebrated on August 19^th. The following was taken from Kevin’s Q&A with the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

What can other CEOs can do to win such great admiration from their stakeholders?

To gain admiration is not something that is forced onto others by your position. Your stakeholders have to see and feel the human side of you as a person and a leader. They have to see that you are flawed and not perfect. You have to admit to areas of struggles and also be prepared to praise and thank everyone, not just the high level employees.

What are the keys to CEOs building a high level of trust in their organizations?

To build trust, you have to yourself be honest and transparent to your organization. You have to allow an open door feel where your employees can come in and confide in you. They have to feel a level of loyalty to the firm and them as employees.

What does leadership and being a leader mean to you?

Leadership to me means taking the trust of my employees and implementing our joint desires through the governance of the company. As a leader I think my job is to be cognizant of my key employee’s initiatives, and find a way to guide the firm in one direction that will positively improve and grow our company. As a leader I may not agree with everyone, but still be open to hear the opinions and points of staff as pertains to the firm development.

Most Admired CEO selection was based on Kevin’s answers to the following questions, where we learn about his leadership style with emphasis on financial management, company culture and giving back to the community.

There is much more to know about Kevin and why he was named one of the Most Admired CEOs.

How has the leader contributed to the company’s financial success? 

Prior to becoming the President of Eberly & Associates, Kevin Edwards was responsible for building the multi-family and mixed-use market sectors. Under his leadership it has become one of the firm’s largest and fastest growing business units.

Kevin became President of Eberly & Associates in January 2020. The firm was planning to have its highest revenue that year. In early April, when it became apparent that COVID-19 was more than a 2-week WFH event, Kevin immediately began reviewing the company’s financial position and revenue projections. He put plans in place to secure current work and coach clients to begin planning for future work and reduce expenses where possible. The firm applied for and received the initial PPP loan. Eberly exceeded the 2020 revised financial projects which allowed all employees to receive bonuses at year’s end.

With recent planning for next 5 years, Eberly & Associates is poised to continue on a growth trajectory with a minimum 8% revenue year over year growth.

How has the leader created a great work culture?

Kevin has led the company’s culture committee for the last 3 years. During that time, he has put in place practices that enhance the already collegial work atmosphere. We regularly host employee gatherings to promote comradery. These team building activities were difficult last year, but the firm added more virtual meetings to “check-in” on people. Staff were given thoughtful gifts as added touch points when we couldn’t be near. In addition, all employees were given cameras if they didn’t have them and encouraged to have them on when we “met” virtually in our group sessions. This allowed us to feel like we were still “together while being apart”.

Eberly & Associates has a very diverse staff. During the painful, social turmoil and rioting over George Floyd’s death, Kevin showed his strength as a leader. During a company-wide, virtual meeting, he invited those needing to have conversations into his office. He had open and candid conversations about his thoughts, experience and expressed is commitment to building on the company’s culture of inclusivity. This is a recent quote from one of our female, minority engineers, “I have never worked in an environment where I have felt more supported in my day to day work as well as professional development.” We are proud of the diversity our team brings to our industry. Aside from the United States, we currently have staff and ownership from Jamaica, Trinidad, India, Vietnam, Iran and Zimbabwe. Our staff is currently 30% minority, 33% female and 39% minority and female owned.

How has the leader made contributions to the community?

In addition to corporate roles at Eberly and Associates, Kevin has extended his time and efforts throughout the community at-large.

For the previous five years leading up to 2020, Kevin has offered his time as a guest speaker each school term at Georgia Tech’s “Leadership in Design and Construction” graduate studies class.

This entails meeting for a full class and allowing the students to hear about his views, experiences and wisdom pertaining to leadership in the design and construction industry. In particular, how did he get from “getting hired for your first job” to “being a leader today.” What advice would he give, and what lessons has he learned about being an effective leader in the A/E/C industry.

Another engagement is that Kevin currently serves as a voluntary member of the KSU CEE (College of Engineering and Engineering Technology) Advisory Board.

Although Kevin is a Georgia Tech master’s degree graduate, he was still recommended to be on KSU’s CEE board by the Acting Head of CEE who was familiar with his presence in the A/E/C community.

In the role as an Advisory Board member, Kevin reviews curriculum, discusses enrollment strategies, confers on industry driven directives that the school should be aware of, and serves as an overall gauge on improving KSU’s presence in the A/E/C community as an Engineering college.

Congratulations Kevin and thank you for you dedication to our team!

photography courtesy of Leapley Construction and Byron Small.

Congratulations to Kevin Edwards on his 20-year work anniversary. Kevin joined Eberly & Associates as a staff engineer after working with the City of Atlanta. Through hard work, dedication to excellence, and leadership skills he has advanced to become President of the firm. “We are all grateful for all that Kevin has contributed and will continue to do for the firm,” states Dan Eberly, Chairman.