Partner Named Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in LA

Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. was named one of LA’s fastest growing private companies of 2014 at the 18th Annual Awards ceremony held in Beverly Hills on November 12 by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Partner was ranked at number 70.

Headquartered in Torrance, Partner’s California footprint includes 8 offices and 165 employees. Nationally, Partner employs close to 500 professionals across 28 offices. Partner has grown its professional resources by more than 30% in the last calendar year.

Joe Derhake, founder and President of Partner, explains that the firm expanded significantly in 2014 both through acquisition and organically, driven by a strong-performing commercial real estate market and the industry’s response to tighter risk management regulations.

Recent EDR data shows that Phase I ESA transactions in Los Angeles in the 3rd quarter of 2014 are up 21% percent compared with the same time last year. “In this rebounding market, many lenders and borrowers are placing greater emphasis on thorough pre-transactional due diligence, looking to reliable and more stable firms to better manage risks and liabilities. With a strong national footprint and large professional staff, we’ve been well-placed to service this increasing demand,” he said.

In Los Angeles, Partner’s structural and energy consulting practices experienced strong growth in response to new state regulatory requirements. On the heels of San Francisco’s mandatory retrofitting laws, building seismic safety in the County of Los Angeles is gaining the political momentum. “Our structural practice has nearly doubled in the last year to address the demand for assessments and structural design services aimed to improve the seismic resilience of California’s building stock,” said Joe.

“In the Energy space, state laws such as AB1103 and Title 24/CALGREEN, as well as the availability of significant rebates offered for energy efficient buildings are creating a huge demand for Partner’s energy audits, benchmarking, and (retro-) commissioning services”

Looking forward, Derhake expects Partner’s Construction Risk Management practice – currently the fastest growing segment of the company – to play a major role in its continued growth over the next year. “Cranes are back in the sky,” he says. “To avoid mistakes of the past and ensure the recovery continues developers and lenders will be focused on better addressing the physical and engineering risks, as well as underwriting and loan administration issues associated with construction lending.”

In response, Partner has been actively recruiting leading construction risk management experts, and has been working with a wide range of clients to develop comprehensive risk management policies that will ensure regulatory compliance and better management of risks associated with construction and construction lending.

Partner is a women- and employee-owned firm focused on environmental and engineering consulting for the commercial real estate industry.