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V O L . X X I N O. V I M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 18 "We were full blown in recession," he says, recalling those diffi cult times. "We stayed the course. We never did a layoff . We were committed to balancing the fi nan- cial interests with what was best for the employees." at proved to be the right call, given the compa- ny's expansion during a time when many other fi rms were contracting. In recent years, McKeown says, the company increasingly has been competing against upper-echelon environmental services companies. Out of that, he says, came the question: "Are you a dabbler, or are you serious about your business?" Taking it to the next level To answer that question, he says, the company benchmarked itself against the country's top envi- ronmental engineering fi rms. It took advantage of published data, such as Engineering News Record's annual Top 200 environmental fi rms list, which helped McKeown and his leadership team identify how their primary competition was doing in diff er- ent markets in comparison to Woodard & Curran. "If the average growth [in a given market] is 6% and we're at 10%, that means we're taking market share from someone else," he says, adding that the benchmarking eff ort has helped the company stra- tegically target sectors that played to its strengths, or prioritize markets that were not heavily saturated with environmental engineering fi rms fi ghting for limited dollars (e.g. transportation). Out of that process came the goal of becom- ing one of the top environmental engineering fi rms in the country — which seems well within reach, given the company's steady climb up the ranks of Engineering News Record's annual lists of top envi- ronmental and construction/design fi rms. In the last three years, Woodard & Curran has acquired fi rms in Pennsylvania and Montana and opened its fi rst Midwest offi ce, near St. Louis, to enter new markets and geographies. In particular, says McKeown, the 2013 purchase of TREC Inc., an 80-person com- pany based in Bozeman, Mont., gives Woodard & Curran a signifi cant entry point into the key mar- kets of mining, energy and oil and gas. But McKeown is careful to qualify that lofty goal, saying, "I want this company to be measured not by its 'bigness' but by its 'greatness.'" Last year he elevated employees' health and safety from being simply a "priority" to being a core value of the company. Likewise, the Woodard & Curran Foundation, a nonprofi t launched by employees in 2010, is building an endowment in order to make "meaningful grants" to worthy causes within communities where its offi ces are located. "One of the reasons why I love the business is that at the end of the day, what we do matters," he says. "I can honestly say, 'I make a diff erence.' I always felt my job is to leave this place better than when I got here. … As a society, we take so much for granted, like clean water. e price of water hasn't changed much in 20 years. Compare that to your cable bill: It's grossly underfunded." J a m e s M c C a r t h y , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t j m c c a r t h y @ m a i n e b i z . b i z » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E You matter more. At Bangor Savings Bank, we work hard to find the perfect mortgage for your goals and lifestyle. We'll be there when you need us (not just banking hours), offer flexible financing options, and can even process and service your loan locally. We are experts at guiding you through the mortgage process – whether you are a first time homebuyer or have financed many times before. So call 1.877.Bangor1, stop by, or visit BangorMortgage.com to see the difference it makes when you matter more. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender YOUR MORTGAGE IS AN IMPORTANT MATTER. GET IT AT THE BANK WHERE YOU MATTER. Doug McKeown, CEO of Woodard & Curran, middle, discusses an offi ce expansion with Jen Andrews, director of marketing, and CFO David Remick in their offi ce in Portland. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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