August/September Business View Magazine

58 59 transportation, federal, oil & gas, land develop- ment, water and building markets. “We’ve always been early adopters of tech- nology, with the philosophy that we want to use the right tools to meet the objectives of the client,” says Cawood.“Technology changes fast and, so far, throughout our history,we’ve been able to stayon the cutting edge.That’s an advantage that we bring— our resources,the technologywe can bring to any situ- ation.That’s why people call us. Eighty-nine percent of our clients are return clients.We have clients that we’ve worked with for over 30 years.” INVESTING IN PEOPLE From its earliest days,McKim& Creed has op- erated on the principle that people are the most critical differentiator in the world of business.This helps explain the longevity of many of the compa- ny’s employees. Cawood, for example,was hired as a survey crew rodman in 1985 and was one of McKim & Creed’s first employees.He is now a senior vice president who oversees the companywide geomat- ics business unit. In fact,more than 30 current employees have worked at McKim& Creed for 20 years or longer. And 53 employees—11 percent of the total work- force—are known as “boomerangs,”because they return to the company after days,months or years with other companies. “The greatest asset we have is our quality employees,who take their profession seriously,” states Todd King, PLS, a business devel- oper within the geomatics business unit,who is himself a boomerang.“One of the things that you see at McKim& Creed is people who build an entire RSMUSLLP istheU.S.memberfirmofRSM International,aglobalnetworkof independentaudit,taxandconsultingfirms.Visitrsmus.com/aboutusformore informationregardingRSMUSLLPandRSM International. Congratulations to McKim& Creed on 40 years of growth and innovation. Your achievement inspires us all. rsmus.com MCKIM & CREED career within the company.” In 2004,McKim& Creed invested in its workforce by expanding ownership opportunities to all em- ployees.Through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), every eligible employee becomes an owner of the company. In addition,McKim& Creed provides employees the opportunity to purchase addi- tional shares of stock through an employee stockpur- chasing program.The ESOPowns just over 50 percent of the company—the remainder is owned byemployee stockholders and company founders—makingMcKim &Creed an employee-owned enterprise. INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES Commitment to, and investment in, its people has become a part of McKim& Creed’s DNA, and is the foundation of the company’s vision to be “people helping people define and achieve their goals and dreams.”This includes everything from helping clients bring their projects to reality to supporting community events and charities.“We believe very strongly in giving back to the communities where we live and work,” says Cawood.“For example,we are heavily involved in Bike MS.We’ve raised nearly $50,000 to help find a cure for MS, and participate in Bike MS events in North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania.”The firm has furnished financial sup- port and sweat equity for numerous other non-prof- its, including Habitat for Humanity, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,Meals onWheels, and Ronald McDonald houses, to name a few. In client relationships,“people helping people” translates to “becoming a partner with our clients, almost an extension of the client’s firm,” adds King. “We always have our clients’ best interests at heart.” www.asidesignsoftware.com Software Development Consulting Services Technology Adoption