The average time a person stays with one company is 4 years, according to surveys by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, but HRG’s average employee tenure is almost double that! We have six employee-owners celebrating major milestone anniversaries in 2020:

• Kelly Forlizzi, accounting assistant, 30 years
• Russ McIntosh, vice president, 30 years
• Andrew Kenworthy, chief operating officer, 25 years
• Nanette Spivey, accounting assistant, 20 years
• Kevin Nelson, senior engineering technician, 20 years
• Chris Dellinger, land development group manager, 20 years

In fact, six percent of our team has been with HRG for more than two decades, yet civil engineering is one of the most competitive industries engaged in the war for talent. What is the secret to HRG’s success? Why do people stay so long with the company?

“Why go anywhere else? “ Chris Dellinger asks. “HRG has given me the opportunities to grow personally and professionally, and they’ve allowed me to work with a team of people I consider my family.”

This is not an uncommon sentiment among HRG’s employees: Regardless of the number of years they’ve served with the firm, time and again, they say our people are the number one reason they like working here:

Caring leadership is another common reason our employee-owners are so loyal to HRG. This is, in fact, a core value at the firm. One of HRG’s founders Bob Rowland said establishing an enjoyable workplace for employees was one of the guiding objectives behind founding the company in 1962. This continued when Bob Grubic became president in 1981, according to Andrew Kenworthy:

“I remember – from my earliest days – Bob Grubic saying the true value of HRG is our people, and his commitment to the team was proven time and again during my many years here.”

Jason Fralick succeeded Bob as president in 2019, and he continued Mr. Grubic’s focus on employee-owners happiness – in and outside the office. He hosts regular town halls and frequently travels to each of HRG’s locations to talk with team members one-on-one. He was in Harrisburg for the annual Valuation Day celebration that year and had a couple of hours drive back home when the day was done. That’s why it made such an impression on Caleb Krauter when he stayed after work to attend a small get-together among employee-owners that night:

“Someone told Jason that a few people were going out, and he came along. That’s incredible that the president’s coming out. He’s got a long trip home, but he comes out to socialize with employees. I think that’s incredible to see,” Caleb says.

But the leadership team’s care for employees goes beyond socializing. They have an equal commitment to providing growth opportunities for the people who work here and promoting from within.

“HRG provides such a fantastic opportunity for career growth. At no time was there any reason for me to consider going elsewhere. I started in 1995 as an EIT just a few years out of college. Over the years I progressed to a project manager, group leader, practice area leader, regional vice president, and now chief operating officer. I was also able to transition my career path from being focused on private development to municipal representation and business management. The various opportunities available at HRG are there for those with the initiative to take advantage of them.” Andrew Kenworthy says.

Russ McIntosh agrees, “I’ve been recognized by many professional organizations, and I’ve been asked to participate in panel discussions, give presentations, and teach workshops. I’ve grown so much as a professional because of my experience at HRG. As they grew geographically and broadened their services, I had to find ways to meet the changing needs and expectations.”

Indeed, Russ joined HRG right before we embarked on a decade of massive growth. When he was hired in 1990, we had two offices, but we added four more over the next 10 years. Today, we operate across three states. Russ has witnessed a great deal of change over 30 years of working at HRG, and so have the others celebrating major milestones this year.

For Andrew Kenworthy, that change has been very positive. “Early in my career here, our offices and service groups each operated very independently. As people learned the benefits of sharing knowledge and resources, daily interactions improved, and that allowed us to do even better quality work. We have become ‘One Company.’”

Chris Dellinger says he’s seen the company embrace an innovative culture since he came on board in September 2000. Employee owners have an opportunity to offer their ideas and see those ideas implemented. The decision to become an ESOP was central to building that innovative culture, and yet it also reflected the one true constant that has never changed:

“HRG could have moved in several directions to transition ownership, but they chose the one that was consistent with our founder’s vision of a great workplace for all,” Russ McIntosh says.

Like Andrew and Chris, Russ has made a lot of great memories at HRG over the years, and his team members are at the center of all of them: holiday parties and potluck lunches. He fondly remembers cooking breakfast for the office with Andrew.

“They say if you find something you love doing, you’ll never work again in your life. My time at HRG proves that to be correct.”