Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sean Garland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

When I first started out in the engineering industry, I gained experience working with different size firms. I began my career working for a state DOT, then transitioned to a large international design firm, and eventually worked as a consultant with a respected small design firm. I struggled to find the right cultural fit so I decided to create it. After working 16 years in our industry, I started Pont Engineering, Inc. from scratch in 2010 as the only full-time employee.

The first few years were challenging as we established ourselves in the market. The task of identifying clients who would understand and embrace our approach to working together was initially challenging. However after collaborating with clients on a few projects that developed mutually beneficial returns, the approach began to gain acceptance. Following those initial challenges, we were able to emerge as one of the most respected minority owned infrastructure design firms in the south-eastern United States.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 1995 I graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. I spent the first four years of my career working for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in their Structure Design Department. In 1999 I moved to Georgia to work for a large, respected consultant firm in metro Atlanta named ARCADIS. While there I worked as a structural engineer and became registered as a licensed Professional Engineer. In 2003 I went to work for a respected small consultant firm named JB Trimble. During my employment there I became a structural lead and developed a strong relationship with one of the Owners. Through his mentoring I began to believe a minority owned structural design firm that focused on transportation infrastructure could be viable in our state. Shortly afterward JB Trimble was sold to a large international conglomerate so I decided to take the leap and start Pont Engineering Inc.

Pont Engineering would be focused on mentoring and developing the careers of its professionals. We would develop an exceptional group of technical professionals by partnering with the most respected infrastructure firms in the country. Our clients would get talented professionals focused on successfully delivering our projects. Direct exposure and mentoring on the government delivery process is the primary expectation. The approach has been instrumental in our professionals working on some of the most innovative projects in our country while working with some of the most respected professionals in our industry.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Similar to a lot of small businesses during the initial weeks of the COVID pandemic our business felt stress on our business practice. We were growing prior to the pandemic so we were working with our banking institution to gain access to more capital. Working largely on government level projects (where you perform the work upfront and get reimbursed for it later – usually months later) can be stressful in the best of conditions. The initial weeks of the pandemic made it more challenging as the banking institutions appeared to freeze any lending considerations for small businesses. Some clients froze existing payments and the initial PPP Loans bypassed us similar to many other small businesses. Pont Engineering Inc, as an employer of essential workers, continued to operate, pay salaries, provide benefits, and process expenses. That is a continuous expectation regardless of when (or if) you are compensated. For those reasons there were some concerns in the early weeks of the pandemic. The concern was not about the viability of the firm, but how long we could wait until our clients released the funds we had already used to take care of our staff and company expenses.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Our most effective strategy to grow clientele has been to consistently perform with integrity to our existing clients. In our industry there is no better way to grow clientele than by client referrals. Well respected firms want to work with similarly capable firms. When you develop talented and engaged professionals mentored to deliver at a traditional “prime” firm level you have developed something unique. We’ve consistently seen that diversely talented large firms look to work with uniquely talented small firms that are focused on collaborative success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pontengineering.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/40660451/admin/

Image Credits
Ben Lipford Photography