Clark County at Work: WRK Engineers

Business name: WRK Engineers

Each week, The Columbian offers a brief snapshot of an interesting Clark County business. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.

Owner: Brian Knight

Address: 2300 Main St.

What the business does: In addition to standard structural engineering services, WRK provides specialized seismic consulting services for electrical utilities in high-seismic zones across the country, primarily with respect to seismic vulnerability reduction. The business also provides seismic design and equipment qualification services for manufacturers around the world.

Building the business: Owner Brian Knight said his company has built strong relationships with clients by applying innovative strategies and solutions to complex structural engineering challenges. Employees work daily to strengthen their client relationships by bringing value to the design process, by being flexible and by providing options to solve problems in a cost-effective manner.

Greatest challenge: WRK has a high volume of specialized work that continues to grow, so meeting the demands of the growing workload through adequate staffing is challenging. The company has struggled over the past 12 months in trying to find qualified structural engineers in the local market.

Business philosophy: Knight said he takes ownership of his client’s problems, providing them with solutions that hold their best interest at heart. Ultimately, he treats every project, no matter the size or scope, as equally important. Rather than measuring company growth by increased head count, the company focuses on continuing to build strong client relationships across multiple market sectors.

A favorite part of the job: Knight said his favorite part of the job is working through the design process with clients and consultants to find the best fit solution for the challenge at hand. Projects can be complex and there are many moving parts that need to be brought together to find an engineering solution that meets, or exceeds, the project requirements, he said.

Tracking the company’s growth: The company celebrated its two year anniversary, marking the completion of more than 250 projects in a variety of markets, including power and energy seismic vulnerability reduction projects. They have increased from one staff member to 10 since its inception. WRK continues its upward growth trend.

Owner’s business history: Prior to starting WRK Engineers, Brian Knight was the managing office director for the Vancouver office of an international structural engineering design firm.

Year established in Clark County: 2010.

Employees: 10.

Telephone: 360-695-9731.

Email: jasmineb@wrkengrs.com.

Website: http://www.wrkengrs.com.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.