Better living through engineering. It might sound glib, but belief in the power to make better communities is what drives Parson Brinckerhoff's Fred Craig.

        And it is that belief, coupled with a willingness to take on the biggest and most complicated projects, that has helped the local office of the internationally known engineering firm grow into one of the most influential forces on the local transportation scene.

        “We believe in the importance of engineering to our community, and we aggressively push that,” said Mr. Craig, vice president for the New York-based firm. He not only oversees offices in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, but branches in Kentucky and Tennessee as well. “And we chase the tough ones, and that attracts good people, the kind of people that want a challenge, and the only real asset we have is the quality of our staff.”

        The company's Cincinnati location started in 1994 as a one-man office (Mr. Craig) and another 45-person aviation consulting firm that the company purchased a year later.

COMPANY FILE

• Business: Engineering consultants; construction contract managers.   • Headquarters: New York.   • Chief executive: Thomas J. O'Neill (president and chief executive officer).   • Employees (2000): 10,000 (140 in Ohio).   • Ticker/market: Employee-owned and privately held.   • Revenues (2000): $1.2 billion.   • Profits (2000): $18.7 million.

        Today, the firm that began in 1885 and built New York's original subway system and Africa's first subway last year in Cairo, Egypt, also has a large reputation here.

        PB Ohio has been involved in just about every major transportation project in the Tristate during the past half-decade, with the fast renovation of Fort Washington Way its crowning achievement.

        The firm now has about 100 employees locally, and had gross revenues of about $3.5 million last year, Mr. Craig said. He would not disclose local net profits, but said that “engineering is less profitable than most people think. The reality is that for the risks we take, the net revenues are relatively small, and we're lucky to get 8 percent net profit.”

        The private, employee-owned company as a whole had a net profit of $18.7 million in 2000 on gross revenues of $1.2 billion.

        PB rarely, if ever, actually builds structures. The firm generally helps design and plan projects, and also oversees contracts — hiring subconsultants and contractors to do the actual work and making sure projects come in on time and on budget.

        PB held this role for the $314 million Fort Washington Way renovation on behalf of the city, and the project came in on time, opening in August 2000. The actual renovation of the highway came in on budget at just over $145 million (several other projects were added as construction was under way, such as a new drainage system and a transit center underneath Second Street).

        Mr. Craig said that one thing he and other PB executives stress is commitment to the firm's customers, something echoed by local clients.

        “They are used to building megaprojects, and they've always had to tailor some kind of organizational strategy to each project that they've never used before,” said Cincinnati transportation director John Deatrick, whose department remains a client of PB Ohio. “They did that with Fort Washington Way, and I think that's their strength.”

        PB Ohio also is helping the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments conduct a corridor study for Interstate 75 that will outline the best future use and improvements to the heavily traveled highway. The Columbus office, which has been in place for about 20 years, also does design work for ODOT.

        ODOT officials would not comment for this story, saying they did not want to give the appearance of favoring one consultant over another.

        Now the company is overseeing construction of the new $290.7 million Reds ballpark on behalf of Hamilton County.

        “Again, this is one of the most complicated, difficult and time sensitive projects in the U.S., and the stakes are huge,” said Mr. Craig, 47. “And I don't think we got this contract just because of the reputation we got from Fort Washington Way, but because of the overall reputation of the company for playing this high-stakes game that has a lot of risk.”

        Mr. Craig readily admitted that he is politically active, primarily by contributing to local campaigns and attending key governmental meetings, but said the reason isn't just to land yet another contract.

        “We only have 12 local clients, so it isn't really about getting more business,” Mr. Craig said. “And in this day and age, the selection process is largely apolitical anyway.

        “I'm politically active because I think engineering has a role to play in the civic improvements of communities, and I believe political leaders need to understand the infrastructure needs of facilities, and what better people to hear from than engineers. We have a duty to be involved in civic activities.”

        Yet despite PB's rapid growth locally, there appears to be little professional jealousy from area firms. Jack Pflum of Fairfax engineering firm Pflum, Klausmeier & Gehrum said that many firms such as his have benefited from PB and its involvement with Fort Washington Way.

        “There might be some minor grumbling, but Parsons teams with local firms really well,” Mr. Pflum said. “We got a half-million dollars' worth of work because of them.”

        He also said that PB isn't the only large firm to move into Cincinnati, trying to get a slice of the development downtown and along the riverfront. Several other companies have set up local offices, and Mr. Pflum says the city may becoming a magnet for good engineering.

        “Guys like Fred are on the new edge of engineering, which provides a holistic approach, for lack of a better word,” said Mr. Pflum, who drew the blueprints for the original Fort Washington Way in the late 1950s as a local engineering student. “They look at all the needs of the client, not just at the project requirements.

        “With firms like Parsons and ourselves, and the (University of Cincinnati) engineering school, we could become like a Silicon Valley of engineers.”

        Which would suit Mr. Craig just fine.

        “Engineers are the butt of many jokes, but they also provide a huge service,” Mr. Craig said. “We try and make lives better and in some cases life possible. That's the attitude of everyone here, and hopefully that's been a major reason we've been successful.”

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