Four guiding philosophies, four major divisions

KS Associates: Civil Engineers + Surveyors

Remaining focused on clients, employees and the community
are the guiding philosophies that have led KS Associates to its success story.

More than 20 years ago, business partners Lynn Miggins and Mark Skellenger had the chance to purchase Elyria-based Kleinoeder Schmidt. The company’s founders were retiring and brought these two young, bright professionals in as the ideal new management team. After purchasing the assets of Kleinoeder in 1987, Miggins and Skellenger changed the name to KS Associates and put into motion their own ideas about how a civil engineering and surveying company should be run.
“I left high school with the idea of being an engineer and I followed through on it,” says Miggins, who serves as president. Her undergrad in civil engineering from the University of Dayton was followed by an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. As president, Miggins focuses on the company’s financial and human resources areas. Partner Skellenger, vice president, oversees marketing. Both are devoted to customer service.
Thirteen years later, KS Associates built a new facility and moved from downtown Elyria into Great Lakes Technology Park, a fast-growing area on the campus of Lorain County Community College. The move gave the firm more room, provided employees desirable amenities, and allowed staff to take advantage of the school’s many educational offerings—with tuition reimbursement.
Over the years and through significant change, KS Associates attributes its growth and success to three consistent strategies: provide exceptional customer service to grow the client base, develop a loyal and productive staff that keeps improving and developing its skills, and market all of the above so that people understand the competencies the firm offers, says Miggins.
Treat clients like gold
Treating clients like gold is the first of four management philosophies at KS, says Miggins, and it speaks to business development. “Structures among multidiscipline firms are basically the same, standards are the same, so you have find a way to stand out,” she says. “We do it by offering services that meet specific client needs.” KS is structured with four client-focused business units: Land Development, Transportation, Government Services and Surveying. The firm works hard to attract and retain clients, and about 95% of its work comes from repeat business. The company knows this because it monitors client satisfaction via surveys—responses tell the owners that clients are willing to come back to KS with additional projects and they would also recommend KS to their colleagues.
Treat employees like gold
With KS Associates’ growth and success comes an ongoing need to attract top talent—one of the firm’s biggest challenges, especially, as Miggins says, with the shortage of new engineers coming on the market. Employees are attracted to the quality work environment and benefits, which include a generous health care package, profit sharing and longevity awards. Employees are given autonomy to grow on the job, with each recognized for his or her unique contribution.
And trust is a given. With the exception of salary information, the firm’s books are always open to staff. Like the firm’s clients, employees are given a chance to give feedback on their work experience. One recent Employee Opinion Survey revealed that employees found KS Associates to be a great place to work, and nearly every employee said he or she would recommend KS to a friend or colleague. Although the staff has grown substantially since the Miggins/Skellenger team took over, the firm is small enough to allow for advancement. KS Associates does what it can to “grow their own” through training and encouraging employees to pursue their Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Survey (PS) licenses. With LCCC next door, interns are close, and KS offers a scholarship program through the University of Akron.
Give back to the community
KS Associates’ third philosophy is giving back to the community. Miggins and Skellenger serve on not-for-profit boards and take on other active roles in charitable activities. Community relations are visible via the pro bono work KS has done including projects such as Vermilion’s Rotary Park, Boy Scouts of America and a Minute House for the North Coast Building Industry Association. At the employee level, everyone can donate $100 to a charity dear to his or her heart and KS Associates will match that donation. Another grassroots effort is the KS Community Link Committee, which encourages employees to participate in philanthropic activities at least a half-dozen times per year.
When Miggins invested in the firm, she had just given birth to her second child. She worried about balancing work and home life. She was savvy enough to find a great nanny, and “I just bulled through,” she says. The experience helped her mentor other young females. “Our profession loses women in the childbearing years,” says Miggins. “And if you drop out and come back later, you lose earning power and influence.” To save KS’s female employees from this fate, the firm offers a flexible workday, and Miggins stands ready “to help women in the industry find ways to stay in the game.” Miggins was named one of the Top Ten Women Business Owners by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Cleveland.
Market your firm
Marketing is yet another area where KS Associates stands out. Its marketing function was expanded and formalized in 2004 with the addition of a marketing director. Since then, the firm has won national awards for its marketing strategies, namely for its corporate brochure and direct mail campaign. And the company’s new identity is a colorful one, with trucks in bright colors attesting to the company’s presence and visibility in the community.
One of the brightest colors at KS Associates, not necessarily visibly seen in its marketing materials, is green. KS Associates provided site design services for the first LEED-certified facility in Lorain County–the Entrepreneurial Innovation Center. Work at LCCC also includes the Learning Resource Center, currently under construction. Green, says Miggins, is “here to stay,” and KS’s background in site preparation, bioretention and stormwater management makes the company a leader in this area. “The world is always changing—and we need to be change agents,” says Miggins. BXM

For more information about KS Associates’ civil engineering and surveying services, go to www.ksassociates.com, or contact the firm at 440-365-4730, contactks@ksassociates.com.

Four specialties

KS Associates specializes in four areas: Land Development, Transportation, Government Services and Land Surveying. The Land Development Group focuses on development consulting services, providing innovation, value and quick delivery. The group’s portfolio is diverse, with clients ranging from The Cleveland Clinic, Oberlin College, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the City of Elyria, to big box retailers and major developers. The firm offers expertise about the latest in government regulations and technologies involving wetlands, stormwater management and zoning. The Transportation Group works for diverse clients, as well-from the Ohio Department of Transportation, cities, townships and villages to private developers, offering traffic planning and roadway design services. Current work is underway at I-90 near Midway Mall in Elyria, Jaeger Road in Lorain and SR 619 in Summit County. The Surveying Group has brought its expertise to high-profile projects including the Euclid Corridor Project and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s expansion. KS Associates also works with communities to develop land so that it becomes an asset instead of an underperforming area.
Other projects: Chestnut Commons at Chestnut Ridge Road and SR 57 in Elyria, a mixed-use project with a Cleveland Clinic office and a Wal-Mart; and Deerfield on Oak Point Road in Lorain, which is bringing in Target and Lowe’s stores, as well as a residential community. BXM