Past Winner Stories
August Mack Environmental
www.augustmack.com
Although it held the distinction of being the second largest environmental consulting service in Indiana back in 1999, August Mack Environmental, Inc. was forced to reinvent itself to protect its status as an independently-owned company.
The way the owners saw it, they had three options—make a major change, merge with a larger firm, or face the possibility of closing its doors.
At the time, more than 50 environmental consultants existed in Indianapolis. However, those numbers were steadily dwindling as national competitors started entering the market, making it increasingly difficult for the cottage-industry to provide services at a competitive rate. A similar scenario was being played out nationally, according to the Environmental Business Journal, a publication that was announcing the mergers of regional firms with larger firms on a regular basis.
“Our direct experience at the time also confirmed the assumption that the environmental consulting industry was transitioning away from a ‘professional’ services industry to a commodity-type industry that would become more and more competitive in nature with less and less service provided to the client,” says Bryan Petriko, vice president and co-owner of August Mack, an 18-year-old company that employs engineers, geologists and environmental scientists with extensive regulatory knowledge and technical expertise.
“Based on our assessment, it was clear that drastic innovation was needed to ensure our existence, and, ultimately, long-term success. We decided that a significant change was needed to maintain our reputation for value-added services,” Petriko adds.
The company’s answer was eCAPSM (Compliance Assurance Program) or eCAP, for short. The outsourcing product proved to be an essential component of August Mack’s continued success in the industry.
“eCAP is the program that set us apart from the competition and allowed us to grow and maintain our independence,” Petriko says. “The program creates a team with our clients to work for a common goal—ongoing, consistent regulatory compliance, while the client can focus on making their product. We utilize our seasoned technical experts to provide continued review and implementation of regulatory programs at our client’s facilities.”
The product has been particularly successful for the company’s foreign-based clients, who may be less familiar with U.S. regulations. About one-third of August Mack’s eCAP clients are headquartered in other countries. The product also has proved especially beneficial for clients who have down-sized their corporate staffs.
Since its inception, eCAP has grown to represent more than 20 percent of August Mack’s revenue. In 2004, 100 percent of eCAP clients renewed their service at an income of more than $1 million.
“We still provide traditional services, but we have a method for those clients that want more assurance that ‘we’re in compliance,’” Petriko says. “We provide expertise they don’t get from corporate entities.”
August Mack has thrived by being innovative, Petriko adds. “It was a matter of finding something those clients needed—a value-added tool.”
The way the owners saw it, they had three options—make a major change, merge with a larger firm, or face the possibility of closing its doors.
At the time, more than 50 environmental consultants existed in Indianapolis. However, those numbers were steadily dwindling as national competitors started entering the market, making it increasingly difficult for the cottage-industry to provide services at a competitive rate. A similar scenario was being played out nationally, according to the Environmental Business Journal, a publication that was announcing the mergers of regional firms with larger firms on a regular basis.
“Our direct experience at the time also confirmed the assumption that the environmental consulting industry was transitioning away from a ‘professional’ services industry to a commodity-type industry that would become more and more competitive in nature with less and less service provided to the client,” says Bryan Petriko, vice president and co-owner of August Mack, an 18-year-old company that employs engineers, geologists and environmental scientists with extensive regulatory knowledge and technical expertise.
“Based on our assessment, it was clear that drastic innovation was needed to ensure our existence, and, ultimately, long-term success. We decided that a significant change was needed to maintain our reputation for value-added services,” Petriko adds.
The company’s answer was eCAPSM (Compliance Assurance Program) or eCAP, for short. The outsourcing product proved to be an essential component of August Mack’s continued success in the industry.
“eCAP is the program that set us apart from the competition and allowed us to grow and maintain our independence,” Petriko says. “The program creates a team with our clients to work for a common goal—ongoing, consistent regulatory compliance, while the client can focus on making their product. We utilize our seasoned technical experts to provide continued review and implementation of regulatory programs at our client’s facilities.”
The product has been particularly successful for the company’s foreign-based clients, who may be less familiar with U.S. regulations. About one-third of August Mack’s eCAP clients are headquartered in other countries. The product also has proved especially beneficial for clients who have down-sized their corporate staffs.
Since its inception, eCAP has grown to represent more than 20 percent of August Mack’s revenue. In 2004, 100 percent of eCAP clients renewed their service at an income of more than $1 million.
“We still provide traditional services, but we have a method for those clients that want more assurance that ‘we’re in compliance,’” Petriko says. “We provide expertise they don’t get from corporate entities.”
August Mack has thrived by being innovative, Petriko adds. “It was a matter of finding something those clients needed—a value-added tool.”