2023 Year in Review

From Scott Murphy

As I signaled in my January 4 Roundup message, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the year we had in 2023. I did mention that this “Year in Review” would come in February, but I am thrilled to be able to share it with you today. So, as we head into 2024, let’s take some time to reflect on the triumphs, trials, changes, and advancements we made as a company in 2023.

Award-Winning

This year, ACEC-Montana awarded Morrison-Maierle three Engineering Excellence Awards. The Missoula Airport received the ACEC-Montana Grand Project Award, and the Bozeman Airport Inline Baggage System and the Kinross Round Mountain Nevada Mill Flotation Expansion each received honor awards. Hats off to the commitment and excellence of these project teams.

In Wyoming, our Airports group won the “Airport Project of the Year” from the Wyoming Airports Coalition for their work on the Sheridan County Airport.

Our technology subsidiary, Systems, continues its listing on the MSP 501 list.

And we, as a firm, received the gold-level Client Experience Award from the Zweig Group and Client Savvy.

This type of recognition supports our Clarity’25 strategic objective of building a Regionally Respected and Recognized Reputation.

Growth in Central Oregon

We also saw continued success from our newest office in Bend, Oregon. After just over three years, the Bend office has already met many of its lofty five-year goals. This is largely thanks to the great work of our Bend colleagues and all of you who have supported their projects and allowed them to support yours.

Growing New Leaders

In 2023, we welcomed four colleagues into new leadership positions. Thank you to Ross Balfour, Tyler Reed, Dave Sims, and Gary Vert for stepping up to new roles. Your dedication allows us to continue to thrive.

Building Leadership Bench Strength

We also launched a new way for employee-owners to connect—the Emerging Leaders Program. Created as a complement to our existing Leadership Alliance professional development opportunity, the Emerging Leaders Program is designed as a way for early- to mid-level employee-owners to develop business skills, increase their peer networks, and learn how to progress their careers at Morrison-Maierle.

Welcome to Employee-Ownership!

In the fall, we held our first in-person Welcome to Employee Ownership onboarding event in Bozeman. This two-day event allowed employee-owners to forge new connections and better understand Morrison-Maierle’s culture, the consulting business, and how they play a key role in our organization.

Giving Back

I’m always proud of the positive impacts our projects have on people and communities. I’m equally proud of how we give back to our communities in other ways. In 2023, Morrison-Maierle donated nearly 9% of our net operating profit through a combination of cash donations and compensated time. That equates to just shy of $350,000 total.

This number was bolstered by our new benefit for 2023: Volunteer Time Off. This year, many of our employee-owners took advantage of the benefit, supporting organizations like Special Olympics Montana, Thrive, Belgrade High School Athletics, the Poverello Center, and many others. Volunteer time off allows each employee-owner the opportunity to dedicate time to the organizations they support and care about.

Connection at the Annual Meeting

This year, we were once again able to gather together at the Morrison-Maierle Employee-Owner Meeting hosted in Helena in April. I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with many of you in person at that time, and I hope all who attended were able to create and strengthen connections with your colleagues.

Connecting at the Office

Continuing the theme of connection, one of my favorite parts of this year came during my office tour. I was able to meet with small groups in nearly every office. I listened to your thoughts, concerns, and recommendations about recruitment and retention, generative AI, ownership, personal development, and organizational structure. I have always appreciated your candid feedback, and I look forward to using your input to guide our direction for 2024.

A Quick Look Ahead

I’ll provide a deeper look at 2024 business initiatives in the February 1 edition of the Roundup, but there are two near-term items to bring to your attention.

• We are proud to announce that, as of January 1, we are offering parental leave for all new parents and guardians.
• We are looking forward to leaning further into the strengths-based approaches studied by the Gallup organization. Look forward to hearing more about this soon. We’ll have additional details in the February 1 Roundup.

Thank You

I look forward to continuing to meet with you, hear about your work, and listen to your thoughts and ideas. Thank you for making Morrison-Maierle the best place it can be—I appreciate the energy, professionalism, time, mindset, and dedication you bring to work every day.

Here’s to another great year.