Winter 2019 Newsletter

 
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WINTER 2019 – 2020 NEWSLETTER

FROM THE CORNER OFFICE

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Our clients; our employees; our future

As the year comes to a close, PS&S has committed time and resources to several initiatives to position the company for growth.  We recognized the need to bring our employees closer to our clients. In the process, we embraced technology to allow for a more mobile workforce.  Our goal has been to create multiple office locations to better service clients. We found an added benefit—greater work life balance for our employees.  It has been a departure from how we have done business traditionally, but by adding offices such as a New York City location has allowed us to retain and attract our most valued assets—great employees.

The new year also brings a newly-expanded PS&S: we announced our purchase of DW Smith Associates last month, and welcome the talented team from DW Smith as we expand our energy, land development, and community association practices.  While this was a natural extension of our current working relationship, our goal is to expand our presence well beyond the Northeast.

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Moving forward to 2020

Looking ahead to 2020, we are making some organizational changes. For the past 10 years, we have operated under two main profit and loss centers which many of you are familiar with—the building and land groups—which were comprised of numerous individual department disciplines. We will now merge these departments into three new divisions: Architectural and Engineering, Land Development and Environmental and Energy. Strategically, this new organizational structure will help align our company, as well as foster a smooth transition of incorporating DW Smith clients and employees into the PS&S family.

We are excited about moving to our new headquarters in Warren later next summer.  We are creating spaces to allow for a more collaborative work environment as we reorganize into our three new business units.  We will have new space, new equipment, and employees will be on one floor, instead of different buildings.  We are confident this will help promote more interaction and the exchange of ideas so we can continue providing world-class service.  In addition, we expect to open up more offices in the tri-state area, as well as additional locations including Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

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A new decade

For 2020 and beyond, we will  continue to focus on increasing our work on public projects as well as energy utility projects. While we can never forecast the ups and downs of the economy, we believe the stability of public projects and energy utilities will keep our business strong no matter how the economy is impacted.

We thank you for your partnership throughout the years.  We value our clients, employees and other partners who have contributed to our success and growth.  We look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2020. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!

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PS&S Attends Camden Business Association end-of-year event

 

Our Marge DellaVecchia attended and PS&S sponsored part of the Camden Business Association end-of-year event that took place on December 18, 2019. The Camden Business Association hosted its members, business leaders, community leaders, and local officials to a Holiday cocktail reception at Seasons 52 restaurant in Cherry Hill, NJ. The association highlighted its 2019 work behind the scenes and what’s to come in 2020.

 
Source: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-cba-holi...

PS&S Participates in Better Tomorrows Spelling Bee

 

Our Marge DellaVecchia participates as a Board Member with the Better Tomorrows Organization, a not for profit services organization serving the residents of affordable housing throughout the Country.  On Saturday, 12/7, Marge joined Better Tomorrow's Executive Director Howard Tucker and fellow Board member Dr. Bruce Johnson at the annual Better Tomorrow's Spelling Bee Finals held at Jackie's Garden in Philadelphia.  Marge was the Spelling Bee Pronouncer for the day; and pictures attached show the Spelling Bee mascot and the winners of the Spelling Bee; both, proudly from Camden, NJ.

 

PS&S Attends 2019 Camden Environmental Summit

 

Colin Greenwood attended on behalf of PS&S as a supporting sponsor of the 2019 Camden Environmental Summit which was held at the Rutgers University Camden Campus.

The summit, which was organized by Camden Collaborative Initiative, featured a diverse panel of speakers including:

  • Mayor of Camden Frank Moran

  • Shawn LaTourette, Chief of Staff of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

  • Chris Lyon, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2

  • Carolyn Finney, Ph D and author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors

The summit also featured workshops which included “Environmental Planning through an Equity Lens” and “Achieving Community and Environmental Benefits through Public-Partnerships” which discussed and highlighted many of the important projects being conducted within Camden and those working towards solutions to overcome Camden’s environmental legacy.

PS&S was an exhibitor at the event and the company gained exposure from a wide range of attendees at the event, which included high school and college students, the general public, and individuals working with non-profit organizations and government agencies. There was a significant amount of interest in the projects that PS&S has completed in Camden and other cities in New Jersey.

 
Source: http://www.camdencollaborative.com/

PS&S Purchases DW Smith Associates in Strategic Expansion

 

Acquisition will enhance PS&S’ architectural and engineering offerings beyond Northeast region

WARREN, N.J., Nov. 20, 2019 – PS&S, a full-service architecture, engineering, design, and environmental firm, has purchased DW Smith Associates, a multi-discipline professional design and engineering consulting firm, the companies announced today.

DW Smith Principals Jennifer Nevins, Timothy Lurie, and Thomas Murphy will join the PS&S Senior Management Team.  PS&S will merge its regional office located in Wall, New Jersey, with DW Smith’s current headquarters, also based in Wall.  DW Smith will continue to operate under the DW Smith name for the near-term.

“We are excited to bring the immense talent of DW Smith into the PS&S family,” said John Sartor, CEO of PS&S.  “We’ve had the pleasure of working alongside DW Smith on projects for several mutual clients.  The talented team of DW Smith will help us expand our energy, utility, and community association practices.  This will also allow us to continue to provide the highest quality work within the Northeast region and beyond.”

“Combining our firm with PS&S was truly a natural extension of our current working relationship,” said Jennifer Nevins, Principal of DW Smith Associates.  “Our cultures are so closely aligned and given PS&S’ reputation in the industry we couldn’t imagine a more appropriate partner.  The synergy brought by combining our talents will enable our combined firm to better serve existing clients and enhance our depth of offerings to current and potential clients.”

Together, PS&S and DW Smith will provide architectural, engineering, surveying, design and environmental services in the science & technology, energy & utility, real estate — residential, commercial, and community associations — transportation and education sectors, for both public and private clients throughout the United States.

About PS&S

Founded in 1962, PS&S has evolved into a unique best-in-class architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firm, providing design and permitting services to a wide range of corporate, institutional and commercial clients.  PS&S is ranked among the top national design firms by Engineering News Record (and among the top 15 national engineering firms in pharmaceuticals).  Recognized both for its breadth of services and depth of expertise, PS&S is the single source for planning, permitting and design at the local, State and Federal levels.  To learn more, please visit www.psands.com.

Media Contact:
Deborah Kostroun
deborah@zitopartners.com

 
Source: https://www.dwsmith.com/

PS&S Attends NJ Alliance for Action Annual Awards Breakfast

 

PS&S was delighted to attend this year’s NJ Alliance for Action Annual Distinguished Engineering Awards Breakfast. Five of our projects were honored with distinguished engineering awards.

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Source: http://www.allianceforaction.com/events-ph...

PS&S Attends NJAFM Conference

 

PS&S attended the annual New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management Conference that took place on October 15th to October 16 in Atlantic City.

PS&S was happy to sponsor the Cracker Barrel event where participants went through several topics: FEMA, ISO - CRS, NJOEM Grants, Terrestrial LIDAR, Electrical requirements for SFHA, Envision & Sustainability, Land Use, FEMA Story Mapping, State Coordinators Office, PR Dams, Flood Risk, Non-Res Dry Floodproofing, Elevation Projects, and Green/Blue Acres Buyouts.

 
Source: https://www.njafmconference.org/a-homepage...

PS&S Attends PAM's List Event

 

PS&S attended this year’s PAM's List "Women Who Get It Done," a fundraiser honoring women who exemplify the goals of PAM's List, which was held on Monday, October 7th, 2019 in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Honorees lead by example, and demonstrate along the way that women can and do have the strength, the intelligence and the courage to serve at the highest levels of government, organized labor and advocacy.

Our Marge DellaVecchia was honored among those as a PAM's List "Women Who Get It Done."

 
Source: https://www.facebook.com/407636175987661/p...

PS&S Announcement in RE-NJ

 

PS&S moving Warren headquarters, signs 44,000 sq. ft. office lease

By Joshua Burd, RE-NJ

Professional services firm PS&S is moving from its longtime headquarters in Warren, inking a new 44,000-square-foot lease at another office building in the township.

The architecture, engineering and environmental consulting practice announced Tuesday that it was relocating to 3 Mountainview Road. The move comes after more than 40 years at its current headquarters, which is located about six miles away on Mountain Boulevard.

PS&S worked with Newmark Knight Frank in the lease with Kushner Real Estate Group.

“We are very happy to be able to stay in Warren and have the ability to create a more flexible, adaptable and sustainable workplace experience for our employees,” said John Sartor, CEO and president of PS&S. “Our goal is to foster a culture that empowers employees and creates an environment which will allow their careers to flourish in order to better serve our clients.”

The firm also noted that it has been opening smaller regional offices in recent years in order to be closer to its clients, including locations in Wall, Cherry Hill and Atlantic City. The practice, which was founded in 1962, now has eight offices in the tristate area.

Its new headquarters in Warren is just south of Interstate 78. KRE is planning improvements at the 105,000-square-foot property, including upgrades to the common areas and a complete renovation of the building’s lobby and cafeteria, along with the addition of a 75-person common conference facility and a new fitness center.

 

 
Source: https://re-nj.com/pss-moving-warren-headqu...

PS&S Attends 2019 Governor's Conference on Housing and Economic Development

 

PS&S attended the 2019 Governor's Conference on Housing and Economic Development which took place on September 16-17 and was hosted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority.

PS&S is also happy to share that the Leading Innovative Economic Development Award was presented to the Harrison Avenue Landfill Redevelopment Project in Kearny, Hudson County. Hartz Mountain Industries, the owner/developer, took on acquisition, remediation, and redevelopment of the 26-acre, long-dormant project to develop the Cummins Power Systems Training and Maintenance Facility and Preferred Freezer Services Freezer Warehouse. The award recognizes a transformative redevelopment project that promotes economic growth and job creation in the innovation economy.

Award winners included: PS&S; Hartz Mountain Industries, LLC; Preferred Freezer Services; Cummins, Inc.; and the Town of Kearny.

 
Source: https://nj.gov/dca/news/news/2019/approved...

PS&S Supports Yonkers Riverfest

 

PS&S was happy to sponsor part of the 27th Annual Yonkers Riverfest, which took place on Saturday, September 14th. This annual event is held along the Hudson River and is the largest one day festival in Westchester County. It attracts more than 15,000 people to the region to celebrate the local culture, arts, music, food and business communities.

 
Source: https://www.yonkersriverfest.org/

Marge DellaVecchia in South Jersey Biz Magazine

 

How can you best ensure the public is on board with a project?

When working on public or private projects, be sure the public is well informed and involved. Public outreach with civic leaders and the community paves the way for open communication and optimal opportunities for partnership and project success.

Marge DellaVecchia, AICP, PP | PS&S
Cherry Hill | (856) 335-6010