Q&A with Jeff Owen
Originally published in the September 2024 issue of Utah Construction + Design magazine.
As Envision Engineering marks 30 years, its founder and CEO reflects on a successful, rewarding career working in Utah's A/E/C industry.
Jeff Owen founded Salt Lake-based Envision Engineering in 1994, after spending the first few years of his career practicing electrical engineering with another local firm prior to starting Envision. This year marks the firm's 30th anniversary, and by all accounts business is flourishing, with 42 professionals offering a range of electrical, power, acoustical, audiovisual, and lighting engineering and consulting services.
Envision has grown substantially the past 20 years, with revenues steadily climbing from $1.36 million in 2004, to $4.64 million in 2015, to more than $8 million in 2023, its highwater mark. The firm is licensed in 34 states, with seven key professional industry certifications under its belt, including RCDD, NICET Level III, CTS-D, DMC-D, XTP-E, LC, and LEED.
UC&D: How exciting is it to see your firm reach its 30th Anniversary?
Owen: We are immensely excited to reach our 30th Anniversary, but perhaps more exciting is to see what we’ve accomplished in those 30 years and the relationships we have built along the way. That could not have happened without great clients, employees, and partners. We’ve had the privilege of working on some amazing projects, but it’s the relationships we’ve built along the way that are the most meaningful to us.
UC&D: What prompted you to pursue a career in electrical engineering? Who were some early key mentors and how did they help you initially?
Owen: In high school, I seemed to be pretty good at science and math and the aptitude tests pointed me towards engineering. My biggest dilemma was which discipline to choose. My dad had some electronics books on his shelf and I would pull those out on occasion to read them. I guess I assumed that if dad liked electrical engineering, then I would too. That turned out to be a good guess! Of the various electrical options available at BYU, the power option seemed to suit me the best as I wanted to be part of something that was tangible. The thought of designing a microchip just didn’t do it for me. Norton Chaston, my electrical engineering professor, introduced me to electrical consulting for commercial buildings. That resonated with me, and I quickly pursued that path.
UC&D: You worked for Salt Lake-based BNA Consulting Engineers initially. What did you learn during those years, and what ultimately gave you confidence to launch your own firm in 1994?
Owen: At the time, the company was Becherer Nielsen Associates and was owned by Bob Becherer. I credit him and many others at the firm for excellent training and for allowing me to gain experience on some large projects. They were very patient with me while I learned the ropes. Ron Reaveley—one of the founders of Reaveley Engineering who was also a mentor in my youth—told me that success in the consulting field boiled down to two things: becoming the best engineer you can be and building relationships with clients.
UC&D: What were some early notable jobs at Envision? What do you recall about those first 5+ years?
Owen: I think my very first project at Owen and Associates (name of the company prior to changing it to Envision) was the Tracy Aviary Gift Shop Remodel. Other smaller projects came and gradually architects began to trust me with larger projects. Those were difficult years because I wore lots of hats. It was difficult to convince architects that a one-man show could work on large projects. After a year of trying to do everything myself, I decided to hire my first employee. That was a big jump, but a sorely needed one. Soon after we began to pick up larger projects. We were awarded the Salt Lake City Airport term contract and began to do several larger projects including the Concourse B expansion. We have been doing work at the airport ever since. It’s hard to believe that with the demolition of the old airport and the construction of the new one, a significant portion of my career was spent on projects that are no longer in existence.
UC&D: When did you feel like your firm started making solid progress in the local A/E/C industry, to where you were getting more respect from owners and architectural firms? What projects may have helped with that process?
Owen: I feel like we started to make solid progress after bringing on Dave Whitton as my business partner. He gave strength to the company with his ability to successfully manage projects and provide responsive service. His leadership allowed our company to grow in its ability and capacity to do more projects. There are some key projects that have springboarded us to success. Previously mentioned was our work at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Having designed hundreds of airport projects over the years qualified us well to be chosen by HOK as its electrical engineering partner in the design of the new airport. Being given the opportunity to design the historic Laie Hawaii Temple (for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) helped to gain access into the design of electrical systems for temples all over the world. Being selected as the electrical engineer for the Odyssey Elementary, Utah’s first zero energy building, was huge for our company. Our success in the K-12 market can be traced back to that one project.
UC&D: Utah's economy after the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics really soared, up until the 2008 'great recession'. What were those years like and what projects stand out for you?
Owen: Utah’s economy soared in 2002 when Utah hosted the Winter games, but then fell flat for the remainder of the year since everything had been constructed. The roughest time by far was the great recession. Although the pipeline of projects slowed considerably in the fall of 2008, the effects of that the recession didn’t hit us until 2010 as we still had contracts that carried us through until that time. Those were hard times and projects were few. What sustained us during that time were projects at City Creek Center, Salt Lake City International Airport, religious projects for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and other government projects.
UC&D: Speaking of the 'great recession', that was certainly a rocky time for many local A/E/C firms. How was that period (2008-11) for Envision Engineering and how did your firm cope with those challenging economic times?
Owen: That period was challenging to say the least. I’d much rather be too busy than wondering where the next job would come from—the stress is much worse for me. There were many sleepless nights wondering how we were going to make payroll. To survive we had to lay off a few people and that was difficult. We learned during that period that even though money was tight, we needed to spend more money on marketing, not less. I think it was during that time that our client base grew substantially because we viewed this as an opportunity to build relationships with our clients. I feel that we emerged from the Great Recession stronger than when we went into it.
UC&D: Since 2012, Utah's economy has been red-hot! What are your thoughts on the past 10-12 years and what have been the major keys to your firm's growth?
Owen: I feel that the major key to our growth has been sharing ownership with our key employees. In 2019, we expanded our ownership base and brought on four new principal owners: Scott Hardy, Aleksandar Rankovic, Trevor Spencer, and Wes Albrecht. This allowed us to expand our executive committee and allowed each of us to focus on crucial aspects of the company. Ownership opportunities were extended to Aimee Fuhriman, Scott Kingery, John Michie, and Phil Borup in 2023. Extending ownership opportunities has been one of the keys to our success and growth. Another key to our growth has been focusing on meeting the needs of our clients, responding quickly to assignments, and providing high quality construction documents.
UC&D: It's been said that any successful firm is only as good as it's employees. What are your thoughts on the key people you've hired over the years and how they have impacted your firm's success?
Owen: Key people have made all the difference for Envision. We would not be the firm we are today without great employees. Although we mandate that every project goes through a rigorous review process, we’ve learned over the years that good reviews don’t always result in successful projects. It also takes good project managers who listen to our clients and follow through on assignments to create successful projects. Each employee has both strengths and weaknesses, it’s just part of being human. We don’t fire employees because they make mistakes, we work with them to understand those mistakes and provide additional training, so the mistakes don’t keep happening. The key is to uncover their strengths and weaknesses and then position them in the company where their strengths can be fully utilized and carefully supervised to mitigate and manage weaknesses. Nothing is more disappointing to me than letting a client down. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, we strive to go out of our way to fix the problem and hold ourselves accountable.
UC&D: You're nearly 62 years old, and likely considering the dreaded "R" word. What does retirement look like right now and what are your plans for future succession?
Owen: Retirement looks very good. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife, kids, and grandkids. We began planning for my retirement over ten years ago. It has taken that long to prepare corporate documents from which to transition ownership and leadership and effectuate the sale of my stock in the company to key employees. We are still in that process. My goal has been to pass the company along to the key employees who have helped make it a success. I’ve always wanted to leave a legacy for those who have helped build the company.