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Milestones - Smith Engineering was founded in 1981. It was a risky time to begin a new business. An air traffic controllers' strike, a crippled economy, 23% interest rates, a presidential assassination attempt. Things were not very optimistic, jobs were scarce, and municipalities were not racing to complete major capital infrastructure projects. Developers were not selling many homes or commercial properties either. As a matter of fact, the housing industry was in a depression. Our children were very small and the economic outlook for our area and our country was bleak. I took the leap. I've heard it said that success only comes with risk. Well, after the first leap, Smith Engineering has jumped from milestone to milestone and 25 years later, I am so proud of the people that made the success of our firm and all the milestones in between. Since 1981, Smith Engineering has never looked back. After 4 years in business, we outgrew our first office space. By 1985 we had moved to a larger building in McHenry, Illinois. At that time, we had 20 employees and Smith Engineering was serving several municipal clients and developers. Work, for the first time was coming our way from outside McHenry County. By 1992, we, once again, needed more room. We established ourselves in the McHenry Corporate Center, a commercial industrial subdivision we helped developed in McHenry - where it all began. We were now up to 33 people and Smith Engineering was well known throughout Northern Illinois. In 1997, Del Webb Corporation chose SEC for a 2,500 acre residential development in Huntley, Illinois. That year, we doubled our workforce. In 1999, our Yorkville office was founded to serve Kendall and Kane Counties. In 2001, SEC Planning was added in Austin, Texas to offer master planning services throughout the country. In 2002, we named our surveying division, SEC Surveying, giving that department an identity of its own. In 2003 we founded SEC Automation, our electrical engineering, SCADA and Control Systems division. That same year, we established our new offices in New Lenox, Illinois to serve clients throughout Will and DuPage Counties. Last year, 2005, Smith Engineering won five national awards for excellence in engineering work, excellence in public works services and we were named one of the top 50 civil engineering firms to work for in the nation. Now, we have opened a downtown Chicago office location and expanded operations in New Lenox. Our staff of professionals is now at 177. 25 years later, there have been many milestones to celebrate at Smith Engineering. In looking back at our company's milestones, we observe those dates where major growth and change has taken place. We look at these important milestones and the way each of these dates, great awards, new offices, new clients and new staff have added to our business and improved our service but in looking at all that's changed over the years, we take great pride in those things that have remained the same: our dedication to our customers, our commitment to excellence, and the passion that we bring to every project. We are proud that so many customers who started with us in 1981 are still working with us, 25 years later. The great milestones remind us of the things we have remained committed to over time: believing in our communities and the prospect that things can be better tomorrow than they are today. There is great pride in working with our clients to bring about economic growth, jobs, and the spirit of pride in our country and our communities. Together, we are creating opportunities for citizens and businesses. Those opportunities are the milestones we can all be most proud of and we truly believe that part of being an American means not waiting for it to happen on its own. We take the leap. Thank you to our clients for your trust and loyalty and thank you to our incredible staff. We look forward to the milestones ahead for us all. We are committed to partner with our municipal clients providing cost-effective solutions and building long term relationships along the way. Faced with rapidly changing conditions and aging infrastructures, many municipalities have engaged the services of Smith Engineering Consultants, Inc. Our experience and our knowledge of emerging technologies allows us to provide excellent solutions while remaining respectful to budget concerns. Smith Engineering Consultants prides itself on the partnerships we build with local governments and public works departments. We stand side by side with our clients to see a project through to fruition.