September 25, 2005

Stanley Consultants Tops List of AARP’s Best Employers

MUSCATINE, Iowa - Phased retirement arrangements that enable members to reduce work schedules before full retirement, a "time off bank" of donated vacation time which members can use to care for family members, and a 401(k) plan that the company contributes to -- regardless of employee participation -- is why AARP named Stanley Consultants the 2005 Best Employer for Workers Over 50.

In a field dominated by health care companies, financial services and educational institutions, Stanley Consultants is the only engineering firm to make AARP's Best Employer list. Experience is key in the engineering industry. "In our profession, expertise combined with experience is more critical in our service to clients than most other factors," said Gregs Thomopulos, Stanley Consultants’ President & CEO. "Our members age 50 and over bring invaluable knowledge of our company and their areas of expertise to our client service - this gives us a competitive edge."

Stanley Consultants provides services to industrial, institutional, government, commercial, utility and land development clients. It has successfully completed over 21,000 engagements in all 50 states and 93 countries.

At Stanley Consultants, employees are known as "members" to denote they are all members of the same company family instead of a grouping of "management" and "employees." The company is also member-owned, a rarity for a professional services firm. Being 100 percent member-owned provides stability of ownership, resources and management.

The company employees over 900 professional, technical and support staff. Thirty percent of the company's members are over the age of 50, and 26 percent of all new hires in the past two years are over the age of 50. "We have had a great ability to attract and retain exceptional people," according to Thomopulos. Many of the company’s members have dedicated their entire career to the company. For example, 82 of the company's members have spent at least 10 years with the company, 41 have been with the company over 20 years and 32 have spent 30 or more years with the company. Thomopulos has been with the firm for 40 years. The company's mature workforce plays an important role in the development of the company’s future leaders - acting as mentors and discipline experts.

The strong staff retention of the company can be attributed to many factors, including the culture of treating members as its most important assets, an exceptional benefits program with company paid health insurance premiums for members, challenging and exciting assignments, flexible work hours, and the opportunity for advancement.

Stanley Consultants is known for quality work, high ethics and integrity. Engineering News-Record magazine ranks it #74 among the top 500 design firms nationally and 84th among the top design firms internationally. In 2002, it was named by CE News as the Best Civil Engineering Firm to Work For, and the company has consistently been named by AARP as one of the Best Employers for Workers Over 50.

Stanley Consultants, Inc., a Stanley Group Company headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, provides engineering, environmental, and construction services worldwide. Offices are located in the following locations: Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines and Iowa City, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Naples and West Palm Beach, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Puerto Rico as well as select international locations. Since 1913, The Stanley Group has successfully completed more than 23,000 engagements in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and in 93 countries.