AB Consultants Inc.

Amrish Patel founded AB Consultants Inc. (ABC) in 1993 as a small, multi-disciplinary engineering firm in Maryland. “Since my childhood, I have had a passion for this industry,” explains Patel, president and CEO of ABC. “I have worked on several major engineering projects. I started after college, doing industrial design and engineering. After six or seven years working in India, I came to the United States. I worked for about five years for another firm and then started my own business.”

With over 30 years of experience in engineering, Patel’s experience has allowed him to provide unique perspective. Diverse experience informs his leadership, overseeing a staff of around 65. The team offers a number of services within the civil engineering discipline, including land surveying and planning, environmental engineering and restoration design, landscape architecture, site, civil and highway engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical services, construction management, inspection and materials testing in the company’s integrated laboratory. “We offer the best value in service,” Patel notes. “We may not be the cheapest, but we believe in providing value engineering in a manner that does not cost extra for our clients.”

Diverse In-House Capabilities

The firm primarily offers civil engineering services, but as Patel points out, there are many different disciplines within that. “We provide many different services under the same, single management,” he elaborates. “Our clients don’t have to hire three firms to do all of the engineering design for one project. We have everything in house.” ABC works for clients and contractors in a number of different sectors, with a geographic footprint that extends from the main office in Lanham, Md., into Virginia, Delaware and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The team’s portfolio has drawn positive response from clients and owners. Patel and his crew value relationships and continue to develop lasting partnerships through consistent performance on challenging projects. Recent projects include a major contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, providing engineering and surveying services. ABC team members contributed to the large project by determining right of way boundaries, as well as designing and engineering stations for transit passengers and workers.

One of the most interesting projects Patel and his crew have worked on in recent years is the construction of the Washington Redskins Stadium in Largo, Md. The contact drew upon a number of the company’s in-house disciplines. Services for this project included environmental impact studies, water and sewer analysis, surveying and construction layout, geotechnical analyses, pavement design and structural design. “We are great at working under pressure and under tight deadlines,” Patel explains. “We are not shy to work under the gun; we flourish under pressure.”

Overcoming Market Challenges

While ABC offers a range of expertise with a broad scope of applications, changes in the market over the last decade have had an impact on the firm. “The economy hit everyone and we are no exception,” Patel recounts. “We worked into diversification of our services to survive nicely. Our revenue has grown every year for the last four or five years. We lost some private work, but we were successful through picking up government projects. We are very fortunate to have a great team. The success of the business relies on our people.”

As the gradual economic recovery takes some of the burden off of the construction industry, Patel is looking forward to even better years to come. “We would like to grow, as everyone would,” he clarifies. “I would like to have controlled growth with the same core values that have made us successful so far. I can anticipate us growing by about 25 percent in the coming years. The economy has been a challenge, no matter what industry you are in. If you maintain your core values, if you keep your people and clients happy, you will be fine. We were very fortunate and successful growing in a slow economy. We are not shy of doing anything outside of the box. We are aggressive and open minded. We enjoy doing things out of the norm. Life is an adventure, and you just have to try and do your best.”

Patel and his crew maintain a positive outlook. ABC offers a creative and vertically integrated approach to clients, who have been taking advantage of the team’s broad spectrum of in-house services. The team will continue to build up a strong portfolio of unique projects for the foreseeable future. AB Consultants Inc. is able to combine multiple disciplines, a trait that guarantees the business continued growth even in an uncertain economy.

For more information on AB Consultants Inc., please visit: www.abconsultantsinc.com