The Quiet Discipline Behind Flanagan’s Best Firm to Work For Repeat Win

Flanagan has done it again. The multidisciplinary firm — which spans civil engineering, surveying and MEP — has landed on the Zweig Group’s Best Firm to Work For list for a second consecutive year, ranking #4 in its size category and #7 among multidisciplinary firms nationally. For most firms, one appearance on the list is cause for celebration. Two in a row raises a different question: what is Flanagan actually doing that other firms aren’t? 

According to Managing Member Reese Flanagan, the answer isn’t a perk, a policy or a program. it’s about paying attention.  

Behind The Scenes 

“If I had to point to one behind-the-scenes practice driving our success, it’s taking the time to understand what motivates each person and helping them build a career around that,” Flanagan said. “Happiness at work is about more than money. Some people value flexibility, some want growth opportunities and others want more balance between work and family.” 

While that sounds obvious, in practice, Flanagan argued, it’s one of the hardest things a growing firm can commit to, because it cuts against the standard playbook.  

“The old model of management was often one-size-fits-all: rigid career paths, standardized expectations and little room for individual circumstances,” Flanagan said. “We’ve tried to do the opposite because we’ve seen that people do their best work when they feel supported in a way that works for them.” 

It’s also, by Flanagan’s own admission, not the most efficient way to run a company — which may explain why it doesn’t get discussed more across the AEC industry.  

“Many larger organizations have to optimize around shareholder returns, EBITDA targets or other financial metrics that naturally leave less room for exceptions,” Flanagan said. “We’re fortunate to be at a size where we can take a more individualized approach and make decisions that benefit the employee and the firm over the long term.” 

Silence Is Rarely the Right Answer 

If individualized attention is Flanagan’s internal engine, transparency is its external one — and Flanagan traces both back to the same root: treating people, whether staff or clients, like adults who can handle the truth. 

“There’s a tendency to avoid difficult conversations or delay updates when a project isn’t going exactly as planned,” Flanagan said. “We’ve made it clear that silence is rarely the right answer. Even when the news isn’t ideal, proactive communication helps manage expectations, build trust and create better outcomes.” 

That standard applies internally, too.  

“We don’t expect perfection from anyone, including our leadership team,” Flanagan said. “When mistakes happen, we address them openly, learn from them and move forward.” 

The payoff is a workforce willing to have hard conversations instead of sitting on bad news. 

“We encourage our project managers to be honest and communicative rather than fearful of disappointing a client,” Flanagan said. “That’s why we invest so heavily in relationships. When you’ve built genuine trust with a client, it’s much easier to navigate challenges together.” 

One Comment That Stuck 

Awards tend to generate predictable reactions — congratulations, a press release, maybe a round of applause at an all-hands meeting. For Flanagan, the moment that actually landed came from an unscripted comment from someone outside leadership. 

“How are you not going to let this go to your head?” a staff member asked, when the announcement came through. 

Flanagan’s answer was immediate. 

“This recognition didn’t happen because of one person. It happened because of our people,” he said. “In our industry, talented engineers and surveyors have plenty of options, so when they choose to stay, that’s a sign we’re doing something right.” 

One Culture, Many Disciplines 

Running a “best firm to work for” across civil engineering, surveying and MEP isn’t as simple as applying one culture playbook company-wide — the disciplines don’t operate the same way, and neither do the people in them. 

“It really comes down to the same principle: know your people,” Flanagan said. “Every division has different personalities, needs and motivations, just like individuals do.” 

And, the firm doesn’t try to standardize recognition or engagement across departments — it customizes it.  

“The way we show appreciation to a survey crew in the field may look very different than how we recognize someone in an office environment,” Flanagan said. “The goal isn’t to treat everyone exactly the same. It’s to understand what matters to them and meet them where they are.”  

The throughline, Flanagan added, is consistency of culture even when the approach on the ground varies. They try to create opportunities that fit people’s strengths while also helping them grow. So, culture stays consistent, even if the approach looks different from team to team. 

What Flanagan Would — and Wouldn’t — Do Differently 

Asked what advice to offer another firm owner trying to build a similar culture from the ground up, Flanagan didn’t hesitate to name a regret. 

“I’d spend more time early on emphasizing that we’re one company with one purpose,” he said. “In a multidisciplinary firm, it’s easy for departments to operate in silos or view success through the lens of their own team. I’d work harder to build that unified mindset from day one.” 

Flanagan also pointed to a leadership gap worth closing earlier.  

“As companies grow, people naturally defer decisions upward, and I’d want leaders to feel empowered to stand on their own.” 

But one thing, Flanagan said, is non-negotiable. That’s the balance between supporting people and challenging them.  

“We want a workplace where people feel valued, but we also want to push people to grow. The combination of high expectations and genuine care is what creates a strong culture,” he shared.  

It’s a tension that shows up throughout Flanagan’s approach — individualized, but not indulgent; transparent, but not soft; unified in purpose, but flexible in execution. It’s a simple strategy and it’s working.