COURTESY / WBRC
Rob Frank, WBRC
February 8, 2022
With projects in the works, a Bangor architecture and engineering firm looks to grow
Courtesy / WBRC
Doug Whitney, CEO of WBRC, a Bangor-based architecture and engineering firm with five offices.
WBRC, the Bangor-based architecture and engineering firm with 58 employees in five offices, has been actively hiring and growing amid the pandemic.
The firm, founded in 1902 as Thomas & Crowell, has streamlined its name (dropping Architects Engineers from the title) and logo.
“WBRC turns 120 in May of this year,” said CEO Doug Whitney. “That milestone motivated us to take a look at our brand and make it more accessible.”
The firm’s new, simpler name brings the flexibility to continue to grow and evolve.
“People were already shortening our name to WBRC,” said Rob Frank, WBRC’s chief business development officer. “We just made it official.”
Since the shutdown nearly two years ago in March 2020, the firm has hired 16 new employees, including one who rejoined the firm and is working remotely from Kansas City, Mo. The flexibility in being able to have employees work remotely has helped in recruiting, the firm said. While its offices are open, employees have the option to work remotely as their workload permits.
“Our need to communicate digitally due to COVID forced us to rethink how we collaborate. We also realized that we can recruit talent nationwide. We’ve learned that not all new teammates need to live nearby,” said Tori Britton, marketing director for the firm.
“Our openness to having some virtual team members means we’re competing with firms all over the country. A fresh, clear, distinctive brand will help with recruitment as well as with business development.”
She said the firm has been “actively hiring,” and is looking for architects, engineers and design support staff.
Britton said the firm has a major project that will go public in March, and the hiring will help support that work.
For now, WBRC's noteworthy projects include two on the University of Maine campus in Orono.
The $78 million Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center broke ground in April 2020 and will open in this fall. It was designed with Boston-based Ellenzweig.
WBRC was also hired by UMaine to do multiple upgrades over several years at the athletics complex. That one is in partnership with Kansas City-based Crawford Architects, which specializes in stadiums and sports venues.
In the health care arena, for Northern Light Health, WBRC is working on the design update for rural hospitals in Blue Hill and Greenville, in what's been reported to be $35 million in upgrades.
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