Firms compete for talent

Triangle engineering firms, whose groundwork helps ease the impact of the region's burgeoning growth, are running into a growth problem of their own.

Demand for water and sewer systems and road networks is surging just as fewer people are making a career of designing that kind of infrastructure.

As a result, stretched civil engineering firms are taking longer to complete projects but charging more. And they're embroiled in an expensive talent war, while infiltrating college campuses in search of up-and-comers.

"It's the booming economy. It's the aging infrastructure. It's potholes. It's everything," said Jim Nau, associate head for undergraduate programs in N.C. State University's Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. "And civil engineering firms can't keep up."

Developers built at least 2.9 million square feet of offices, shops and warehouses in Durham, Orange and Wake counties in 2006 -- 70 percent more than in 2005, according to Karnes Research. But only 76 civil engineering jobs were created in those counties, state labor data show. That's an increase of 1.9 percent from 2005 but it's down from an average annual rate of 2.4 percent over the previous three years.

Firms including Stewart Engineering, McKim & Creed, The John R. McAdams Co., Sepi Engineering Group, Mulkey Engineers & Consultants and Kimley-Horn want to add hundreds of Triangle jobs in the next few years, as developers plan at least 13 million square feet of shops, offices and warehouses.

To fill the ranks, they're poaching from each other, sparking salary wars as firms try to keep their workers.

Average annual salaries for Triangle civil engineering jobs spiked 25 percent to $50,451 in 2006, according to state labor data. Salaries had climbed an average of just 4 percent annually over the previous decade.

At trade association meetings, executives chat up engineers from other companies, probing for clues as to who might be willing to jump ship. They're scouring states where the housing slump has led to a glut of engineers.

And they're creating positions to improve recruiting and retention. One firm named a "chief people officer."

"The traditional ways of advertising for a job aren't working," said Sepi Asefnia, president of Sepi Engineering, which has turned to head-hunters to lure out-of-state engineers.

A few years ago, word of mouth or an advertisement did the trick.

"You'd get a bunch of resumes and interviews in a month -- a couple weeks," said Cathy Hall, director of human resources at McAdams. "Now, you may not get two or three good resumes in several months."

A big part of the dearth: More college students who may have considered civil engineering a decade ago are putting their skills to use in computer and other technology fields.

"It's a national dilemma," said Tommy Faulkner, principal of Stewart, which wants to add 100 jobs in the next two years.

U.S. colleges issued 15 percent fewer civil engineering degrees in 2006 than in 1997, while computer engineering degrees more than doubled, American Association of Engineering Studies data show. "Many of those jobs have a hell of a lot more cachet and sizzle," said Michael Creed, chief executive of McKim & Creed, which is adding 100 Triangle jobs over the next several years.

Civil engineers face an image problem, he said. "Pocket protectors, that kind of thing."

But their importance is not overlooked. For proof, look no farther than Minneapolis, where commuters died last week when a bridge spanning the Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour.

Still, sewers aren't very exciting when compared to computer animation in the entertainment industry, Creed said.

So firms are being proactive, lining up alliances with universities, offering internships, scholarships and co-ops with hopes of hiring the best graduates. Often they're making offers years before students get their diplomas.

McKim & Creed is even moving offices to N.C. State's Centennial Campus, where it hopes to get on students' radar.

N.C. State issued 28 percent more degrees in 2006 than it did a decade ago. But the number of civil engineering degrees dropped to 3.8 percent from 5 percent during that period.

Ken Ritchie, 23, is among the newly minted civil engineers. He had several offers before graduating in May. He settled with McAdams, where as an intern he designed infrastructure for apartments and shops, and helped usher plans through rezoning. And he found job security.

"You need water. You need bridges. You need roads," he said.