Urban redevelopment work leads to 12 new hires at Giffels Webster

When the economy tanked during the Great Recession, planning and engineering firms like Giffels Webster turned to public work to stay afloat.

They did everything from parks to transportation projects in those lean years immediately following 2008. That has started to change again as Giffels Webster has begun taking on more private projects, such as urban redevelopments and residential construction. Now its workload includes everything from charting out bike lanes to helping plan commercial developments.

“It’s nice to see a balance between public and private work again,” says Scott Clein, president of Giffels Webster.

A lot of that work is taking place in urban centers. Many of the firm’s projects are being done in places like downtown Detroit, Midtown, and downtown Ferndale.

That has led the way for the downtown Detroit-based firm to expand its staff. It has hired a dozen people over the last year, including two former interns, expanding its staff to 85 employees and a couple of interns. Those new hires include civil engineers, urban planners and landscape architects. It is also looking to hire another three people in engineering right now.

“We have hired a lot of young people over the last few years,” Clein says. “There has been a big spike in our energy.”

Source: Scott Clein, president of Giffels Webster
Writer: Jon Zemke

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