CEO of No. 1 Hot Firm Verdantas (Tampa, FL), an integrated environmental science, engineering, and consulting firm.
By Liisa Andreassen
Correspondent
When Jesse Kropelnicki learned his firm placed No. 1 on Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List this year, he was only a little surprised.
“Of course, anytime you hit the top spot, it’s a thrill, but based on our trajectory over the past few years, we knew we had a shot,” he said. “We’ve made steady progress, placing sixth a couple of years ago and second last year – so this recognition feels like the culmination of a lot of hard work.”
For most companies, rapid growth can be challenging, especially when you’re bringing multiple firms together like at Verdantas. But Kropelnicki says when everyone is aligned around a shared purpose and vision, the journey becomes something people genuinely enjoy.
“It’s not just about acquisitions, plenty of companies can grow that way,” he says. “What matters is how we build trust rapidly, and what opportunities our growth brings to our people after a deal closes. For us, the key has been creating something greater than the sum of its parts that our staff sees value in, and that comes down to culture, alignment, and ownership.”
At Verdantas, its ownership model is somewhat unique. Nearly 25 percent of staff has equity in the company, despite being a private equity-backed firm. That ownership mindset fuels passion, patience, and a long-term commitment to their mission. Verdantas also prioritizes clear communication and transparency to ensure that the culture is a place where trust building is inevitable.
“That’s the glue that holds it all together and it’s why we’ve been able to grow with integrity, momentum, and with voluntary attrition rates well below industry norms,” he shares.
Over the past three years, Verdantas’ growth has been well over 20 percent and it’s been a healthy balance of organic and acquisitive growth.
“What’s important and somewhat rare is that even with a very active acquisition strategy, we’ve maintained robust organic growth,” Kropelnicki says. “Many firms see organic growth stall or even decline when they focus heavily on M&A, but we’ve been disciplined from the start to only acquire firms that we believe will further fuel organic growth. We’re very intentional and look for healthy, growing companies with strong leadership – leaders who are excited about our vision and eager to continue growing as part of our team.”
This healthy growth has led to profits hovering just below 20 percent and most profits are reinvested in the business – always with a long-term mindset.
“One of the keys to this approach is having a private equity partner who shares our vision and understands the realities of managing growth. Our current private equity partner, Sterling Investment Partners, and our former private equity partner, RTC Partners, both supported our commitment to long-term value creation, which allowed us to stay focused on sustained investments in our people, culture, and technology,” Kropelnicki shares.
Profit is also invested in:
- The whole staff. Every employee participates in their bonus program and its incentive compensation plan is fully transparent.
- Leadership development. There’s consistent training and support for supervisors and emerging leaders across the company.
- Digital strategy advancement. A team of more than 15 staff focus on building these tools every day, full-time. They also work closely with educational institutions – not just to recruit talent – but to stay engaged with emerging trends, technologies, and research.
Overall, growth has been achieved through intentional, consistent investment in their people.
“We’ve made it a priority to put the right leaders in place – people who are empathetic, supportive, and forward-thinking,” he says. “When I coached professional IRONMAN athletes, it was the same approach. Let’s focus on what we can control, follow through with a relentless intensity, and be a little bit better every single day.”
Kropelnicki understands that it’s easy to get caught up in short-term pressures, but says that real success comes from staying aligned to your purpose, investing in your people, and resisting the urge to make reactive decisions to make the quarter of monthly results.
“That’s what creates sustainable momentum – and ultimately, long-term value,” he says.