Two consecutive No. 1 Hot Firm finishes show how Verdantas is turning scale into broader capabilities, stronger careers, and new opportunities.
By Sara Parkman
Senior Editor
Verdantas has spent the past several years climbing Zweig Group's Hot Firm List. After placing sixth in 2023 and second in 2024, the firm reached No. 1 last year. This year, it did it again.
The Hot Firm Award recognizes the 100 fastest-growing AEC firms in the U.S. and Canada, using a combined score of percentage and dollar revenue growth over a three-year period. For CEO Jesse Kropelnicki, sustaining that kind of growth has required the firm to become increasingly disciplined about not simply how much it grows, but what that growth is meant to accomplish.
“The biggest factor has been staying disciplined about why and how we grow, not just how fast,” he said. “Growth is exciting, but if you’re not intentional about it, you can end up getting bigger without actually getting better.”
That distinction has guided Verdantas as it has balanced organic growth with strategic acquisitions.
When scale starts working
The past year has given Kropelnicki a clearer picture of what Verdantas' growth strategy is producing across the business.
“The clearest sign is that more of our growth is being created from within the organization itself,” Kropelnicki said. “We’re seeing clients engage Verdantas in more places, across more service lines, and we’re seeing teams come together to solve bigger, more complex challenges. That’s exactly what we hoped would happen as we built a broader and more integrated company that’s equally focused on environmental stewardship and technology.”
Acquisitions remain part of that strategy, but Kropelnicki sees their value in what happens after firms come together.
“The real value comes from bringing talented teams together, helping them collaborate, sharing expertise across the organization, and creating opportunities that wouldn’t have existed independently,” he said.
Employees are another measure of whether that growth is working. Kropelnicki has been encouraged by the number of people stepping into leadership roles.
“I’ve always believed sustainable growth is about more than revenue,” he said. “It’s about creating opportunities for people to grow, take on new challenges, and expand their impact.”
He also looks at who Verdantas is able to attract.
“Great people have choices,” he said. “When outstanding professionals choose to join Verdantas, it’s a sign that they see opportunity here. They see momentum. They see a culture where they can make a difference and build a meaningful career.”
The ambition, he said, is for Verdantas to become “the inspiring A/E firm of the next generation.” Building that kind of company also means preparing for what it will need before those needs become urgent.
“Today, our team is very focused on building a company that can thrive for decades,” Kropelnicki said. “That means investing in great leadership, developing our people, strengthening our culture, and making sure we have the systems and technology to support where we’re headed.”
Preserving the small-firm advantage
If scale creates opportunities, it also creates risks.
For Kropelnicki, one of the greatest is losing the connection people naturally feel in a smaller organization. As companies expand, communication becomes more complicated, decisions can feel further removed, and additional layers can slow down the people whose entrepreneurial thinking helped drive the company's success.
“The reality is that culture doesn’t scale on its own,” Kropelnicki said. “You have to be intentional about it.”
The challenge is gaining the advantages of a larger organization without losing what worked when teams were smaller.
“We aspire to keep the entrepreneurial spirit in place that made many small firms successful while connecting our people on a foundation of trust to take on larger, more complex, and exciting work,” he said.
Verdantas has invested in leadership development, communication, and employee engagement, while making local decision-making a priority.
“We want people to feel empowered to lead, innovate, and create opportunities, not feel like they have to navigate layers of process to get things done,” Kropelnicki said.
At the same time, Verdantas is investing in tools and processes that connect employees to a broader network of expertise across offices, regions, and disciplines.
“One of the things that makes Verdantas special is the depth of talent we have across the organization,” he said. “We want everyone to feel connected to that broader network, regardless of where they sit.”
The balance is central to Verdantas’ next phase: preserving the autonomy and entrepreneurial energy of a smaller firm while creating the connections and capabilities that make greater scale worthwhile.
Kropelnicki doesn't believe preserving Verdantas' culture means preserving the company exactly as it exists today.
“Culture isn’t something you protect by resisting change,” he said. “You protect it by reinforcing the values and behaviors that matter most.”
Verdantas' climb from sixth on the Hot Firm List to two consecutive No. 1 finishes has demonstrated its ability to grow quickly. Kropelnicki sees the results extending well beyond the ranking.
“When I look at all of that together, it reinforces that we're building something durable and special, not just something bigger,” he said.
