(Charles Ashley and Truitt Vance | Photo courtesy of Ashley & Vance Engineering)
Ashley & Vance Engineering, an engineering firm founded on the principle of “do what you love with people you like,” is celebrating their 20th anniversary in business. The founders, Charles Ashley and Truitt Vance, first began their work together at a different firm, where Ashley hired and mentored Vance for two and a half years.
Vance, always being one to follow his convictions, left that firm after feeling that there wasn’t enough room to grow, despite enjoying the job and his work with Ashley. About two years later, Ashley left as well and joined Vance at the new firm, officially forming Ashley & Vance Engineering.
From the very beginning, we wanted to work at a place that did great work, but also provided lots of opportunities for growth,” said Ashley. “And we really value a workplace that is enjoyable for everyone. That always helps everyone involved do better work and feel more connected to those around them.”
Discussing the company’s philosophy of “do what you love with people you like,” Vance said, “I like to note there are two equally important parts to this mission statement: people and projects. These two things are intrinsically connected, and this guides how we choose projects, who we hire and how we lead together.”
This philosophy has guided Ashley & Vance, helping them expand their offices to eight cities across four different states: Oregon, Colorado, California and Nevada. This expansion has been fueled not only by commercial success, but by prioritizing personal relationships over market analysis and investing in people who are aligned with the firm’s values and vision. While opportunities sometimes align with individual ambitions, the decision to expand is made carefully to ensure it serves the broader team and community.
“It’s incredibly important to build on those relationships,” said Ashley. “We have people who’ve been here 17 or more years. We’ve seen them bring kids into this world, and we’ve watched those same kids go to college and pursue their own dreams. Turnover is high in our industry, but we pride ourselves on having a very low turnover rate. We’ve seen that when we focus on people, good results follow.”
Their Bend office is a great example of this philosophy. Overseen by John Fischer, a long-time Bendite, the office has grown from two people to now being over a dozen. “John has done an awesome job here in Bend,” said Vance. “Following our philosophy, he’s collected a hardworking and passionate group of people to help our name and reputation grow.”
In fact, the Bend office is taking on two very public projects; the remodel of the Deschutes County Courthouse, as well as turning the old Bend Post Office into the new Westman Hotel.
Speaking of lessons learned, Vance said that another big one involves culture, systems and always staying on your feet, ready to adapt. “Sustainable growth requires a tremendous amount of foresight,” said Vance. “We are continually humbled by this in that we have to change and adapt continuously. On the way to 130 employees, we have tested and crashed the system multiple times, learning the important thing is to have a plan, don’t get too attached to it, and be ready to adjust as needed.”
Formed 20 years ago, Ashley & Vance Engineering learned some tough lessons as they spent some early years dealing with a recession. When it came down to it and the founders realized they couldn’t afford to maintain their staff at their current salaries, they decided to make a move that most other companies did not.
Instead of cutting people and relationships, they were honest with their team and temporarily cut the workload, while providing their employees with a half day of work on Fridays that came with a complimentary team lunch and a free round of golf. Even after years of success in the post-recession world that has allowed them to expand their team and provide competitive salaries, they maintained that tradition of free lunch Fridays. It’s a small reminder of where they came from, and of their people-first philosophy.
These lessons learned accumulate into a modern engineering firm that is uniquely suited to handle a variety of projects. Their team brings in a local touch to every project, prioritizing the needs of the community, while also having the backing of a larger organization. This allows them to take on jobs big and small, and to provide a level of attention and care that sets their work apart from the rest.
Looking back over the 20 years, the founders are proud to reach such a milestone, and they see it as proof that their philosophy is a winning one. “Twenty years of debt-free, low-turnover, fully organic growth to 130 employees is quite rare in the industry,” said Vance. “It’s satisfying to see that our systems, culture and leadership development programs have worked as well as they have.”
“For me, it’s great to still be able to say that I’m having fun,” said Ashley. “We’re fortunate to be surrounded by talented people who make work enjoyable.”
Looking ahead, the founders have a few plans for the future of their firm. They plan to continue scaling leadership with the same care applied to culture building and preparing the next generation of leaders to steward the firm. They see tremendous potential in the community of Bend to continue to build and contribute in a significant way. “We are strengthening the public works pipeline here, and continue to expand in strategic markets such as aerospace,” said Vance. These would be served by our offices in other regions of the U.S., but local engineers in Bend are already working in that space.”
Additionally, they plan on maintaining their commitment to smaller projects, even as they continue to grow, expand and take on more large-scale projects. Reflecting on the fact that smaller projects are what helped create Ashley & Vance Engineering 20 years ago, they remain committed to these types of endeavors, and the people they can connect with along the way.
