An engineering firm based in Las Vegas was recently named the best place to work by an international consulting and ranking outlet.
Wright Engineers, a structural engineering company, in July was given the Zweig Group’s “Best Firm to Work For” award for 2018 after finishing in the top 10 multiple times in previous years. The award factors employee satisfaction, corporate culture, workplace design, benefits and amenities, among other items.
“We provide the atmosphere and the structure, but the key is assembling a group of employees that really click,” said Brent Wright, the firm’s founder and CEO. “That has really been the ticket for us.”
Wright, a BYU graduate whose firm was founded in 1997, was a lead structural engineer in the Stratosphere tower and the now-Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. Wright Engineers’ most notable projects in Las Vegas include UNLV’s Harrah College of Hotel Administration building. Wright said he actively recruits engineering major graduates of UNLV and his staff has expanded to 70 employees across its offices in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Irvine, Calif.
The firm will be presented the award next month during the annual Hot Firm Conference in Dallas. Wright said that while the award won’t immediately help the firm get more projects “directly,” the notoriety has led to recent hires of university graduates from schools where the firm does not actively recruit. Graduates of universities of Montana and San Diego reached out to Wright’s firm this summer and were brought on to the growing team.
“We would not have found them any other way, but they came to us because just because we were the best firm to work for,” he said. “That’s huge, because if you get top talent, you’re going to produce excellent work. And if you provide an atmosphere where they’re happy and can thrive, they’re going to make our clients happy.”
Wright, 54, said he hopes to continue operating in Las Vegas for “as long as I can.” Las Vegas’ constant growth and need for construction makes the valley an ideal location for an engineering firm, he said. Which is why, despite having no roots here, he chose Las Vegas for his company’s headquarters 21 years ago, he said.
“There’s always room for growth,” Wright said. “And we want to be a big part of not only the present in Las Vegas, but the future as well.”