SELINSGROVE — About two dozen people, including members of the Greater Susquehanna and Central PA chambers of commerce, attended a ribbon-cutting and reception on Oct. 16 at Larson Design Group’s Selinsgrove office, 1780 Route 522, to celebrate 10 years at the location and the recent expansion and renovation of the offices.
Late last year, said office leader Duane Gaugler, the opportunity arose for Larson to expand its footprint in the space that it’s occupied since 2008, increasing its usage from 60 percent to the entire building.
The move also increases the office’s square footage by 41 percent and now allows for more than two dozen additional employees.
Keith Kuzio, Larson president and CEO, is looking forward to finding even more local and regional talent to fill those positions – and more – in the growing architectural, engineering and survey firm headquartered in Williamsport.
“This space demonstrates we’re open for business and want to help bring more jobs to the region,” Kuzio said. “The opportunity is there for people to come work for a company that has 10 offices in four states, that is working in 43 of 48 contiguous U.S. states, that has clients from the federal level to large public and private national clients to the state, local and municipal levels.
There are great engineering, architecture and surveying jobs here in our region and you don’t have to go to a big city to get one – you can stay here and be a part of the local community.”
The expansion of Larson isn’t just physical – it’s also increasing in both earnings and ambitions.
Kuzio noted that in the decade since the Selinsgrove office first opened, the firm’s revenue has more than doubled and its value has nearly quadrupled, and that has also meant significant growth in employment.
In 2018 alone, the company has hired 67 new employees, bringing the full-time staff of Larson to 304 people, with an additional 18 intern and co-op positions. Larson also is actively recruiting to fill an additional 42 full-time openings.
Bob Garrett, president of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, noted that when the Marcellus Shale boom was just beginning, he was working for PennDOT and that the organization “leaned heavily on experience and help from Larson” to navigate challenges, such as increased traffic, that were beginning to arise.
This relationship, between local agencies and organizations getting the expertise they need from companies that also are invested in the community, is one that the chamber enthusiastically supports.
“We’re working diligently with both high schools and colleges to encourage a pipeline into the kind of careers that Larson offers,” Garrett said. “When they graduate from places like Susquehanna University, Lackawanna College or Penn State, we want them to know that there are opportunities close to home with great companies, like Larson.”
Dale Moyer, chairman of the Central PA Chamber of Commerce, agreed.
“As a chamber of commerce, that’s one of our missions: to bring jobs to the region,” he said. “It’s wonderful to have firms like Larson actively recruiting to fill jobs here.”
For more information on Larson Design Group and its employment opportunities, visit www.larsondesigngroup.com.
