#4 Private Company to Watch: Aries Engineering

Katy Ward, president. (Courtesy photo)

Three-Year Avg. Annual Growth: 56%
Headquarters: 104 Pleasant St., Concord
Product/Service: Provider of hydrogeologic studies, environmental compliance and geotechnical engineering service
President: Katy Ward
Founded: 1987
Total Number of Employees: 18
Website: aries-eng.com

Katy Ward started as field engineer with Aries Engineering 20 years ago but in 2016 bought into the company joining two other owners, when the founders were ready to retire. While Ward attributes the firm’s recent growth to “a little bit of luck” and “a lot of planning,” it could easily be argued that Ward isn’t afraid to act when she sees an opportunity.

Ward says Aries has cultivated several “like-minded” partners in the industry and when one had to let employees go in 2021, Aries was able to welcome them and add geotechnical engineering as a new service. “Since then, we’ve been growing,” she says, adding her team of engineers and geologists are the company’s top asset.

The firm has focused on helping clients throughout New England navigate compliance rules and regulations, which have become increasingly stringent. And the firm is busy performing environmental investigations for developers to make sure a site is suitable for building. Ward says her team has the expertise to creatively solve problems for clients that often result in lower costs.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—chemicals that resist grease, oil, water and heat—have dominated local headlines due to water contamination. Ward says her firm has worked extensively on soil remediation standards for PFAS well before the NH Department of Environmental Services created their own. Moving forward, Ward says while Aries won’t experience the same level of growth it did over the past couple of years, the firm will see healthy revenue growth this year. “We keep an eye on growth, but we try to manage that growth. …We pride ourselves on being a small company that can be very responsive for our clients,” she says. “We don’t want to outgrow our values.”