2025
Comparably’s Best Company Outlook
About SWCA
We are the
Problem Solvers.
Driving Sustainable Progress Through Sound Science and Creative Solutions
SWCA Environmental Consultants is a global leader in environmental and management consulting, providing tailored solutions for clients navigating the environmental compliance process. With more than 40 years of experience, we combine scientific expertise and deep industry knowledge to deliver services in environmental planning, cultural resource management, biological and ecological services, water resources, air quality planning, sustainability consulting, and more.
SWCA has long been guided by a clear purpose: to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. This purpose is not just a statement—it’s a commitment that shapes every project we undertake, every partnership we form, and every step we take toward a more sustainable future.
Explore SWCA
Our History
Like Many Great Businesses, SWCA Has Humble Beginnings
In 1980, Dr. Steven W. Carothers (the “SWC” in SWCA) was working as Curator of Biology at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff when the museum suffered budget cuts and eliminated his department.
Not wanting to leave clients hanging, Steve got permission to complete outstanding projects, including extensive research on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Steve needed an office, and his friend John Running, a renowned photographer, offered him an empty closet in a corner of his studio on San Francisco Street. From that tiny space, Steve’s client list grew.
Sustainability
Balancing Humanity’s Social, Economic, and Environmental Needs
To us, sustainability means balancing humanity’s social, economic, and environmental needs to provide a healthy planet for future generations.
We believe our sustainability efforts in our project work, our partnerships, and our operations create a stronger company and will help ensure a more prosperous future for our people and our planet.
DE&I
Celebrating the Unique Differences That Bring Us Together
We share a collective commitment to foster a culture where differences are valued, all voices are heard, and employees experience a sense of belonging.
By working together to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, we will strengthen SWCA for the future and build a company unmatched in talent and opportunity. We empower our people to lead and interact inclusively, bring their passions to creatively serve clients, and care for our communities.
Giving Back
Supporting the Communities Where We Live, Work, and Play
Over the last decade, SWCA’s award-winning Gives Back program has grown to reach every community we serve.
Each year, our employees participate in an array of charitable service projects by volunteering our time and professional expertise, raising funds for worthy causes, and donating everything from food and holiday gifts for disadvantaged families to school supplies for underserved students.
1,700+ Employees Across 45 Offices
The Top 15 All-Environmental Firms
Best Place to Work
SWCA has won multiple 2025 Best Place to Work Awards from Comparably, the workplace culture platform that aggregates millions of anonymous employee ratings at thousands of companies.
Our North Star & Core Values
To be the best workplace and global leader addressing sustainability, environmental, and social challenges.
At SWCA, our four core values guide everything we do, ensuring we meet our commitments to clients by delivering high-quality products on-time and within budget, while also providing our employees with opportunities for career growth and meaningful work. These values are at the heart of our daily operations, creating clarity and alignment around four guiding principles that shape our decisions and strategies, serving as a compass to steer us forward.
OneSWCA
We are one company working collaboratively to deliver Sound Science and Creative Solutions to our clients. Our greatest opportunity for success lies in our ability to bring the best team to every project. We believe every person has something to contribute – unique skills, new ideas, fresh perspectives, and diverse backgrounds. Working together, we’re able to have a greater impact in our communities, within our company, and for our clients.
Always Learning
At SWCA, we are driven to learn and improve our work and ourselves. We are always expanding our knowledge base, asking important questions, finding innovative approaches, and leveraging our collective expertise on every project.
Never Settle
Good is never good enough. We set the bar high because we have the best experts in the industry who make performance a top priority. We never settle when it comes to quality or safety, and you shouldn’t have to either.
Gives Back
We promote a culture of giving at SWCA. Across the company, we give back to employees in need, to the environment, and to the communities in which we work, live, and play.
Senior Natural Resources Director, Durango, CO
Paige Marchus
"I have loved my career at SWCA for the past 15+ years because I have always had great opportunities here. Opportunity to learn a wide variety of skills, grow professionally, work with the smartest people in the business, tackle resource management issues with innovation and creativity, and also have work-life balance and flexibility. I'm really proud to work at a company that stands behind its core values, and these core values align with my own."
Vice President | Practice Technologies, Austin, TX
Christian Hartnett
“SWCA is great! They provided me with tuition assistance when I received my GIS certification several years ago and then again when I decided to get my MBA in 2020. SWCA helped make both a reality for me!”
Principal Client Services Lead, Denver, CO
Kallin Snow
“Working with the leadership team, all of our discussions come back to whether this shows how much we care for our staff. I am deeply impressed by how our culture of caring is sincere and is truly the driving force and energy behind how our company operates.”
Vice President | Program Management, Salt Lake City, UT
Reid Persing
"I love working for SWCA because the company has always encouraged me to lead with an entrepreneurial mindset where I have passion or see opportunities. This has kept me engaged over the years – I've been supported in my own career development, in pursuing interesting clients and projects, and had the chance to meaningfully contribute to others’ careers. The cherry on top has always been the opportunity to be a part of our truly industry-leading team that knows how to have fun at work."
Vice President | Science and Technical Services, Kailua, HI
Jaap Eijzenga
"I joined SWCA over 13 years ago to join a professional company that offers career opportunities. I stayed because of the amazing, passionate, hard-working, talented, and kind people in the company. The culture of ownership is a strong driver of our collaborative and supportive SWCA community. I am excited about the company we are all working together to build for the future and the ever-growing team."
Vice President | Southwest, Phoenix, AZ
Jana Sterling
“We all play a vital role in SWCA’s success. The ESOP is one way the company encourages the tangible pride all employees take in their work.”
Principal Restoration Ecologist, Denver, CO
Nate Wojcik
“SWCA has a very strong sense of community. I am happy to be a part of the SWCA family and surround myself with some of the brightest scientists in the industry.”
By investing in our people and fostering a collaborative, growth-oriented environment, we’ve built the dynamic company we are today. As employee-owners, we are all deeply invested in SWCA’s success, approaching our roles with an ownership mindset that empowers us to innovate, collaborate, and support one another. This shared commitment drives our success and helps us continuously evolve as a team.
Association Involvement
Association of Clean Water Administrators
The Association of Clean Water Administrators has been the national voice of State and Interstate water programs since 1961.
American Exploration & Mining Association
American Exploration & Mining Association represents the entire mining life cycle, from exploration through production, to reclamation and closure.
American Clean Power Association
American Clean Power Association is the leading voice of today’s multi-tech clean energy industry, representing energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen, and transmission companies.
American Council of Engineering Companies
The American Council of Engineering Companies is the business voice of America’s engineering industry.
American Cultural Resources Association
American Cultural Resources Association is the national trade association supporting and promoting the common interests of cultural resource management (CRM) firms of all sizes, types and specialties.
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries and is the nation’s oldest national civil engineering society.
Environmental Business International, Inc.
Environmental Business International is a publishing and research company that generates strategic market intelligence on emerging opportunities in the environmental and climate change industries.
The ESOP Association
The ESOP Association's mission is to educate about and advocate for employee ownership with an emphasis on ESOPs.
National Emergency Management Association
National Emergency Management Association is a nonpartisan association dedicated to improving the nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies, disasters, and threats.
National Center for Employee Ownership
National Center for Employee Ownership is a nonprofit organization that has been supporting the employee ownership community since 1981.
National Habitat Conservation Plan Coalition
The Coalition is made up of a wide spectrum of partners motivated to be engaged in the development and implementation of large scale Habitat Conservation Plans.
Society for American Archaeology
The Society for American Archaeology is an international organization dedicated to research about and interpretation and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas.
Society of American Military Engineers
The Society of American Military Engineers unites public and private sector individuals and organizations in support of U.S. national security.
Society of Ecological Restoration
Society of Ecological Restoration advances ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.
Tandem Global
Tandem Global provides value to industry and communities by bringing thought leadership and driving tangible action through proven approaches to nature, water, and climate.
Turtle Survival Alliance
Turtle Survival Alliance is a global conservation organization that works to create a planet where tortoises and freshwater turtles can thrive in the wild.
Women's Energy Network
The Women’s Energy Network is a global organization of professionals who work in the energy sector.
Women's Transportation Seminar International
Women's Transportation Seminar International is dedicated to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable transportation industry through the global advancement of women.