RICK’s progress and growth between 2005 and 2015 began with staff who remained committed and willing to take on new challenges. Employees who had built their careers in San Diego helped open the San Luis Obispo office, bringing experience into a new region. When Roger Ball became president in 2006, he continued focusing on the culture and long-standing relationships that kept people committed to the firm. By the end of the decade, that same people-driven approach helped support the move into Centennial and the start of RICK’s first long-term project in Colorado.
By the mid-2000s, RICK was already involved with work along the California Central Coast, and the opening of the San Luis Obispo (SLO) office in 2006 was a natural next step. It was not an obvious growth market at the time, but RICK saw value in establishing a presence in SLO. Under Don Druse’s leadership, the office was opened in a space affectionately referred to as “the closet” while the main office space was being built out. Those early years were hands-on, and staff did whatever was needed to keep a small office running and to introduce the RICK name to a community that did not quite recognize it yet. As the office settled in, SLO staff became more active in local and professional organizations and began helping with the SLO Marathon. RICK’s involvement continued for over a decade, providing traffic planning support and volunteer participation. The marathon involvement helped get the RICK name out in the community at a time when few people knew who we were. Over time, the SLO office moved from a small back room to a downtown location and grew into an established part of both the company and the SLO community.
“Opening the SLO office felt like building something from scratch with a tiny team that refused to quit. We were figuring things out as we went, carrying water across the street, volunteering, showing up, and putting the RICK name anywhere we could. It worked because people were all-in, not because the odds made sense.” — Kelly Druse, RICK Principal
Leadership was shifting during this period, as Roger Ball became president in 2006 after Lyle Gabrielson had led the firm for 22 years. Roger had already spent more than 30 years at the company and held the belief that the firm would last if it continued to celebrate the people who were committed to the work. Roger’s choice to keep RICK privately owned allowed decisions to be made by the people who worked here, not by outside interests. Roger believed that if the company invested in its people and relationships, growth would follow naturally, and that approach guided the decisions made during this decade.
Around the same time, RICK began project work that required staying with a site over a long period of time, beginning with the Morro Hills community in Oceanside. Associate Principal Karen Van Ert joined the project early as the project manager and spent years overseeing the site as it progressed.
The work included a golf course designed in the field with architect Ted Robinson Jr., a school site, a recreation center, and residential neighborhoods that were each sold to different builders. RICK coordinated regularly on the project with groups like Fieldstone, Toll Brothers, and Richmond American Homes, along with the City of Oceanside.
Karen was onsite two or three days a week during the busiest years, working through things like environmental limits around the golf course and managing erosion that called for new design solutions. Morro Hills showed how progress at RICK often came from consistency over time.
“I spent so much time out at that site that it feels woven into my career. I was out there several days a week, coordinating with builders, the City, and managing site issues. It’s a project I will never forget, and it remains one of my favorite places to golf.” — Karen Van Ert, RICK Associate Principal
The 2008 recession saw significant job losses in the design professional industry due to the slowdown in construction and real estate. Engineers and architects experienced setbacks like increased unemployment, canceled projects, and smaller budgets. This led to a restructuring of the profession, with a greater demand for increased productivity and a period of uncertainty and volatility that forced many firms to downsize or close. RICK stayed connected to ongoing work, maintaining relationships with long-term clients and implementing new efficiencies in operations. When the market began to recover in the early 2010s, those relationships and improved work efficiencies helped the firm pick back up and continue moving forward with growth.
As the decade progressed, RICK’s extensive project experience and long list of clients opened the door to new opportunities in Colorado. The firm had already been involved in the Arvada area, and RICK had the opportunity in 2014 to open an office in Centennial, CO, led by Robert Fitch. Soon after, the team began planning and entitlement work in Rooney Valley on the Red Rocks Ranch community, a large multi-phase development. The site required coordination with the town of Morrison and Jefferson County as RICK worked on the master plan and began establishing the long-term layout of the community. The team supported early land planning and infrastructure design and worked with local staff and community groups throughout the early stages of the project. The project brought together teams from planning, engineering, surveying, traffic, and water resources and became one of the Centennial office’s first long-term commitments. By 2015, Red Rocks Ranch was moving forward under leadership that remains involved in the project today.
From 2005 to 2015, RICK continued to grow through the leadership of Roger Ball and a commitment to its people. The San Luis Obispo office became established, and Centennial introduced projects that would continue beyond the decade. By the end of 2015, Roger’s leadership and the work underway helped move RICK into its next phase of growth.
As part of our 70th anniversary series, we’ll continue sharing the history and growth that have shaped RICK over the decades. Watch our news feed for future articles as the story of RICK’s history unfolds.