Seattle-based Coughlin Porter Lundeen Inc. is preparing to expand with a new office in downtown Spokane this summer, says Eric Dixon, associate principal at the structural and civil engineering company.

“First and foremost, we want to serve the clients that we already have that are in the Spokane area,” he says. “We could do a better job if we had boots on the ground, could have a local presence, and have our face out there in front of the clients to show them they're getting the service that they're paying for.”

The company currently employs more than 80 people at its Seattle office, located at 1191 Second, Dixon says, adding that the size of its Spokane workforce is still under consideration. The company's downtown Spokane office site will be selected in the coming months, before summer begins, Dixon adds.

“We want to be committed to (downtown) Spokane — it’s a good, vibrant area now. It's been cleaned up recently, and we really like the way it's headed,” he says. “A lot of the clients that we do work with currently, and hope to do future work with, are located in that downtown core area.”

The company's Spokane team will initially be comprised of new and transferring engineering staff, while administrative and technical modeling staff will assist the office from Seattle. Both of the company's offices will work together on projects instead of splitting projects based on geographical location, explains Dixon.

“We're intentionally not going to have a line. We want the Spokane office to work on Seattle projects (and) we want the Seattle office to work on Spokane projects,” Dixon says. “We want people to be trained up in the same way that they have been in the Seattle office for years when they're working in Spokane.”

Coughlin Porter Lundeen was founded in Seattle in 1994 by Jim Coughlin, Steve Porter, and Terry Lundeen, according to the company's website. The eningeering business operates primarily in Washington state and Idaho, and is licensed in all 50 states. Coughlin Porter Lundeen specializes in K-12 and higher education projects, mixed-use and multifamily projects, industrial, and health care developments, in addition to historic property renovations.

The company's previous experience working in the Spokane area includes multiple projects in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, such as Eastern Washington University’s Interdisciplinary Science Center and Pence Union Building; the Environmental Technology Building, Troy Hall Chemistry Building, and Plant Sciences Building at Washington State University; and the Kootenai Health and MultiCare Health System planned Prairie Medical Center, which is expected to break ground in March in Post Falls, Dixon says.

Dixon also is familiar with the community, as he grew up in Spokane. He will lead the office here once it opens.

“I have deep ties (to Spokane), so I’ll be moving my family over there,” Dixon says. “(I’m) excited to get back to my roots and rekindle some of those relationships that I built so long ago.”