Tacoma, Washington-based engineering firm Ethos Civil LLC is expanding its presence in Spokane as demand for civil engineering, site development, project management, and entitlement services continues to drive growth across the Pacific Northwest.

Founded in Tacoma in 2021, Ethos Civil operates offices in Tacoma, Spokane, and Wenatchee, Washington. The company's Spokane office, established in 2023, is located on the second floor of the Washington Cracker Building, at 304 W. Pacific.

Ethos Civil's statewide workforce has grown 160% since 2023. Currently, the company has 26 full-time employees across its three Washington offices, including some remote workers and three employees in Spokane. Up to two more employees in Spokane are projected to be hired over the next year while the company pursues regional projects, says Zac Crum, civil engineer and project manager at Ethos Civil. 

"We've grown over the last couple of years," Crum says. "We're keeping the trend of hiring probably five to six people a year across all of our offices, and we see that general growth in the market as well."

For now, the focus is on expanding the Spokane office by recruiting skilled engineers and building ties with regional developers and public agencies, Crum notes.

Looking ahead, Ethos Civil expects to grow to eight employees by 2030 in Spokane, while increasing the firm's project portfolio across Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and western Montana, he says.

Crum declines to disclose the company's annual revenue, though he says revenue gains have accompanied workforce expansion over a three-year period.

The firm employed 10 people when Crum joined the company in 2023. Since then, the workforce has more than doubled, revenue has steadily increased, and the company has maintained positive profit margins, he explains.

Despite the company's recent workforce gains, Crum cites recruitment as an ongoing challenge in a crowded regional market. While Ethos Civil actively recruits on college campuses throughout the Inland Northwest, standing out among competitors — and securing graduates focused specifically on civil engineering — presents a steep climb.

The company serves clients in education, healthcare, senior living, residential development, industrial construction, and public infrastructure, Crum says.

The firm specializes in site civil engineering, with services that prepare properties for construction and development. Its work includes site planning, grading, stormwater management, erosion control, utility infrastructure, roadway design, and permitting.

Unlike structural engineers, who focus on the integrity and stability of buildings, site civil engineers design the surrounding infrastructure that's needed to support those buildings, including water and sewer connections, drainage systems, parking areas, and access roads, Crum explains.

Civil engineering plays a central role in coordinating development projects because site conditions and infrastructure requirements can determine whether a proposed building can move forward, he says.

"If the site plan doesn't initially work, then we help developers problem-solve until it does," Crum says.

Ethos Civil also provides entitlement services, helping developers navigate land-use regulations, environmental permitting, and municipal approvals. The firm's project management services include budgeting, scheduling, construction oversight, and coordination among engineering and design professionals.

In Spokane, Ethos Civil recently provided site engineering services for Vineyard Park North Spokane, a five-story assisted living community currently under construction at 7609 N. Division, with completion anticipated in March 2027.

The project site initially lacked public sewer access, Crum says. To resolve this, Ethos Civil designed an on-site sanitary sewer lift station and force main to connect with an elevated private main nearby. The solution eliminated the need for a lengthy, off-site gravity sewer main extension, preventing substantial infrastructure costs for the client, he adds.

Ethos Civil also has contributed to a recent expansion project at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake, increasing capacity for cremated remains.

For the project, Ethos Civil worked with Rapid City, South Dakota-based FourFront Design Inc. to construct columbarium walls on the western edge of the 119-acre cemetery, adding 5,120 urn niches. The project spanned from 2024 through September 2026, Crum says.

"That was one of my first projects when I came to Ethos," he says. "It was cool to see it completed."

The cemetery project aligns with the firm's veteran-owned business designation, which Crum says helps Ethos Civil qualify for public projects with veteran-owned business inclusion goals.

Ethos Civil is licensed in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. In the future, Crum envisions more opportunities to strengthen its presence throughout those markets.