Coeur d’Alene engineering company Welch Comer Engineers has expanded operations to a multitenant building in Spokane Valley.

Necia Maiani, company vice president and Spokane Valley office manager, says Welch Comer’s new 1,300-square-foot office at 5620 E. Desmet will bring its services closer to clients in Washington state.

The company also hopes the decision to expand across state lines will attract employees in Washington state to work at the new office, she says.

Welch Comer currently is hiring companywide and has three open positions for an administrator, a professional engineer, and an engineer in training in Spokane Valley.

Three full-time employees, including Maiani, and two part-time workers are in the new office.

She declines to disclose annual revenue for Welch Comer.

Bales Construction Inc., a Spokane Valley-based general contractor, owns the property and occupies half of the building, with Welch Comer occupying the remaining space.

It took a year for the company to find its new location, and Maiani says she was fortunate to know the building’s owners and negotiate the lease agreement directly with them.

Plans for the Washington state expansion developed over nearly seven years, she says.

Maiani, who’s been with Welch Comer for 21 years, says it was difficult for the company to find a manager to run the office, but she became interested after some professional development.

“With the clients that we’ve added to our list, and they being my clients, I had some additional incentive to make the leap.” Maiani explains.

She says Welch Comer ultimately decided to open an office in Spokane Valley to have a central location to serve clients throughout Spokane County.

“We serve Whitworth Water District and Spokane County Water District No. 3. Now we’re two to three blocks away from Water District No. 3,” Maiani adds. “We anticipate looking for work in the city of Spokane and Spokane County.”

Headquartered at 330 E. Lakeside in Coeur d’Alene, the engineering company has an number of areas of emphasis, including civil engineering, stormwater systems, construction management, land-use planning, surveying, and water and wastewater systems.

Founded in 1979, Welch Comer has 28 total employees, including 10 licensed engineers, as reported in October on the Journal’s Largest Engineering Firms list.