ABOUT Civil Engineering & Research Associates (CERA) was established in 2007 with the vision of becoming the go-to consulting company in civil construction in Sydney. From the outset our vision has been to provide an integrated planning, design and engineering consulting service, targeting medium to large infrastructure projects in Sydney. Seeing the future in smart structures, we launched our Smart Structures Research & Development Division in 2012, to be a leader in the emerging field of smart construction solutions. Our approach has been to provide high quality, timely planning, structural and civil engineering advice and solutions for our clients, whilst recognising that all of our clients and their needs are different. Our team of experienced and responsive consultants provides a “one stop” approach for total project delivery, offering clients original and highly buildable design solutions that satisfy their cost and time requirements. At CERA, we have a team of qualified, experienced consultants who can help you with planning, design and documentation of all aspects of every structure in-house. Our people have a can-do attitude to the tasks that they are asked to perform, and they pride themselves on going further to exceed the expectations of their clients. In order to achieve our goals, a key focus has been to attract and retain the best available technical and engineering staff, whilst training them to adopt a positive, competent and professional approach that has become the hallmark of CERA. Our consultants work in an environment where initiative is encouraged and excellence is rewarded. We believe that an innovative and enquiring approach is the best way to address our clients' challenges. I believe we have the right team to take on any civil project; and our ongoing investment in the development of our team will keep on raising the standard of project delivery for our clients. Mark French Founding Director KEY STATISTICS AREAS OF EXPERTISE  Commercial and Industrial Developments  Large Civil Developments  Leisure and Recreational Developments  Environmental Infrastructure  Multi Unit Developments  Project Management  Smart Structures Research and Development CERA is based in Sydney. We directly employ 45 people, and have associations with 15 independent contractors who work with us from time to time. The distribution of our permanent staffing is as follows: Founding Director – Mark French (1) Civil Engineering Division – Kellie Lincoln, Director + 12 professional staff (13) Drafting Office – Rachel Amaro, Manager + 5 professional/technical staff (6) Planning Division – Jonathon Simon, Director + 3 professional staff (4) Smart Structures R&D Division – Lane Scowcroft, General Manager + 5 research/professional staff (6) Finance, Legal and Administration Office – Susumu Takada, Manager + 5 professional and 5 administrative staff (11) Human Resources Office – Israel Tobin, Manager + 3 professional staff (4) We have three major, client-facing lines of business – civil engineering, planning and smart structures. The drafting office provides internal support services to the civil engineering division. Administrative staff are managed centrally and deployed under internal service agreements to the different divisions and offices. When Mark set up the company in 2007, his intention was to differentiate CERA from its competitors on the basis of its service orientation and innovation. (He recognised that cost and professional competency would be broadly similar to his major competitors.) However, as the company has grown, there has been greater attention to cost competitiveness, but certainly not to the point where we would see this as our main strategy type. Our strategy is centred on providing a high quality, high-contact service for our clients by maximising the use of virtual technologies and deploying the superior technical, relational and marketing skills of our people. Our focus on innovation has two elements: the development and application of smart materials and smart structures that are efficient, sustainable and elegant; and our ability to move quickly between a boutique approach to customising design and engineering solutions, and providing more orthodox consulting services for major public infrastructure projects. We are known for our agility and this is one of the strengths that we have as a smaller operation in a highly competitive market. As the table below shows, we have been on a relatively rapid growth path over the last three years. Source: CERA Annual Report, 2015 Most of this growth has come from a cocktail of a concentration strategy, focusing on those markets where we are wellknown, and an internal growth strategy, where we have moved into commercial development and environmental engineering solutions. In pursuing an internal growth strategy, we have tried to concentrate on exploiting our key strengths, our relatively young team of highly talented and service-minded professional staff. We have been very fortunate in recruiting well and being able to keep some of the best people around. Mark and Kellie have been approached by competitors and allied professional services firms from time to time to discuss various merger/acquisition possibilities, but so far this has not led to any meaningful outcome. Lane Scowcroft’s Smart Structures R&D Division is by far the most ambitious and far-reaching strategic choice we’ve made since the business was founded in 2007. Although fairly modest in size and reach at the moment, this is seen by the management team as an important part of the future growth of CERA. Those who are unfamiliar with what this is all about should watch these videos. Click on image to read article from http://www.theurbandeveloper.com As you can see, this is exciting stuff. CERA is moving ahead of the curve to be an early-developer/adopter of these technologies. Lane and his team are currently partnering with two Australian universities – Swinburne and Wollongong – plus construction companies in New South Wales and Queensland to develop prototype applications. Our commitment is to move towards commercialising these technologies with a view to full-scale adoption over the next three years. Our HR and Finance/Legal/Admin teams are key players in enabling our strategy – from a financial capital, human capital and a risk management perspective. Israel Tobin and Susumu Takada are part of the executive team, and their work has been critical in positioning CERA for the success that it has enjoyed to date. Looking ahead, CERA is giving serious consideration to expanding our geographical footprint to regional NSW, to take advantage of exciting opportunities that we believe lie ahead for Australia’s regions. We have been scoping regional markets, capabilities and potential synergies with other firms; and we will make a decision on this strategic direction soon.