How can small businesses adapt to an increasingly automated world?

At this point in our history, the question is more important than ever. Investing in technology makes sense in terms of competition on a global level—but while automation can help a company’s bottom line, it also means that fewer people are needed to get things done. With unemployment still up around 8 percent, that’s one more drop in the bucket of bad news for the U.S. jobs market.

For more than a quarter century, Maryland-based Potowmac Engineers Inc. has mastered the art of dealing with technological changes in the industry. “As with everyone else, automation in many areas has changed the labor-intensive processes of our work,” said company CEO Satish Korpe. “But the key is to catch the balance between technology and human resources that will lead us to be more competitive. We don’t invest thousands and thousands of dollars into new technology that will not benefit our staff—if a small investment in technology can make us more efficient with the same workforce, we’d rather do that.”

Potowmac Engineers works with clients in the public and private sectors, offering services ranging from construction inspection to geotechnical engineering. They even have their own laboratory for materials testing and technology research. “We are diversified,” said Korpe. “We work on building projects and transportation projects. We offer oversight to make sure that everything is in compliance with contract documents, the payments are properly audited and everything is done on schedule.”

Since Potowmac Engineers employs only about 30 people, clients are often amazed at the breadth of the company’s capabilities. It’s about hiring the right people and giving them as much training as they need—and then some.  “Small businesses face so many challenges, and we don’t have large departments full of experts to deal with these different kinds of problems,” said Korpe. “So our employees have to become experts in many areas. Anytime there’s an opportunity for someone to go for training that may be useful for a job, we pay for it. We try to build up the employee, and they find value in that.”

The business model has certainly paid off in terms of staff loyalty. When the company was facing tough times during the recession, some engineers actually took pay cuts in order to help keep the company afloat. That level of dedication speaks volumes about the hardworking culture at Potwomac Engineers.

For Korpe, technology and people are two sides of the same coin. He actively invests in new innovations that can help him run a more efficient business, and this is mirrored by constant investment in the capabilities of his employees. And it works—since 1984, this business has grown in leaps and bounds, proving that this CEO has hit just the right balance to keep everything moving forward.

For more information, please visit: www.potowmacengineers.com