Culture means creating an organization where talented people want to build their careers, leadership is developed, collaboration is expected, and employees understand how their work contributes to Summit’s success. Summit’s culture is shaped through coordinated work across Human Resources, communications, learning and technical development, recognition, safety, workplace support, and subsidiary leadership. During the reporting period, the company expanded its event cadence, invested in professional development, recognized employee contributions, and created more opportunities for employees to connect across offices and disciplines.
Encouraging and supporting one another, embracing diverse perspectives, and ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.
Acting with integrity, transparency, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
Delivering innovative, nimble solutions with a responsive, collaborative approach.
Fostering partnerships and relationships that strengthen communities, while promoting individual growth and shared success.
Working hard, celebrating accomplishments, and investing in events that connect employees, their families, and the community.
Summit supported employees through benefits education, financial education, open enrollment outreach, health programming, and ongoing feedback conversations.
Summit-hosted events increased from 11 in 2025 to 29 in 2026. The largest increase occurred in employee culture and engagement events, producing an average cadence of two to three events per month. March 2026 had six Summit-hosted events, the highest monthly count across both years.
The Pinnacle Awards recognized 31 employees across the third and fourth quarters of 2025 and the first and second quarters of 2026. The annual Value Awards recognized six employees for contributions tied to Summit’s values and performance.
Summit invested more than $180,000 in training and certifications from January through July 2026. The total includes registration, travel, mileage and local transportation, parking, meals, per diem, and supplies. Spending was above the planned training budget at the end of July.
Melissa Countryman graduated from the ACEC NC Future Leaders Program in July. This was the sixth consecutive year Summit had a participant, and all six participants remain with the company.
PSMJ project manager training moved from January to May and included 13 participants. Two Summit-specific follow-up sessions were opened to all project managers. One focused on contracts, processes, and tools and resources, led by Nute and Bill. The September 9 session covered Summit DNA, dashboards, and the Leads and Opportunities Pipeline with Matt and his team.
PSMJ led a business development workshop in March for leaders and managers from across Summit.
Summit launched subsidiary management training in May. Corporate and administrative subject matter experts led sessions designed to give managers a shared understanding of business operations and leadership responsibilities.
The initial health insurance renewal increase was 23.5 percent. After changes to deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and coinsurance, the final increase was 19.1 percent. Summit absorbed $380,000 of the increase.
During the 2026 strategic review, Facilities identified a key challenge: several office lease agreements are set to expire in the latter half of the year. While moving operations is costly and disruptive, we have developed a targeted plan—through collaboration with local management, thorough analysis of growth projections, and executive support—to transform this challenge into an opportunity. Our strategy will align office locations with long-term sales priorities and modernize features to meet local operational needs.
Following completion of major CEI projects in the Charlotte metro area and the earlier relocation of our Ft. Mill, SC office to Charlotte, NC, we will close the Indian Trail office at lease end and open a Field office in Chesterfield, SC. The new location has been identified, with an update expected by month-end. Establishing a South Carolina field office also addresses regulatory requirements for storing Nuclear Density gauges.
Extensive repairs required at the High Point Field office would exceed the remaining lease costs. Given Design’s recent wins in the Triad market (including on-call contracts with Greensboro, High Point, and Kernersville) and Field’s established presence, we will consolidate Field and Design teams in a new location. This new facility will serve as a central meeting and training hub for operations across SC, NC, and southern VA, leveraging its strategic location.
The completion of the 540 bypass has reduced travel times, and the move of corporate operations from Hillsborough to Raleigh means we now have four offices (Wilmington, Raleigh, Hillsborough, and High Point) within two hours of Cumberland County. As the Fayetteville office was underutilized and primarily served as a convenience for Field staff, it will be closed after the current construction season.
With the relocation of our headquarters from Hillsborough to Raleigh, our Hillsborough footprint will be reduced by moving a portion of our operations from Building A to Building C. This schedule may be expedited if we can release Building A sooner.
The Westminster, Colorado lease expires in February 2027. We will secure a new, larger location to support the expanding engineering team in this market.