The roadmap for Performance’s future is written in our past. In recent years, we have added offices in our northernmost outposts yet: Charlotte, North Carolina in 2018 followed by Evansville, Indiana in the summer of 2021. Our expansion success story is one of positive forward thinking and commitment.
Organic growth for Performance has traditionally come from two channels: regional expansion into new markets, and diversifying our areas of expertise, particularly with Power.
A little history: we expanded into the Mobile, Alabama market in 1998 with the goal of tapping into new industries outside of our traditional refining and petrochemical background. Our pathway into Power began in 1999 when the new Mobile office was awarded a contract with Alabama Power for a cogeneration plant construction project. This was the beginning of an abundant relationship with Southern-Company subsidiaries that would bring us project work across several states while developing a diverse Power-industry resume.
During the same era, Performance was increasing our Midwestern presence by accepting more jobs in the region. We took on eight projects for the Marathon refinery in Illinois between 2004 and 2008. In 2017, we secured our largest project to date: the $1.5B CF Industries Port Neal Nitrogen Facility in Iowa requiring 14.4 million man-hours over 32 months.
When the Mobile office was able to land a deal with one of the country’s largest Power providers in 2018, it represented a game changer. This included ongoing O&M work, bi-annual outage planning and support, new construction, and small capital projects at Power facilities in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Consistent operations in the region would convert Performance from project-based visitors into permanent-area residents. Supporting the new client justified setting up a permanent office in Charlotte, NC in 2018. In 2021, Performance added a second new satellite office in Evansville, IN with the same purpose: meeting the needs of the Power facilities we have taken on in the Carolinas and Midwest.
The future for Performance rests with our ability to replicate the same model in other new industry frontiers: expand our areas of expertise in new sectors, gain enough experience to land blue-chip clients within that niche, and ensure that we allocate enough resources to satisfy the new relationships. Currently, Performance is working to further engage clients from industries like paper and pulp, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical.
“We’re just trying to grow our business in an effective and controlled manner to ensure we stay the same type of company with the same type of practice: safety, quality, and well-managed growth,” explains Senior Vice President Lee Jenkins. “These are the core values we want to maintain. We don’t want to stretch ourselves; we work hard to maintain the same type of culture and execution success that we’ve had over the years.”
