A MULTIFACETED CIVIL ENGINEERING FIRM

Land Development Consulting (LDC) is a consulting, engineering, surveying, and planning firm based in Woodinville. The company was founded in 2003 and currently employs 43 people.

LDC works in three different market sectors:

1. The first is civil engineering related to residential land development in the Puget Sound area, which includes surveying, permitting, and road and utility work for builders.
2. The second sector is helping cellular companies, such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, with tower siting and installations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Texas. “It’s interesting and challenging work,” says Mark. “We’re often designing small cell systems in localized environments, like the Gorge Amphitheater and Seattle Center.”
3. LDC’s third area of work is in public works, specifically design and construction for large municipal projects.

Mark has several roles at LDC. As the director of engineering, he manages the day-to-day operations of the firm from a technical and financial aspect. He is also the de facto CFO and manages the company’s benefit and health insurance packages.

LDC HAS ENJOYED 13 YEARS OF MBA HEALTH TRUST BENEFITS

“We’ve been using the MBA Health Trust since the inception of our company. And over the past five or six years, as we’ve really been growing, we’ve shopped MBA’s pricing several times. Every single time, the competitor packages were not nearly as strong. They may have been cheaper, but the MBA always provided the best overall value.” Last year, Mark says, the MBA plan was “almost 9 percent less expensive and provided 20 percent lower deductible costs for individuals and 40 percent lower for a family.”

AFFORDABLE PLAN FOR THE COMPANY, ITS EMPLOYEES, AND THEIR FAMILIES

Mark says that the MBA has evolved with market conditions. LDC was able to transition from a PPO plan to an HSA plan four years ago to ensure more affordable health insurance for the company, employees, and dependents. Mark says, “95 percent of our employees are now on an HSA plan. It was a seamless transition. The MBA team walked us through the entire process and taught us to communicate it to our employees. The plan is working really well. There are no complaints from our employees and all the doctors who were previously available still are.”

REDUCING FINANCIAL STRESS

Mark adds that the HSA plan has saved his company enough money to increase its coverage for dependents. “Our goal,” he says, “was to reduce the financial stress on our staff’s families and the MBA Health Trust helped us do that. Overall, we get much better coverage for a much better cost. And we are now able to provide 50% of dependent coverage.”

Mark’s firm works closely with EPK, the administrator of the Health Trust plans. “They’re great to work with,” he says. “Every year they give a lunchtime presentation about what to expect for the coming year. They have continuously stepped up to the plate and provided the service we’ve needed for the plans we adopt.”

MBA MEMBER BENEFITS ALSO INCLUDE THE GRIP PROGRAM

LDC takes advantage of additional benefits provided by the MBA, including the GRIP program, which helps improve safety and reduces the overall cost of workers’ compensation for MBA members. “That service has been a huge asset in getting our safety procedures up to speed to make sure we are compliant,” Mark says.

This week, MBAKS Snohomish County Manager Mike Pattison explains the Hirst fix and what it means for our members—especially those in rural areas.

By Aaron Kunkler, Redmond Reporter

Willows and Rose Hill neighborhoods expanded following last week’s Redmond City Council meeting, when 54 acres of unincorporated King County were annexed into the city.

The area annexed is located along 132nd Avenue Northeast, is flanked to the west by the City of Kirkland, and is surrounded on the other three sides by Redmond.

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