RPA Opens Missoula Office

RPA is pleased to announce the official opening of our newest office at 2620 Connery Way in Missoula, Montana, marking a significant milestone in the firm’s continued growth and commitment to supporting communities across the state.

The expansion strengthens RPA’s ability to deliver responsive, community-focused engineering, surveying and planning services across western Montana. With a dedicated local presence, the Missoula office will provide enhanced support for municipal, transportation, site civil, water resources, and infrastructure projects throughout the region.

The Missoula office is staffed by experienced professionals who bring deep regional knowledge to every project. This new location aligns with RPA’s mission to strengthen communities through thoughtful planning, innovative design, and sustainable engineering solutions.

RPA Opens Anaconda Office

RPA is excited to announce the recent opening of its newest office in Anaconda, Montana. This expansion supports the firm’s continued growth and reinforces its commitment to serving public and private sector clients throughout southwest Montana.

Located at 113 East Third Street, the new office enhances RPA’s ability to deliver high-quality engineering solutions in areas such as water & wastewater, airports, transportation, structural design, site development, survey, and construction management.

The new office is under the leadership of Mike Johnson, PE, a highly experienced civil engineer, who has nearly 25 years of expertise in managing complex infrastructure projects. A native of Anacona, he brings established relationships and deep local insight to the role.

“It’s exciting to have an office in the heart of the community that shaped me” said Johnson “and I look forward to helping clients achieve their goals.”

RPA Honored By PSMJ Resources, Inc.

PSMJ Resources, Inc. announced the members of the 2025 AEC Circle of Excellence: The AEC Industry’s Best Managed Firms™. RPA is honored to be one of sixty-five exceptional architecture and engineering firms to make it onto the exclusive list this year! This is the 11th time since 2011 that RPA has been selected to the Circle of Excellence.

PSMJ designed the AEC Circle of Excellence Award to recognize firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead management, efficiency, business development, growth, and turnover. The 2025 AEC Circle of Excellence: The AEC Industry’s Best Managed Firms™ list represents the top 20 percent of participants in PSMJ’s most recent A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey, based on 9 key performance metrics.

While some may chase vanity metrics like rapid growth or sheer size, the firms on our Best Managed list have mastered what truly matters—the fundamentals that separate sustainable high performance from short-sighted or superficial growth,” says PSMJ President Gregory Hart. “These award-winning firms don’t just excel; they redefine excellence in financial and operational management. They’ve cracked the code to extraordinary performance, moving with purpose while others hesitate, executing with precision while others stumble, and daring to innovate while others cling to convention.”

RPA is a 100 percent employee-owned civil engineering, planning, and land surveying firm. With over 70 employees, RPA is headquartered in Helena, Montana with offices in Kalispell, Bozeman and Anaconda, Montana.

Kerry Lynch Becomes Montana’s First RSP2B Certified Professional

At Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA), safety isn’t just a priority, it’s the foundation of how we approach every project. Kerry Lynch has long exemplified this safety-first mindset, ensuring that critical safety considerations are integrated from the earliest stages of project development. Her RSP1 certification, earned in 2021, has already helped us deliver thoughtful, evidence-based solutions tailored to the unique needs of the communities and clients we serve.

Now, Kerry has taken her commitment to the next level by earning the Road Safety Professional Level 2 – Behavioral Specialty (RSP2B) certification, making her the first in Montana to achieve this advanced designation.

Awarded by the Transportation Professional Certification Board (TPCB), the RSP2B credential recognizes professionals with deep knowledge in behavioral safety strategies, including those that influence driver behavior, improve public awareness, and ultimately help prevent crashes and save lives. This certification builds on the foundation of RSP1 and focuses on key areas such as:

Human factors and driver behavior
Safety education and outreach
Enforcement strategies
Policy development and evaluation

Why This Matters in Montana

Montana’s transportation network is one of the most expansive in the nation, with many miles of rural roads and some of the country’s highest roadway fatality rates. Because the network is so large, infrastructure improvements alone aren’t enough to fully address safety challenges—improving safety culture is essential.

Kerry’s RSP2B certification gives us the expertise to address these challenges by working not only with our clients, but also with safety partners such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and educators. By fostering collaboration, focusing on the human factors behind crashes, and supporting a stronger safety culture across the state, we can pair infrastructure investments with education, outreach, and enforcement strategies to reduce crashes and save lives.

What This Means for Our Clients
Kerry’s RSP2B certification strengthens our ability to develop holistic safety solutions that balance engineering, education, and enforcement strategies. It allows us to:

Promote more effective and targeted safety programs
Collaborate with communities to foster meaningful engagement and awareness
Deliver measurable improvements in traffic safety outcomes

This achievement reflects Kerry’s dedication to advancing transportation safety and RPA’s ongoing commitment to shaping safer transportation systems. We’re proud to have her on our team—and even prouder of the impact she continues to make across Montana and beyond.

Congratulations, Kerry! Your dedication and leadership are helping to create safer roads and more resilient communities.

RPA Celebrates International Women in Engineering Day

In honor of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), we’ve highlighted some of the amazing women here at RPA.

“My mom is an engineer, and seeing her approach challenges with ingenuity and confidence really inspired me. She taught me that engineering goes beyond problem-solving; it’s a way to make a difference. That’s what motivated me to become an engineer too.”

“As an engineering project manager, I joke that I’m a social engineer — with all the communication and coordination it takes to keep projects moving. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“One of the things I love most about working in transportation is how relatable it is. Everyone deals with traffic, road safety, or just getting from point A to B—so I can talk to anyone about what I do. It connects me to my community in a really meaningful way.”

“I hope to make an impact by designing infrastructure that not only meets technical and safety standards but also enhances the everyday lives of the people who use it. Innovative engineering can be both highly functional and aesthetically thoughtful—creating spaces that are efficient, resilient, and inspire a sense of connection.”

RPA Welcomes Three Interns

CHRIS NELSON

I attend Montana Tech University, I will be a senior this next school year, and I am studying Civil Engineering.

I am most interested in water/wastewater engineering, and that is the RPA team I am with this summer.

I am excited to explore how the RPA team designs water/wastewater facilities and hopefully see some of the construction phases of the projects.

ANDER STREULI

I just graduated this Spring with a BS in Civil Engineering from Montana State University, and this Fall I will go back to MSU for a master’s degree in Structural Engineering.

I am most interested in Structural Engineering.

I am excited to get exposure and experience with structural design this summer!

jacob spangenberg

I study civil engineering at Montana Tech and I am going into my junior year.

I am not looking into any specific areas of civil engineering although I enjoy water/wastewater and site development.

I am excited to explore all that RPA offers.

RPAgives – Mount Helena Trail Improvements

We love supporting our employees’ efforts to give back to the community through our RPAgives and RPAvolunteers programs. RPA engineer Shane Forsythe recently volunteered with the Helena Climber’s Coalition to improve the trail to the Sunset Slab climbing area on Mount Helena. This work was done with the assistance of the City of Helena Open Lands and Trails department. Over three days, nearly 20 volunteers completed trail rehabilitation and the installation of a section of cable stairs.

RPA Honored By PSMJ Resources, Inc.

PSMJ Resources, Inc. has announced the winners of the 2024 Premier Award for Client Satisfaction, which honors architecture and engineering firms that deliver a truly exceptional client experience. This award is the only designation in the industry that highlights firms’ commitment to client experience. The award calculation looks at key metrics for client satisfaction that are highly correlated with sustained growth and success as an organization.

Being responsive to the needs of our clients and ensuring their satisfaction is always a priority at RPA. We are thrilled to be recognized for these efforts by PSMJ Resources, Inc. as a 2024 A/E/C Premier Award For Client Satisfaction -winning firm and are so proud of our team for being one of the best in the industry!

RPA is a 100 percent employee-owned civil engineering, transportation, planning, and land surveying firm. With over 70 employees, RPA is headquartered in Helena with offices in Bozeman and Kalispell.

Helena Food Share – Kid Packs

A team of RPA volunteers put together over 1,100 Kid Packs for the Helena Food Share this week. These Kid Packs are distributed to students in our Helena area community on a weekly basis. Each Kid Pack contains a variety of kid-friendly foods that provides a source of nutrition over the weekend during the school year.

RPA Site Design

RPA’s Site Development team assisted the owner with a pre-design site assessment, while our Survey team completed a boundary line adjustment to kick this project off. Once completed, RPA’s Structural and Site Development teams partnered with CWG Architecture and Dick Anderson Construction to bring Prickly Pear Pediatric Dentistry’s brand-new facility to life!

RPA’s involvement on the project included:

Boundary Line Adjustment
Site, Utility, and Topographic Survey
MDT System’s Impact and Permitting
City of Helena Coordination
Site Layout
Site Grading
Access and Parking Lot Layout and Design
Exterior ADA Compliance
Stormwater Design
Utility Services
Conventional Wood Light-Framed Structure Using Parallel Chord Manufactured Wood Trusses
Partial Basement and Crawlspace Foundation

International Women in Engineering Day

In honor of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), we’ve highlighted some of the amazing women here at RPA.

KERRY LYNCH, PE, RSP1 When I was in college I got a job counting cars for a research project at the Western Transportation Institute. With the guidance and support of one of my mentors, this simple job quickly blossomed into an interest in, and eventual passion for, traffic and transportation. I love working in the transportation industry because it’s so relatable and ingrained in our daily lives. Everyone who walks, bikes, drives, or takes the bus knows something about transportation! As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve evolved from the engineering side of things to the planning side, becoming what we in the industry lovingly call a “plan-gineer”. I love working with communities to think about the transportation system 5, 10, and even 20 years down the road and being able to put a plan in place to help achieve a shared vision. These days, I’ve really enjoyed working on projects in the realm of sustainable transportation, safety for all users, and planning for all transportation modes.

HANNAH SCHWEIKERT Hey, I’m Hannah! I’m a Junior at Carroll College, playing volleyball and studying Civil Engineering. Go Saints! I became interested in civil engineering because of the real-world application. Being able to face a challenge and see your solution come to life is a goal I strive to achieve. I was so excited to intern at RPA to explore different fields of civil engineering and get the chance to learn from some of the best! One project I’m helping work on is the Kootenai National Forest campgrounds. I grew up in Northwest Montana and love the outdoors so redesigning the campgrounds I grew up going to is pretty special, and I’m excited to see them come together.

ELIZABETH BARTON, EI My favorite part about a career Civil Engineering is that each day is different, no two projects are the same, and I anticipate a lifelong career of learning. I originally chose to study engineering at college because mathematics was my favorite subject in school. My high school math teacher, Ms. Bleken, was a driving force behind the reason I pursued Civil Engineering. Women in engineering continued to inspire me at college, where I was taught by multiple female professors who had walked my footsteps years before. Dr. Plymesser, my academic advisor and Open Channel Hydraulics professor, and Dr. Matteson, my Structures professor and ASCE group advisor, were two women in particular that I really looked up to. Once I started taking upper-level courses at college, I found my niche in transportation and hydrology/hydraulics. Luckily, my position at RPA in the Highways group incorporates both those interests. With only a year of professional experience, I am excited to further explore my interests and watch the population of women in engineering continue to grow.

APRIL GERTH, PE I’m not sure I really chose to be a Transporation Engineer, I feel like it chose me. Jobs were scarce when I graduated and I felt grateful that Montana Department of Transportation offered me a position designing roadways. 30 years later, I have had the opportunity to collaborate on a wide variety of projects, from living snow fence to interstate interchanges with multiple roundabouts. Auto crashes can have devastating impacts on families and communities, and I hope I have contributed in making Montana a safer place for residents and visitors.

SARAH NICOLAI, PE, PTP I really enjoy the opportunity to make a positive difference through transportation projects. After collecting data and conducting technical project reviews, one of my favorite aspects of my work is meeting with people in person to understand their concerns and hear their perspectives. For me, public and stakeholder meetings really reinforce the human impact and importance of engineering.

“International Women in Engineering Day began in the UK in 2014 as a national campaign from the Women’s Engineering Society. Since then, INWED has grown enormously, receiving UNESCO patronage in 2016 and going truly global the following year.”

“In 2017, National Women in Engineering Day became international for the first time due to the interest and enthusiasm developed by the international audience and participants in the previous years. International Women in Engineering Day was born to enable the celebration of women in engineering to become global.”

To learn more check out this link! https://www.wes.org.uk/

RPA Welcomes Three Summer Interns

We are so excited to welcome our three summer interns, Hannah, Emma, and Dustin. Throughout the summer, they will be assisting our groups on all project types and gaining hands on experience in things such as surveying, inspection, engineering design, and reporting.

Hey, I’m Hannah! I’m a Junior at Carroll College, playing Volleyball and studying Civil Engineering Broadfield. Go Saints! I became interested in civil engineering because of the real-world application. Being able to face a challenge and see your solution come to life is a goal I strive to achieve. I am so excited to intern at RPA to explore different fields of civil engineering and get the chance to learn from some of the best!

Hello! My name is Emma and I am earning my undergraduate degree as a civil engineer at Montana State University. I am currently interested in structural engineering and am working with RPA’s structural team, although I am also involved in projects within the transportation group because of my involvement with ITE on campus. I was drawn to civil engineering because I want a career in which I can make beneficial change to the world using math and systems thinking. Civil engineering is centered around communities and their needs, which means I can show up to my internship every day and help to make a positive impact with the work I partake in. I am excited to be learning from the wonderful mentors I have here at RPA and am very grateful for their wisdom, kindness, and patience as they teach me what engineering looks like outside of a classroom.

Hi, I’m Dustin and I am currently going to school for civil engineering at Montana Tech in Butte. I am most excited to learn about all the different things that civil engineering has to offer and to learn from all the engineers at RPA. My main interest in civil engineering is wastewater design. I also love using AutoCAD and am looking forward to spending time in the office and out in the field. Some of my interests outside of work are hunting, fishing, and being on the lake with family and friends.

RPA Receives Business and Industry Partnership Award

RPA recently received our first ever Business and Industry Partnership Award from Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC)! During the summer of 2022 the coordinator of the Land Survey program at FVCC resigned. With short notice FVCC turned to Idaho State University (ISU) and their on-line service to provide the land survey classes required for their A.A.S. degree in Land Survey. As a part of these classes each student was required to find a mentor to perform their field labs. These students had no connection to land surveyors and no time to develop these connections. Luckily, RPA has had a long-standing relationship with FVCC and this program and was able to step in and create a group of local Professional Land Surveyors to volunteer their time to provide this mentorship. Mentoring has taken place every Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the 2022-2023 school year.

“It is an honor to be a part of a company that is willing to jump in to ensure that a well needed program remains in place for this state’s education system. Thanks to RPA and our President, Craig Jenneskens, for saying yes.”

– Jason Smith

ASCE Student Bridge Competition

RPA Structural Engineers, Matt Miller and Tyler Jirges, served as judges for the ASCE Pacific Northwest Steel Bridge Competition at Montana State University.

“It was an honor and privilege for RPA to participate in the judging of ASCE’s Pacific Northwest Steel Bridge Competition held at Montana State University. It was inspiring to see the ingenuity, passion, and immense teamwork by each college represented! Some talented young engineers in the making and coming into the profession. Congratulations to each team participating in this year’s competition!” – Matt Miller

RPA Trap Team

Recently RPA fielded a trap team as part of their Gold Level Sponsorship of the 2023 Carroll college Saints to the Front and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter Trap Shoot Fundraiser.

This fundraiser is organized by two amazing student groups at Carroll College with the goal of raising money for their group and building a presence in the community:

The Saints to the Front group provide students with the opportunity to learn about the US Army and the role it serves, as well as teaches students leadership skills.

And Carroll’s ASCE Student Chapter is focused on helping engineering students get ready for life after graduation, and let me tell you, the future of engineering is bright!

Stephen Markwardt awarded Don Thompson Memorial Trophy

Congratulations to RPA engineer, Stephen Markwardt, who was recently awarded the Don Thompson Memorial Trophy. Outside of the office, Stephen has been a volunteer Great Divide Ski Patroller for the past eight years and received the award for being an “Outstanding Patroller participating in the Senior Program.”

The Senior Program provides advanced training enhancing medical and leadership skills. At the end of the winter ski season, participants attend a Senior Evaluation where their skills are tested and scored in a variety of staged accident scenarios. The Senior Candidate that displays the overall best attitude and performance during the Senior Evaluation is awarded the trophy. Keep up the great work Stephen!

RPA Assists With The National Building Renovation In Downtown Bozeman

RPA’s structural group has been thrilled to be part of the team helping bring life back into an historic and iconic building for downtown Bozeman! RPA designed a seismic retrofit, new interior second floor addition, and a four-story addition to the east side of the building over top of an existing original two-story building appendage. We love being a part of adaptive reuse projects in our communities! Check out more in the story linked below: https://bit.ly/3OHWfPI

RPA Gives – SWISH Basketball Tournament

Recently, RPA had several volunteers help take part of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual SWISH basketball tournament. The SWISH is one of the longest running youth basketball tournaments in the state. This year’s tournament had nearly 100 teams spread across 10 gyms competing in five different age groups.

“I’ve been volunteering as the Four Georgian’s court supervisor for the SWISH tournament since 2017. It’s a great way to support youth basketball players from across the state, and be part of an event that brings such a great deal of business into our Helena area community for the weekend.” – Neal Levang

Welcome Home Kyle

RPA is extremely proud and thankful to have our very own Kyle Myhre, Montana National Guardsman, back home from a year-long deployment to the Middle East. We are forever grateful to all US Military Servicemen and Women for your service and sacrifice!

RPA Gives – Helena Food Share

Recently, 27 RPA volunteers put together 1,050 Kid Packs for the Helena Food Share in just one hour! RPA staff, retirees, and family members volunteer a few times a year to assemble Kid Packs that get distributed to nearly 1,200 Helena area students on a weekly basis. Each Kid Pack contains a variety of kid-friendly foods that provides a source of nutrition over the weekend during the school year.

“I have been building Kid Packs with different organizations for several years and I am excited that RPA has embraced the Helena Food Share mission to help kids at risk of hunger in our community.” – Jeremy Perlinski

2023 RPA Board of Directors

We are excited to announce our 2023 Board of Directors, a big congratulations to Toni Ballard, Craig Jenneskens, Brad Koenig, Matt Miller, Sarah Nicolai, Jeremy Perlinski, Austin Wargo, and Bob Peccia (Emeritus)!

RPA Gives – Salvation Army

At RPA, we love being able to support our employees’ efforts to give back to the community through our RPAgives program. This holiday season, Jessica Eaton and Ryan Seyler took time to volunteer and ring bells for the Salvation Army.

“I am a member of Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office was looking for extra bell ringers from SAR to help the Salvation Army. So, Ryan and I took the volunteer hours that RPA gave us and took a shift ringing bells at Albertson’s. We were competing against the Fire Department to see who could raise the most. Last year the Fire Department beat us by $6; this year the Sheriff’s Office raised $4,382 and the Fire Department raised $1,371. It’s always a good feeling, volunteering, especially around the holidays. The people in Helena are very generous!” – Jessica

RPA Recognized By PSMJ Resources, Inc.

For the ninth time, PSMJ Resources, Inc., the premier management consulting firm for the architecture and engineering (A/E) industry, has announced that Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) made the 2023 Circle of Excellence exclusive list. Only 68 exceptional architecture and engineering firms across the United States made it on the exclusive list this year. PSMJ’s exclusive Circle of Excellence highlights firms that demonstrate outstanding business achievement in the architecture and engineering industry.

“The A/E/C Circle of Excellence award-winning firms represent the best of the best in terms of financial management. These organizations apply the best business practices to every phase of their operations,” says Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, Founder and CEO of PSMJ Resources. “The top-performing firms just think and act differently from the rest of the pack to achieve extraordinary performance.”

PSMJ designed the Circle of Excellence to highlight successfully managed firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead management, cash flow, productivity, business development, staff growth, and turnover. The Circle of Excellence represents the top 20 percent of participants in PSMJ’s annual A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey, based on 13 key performance metrics.

“The firms recognized in the Circle of Excellence set the standard for outstanding and sustainable business results,” says Stasiowski. “Some firms have been in this prestigious group year after year!”

RPA is a 100 percent employee-owned civil engineering, transportation, planning, and land surveying firm. With over 70 employees, RPA is headquartered in Helena with offices in Bozeman and Kalispell.

Robert J. Peccia has been inducted into the Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame!

RPA is very proud to announce that Robert J. Peccia has been inducted into the Montana Professional Engineers Hall of Fame! This recognition is well deserved for our founder and leader for many years. He has led an impressive career as an engineer beginning with a walk across the stage and graduating from the Montana State College (now Montana State University) as the 15,000th graduate to now as a highly-respected engineer and businessman. He has always believed in taking care of his employees and in 2009, Robert sold the last of his RPA shares to the employees to create the first 100% employee owned engineering company in Montana. His continual generosity is also aimed at engineering students as he established endowed scholarships at both Montana State University and Carroll College and has hired many graduates over the years.

Congratulations, Robert on your many accomplishments and the recognition from the Montana Society of Engineers!

Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) has been recognized as a Top-Performing Engineering Firm for 2021!

Robert Peccia & Associates (RPA) has been recognized as a Top-Performing Engineering Firm for 2021 by PSMJ Resources, Inc.! This marks the 7th time RPA has been included on the Circle of Excellence list.

Only 66 exceptional architecture and engineering firms across the United States made it on the exclusive 2021 Circle of Excellence list. PSMJ’s exclusive Circle of Excellence highlights firms that demonstrate outstanding business achievement in the architecture and engineering industry.

“Each year, the Circle of Excellence firms come from all corners of the A/E space. This diversity demonstrates that success isn’t defined by a specific firm size, location, or market niche,” says Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, Founder and CEO of PSMJ Resources. “The top-performing firms just think and act differently from the rest of the pack to achieve extraordinary business performance.”

RPA Opens Missoula Office

RPA Opens Missoula Office