Insights from the People Who Support Your Ground Transportation Infrastructure Every Day
As we head deeper into 2026, we asked our ground transportation team one simple question:
“What do you wish our clients knew?”
Their answers ranged from deeply technical to surprisingly personal — but a clear theme emerged: every project is a partnership, and success grows when we all understand each other’s challenges, constraints, and strengths.
Here’s what our experts want you to know as we continue building safer, more resilient, and more sustainable infrastructure together.
1. You Get the Whole Team, Not Just One Person
Clients often interact with a single project manager or engineer — but behind them is a coordinated, multidisciplinary team working to deliver the best outcome.
Melinda Squillace wrote:
“We’re the whole package. We have the expertise to support your project from start to finish including design, environmental and natural resources field studies and permitting.”She later added:
“With us, you know and can trust what you will get.”
This consistency is intentional. It’s part of how we maintain quality, preserve institutional knowledge, and deliver projects that stand the test of time.
2. We’ve Grown — and That Growth Benefits You
Over the last several years, the firm has evolved with new people, services, and capabilities. While we often focus on the work ahead, our team wants clients to know how significant this growth has been.
Kelly LaVigne shared: “How much we’ve grown in the last few years! I feel like we’ve added a lot of new faces just in the time I’ve been here. We’ve really expanded our depth of talent, especially at the senior level!”
Growth doesn’t just mean numbers — it means stronger support, deeper expertise, and more resilient project teams. The Hoyle Tanner you work with today is more capable than ever.
Joe Ripley shared a similar sentiment, but focused on staying true to our core values: “We don’t hire just to fill a position, we wait to hire the right Hoyle Tanner person who aligns with our vision and shares our values.”
3. Our Work Is Built on Partnership, Not Transactions
Relationships matter. They make every project stronger, from planning through construction.
Travis Gelinas emphasized this clearly: “I feel we view everyone involved in a project as our teammate even if they are not part of the firm. We all have a vested Interest to see a project come together smoothly so any time there is a potential issue we are there to provide our expertise to ensure the project’s success.”
Josif Bicja echoed: “Hoyle Tanner positions itself as a partner to our clients, not just a service provider. Clients often calls us for advice and to brainstorm on projects that we are not even yet involved and they ask for our expertise and advice. (I have many examples of this from many of our clients and it is really satisfying when they call us for advice on unrelated projects.)”
We’re at our best when we’re collaborating early, sharing ideas, and building a clear understanding of goals, constraints, and long-term needs.
4. We’re in your Neighborhood with a Friendly Face
Hoyle Tanner is a mid-sized, local New England firm with an office in Florida, too. As Steve Haas put it: “We are in your neighborhood. With six regional offices in northern New England (including our corporate headquarters), our ever-expanding team has talented engineers close at hand who live and work in the communities we serve.”
Dan Taylor elaborated:
“Our Ground Transportation Division is 100% located in New England and we only work for New England clients. We only have 6 New England offices with another office in Florida.”
And while the local element may matter less with remote working options, our professionals still engage daily with the communities we serve. It means we’re invested well beyond the end. In the wise words of Joe Ripley, “Our relationship with our projects does not end at the ribbon cutting. We love to visit old projects to check in on how they are performing.”
5. We Care Deeply About Getting It Right
This theme came through repeatedly. Our team takes personal pride in the success of every project — not just technically, but in how it supports the community it serves.
Joe Ripley said it perfectly: “We don’t believe in the status quo. The last project is the new baseline, not the ceiling, and we are always looking for ways to improve.”
Trust is built through communication, consistency, visibility, and honesty. We want our clients to feel comfortable asking questions, challenging assumptions, and sharing concerns early — because those conversations lead to better outcomes.
Steve Langevin, new to our firm this year, wrote in about a few things that set Hoyle Tanner apart. The first had to do with quality.
“First, I noticed that there is a strong Quality Assurance/Quality Control system in place. I mentioned that other firms did not have a QA/QC adherence as highly practiced at with Hoyle Tanner and that the QA/QC program is only as good as how often it is used. The client can rest assured that all submittals will be of the highest quality.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
Our staff’s reflections all point to a shared message: We are committed to being a true partner — one who is transparent, dependable, and invested in your success. Whether we’re navigating regulations, shaping a funding strategy, or developing a resilient design, you’re supported by a team who takes pride in both the work and the relationships that make it possible. Here’s to continuing that partnership in 2026 — and to all the communities we’ll strengthen together.
