Harbourside Turns 17!
On Friday October 3rd, the Dartmouth office celebrated Harbourside’s 17th year anniversary.
The Dartmouth office took this occasion as a moment to celebrate. The weather was warm, despite the fall colours, and the team gathered outside the geotechnical lab on Friday afternoon to relax and play a few yard-games. Folks from the geotechnical division, the structural division, and the transportation division all met for some cake and libations as a little send-off before the weekend. We even had a few people from the Industrial group in attendance as well!
Things were heating up around the cornhole boards, as Tedd with WSL showed us his ability to sink multiple beanbags back-to-back. We also saw a furious match of washer toss between HTC and HEC. Usually played on grass, the asphalt caused the washers to bounce and role, adding a dramatic new element of gameplay.
The crowd starts to gather right at 4pm outside the Dartmouth geotechnical lab on Friday October 3rd, 2025. Everyone is assembling for pizza, cake, and libations to celebrate Harbourside’s 17th birthday.
As far as milestones go, 17 sits at an awkward junction. Were Harbourside a person, they would have been able to get their driver’s license last year. At 17 years, we are old enough to drive but not to vote. As a person, we’d still be considered a minor, but as a (now) mid-sized company, we’re practically ancient!
The sad reality is that many small businesses fail. This is especially common in the first year, and still relatively common within the first 5 years. Unfortunately, those with talent in an industry are not necessarily good businesspeople… However, once a business crosses the 5-year threshold, they usually become much more stable. At this point, the business faces an interesting dilemma: how does one continue growing?
The answer to this question is different for every industry. We strongly believe that talent is best fostered in a setting that allows for personal mentorship, and exposure to varying challenges. That makes the role of small to mid-sized businesses incredibly important to the Atlantic Canadian region. A small to mid-sized business helps people to gain a wide array of skills, both technical and soft. These environments encourage teamwork, and flexibility that does not necessarily happen at the larger corporate level. Things are interconnected in a small to mid-sized business, and there is a stronger personal investment across team members. Everyone has a role to play, and their actions matter. Therefore, how does one maintain this small to mid-sized business ethos while still growing?
Expansion and Innovation
Harbourside continues to expand, and our team is growing. Now with offices in Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and Ontario, we are not just an Atlantic Canadian company: we are a national company. Still, we strive to keep intact that which makes Harbourside special: our dedication to quality, our hands-on mentorship, and the excellent engineering work we do across all sectors. We are taking our growth seriously and establishing a strong foundation for the future growth we want to see (as an engineering firm, we know a thing or two about strong foundations). Although we are growth minded, we want to ensure that we retain the qualities of a small to mid-sized business that we value so highly. For example, each new Harbourside office has enabled us to reach different markets (expansion). However, each office also continues to work together and rely on each other (teamwork). We continue develop the systems and processes that will help us grow effectively into the future (innovation), we understand that we will have to make adjustments as we go to suit our ever-changing needs (flexibility).
That’s the secret to our 17-year run: we create the base from which we can expand and innovate. We do so with stability, and forethought, and by working together.
So, here’s to the next 17 years.