How LJA Scaled With Our Purpose-Built Software

The Challenge

Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, LJA provides integrated land development, engineering, and environmental consulting services for private developers, property owners, energy companies, and public sector clients. LJA employs over 2,000 professionals and has 58 regional offices in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

LJA originally operated as a single entity, offering its diverse mix of services under one brand. As the company grew and the need for specialization increased, new legal entities, each dedicated to its service area, were created. While this approach neatly compartmentalized each business unit's finances and risk, it inevitably made managing entity registrations and company licenses more complex. 

Traditionally, LJA used Microsoft Excel and GIS mapping software to manage business registration and professional licensing requirements across the USA. These systems were vital to providing visibility into the firm’s license status across the country, allowing the management team to know where they could pursue new projects.

However, when the firm shifted its strategy to become more acquisitive, cracks in the old approach began to appear. Acquiring other companies increased the number of entities, entity registrations, and licenses under management. Not all acquisition targets kept their compliance data as organized as LJA, further complicating the situation. 

The situation worsened to the point where the Executive Administrator was dedicating most of her time to corporate and license filings rather than her other responsibilities. LJA considered establishing a full-time position solely for managing regulatory findings.

At the same time, the firm was experiencing customer service difficulties with its registered agent provider. It was abundantly clear that if LJA wanted to continue growing, it would need to make structural changes to how it approached compliance.

The Solution

At a Zweig conference, LJA discovered Harbor Compliance’s purpose-built compliance software and managed services for business entity registrations and professional licensing.  After careful investigation, LJA decided to partner with Harbor Compliance. Using a single solution, the firm can now centrally locate and track business entity registrations, professional licenses, and renewals for all states it’s registered in. The comprehensive solution includes Harbor Compliance’s Entity Manager and License Manager software, Registered Agent and Annual Report services, and a dedicated customer success manager to help them utilize the compliance software to its fullest.

The Entity Manager software provides a US map that instantly shows the compliance status and registrations across all 50 states. With just one click, the requirements for every state LJA operates are pulled into their dashboard. The software also automates renewal reminders for filings and annual reports, eliminating the need for time-consuming fire drills. Similarly, LJA chose the Registered Agent service to save time with pre-filled forms and increase efficiency using the software.

Likewise, the License Manager module shows the firm's and Qualifying Individual engineers' professional licensing status on an interactive USA map. It also automates licensing filing requirements and renewal reminders. LJA can also access and track individual continuing education (CE) certificates in the software and refer to each state's CE requirements.

The Results

Support for M&A Activities

Our services have also supported LJA Engineering's mergers and acquisitions activities, ensuring the smooth integration of acquired firms.

Cost-Effectiveness

The financial savings from leveraging our services have substantially reduced the need for additional staff or multiple service providers.

Easily View Deadlines and Upcoming Tasks

Automating license renewals, annual reporting, and other regulatory tasks has reduced the manual workload.

Enhanced Communication and Support

Unlike their previous experience, our service offers responsive and professional customer service.