Over decades of operation, PS&S Architects and Planners has grown from its headquarters in Warren, NJ to eight other regional locations. The company, which is now under the leadership of the second generation, prefers to grow by acquiring other companies that have performed unique services for a long period. Its Cherry Hill, NJ office came after the purchase of an engineering practice that had been operating in the area since 1964.
Local growth has led to more local contracts as PS&S develops customers at its various locations in sectors such as utilities, utilities, housing and biotechnology. His work has been as varied as design, permitting and construction engineering services related to the closure of the Fresh Kills Landfill in New York City, the design of a water conservation system for the Philadelphia Zoo, and engineering services for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
The company’s extensive local portfolio is the result of employees who have held municipal roles, as well as thanks to a corporate philosophy that “service” means bringing technical skills and volunteer time to communities. For the second year in a row, PS&S is sponsoring Green Empowerment, a non-profit organization that supports local communities around the world as they build water and renewable energy infrastructure. The firm was ranked 61st on ENR East’s list of top design firms with $61.8 million in regional revenue by 2025, up 9.8% from the $56.24 million posted the year before. For its growth and commitment to local initiatives, PS&S has been named the ENR New York Design Firm of the Year 2026.
John Sartor, president and CEO of PS&S, discussed the company’s local relationships, employee retention and focus on expansion with ENR. This Q&A has been edited and condensed.
Some recent projects at a glance:
Holland Gardens – Phase 1, Jersey City, NJ
The $500 million project to revitalize a massive 80-year-old public housing complex includes four new buildings incorporating green energy and sustainable building practices, a pedestrian plaza and community building with a library and more than 600 residences with affordable housing, affordable senior housing and market-rate units. Phase 1 is scheduled to conclude in 2027, while Phase 2 should begin and end in 2029.
Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village, West Deptford, New Jersey
The 84-unit building and its site were purpose-built to support a multitude of services, including workforce assistance, wellness support and transportation for residents. The building was also specially designed and approved according to Passive House standards for energy efficiency and sustainability. Once completed, it will undergo testing to become a certified passive house building.
Essex County Parks Administration Building Rehabilitation, Newark, NJ
The multi-phase building design accommodates the evolving needs of the county while preserving and respecting a structure listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. Complementing the design effort, PS&S planners, archaeologists and architectural historians also guided the project through the New Jersey Office of Historic Preservation review process.
How did local experts become a feature of your business?
I am a second generation owner. Paulison Sokolowski started the company in 1962, and then my father, Anthony Sartor, joined in 1974. It took two generations to strengthen those local relationships. We have a number of employees who have been involved in their communities for many years. They may have participated in the planning boards of their municipalities or [been] members of economic development authorities. I think because of the type of company that we are, which really focuses on local projects in New York and New Jersey, it makes a difference for our employee base that we live, work and play in these areas that we serve.
There is also a conscious effort as a company to be part of our communities. At least once every quarter, we want to do a socially oriented event, so we ask our regional offices what they want to sponsor. In southern New Jersey, there has been a cancer walk for years that is well attended by our local people. We participate in many Chamber of Commerce events, and they are a great way to get to know your towns. Over the decades, it begins to develop a reputation. This takes a lot of effort, and much of that time is not during normal business hours.
For a company that has so many regional offices that touch a variety of services and sectors, what does progress look like?
It won’t necessarily go to a different office. It’s more about expanding your capabilities.
We have a core belief that in our field, we need to excel in three areas: managerial excellence, technical excellence and business development excellence. Going after the license prepares you well for the technical part. But when we talk about advancing your career, let’s look at how you want to build and strengthen yourself as a consultant.
Once or twice a year we sit down and understand what employees are looking for. Some people love the technical aspects of what they do and want to be the best technical expert they can be. We support it because in our axis, we have to address technical excellence. But for those interested in becoming project managers, we spend a lot of time helping them understand finance. If you want to be a supervisor and be responsible for other people, you need to understand what is expected of you. We want our employees to feel well rounded.
PS&S in numbers:
8.83 million dollars – Income from the Eastern regional industrial process, 2025
11.27 million dollars – Income across New York State, 2025
22.14 million dollars – General income from the regional construction of the East, 2025
48.74 million dollars – New Jersey statewide income, 2025
61.80 million dollars – Total revenue of the East region, 2025
63.89 million dollars – Global total revenue, 2025
55 – Number of authorized engineers
14 – Number of authorized architects
PS&S acquired a North Carolina-based company a few months ago. How did you know you were ready to make this purchase?
I would have liked to have done it even sooner, but it takes time. My undergraduate degree was from Duke University in North Carolina. I started getting more involved with my alma mater and in 2019 I attended an event and was blown away by how much the Raleigh-Durham area had grown. A lot of technology is coming here because of the university systems and the cost of land is still much lower than in many of the big tech areas.
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are still our home base, but there is an incredible opportunity for a company like ours to grow at a faster rate. We felt that the best way to do this was to do what we have traditionally done: not to try to be the local expert, but to acquire the local experience.
How did you get involved with Green Empowerment?
It was also through my relationship with Duke. I serve on the industry advisory board for the university’s Master of Science in Climate Engineering and Sustainability program, and one of my fellow board members is the executive director, Andrea Johnson. I have seen many projects to build infrastructure abroad. What is unique about Green Empowerment is how they mobilize the community to support the project. This is what will make it more sustainable. Many of the communities contribute, instead of money, their own time and efforts.
Green Empowerment also provides training on how to build governance around a utility organization that has a good track record and success rate not only in deploying capital to build infrastructure, but to keep it in place and in service for many years.
I think the whole concept and what the nonprofit is trying to do in terms of training and local support is where we end up aligning. Here in the U.S., that’s a lot of what we do at PS&S: We want people to work in their community so they feel part of that community.
