You’d expect Holley Ellis to talk about rising gas prices, the impact of solar, the future of hydrogen. She doesn’t. She talks about people. The success of E Group, she said, has less to do with customers than with the consultants who come to work for the company, who she describes as the “true” clients.

To that end, E Group has purchased and furnished numerous town homes and condominiums in order to make it as easy as possible for out-of-state consultants to relocate to the area.

The firm offers a fat benefits plan: Blue Cross/Blue Shield health and dental, credit union membership and a matched 401K.

“Our benefits make it hard for any consultant – local or out of state – to pass on a contract with us,” Ellis said.

Still, Ellis looks to headcount as the measure of the win. “In fact, we’ve only had a handful of people actually resign in the last seven years. Of those, half came back within a few months,” she said. “Our retention program benefits everyone involved.” Even as the firm has pursued its aggressive HR strategy, changes in the energy field have worked to its advantage. The industry has been making a big push to make its existing plants ever more efficient, which in turn opens the door for consulting work. At the same time, a growing population in the South has fueled the need for more power, which in turn stokes the fire under E Group’s efforts.