From increased energy efficiency requirements in Federal data centers to the need for better insight on Agency energy usage, government decision makers are turning to IT management and consulting firms to get a better handle on energy and environmental risk factors, as well as opportunities to realize cost and efficiency gains.

This has translated into opportunities for Project Performance Corporation (PPC), an IT and environmental consulting firm founded in 1991 that works extensively with the public sector. PPC provides services to roughly 20 U.S. government agencies in the areas of of energy and environmental consulting, information technology and program and project management.

To enhance its ability to go after these opportunities, PPC announced last month that it entered a conditional agreement to join forces with AEA Technology plc (AEA), a UK-based climate change and energy consulting business seeking to extend its US footprint and IT and data management capabilities. Michael J. Nigro, CEO of PPC, was named President and COO of US Operations for the combined entity and joined the Board of AEA reporting to CEO Andrew McCree.

The new organization boasts 1,000 global employees, and will remain focused on its mission to “simplify complex problems for top government and Fortune 500 decision makers.” For PPC, the move advances its ability to tap opportunities in EU government markets and the UK.

For Nigro, who joined Project Performance Corporation as President and COO in 2003, the agreement with AEA helps push forward his goal to expand the company’s presence in the federal management and IT consulting arena. Over the last few years, PPC has already tripled in size, growing organically to nearly $50 million in annual revenue.

A year and a half ago, Project Performance Corporation left behind the comfortable confines of the small business world. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, PPC is growing faster than ever. A big part of that success comes down to Mike Nigro, and a leadership style that is all about creating and nurturing PPC’s culture and vision. In the following Q&A, Nigro talks about his leadership style, and what’s next for PPC since joining the big leagues.

What do you think the biggest potential revenue is for PPC in ‘08?

Mike Nigro: Overall, we are projecting that we’ll continue the trend we’ve experienced over the last few years and enjoy another 15-20 percent growth figure in ‘08. All of our divisions and practices are projecting this kind of growth success. The specific services that we offer which seem to be growing the fastest and are projecting the biggest potential growth in 2008 are business technology services like data warehousing, business intelligence, business process management, enterprise information management, and IT optimization. Additionally, another area that will grow significantly for us in 2008 is our security and privacy division. There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done in this area: helping government comply with information and systems security rules; doing the engineering to ensure safety of systems, information, and people; building secure networks; protecting personally identifiable. But again, all of our solution areas — from IT investment management to energy and the environment — are expected to make it another good year for PPC from a growth perspective.

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