Company Name: Peterman Associates, Inc.
Employee Name and Role: Greg Knestrick, vice president of business affairs / owner; and Todd Jenkins, chief operating officer / owner
By Sarah Mayle
How long have you worked here, what do you do, and what do you enjoy about working here?
Commitment, longevity, dedication, experience.
Peterman Associates – an architectural, engineering, inspection and design firm in Findlay – has been serving the local community for more than 86 years. The firm has greatly shaped the landscape of Northwest Ohio through projects such as Tall Timbers Industrial Park; Blanchard Valley Health System’s EasternWoods and Birchaven; the restoration of the Fostoria Wastewater Treatment Plant; and site design for the University of Findlay’s Student Life and College of Business Building.
But it’s not just the company that has been a steady presence. Peterman’s three leaders – Greg Knestrick, Todd Jenkins and Nick Nigh have put their heart and soul into the company for a whopping – I do think a drumroll is appropriate here – 101 years! With Knestrick and Jenkins joining Nigh as owners in 2025, they are ready to build upon the rich legacy of the company.
Todd Jenkins, one of three owners of the firm, has worked for Peterman Associates for 31 years.
The key to that longevity and strong source of fulfillment in Jenkins and Knestrick’s work is collaboration and relationships – building a strong foundation with the people around them, much like their product.
“To me, our ability to interact with clients is what really stands out,” said Jenkins, who oversees the engineering department. “To listen to what our clients’ needs are, understand what their needs are, and work toward those needs.”
Greg Knestrick, one of three owners of Peterman Associates, has been with the company for 24 years.
That theme holds true in the office, too. Both enjoy working in a small to mid-sized firm where there’s an opportunity to get to know coworkers, “It creates a family atmosphere that I really enjoy, the personal interaction with people every day,” Knestrick said.
And it’s been a place where they can help staff members grow and develop in their careers.
“We have a staff engineer who started with us about four years ago straight out of school,” Jenkins said. “It’s really neat to think of where he was four years ago and what he’s doing now. He has really grown, and the experience that he now has makes everything go that much smoother for all of us. We enjoy seeing that growth in the people around us.”
What is your founding story?
Founded by Glen A. Peterman in 1939, Peterman Associates was originally located in Fostoria and was known as Peterman and Harvey. In 1948, the company relocated to Findlay and established what is now known as Peterman Associates, Inc.
When Jenkins joined the company in 1994, Jan Nigh (Nick’s father) owned Peterman, in addition to a few minor partners. In 1995, Scott Weasel and Nick Nigh bought out Jan Nigh and the others for full ownership. Weasel, a professional engineer, wanted to grow the company, and they were able to expand substantially, Jenkins said.
Through that time, Peterman Associates evolved with changing technology and moved from a focus on survey work toward more emphasis in the municipal field.
“Our bread and butter was survey work,” Jenkins said. “We did a lot of staking for construction projects, highway design, subdivision design and site planning. As the years have gone by and technologies have changed, we have adapted and shifted. We started doing construction inspection because as GPS technology improved, demand for survey crews was a lot less. Moving into construction inspection and municipal work is how we were able to weather the storm, the recession in 2007 and 2008, when things kind of crashed.”
Jenkins said Peterman Associates is more than happy to take on any kind of project, but whereas in the beginning they did “probably 90 percent private work,” municipal work makes up about 70 percent of what they do now.
In 2024, Weasel was ready to retire, which led to a shift in ownership. Knestrick and Jenkins joined Nigh as owners in January 2025.
“Without a doubt, both Nick and Scott have been incredible mentors for both Todd and I,” Knestrick said. “Through their time, they worked in tandem with great acumen and were instrumental in laying the foundation for the solid, exceptional company we see today. We are very thankful for all that they have done and, still working closely with Nick, look to carry it on into the future.”
What is produced / created / services offered by the company?
Peterman Associates provides a wide range of services under the umbrellas of its architectural, engineering, inspection and surveying departments, through the work of 19 employees.
- Architectural – commercial, industrial, institutional, governmental, retail or residential. Examples of the scope of their work include county, municipal and government offices; industrial and manufacturing; school facilities for all ages; medical offices; retail shopping centers; restaurants, cafes and clubs; single family residences and multi-family units; museums, theaters and multi-purpose assembly halls; fire stations; financial centers; sports complexes; master planning; swimming and therapy pools; and more.
- Engineering – Jenkins oversees a staff of engineers with a wide variety of experience in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water and wastewater treatment, combined sewer overflow studies, infrastructure analysis, facilities studies, economic analysis and assistance planning, land use planning, site analysis, construction management services, and general surveying.
- Inspection – Peterman Associates’ inspection staff is certified and experienced with roads, sanitary sewers, pump stations, force mains, waterlines, above ground storage tanks, and various petroleum industry projects.
- Surveying – Peterman’s surveyors are skilled in boundary surveys, topographic surveys, American Land Title association/American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ALTA/ACSM) land title surveys, GPS/GIS, and other data collection tasks needed at the start of any project. Once the design and architectural plans are complete, crews have extensive construction staking skills that can be utilized by clients’ project managers and superintendents.
Industrial Drive in Napoleon was a memorable project for Peterman Associates. It was a complete reconstruction, and the all-concrete design won an award – “Concrete Street of the Year” from the Northwest Ohio Concrete Association.
What are some projects that stand out in your memory?
Peterman Associates’ influence has shaped much of the Findlay and Northwest Ohio environment, leaving a legacy of well-loved sites and buildings – key pieces of the community we know today.
It was before Jenkins or Knestrick’s time, but Peterman Associates designed Tall Timbers Industrial Park in the late 1980s. They worked with John Kovach, who at the time was director of the Findlay-Hancock Community Development Foundation (precursor to Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development).
“John Kovach did a lot for the community,” Jenkins said. “Back then we did a lot of work for him designing and developing his vision for the beginnings of Tall Timbers.”
Peterman Associates did the civil engineering, site design and subdivision design for Blanchard Valley Health System’s EasternWoods Outpatient Center, Armes Family Cancer Care Center, Birchaven Village, and two subdivisions in the area – The Apartments at EasternWoods. In layman’s terms, that would include things like the roadway design, interconnected stormwater ponds, the featured wetlands on-site, and the site design for the buildings.
“It’s very gratifying to think about the impact that is made through that type of a development,” Knestrick said. “…the number of individuals’ lives that have been affected out there, from people who live there to the number of people going there daily for medical appointments and things. It’s been neat to be a part of that.”
A project near and dear to Jenkins’ heart is the revitalization of the City of Fostoria’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. During college, Jenkins interned at Bayview Water Reclamation Plant in Toledo and was intrigued, so much so that as part of his master’s degree in civil engineering, he chose a specialty in wastewater.
“There is just something about being at the plant in a storm and the flow goes from 40 million gallons a day to 400 million gallons a day in a matter of hours,” he said of his interning experience. “Just to see the whole operation and how everything worked – it was really enjoyable.”
In 2019, the City of Fostoria reached out to Jenkins for help with their plant, which had depreciated. He ran the plant for three-and-a-half months until they were able to hire a new operator full-time. For years since the hire, Jenkins has worked at the plant two times per week and still assists one day per week.
“I was the operator in charge,” he said. “I got to train the staff and lead them toward the certifications they needed, and that was very enjoyable. I have really spent a significant amount of time over there – every single part of that wastewater treatment plan has been improved.”
Jenkins, through Peterman Associates, assisted in the overhaul of the plant and worked heavily on budgets. All buildings were improved significantly. When Jenkins came in, design was already underway for a new raw inflow station – a $16 million project. While he didn’t officially design it, he was able to guide the process, acting as the owner’s representative. He assisted through the funding and planning application processes, then was there through the construction process.
“It meant a lot to me to help get it where it is today,” Jenkins said. “It really is a shining star in Northwest Ohio at this point with all of the improvements. They have received awards from the Ohio Water Environment Association for the work they have done. It has been very rewarding.”
Knestrick and Jenkins also highlighted a memorable highway project – Industrial Drive in Napoleon. The project was a total reconstruction in 2017 and received a design award from The Northwest Ohio Concrete Association.
“We designed it with all concrete pavement because of the heavy truck traffic,” Jenkins noted.
Jenkins has also worked closely with the University of Findlay throughout his entire career. One highlight was the site design for the Center of Student Life and College of Business Building, a “showpiece on campus.”
“The university is very land-locked, and that’s been part of the planning and design through the years, buying up houses to expand, filling in behind houses, and designing parking lots,” he said. “We’ve done the master layout and every parking lot. Peterman Associates also worked with the university even before my time – we’re very proud to work with them.”
If there were one take-away you would want people to have about your company, what would it be?
“Over 86 years, we have been able to weather market changes and countless challenges because of the loyalty of our clients and the true dedication of our workforce,” Knestrick said. “Our work with clients is laid back, truly a collaborative partnership. We want to listen to you, accommodate your needs and get you exactly what you want in the smoothest way possible.”
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