Tara Pence on Navigating & Growing through the HB&A Acquisition

Company acquisitions bring a unique mix of challenges, questions, and fresh opportunities. When an organization transitions into a larger firm, employees naturally wonder how their day-to-day work, team dynamics, and overall career paths will evolve. When RS&H acquired HB&A, we knew that integrating our teams meant more than just combining resources—it meant uniting our visions to create tomorrow, together. 

To understand what this experience looks like from an associate’s perspective, we sat down with Tara Pence, a planner based in Colorado Springs, and a former HB&A employee. Tara is an incredible example of how acquisitions can bring real career growth and opportunities for associates. After just two years at RS&H, Tara has already been recognized as a “Rising Star” from our internal Annual Associate Awards and presented her planning work to the Board of Directors. She now shares her perspective on the transition, the benefits of working within a fully integrated firm, and how a collaborative culture drives us forward. 

When you first heard HB&A was joining RS&H, what was your initial reaction?

My reaction was a mixture of surprise and nervousness. I had been working at HB&A for about two years at that point. The nervousness came from the unknown and the surprise came from the news regarding the acquisition itself. I didn’t know exactly what the acquisition meant for my job security or what my role would look like moving forward at RS&H. When you go through a change like that, it is entirely natural to feel half nervous and half surprised until you see how the new structure operates. 

How would you describe RS&H’s culture in your own words?

I find it to be a very good balance between being structured and adaptable. RS&H has clear systems in place, but the firm is completely adaptable to change, growth, and innovation.  

The business landscape is always changing, and I appreciate that RS&H provides a collaborative, inclusive work environment. Leadership truly listens to associates. Leadership wants to know what we need, what we want to see, and how we want our work environments to look. 

How has being part of a larger, multidisciplinary firm impacted your work?

It is incredibly cool to have so many resources right at our fingertips. As planners, we work on many different types of planning projects. For example, if I am working on a flight line district plan for an Air Force installation, I can directly reach out to an in-house aviation planner with my questions. If the installation needs a transportation management plan, I can pull in a transportation planner. 

Having all this expertise within RS&H allows us to provide our clients with highly executable, premium-quality plans. This enables us to explore more complex planning areas that were previously outside our capacity at HB&A. 

In the past, if a plan required a full utility study, we would have to sub that out and hire an external engineering firm.  We rely less on third parties and lean on fellow RS&H associates to help build the pieces of the project. It amplifies our documents and allows us to provide detailed insights given by our experts in-house. We work as one integrated team, bringing diverse perspectives together to deliver comprehensive solutions. 

Is there a project, initiative, or goal you’re particularly proud to be part of?

I am a huge fan of our values, I ACT—which stands for Integrity, Accountability, Curiosity, and Teamwork. These are all incredibly important qualities to me on a personal level, so being able to integrate them professionally is fantastic. 

A major standout at RS&H is our deep commitment to accountability, especially at the leadership level. We treat accountability as a core value in our everyday work, knowing that while mistakes are a natural part of being human, true leadership requires immediate ownership. When challenges arise, our leaders and associates alike step up to present clear, proactive solutions rather than looking the other way.  

That goes hand in hand with integrity. It shows clients and associates exactly how important our work is to us and that we always choose to do the right thing, even when no one is watching. Curiosity guides us to find creative and innovative solutions, and teamwork is the key to actually getting it all done with our internal partners and our clients. When all associates rally around these four qualities, it creates a remarkably healthy and inspiring work environment. 

Delivering Solutions That Inspire

Tara’s journey highlights exactly why strategic integration matters. Joining a new company requires adaptability, but stepping into an environment where everyone is a stakeholder creates a profound, personal investment in the work. This shared commitment, backed by robust in-house resources and an integrated team, empowers individuals to take true accountability for their projects. When we personally own the outcome, we bring the dedication and vision necessary to deliver solutions that truly inspire.  

Learn more about our approach to strategic partnerships.