Business & Tech

Local Cost Consultancy Company Expands

Cumming relocates its offices from Rancho Bernardo to Carmel Mountain.

Employees and community members celebrated the relocation of a former Rancho Bernardo-based company branch last week as it continues to expand its team.

Cumming, an international program and cost consultancy firm, relocated its San Diego headquarters to 15015 Avenue of Science, Suite 160, in the Carmel Mountain area of San Diego because of continued growth.

“It’s a nice feeling to know that the company is growing when you hear stories about other companies letting people go,” said Senior Cost Manager Greg Ratzlaff, who lives in Rancho Peñasquitos. “It actually is a very comforting feeling for myself and my family that we’re at a place where there’s more chance for improvement and job security.”

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When Cumming came to San Diego in 1999, the branch had just three employees. In the last three years, the branch hired six more people and now has 25 employees, Jimenez said.

Ratzlaff said his commute to the new building is “about the same distance” and that he still uses surface streets to travel to work.

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“I love working at Cumming,” Ratzlaff said. “It’s a very relaxed atmosphere. It’s very collaborative. It’s very team-oriented.”

Employees said they have become even more like a team at the new facility.

Employees had their own offices at the former 7,000-square-foot building, which was located at 16744 West Bernardo Dr. The new facility at Carmel Corporate Plaza’s 8,500-square-foot-space is an open floor plan.

“It takes a little bit of adjustment by everybody, but I think everybody is enjoying it now,” said Regional Vice President and Poway resident Graham Flight. “I just get a feeling that there is a lot more collaboration going on and people sharing stories that didn’t happen before because maybe they closed their doors.”

Managing Director Ashok Patel agreed.

Patel moved from London to San Diego in 2005 to work for Cumming. He said the new building is “vibrant” on the outside and inside.

“It allows the teams to work together,” said Patel, who lives near Rancho Bernardo. “It’s easier to communicate with other team members, exchange ideas, get advice. It creates a more harmonious and a more open environment.”

Cumming has clientele in various sectors, including education, health care and hospitality.

The company has thousands of projects across California, Jimenez said, including some in San Diego, such as the San Diego Community College District, Grossmont Union High School District, Chula Vista Elementary District, Scripps Mercy in Chula Vista, Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley and UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest and Thorton Hospital in La Jolla.

Flight said the company expects even more growth, and he hopes it will tackle more local projects.

“The reason for us moving was partly to get our name out there in the local market and get more work in the San Diego market,” Flight said.


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