Over a period of 66 years (1945 to 2011), CH2M HILL has grown from the group of four employees (a major professor and three former students) into a major, worldwide organization of 28,400 employees and $6.4 billion in annual revenues. This growth was driven by: (1) Meeting certain growth prerequisites; (2) Having visionary, unselfish management; and (3) Having staff retention and recognition.
The CH2M HILL prerequisites were having:
- A desire to grow
- The policies that allowed growth
- The technical skills necessary to grow
- The financial strength necessary to grow
- Positive, external market conditions
CH2M HILL has held onto the No. 1 ranking for Top Environmental Firm for the 8th consecutive year (since 2006). A summary of CH2M HILL’s ranking in the top 200 Environmental Firms, according to the Engineering News-Record issue dated August 12, 2013, are shown in the table below.
| Topic | 2013 Ranking | USD($M) | 2012 Ranking | USD($M) |
| Top 200 Environmental Firms | 1 | 4,296 | 1 | 4,113 |
| Top 10 in Wastewater Treatment | 1 | 1,031 | 1 | 1,024 |
| Top 10 in Consulting Studies | 2 | 1,559 | 2 | 1,481 |
| Top 10 in Engineering Design | 1 | 1,568 | 1 | 1,493 |
| Top 20 working in Non-US Locations | 1 | 1,791 | 1 | 1,526 |
| Top 20 in Water Supply/Treatment | 2 | 1,018 | 2 | 991 |
| Top 10 in Nuclear Waste | 3 | 1.053 | 5 | 1,016 |
| Top 20 in Hazardous Waste | 3 | 705 | 4 | 691 |
| Top 10 in Environmental Science | 5 | 258 | 6 | 243 |
| Top 10 in Construction/Remediation | 9 | 417 | 10 | 411 |
| Top 10 in Air Pollution Control/Efficient Energy | 5 | 232 | 4 | 148 |
| Top 10 in CM/PM | 2 | 752 | 2 | 726 |
| Top 10 Firms by Type of Client (% of Environmental Revenue) | ||||
| Federal Clients | 3 | 1,164 | 3 | 1,633 |
| State/Local Clients | 1 | 1,276 | 1 | 1,300 |
| Private Clients | 2 | 1,856 | 4 | 1,180 |