From Engineer to Owner: Leading the Next Chapter of a Legacy Firm With Megan Franklin
- Jennifer McPherson
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Megan Franklin is the Principal and Lead Civil Engineer at SCE Engineering, a full-service design consulting firm specializing in geotechnical, roadway, civil, and structural engineering for community infrastructure projects. As majority owner, Megan oversees a team spanning three offices, and under her leadership, SCE Engineering has maintained a strong culture with remarkable employee retention and has implemented advanced technologies like AI-powered drone surveying to accelerate project delivery and ensure safety.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
[01:26] Megan Franklin’s journey to engineering firm ownership
[05:07] Why company culture and team alignment drive business success
[10:08] How drones and AI are revolutionizing civil engineering projects
[14:36] Why public clients hesitate or embrace new engineering technologies
[19:24] Actionable advice for overcoming fear and seizing bold opportunities
In this episode…
Stepping into ownership is rarely a straight line. It’s a mix of timing, confidence, risk, and a quiet question many professionals wrestle with: how do you know when you’re ready to take the leap and lead something that already has a history?
For Megan Franklin, the answer starts with patience and perspective. As an experienced engineer who spent years building technical depth and leadership confidence, she believes ownership comes after you’ve seen the industry from multiple angles and learned what kind of leader you want to be. By progressing through hands-on roles and observing what made teams thrive or struggle, she gained clarity that ownership wasn’t about perfect timing, but about trusting her growth and values. That mindset reframes leadership as something earned through experience, not rushed by ambition.
In this episode of Own Your Next, Jennifer McPherson is joined by Megan Franklin, Principal and Lead Civil Engineer at SCE Engineering, to discuss stepping into ownership and leading the next chapter of a legacy firm. They explore why timing is rarely perfect, how company culture outweighs company size, and what it means to lead with trust and ethics. Megan also shares advice on embracing risk and staying flexible as a new owner.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Quotable Moments
“Timing's never perfect. It's never right.”
“The biggest thing that I have learned, and the biggest takeaway of that is your team and the company culture.”
“So it doesn't really matter as much of what logo it is on the firm that you're working for.”
“I think that they misunderstand structure in general. Right. So how much of everyday life is part of civil engineering?”
“I think it's really important to understand the big picture and where you want to go and stay focused with that.”
Action Steps
Invest time in building your technical and leadership foundation: Gaining experience across roles builds confidence and credibility before stepping into ownership.
Prioritize team and culture over brand or firm size: Strong relationships and shared values drive long-term success more than a company name.
Embrace calculated risk instead of waiting for perfect timing: Growth often comes from acting before conditions feel completely comfortable.
Stay flexible and adapt when plans change: Ownership requires adjusting priorities daily while keeping the bigger picture in focus.
Be open to new technologies and ways of working: Leveraging tools like AI and drones can improve safety, efficiency, and project outcomes.
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