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A prominent environmental engineering company in Pennsylvania expects so much infrastructure renewal work in Maryland that it has opened an office in Prince George's.

Chester Engineers opened its office at the Laurel Technology Center in early September, hoping to land more contracts with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. The commission, headquartered in Laurel, comprises representatives from Montgomery and Prince George's counties and manages water use in both jurisdictions.

The Laurel office has seven employees, but Robert O. Agbede, president and CEO, said he expects that number to increase.

Chester Engineers of Moon Township, near Pittsburgh, has 300 employees and annual sales of $55 million. A global provider of water, wastewater and environmental services, the 100-year-old company is the largest black-owned firm of its kind in the U.S., according to company information. Chester Engineers has offices in more than 13 states, including its first Maryland location in Baltimore. The company also has locations in the United Arab Emirates, the Bahamas and Italy.

"I see the D.C. region market as the place to be," Agbede said. "I see the market growing in spite of the economic downturn. There's an extensive set of opportunities."

He also said he has also considered consolidating the Baltimore office with the Laurel site in the future.

Agbede, originally from Nigeria, views the Washington area as the economic engine of the country and said he hopes to find a more minority-friendly environment in Prince George's, the nation's most affluent majority-black county.

He said the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp. was instrumental in bringing him to the area, offering support, finding the right people to talk to and helping find office space. Agbede had been speaking with county officials for nine months before he opened the office, emphasizing that the personal help he received from the corporation meant more than any financial incentive.

"We see the potential for growth in Prince George's County owed to the business relationship we already have with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and the degree to which Patricia [Hayes-] Parker of the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp. sold us on the county. She was very helpful and made us feel much at home from the start," Agbede said in an earlier statement.

Representatives from the economic development group did not return phone messages seeking comment.

Chester has also expanded into Montgomery County. Last month, it acquired the former View Engineering division from N.A. Water Systems. N.A. Water Systems is just completing a contract with the WSSC, said James Neustadt, director of communications for the agency.

Neustadt said the WSSC has done business with Chester Engineers and is constantly pursuing water infrastructure needs. For more than two years, WSSC officials have said that the infrastructure is long overdue for replacing, he said, citing the massive 5.5-foot water main break on River Road in Cabin John a few weeks ago. There were at least 1,700 main breaks last year, with nearly 4,000 in the past two years, the agency reported Tuesday.

Richard Evans, secretary of the Maryland Society of Engineers, said all infrastructure business is starting to pick up in response to President-elect Obama's proposals to spend more on such needs to help boost the economy.

When the American Society of Civil Engineers last evaluated the nation's water infrastructure in 2005, the system was rated a D.

Kristina G. Ellis, spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, said Chester Engineers' move into the area is especially timely, given the recent main break and Obama's statements.

"It's exactly what you want to see — more firms with this expertise coming into your county," Ellis said. "Focusing on infrastructure can both create jobs and fix problems. I'd like to see more of them showing up."

Richard Engberg, technical director of the American Water Resources Association in Middleburg, Va., said current economic conditions could create more work for water engineers, but he predicts more construction work instead.

Chester's services include design work, engineering and scientific analyses, and water resources management.