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News and Events - "Featured"
Welcome to our newsroom! Here you will find the latest information about our company, projects and people. Browse articles published by our engineers and scientists in national publications and conference proceedings, view our press releases and read through news coverage of Terracon.
If you are a member of the media, you may contact our media relations representative at media@terracon.com.
OLATHE, Kan. — Engineering News-Record (ENR) ranked Terracon #39 on its 2012 Top 500 Design Firms list, showing Terracon’s consistent performance above industry average, with a ranking of #62 ten years ago.
“We are proud to be #39 in the country,” said David Gaboury, P.E., Terracon president and CEO. “For the past two years, we have achieved double-digit growth. This is a remarkable accomplishment given the national economic situation over the past three years. Our employees’ efforts are making a real and positive impact on our continued success.”
In addition to the Top Design Firm category, ENR ranked Terracon as the 18th largest design firm in the Top 20 General Building (commercial) market, 20th in the list of Top 20 Telecommunications design firms and 20th in the list of Top 100 Pure designers.
ENR annually surveys the construction industry to determine the 500 largest U.S.-based engineering, architectural and environmental design firms. The rankings are based on design-specific revenue generated by each company.
Terracon’s total revenues were $354 million for 2011. Terracon’s top four sectors (State/Local Government, Commercial/Retail, Industrial/Agriculture and Institutional) accounted for 76 percent of total revenues. In addition, the Transportation Sector grew 45 percent over the last three years.
During 2011, Terracon acquired two highly-reputable companies: Nodarse & Associates, Inc. and Dressler Consulting Engineers, Inc., adding more than 230 employees. Since 2009, Terracon has made nine acquisitions, adding a total of 48 offices and 725 employees to the firm.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. For additional information about Terracon, please visit terracon.com.
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OLATHE, Kan. — Terracon is making it possible to learn about the latest innovations in transportation even if you aren’t able to attend the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Design-Build in Transportation Conference in Phoenix April 25-27.
As part of Terracon’s Green Light Series, many of the conference presentations will be taped and highlights will be available post-show at terracon.com/greenlight. Check out the videos after the show to learn more from experts at architecture/engineering firms, city government, departments of transportation and industry organizations on topics including design-build delivery, public-private partnerships and collaboration and partnering in design-build.
This will be the second year for the Green Light Series, which last year showcased some of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts discussing the latest in transportation at the 2011 DBIA conference. Those videos are currently available at terracon.com/greenlight.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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Terracon has jumped to #13 from #18 on the Kansas City Business Journal’s Top Kansas City Engineering Firms list.
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2012/03/16/top-of-the-list-kansas-city-area.html
OLATHE, Kan. — Craig K. Denny, Ph.D., P.E., has received the 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Citizen Engineer Award. Denny is a senior principal and senior consultant with Terracon in Lenexa, Kan. Denny joined Terracon nearly 40 years ago and has lived and worked in Lenexa since 1985.
The Citizen Engineer Award is presented to ASCE members in recognition of their accomplishments in the area of public service. The award recognizes individuals who have volunteered their time to help others in their community, influenced local policy or legislative affairs and improved the image of civil engineers.
Denny is currently president of the Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education, chair of the City of Lenexa Park and Recreation Board and member of the Lakeview Village Board of Directors. He served on the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce Board from 2000 to 2008 and was chair in 2007. Denny chaired Lenexa’s 100-year Anniversary Community Celebration Committee (2005-2007) and co-chaired Lenexa Vision 2030, a grass-roots driven strategic planning process (2008).
Denny earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Kansas. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Iowa State University, where he presently serves as a member of the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department Advisory Board.
No more than four individuals receive this award annually and an individual may only receive this award once in their lifetime.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
OLATHE, Kan. — Terracon’s board of directors recently announced the appointment of two employees to senior principal and five employees to principal. The Terracon Principals Program provides recognition, rewards and opportunities for employees who have distinguished themselves by their strong leadership and contribution to the continued growth and success of the firm.
Senior principal appointments:
- Ryan R. Roy, P.E., north east division manager, Manchester
- John B. Sallman, P.G., environmental department manager, Dallas
Principal appointments:
- Jeremy W. Basler, P.E., geotechnical department manager, Oklahoma City
- Aaron J. Muck, P.E., geotechnical department manager, Cincinnati
- Gary W. Rome, P.E., office manager, Billings
- Michael L. Sampson, construction materials department manager, Des Moines
- Kevin J. Scott, P.E., P.Eng., national program manager for transportation and infrastructure services, Albuquerque
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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OLATHE, Kan. — M. Gayle Packer has been appointed executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Terracon. Packer, a senior principal of the firm, joined Terracon in 2004 as an attorney. Prior to her recent appointment, she was promoted in 2005 to co-general counsel and promoted in 2008 to director of corporate services.
Currently, Packer manages the corporate services provided to Terracon’s 130 offices nationwide from the headquarters in Olathe, Kan., and facilitates the firm’s acquisition program. Since 2005, Packer integrated 17 acquisition companies with 48 new offices into Terracon.
She was a 2004 KC Chamber Centurions graduate, selected for Ingram’s Forty Under 40 class of 2008, and named to Kansas City Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business class of 2010. Packer received her master of laws in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas, a juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s and master’s degree from The Ohio State University.
Packer is involved in numerous organizations in the Kansas City community. She is president of the board of Heartstrings Community Foundation and past president of the Mid-America Chapter of Association of Corporate Counsel, member and former co-chair of the grants committee for Impact KC and also on the board of the Greater KC Ohio State Alumni Chapter.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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CINCINNATI, Ohio — H.C. Nutting Company (HCN), headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, officially changed its name to Terracon Consultants, Inc. on Jan. 1, 2012. HCN joined Terracon in 2007. As Terracon, they will continue to offer geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services.
“We have had a great five years as a Terracon company and look forward to fully transitioning,” said R. Jack Scott, P.G., president of HCN. “With our combined expertise and resources, we can be valuable partners with our clients nationally.”
Harry C. Nutting founded The H.C. Nutting Company in 1921 in Cincinnati to fill a distinct need for architects, engineers and owners that specialize in testing and inspections. HCN opened the Charleston, W. Va., office in 1980 and continued the expansion with offices in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio and Lexington, Ky.
Swaminathan Srinivasan (Vasan), P.E., remains the division manager of the HCN offices. Jess Schroeder, P.E., remains the office manager of the Cincinnati office.
“Although there is a change in name, you can rest assured there will be no change in the quality of services offered or the clientele served,” Srinivasan said. “Over the past 90 years, HCN has worked on tens of thousands of projects throughout the United States and abroad serving individual clients on more than 1,000 projects during that span.”
HCN History:
In the beginning, HCN consisted of chemists and technicians trained to perform the tests necessary to establish the compliance of materials with governing specifications.
The first drilling service offered by the company was in connection with the extraction of cores from finished concrete pavements for checking specifications. Nutting received a U.S. Patent for his True-Core drill in the early 1920s. The company then further developed and manufactured the specialized drill and sold the product to numerous municipalities and contractor organizations. These services were provided in many major cities east of the Mississippi from Boston to Miami. HCN had an office in Havana, Cuba, but was forced to leave when relations between the U.S. and Cuba disintegrated.
Services then expanded to include deep drilling for roadways and structure foundation studies. In the 1940s, the soils engineering profession developed and at this time professional engineering personnel became an integral part of HCN. The engineers directed project operations and performed engineering services for HCN clients. A soil mechanics laboratory was also established to aid the soils engineers in material properties evaluation, and remains one of the largest in the industry.
At this stage, the evolution of the company had produced a full-service professional engineering and consulting firm. HCN has been providing environmental support services for years, but in 1985, when environmental regulatory requirements became critical, the company emphasized and further developed these services to meet the pressing needs of the industry.
In addition to traditional services, HCN’s abilities include underwater diving, petrography, welding and inspection services, and other specialized laboratory and field testing services unique to the industry. They also provide testing and inspection not only for quality control purposes, but also in conjunction with research and development of new construction products.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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OLATHE, Kan. — Donald J. Vrana, CPA, has joined Terracon as executive vice president and the incoming chief financial officer (CFO). Roger R. Herting, CPA, has provided 25 years of service as Terracon’s CFO and is retiring at the end of the year.
Vrana has more than 25 years of experience with large, high-growth corporations across broad industry segments. He was most recently the CFO for The PBSJ Corporation in Tampa. He has an MBA in finance/accounting from Creighton University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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Terracon has been engaged by EnviroMission to provide initial geotechnical engineering analysis, geo-seismic analysis and geotechnical consulting services for the Solar Tower power station development in Arizona.
Terracon’s reports will inform and support Solar Tower front end engineering and design (FEED).
EnviroMission plans to build a major infrastructure power station that will use air heated by the sun to drive turbines to generate enough renewable energy to power 150,000 homes in Arizona and California. The iconic design will have a vast greenhouse with a tall central tower structure that will be almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building.
The proposed Solar Tower will offset 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year and will abate the use of up to 1 billion gallons of potable water annually.
“Terracon is pleased to be a part of this ambitious and forward-thinking project from the ground up,” said David Gaboury, P.E., Terracon President and CEO. “The solar tower technology should offer significant advantages and produce clean, renewable power. We are proud to be a part of EnviroMission’s vision.”
The following Terracon expertise is available to EnviroMission for future geotechnical engineering services and reports:
- Subsurface Exploration and Testing
- Geophysical Testing
- Geotechnical and Materials Laboratory Testing
- Foundation Analysis and Design for Shallow and Deep Foundations
- In-situ Testing and Performance Monitoring
- Dynamic Analysis and Evaluation
- Soil Stabilization and Ground Improvement
- Pavement Evaluation and Design, Subgrade Evaluation and Material Evaluation
The preliminary geotechnical engineering report prepared by Terracon in October 2011 will provide the basis for a further geotechnical engineering study planned for first quarter 2012 and the final geotechnical engineering report for final design and construction.
“Terracon’s reports will contribute to important geotechnical analysis that will go to the heart of all site-specific Solar Tower engineering and design decisions,” said Roger Davey, EnviroMission chief executive. “EnviroMission engaged Terracon to bring the highest standard of geotechnical survey and due diligence to ensure every engineering and design decision made by EnviroMission’s executive project engineers is supported by technically accurate site data and analysis.”
EnviroMission:
EnviroMission Limited is a public listed Australian company on the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange – ASX Code: EVM) and on the OTCQX foreign securities platform in the United States (OTCQX Code: EVOMY). EnviroMission is the global developer of the Australian Solar Tower renewable energy power station concept being commercialised in the United States. EnviroMission (USA) Inc, a 100% owned subsidiary of EnviroMission Limited, provides local management and representation for EnviroMission in the U.S. market. Solar Tower power station technology is large-scale installed capacity electricity generation technology, to deliver sustainable clean electricity to the wholesale electricity market. For additional information please visit http://www.enviromission.com.au.
Terracon:
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit http://www.terracon.com.
OLATHE, Kan. — Clifton J. Rope, P.E., R.G., LEED AP, has joined Terracon as a national program manager for Terracon’s expanding federal sector. Rope will focus on the overall development and strategic growth of the sector. His experience includes 16 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City and Europe Districts.
Rope’s experience includes investigations, design, project and program management for civil works, military facilities, environmental remediation and energy engineering projects in the United States and Europe.
Rope is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers Environmental & Water Resources Institute’s Sustainability Committee. He also serves on the Overland Park, Kan., Environmental Advisory Committee. He has a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Kansas and bachelor’s degrees in geology and civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 2,700 employees providing geotechnical, environmental, construction materials and facilities services from more than 130 offices in 39 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 38th on Engineering News-Record’s List of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.
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