News

Terracon Foundation Awards $10,000 Grant to Heart to Heart International for Hurricane Ian Relief

OLATHE, Kan. — The Terracon Foundation has made a $10,000 grant to Heart to Heart International (HHI) to provide emergency health care in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, a large and destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that caused widespread damage across the southeastern U.S. in late September. Ian was the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida since 1935.

“Terracon is pleased to support Heart to Heart International in its efforts to bring medical care to those still recovering from Hurricane Ian’s effects,” said Gayle Packer, Terracon chair, president, and CEO. “We are again honored to partner with this incredible organization to provide urgently needed care.”

“Support from the Terracon Foundation and other partners ensures we are able to rapidly deploy experienced, dedicated medical teams in the aftermath of a disaster,” said Kim Carroll, Heart to Heart International CEO. “People affected by disasters have a wide range of medical needs, from critical injuries to loss of essential medications, so we are grateful to the generous supporters and partners who enable us to provide vital care so quickly.”

Headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, Heart to Heart International is a global humanitarian organization focused on improving access to health. Since its inception in 1992, HHI has delivered medical aid and supplies worth $2.5 billion to more than 131 countries, including within the United States. HHI responds to natural disasters both domestically and internationally by supplying medical relief and mobilizing volunteers. The organization is a four-star Charity Navigator charity and is on the "Philanthropy 400" To learn more, visit hearttoheart.org.

The Terracon Foundation was established with a goal to reach out and become a real part of the lives of Terracon employees and the communities where they live and work. Established as the community investment arm of Terracon, the foundation has granted more than $3.7 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and disaster relief efforts.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,500 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical and materials services from more than 175 locations with services in all 50 states. Terracon consistently ranks as a top 25 design firm by Engineering News-Record.

Terracon Names Tim Cleary National Manager of In Situ Services

RALEIGH, N.C. – Terracon, a leading provider of environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, has named Tim Cleary national manager of in situ services. Cleary will lead the company’s in situ and direct push-site investigation services and lead a practice resource group to develop standards for advanced site characterization services.

“Terracon is making significant operational and financial commitments to be a national leader in in situ testing,” Cleary said. “Developing our people and giving them the best resources is critical to our success. I am excited to work with our exploration and engineering staff to lead innovation and serve our clients.”

Cleary has more than 30 years of experience leading exploration operations serving consulting engineers and geologists. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego and studied geotechnical engineering at North Carolina State University. He is based in Terracon’s Raleigh office.

Terracon is an employee-owned, multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,500 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. Explore with us by visiting terracon.com.

Terracon Foundation Scholarship Awarded to University of Colorado Boulder Graduate Student in Geotechnical Engineering

Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Educational Trust Awards Joelle Westcott

 OLATHE, Kan. – The Terracon Foundation announced $3,250 has been awarded to Joelle Westcott, a student pursuing a master of science degree in geotechnical engineering and geomechanics at the University of Colorado Boulder, to support her studies. The scholarship is the second award following the establishment of the DFI Educational Trust/Terracon Consultants Scholarship Fund in 2020. An endowment of $50,000 from the Terracon Foundation funds this annual educational scholarship.

Westcott was recommended for the scholarship by current faculty, as well as the head staff of the Centrifuge Research Complex at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), where she interned as a civil engineer researcher this summer. An accomplished student, Wescott spent the summer of 2019 in the African country of Eswatini, working with a rural community as construction manager for a 69-meter pedestrian footbridge as part of an Engineers in Action project. She is currently working on her master’s degree thesis related to the dynamics of retaining walls, combining experimental centrifuge data collected at the University of Colorado Boulder’s centrifuge with results from a numerical model she is developing.

Originally from Broomfield, Colorado, Westcott chose engineering because she wanted to continuously solve challenging problems that make a tangible, positive impact on the world. A graduate of Thornton High School in Thornton, Colorado, she earned an international baccalaureate diploma and received academic and athletic honors throughout high school. During her bachelor’s degree, her honor streak continued with honors at the college and department level as well as regional American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awards. After she completes her master’s degree, Westcott would like to work on innovative projects, while also staying involved in projects related to engineering for developing communities.

The DFI Educational Trust manages 20 scholarship programs funded by endowments, donations, and fundraising events. Since 2006, the Trust has awarded $1.6 million in scholarships and grants to 450 students studying at colleges and universities across the United States and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Donations to the DFI Educational Trust scholarship funds can be made online at www.dfitrust.org.

The Terracon Foundation encourages employees to submit grant requests each year for organizations focused on education as well as the built and natural environment. To date, the Terracon Foundation has granted more than $3.7 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and disaster relief efforts.

Terracon is an employee-owned multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,500 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. Explore with us by visiting terracon.com.

Terracon Names John Norwood National Manager for Materials Technology and Innovation

RALEIGH, N.C. – Terracon, a leading provider of environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, has named John Norwood, P.E., CSSGB, national manager for materials technology and innovation. Norwood is responsible for partnering with Terracon’s operations and service line leaders to explore future technology needs and drive technology adoptions.

“I’m passionate about connecting people with technology in ways that make our jobs better,” Norwood said. “I’m excited to be at Terracon and looking forward to doing great things with technology and business systems to continually improve our client experience.”

John has more than 14 years of experience managing engineering and construction management projects, including developing materials-focused cost control methods, streamlining project initiation and quality audit processes, and implementing companywide systems surrounding field and lab reporting. John earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University and is Six Sigma certified. He is based in Terracon’s Raleigh office.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,500 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. Explore with us by visiting terracon.com.

Terracon Foundation awards $210,000 in grants

Grants and scholarships made to universities and organizations throughout U.S.

OLATHE, Kan. — The Terracon Foundation announced today the award of nearly $210,000 in grants and scholarships to 20 nonprofit organizations and 10 universities throughout the U.S. Established as the community investment arm of Terracon, the foundation has granted more than $3.7 million to community organizations, universities, and dependents of employees, as well as disaster relief efforts.

“The Terracon Foundation works continuously to support higher education in the form of grants for scholarships, fellowships and programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Scott Kolodziej, P.G., chair of the Terracon Foundation and environmental manager in the Terracon Dallas office. “It’s our goal that grants like these will help students finish their studies, engage in research, and advance their professional development.”

The Terracon Foundation awarded nearly $56,000 in grants to seven universities:

• Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
• Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
• Columbus State University, Columbus, Ga.
• Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Mo.
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
• University of California Riverside, Riverside, Calif.
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, Texas.

Additionally, the Terracon Foundation awarded a total of $85,000 in endowments to three universities:

• Northeast Lakeview College, Universal City, Texas.
• University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
• The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.

“We invite our employees to submit grant requests each year and many do so in support of community organizations doing vital work serving children’s education and health,” Kolodziej added. “Each grant awarded was championed by a Terracon employee who is actively involved in the work of the nonprofit organization.”

The Terracon Foundation awarded nearly $69,000 in community grants to 20 nonprofit organizations:

• Austin Wildlife Rescue, Austin, Texas
• Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.
• Construction Education Foundation of Georgia, Atlanta, Ga.
• Dave's Place, Kansas City, Mo.
• Engineers Without Borders USA, Inc. – Puget Sound Professional Chapter, Seattle, Wash.
• Georgia MATHCOUNTS Foundation, Atlanta, Ga.
• Girls on the Run Columbia, Columbia, S.C.
• HawkWatch International, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Historic Macon Foundation, Macon, Ga.
• James W. Miller Memorial Fund, Cincinnati, Ohio
• North Museum of Nature and Science*, Lancaster, Pa.
• Putnam Museum and Science Center*, Davenport, Iowa
• Rankin County Adult Education, Brandon, Miss.
• Saline/Perry County Foster Parents Association, Benton, Ark.
• Sippy Cups and Chardonnay, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation*, Tucson, Ariz.
• Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
• Sunset Valley Elementary Parent-Teacher Association, Austin, Texas
• United Way of Central Georgia*, Macon, Ga.
• Urban TEC*, Kansas City, Mo.

*Equity grants which support organizations that mirror Terracon’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. These grants are focused on systemic changes in racially diverse and underrepresented communities.

About the Terracon Foundation

The Terracon Foundation was established with a goal to reach out and become a real part of the lives of Terracon employees and the communities where they live and work.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,500 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical and materials services from more than 175 locations with services in all 50 states. Terracon consistently ranks as a top 25 design firm by Engineering News-Record.