News

Using Innovation to Bring a Fresh Perspective to a Traditional Field

This article appeared in the Kansas City Business Journal’s E-Week 2022 section. View the section here, and find our article on page 5.

History tells us that engineering has been around a long, long time — possibly before recorded history. The profession really started to take off as a specialty in the 1500s, and by the late 1800s, special disciplines such as civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering emerged. In the 20^th century, engineering revolutionized how we live with advances that we can’t imagine living without. The current century promises even more dazzling advances as technology progresses and displaces traditional practices.

Engineering is not a singular pursuit – it takes place in an ecosystem including design, construction, technology, field work, scientific discovery, laboratory science, and more. Each person in the ecosystem of engineering has an important contribution that serves to help advance the broad field forward.

Clients and projects are moving more rapidly than ever before, and in turn those of us supporting the construction industry are challenged to lead by developing faster, more efficient processes. Timeframes for site selection, design, and construction have sped up and engineering is challenged to keep pace. At the same time, we are running short on our most precious resource – the people who work as engineers.

As an engineering consulting company, Terracon’s brand refresh reflects how we are reimagining the role of professional engineers to incorporate the most critical job functions while also reconsidering the way that other people and innovative technology can contribute to getting the job done for our clients. We know that it’s up to us to bring the right solutions to every project challenge, and that the mix of expertise, tools and resources needed will vary. What should never change is the sense of wonder and awe that engineers bring when they work to reshape the natural and built environment around us.

As the world around us continues to become more complex, engineering consulting in the future will require the ability to identify and avoid potential challenges, while at the same time having the ability to swiftly respond to issues that arise. This versatility must be present in individual engineers as they perform their jobs, as well as everyone else working alongside them during the clients’ journeys to project completion. While we respect the traditional methods of engineering consulting used in the past, we must strive to always improve and find new ways to succeed.

Technology is helping to transform how engineering is typically done. At Terracon, this can be seen through use of Stage1, a collaborative, online experience that allows clients to receive a fully remote preliminary investigation for any project site in the U.S. Stage1 is not invasive, and can be completed before land owners know their property is of interest. Easily scalable, with the ability to narrow or expand searches as needed, Stage1 is a fast way to compare multiple sites. Eliminating the need to be physically present on a site in early stages saves time and money.

TARGETID represents another innovation that upends traditional methods of manually accessing hundreds or even thousands of reports for large scale projects. This unprecedented technological solution leverages geospatial information to collect, communicate, and report materials testing results through a map-centric, highly visual and interactive interface, and all with real-time capabilities. TARGETID provides users with a way to quickly find and view specific data to make the timely, informed decisions demanded by today’s projects.

Reimagining the possibilities goes beyond tools and innovative technology solutions. As engineering evolves into the future, engineering firms need to evolve as well. That’s why now, in early 2022, Terracon has announced a brand refresh to better reflect its alignment with today’s client needs. As a leading national consulting engineering firm comprised of engineers, scientists, and field professionals who thrive on turning big ideas into reality for partner clients, employees, and the world. Terracon’s brand now invites clients to “Explore with us.” We invite you to join us.