News

CSI Foundation and Terracon Foundation announce partnership

$25,000 grant to support CSI Foundation’s STEM Camp for Girls

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Foundation and the Terracon Foundation announce a partnership between the organizations to support STEM education for girls through a generous $25,000 National Partner Grant from the Terracon Foundation. The grant will support CSIFT STEM Camp for Girls, which provides hands-on learning experiences designed to educate girls from diverse backgrounds about STEM careers in the AEC and built industry.

“We are honored to provide a national partner grant to the CSI Foundation to support engaging of young girls in STEM while they are considering future careers,” said Scott Kolodziej, P.G., chair of the Terracon Foundation and environmental manager in the Dallas office. “Terracon’s continued efforts to encourage under-represented individuals in STEM is a great fit with the mission of the CSI Foundation.”

The Terracon Foundation encourages employees to submit grant requests each year for organizations focused on education and the built and natural environment. To date, the Terracon Foundation has granted more than $3.5 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and disaster relief efforts.

“The CSI Foundation is grateful to receive such a generous grant from the Terracon Foundation. The funds will help us continue with our mission in developing new programs and resources to inspire the next generation of female architects, engineers, and construction professionals,” said Ronald Geren, CDT^®, CCS^®, CCCA^®, CSC FCSI, CSI Foundation lifetime member.

About Terracon

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. For more information about the Terracon Foundation, visit terracon.com/foundation.

Terracon is an employee-owned multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,000 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. Explore with us by visiting terracon.com.

About Construction Specifications Institute

Founded in 1948, CSI is a national not-for-profit association of more than 6,500 members dedicated to improving the communication of construction information throughout continuous development and transformation of standards and formats, and education and certification of professionals to improve project delivery processes. CSI members work tirelessly to effectively communicate the designers’ vision, the material producers’ solutions, and the constructors’ techniques to create outstanding facilities that meet facility owners’ objectives. For more information visit: csiresources.org.

About the CSI Foundation

The CSI Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization that supports research, education, and scholarship related to the built environment and in alignment with the goals and objectives of CSI. Donations to the CSI Foundation will help influence the future of specifications, specifiers, and the construction industry. For more information, visit csiresources.org/institute/foundation.

Terracon Acquires Wang Engineering Inc. of Illinois

Clients to benefit from expanded geotechnical services and resources

OLATHE, Kansas – Terracon, an employee-owned firm with a long history of providing excellence in engineering consulting services, is pleased to announce it has acquired Wang Engineering Inc. (Wang) of Lombard, Illinois, which specializes in geotechnical engineering, construction inspection, and materials testing services.

Over the past 39 years, Wang has provided geotechnical services to a wide range of clients throughout the U.S. including state and federal government as well as the private sector. The company has extensive experience performing geotechnical services for the City of Chicago, the Illinois and Indiana departments of transportation, and on other public transportation projects including highways, tollways, and railroads.

A subsidiary company, Wang Testing Services, Inc., has been sold separately and was not purchased by Terracon as part of the acquisition. Wang Engineering and Terracon will continue to work with Wang Testing Services, Inc. as a teaming partner.

“Wang is a well-respected provider of geotechnical engineering services in Illinois and Indiana with an impressive track record,” said Gayle Packer, Terracon chair, president, and CEO. “We look forward to the addition of Wang’s highly qualified team as we expand our services to transportation and infrastructure clients.”

Wang’s 25 employees will immediately become part of Terracon. The firm will continue to operate locally as Wang Engineering Inc., A Terracon Company, and the transition will be seamless for clients. The new acquisition is supported by Terracon’s existing offices in Chicago, Glendale Heights, Downers Grove, and Hartford, Illinois, as well as offices throughout Indiana and nearby states.

“Joining Terracon enables Wang to continue to provide the same high level of quality services we’ve always provided to our clients, while providing expanded access to Terracon’s national resources and expertise,” said Paul Wang, president, Wang Engineering. “We look forward to sharing our enhanced capabilities to benefit our clients.”

“As a 100 percent employee-owned firm, we feel joining with Terracon is a terrific fit with how we value our employees,” said Corina Farez, P.E., P.G., and vice president of Wang Engineering. “Our employees will continue to grow and bring new enhancements to our client relationships.”

The transaction was brokered by Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG) of Denver. Jessica Barclay, managing partner of EFCG, said, “We worked hard to find the best fit for the outstanding Wang Engineering team, and Terracon has already exceeded our expectations. They listened extremely well throughout the process and have prepared for integration and joint pursuit of new business opportunities with amiable professionalism.”

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned consulting firm comprised of more than 5,000 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. We provide on-time and real-time data driven insights, provided by our talented employee-owners, to create an unmatched client experience that spans the lifecycle of any project, any size, anywhere. ​Terracon consistently ranks as a top 25 design firm by Engineering News-Record. Start to explore with us by visiting terracon.com.

About EFCG

The Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG) was founded in 1990 to provide a data-driven and strategic edge to Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (A/E/C) firms to advance innovation, sustainability, and success of the industry. Services include M&A advisory, financial and strategic consulting, valuations, peer benchmarking analyses, industry executive conferences, and board presentations. Learn more at efcg.com.

Terracon Launches Refreshed Branding

https://youtu.be/3b_QU69H92I

Leading engineering firm invites clients to “Explore with us”

OLATHE, Kansas – Terracon has announced its first-ever refresh of brand visual assets and related collateral to better reflect its alignment with today’s client needs. As a leading national consulting engineering firm comprised of engineers, scientists, architects, facilities experts, 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.”

As an employee-owned firm with a long history of providing excellence in consulting services, Terracon has continued to evolve to provide clients with the best experience, on-time, quality earth-to-sky solutions, from dedicated partners. The brand is focused around meeting clients where they are in their project journey from the time a site is selected, to the design and construction, to maintaining the life of the structure.

“After more than 55 years in business, it was time for our brand to better reflect who we are and where we’re headed in the future,” said Gayle Packer, Terracon chair, president and CEO. “Our refreshed brand respects our history while also pointing the way to the exciting future with our employee-owners and clients.”

Key elements of Terracon’s refreshed branding include:

• A modernized logo featuring a layered strata representing a comprehensive set of services from earth to sky;
• A new tagline representing the desire to explore together with clients to deliver innovative quality projects faster;
• A compelling company story told authentically through the experiences of our employee-owners;
• Website navigation and graphics, signage, advertising and other visual assets.

The refreshed Terracon brand was created through a year-long process to align how the company meets client needs, which began with identifying opportunities to better sync Terracon’s strategic plan with how the company presents itself externally. More than 600 Terracon employee-owners at various levels participated in this deliberate, thoughtful process.

Since its founding in 1965 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a geotechnical engineering company, Terracon has grown to a thriving multidiscipline engineering consulting firm with more than 175 locations throughout the U.S., and more than 5,000 employees. The company’s successful growth strategy has included organic growth and innovation as well as the acquisition of more than 60 firms with specialized capabilities. A focused and uncompromising dedication to safety has been integral to all operations, particularly over the past 10 years.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,000 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 $5,000 Grant to Heart to Heart International for December Tornado Relief

OLATHE, Kan. — The Terracon Foundation announced a $5,000 grant to Heart to Heart International (HHI) to provide urgent medical care to residents of several states in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. after a series of more than 35 tornadoes that occurred Dec. 10 - 11.

“Terracon is pleased to support Heart to Heart International in its efforts to provide urgently needed medical care to those impacted by recent tornadoes,” said Gayle Packer, Terracon chair, president and CEO. “We value the opportunity to partner to help meet the needs of people in the path of these storms.”

“We value the support from the Terracon Foundation and other partners who wish to help after a disaster,” said Kim Carroll,  CEO, Heart to Heart International. “Medical needs can be vast, and this funding enables us to rapidly distribute critical medical supplies and deploy experienced, dedicated response teams when they are needed most.”

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 $2.2 billion to more than 130 countries, including within the United States. HHI responds to natural disasters both domestically and internationally by supplying medical relief and mobilizing volunteers. To learn more, visit hearttoheart.org.

The Terracon Foundation strives to become a real part of the lives of Terracon employees and the communities we serve. To date, the Terracon Foundation has granted more than $3.5 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and for disaster relief efforts. For more information about the Terracon Foundation and other organizations it has supported, visit terracon.com/foundation.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 150 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon ranks No. 24  on Engineering News-Record’s 2021 list of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, visit terracon.com.

Terracon Recognized Among the 2021 Kansas City Best Places to Work

OLATHE, Kansas – Terracon is pleased to be recognized as an honoree of the 2021 Kansas City Best Places to Work, which is designated by the Kansas City Business Journal.

Terracon is one of five companies in the Kansas City Area recognized by the publication on September 3, 2021, as a Best Place to Work in the large category (251 – 500 employees) for creating exceptional workplaces their employees value highly.

“Terracon is honored to be named a Best Place to Work because it reflects that our employee-owners feel supported, engaged, and are making a difference with both our internal and external clients,” said John Prutsman, Terracon chief people officer. “We’re encouraged that our efforts have made Terracon a place where our employee-owners can thrive and grow in their careers.”

Award applicants were evaluated across five categories according to the number of local employees. Employees of companies in the region rated them as the highest on such values as fun, collaborative culture, solid compensation and benefits offerings, and other amenities, as well as management practices. The top-ranking companies will be unveiled on November 3, 2021, in the Kansas City Business Journal.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 150 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon ranks 24th on Engineering News-Record’s 2021 list of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, visit terracon.com.

 About 2021 Kansas City Area Best Places to Work 

Best Places to Work is an innovative publication and awards program produced by the Kansas City Business Journal. The rankings were determined by surveys that went directly to employees who answered a series of questions. The survey was administered online by the employers and through a service provided by research partner Quantum Workplace. The rankings are numeric based on Quantum’s scoring process. By ranking companies and sharing best practices Quantum facilitates idea sharing and help other companies learn from the best.