HISTORY

1984-1988

In September 1984, six men in St. Louis, Missouri, joined together to create a niche engineering firm whose focus promised growth and responded to a void in the industry. Mike Alizadeh, John Baker, Ron Eckelkamp, Rich Frueh, Pat Goeke and Don McQueen established Geotechnology, Inc. to provide geotechnical and environmental services to clients in the Midwest.

Geotechnology Founders Ron Eckelkamp, Don McQueen, Mike Alizadeh, Pat Goeke, John Baker and Rich Frueh (not pictured)

The first five years were a period of rapid change and initial growth. Just a year after the firm’s founding, the Drilling Division was established, which allowed Geotechnology to be more responsive than its competition and proved to be a valuable source of business. The formation of an Environmental Division followed soon after, and in 1988, the company completed it’s 1,000th project.

1989-1993

Geotechnology Headquarters in St. Louis

By 1989, the staff had tripled and the company moved to a larger location in the Westport business district in St. Louis.

By 1993, Geotechnology began offering geophysical investigations to its clients. The firm’s underground storage tank practice boomed during this period as it established strong relationships with Shell Oil, Mobil and Texaco. By the end of this period, the staff numbered 45 and the company instituted Total Quality Management (TQM) as a method to improve client service.

1994-1998

As Geotechnology’s reputation grew, the size of its projects and the number of clients also expanded. During this time period, the firm established working relationships with major companies, such as Mallinckrodt, Sigma Chemical, DESCO and many more. Geotechnology worked on a number of high profile projects, including Lambert International Airport and began providing services to a number of transportation agencies, such as the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Load testing

In June of 1996, Geotechnology acquired the operating assets of Anco Testing Laboratory, Inc. The acquisition was consistent with the strategic goal of entering the full service construction materials testing market. In addition, a Collinsville, Illinois, branch was established in 1997 to better serve clients based in Southwestern Illinois, and allowed Geotechnology to become a major player in providing services for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

1999-2005

By this time Geotechnology developed into a dominant provider of geotechnical, environmental, materials testing and drilling projects for the region’s most significant development and redevelopment projects. Employing a large and diverse staff, having an understanding for the importance of construction schedules, and owning its own fleet of drill rigs has helped establish the company’s reputation as one of the most responsive consulting firms in the Midwest.

A Kansas City office was opened in 2002 to better serve our existing Midwestern clients. The Kansas City office implemented the company’s core values and quickly grew to a staff of 20, with three drills and a soils and construction materials testing lab.

The New Busch Stadium

In 2004, Geotechnology aligned the company structure to a market-focused organization based on Industrial, Development, and Transportation/Infrastructure Market Teams that allow the firm to provide a high level of service to its clients and better focus on their needs.

New Geotechnology Office

2006 - Today

Over the past few years, Geotechnology has experienced growth both internally and in the geography we serve. In September 2006, Geotechnology consolidated its St. Louis operations, gathering headquarters, the drill shop and the downtown construction materials testing lab together under one roof. All the teams now work together from a 39,000 square foot facility to better streamline projects and enhance communication. In January 2007, the Collinsville, Illinois office moved to a larger office complete with a new soils and construction materials testing lab. In December 2007, the Overland Park office expanded its existing office adding 2,500 square feet and its Kansas City satellite office is growing in January 2008.

Today the firm continues to grow, thanks in part to longstanding clients, bringing us with them to various locations, including New Orleans, Texas, Wisconsin, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Our ability to enhance our traditional disciplines with leading technology and value added services such as geophysical surveying, non-destructive testing and special inspections is proving to be a benefit for our clients. Geotechnology continues to develop innovative applications like pre-construction probing drilled piers to enhance safety, schedule and cost for our clients.