2008 Economic Impact Awards Top Honors, Engineering Firms: Olsson Associates

“I think it creates an environment where people feel they’re all on the same level, and there’s not necessarily a hierarchy,” says Rachel Wiester, marketing coordinator, noting that the company isn’t big on titles, either.

“Olsson likes to have a flatter structure, not necessarily the pyramid that some places have. … It kind of keeps an atmosphere that people are approachable and willing to listen,” she says.

The result is a company that encourages collaboration and decision-making for the good of its customers. The Springfield office’s clients are spread across southern Missouri, northern Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Olsson’s roots are in engineering, but its scope is full-service design, Wiester says.

“We have land development, water resources, landscape architecture, mechanical and electrical, survey, transportation and traffic” in the Springfield office, she says.

Olsson is a Nebraska-based company founded in 1956 that opened its Springfield office in November 2005. In addition to Missouri, Olsson has offices in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska, which has the largest number of locations.

The company’s philosophy seems to be well-received in the Ozarks. The Springfield office posted 399 percent revenue growth between 2006 and 2007, with 2007 revenues of $2.6 million. Local employment has grown from 14 in 2006 to a current work force of 33.

Recognition is a regular occurrence for Olsson.

The company was named a Top 500 design firm two years in a row by Engineering News-Record and a “best place to work” by Civil Engineering Magazine.

Local work

Among many local projects, Olsson is involved with the designs of Green Circle Shopping Center, Fremont Woods subdivision and TerraGreen Office Park, a nine-acre office park that will be Olsson’s new home. The company also worked on the development of the northeast corner of National Avenue and Chestnut Expressway.

Other local clients are Greene County, Ozarks Transportation Organization, Ozarks Technical Community College, Ozark Greenways, Carleton & Co. and the cities of Springfield, Joplin and Willow Springs.

Although Olsson’s services cover a multitude of areas, future efforts include increasing “our presence in the mechanical, electrical field … and the municipal waste-water side,” says Kevin Lowe, client manager who had 10 years of experience with Missouri Department of Transportation and five years with Greene County before he joined Olsson.

Giving back

The company encourages its employees to invest in their communities through its Community Builders program.

Olsson employees share their expertise through volunteer work and charitable donations, because it’s important “to know the people in our communities, who we’re working with and who we’re working for,” Wiester says.

Olsson has a firmwide partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and local efforts include events such as the Bowl for Kids’ Sake that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks.

This year, Olsson’s Springfield office raised $1,470 through that fundraiser.

Olsson Associates

Address: 1525 E. Republic Road, Ste. B100, Springfield, MO 65804

Employees: 33

Local 2007 Revenues: $2.6 million

Did you know?

Olsson Associates’ Springfield office recently completed a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design project in Turkey.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.[[In-content Ad]]