Olsson adds services, staff

“We deal with architects on the outside of the building, and it seemed like there was a need for engineering work on the inside of the building,” said Kevin Lowe, former Greene County Highway administrator and Olsson’s first new employee in Springfield. “We probably would have eventually got to that point anyway – we just didn’t think it would be so quick.”

Since opening the Springfield office in November 2005, Olsson Associates staff has focused on four core areas of service: land development, transportation, water resources and surveying, said client manager Mike McKenna.

Chip Corcoran, regional manager for Olsson Associates in the Springfield and Kansas City markets, said the addition of mechanical-electrical services is the result of customer inquiries.

“Clients in Springfield had asked if we did offer mechanical-electrical services or (if we) would be willing to offer those in Springfield,” he said.

With the August addition of the new services, three new employees have been added to the firm. Olsson’s Springfield office hired Shawn Cochran, a mechanical-electrical engineer with 14 years’ experience, and brought in Brian Stara, who specializes in mechanical systems, from Olsson’s Lincoln, Neb., office to staff the new division. The office also hired Nic Schrader, a 2004 graduate of Missouri State University, to serve as an assistant surveyor.

The Springfield Olsson Associates office is one of 15 Olsson Associates offices in the United States. The Nebraska-based company ranked No. 193 on the Engineering News Record list of the Top 500 Design firms in 2006.