When Ken Surprenant founded his engineering business made up of two people in 1973, no one, including himself, would have expected it to grow to the 200-person business it is today. However, Surprenant passed away in 2011 while the company was still on the rise, only seeing the company’s new headquarters a single time before he passed away.
Surprenant’s son, Chad, has been combining his engineering expertise with his business strengths to turn the firm into a thriving company. After graduating from Iowa State (just as his father did) in 1993 with a degree in civil engineering, Chad remembers meeting with a client who suggested specializing, a meeting he took to heart. The business had been willing to take on any kind of engineering or architectural task, so Chad began to steer the company towards a client-focus. The company now has locations in La Crosse, Des Moines, Faribault and Minneapolis, and works for big-name companies including Kohls.
To read the full story by Mark Fischenich for the Mankato Free Press, click here.