Shannon & Wilson Inc.: Following the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, this company's expertise was instrumental in rebuilding Anchorage and Southeast Alaska.

• Author: Saundeps, Stacey
• Position: 2002 Corporate 100 - Brief Article

Geotechnical engineering involves soil and foundation work for buildings, bridges and other structures.

"The architect designs the (facility's) looks, structural engineers design its support and mechanical and electrical engineers are concerned with the utilities. But when it comes down to it, the geotechnical engineer is supporting the whole works. A lot of what the geotechnical engineer does goes unseen ... buried in soil and rock," says Steve Adamczak, vice president of geotechnical services at Shannon & Wilson Inc.

Shannon & Wilson, a geotechnical and environmental engineering and consulting firm, opened in Seattle in 1954 as one of the first geoscience firms in America. Following the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, Shannon & Wilson's expertise in applied earth science was instrumental in rebuilding Anchorage and Southeast Alaska.

In May 2001, the board of directors elected Fairbanks Branch Founder and Manager Rohn Abbott, P.E., to corporate president. Christine Abbott, marketing coordinator, administrative assistant (and Rohn Abbott's wife of 34 years), says, "This is the first time that the board of directors has selected as president someone living and managing outside the Washington area. "In the past (Shannon & Wilson) presidents either resided in or moved to Seattle."

Abbott received his bachelor's and master's of science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1966 and 1968 respectively, and joined Shannon & Wilson's Seattle office in 1968. He opened the Fairbanks branch office in 1974 when the corporation acquired Arctic Alaska Testing Laboratories.

An Anchorage branch office opened in 1982. There are offices in Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon and Washington. Abbott is also chairman of the board of directors and remains Fairbanks branch manager. He characterizes the Alaska operations' growth as "typical ups and downs" over 27 years. Shannon & Wilson's Alaska operations continue to meet changing demands through its in-house, multi-disciplinary services-engineering and consulting, natural resource management and railroad consulting.

"There is a very wide range of climactic and subsurface conditions and logistics involved. For example, we've done school site investigations in rural Alaska, on the Kuskokwim River and up the coast. A major challenge doing the work is getting the equipment there to do the work."

Shannon & Wilson evaluates sites for seismic...