Company History
How could John Banicki have known that his entrepreneurial spirit and idea for a business model would later become a successful engineering consulting firm that boasts over five decades in business? TEC came from humble beginnings…. a small office and lab on Woodward Ave south of “The” Eight Mile Road in Detroit. TEC opened its doors in 1966 offering construction, geotechnical, materials testing, building envelope, structural analysis, product evaluation, and other various engineering services.
“I thought there was a need for a consulting firm that had a strong background not only in construction, but also in solving problems of buildings and structures that weren’t currently under construction or facilities that had been built improperly”
In 1968, TEC purchased a larger facility and moved its Headquarters to Ferndale. Business was good and soon the Ferndale office proved too small for the continued growth. Another move to Rochester Road in Troy in 1973 was planned. As the company continued to prosper, services were added and branch offices were established in Detroit, Lansing and Ann Arbor. TEC then doubled its size in Troy adding a second 10,000 sq. ft. building to its Headquarters in 1986.
Katherine Shanahan, who (like John) came from Detroit Testing Lab (DTL), worked side by side with him to get the new business off the ground. In 1971, John and Kathy were married and TEC became a family-owned company.
As TEC continued to evolve and prosper, Kathy Banicki became an owner and took on the additional responsibilities associated with being a Principal. In 1987, Katherine was name President and co-owner John Banicki continued to provide his expertise as Chief Executive Consultant and Chairman of the Board Emeritus.
In 1997, TEC marked yet another milestone when Ruben Ramos, PE and Carey Suhan, PE were each named Vice President and joined Kathy and John Banicki as shareholders and leaders of the firm. Ruben joined TEC in 1988, and oversees our Building & Infrastructure Engineering and Construction Services divisions. Carey followed in 1989 and oversees our Geotechnical Engineering Services and Environmental Services divisions.
We know that without a loyal and dedicated staff, none of this would have been possible — for that we are thankful. Equally as important are the strong relationships we have formed over the years working side by side with our clients – by assisting them in making their projects successful, we in turn became successful. We wish to take a moment and thank our clients for their loyalty and friendship throughout the years and we look forward to our continued and mutual successes.