Siloam Springs engineering firm sees record growth in 2019

Structural engineering company Ryan Engineering of Siloam Springs experienced record growth in 2019 after the company invested in its staff over the past few years.

In 2014, Toby Thompson was named CEO, and owner Dan Ryan moved to Thailand to do medical mission work in Myanmar. Since then, Thompson said the company has overcome challenges with staff changes and achieved record revenue growth. Revenue rose 39% to $1.3 million in 2019, from $933,000 in 2018, he said. The company is expected to have revenue of $1.5 million in 2020.

The work that went into developing its engineers and the investment into the company contributed to the record growth, Thompson said. “By investing in them and taking the time to build these different areas of expertise that they do — that includes … training and the software and things like that. All that’s in place. Now, we’re beginning to reap the benefits of the work and the energy that was poured in the last three or four years.”

One of the largest projects by volume in 2019 included structural engineering work for the installation of more than 100 rooftop heating and air conditioning units across the nation, primarily for retailer Walgreens. The engineering company’s single largest job last year was for the Locust Grove, Okla., wastewater treatment plant. It also worked on the cycling elements for Centennial Park at Millsap Mountain in Fayetteville.

The company has between 100 and 150 clients, and a large portion of the company’s business is industrial. Some of its clients include Gates, Glad, Kennametal, Simmons Foods and Tyson Foods.

Thompson started at Ryan Engineering in 2000. LD Ryan founded the company in 1983. The company has 13 employees, including three certified engineers, and is licensed to perform work in all 50 states. As a division of the company, Ryan Forensics is based in Hot Springs.