Defining Moments in APTech’s History
“When It All Began
The company started as a spark of an idea in Katie Zimmerman’s kitchen. In an industry where men are the majority, Katie successfully paved her own way. Along with cofounders Maggie Covalt and David Peshkin, the trio founded Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. in Urbana, Illinois, defying the industry standard to name the company after themselves. The new office space didn’t feel so new at the time, though—it featured paneled walls and a different style of shag carpeting in each room!
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“Greetings From the Biggest Little City
The turn of the century saw APTech’s expansion to the West Coast with the opening of our Reno, Nevada branch office. The Reno team was led by Steve Seeds, pictured below. Steve served our clients in the area and nationwide for many years until his retirement from the company in 2022.
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“Going International
APTech’s first international project was to evaluate rehabilitation recommendations for Runway 18-36 at Tainan Airport in Tainan, Taiwan. Its footprint was small, but the project opened the door to much more global work—to date, we have worked in 16 countries on five continents.
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“A Brilliant IDEA
We started to develop the beginnings of our data visualization platform known as IDEA this year. These primitive versions of IDEA were primarily HTML hyperlink-based websites that we delivered to clients on CD-ROMs. Today, we are on version 2.0, which is fully georeferenced, web based, and WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.
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“Excellence Awarded
APTech was named by the Zweig Letter Hot Firm List as one of the 100 fastest growing U.S. architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms. We were also recognized as the third Best Civil Engineering Firm to Work For in a contest hosted by CE News.
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“Raising the Stake(holder)s
In 2006, longtime employees Kurt Smith and Monty Wade became the newest APTech principals.
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“Historic Headquarters
This year, we moved into the landmark building known as Tiernan’s Block in downtown Urbana, which served as our home for 18 years. Built in 1871 and subsequently remodeled by local architectural luminary Joseph Royer in 1914, the building has served many purposes in its 150-plus years, such as a grocery store, an opera house, a Masonic lodge—and of course—the APTech home base.
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“Graduating with Flying Colors
After 13 years, the firm graduated from its Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) Small Business designation. And although we outgrew the label ourselves, we still champion the cause of WBE and other disadvantaged business enterprise programs and regularly partner with these firms. ”
“Consultant of the Year
The Michigan Aeronautics Commission awarded us the prestigious honor of Consultant of the Year in recognition of our work to administer their statewide airport pavement management system. Thanks to our commitment to client satisfaction, we won this award again in 2015!
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“Hello, Wisconsin!
APTech next put down roots in Waunakee, Wisconsin, expanding the firm’s Midwest presence. This office is managed by Kyle Potvin and puts the firm’s Great Lakes clients in closer reach.
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“More Westward Expansion
Our newest branch office opened this year in Spokane, Washington. Managed by Greg Duncan, this office gives us greater opportunity to serve more clients in the Pacific Northwest.
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“Monty Becomes President
After serving the company for nearly 20 years, Monty Wade became the company’s second president. He has been deftly guiding the enterprise ever since, leading the company through continued growth, key personnel additions, and expanded services to better serve our ever-growing client base.
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“Gaining an EDGE
We also acquired our state-of-the-art automated data collection equipment, known as EDGE, this year. Since then, EDGE has collected tens of thousands of miles of roadway and airport pavement condition data for clients nationwide.
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“Strength in Numbers
We celebrated a significant milestone in 2021. In spite of the uncertainties during the covid-19 pandemic, the APTech team grew to over 60 employees! This pivotal moment reflects our ongoing commitment to continued growth while maintaining high-quality services.
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“New Era, New Leaders
In 2024, Todd Hoerner, Gen Long, Stephanie Slife, and Kyle Potvin became APTech’s newest principals, joining the ranks of Monty, Katie, David, Maggie, and Kurt. We look forward to seeing where this new generation of leadership takes us!
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