How did CH2M HILL become a global leader in engineering, construction, and operations? CH2M HILL Canada Limited When two civil engineers, William Gore and William Storrie, formed a partnership in 1919 with Dr. George Nasmith, a bacteriologist and public health specialist, the new company, Gore, Nasmith & Storrie, combined two disciplines within a single firm. While this was an unusual combination in those days, it now looks like an astute recognition of the expertise required for dealing with many of the issues we face today. The company was also a pioneer in the consulting engineering profession; at that time, the whole of Canada boasted only 20 other consulting engineering firms. Today, there are more than 4,000. Since its formation in 1919, the company has undergone a number of changes. In 1954, it incorporated as Gore & Storrie Limited and, in 1995, it merged with CH2M HILL Engineering Ltd. to become CH2M Gore & Storrie Limited. CH2M HILL was founded in January 1946 in Corvallis, Oregon, as CH2M — a name derived from the initials of the company's four founders: Fred Merryfield, Holly Cornell, James Howland, and T. Burke Hayes. Some 25 years later, the company merged with Clair A. Hill and Associates to form CH2M HILL. In January 2001, it became CH2M HILL Canada Limited. In 2007, CH2M HILL welcomed VECO, and as part of VECO, Commonwealth Construction, into the CH2M HILL family. VECO provides expanded service and process capabilities in select energy markets, and a respected reputation in projects and safety with oil and gas companies worldwide. VECO is now part of CH2M HILL's Energy and Chemicals Business Group. Commonwealth (now a CH2M HILL company) was founded in 1907, adding 100 years of historical and pioneering construction significance to CH2M HILL. Through all of these changes, CH2M HILL has remained an employee-owned corporation. Today, CH2M HILL in Canada consists of more than 1,400 employees, and has Ontario offices in Toronto, Barrie, Ottawa, Niagara, London, and Waterloo, serving central and eastern Canada, and offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Kamloops, Winnipeg, Victoria, and Vancouver, serving western Canada. Expansion over the years has led CH2M HILL to assignments around the globe — the United States, England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Philippines, and China, to name a few. Its team of engineers, planners, hydrogeologists, scientists, and technical specialists provides a full range of environmental consulting services and technologies to all levels of government and the private sector, nationally and globally. A recognized leader in the environmental, industrial, water, wastewater, nuclear, and transportation fields, the company has twice been honoured with the Schreyer Award, the highest national award for engineering excellence. With more than 24,000 team members in offices worldwide, CH2M HILL offers a wide range of design engineering and environmental services to both private and public clients. The company’s dedication to safeguarding the environment and being responsive to the increasingly specialized needs of clients remains the cornerstone of its success. From the very beginning, technical excellence and innovation have been a hallmark of the company. In the early 1920s, through the pioneering efforts of Dr. Nasmith, it was involved in North America’s earliest experiments with activated sludge for sewage treatment plants. The activated sludge process is a biological treatment process, whereby wastewater is mixed in aeration tanks with micro-organisms that consume organic waste. The process was employed in Canada long before the United States adopted it, and the North Toronto plant — the company’s original sewage treatment assignment in Toronto, built in 1927 — was one of the earliest plants on the continent to use the activated sludge process. In the 1930s, the company designed Toronto’s largest water filtration facility, the R.C. Harris Plant, and enlarged it in 1954. To this day, the plant stands not only as an architectural landmark, but also a grand monument to public service. CH2M HILL’s business is always about taking care of the clients, delivering great work, doing right by employees, and staying true to its basic beliefs: - Clients should have the most attentive and knowledgeable service possible
- Those who serve clients must have a strong professional and personal interest in their success
- Projects producing the best results for clients are valuable for all involved
- Safe travel, a healthy environment, efficient manufacturing, and clean water are important parts of a better world
These beliefs have led CH2M HILL to become the forward-thinking group of 24,000 professionals across the world today, dedicated to helping clients overcome limitations and achieve a better world.  |
