HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., March 24, 2021 (PRNewswire) -- Since incorporation in 1971, the WT Group, a diversified design, engineering and consulting firm headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, has helped plan and execute thousands of successful projects for commercial and municipal clients. Yet on March 24, 2021, the occasion of the firm's 50th anniversary, one of its most significant accomplishments has been the growth of a two-man garage startup into a best-in-class design and engineering consultancy.
From humble origins as W-T Engineering in the home of co-founder Donald R. Triphahn half a century ago, the WT Group today employs more than 150 design, consulting and engineering professionals serving clients in 11 distinct business segments. A family vision from the beginning, when Donald unexpectedly passed away at a young age, his wife, Barbara, refused to allow his dream to dissolve. She earned her CPA and applied her business acumen toward laying the groundwork for the multi-faceted organization the WT Group is today, all while raising three children.
"Our founder's vision was to build an organization offering clients virtually every design, engineering and consulting discipline they might require under one roof," said WT Group president and CEO Troy Triphahn. "The firm now has the ability to deliver 'turnkey' projects for clients from the earliest planning and land surveying tasks through project completion. We have completed more than 15,000 individual projects, many for clients who have been with us since the beginning and are still with us today."
The WT Group now operates in all 50 states, leaving a mark on communities across the country. The organization has also left a mark on communities through charitable initiatives to enhance the quality of life for individuals and families. The WT Foundation, the charitable arm of the WT Group, promotes education and research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The unit provides annual grants to graduating seniors from District 211 high schools in Schaumburg or Hoffman Estates.
Also valuing the importance of community engagement, the WT Group supports the Friends of HE Parks Scholarship Fund, which provides a funding source to finance recreational scholarships to disadvantaged families in Hoffman Estates. The firm also supports the Children's Advocacy Center of North & Northwest Cook County, which intervenes in cases of physical and child sexual abuse.
While the WT Group's first 50 years have been characterized by the firm's dramatic growth, expansion of services and widening community engagement, Triphahn envisions an even brighter future as the technological challenges facing clients reveal new opportunities for innovative, customer solutions.
"While technological solutions will change at an ever-faster pace, ultimately it's people who make the difference," Triphahn said. "Our aspiration has always been to attract and retain talent that is frankly better than the industry to provide service above the status quo, because the status quo is not enough anymore."
View WT Group's 50th anniversary video: https://youtu.be/iMOP5C1sl1Q
