What Olson Engineering does

Olson Engineering, Inc. is a privately held civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1985 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, specializing in nondestructive testing (NDT) and geophysical survey services for the built and natural environment. The firm evaluates bridges, pavements, tunnels, dams, deep foundations, and subsurface conditions without causing damage, using methods such as Impact Echo, Crosshole Sonic Logging, Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW), Slab Impulse Response, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, and interferometric radar. Core proprietary technologies include the Sonic Surface Scanner (S3) capable of performing over 20,000 Impact Echo tests per hour and the first PC-based digital Crosshole Sonic Logging system, developed in-house and commercialized through its sister company Olson Instruments (established 1995).

Olson Engineering serves federal, state, and local government agencies (including departments of transportation, the National Park Service, and foreign governmental clients), commercial infrastructure operators and contractors (e.g., Ferrovial Agroman on $4.5 billion+ toll road projects), and educational institutions. The firm is a certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), holds Professional Engineer licenses in 27 U.S. states, and employs NBIS-certified engineers for bridge inspection work. Its principal leaders — President Larry Olson (4,000+ projects), SVP Dennis Sack (3,800+ investigations), and VP Patrick Miller (13 years, NDT Group manager) — anchor the technical practice.

The business model is project-based professional services, billed per engagement with no published rate cards. Revenue streams span NDT consulting, geophysical survey services, applied R&D (often federally funded), and training (PDH/CEU classes). The firm supplements its direct sales motion with a strong content-marketing and thought-leadership presence — technical papers, webinars, conference presentations at USSD/TRB/International Bridge Conference — and operates two offices (Wheat Ridge, CO and Rockville, MD), serving clients across all 50 U.S. states and internationally.

Name

Olson Engineering

Legal name

Olson Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://olsonengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Olson Engineering is a privately held civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1985 that provides nondestructive testing and geophysical survey services to government agencies, commercial contractors, and educational institutions for infrastructure condition assessment and subsurface imaging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrastructure NDT and Geophysical Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) & Inspection Services (IMAIACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Structural & Civil Inspection (Steel, Concrete, Foundations) (EUAEAHAI), NDT/NDE Inspection Equipment (Ultrasonic, eddy current, radiography, thermography) (IMAGAFAI), Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) & Advanced Inspection (Phased Array, TOFD, Guided Wave) (EUAEAKAF)

Keywords

• Nondestructive testing services
• Structural condition assessment
• Geophysical survey services
• Foundation integrity testing
• Infrastructure condition evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheat Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NDT Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for nondestructive testing and evaluation of structures, pavements, foundations, and infrastructure. Services include visual assessment, internal condition assessment, destructive correlation testing, vibration monitoring, and structural health monitoring. Billed on a project-by-project basis.
2. Geophysical Survey Services: Engineering, environmental, and groundwater geophysical imaging services billed per project. Covers subsurface characterization, environmental site assessment, and groundwater exploration using seismic, electrical, electromagnetic, magnetic, and GPR methods.
3. Training Services: Group classes, on-site training, and webinars in NDT&E and geophysics. Classes provide Professional Development Hours (PDH) or Continuing Educational Units (CEU). Previously offered as yearly 3-day seminars at company offices.
4. Applied R&D: Research and development projects, internally or externally funded by government and commercial programs. Leads to development of new or improved NDT instrumentation, system and data analysis software, and visualization tools for commercialization through Olson Instruments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Olson Engineering is a professional consulting firm that provides nondestructive testing (NDT) and geophysical survey services for civil infrastructure. The company delivers structural condition assessment, foundation depth and integrity testing, subsurface geophysical imaging, forensic engineering, asset management, and applied R&D services for bridges, buildings, dams, tunnels, pavements, foundations, and subsurface conditions. Proprietary NDT instruments developed in-house (Sonic Surface Scanner, Impact Echo, CSL, SASW, UPV, Parallel Seismic systems) are commercialized through its sister organization, Olson Instruments.

Product overview

Olson Engineering is a consulting services company (Small Business Enterprise) that provides nondestructive testing (NDT) and geophysical survey services. The company operates as a single-source contractor offering structural condition assessment and geophysical ground imaging. Key service offerings include: Structural Condition Assessment using various NDT methods (Impact Echo, Bridge Deck Scanning/S3, GPR, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, etc.), Foundation Depth and Integrity Methods (Crosshole Sonic Logging, Crosshole Tomography, Parallel Seismic, etc.), Geophysical Surveys covering seismic methods (SRT, MASW, Reflection, Crosshole/Downhole), electrical methods (ERT, IP, SP, VES), electromagnetic methods (FDEM, TDEM), Ground Penenetrating Radar, and Interferometric Surveys. The company is organized around core service categories: NDT/Evaluation Services, Geophysical Services (Engineering, Environmental, Groundwater), Asset Management, Forensic Engineering, Applied R&D, and Training. The company also maintains a sister organization, Olson Instruments (olsoninstruments.com), which commercializes NDT test systems and instruments developed through applied R&D.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Olson Instruments: Sister organization focused on development and commercialization of NDT instrumentation and software products.

Products and services

• Structural Condition Assessment Services Nondestructive testing (NDT) services for evaluating the condition of structures, including visual surveying, internal condition assessment, vibration monitoring, and structural health monitoring. Targeted at owners of bridges, buildings, dams, tunnels, pavements, and other civil structures.
• Geophysical Survey Services Engineering, environmental, and groundwater geophysical imaging services using seismic, electrical resistivity, electromagnetic, GPR, gravity, magnetic, and interferometric methods for subsurface characterization, environmental site assessment, and groundwater exploration. Billed per project on a scope-defined basis.
• Structural, Pavement, and Tunnel NDT Methods Collection of nondestructive testing methods including Impact Echo, Bridge Deck Scanning (S3), SASW, Slab Impulse Response, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, GPR, Interferometric Surveys, Infrared Thermography, Covermeter, Rebound Hammer, and Corrosion testing for civil structures, pavements, and tunnels.
• Foundation Depth and Integrity Methods NDT methods for foundation evaluation including Crosshole Sonic Logging, Crosshole Tomography, Sonic Echo/Impulse Response, Ultraseismic, Parallel Seismic, and Ground Penetrating Radar. Used to determine unknown foundation depths and quality of new deep foundations.
• Applied R&D Services Research and development services developing new or improved NDT instrumentation, system and data analysis software, and data visualization tools. Outputs feed the Olson Instruments product line.
• Asset Management Services Repair and rehabilitation consulting services including condition assessment, service life prediction, and repair design for structures and infrastructure. Targets owners needing bridge, pavement, and structure management programs.
• Forensic Engineering Services Failure and damage investigations including root cause analysis of structural distress, expert witness consultation, and litigation support.
• Training Services Professional development and training classes in NDT and geophysics methods, including PDH/CEU credits, practical demonstrations, and field tutorials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 Impact Echo tests can be performed in 1 hour using the Sonic Surface Scanner (S3)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Northern Railways of India / Ultra Technologies Joint VenturenotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Larry Olson served as Principal Engineer for a Pilot Technology Transfer Project in 2006 as part of a Joint Venture of Olson Engineering and Ultra Technologies in New Delhi, India for Northern Railways of Indian National Railways. The project involved training 28 civil engineers from 13 railways across India on structural condition assessment, and testing six concrete and masonry bridges with nine NDT&E methods.
• iRobot Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Olson Instruments collaborated with iRobot Inc., National Geographic, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Egyptian Government in September 2002 to explore the Queen's Chamber in the Cheops Pyramid in Cairo, Egypt using the Olson Instruments Impact Echo head. The exploration was televised as 'Beyond the Closed Door' on Fox and National Geographic.
• National GeographicnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Collaborated with National Geographic on the televised Queen’s Chamber pyramid exploration project in 2002, which featured the use of Olson Instruments NDT technology in an international archaeological context.
• Olson InstrumentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOlson Instruments is a sister organization to Olson Engineering that commercializes the instruments and software developed through Olson Engineering's applied R&D. Products include the Olson IE System, IES System, CSL System, UPV System, SASW System, and Parallel Seismic System. Training for new NDT instrument owners is also provided through Olson Instruments.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GPRS (Ground Penetrating Radar Systems): US-based NDT and ground-penetrating radar services firm focused on concrete scanning, utility locating, and structural imaging for construction and infrastructure clients. Most directly comparable to Olson in business model and method set, though GPRS has scaled to a much larger national footprint.
• Shannon & Wilson: Geotechnical and environmental consulting firm performing subsurface characterization, foundation assessments, and NDT for infrastructure clients. Direct competitor on Olson-style integrated geophysics-plus-NDT engagements, and noted as both customer and adjacent peer in the provided data.
• Geocomp Corporation: Geotechnical engineering and instrumentation firm offering NDT, seismic monitoring, and infrastructure condition assessment. Comparable to Olson on integrated geophysics-and-structural NDT engagements, particularly for dam and infrastructure owners.

Broad incumbents

• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): Large, well-established structural engineering consultancy with a deep NDT and materials evaluation practice serving bridges, buildings, and historic structures. Overlaps directly with Olson's structural condition-assessment work but operates as a much larger multi-disciplinary firm with broader service lines.
• CTLGroup: Materials and structural engineering consultancy with NDT and condition-assessment capabilities for concrete infrastructure. Comparable in offering scope but backed by the Portland Cement Association and operating at significantly larger scale than Olson.
• Kleinfelder: Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with strong NDT/geophysical capabilities for transportation, water, and energy infrastructure. Competes for the same DOT and municipal assessment work as Olson, with the ability to bundle NDT into broader program contracts.
• Terracon Consultants: Large national geotechnical, environmental, and materials testing consultancy with NDT capabilities for transportation and infrastructure projects. Comparable on the geophysical-survey and condition-assessment surface, with substantially larger scale and geographic footprint.
• Braun Intertec: Engineering, environmental, and testing consultancy providing NDT, geophysical, and pavement assessment services across the US Midwest and beyond. Overlaps on bridge-deck and pavement-condition assessment work with Olson.

Others

• GSSI (Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.): Manufacturer of ground-penetrating radar equipment used in subsurface investigations and concrete scanning. Adjacent to Olson as an equipment vendor/ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor in services, and complementary to Olson's GPR-based service line.
• IDS GeoRadar: Provider of interferometric radar and ground-based radar systems for structural and slope monitoring. Comparable technology supplier to Olson's IBIS-S/L interferometric radar service line, and ecosystem peer rather than direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdk8jW5q8xzRP5TOQrlWQkQ?
• Facebookfacebook.com/olsonengineering30
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olsonengineering
• Xx.com/olson_eng

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Olson Engineering