Palmerton & Parrish, Inc. (PPI) was founded as an Engineering Corporation in the State of Missouri in January 1989 by Mr. Fred Palmerton, P.E., President, and Mr. Brad Parrish, P.E., Vice President.  PPI established satellite Offices in Branson, Missouri and Joplin, Missouri in 1990 and 1991, respectively.  Mr. Mike Andress was PPI’s third employee in 1989, and managed PPI’s Branson’s office from 1990 till his retirement at the end of 2016.

Mr. Ron Abbiatti, R.G., joined PPI in early 1990 and spent the majority of his career with PPI as the Joplin Office Manager till his retirement in 2008.  Mr. Palmerton, Mr. Parrish, Mr. Andress, and Mr. Abbiatti comprised PPI’s original Board of Directors.  Mr. Mike Foley joined PPI in 1991, and has spent his career with PPI in the Construction Materials Testing Department.

PPI’s business grew steadily during the 1990s, and by 2000, PPI’s staff had grown to over 40 full-time employees.  Many key staff members joined PPI in the 2000s, including Mr. Shane Rader, P.E., Mr. Brandon Parrish, P.E., and Mr. Don Nowack, P.E., R.G.

In 2004, Mr. Brad Parrish assumed the role of Company President and Mr. Palmerton became Vice President, as was planned at the time of the Company’s original founding.

PPI made a strategic decision to expand the Subsurface Drilling Department during the 2000s, purchasing our first two track-mounted CME 55s.  PPI’s Subsurface Drilling Department stayed busy during the 2000s, and the decade concluded with an IDIQ Contract Award for Subsurface Drilling Services from the St. Louis District USACE in 2009.

PPI completed several keynote Projects in the 2000s, including the Branson Landing Development, and Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma.  In 2009, PPI opened a satellite Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma in response to requests from Clients to extend our services from Northeast Oklahoma further into the State.

PPI was well-positioned when the recession affected the Construction Industry from 2010 to 2012.  With a large volume of subsurface drilling work, PPI transitioned many of our Construction Materials Technicians to work in the Subsurface Drilling Department during the recession, and continued to add resources to our drilling fleet with the addition of an ATV-mounted  2010 CME 550X.  PPI emerged from the recession with no layoffs, and all of our long-time staff and accumulated expertise in tact.  PPI hit the ground running as the Construction Industry turned around in 2013 and 2014.

In January 2013, Brandon Parrish, P.E., Brad’s son, assumed the role of Vice President.  Brandon grew up working in the business, and is a 2005 and 2006 graduate of the University of Missouri, with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Civil Engineering.  His Master’s Thesis was entitled “Geotextile Wrap-Face Wall Using Marginal Backfill”.  Mr. Palmerton, P.E. transitioned to part-time employment during 2013 as the Company prepared for a new chapter in Company Ownership and Management Structure.  

PPI entered a new chapter of Management in 2014 when a Board of Directors was established to help lead and manage the Company.  

Since 2014, PPI has continued to grow and reinvest in our Company’s resources to better serve our Clients.  Notable additions to PPI’s drilling and subsurface investigation capabilities include: new 2014 CME 55 and 2015 CME 55 track-mounted drill rigs; a 2008 CME 55LC track-mounted drill rig, which allows PPI to drill, sample soil, and core rock with as little as 8 feet of overhead clearance; a new portable Big Beaver auger drill that can fit through a doorway and drill with as little as 14 feet overhead clearance; a vacuum excavation trailer; and a new, ChemGrout Grout Plant with a 44 gallon per minute (GPM) flow rate.

PPI’s Geophysics Department was established in 2014, and has grown to include multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW), seismic refraction microtremor (ReMi), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT).   Geophysical studies complement PPI’s Subsurface Drilling, Laboratory Testing, and Geotechnical Engineering Departments by providing additional tools for subsurface data collection and analysis.

Ms. Erin Parrish, PhD joined PPI as Company Administrator in 2017, and formally joined PPI’s Board of Directors in the Summer of 2019.  Since joining the Company, Dr. Parrish has implemented many improvements to streamline PPI’s business operations, increase PPI’s use of technology, and improve PPI’s Company Safety Program.    

PPI celebrated 30 years in business on January 30, 2019. 2019 was a record year for PPI in more ways than one, as we continued to serve many Legacy Clients, develop new Client relationships, reinvest in the Company’s resources, and expand our geographic service area. PPI expanded our service capabilities with the acquisition of two (2) new track-mounted drill rigs (a 2019 Diedrich D50 and a 2019 CME 55-300), addition of aerial drone services, investment into more Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) equipment, additional staff training in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of structural steel, and the procurement of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) equipment.

January 2021 saw the retirement of long-time PPI President, Mr. Brad Parrish, P.E., and the election of a new Company President, Dr. Erin Parrish. Dr. Parrish manages PPI’s Business Operations, including Contracts, Risk Management, Information Technology, and Human Resources. Mr. Brandon Parrish, P.E. continues to serve as PPI’s Vice President and Geotechnical Engineering Manager.