Story #62 - Farm to Table

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Story #62 is about SSM’s support of the food industry from start to finish.

We Bring Everything to the Table

We aren’t like other restaurants. Well, we aren’t a restaurant at all; we’re an engineering firm. But, we do have one thing in common with your favorite dinner spot: a menu. Have you seen our menu? It’s our carefully curated list of services that is specially designed to not only meet the needs of our clients - but is also specifically designed around the expertise of our team members.

You might know us best for surveying. You come to us every time you have a surveying need. We get it, stick to what you know. (Sort of like that pasta you always order.) Maybe it’s not surveying. Maybe you are hooked on our Municipal Division, or our Electrical Engineering team. But have you ever tried our Structural team? What about our Environmental Group? They’re just as good. And we think- no, we know- you’ll find them to be a reliable go-to as well.

Better yet, try them all. What’s better than a full table?

But it isn’t just about the menu. Because even a great menu doesn’t mean a great meal. At SSM, we say “what we do best, is what you don’t.” We are the fine chefs and crew that pull it all together in a way that can’t be replicated. Tough projects, unique solutions, challenging circumstances- all of these are why clients seek SSM. Bringing everything to the table isn’t just about the food. It’s about the skills it took to get there. It’s about the craft that led the way. It’s about the expertise that stands out above it all.

At SSM, we are a multi-disciplinary engineering, environmental, and surveying firm. We bring everything to the table.

 

From the Farm to the Table: A Little Taste of SSM

It takes a lot to bring a product to market. Experts in the food industry should focus on just that- food. Because after all, addressing needs such as: regulatory compliance, increased capacity, routine maintenance, and facility expansion shouldn’t take away from doing what they know best.

That’s why farmers, processors, distributors, and even restauranteurs all turn to SSM. We help secure prime locations, plan more efficient warehouses and distribution centers, conduct feasibility studies, upgrade utilities and building systems, improve traffic flow, and expand operations. By taking the lead on the engineering side, we enable the food industry to focus more on their core business.

From the farm to the table, here’s a few examples of SSM’s work in the food industry.

Poultry Farming

  • Structural Design Services | The design of a 275,000 gallon rectangular equalization tank included identifying IBC loading criteria, and calculations for design of CIP concrete walls and base slab.

  • New Public Water Supply | This water supply development project entailed conducting fracture trace analysis, locating potential well sites, overseeing test well drilling, designing well construction specifications, performing aquifer testing programs, analyzing pump test data, and preparing permit application materials for state and federal regulatory review.

Food Processing

  • Confectionary Manufacturer | Prepared annual stormwater NPDES site inspection reports.

  • Meat Processor | Performed various services including health and safety training and environmental audit of plant operations with regard to air, wastewater, hazardous substance, storage tank, and residual and hazardous waste regulations.

  • Brewing Facility | Performed an asbestos reinspection and mold investigation for potential purchase of an existing brewing facility

  • Bakery | Survey and civil engineering services for the design of a new 140-space trailer storage parking lot including bedrock depth investigation, stormwater management design, and electrical lighting design.

Warehousing and Distribution

  • Distribution Center | Provided comprehensive structural, mechanical, and electrical services to convert an abandoned 125,000 SF processing facility into a food products distribution center. SSM utilized high-definition scanning data to create a complete point cloud database in preparation for the retrofit and reuse.

  • Supermarket | Performed site design engineering services for the expansion to an existing Store. This design-build project included a site survey, creating an existing conditions base plan, developing construction drawings, which included site grading and stormwater management, utility relocation, and erosion and sediment control.

Gathering Places

  • Restaurant | Provided design of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for the conversion of a former furniture store into the 7,000 square foot restaurant and bar.

  • University Kitchen | Designed the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for student housing that included the conversion of existing housing units into a new kitchen facility and a serving and dining pavilion.