Les Wardrop started Wardrop Engineering Inc. in 1955 with the founding principle to establish an enterprise that valued its people above everything else. In fact, Les guaranteed his first group of employees a job for a year and put his own money on the line to form the first consulting company in Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada. Initial projects consisting primarily of public works engineering and residential subdivision servicing. Building upon early successes, Wardrop opened a second office in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, Canada in 1956.

The 1960s saw Wardrop embark upon a mission of expansion, diversification and quality. By this time, Wardrop expanded its engineering disciplines to include civil, mechanical, structural, and electrical, with established offices in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, and Regina. It was in the Winnipeg office, where the firm first started working in the Canadian nuclear industry.

The 1970s were a time of growth and maturity. Wardrop launched projects in West Africa and the International Division was created. At the same time, a branch office was established in Edmonton and assignments across Canada grew to include pulp and paper, and solar energy.

Computerization and advanced technology were the thrust of the 1980s. Wardrop expanded to Toronto, and opened an office to pursue nuclear waste management, fusion energy, environmental challenges, and the aerospace industry. Along the way, the firm changed its name to Wardrop Engineering Inc. To meet the changing needs of the marketplace, Wardrop Applied Systems Inc. was formed to accommodate the development of new prototype designs for industrial applications.

The 1990s was a decade of sustainable development, space stations, re-engineering, and an explosion of computer software design tools for real-time industrial process control and information management. The quality and delivery of Wardrop's products were enhanced through advanced in-house management systems, once thought impossible. A Saskatoon office and three new Wardrop companies were launched.

In January 2009, Tetra Tech acquired Wardrop, expanding the Tetra Tech team to more than 10,000 staff. Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting, engineering, program management, construction and technical services addressing the resource management and infrastructure markets, enhancing the collective natural resource management capabilities, and effectively doubling the teams’ capabilities in nuclear energy and electrical transmission.  Tetra Tech is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: TTEK) based in Pasadena, California.

For more information, please visit www.tetratech.com.