40 Years in Business

With July 9th, 2018 marking the 40th year anniversary for Palmer Engineering, the company has reflected on what it is that makes them stand out from the typical engineering firm. For an engineering company to make it 40 years in the industry, it has to be about more than just designing and engineering buildings, but also has to include great customer service that defies the normal industry standards. It’s just as much about building relationships as it is about building the structures, and that is what has helped Palmer Engineering excel as a company over the last 40 years. After talking with several different professionals and clients in the business, it became clear that there are four common behaviors of structural engineering companies that Palmer Engineering has broken the mold from.

Structural engineers never answer or return phone calls.

This couldn’t be further from the truth with Palmer Engineering. They have a rule in their office that a live employee will answer every phone call they receive no matter what is going on at the time. They have extra employees dedicated to making sure the customer knows that they are the top priority and that all of their needs will be met. If someone calls or emails after hours, Palmer Engineering guarantees that someone will get back to them within 24 to 48 hours.

Engineering companies do not provide good customer service overall.

Above all, this may be the most important facet of what has made Palmer Engineering such a success. They make customer service a priority and emphasize their desire to educate people, clients, and their community rather than just doing the job and moving on. The owner of the company, Baku Patel, furthered this idea when he said, “This is why we are different and why we are successful. When a problem happens we don’t point fingers or place blame, we solve it. Then we see why that happened, determine what went wrong, and work hard to make sure it doesn’t ever happen again.” It is this way of thinking that has made Palmer Engineering the company that it is today.

Most other companies don’t meet project deadlines or finish what is needed in time.

This is another area that Palmer Engineering prides themselves on excelling at and strives to break through the typical expectations of missing deadlines. They know how valuable everyone’s time is, and also realize that deadlines are set for a reason. They take these dates very seriously and work extra hard to ensure that all of the project deadlines are met and all of the expectations of the customers are exceeded.

Structural Fees are too high.

For Palmer Engineering, however, this is not the case. They compete for commissions based on the quality of our work and the service they provide to their clients. They typically have never competed for projects based on design fees.

At the end of the day, it is these four behaviors that Palmer Engineering makes sure are never present within their business. Their motto is serve, solve, simplify. Serve meaning to serve the Lord, their clients, the community, and each other. Simplify referring to simplifying your life, each other’s lives, and the client’s needs; and finally solve meaning to solve complex structural issues. They pride themselves on giving customers the attention and care that they deserve and want to make the experience as pleasant for the customers as it is for them. It is this attitude that has allowed Palmer Engineering to make it 40 years in the business, and what will propel them through 40 plus more!