In 1969 a group of professors from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology founded RESPEC to launch their vision of a professional consulting firm with expertise representing their diverse backgrounds in civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mining engineering, and geological engineering. Their creation of RESPEC would provide graduates of the college with professional opportunities near their homes instead of requiring a move to another part of the country to pursue their chosen profession. The initial business opportunities pursued included water pollution studies, tunneling, mining, and related research.

During the 1970s , RESPEC won several contracts for research and the application of technology in the fields of geomechanics, numerical modeling, heat transfer, and fluid flow to solve practical problems in mining and civil engineering. RESPEC played a major role in the field of nuclear waste disposal for clients in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Germany by offering innovative expertise in mining, regulatory analysis, permitting, instrumentation, testing machine fabrication, and data acquisition. Research was performed in such diverse projects as compressed air energy storage, the National Strategic Crude Oil Storage Program, in situ experiments, geothermal energy, materials testing, and in situ coal gasification. RESPEC developed its own computer programs for numerical analysis and simulations including a three-dimensional finite element program for simulating heat conduction, while performing contracts for national laboratories, agencies of the federal government, and commercial clients.

In the 1980s , the corporate infrastructure was enhanced by formalizing policies and procedures, constructing a new office/laboratory facility in Rapid City, and opening offices in Albuquerque and Carlsbad, New Mexico. RESPEC developed a world class materials testing laboratory for the testing of core samples from proposed sites for nuclear waste repositories. RESPEC participated in the development of a proposal to host the proposed Superconducting Super Collider and performed in situ measurements and analysis for the selected site in Texas. Sandia National Laboratories, Battelle Memorial Institute, and the Department of Energy all became major RESPEC clients. Nuclear waste disposal was still the major driving force for the company, but the market for information technologies created an opportunity for specialized expertise and more business opportunities. RESPEC recognized the need for computing power to solve large numerical problems and started using remote batch entry stations to network with time-share facilities. With access to a CDC Star computer, RESPEC developed fast-processing, vectorized software to perform thermomechanical numerical analyses. RESPEC advanced to the leading edge of technology in computers with the purchase of one of the first super mini-computers, a Data General MV8000 and later upgraded to a Digital Equipment VAX 8300.

In the 1990s , with rapidly expanding expertise, RESPEC divided into three business areas; Engineering, Environmental, and Information Technologies. Offices were opened in Pierre, SD and St, Paul, MN. Information Technologies grew to be the largest area of business. RESPEC began receiving meritorious recognition with national awards in the area of rock mechanics and an R&D 100 award for ATM encryption in conjunction with Sandia National Laboratories. RESPEC was chosen to evaluate the structural integrity of Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota and Stone Mountain in Georgia using its expertise in rock mechanics. RESPEC’s twenty-five years of support to the WIPP Project helped completion of the compliance certification documentation to EPA and readied the facility for operation and receipt of radioactive waste. New clients in the commercial sector were added because of our experience in the area of underground storage of hydrocarbons and unparalleled salt mechanics expertise. RESPEC became an employee owned company with the buyout of the founders who had realized the vision they had set in motion almost twenty-five years earlier.

In the 21^st Century RESPEC continues to grow its capabilities and technological edge through research and the application of technology to the solution of real world problems. With today’s accelerated pace of activities, it is more important than ever to be responsive and to streamline processes when possible. For example, RESPEC has taken on this challenge by seeking and being awarded a GSA Federal Schedule for work with federal agencies and a State of New Mexico General Information Technology support contract for state agencies. Both of theses contract vehicles allow for minimal delay once a need for services is recognized. Our clients recognize the talents of the employees/owners of RESPEC and the value created through Strategic Partnerships and Alliances. Our clients have come to expect extraordinary results from an extraordinary company!