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Occu-Tec Inc. CEO Skuli Gudmundsson attributes the growth of his business to two key factors: a diverse skillset and a service-first mindset.
Founded in 1983, the North Kansas City company celebrated its 40th year in business in 2023 with record growth. The environmental consulting firm saw its annual revenue jump from roughly $3 million in 2022 to approximately $5.5 million last year.
“We have a good base. We have probably sold more work going into this year than we ever have in the history of the company,” Gudmundsson said.
The largest portion of Occu-Tec’s business deals with inspecting, managing and repairing critical fuel systems, primarily for telecommunication companies, such as Verizon. The firm works to ensure fuel systems continue to operate safely through emergencies and natural disasters.
“If the system goes down, power goes out and phones go dead,” Gudmundsson said. “There is no margin for error when a hurricane hits, or flooding or whatever else may happen.”
The firm also has offices in Texas, North Carolina, Indiana and Michigan. Occu-Tec has about 30 employees nationwide, with a majority based in Kansas City.
Recent wins
In Februrary, Occu-Tec was named to the “Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest,” a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest.
Additionally, the Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act, which the Missouri General Assembly passed in 2022, led to lots of work for the firm. Missouri school districts have until Aug. 1 to test drinking water in each school building for potential lead contamination.
“It kind of grew out of the Flint, Michigan, disaster a few years ago. We’ve got probably 25% of all the schools in the state,” Gudmundsson said.
Over the last four decades, the firm has continued to have a strong portfolio of work in environmental services, tackling asbestos, indoor air quality, lead and drinking water testing.
How it gained a foothold
A contract with the University of Kansas introduced the company to environmental services, Gudmundsson said. KU hired the consulting firm in the early '80s to develop training manuals for asbestos management.
“KU also had a contract with the Air Force, so through that contract, we trained all over the world on bases on the asbestos topic. We just kept going from there,” Gudmundsson said.
What started as a part-time consulting firm has since expanded into a multidisciplined business that specializes in workplace safety training, environmental management and critical fuel systems.
“We've become kind of a one-stop-shop for a lot of these guys, because for a small company, we are very diversified,” he said.
While he wants to create relationships and longterm solutions for clients, Gudmundsson's goal is to stay on the payroll for only a short time.
“Our goal is to eventually make them self-sufficient,” Gudmundsson said. “We don’t want an office or a warehouse forever. We want to get you to a point where you can manage your business, and we’ll step aside.”