The Argus Way: 30 Years of Fuel System Engineering and Beyond
By Kent Bredehoeft, CEO of Argus Consulting
This month, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Argus Consulting. Reflecting on my 29 years here, from my first day in 1995 as employee number 10 to my 10th year as CEO, I'm filled with gratitude for the journey. The excitement I felt then about our company’s potential continues to inspire me today.
The memory of my first task at Argus still makes me laugh. On Day 1, I decided I would be creating an organized filing system for our shop drawings, which were all on paper at that time, of course. It was a seemingly simple task by today’s standards, yet it perfectly embodies what I like to think of as the Argus Way - embracing challenges, taking ownership, rolling up our sleeves, and striving to always be improving for our teams and clients. That’s part of what makes working here so fulfilling. We get to learn from industry experts with the opportunity to both follow and lead in developing new, effective ways to do this important work. Our culture of ingenuity, problem-solving, embracing diverse perspectives, and inviting personal growth makes Argus an exceptional place to build a career.
Nurturing Growth While Staying True to Our Roots
Reflecting on our history, we’ve made some incredible leaps. Since becoming a 100% employee-owned ESOP in the past decade, we’ve evolved significantly. We’ve expanded our team to more than 100 employee-owners across our headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, and regional hubs throughout the United States. We’ve found strength in remaining true to our core expertise: supporting the vital infrastructure and individuals responsible for fueling global travel, cargo hauls, and military missions. We’ve grown by addressing service gaps and prioritizing our clients’ challenges. Our adaptability and curiosity, rooted in our small business origins, keep us agile and responsive to the needs of the projects and markets we serve.
As we’ve scaled our multi-disciplined firm, we’ve developed new capabilities such as asset integrity management, cathodic protection programs, and environmental and fire protection consulting. We’re also assisting clients in navigating the intricacies and unknowns of alternative and sustainable fuel and energy solutions. Over the last three years, we’ve restructured our organization to focus on areas crucial to our clients' ever-changing needs. We’ve expanded our engineering services, adding more comprehensive professional services, including O&M standardization, inspection services, construction management and administration, and signal and controls integration.
Innovations in digital engineering, including the development of our software subsidiary, SAIM LLC., have been pivotal to our growth. An exemplar of our niche and client-centric solutions, the SAIM digital twin platform modernizes asset integrity management for fuel facilities. Centralizing data and documents and bringing O&M manuals and engineering as-builts to life, this platform is transforming fuels operations at more than 40 major commercial airport fuel facilities, with more on the way. Adaptable to a vast range of industrial infrastructure intelligence needs, SAIM’s innovative technology and expert team epitomize our “Fuel Forward” motto, keeping the concept of ‘potential’ as relevant today as it was 30 years ago.
Embracing the Future with a Legacy of Talent and Relationships
Our exceptional people keep our machine churning. Their talent, passion, and integrity are the engines of our success, fueling a wealth of knowledge and deep-rooted industry relationships. Argus’s growth trajectory parallels my own journey from a mechanical engineer to CEO. Watching our team members develop into leaders and succeed in all facets of life brings me immense joy and a deep sense of responsibility. Being part of a growing ESOP can be life-changing, offering stability and longevity for our long-term employees and their families. As we move forward, making smart choices and upholding our legacy of culture and reputation are my guiding principles.
I believe Argus’s future is as bright as ever. Our journey continues as we enter our 30th year, and we are committed to being our clients’ most trusted partner in fuels infrastructure engineering and support. In 2024, we embrace the challenge of disciplined growth, taking calculated risks, and staying true to our values and ownership mentality.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to our incredible team, esteemed clients, and valued contractors, vendors, and industry partners who have been part of this extraordinary journey. Together, we look forward to fueling excellence and innovation for years to come. I also want to express my special appreciation and admiration to our founding partners for having the vision, bravery, and conviction to launch Argus Consulting 30 years ago.
Here’s to three decades of achievement at Argus and a future brimming with possibilities.
Let’s keep fueling forward together.
