History

Our Story
Since 1980 Bison Engineering has provided unequaled professional environmental consulting and engineering services to our clients. 

How It All Began
After working for 15 years in various environmental management positions, including Chief of the Montana Air Quality Bureau (MAQB), now part of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Mike Roach started Bison Engineering, Inc. (Bison) in the Carriage House he owned in Helena, MT.  The primary focus of the young company was to provide natural resource development companies (mining and timber industries) with expertise in the air quality field, including ambient monitoring, permit applications and air quality assessments for environmental impact statements (EIS).  The engineering firm grew quickly in the beginning and soon added stack/source testing capabilities to its list of air quality services. 

In the mid 1980s the natural resource industry in Montana started to decline, and Bison broadened its environmental services to include indoor air quality and asbestos abatement services.  From 1985 to 1989 the staff at Bison Engineering tripled, including the addition of our current President Hal Robbins (former Chief of MAQB following Mike Roach).  Affiliate offices were opened in Spokane and Seattle, and the mix of clients changed dramatically to include commercial building owners and government agencies as well as a wide variety of industrial facilities.  With this growth a greater emphasis was placed on involving the staff in ownership and management of the firm including the creation of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). 

During the 1990s Bison continued with steady growth and decided to move away from asbestos and indoor air quality services and focus more specifically on air quality engineering for industrial clients including ambient monitoring, air permitting and stack testing.  This included the hiring of our current Vice President Jeff Chaffee (former Chief of MAQB following Hal Robbins).  In addition, the Seattle and Spokane offices were closed and in 1999 we opened our Billings office bringing our services closer to industrial clients located in Eastern Montana.

In 2001 Mike Roach resigned from Bison Engineering, the ESOP purchased the company, and we became an employee-owned company.  Bison Engineering continued its focus in air quality engineering while broadening its services to include noise, water, and soil-related environmental services.  In 2004, Bison Engineering purchased its current Helena office location and in 2007 paid off all the debt remaining from the ESOP buyout of Mike Roach. 

Today Bison Engineering, Inc. is Montana’s foremost air quality engineering firm!