Company Profile
Company Profile: Clear Creek & Associates
Two decades of engineering and facility design consultation
History
Clear Creek & Associates (CCA)is in its 20th year of engineering and designing grain elevators, feed mills, flour mills, and processing facilities. Rodney Carpenter began CCA in 2001 after retiring as an engineer from a major grain storage and handling equipment manufacturer.
His 30 years in the industry helped him gain extensive knowledge about all aspects of commercial and on-farm grain storage facilities, mills, and other industrial buildings and structures.
“My father, Rodney, who passed away in 2016, started the company by providing consulting services to manufacturers,” says Sales Manager Austin Carpenter. “Our initial focus was on product development and structural inspections. We then began getting requests for foundation design services in 2003, and in 2007, we adopted Autodesk Revit BIM (Building Information Model) software. It remains the standard on our projects.”
CCA’s 12 employees are involved in engineering consulting services, specializing in facility design, evaluation, and product support for bulk storage structures. “We’re possibly best known for bin inspection services,” says Carpenter.
Since its founding, the Goshen, IN company has grown to serve customers in some 41 states and foreign countries across five continents.
CCA has worked worldwide with roughly 30 manufacturers related to product development or independent inspection services.
“Our growth has been enhanced through networking with peers and participation in the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) and other industry events across the United States and world,” he says. “If invited, we do our best to be present. We once spent a week in Haiti inspecting and analyzing a school for an orphanage, simply because a client asked for the help.”
Annually, about 80% of CCA’s clients are repeat customers, which Carpenter says speaks to the company’s reputation and performance.
Philosophy
“Stick to what we know, and do it well” – that was Rodney Carpenter’s way of thinking through his career as CCA president. According to Austin Carpenter, what CCA does well is go the extra mile to take care of customers.
“For many engineering tasks, there are often multi-discipline firms, which can handle most aspects of a project but struggle to be the best on all fronts,” says Carpenter, who joined the company in 2008. “When it is best for a job, we team up with excellent partners to deliver superior projects with a high-level of precision.”
In addition, he says that employee involvement in trade associations is important to the company’s service. CCA personnel are frequent presenters at GEAPS national and chapter events, and a number of employees serve the industry in these capacities: GEAPS associate board vice president and international board member, GEAPS Great Lakes Regional Conference co-chair, and a committee member for American Water Works Association corrugated tank design guidelines.
“We are known for being there for our clients when it counts, for inspections, meetings, last-minute add-ons to a project,” he adds. “Whatever the need, we work on a plan to accommodate it.”
Products
“CCA was built on precision engineering,” notes Austin Carpenter. The company’s agricultural and structural engineering services are available for grain storage, milling, port facilities, and bulk solids facility development and expansion. “With extensive experience in structural and agricultural engineering, we offer the expertise and innovation necessary to design your new facility or expand your existing operation.”
CCA’s multitude of services include: facility design and layout, foundation design, structural design of catwalks, towers, mezzanines, platforms, site inspections looking at specific bin issues, inspection programs, and structural upgrades.
Also, CCA offers 3D modeling for existing facilities utilizing 3D laser point clouds, 3D modeling for new facilities, custom fabrication drawings, structural detailing, mechanical and structural layouts for conveying, spouting, gates, valves, towers, and catwalks.
By using Autodesk Revit software, CCA utilizes clash detection in the engineering and design of storage and processing facilities. Its facility consulting service covers a variety of multidimensional support programs to ensure structural integrity. “Our inspection programs will inform you of potential issues before they affect the safety and efficiency of your operation,” he says.
Additionally, CCA’s foundation estimate program allows clients to request bin foundation estimates free of charge. Carpenter notes that this program is regularly used by contractors, manufacturers, and owners.
Larry Stalcup, contributing writer
From July/August 2021 Grain Journal Issue
Company Profile
Goshen, IN
574-537-9060
Joshua Munson
President
Austin Carpenter
Sales Manager
Products & Services
Engineering
Facility Design and Renovation
Structural Design
Equipment Layout
3D Modeling
ccalink.com
Company Timeline
2001 Founded by Rodney Carpenter, PE, to provide consulting services.
2002 Expands to product development and structural inspections.
2003 Expands to foundation design services.
2007 Adopts Autodesk Revit building information modeling software.
2008 Rodney’s son, Austin, joins the company in sales.
2015 Joshua Munson joins the company.
2015 Joshua Munson becomes company president.
