Illinois Business Journal - Swansea civil engineer's career and company continue to grow together

SWANSEA - In 1965, 15-year-old Roland G. Thouvenot took a summer job for 75 cents per hour with a surveying and engineering firm where his brother-in-law, Bill Moerchen, was a surveyor and partner.

Thouvenot cut brush to enable surveyors to "shoot" a straight line.

As young Thouvenot was sweating and slashing at tall weeds that hot and humid Illinois summer, little did he imagine that one day he would be the president and largest stockholder in that firm. Today, Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen Inc., a civil engineering firm, employs more than 70.

Born in rural Clinton County, just east of St. Clair County, Rollie Thouvenot's father ran a small farm. When he was seven years old, the future engineer's family moved to Belleville, where his father worked as the maintenance man at St. Theresa's Church and school.

After graduating from St. Theresa's Elementary School and Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Thouvenot studied civil engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, working part-time at the firm.

But events soon propelled Thouvenot into a full-time position.

"Just before I graduated," he said, "Jerry Wade, a principal of the firm, had a heart attack, and I went to work there full-time. At that time, Dave Thomas was the only engineer at the firm, and he was in his sixties. I saw an opportunity to advance."

When Thomas did retire in 1977, Thouvenot purchased an interest in the firm. At that time annual revenues were slightly in excess of $200,000. Today, Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen Inc.'s revenues exceed $5.3 million per year.

TWM occupies a new office building in Benchmark Center, developed by the Thouvenot Moerchen Land Trust in 2002 and located at the northeast corner of Drake Road and Old Collinsville Road in Swansea. TWM also has regional offices in Waterloo and in Creve Coeur, Mo.

"About 40 percent of our business is in the public sector," Thouvenot said. "Another 45 percent is in land development engineering, which is split between residential subdivisions and commercial developments such as the new Dierbergs Markets Greenmount Crossing at Interstate 64 East. The remaining 15 percent of our work consists mostly of structural engineering and surveying."

When engineers refer to "public sector engineering," he said, they mean not only advising municipalities, but also designing roads, water towers, sewer extensions and wastewater treatment facilities for local governments. TWM's work in this capacity includes municipal clients such as Troy, Millstadt, Swansea, Belleville and Mascoutah. As the firm has grown,

Thouvenot's role in firm has changed over time.

"I joke that my job now is to keep it all taped together," he said. "But seriously, I try to make sure that we are growing in a balanced way. Land development business is there when the economy is good. Municipal business is more stable. Some in my firm say that when we hire someone, we should have done it two months ago, but I hate to lay people off, and would rather that we hire more conservatively."

Thouvenot exhorts his firm to keep pushing.

"I continually tell our staff that you must not be satisfied with where you are," he said. "You must always keep pushing the ball to continually improve and grow."

As long as "Rollie" Thouvenot is at the helm at Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen, he will be doing all he can do to make sure the ball is rolling up the hill, and not rolling down.