Today on the 16th of December 2020, Elcon Celebrates our 45th Anniversary.
Elcon was founded by Inder Chawla in 1975, and during its first year in business, Inder served as the single employee of the firm. If you weren’t aware, the name Elcon is derived from (EL)ectrical (CON)sultants. Elcon’s very first client as consultant was the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Following the success of Elcon’s early BPA work, Elcon began performing hydroelectric services for the Army Corps of Engineers and saw increases in staff and revenue in the electric utility market segment.
Due to Portland voter rejection of the proposed Mount Hood Freeway project in the early 1970s, federal transportation funds were allowed to be reallocated for the first light rail transit project in the Pacific Northwest. This project would also be Elcon’s first transit project, TriMet’s Banfield Light Rail line. We continue to have a very close relationship with TriMet.
Over the years, Elcon has added numerous offices and entered into new markets.
Our company’s small size and longevity is unique. With our diverse services in multiple markets and our unique skillsets, we continue to thrive as a small business. Elcon has shown resiliency through numerous economic recessions and hardships in the past and this year has been no different. Our Oregon office made it through an office move during COVID-19 and we opened up our Lynnwood, WA office. We have also received numerous small business certifications which allows us to expand our marketing efforts to states and regions beyond Oregon and Washington. We look forward to continued successes and expansions in new markets and new office locations.
We cannot wait to celebrate our successes all together in person in the near future.