PDCA ENGINEERING AFFILIATE MEMBER
Pursuing
Innovation
The geotechnical specialists at Earth, Inc. are on solid ground when it comes
to engineering creative solutions to construction challenges
By Lisa Gordon
Mike Sydlik grew up with the
earth shifting beneath him.
His hometown of
Natrona Heights, Pa., located about
25 miles up the Allegheny River from
Pittsburgh, was no stranger to landslides.
Abandoned coal mines in the area undercut
the structural integrity of homes and local
shopping centers, and expansive slag from
steel mills heaved up parking lot pavement,
sometimes as much as 18 inches.
“As a kid, I saw these things, and they
interested me,” said Sydlik, who initially
thought he’d pursue a career in structural
engineering after completing his B.S in
civil engineering at the University of Notre
Dame. But, when the job he was angling
for fell through, Sydlik took a full-time
geotechnical engineering job with a former
professor, while working on his M.S. in
civil engineering at Notre Dame at the
same time.
Ten years later, in 1983, he founded
Pittsburgh-based Earth, Inc. The
geotechnical and civil engineering
consultancy specializes in providing a
complete range of services, including field
reconnaissance, subsurface exploration,
lab testing, foundation investigations,
landslide stabilization and more. Today,
Sydlik’s venture is a busy firm employing
four engineers, three geologists and an
administrative assistant. As the sole
Photos courtesy of Earth, Inc.
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