Over 22 years, the business has grown to sites in Rockhampton, Hervey Bay and Mackay and has now added its own state-of-the-art soil testing laboratory, meaning it can keep all of the work local.
CQ Soil Testing began more than 20 years ago with a little operation in a backyard, but over the decades it has expanded to offices in Hervey Bay and Mackay, and more recently, the Rockhampton site moved to the former Park Avenue Fire Station.
Core tests.
And this week it will launch its biggest expansion yet; its own state-of-the-art soil testing laboratory.
CQ Soil Testing specialises in the investigation, sampling and testing of soil, groundwater and geotechnical work for the domestic, industrial, government, and mining sector.
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CQ Soil Testing Director Scott Walton.
Reflecting on the company’s journey, director Scott Walton said when he first started there was only one other company working within the industry.
“Like any new business it was tough at first but after some groundwork and a lot of cold calling, slowly but surely I managed to gain traction, pick up some clients, and the rest is history,” Mr Walton said.
The business focused on the domestic market for the first 10 years of business before moving into the commercial and industrial markets.
CQ Soil Testing Lab Manager Renee Carpenter.
“If you’re building or renovating a house and it sits on the earth, we do the soil testing you need for the engineers to design the foundations,” Mr Walton said.
“We basically make sure the soil is stable enough, so your home won’t shift or collapse into the earth.”
Not having their own lab meant they had to send samples away for testing.
CQ Soil Testing drilling on site.
“In the past we sent soil samples to outside laboratories for testing, but we often faced challenges with inconsistent test results and wait times which made us realise the importance of having more control over our own work,” Mr Walton said.
“To change that and to take control of our own laboratory testing, we decided to expand our geotechnical work further and build a laboratory (CQ Soil Labs) which not only allows us to do our own testing in-house but now we can offer industry a truly local company, keeping all the profits right here in CQ.”