About

Tapani is a family owned business, building the critical infrastructure and buildings that support our communities across the Pacific Northwest.

Since 1983, our team has grown from a single-family crew to a team of over 500 employees with offices in both Washington and Oregon. Our work has diversified from primarily underground utility work to five different areas including Civil Site Development, Buildings, Transportation, Utility Infrastructure and Environmental. With every project we do, we are passionate about building what matters while improving the lives of our employees, clients and trade partners.

Our History

TIMELINE

1983

Company Founded

Tapani Underground is founded by Iner & Beverly Tapani.

1984

Hired Full-Time Employee

First full-time employee, Mickey Radford, is hired.

1985

First Public Works Project

Tapani wins the Hazel Dell Sewer District project.

1986

Company Incorporated

Office moves to its current location in Battle Ground and the business is incorporated.

1987

Breakthrough Project

Tapani performs a breakthrough project: Main Street Reconstruction, for the City of Battle Ground.

1990

Second Generation Starts

First of Tapani’s second generation, Kevin Tapani, begins full-time employment.

1995

Mass Earth Moving Project

Tapani is awarded first 1 million-cubic-yard project for Port of Vancouver’s Subaru offloading facility.

1996

$5 Million Project

First project over $5 million: Reconstruction of 99th Street in Vancouver.

1997

HDPE Pipe Project

First HDPE pipe project, installing 2.5 miles of 32-inch pipe in Orchards area near Vancouver.

1998

150+ Lot Subdivision

Tapani is chosen to construct its first 150 plus lot subdivision in Vancouver.

1999

Awarded $10 Million WSDOT Project

Awarded first major WSDOT infrastructure project of $10 million as a subcontractor on a $42 million contract.

2003

$18 Million Overpass Project

Tapani constructs the $18 million Gher Rd overpass project in Orchards area near Vancouver.

2004

Hydroelectric Project

Tapani performs its first hydroelectric project: The Swift Tail Race.

2005

100+ Employees

The company surpasses 100 employees.

2005

First Jetty Project

Tapani constructs the North Jetty on the Columbia River in Ilwaco, WA. This project involved major growth for our teams.

2005

New Subsidiary Companies

Tapani Trucking and Tower Rock Products are founded as Tapani subsidiaries.

2008

$20 Million FHA Project

Construction begins on first project for the Federal Highway Administration, a $20 million project on the Olympic Peninsula.

2009

Structural Concrete Focus

Structural concrete team is formed and Tapani begins a strategic focus on self performing structural concrete work.

2012

Major Growth

Tapani experiences major growth as three $20 million plus projects are performed concurrently. Number of employees exceeds 300 and Tapani reaches $75 million/year in revenue.

2012

Company Name Change

Because of project diversification to more than just underground projects, the company name changes from Tapani Underground, Inc. to Tapani Inc.

2014

Fleet Growth

Fleet reaches 300 pieces of equipment.

2015

Founders Retire

Tapani’s original founders Iner and Beverly retire.

2016

$100 Million Per Year

Tapani hits the $100 million per year revenue mark, as the employee count exceeds 400.

2016

$28 Million Hydroelectric Projects

Tapani wins $28 million Hancock Creek & Calligan Creek hydroelectric projects for Snohomish County PUD.

2017

Constructed New Equipment Shop

Tapani’s 22,000 square foot equipment and fabrication shop is built by Tapani’s structural concrete team.

2017

$1 Billion

Company reaches a total of $1 billion of work performed since inception.

2018

500+ Employees

Company exceeds 500 employees.

2018

Tapani Materials

Tapani Materials, Inc. is founded as a subsidiary.

2019

Tri-Cities Office

Tapani opens a regional office in Richland, WA.

2020

First Major Infrastructure Bridge

Tapani self-performs its first major infrastructure bridge: Pioneer Street Rail Overpass in Ridgefield, WA.

2020

Welded Steel Pipe Project

Tapani is awarded the RFP to install over 1 mile of 66" welded Steel Pipe Transmission Main.

2021

Sherwood Office

Tapani opens a regional office in Sherwood, OR.

2022

New Headquarters Building

Tapani begins constructing the new 36,000 square foot headquarters building in Battle Ground.

2022

First Public Progressive Design Build

Tapani is awarded the Boeckman Road Corridor Project, the first Progressive Public Design Build Job.

OUR STORY

In 1983, Tapani Underground opened for business. Founder Iner Tapani began operations with a backhoe, an old excavator, and a strong work ethic. Tapani Underground started small, installing residential septic systems and performing any other work that could be done during the bleak economic climate of the mid-1980s. Through several years of dawn till dusk work, the company experienced slow but steady growth. During the early years, Iner drove the backhoe down the road to the next job site followed by his wife, Beverly, in the family car with the hazard lights flashing. With this continued teamwork, Iner and Beverly expanded their two-person operation into a multi-million dollar business. Over the years, the company has grown considerably. With the company’s scope of work expanding into more areas of construction, the family changed the business name from Tapani Underground, Inc., to Tapani Inc. in 2012. In 2015, Iner and Beverly retired and passed the responsibilities of running Tapani to their sons, with Leigh as president. As Tapani continues to grow and expand, the humble beginnings and core values we were founded on are not forgotten.