FST commemorates 100th anniversary

Burlington, Mass. — On July 1, 1914, three prominent engineers with ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Frederic H. Fay, Charles M. Spofford, and Sturgis H. Thorndike — opened their first office. Though officially founded on June 8, the engineering firm's work truly began when they and their small staff settled in at 308 Boylston Street in Boston.

One hundred years later, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (FST) is a multidiscipline firm of nearly 300 people working in nine offices across New England and New York. The firm that they started 100 years ago continues to provide exceptional service to public- and private-sector clients in a variety of disciplines and markets.

FST is celebrating its milestone with many different events and commemorations, highlighted by a 100th Anniversary Gala in March attended by more than 450 current and former employees and their guests.

In acknowledgement of the Centennial, FST also:

· Temporarily changed its logo to reflect the anniversary, simultaneously promoting a new brand image that melds the engineering firm's past with its present and future.

· Designed, produced and distributed a custom, 13-month calendar that highlights some of the firm's most prominent projects, including the Cape Cod Bridges, the Boston Army Base, and the Bronx Garages at Yankee Stadium, as well as a number of notable water and wastewater projects.

· Created custom candy bars that were distributed to all employees at the gala and other events that FST participated in. At the gala, eight "Golden Tickets" were affixed to candy bars, with the winners receiving either an iPod or sporting event tickets.

· Exhibited a 1914 Model T car at the gala and at the New England Waterworks Conference in Worcester. In the former case, the car was in the lobby of the gala host Renaissance Hotel, with guests encouraged to take photos in it and hear about the car's history from the period-attired owner. In the latter, a 1914 Model T converted into a truck greeted registrants in the main lobby of the DCU Center.

· Held an employee and family ice skating party in recognition of founder Charles Spofford's love of ice skating. Legend has it that Professor Spofford would commute to his MIT office by skating along the Charles River. In 1938, FST was the structural designer of the Boston Skating Club's Rink, which was the largest indoor skating area in New England at that time.

· Hosted an employee bowling party to acknowledge the firm's long-time bowling team referenced in many of the company newsletters in the firm earliest days.

· Commissioned new 100th Anniversary marketing pieces and premium items, including flashlights, clothing, golf balls, pens, calculators, banners, trade show graphics and other products and collateral.

On the back of the 2014 calendar, the significance of the Centennial is summed up this way: "For Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, our 100-year legacy of solid, efficient and cost-effective engineering for clients near and far is more than a source of pride; it's the foundation upon which we've built our commitment to be a trusted partner to federal, state, municipal and private-sector clients throughout our diverse geographic and service areas."

Fay, Spofford & Thorndike is a multidiscipline engineering, planning and consulting firm that provides services to the transportation, environmental, water/wastewater and building facilities markets throughout the Northeast United States and beyond. The firm is based in Burlington, Massachusetts, with nine offices throughout New England and New York State.