Entech Innovative Engineering, an award-winning fabrication studio based in Florida, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Entech Innovative Engineering has been at the cutting edge of creativity and innovation in the engineering and themed entertainment industries for three decades. It is known as “The Company That Works!” due to its strong work ethic and exceptional efficiency.
“We are The Company That Works,” says John Marhoefer, company founder. “We take pride in being able to produce the seemingly impossible and finding innovative solutions to any challenge our clients present us with.”
The firm has established its reputation by delivering challenging projects for clients across the world through cutting-edge design, skilled engineering, and fabrication-build services of specialised systems, equipment, and structures.
Supporting a skilled workforce
The team is passionate about their craft, and this dedication is a fundamental part of the organisational culture. Entech Innovative Engineering has established a dynamic and innovative environment, which supports its employees’ professional objectives while ensuring excellent results for every client.
The firm has proven its ability to effectively deliver for its customers, and during its 30 years has also demonstrated its resilience and enhanced its expertise.
A key factor in this success is the firm’s core values, the “4 C’s”, which are confidence, competence, commitment and consistency. These values are the foundation for all of Entech Innovative Engineering’s work and are vital qualities in its team. The 4 C’s are valued by clients and customers for the dedication, innovation and expertise that they foster.
Ian Roberson of Island Management is a client, and comments: “Throughout our collaboration in constructing specialized structures and machines for us over 20 years and almost countless projects, Entech consistently demonstrated an unmatched level of expertise, dedication, and creativity.
“Their ability to understand and interpret our unique requirements, as well as their commitment to translating those needs into innovative solutions, has truly set them apart in the industry. Entech’s technical proficiency combined with an innate ability to foresee the best path to success has led to just that, Success.
“The quality and durability of the structures and machines they have provided exceeded the projects original design requirements to such a degree that the value received was many times what was expected. The quality and durability of the structures and machines they have delivered have consistently met, in fact, exceeded our expectations. Over the years, I have come to view Entech not just as a service provider, but as a trusted partner.”
Building a business
Entech Innovative Engineering has evolved through its 30-year history and has risen to challenges and embraced opportunities through the decades.
Marhoefer founded the company in 1993, and together with Jason Taylor began work in the rooms above his garage – a stark contrast to the 30,000-square-foot facility that the firm operates from today. Early projects included supporting Intamin on the Back To The Future ride vehicle refurbishment project and working with FAO Schwarz, which has led to a long-term collaboration.
The firm has always relished the challenge of designing complicated and recognisable mechatronics and structures that other businesses were hesitant to take on, and the business enjoyed a strong start. However, it did not yet have a name. “Entech” was suggested by John’s late father, and with possible meanings of entertainment technology or engineering technology, it was a good fit. Over the years, various versions of this name have been used by the firm in order to better differentiate and describe its offer.
The firm was initially named Florida Entech, reflecting Marhoefer’s fascination with the state, and the place where he was to launch his career. Here, the newly qualified engineer worked on Walt Disney World attractions including Star Tours and Body Wars at MGM Studios and Epcot.
After some years, it was felt that Florida Entech reflected the location of the firm’s clients, so it needed a name which would reflect its extensive geographical reach. The company was rebranded as Entech Creative Industries, aligning it with the entertainment industry and providing an umbrella for the firm’s various lines., such as Entech Waterjet and Entech Controls.
Most recently, the company name has evolved once again to become Entech Innovative Engineering, a name designed to differentiate the firm as a technology and engineering specialist.
Three decades of innovative engineering and technology
Throughout this evolution, the firm has been successful in securing significant clients and challenging projects.
The development of the Pterodactyl Airline for the Universal Studios Hollywood Flintstones Stage Show was one of the company’s early successes. This intricate component “flew” above the spectators, carrying actors while ensuring everyone’s safety and effortlessly integrating into the story of the performance. This project served as the foundation for a large number of other cutting-edge engineering solutions that Entech Innovative would later provide.
Entech has worked with countless clients to bring their ideas to reality by investing in innovation, creation, and discovery. Disney, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, FAO Schwarz, Ford, Hard Rock, and The Smithsonian Institution are among their prestigious clients. Each project is tackled with a unique blend of creativity and practicality, which leads to designs that not only embody the client’s vision but also make engineering and financial sense.
Experiential marketing, science centres and museums, theme and amusement parks, and specialist architectural construction, are among the industries in Entech Innovative Technology’s extensive portfolio. Their projects, which demonstrate their wide variety of abilities and in-depth engineering expertise, have included everything from unusual charging stations to a 10-foot bird’s nest.
Marhoefer says: “The people I’ve worked with, the projects in which I’ve been a part, the places I’ve gone, what I’ve learned! I could not have imagined all of that 30 years ago but consider myself fortunate for ending up here! Thanks to all my associates and clients for all you’ve done for me.”
Looking ahead, Entech Innovative Engineering continues to be dedicated to fostering innovation, providing engaging experiences, and going above and beyond for its customers. The firm will continue to push the boundaries of themed entertainment and engineering for years to come.
Top image: 11.5-foot-tall Giant Working Cube, an iconic educational interactive in Liberty Science Center’s “Beyond Rubik’s Cube” exhibit
