The former First Independent Bank branch at SE 8th Avenue (next to the Les Schwab Tire Center in Camas) is getting a new lease on life. This highly visible location has been empty since October 2008.
Earth Engineers Inc., a geotechnical engineering and consulting firm employing 12 people with offices in downtown Vancouver and Springfield, Oregon, began exploring the possibility of purchasing the building last fall. They hired Miller Kashas, a Camas-based construction firm co-owned by Brian Kashas and Chris Miller, to assess the building’s potential. Earth Engineers is co-owned by Troy Hull and Travis Willis.
“Both myself and Travis live in Camas. I’m very happy to relocate there and work in the local community,” said Hull, who serves as Earth Engineers’ president. Hull and Kashas both serve on the board for Lacamas Little League, and Hull is a Camas planning commissioner.
This is the third move for Earth Engineers. Hull started the business in 2006, operating out of a spare room in his house. The business moved to east Vancouver in 2007, then to downtown Vancouver in 2013. The Springfield office opened in 2010.
Earth Engineers, which purchased the First Indy building in March, analyzes the ground and gives recommendations for foundation design for projects ranging from small single-family homes to dams, schools and bridges. They have worked on several Southwest Washington projects, including the Temco grain silo facility expansion in Kalama and the New Heights Church in Battle Ground.
“Business has been really good,” said Hull. “We’ve grown every year since we started – last year and this year the construction industry has been strong.”
Kashas, too, reported that “construction has picked up considerably” since he and Miller formed their company in the fall 2013.
Miller Kashas started the remodel of the 3,113-square foot building in Camas on April 1st. They are transforming the open floor plan into eight separate office spaces with a central lobby area that features natural light and high ceilings. A unique aspect of the project is the construction of a soils lab by enclosing the drive-thru area. The 726-square foot addition will include a large overhead door for easy access for trucks. The original drive-thru window provides an unimpeded view of the lab from the soils lab office.
The firm is also making good use of the vault.
“You can’t really get rid of it. It’s a large concrete room with a heavy door,” said Kashas.
So, the company decided to use the vault as the firm’s library. All in all, said Kashas, the firm has made “clever use of the space for the operations.”
Kashas is working with several local sub-contractors, including Washougal-based Kitchen Electric LLC and Camas-based Woodburn Plumbing Inc. He estimates the remodel to be complete by end of June.
