History
Our firm’s legacy, like our present success, rests upon the foundation of exceptional individuals.
Each person featured here has made an indelible mark on Benton Engineering and profoundly impacted our clients. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and the enduring legacy they have built, which continues to inspire and guide us today.
55+ Years and Counting
In 1970, Bob Benton and his colleague, Paul Hansen, founded our firm in Jacksonville, Illinois.
The remarkable journey that has followed since then serves as both a source of humility and a powerful motivator as we continue to evolve and address the ever-changing demands of the engineering landscape.
1970
Benton & Associates, Inc. opened its office on May 1, 1970 in Jacksonville, Illinois, at 505 East State Street. At that time B&A had projects ranging from survey work, construction stakeout/observation, engineering reports, and preparing plans.
1974
Benton & Associates, Inc. was incorporated as a subchapter “S” corporation and remains the same today
1975
We moved to our second office at 2001 West Lafayette Avenue, which served us well for 18 years. During that time we grew to 18 employees.
1981
Bob Benton was elected President of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE) and has had an ISPE license plate since 1981.
1986
Bob Benton was honored by ISPE with being selected to receive the Illinois Engineer Award for 1986.
1990
Reginald (Reg) H. Benton, PE, SE (son of Bob Benton) was hired as a full-time structural engineer. That same year, he was named 1990 Young Engineer of the Year by the Capital Chapter of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers. In 1991, he received the ISPE Young Engineer of the Year Award.
1992
We soon realized, with our then current staff and workload, we were in need of more office space again, and more staff. We held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 14, 1993 for the construction of our new office located at 1970 West Lafayette Avenue, which has 9,300 square feet. We moved into the facility in September, 1993.
2000
After 30 years of being President with responsibility for day-to-day operations, Bob Benton became Chairman of the Board and Reg Benton became President.
2002
We opened an office in Kirksville, Missouri at 713 North High Street to better serve our clients’ needs in the Kirksville and Adair County area.
2003
B&A acquired GPS equipment as a new tool for surveying services to increase productivity, quality and efficiency on our projects.
2005
We opened our office at 804 West Jackson, in Macomb, Illinois to serve our clients’ needs better in that area.
2008
Benton & Associates, Inc. pushes “Quality of Service” envelope by undergoing an “Organizational Peer Review”, a voluntary study conducted to identify areas of improvement and reinforce effective business practices.
2011
We opened an office at 806-C East State Rt 72 in Rolla, MO.
2018
Benton & Associates, Inc. was named the 2018 Business of the Year with 25 or more employees by Jacksonville’s Area Chamber of Commerce.
2020
Celebrating B&A’s 50th Anniversary!
2022
28 years after being hired as a part-time employee while still in high school, Jamie Headen is elected President of B&A while Reg Benton maintains his role as Chairman of the Board.
2025
Benton Engineering unveils a new brand and website to represent the outside-the-box thinking that helps our clients get the job done. The new graphic identity is reflected in a modern, state-of-the-art website leveraging the new Benton logos and brand colors.
