From its headquarters in Omaha, Neb., Engineered Controls Inc. already did many jobs in western Iowa. But with the growing market, the company opened an office in Central Iowa Nov. 1.

Brian Soukup, the general manager for the Iowa branch, has hit the ground running, bidding for contracts for the business and looking to expand his staff after only a few months in Clive.

“We felt this was a great move for us,” he said. “And so far, it has been.”

He moved from Omaha when the company opened the new office, and said he has found the the assumptions were right and that the market is good for his company to make the move.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” he said.

Engineered Controls provides customers with products and services that work to create an efficient and comfortable building environment. Soukup and his staff design, install and service control systems for heating, ventilation, humidification and air conditioning units.

“Many of our clients are schools, hospitals industrial buildings, places like that,” he said.

Soukup said everything the company builds and installs can be controlled over the Internet, broadening the company’s range and making it possible to work in areas all over the state.

“I can go online and pull up a dormitory at the University of Nebraska,” he said. “And if there is a problem with the heating system in just one room, I can pinpoint where it is and possibly fix it sitting in Des Moines. We’re doing some programming in Florida right now. There just aren’t any territorial boundaries with this type of technology.”

Engineered Controls is affiliated with Honeywell Inc., which Soukup said gives his company additional expertise and resources.

Besides HVAC control systems, the company also specializes in security systems, including card access and video systems.

“We have branched out to include areas that fit into our talents,” he said. “The security systems market is much more competitive than the HVAC, but we feel like we have the expertise due to our experience with Web-based control systems.”

Soukup said 75 percent of the company’s business comes from the new construction market. It gets some leads on potential clients through Honeywell, several more from former customers, but the majority of Engineered Controls’ business comes through open bidding.

“I think our advantages are that we can work with an organization for their complete needs,” he said. “We can install the HVAC controls and the security systems, and once they are installed, we will provide service for our products. And with everything being Web based, it is really easy to use.”

There are currently two people working in the Clive offices, but Soukup is looking to hire two more right away.