Company Roots:
Contegra’s roots go all the way back to 1921. In that year Carl Gardeen started Consolidated Electric in St. Paul, MN. In 1965, when Carl passed away, the responsibility of guiding Consolidated transferred to Carl’s son John Gardeen. Under John’s leadership Consolidated became a well-known and highly-regarded supplier of water level sensors, pump controllers, control panels and SCADA systems. As Consolidated grew, John’s nephews, Mark and Evan Shadduck, returned to the company to oversee the departments of Engineering (Mark – BEE University of MN) and Finance/Personnel (Evan– BA Bethel College, MBA University of MN, CPA).
In 1993 Consolidated Electric was sold to Northwest Water; a company based in the United Kingdom. Concurrently, Northwest Water purchased Envirex Inc., Wallace & Tiernan Inc., Asdor Ltd., General Filter Co. and several other well-known companies that sell equipment for use in the water and wastewater market. In 1997 Northwest Water sold the group of companies to US Filter. Shortly thereafter Mark and Evan Shadduck left the former ‘family business’ and started Contegra.
Consolidated’s customers and representatives knew of the strong “family” environment and many felt as if they too were part of the family. As Consolidated's ownership changed, the 'family' environment and the family-like relationships also changed. Therefore, when starting Contegra, Mark and Evan desired to return to a sense of family and form a company which epitomized close relationships such as those one has with a "family business”.
The name “Contegra” is formed from two Latin words. In Latin, the word "Con" means "with". For example, the word concentric means “with the same center” or coaxial means “with the same axis”. The second Latin term is “integritas” from which we derive the English word “Integrity”. Thus Contegra stands for “With Integrity” which portrays our desire to be people of integrity.
Contegra’s products were designed with the insight gained through the years of hands-on experience at Consolidated Electric. With that insight and experience Contegra is able to offer an impressive line of water level sensors and pump controllers. Contegra’s customers know that when dealing with Contegra they’re dealing with folks who are well-versed in the field of level/pressure sensing and pump control.
Contegra’s SLX 130 Submersible Transducer stands-up in difficult environments. Its wetted parts of PVC, Viton® and Teflon® are resilient in many aggressive chemical environments. Its large (2.5" diameter) Teflon-faced, unobstructed diaphragm eliminates the possibility of a sludge-plugged nose-cone and minimizes the formation of an encrusted end cap. Additionally, the SLX 130 transducer's PVC housing provides an additional level of electrical isolation in installations that experience "ground bounce" (i.e. an elevated ground potential due to nearby lightning events). The SLX 130 has been designed to provide years of reliable, trouble-free service.
Contegra’s Station Master line of controllers offers impressive performance that’s best known for their intuitive, user-friendly interface. The Station Master 700 series of controllers is Contegra’s premier line. The Station Master 700 build Contegra’s previous generation of controllers, the Station Master 2000 and 3000, and the years of experience at Consolidated Electric.
FOUNDER'S BIOGRAPHIES
Mark Shadduck received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1980 from the University of Minnesota. He worked at Consolidated Electric from 1970 to 1980. After graduating Mark joined Honeywell Avionics Division and rose to Senior Development Engineer working with advanced digital test equipment. In 1985, Mark joined Micro Component Technology - Tester Division as a Senior Electronics Engineer. Mark returned to Consolidated Electric in 1989 as Vice President of Engineering. Mark has been the President of Contegra since 1998.
Evan Shadduck graduated in 1979 with a BA in Philosophy and Business from Bethel College and in 1982 with an MBA from the University of Minnesota. In 1984, Evan earned his CPA. Evan worked at Consolidated Electric from 1978 to 1981. Evan worked for Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in 1982 and 1983. Evan rejoined Consolidated Electric in 1983 as the VP of Finance. He has been a VP at Contegra since 1998.