Materials Testing & Consulting, Inc.

08/27/2025

🏆 The Niall Hackett Award for Excellence – 2023 & 2024 🏆

We are proud to announce our most recent honorees of MTC’s highest recognition!

2023 – Mrs. Beth Fuentes
2024 – Mr. Jeff Sutherland

Beth and Jeff, your leadership, integrity, and dedication embody everything this award stands for. We know Niall would look at you both and say in his Irish brogue, “You make me proud!” 👏

About the Award
The Niall Hackett Award for Excellence honors the legacy of MTC’s founder, Niall Hackett — a remarkable man whose grit, generosity, and leadership built the foundation of our company.

Many of us were lucky enough to know Niall. He lived life on the edge, cussed like a sailor, and cared passionately about his family, his company, and his employees. Born in Belfast, Ireland, Niall grew up during the Troubles, surviving repeated bombings and receiving help from the Salvation Army. As a teenager, he joined the Merchant Marines, and through a series of adventures, eventually landed in California, becoming a Special Inspector.

In the 1990s, he moved to Washington State with his family and built MTC from the ground up — through hard work, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief in honesty, accountability, compassion, and effort. Niall quietly gave back to the community, ringing bells for the Salvation Army and serving meals to the homeless during the holidays.

He demanded the best from his people, not because he was harsh, but because he truly believed that anyone — with grit and determination — could rise to greatness. The award in his name recognizes those who stand out as both leaders and team players, who own their mistakes, support others, and face challenges with professionalism and fairness.

Beth and Jeff, thank you for carrying Niall’s spirit forward. You inspire us all. 💙

09/04/2023

Project Update: Belltown 36
Seattle, WA

MTC has been onsite performing special inspections and materials testing for the past 18 months. The progress is fun to watch.

Situated above the SR-99 tunnel in the heart of Downtown Seattle, this 415,000-SF, 29-story mixed-use tower will feature approximately 200 residential units, 18,200 SF of office space and 8,500 SF of retail space over four subterranean levels of parking. The structure consists of cast-in-place concrete with post-tensioned floor slabs.

MTC has performed inspections for reinforced concrete, shotcrete, prestressed concrete, structural steel welding (on job site and at the fab shop), fire-resistant pe*******ons and joints, structural masonry, lateral framing, and proprietary anchors.

08/29/2023

Project Update: Liza on Eastlake, Seattle, WA

This project is continuing to make progress. Once completed, this project that's pursuing Seattle's Living Building Pilot Program will feature a 200,000-SF six-story, multi-family residential apartment development!

MTC has performed special inspections for reinforced concrete, structural masonry, prestressed concrete, shotcrete, structural steel welding - both on the jobsite and at the fab shop, and proprietary anchors.

08/28/2023

A little Geotechnical investigation this morning.

What is Soil Boring, you ask?

Soil boring is the process of drilling a hole into the ground in order to take a sample of the soil. The sample is then used to test the soil for various properties, such as texture, porosity, and more.

08/28/2023

MTC is grateful for the opportunity to sponsor the Hospice of the Northwest Foundation Ports of Call Gala & Auction: Alice in Wonderland. The event takes place on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 5:00 PM.

Hospice of the Northwest's mission is to provide compassionate and dignified end-of-life care for hospice patients in our community.

They have touched countless lives in the Northwest, including many of us here at MTC. They are absolutely invaluable to the community and any support we can offer to them, we are proud to provide.

Please consider making a donation to this extraordinary organization.

Can't make it to the event? Make a donation instead: https://event.auctria.com/.../10a16db04efd11ec8068798fa2c...

We are so grateful to have the support of Materials Testing & Consulting, Inc. again this year for the Ports of Call Gala & Auction. Because of their generosity as a presenting sponsor, every dollar raised at the event will directly benefit hospice patients and their circles of support. Please join us in thanking Materials Testing & Consulting for their incredible support!

08/28/2023

MTC had the pleasure of performing special inspections and materials testing on this project over the past two years that included reinforced concrete, structural masonry, lateral framing, proprietary anchors, structural steel welding onsite and at the fab shop, fire-resistant pe*******on and joints, earthwork, asphalt, and all related laboratory testing.

04/14/2023

Featured Project: Janicki Building 10
Sedro-Woolley, WA

Upon completion, this massive wood structure will have an approximate footprint area of 100,000 square feet. The building includes some office space, warehouse, and a settlement sensitive high-tech assembly area.

At this phase in construction, MTC has performed special inspections for reinforced concrete, lateral framing, structural steel welding, proprietary anchors, and in-place soil density.

02/15/2023

Featured Project: Ashley Furniture Distribution Center
Spanaway, WA

The first Pacific Northwest distribution center for Ashley Furniture; this 1.1 million square-foot, precast concrete structure is currently in Phase II of construction. Phase I began in 2021 and consisted of a 715,000-SF warehouse with three-story office mezzanines on two separate building corner locations. Phase II will total approximately 400,000 SF and include 252 parking stalls, 58 dock doors, and 471 trailer parking stalls.

MTC has provided inspections for reinforced concrete, structural masonry, structural steel bolting, lateral framing, nondestructive testing, shotcrete, structural steel welding onsite and at the fab shop, proprietary anchors, floor flatness and levelness, flexural beams, earthwork, asphalt, and all associated laboratory testing.

12/14/2022

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮

Let us not forget the man who started it all, Niall Hackett…
Many were blessed to know Niall Hackett, MTC's Founder, but many sadly missed knowing a remarkable and memorable human being. Those that knew him, knew a man who lived life on the edge, who cussed like a sailor and cared passionately about all things family and MTC, especially his employees. He was a born leader, but nothing, and I mean nothing, was handed to him.

Niall had the highest expectations of his people, and he expected them to rise without excuse because if he could start out as an uneducated scrappy kid on the streets of Belfast, Ireland, and work his way to a very successful business owner in the USA, anyone could! Niall’s passion for his people surpassed that of any regular employer because he truly did want the best for his employees and their families, and it is in this spirit that we honor him and have vowed to continue to keep his memory alive with the Niall Hackett Award for Excellence.

We asked our staff to nominate their peers considering the following criteria: Who regularly stands out as both a leader and a team player? Who consistently works to improve, grow and support others? Who humbly takes ownership of their mistakes and makes every attempt to amend them? Who will help another, even when there’s nothing to gain? Who will offer a hand up as well as a handout? Who among our staff would Niall Hackett point to and say in his Irish brogue, “You make me proud!”?
2021 winners were Ms. Meghan Blodgett-Carrillo and Mr. Santiago Gonzalez.

AND NOW..... for the moment you've all been waiting for!
We are so happy to announce the winner of the 2022 Niall Hackett Award for Excellence!
𝗠𝘀. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗼𝗻
Well done, Shareece, you are most deserving! We know that Mr. Hackett would look to you and say, "You make me proud!" Thank you for all that you bring to MTC!

12/02/2022

Featured Project: Alta Narrows Urban Village
University Place, WA

This project is one of the largest housing developments in the city of University Place. 274 residential units will span two parcels and spread among two four-story buildings, one approximately 50,050 square feet and one approximately 57,025 square feet, and seven three-story buildings each approximately 24,275 square feet.

MTC has performed special inspections for reinforced concrete, structural steel welding - on the job site and at the fab shop, lateral framing and proprietary anchors.