December 2, 2025

Meet T&M: Cory McNabb

Meet T&M:

Cory McNabb

Operations and Finance Administrator

Meet Cory McNabb

Some people know a little about everything. Cory has turned that into an art form. As T&M’s Operations and Finance Administrator, and the daughter of the company’s founder, she’s spent over 20 years building the kind of institutional knowledge that can’t be taught. She manages project budgeting, compliance, HR, and bookkeeping, but her real superpower is knowing exactly who to call, which process to follow, or how to unstick a project that’s hit a wall.

Cory’s not an engineer, but she doesn’t need to be. She’s the person who connects the dots, the one who remembers how a similar challenge was solved three years ago. Outside of work, that same curiosity takes her hiking through the Pacific Northwest, tracking ancient Inca trails in Peru, and volunteering with single mothers battling cancer.

Q: You’ve been with T&M for over two decades. How have you seen the company evolve?

Cory: “Watching the whole life cycle has been incredible. Recently, I saw my dad retire and let go of something that was very important to him, then watched Travis take over and take it in new directions. For me, it’s kind of like a mother role for this business. I like watching it grow and thrive.”

Q: What part of your work do you find most rewarding?

Cory: “Closing out projects, especially the big ones, is really satisfying. But my favorite part is when a coworker gets stuck on something and I have the answer or can figure out how to move things forward. I’m not a specialist in anything, but I know just enough to put the pieces together when there’s a gap.”

Q: What makes T&M’s team culture unique?

Cory: “Everyone wears a lot of hats and is skilled in multiple areas. What’s refreshing is the willingness to take on something outside your scope. It’s not just about having the ability to do it, it’s actually stepping up and saying, ‘I’m going to handle that.'”

Q: What do you do when you’re not working?

Cory: “I love hiking and the outdoors. I grew up in the woods, and honestly, there’s nothing like the Pacific Northwest. I’ve also traveled all over the world, often by myself. Poland, Peru, Denmark, Iceland, just to name a few. One of my most memorable experiences was back in 2015, when I flew into the Amazon, stayed on a reforestation farm, then tracked up to Machu Picchu and watched the sunrise through the sun gate.”

Q: How would you describe yourself in one word?

Cory: “Curious. I’m always asking, what makes this work? What’s that about? What’s this person’s story? That curiosity about all aspects of life kind of blankets around everything I do.”

Q: You volunteer with organizations supporting single mothers battling cancer. Why is that important to you?

Cory: “My kids are grown now but I was a single parent for a long time. That was hard enough but, I couldn’t imagine going through cancer alone while still having to be the nurturing support for children who can’t nurture you back. These mothers need someone to care for them, whether it’s cleaning house or paying bills when they can’t work.”

Closing Note

Cory’s story reflects what makes T&M special: deep loyalty, problem-solving instincts, and a genuine commitment to supporting the people around her. Her blend of operational expertise and institutional wisdom keeps the team moving forward, one solved challenge at a time.

Explore more about our Case Studies and Industry insights

November 21, 2025

Prefabrication in Industrial Projects: Faster Builds, Less Disruption

In today’s industrial environments, every hour of downtime carries a cost. Whether upgrading process systems, adding a new line, or modernizing infrastructure, project efficiency is critical to keeping operations on track. That’s where prefabrication, the practice of building key components offsite before installation, has become a game-changing approach for industrial projects when conditions are right.

At T&M Design, we understand that plant upgrades and retrofits demand precision, safety, and minimal disruption. With decades of experience in industrial engineering and construction management, our team helps clients evaluate whether prefabrication makes sense for their specific project, and when it does, we coordinate with trusted fabrication partners to deliver solutions that work.

What Is Prefabrication in Industrial Construction?

Prefabrication refers to the process of assembling structural, mechanical, or process system components in a controlled offsite environment before transporting them to the facility for final installation.

Common prefabricated elements include:

- - Pipe racks and skid-mounted process systems
  - Electrical and control panels
  - Equipment platforms and mezzanines
  - Modular walls or enclosures
  - Pre-assembled utility systems

By constructing these systems in a dedicated fabrication shop rather than on the production floor, manufacturers can significantly reduce time spent working in active areas, improve quality control, and minimize safety risks.

At T&M Design, we work closely with qualified fabrication partners who specialize in the scope and quality your project demands. Our role is to assess whether prefabrication is the right fit, coordinate the design and fabrication process, and manage installation to ensure every component integrates seamlessly with your facility.

Why Prefabrication Matters

Prefabrication offers distinct advantages for industrial facilities where uptime and precision are essential. But it’s not a universal solution. The key is knowing when it delivers real value.

1. Faster Installation

While components are being fabricated offsite, on-site teams can continue preparing foundations, utilities, or other work areas. This parallel scheduling allows projects to move forward more quickly, often cutting construction timelines by weeks or months, but only when the design is locked in early and logistics support modular delivery.

2. Improved Quality Control

Offsite fabrication occurs in controlled environments with consistent supervision and tooling. This results in higher precision, fewer reworks, and consistent weld integrity or alignment accuracy: key benefits for process-critical systems. That said, not every component benefits from shop fabrication. Custom or one-off elements may be just as efficiently built in the field.

3. Enhanced Safety

Prefabrication reduces the need for hot work, elevated access, and heavy equipment operation within active facilities. Fewer workers and less congestion in production zones means lower risk for everyone involved. However, site-specific conditions (access routes, crane capacity, and delivery windows) must support modular installation for these safety benefits to materialize.

4. Reduced Operational Disruption

Perhaps most importantly, prefabrication keeps intrusive work away from production areas. That translates into fewer shutdowns, minimal interference with plant personnel, and a smoother transition during installation, assuming the facility layout, transportation logistics, and project phasing align with modular delivery.

In short, when the conditions are right, prefabrication allows you to build smarter, safer, and faster without compromising quality or uptime.

When Prefabrication Doesn't Fit

It’s equally important to recognize when prefabrication isn’t the answer. Not every project or scope is suited for offsite construction, and forcing it where it doesn’t belong can create more problems than it solves.

Prefabrication may not be practical when:

1. Design isn’t finalized early enough. Shop fabricators need complete, coordinated drawings with locked dimensions. If you’re still making layout decisions or dimensional changes late in the project, prefabrication timelines fall apart.

2. Components are too large or complex to transport. A module that can’t physically move down your access roads, fit under power lines, or navigate site constraints isn’t prefabricated: it’s stuck in a shop.

3. Site conditions don’t support modular installation. If your facility lacks crane access, adequate laydown space, or clear installation windows, the logistics of prefabrication may outweigh the benefits.

4. Scope involves highly custom or one-off elements. Prefabrication shines with repeatable, standardized components. Unique, site-specific assemblies may be more efficiently built in place.

5. Project phasing requires flexibility. If construction sequencing needs to adapt in real time to production schedules or evolving site conditions, stick-built approaches often provide more agility.

We don’t push prefabrication as a default. Every project is meticulously evaluated and pre-fab is only recommended when the scope, schedule, logistics, and site conditions genuinely support it. Sometimes the smartest move is traditional field construction—and we’re equally equipped to manage that approach.

Our Approach: How T&M Design Integrates Prefabrication

When prefabrication does make sense, T&M Design brings an integrated, end-to-end approach to ensure it’s executed effectively. We coordinate with qualified fabricators and manage the process from concept through installation.

Early Evaluation and Feasibility Assessment

We assess which systems, structures, or process modules are realistic candidates for prefabrication during the design phase. This includes evaluating transportation routes, crane access, delivery timing, and whether the design can be locked in early enough to support shop fabrication.

Partner Coordination and Oversight

We work with trusted fabrication partners (not our own shop) to ensure modules are built to specification, meet quality standards, and align with your project schedule. Our construction management team maintains direct communication with fabricators to verify dimensional accuracy, material compliance, and delivery readiness.

Design for Fabrication and Installation

Our engineers design with both fabrication and installation realities in mind. That means considering module size limits, transportation constraints, lifting points, and field connection details from the start.

Efficient Onsite Execution

Once modules are delivered, our construction management team coordinates installation with precision. By reducing field welds, material handling, and in-situ fabrication where it makes sense, we keep the work clean, controlled, and efficient, but we’re just as prepared to pivot to field construction where conditions require it.

Lifecycle Perspective

Because T&M supports clients from concept through commissioning, we ensure that any prefabrication strategy not only accelerates installation but also simplifies future maintenance and system modifications.

The Bottom Line: The Right Strategy for the Right Project

Prefabrication is a proven method that can help industrial facilities modernize faster while minimizing operational risk, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The best results come from knowing when to prefabricate, when to build in the field, and how to execute either approach effectively.

At T&M Design, we design and manage projects with your floor, flow, and footprint in mind. Our embedded support model ensures we operate as an extension of your team, evaluating every option and aligning every decision with your production goals, site realities, and safety standards.

Final Thoughts

If your facility is preparing for an upgrade, expansion, or system installation, schedule a free consultation today to see if prefabrication is right for you.

Our team combines technical expertise, field experience, and practical insight to deliver projects that perform on time, within budget, and with minimal disruption. That’s what we mean by Engineering with Impact.

Let’s talk about your next project. Contact T&M Design today.

October 21, 2025

Why Containment and Negative Air Are Critical in Food Processing Facility Construction

When it comes to construction projects in food processing facilities, there’s simply no room for compromise. Maintaining hygiene, air quality, and strict contamination controls isn’t just good practice — it’s a regulatory and food safety requirement.

At T&M Design, we understand that working inside food safe environments demands a heightened level of planning and execution. With decades of industrial engineering and construction management experience, including in food processing facilities, we bring the full project lifecycle perspective: design, construction management, startup assistance, and post project operational support.

What Is Containment in Food Facility Construction?

Containment refers to the physical barriers and control measures used to isolate the construction work area from active food production zones. Effective containment might include:

Plastic sheeting or temporary walls
Zippered or controlled entryways for personnel and materials
Floor‑to‑ceiling enclosures around the work zone
HEPA filtered air scrubbers within the enclosure

These barriers are designed to prevent dust, debris, and other airborne particulates from migrating into clean zones — which is a key concern in any food safe environment.

At T&M Design, containment is integrated in our phased construction planning. When we serve clients from early project preparation and development through design and construction management, we can build in these plans and costs from the beginning. We ensure that containment zones are mapped out in conjunction with process flow, equipment installation, and commissioning — so that construction activities can occur with minimal disruption and maximum hygiene control.

Why Negative Air Pressure Matters

Negative air pressure means using specialized fans and air scrubbers to create a vacuum‑like effect inside the construction zone. This system pulls air into the enclosed work area and exhausts it — typically through HEPA filters and then through temporary plastic ducting to an adjacent outdoor or isolated location. The purpose is to ensure that:

Contaminants remain inside the containment area rather than migrating into food production zones.
Clean air zones are protected from dust, allergens, or other airborne particles.
Compliance with regulatory or operational standards (e.g., GMP, OSHA) is maintained.

If negative air control is omitted, there’s a risk that airborne particles — including construction dust, bacteria, or mold spores — could travel into active food production spaces, creating serious health, regulatory and operational risks.

Because T&M Design works with industrial environments and understands the potential impact of construction on ongoing operations, our team addresses airflow, filtration and pressure monitoring early in the project lifecycle. That way the containment and negative air system is installed, validated, and maintained for the entire duration of the work.

The Consequences of Skipping These Steps

Failing to implement proper containment and negative air controls during a construction or renovation project in a food processing facility can lead to:

Food contamination (dust, foreign material, airborne particulates)
Food recalls or product spoilage
Unplanned shutdowns or production losses
Regulatory enforcement or reputational damage

These are not minor risks — they can be extremely expensive, disruptive, and often wholly preventable with the right preconstruction strategy and execution.

Our Approach: Engineering with Hygiene & Operations in Mind

At T&M Design we bring an integrated, end‑to‑end approach to projects in food processing and other industrial facilities. Key aspects of our method include:

Early stage evaluation and risk assessment: We identify whether containment and negative air systems are required based on the specific job, process layout and phasing.
Phased construction planning: We design construction phasing that minimizes risk to food safety, production, and maintenance workflows.
Coordination of containment installation, negative air establishment, and pressure monitoring: We incorporate these into the construction management plan and provide oversight during execution.
Training of construction crews in food safe construction protocols: Recognizing that our people work in industrial environments, we bring practical operational awareness from decades of experience
Construction management oversight and commissioning support: Because T&M Design covers design, construction management, and commissioning, we ensure contamination control measures are not afterthoughts but built in and maintained throughout the project.

Final Thoughts

In any construction project involving food processing environments, containment and negative air systems aren’t optional—they’re essential safeguards. With the right planning, design and execution you can carry out even complex renovations, new lines or builds without compromising food safety, operational continuity or regulatory compliance.

If your facility is planning an upgrade, expansion or new construction, reach out to T&M Design. We bring the experience, technical expertise, and practical approach to make your project succeed—safely, efficiently, and without disruption.

Let’s talk about your next project. Contact T&M Design today.

October 18, 2025

Upgrading Flour Storage Silos for International Manufacturer of Baked Goods

Case Study

Upgrading flour storage silos for international manufacturer of baked goods

CLIENT OVERVIEW

International baked goods manufacturer in Portland Metro Area with continuous production operations dependent on bulk ingredient delivery by railcar.

THE CHALLENGE

Aging Infrastructure Meets Modern Standards

Several 200,000-lb capacity flour silos from the 1950s needed replacement:

Safety Gap: Existing silos didn’t meet current NFPA combustible dust regulations
Structural Concerns: 70-year-old mild steel structures couldn’t meet current building codes and Oregon seismic standards
Zero Downtime Required: Full storage capacity had to be maintained throughout construction and commissioning

Brownfield Complexity:

Active railroad tracks with daily flour deliveries adjacent to construction zone
Waste compactor operations requiring multiple weekly exchanges
Critical roadways for finished product distribution
Multiple stakeholders requiring continuous coordination

THE SOLUTION

T&M Design’s Role: Project manager, construction manager, lead engineering firm, and commissioning lead

Strategic Phasing:

Positioned three new silos to keep all five original silos operational during construction
Installed divert valve on existing discharge piping for flexible commissioning
Commissioned each new silo individually with ability to revert if needed
Completed full commissioning before demolishing existing structures

Multi-Disciplinary Coordination:

Partnered across electrical, mechanical, structural, civil, combustible dust, and controls engineering
Developed comprehensive Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) and Technical Opinion Report for permitting
Designed foundations following geotechnical testing
Managed daily logistics with rail company, bakery personnel, and waste vendors

Execution:

Two of Oregon’s largest cranes required for vertical silo installation
Maximized pre-fabrication to minimize crane time and operational disruption
Pre-assembled platform assemblies, catwalks, and spiral stairs
Integrated new NFPA-compliant safety systems: deflagration panels, fast-acting isolation valves, automated shutdown controls

THE RESULTS

Zero operational disruptions throughout the entire construction, commissioning, and transition period
Full NFPA compliance with modern combustible dust hazard management systems, including deflagration protection and automated isolation
Enhanced structural integrity meeting current building codes and Oregon seismic standards
Improved equipment reliability with new systems designed for decades of service
Better maintenance access with spiral staircases replacing bucket ladders, providing safe access to all five silos
"Instantaneous Start Up" recognition—the client's first U.S. project to receive this designation, reflecting exemplary safety records, zero construction disruptions, and seamless process transition

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Complex brownfield projects require more than engineering expertise—they demand embedded support and daily coordination across multiple stakeholders. T&M’s approach kept production running, workers safe, and the project on schedule and budget.

Have a project in mind? Give us a call at (971) 459-1805 or schedule a free consultation below.

INDUSTRY NEWS AND INSIGHTS

Meet T&M: Cory McNabb

Prefabrication in Industrial Projects: Faster Builds, Less Disruption

Why Containment and Negative Air Are Critical in Food Processing Facility Construction

Meet T&M: Clinton Parker

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Construction Management: What Does Your Project Really Need?

Being Efficient with Your Contractor Time

Four Questions That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About an Industrial Engineering Firm

The Top Considerations for Minimizing Disruptions During an Industrial Capital Project

Meet T&M: Cory McNabb

Meet T&M:

Cory McNabb

Meet Cory McNabb

Q: You’ve been with T&M for over two decades. How have you seen the company evolve?

Q: What part of your work do you find most rewarding?

Q: What makes T&M’s team culture unique?

Q: What do you do when you’re not working?

Q: How would you describe yourself in one word?

Q: You volunteer with organizations supporting single mothers battling cancer. Why is that important to you?

Closing Note

Prefabrication in Industrial Projects: Faster Builds, Less Disruption

Prefabrication in Industrial Projects: Faster Builds, Less Disruption

What Is Prefabrication in Industrial Construction?

Common prefabricated elements include:

Why Prefabrication Matters

When Prefabrication Doesn't Fit

Prefabrication may not be practical when:

Our Approach: How T&M Design Integrates Prefabrication

Early Evaluation and Feasibility Assessment

Partner Coordination and Oversight

Design for Fabrication and Installation

Efficient Onsite Execution

Lifecycle Perspective

The Bottom Line: The Right Strategy for the Right Project

Final Thoughts

Why Containment and Negative Air Are Critical in Food Processing Facility Construction

Why Containment and Negative Air Are Critical in Food Processing Facility Construction

What Is Containment in Food Facility Construction?

Why Negative Air Pressure Matters

The Consequences of Skipping These Steps

Our Approach: Engineering with Hygiene & Operations in Mind

Final Thoughts

Upgrading Flour Storage Silos for International Manufacturer of Baked Goods​

Case Study

Upgrading flour storage silos for international manufacturer of baked goods

CLIENT OVERVIEW

THE CHALLENGE

Aging Infrastructure Meets Modern Standards

Brownfield Complexity:

THE SOLUTION

T&M Design’s Role: Project manager, construction manager, lead engineering firm, and commissioning lead

Strategic Phasing:

Multi-Disciplinary Coordination:

Execution:

THE RESULTS

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Upgrading Flour Storage Silos for International Manufacturer of Baked Goods