Clint Walker, Foreman (left), Greg Winter, Certified Pump Operator (right) and Jeff Jensen, Vice President (center) with a compaction grouting drill rig.

Project Manager Konner Horton stands next to an 8-foot by 6-foot culvert that was grouted to fill voids, stabilize the soil to stop water inflows and prevent settlement.

The founders of Jensen’s Pressure Grouting Services (Jensen’s) have concrete in their blood. Miriam Jensen, Owner and President, and Jeff Jensen, Vice President, are not only husband and wife—they are both third-generation members of their respective families to work in the concrete construction industry. For nearly 20 years, Jensen’s has provided specialty grouting contracting services for commercial, industrial and residential projects, primarily in Georgia and the Southeast.

The company, headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, is primarily a post-construction contractor, providing remediation, renovation and repair of existing structures and sites. The many structural problems they resolve include sinking foundations, abandoned pipes, structural failures and weak soil conditions.

Jensen’s is experienced in various types of pressure grouting, including deep soil compaction and chemical grouting. The team has developed a high level of expertise in identifying cost-effective reduction solutions and has successfully completed hundreds of projects, from soil stabilization for building foundations to sinkhole and void fills and ground improvement. Services range from earth retention to structural support and slab jacking.

A Commitment to Resolving Structural Challenges

Pressure grouting is commonly applied to fill voids, displace water and to improve the load-bearing capacity, strength and overall integrity of existing structures. There are multiple techniques in what Jeff calls “the pressure grouting toolbox,” including concrete slab jacking, compaction grouting, cellular grouting and permeation, to name a few.

However, only a few options and types of applications are appropriate and effective for a given scenario. Soil conditions, the presence of groundwater and weather conditions are key determinants of the composition and application of the required type of pressure grouting. Jensen’s expertise is in identifying and delivering project-specific requirements and matching the right techniques to the varied circumstances.

The company’s experienced engineers work closely with customers to determine the best resolution. This collaborative approach drives the company’s business; about half of new projects are the result of recommendations based on the team’s past successful performance.

A Family Business with Generations of Experience

Miriam and Jeff met, literally, over concrete. He purchased concrete from her while she was in the U.S. on behalf of her family’s business. Miriam was scheduled to return home to her native Brazil just a few weeks later. “I talked her into staying, into starting our own business, and eventually, into marrying me,” Jeff says.

The couple founded the company in 2001 in Marietta, where Jeff lived after his military service. At first, they worked mostly with concrete and site conditions as Jensen’s Concrete Pumping. However, they soon determined there was an unmet and growing need for pressure grouting services. “We stepped in to fill that space and have been growing ever since,” Jeff says. Today, Jensen’s has 31 employees.

Miriam runs the company’s internal operations. “She is the key to our success and made our company what it is today,” says Jeff proudly. In turn, Jeff is very hands-on and prefers to focus his skills on running the field operations. “We have a strong partnership,” Miriam says. “Our business strengths complement each other.”

“We’ve learned how to blend the diversity of our styles and cultures,” she adds. “That flexibility has been a great combination for the company and our clients. We’re adept at overcoming obstacles and determining solutions for our customers’ most challenging projects.”

The fast pace of commercial and industrial growth in Georgia drives continuous demand for Jensen’s services. “In particular, there’s a need for knowledgeable, experienced companies of our size: small enough to be nimble and adaptable, but big enough to handle challenging, time-sensitive projects,” Jeff says.

Problem Solving Preserves Schedules & Budgets

Jensen’s serves commercial, industrial and municipal customers. Much of its work is focused on resolving problems with existing structures. The team works with owners, contractors, engineers and government agencies to assess problems, identify the most effective solutions and then implement them.

“We’ve developed a reputation as problem solvers in this area,” Jeff says. Jensen’s has increasingly been hired by municipalities due to the staff’s problem resolution expertise.

In addition to recognition from customers for its high caliber of work, the company received a first place Dan R. Brown project award for concrete and grout technology from the Georgia chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) in 2015.

Environmental changes frequently drive the need for major repairs, such as a multistory business that is sinking several inches. Soil conditions often pose significant challenges and demand complex resolutions. “Soils can shift and impact foundations, requiring grouting injection,” Jeff explains.

The Jensen’s team boasts a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and is proud of its excellent customer retention rate. “Much of our growth has been organic, through word-of-mouth and customer recommendations. Our team members take pride in a job well done,” Miriam says. “They are committed to a high level of professionalism.”

Miriam explains that challenging projects are approached with expertise and care. During the summer of 2019, Jensen’s responded to a time-critical request: remediation of an unforeseen, deep foundation failure on the Sabal Trail, when an underground gas pipeline received a new turbine pump station.

Jensen’s evaluated the project site and recommended deep soil compaction grouting to resolve the issue. Jeff immediately rescheduled a crew and equipment to ensure they were on the client’s site the very next day. This rapid response alleviated an emergency condition and kept the turbine project on schedule. A slower resolution of this situation would have put the pipeline at risk for massive liquidation damages.

A recent significant project required permeation grouting at an Atlanta-area university. Permeation grouting increases a structure’s load-bearing capacity and blocks the flow of water below and around a foundation. Jensen’s selected material tailored to the site’s specific conditions to stabilize the structure.

Professionalism, Pizza & Pac-Man

Jensen’s crew members have been trained internally to Miriam and Jeff’s exacting standards. The owners are deeply proud of their highly skilled workforce, which includes project managers, field superintendents and foremen as well as certified chemical grouters, certified pump operators and certified drillers.

Employees typically join the company through entry-level positions. As they advance in experience and training, they become certified grouters, operators or chemical grouting experts. “All of our employees recognize that we started as a small family business and are committed to maintaining that atmosphere,” Miriam says. “Many employees have been with company since the very beginning.”

Miriam and Jeff are quick to emphasize that having fun is also part of the busy company’s culture. There’s an on-site team lunch every week. “We buy over five hundred pizzas a year for employees,” Miriam says. Classic video games are popular office fixtures, including Pac-Man. Rumor has it that no one can beat Jeff at Centipede!

Employees and their families enjoy company events, from barbecues and swimming parties to the annual Christmas celebration, with presents provided for all. “We do like to work hard and play hard. We truly believe in being family-guided and family-oriented,” Miriam says. Jeff notes that the team has occasionally gone bowling on a rainy day.

Giving Back Is Part of the Culture

The owners have been actively involved in giving back to the community since the start of the company. It is an important part of the culture for all employees.

Jensen’s shares time, treasure and talent with the local Cobb County community. It supports local high school bands. It donates labor and services for numerous charitable organizations. Employees participated in a project for Building Hope Communities, where they helped construct a tiny-home community in Metro Atlanta—new transitional housing for women and their children emerging from abusive situations. Another project Jeff and Miriam are particularly proud of is providing labor and equipment to improve a local pit bull rescue center.

Jeff volunteers with the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, contributing his professional skills as well as his personal time, including participating in camping trips. He and Miriam are quick to note that their son, Lucas, is a Life Scout and on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. Jeff has assisted with Eagle Scout projects, including building a long-jump barrier, a lacrosse wall, and new kennels for the local humane society.

They also support several cancer-focused nonprofits, including Loving Arms Cancer Outreach and Cancer Kicks, which was founded by a fellow Marietta “concrete man,” the late Travis Lee Roberts Jr., after he was diagnosed at age 38 with a rare form of the disease.

“We’re very involved in the community,” Miriam says. “We believe that by giving, we also receive.” She recalls a very personal project: Jensen’s employees teamed up to build a ramp at the home of a co-worker after he was badly injured in an auto accident. That all-in attitude is representative of the caliber of people they hire and how employees are treated.

Cookie Karma

Jeff jokes that the company’s annual marketing budget is 100 trays of cookies—all baked by Jeff’s grandmother, Teresa Jensen, and delivered to customers during the holidays. That’s a tenfold increase in the number of cookies baked and distributed 15 years ago, a sweet reflection of business growth.

While Jeff and Miriam were being interviewed for this story, their dispatcher received an urgent customer call: “When are the cookies coming?”

Not to worry, the customer was assured; delivery was scheduled for later that day.