Celebrating Our Legacy, Building Our Next Chapter
In 2001, ZAP Engineering & Construction Services opened as a three-person office in Denver. Twenty-five years later, ZAP has grown into a multidisciplinary engineering and EPC organization serving industrial clients across North America. The scale of the company has changed. The principles behind the work have not.
Founded on Experience, Built on Conviction
Most companies are started by someone early in their career. Steve Tzap took a different path. At age 50, after decades as a process consultant, he had the expertise to understand what the industry needed and the conviction to build it himself.
In 2001, Steve stepped away from a successful career to found ZAP Engineering & Construction Services. There was no outside investment or established platform behind him. ZAP began with a clear purpose: to create an engineering firm grounded in genuine process engineering expertise.
Opening the Doors
ZAP opened its doors on July 1, 2001, as a three-person office in Denver. The timing presented real challenges. The midstream market was in the midst of a down cycle, and a new engineering firm had to establish its technical credibility from the outset. Steve’s background in process and controls engineering for the oil and gas industry provided that credibility and shaped the company’s earliest work.
Early Growth, Rooted in Technical Depth
ZAP’s earliest work centered on process and controls engineering, including early projects for DCP, a relationship that would continue for years and set a pattern for the company’s growth: begin with a specific need, prove the quality of the work and earn greater responsibility over time.
As that reputation grew, the work clients entrusted to ZAP expanded in both scale and complexity. Steve and ZAP’s leadership team guided the firm’s growth into new capabilities and markets, supported by employees whose expertise and commitment made that growth possible while preserving ZAP’s strong technical foundation.
A Turning Point in EPC Delivery
For much of its first decade, ZAP operated primarily as an engineering firm. In 2011, a client asked the company to evaluate whether two compressor stations could be engineered and built more cost-effectively. ZAP completed the front-end design and developed a total installed-cost estimate that showed the stations could meet the client’s specifications at a substantially lower cost.
The client then asked ZAP to take responsibility for full engineering, procurement and construction delivery at that cost. ZAP accepted and completed both projects on time and on budget. Those first EPC contracts changed the direction of the company. By 2013, successful execution of larger EPC work had provided the stability and confidence to continue expanding that capability.
ZAP’s approach remains engineering-led. The company brings the same technical discipline used in design to procurement, project controls, construction management, commissioning and startup. That model allows ZAP to support an individual project phase or carry responsibility from early engineering through completed delivery.
Expanding Capabilities and Markets
As client needs expanded, ZAP added engineering disciplines and built dedicated capabilities in procurement, project controls, construction and field services. The company also applied its experience in complex, process-intensive facilities to new markets. Work that began in upstream and midstream oil and gas grew to include power generation, mining and minerals, advanced materials, manufacturing and other industrial sectors.
Geographic growth followed. From its Denver-area headquarters, ZAP expanded its presence with offices in Houston, TX and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and projects across the United States. The original three-person team has grown to more than 200 employees representing multiple engineering disciplines, project delivery functions and field capabilities.
That progress was built by the people who joined ZAP at every stage. Engineers, project professionals, construction teams and support personnel have strengthened the company through their expertise and their commitment to the work. To commemorate the anniversary, ZAP presented each employee with a silver coin bearing the 25-year mark as a lasting recognition of that contribution.
A Foundation of Values
Steve Tzap has often returned to the same guiding principles throughout his 25 years leading ZAP:
Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be the best at what you do. Never give up.
— Steve Tzap
Those principles have helped shape ZAP’s core values of accountability, mutual respect, quality and execution. They also influence how the company approaches its work and builds relationships with clients.
Many clients have worked with ZAP across multiple projects and stages of growth. Those long-standing relationships have allowed the company to take on larger, more complex assignments while maintaining the technical focus that shaped its earliest work.
Steve’s commitment to the industry extends beyond ZAP. He was a founding member of the Rocky Mountain GPA Midstream Chapter, served as GPSA president in 2017 and received GPA Midstream’s Recognition Award in 2018 for his service to the industry. He remains actively involved with GPA Midstream today.
A Consistent Commitment to Safety
Safety has remained one of ZAP’s most closely held values throughout its history, treated not as a policy requirement but as a measure of quality. That commitment is reflected in the sustained attention of employees and project partners across offices and jobsites.
Building the Next Chapter
Twenty-five years after ZAP opened its doors, the company continues to grow its engineering, EPC, construction and field service capabilities. It is expanding into new markets and regions while continuing to serve the clients and industries that helped build the business.
The next chapter will bring new technologies, new project demands and new opportunities. ZAP enters it with a broader organization and deeper capabilities, but with the same foundation Steve established in 2001: strong engineering, trusted relationships and excellence in execution.
