Tanco Engineering: AST Construction, LT Corp. & API 650/653 2026

Tanco Engineering, the Loveland, Colorado aboveground storage tank (AST) specialist, completed over 8,000 projects across its 44-year operating history before being acquired by LT Corp. of Cleveland, Mississippi in June 2025. The acquisition positions Tanco alongside Quality Steel Corp. and LP Cylinder Service within LT Corp.’s expanding tank and pressure vessel platform.

Tanco Engineering: Company Overview

Founded in 1979, Tanco Engineering built its reputation on welded steel AST construction, maintenance, and repair for energy and industrial customers across the United States. Headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, the company operates its own fabrication facility on-site — a capability that sets it apart from contractors relying on third-party supply chains.

The LT Corp. acquisition closed on June 26, 2025. LT Corp. President Sean Wessel stated that the deal supports the company’s continued growth in tank and pressure vessel markets. Chad Derringer, Tanco’s President and CEO, noted that the two organisations share similar values and strategic visions for growth within the storage tank industry. Derringer remains in post following the acquisition, maintaining operational continuity.

Tanco’s management team includes Daniel Pyewell PE, Director of Engineering and Technical Services, who brings 15+ years of API 650, API 653, and AWWA expertise, and Adam Tussey as Field Operations Manager with 34+ years of experience. Dale Davidson has managed fabrication operations at Tanco for 30 years.

Aboveground Storage Tank Construction

New tank construction at Tanco Engineering is executed to API 650 — the primary US standard governing welded steel aboveground storage tanks. Tanco designs and fabricates tanks in-house, covering custom dimensions, materials selection, and roof configurations, before mobilising field crews for installation.

The company assigns a single dedicated project manager to each job — a model designed to reduce client coordination overhead and maintain accountability through engineering, fabrication, and construction phases. Customers range from large corporations to small independent operators, with Tanco’s service area covering the continental United States.

Tank Maintenance, Repair and Inspection

Tanco Engineering’s repair scope operates under API 653, the standard governing tank inspection, repair, alteration, and reconstruction. Services include lap patching, complete bottom replacement, roof and shell repair, and return-to-service work across all tank types. The company also installs leak detection systems and heating coils as part of maintenance programmes.

Daniel Pyewell PE leads technical oversight on repair and alteration work, supported by Preston Brown as Field Quality Control Manager — a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) accredited by the American Welding Society. The in-house quality and safety department, led by Corporate Safety Director Chad Hockenbury CHST (Board Certified Safety Professional), manages compliance across all field operations.

Patented Floating Roof Seals and Dome Roofs

Tanco Engineering holds patents on floating roof seal systems — a proprietary differentiator in a market where most contractors source seals from third-party suppliers. The company designs, supplies, and installs both steel floating roof systems and aluminum geodesic dome roofs, offering terminal operators an integrated solution from a single contractor rather than splitting engineering and supply.

Floating roof maintenance and drain system installation round out Tanco’s roof-related scope. For operators managing API 653 compliance across a fleet of tanks, the ability to source patented seals and dome installations from the same contractor handling repair and inspection simplifies procurement and quality accountability.

Industries Served and Federal Fuels Segment

Tanco Engineering’s primary market is energy, petroleum, and power, but the company serves six confirmed industry sectors: federal fuels and airport fueling, agricultural solutions, water and wastewater, renewables and chemicals, asphalt and building materials, and food and beverage. Water storage work is executed to AWWA standards alongside the API 650 and API 653 work that defines the energy segment.

The federal fuels and airport fueling segment is handled by Jeff Biggar, a dedicated manager with 35+ years of domestic and international project experience. Department of Defense fuel storage and commercial airport fueling carry compliance requirements beyond standard commercial AST work — Biggar’s dedicated role signals this is a meaningful and distinct revenue stream for Tanco rather than incidental scope.

Tanco Engineering in 2026

Within the LT Corp. platform, Tanco Engineering operates alongside Quality Steel Corp. and LP Cylinder Service — businesses with complementary manufacturing and fabrication capabilities in the tank and pressure vessel markets. LT Corp.’s stated growth strategy points toward further expansion in these sectors, with Tanco’s established field operations and in-house fabrication providing the construction execution capability.

Demand for API 650 and API 653 qualified contractors remains consistent across the US terminal operator market. Scheduled tank inspections under API 653, combined with the capital programmes driving new terminal construction, sustain a workload that favours contractors with both engineering depth and fabrication capacity. Among tank construction companies operating in North America, Tanco’s combination of patented products, federal fuels capability, and in-house fabrication positions it as a full-service AST contractor rather than a pure construction subcontractor.

Peers in the North American tank construction market include Tarsco (TF Warren Group) and Matrix Service Company, both of which compete across similar API 650 and API 653 project types.

Tanco Engineering — Company Snapshot