What's In A Name?

Underhill? Why Underhill? A friend posed that question when I shared the name of the new firm. Yes one approach was to name it after the founder. Many well-respected firms are named after their founder including my last firm. Or, I could have taken a descriptive approach like The Geotechnical Engineering Company or something similar. But I wanted something a bit more unique a bit more..well...a bit more me. A former conversation with a client helped form the direction. We were working on a presentation to include a summary of the geotechnical work on a large public works project when he interjected, "Chris, much of the public is not familiar with the term geotechnical. How about if we describe what you are doing as underground engineering?" I liked the idea and the presentation was well received. So that got me thinking what is similar to underground? Underhill! I tested out the concept and asked my sister-in-law, "What do you think of when I say Underhill Engineering?" She responded, "Something subterranean." I was onto something. A name that conveyed the business in a straight forward way and at the same time kind of sensory like the feeling of bare feet on warm earth. Underhill Engineering it would be then.