Who is Onguard
ONGUARD was born out of the rubble of a catastrophic earthquake in New Zealand. Our expertise in securing aboveground liquid storage tanks is credited to an international team of structural engineers, designers, and business professionals. We help to future-proof liquid storage tanks against an earthquake.
Born From a Catastrophe
In 2013, a M6.6 earthquake rocked Marlborough, a premier winemaking region in New Zealand. Just three years later, in 2016, the same region was hit again by a M7.8 earthquake.
After the 2013 quake, ONGUARD’s Founder and CEO, Will Lomax, stood alongside a winery owner as thousands of gallons of valuable wine disappeared down the drain from ruptured tanks. He knew then that he needed to do something to protect liquid storage tanks.
Real life, first-hand experience led to the development of ONGUARD’s seismic system: a groundbreaking and game-changing method of assessing and securing liquid storage tanks to withstand the forces of an earthquake.
Founded to protect
Onguard was founded to protect the New Zealand wine industry from future loss after a catastrophic earthquake.
Engineering &
Design Expertise
ONGUARD was founded in Christchurch, New Zealand – a city with a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest structural designers and earthquake engineering techniques. When a M6.3 earthquake devastated Christchurch in 2011, rebuilding efforts further strengthened the city’s engineering expertise.
THE ONGUARD VALUE PROPOSITIONS
PROTECTS PRODUCT
Product is the lifeblood of a business. ONGUARD ensures it is held securely within tanks during an earthquake and its aftershocks.
PROTECTS PEOPLE
By ensuring tanks and surrounding infrastructure are secure, risk of injury or death from tank damage or collapse is reduced. The ONGUARD system creates a safe workspace consistent with global best practice.
PROTECTS POSITION IN MARKET
We understand that market share is gained through consistency of supply and can take years to accumulate. ONGUARD future-proofs your business in the event of an earthquake.
PROTECTS PROFIT
Protecting tanks and their contents subsequently protects a business’s entire feasibility. The insurance industry recognizes ONGUARD’s value in reducing risk and can offer benefits to infrastructure owners who invest in the systems.
PROTECTS PLACE
Protecting infrastructure is paramount to business continuity following an earthquake. ONGUARD minimizes the risk of tank damage, avoiding time and money spent on costly cleanup, repairs or rebuilding.
PROTECTS PLATFORM
ONGUARD keeps business interruption to a minimum. ONGUARD-equipped tanks are designed to survive design-level earthquakes with no fuss, keeping your business running.
The Onguard Experts
ONGUARD’s innovative seismic technology is backed by an experienced team of structural engineers, designers, and business professionals. By combining the very latest design tools and methods with our customary innovative thinking, "Better Never Stops" attitude, and outstanding customer service, we consistently provide clients with exceptional results.
Will Lomax
Founder and CEO
B.Eng (Hons) CMEngNZ IntPE
Will is the founder of ONGUARD and the firm’s CEO. He brings over 30 years of multi-disciplinary engineering expertise to customers’ projects. Will’s career encompasses global project management, solution-driven structural design and a deeply-held belief in customized and bespoke engineering. As a committed professional, he challenges the technical status quo and endeavors to explore and develop all options before choosing the best solution for his customers.
Derek Liddington
Director - Global Business Development
Derek is a highly experienced business manager after having worked in a variety of senior management roles. Passionate about his clients and professional in his delivery, Derek will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of providing world-leading service and products around the globe. His wealth of engineering experience is highly valued by our international customers as he provides innovative yet practical solutions.
JARED MCCLINTOCK
VP Sales
Since graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Jared has focused on design, engineering and installations within the food and beverage industries, specifically wineries, breweries and distilleries. Jared’s experience with storage tank design, manufacturing and installations makes him uniquely suited to support your tank design and anchoring needs.
STERLING WALLSTRUM
Senior Design Engineer
Professional Engineer (PE) - CA, OR, WA
Sterling brings a broad background stemming from the environmental and civil engineering fields. A plethora of technical experience is brought into focus for the team. With a firm belief in the mission of ONGUARD, Sterling is utilizing these technical skills to ensure the successful design and installation of world-class seismic solutions.
OLIVIA VIDMAR
Design Engineer
Engineer In Training (EIT) - CA
Olivia applies her mechanical engineering experience to diverse roles at ONGUARD, including existing facility assessment, new system designs, standards improvement, technical writing, and marketing. Creative vision blended with logical thinking drives her best work. Olivia appreciates the holistic value of ONGUARD designs.
BRAYDEN REYNOLDS
Sales / Structural Engineer
Structural Engineer (NZ) BE (Hons) MEngNZ
Brayden brings extensive experience in seismic design and analysis to ONGUARD. In addition to his structural engineering degree, Brayden is also a trade-qualified structural fabricator and blends these skills to ensure the delivery of world-class yet innovative seismic solutions for our clients.
Developed by Structural Engineers
WITH FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF EARTHQUAKES