Andregg Geomatics celebrates 60 years in business

A local surveying firm that has put its stamp on many major construction projects in Placer County is celebrating 60 years in business.Founded in Auburn in 1946, Andregg Geomatics has done surveying and engineering for Squaw Valley USA, Twelve Bridges in Lincoln, Winchester Country Club and the Bell Road widening project in Auburn, among many others.J.N. Norm Andregg purchased the company in 1946 from Jerome Barieau and gave it his name. Under his leadership, Andregg's first high profile project was to finish the old Foresthill Road that connected to the Federal Bridge in Auburn. When CEO Dennis Meyer took the helm in 1981 from Andregg, there were three employees. Today the staff numbers more than 80, with $8 million in earnings last year.During the 1980s, Meyer ushered the company into the era of Global Positioning System surveying. The cutting-edge technology was first implemented on the 3,000-acre master-planned community of Twelve Bridges in Lincoln.In fact Meyer credits the emphasis on state-of-the-art technology as one of the key reasons for the firm's success."I think it has been the application of technology and recruiting the best staff you can find," he said this week.Andregg has experienced significant growth during the early 2000s, setting up satellite offices in Truckee, Reno and Vacaville. It was named one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the greater Sacramento area in 2003 by the Sacramento Business Journal, which also included it in its list of the top 25 firms in 2005. But the firm has its sights set much higher."Our mission is to become the largest surveying firm in the western United States," said Joe Tadlock, chief administrative officer.Andregg has extended its footprint as far away as the Middle East and in the Caribbean, where it established a geodetic control network in Puerto Rico."It creates a guide for them to build entire land surveys," Tadlock explained.The company was involved in the initial stages of the Auburn dam in the 1970s, according to Tadlock. In the 1980s, there was the Interstate 80 widening project through Auburn. Andregg also did the surveying for the restoration of the Historic Courthouse, Meyer said. In 1990, the Placer County Water Agency hired Andregg to assist with its American River tunnel project, located 320 feet below the surface of the proposed pumping site. GPS technology was used to calculate the tunnel alignment and locate eight drilling sites within 10 days."All eight of the shafts were absolutely dead center down the middle of that 12-foot wide tunnel," PCWA engineer Einar Maisch said at the time.Among the most recent projects are Auburn's Multi-Modal transportation station and the Creekside Business Park.Community service is an integral part of the company's policy, Tadlock said.That includes recently donated services to the Placer County Women's Shelter as well as assistance to the Placer Land Trust, Rotary, Boys & Girls Club and the Placer County Contractors Association fundraising events.The latest technology is high definition surveying, which the company acquired about a year and a half ago."It creates a three-dimensional image that can be tied to land surveying and allows engineers to get an increased amount of data," Tadlock said.For example, using the high-definition technology, you can scan Lincoln Way and it would give you the capability of walking down the road and looking at all the buildings in three-dimensional detail in an automated environment," Tadlock explained."It can be used for scanning existing bridges where you have access and safety issues," he said. "It is used for analyzing tunnels ... if there's deterioration occurring, you can quantify the deterioration." The price of the HDS is very expensive, which limits its use.This year Andregg is involved in about 400 projects, most of them in Northern California and Reno.What does Tadlock attribute to the firm's success?"It was our ability to focus on one thing - that was land surveying - and not trying to be everything to every client," he said. "Our ability to bring the best experts in our field and focus on one thing helped us provide a higher quality of service."These days, Andregg is moving more into land planning. Transportation and water projects also are a big focus."Sixty percent of our business comes from government agencies (city, county state and federal), which creates a lot of stability," Tadlock said.The firm hasn't planned any special celebration to mark the 60th anniversary, marketing manager Erynn Tsuboi said.The Journal's Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@ goldcountrymedia.com.