HistoryGould Engineering, Inc. is an 92 plus year old consulting firm offering professional services in the disciplines of land surveying and civil engineering.
The founder, Ora F. Gould, was born in Hadley, Michigan in 1891. He began his engineering career as an employee of the City of Flint. At that time Ezra C. Shoecraft (1882-1967) and George A. Meade (1867-1944) were the city engineer and assistant city engineer, respectively. As was customary in that day, each of these men operated a private practice in addition to their duties as city employees.
Under the tutelage of Shoecraft and Meade, Gould eventually became superintendent of maintenance and construction at the city's water department and following the lead of his mentors, also maintained a private practice. However, in 1916 he left the city's employ to devote full time to the growth of his own company.
Eighty years later his firm still exists. Gould Engineering outlasted the lean years of the depression-era thirties. It survived the staff and material shortages of the war years in the forties. It overcame the death of the founder in 1951, played an active role in the housing boom of the fifties, and finally emerged in the sixties as a leader in both municipal engineering and private sector land development. This is a position that this firm still enjoys to this day because of an operating philosophy that balances the sometimes conflicting needs of the client against sensitive environmental, public health, and financial issues.
A major component of that operating philosophy deals with supervision. As in past decades, Gould Engineering still maintains a high ratio of licensed staff to unlicensed personnel. Not counting the secretarial and administrative staff, there is very nearly one licensed professional for every two unlicensed persons at this firm.
Technological advances are also factored into the firm’s operating philosophy. As in the past, Gould Engineering has stayed on the cutting edge of technological advances in the surveying and engineering field. For example, our firm was one of the first local consulting firms to utilize global positioning system (GPS) equipment.
Thus from a sole proprietor working out of his home to a staff of nearly thirty professionals and technicians, Gould Engineering has grown into a full service consulting firm serving both the public and private sector in southeastern Michigan.
Ora Gould left a legacy of excellence. The principals and staff of Gould Engineering are committed to building on that legacy.
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