Commonwealth Associates, Inc.

Commonwealth Associates, Inc.
Employee-Owned
Founded 1988
Headquarters Jackson, Michigan
Key people
 Dennis F. DeCosta, P.E., President
Revenue $36 million (approx.)
Number of employees
 300
Website www.cai-engr.com
Commonwealth Associates, Inc. Corporate Headquarters

Commonwealth Associates, Inc. is a U.S. engineering design firm headquartered in Jackson, Michigan. The firm provides engineering and consulting services services to utilities; independent power producers; government; industrial clients; and academic, research, and healthcare institutions. The company also provides environmental and permitting services, GIS mapping, land and right of way acquisition, and document management services. Commonwealth offers proprietary, interactive software for the analysis and planning of electric utility transmission systems.

Commonwealth is employee-owned and managed.[1]

The company slogan is "Unleash the power of the nation's top talent ™".

History

Commonwealth Associates is part of the legacy of engineers, William A. and James B. Foote.[2] The Foote brothers' early efforts birthed some of America's most notable utilities.[3] The brothers transformed life in the area with streetlights, hydropower dams, and long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines. [4] The Jackson, Michigan, office was established in 1886 under the Commonwealth name. It served for years as the engineering arm of five giant utilities held by Commonwealth and Southern, becoming an independent firm when the federal government ordered the break-up of the holding company in 1949.[5] Computer Sciences Corp. acquired Commonwealth Services, Inc. July 15th 1970. Gilbert Associates, Inc. purchased Commonwealth Associates, Inc. in 1973, forming Gilbert/Commonwealth, Inc.[6] Several thousand megawatts of power generation were designed by the staff in Jackson before Gilbert closed that office in 1988. Rebirthed in that same year as Commonwealth Associates, Inc.,[7] engineering consulting and design continued to be provided for electric transmission and distribution facilities, and, in 2011, the company made the decision to once again offer power generation consulting and design services. In 2013, Commonwealth celebrated its 25th Anniversary of being employee-owned.[8][9]

Expansion

In 1992, Commonwealth opened a regional office in the state of Washington to serve the Northwestern United States. Since then, the company has increased their Midwestern presence with office openings in both Columbus and Dayton, Ohio. They have expanded into the Southern United States with a regional office in Atlanta, Georgia, and into the Southwestern United States, with an office in Oakland, California.[10] In 2013, Commonwealth opened a Rocky Mountains regional office in neighboring Spokane, Washington, which also serves Canada.

Recognition

Commonwealth Associates was ranked 7th in the nation and profiled among the 2016 Top 10 Electrical Design Firms by EC&M Magazine[11] and ranked among the 2016 Top 500 Design Firms by McGraw Hill's Engineering News-Record (ENR.com).[12] It was designated a 2013 Top 100 Workplace by the Detroit Free Press[13] and has been named among the Best Places to Work by Jackson Magazine,[14] earning the title of "Rockin' Place to Work" for its Boiler Room Band and other unique employee perks. Commonwealth provided land and right of way acquisition services on the City of Portage, Michigan, Texas Drive - West Milham Ave. - 12th St. Roundabout Project, which was selected as a 2011 Top 10 Right-of-Way Project[15] by the International Right of Way Association.

Practice Areas

Proprietary Software

Transmission Grid AnalyticsTM is the latest umbrella brand by Commonwealth. It includes 2012 Edition releases of Mapping and Cascade Analysis. Commonwealth's Grid Analytics - Mapping and TRANSMISSION 2000(R) products are being used to support research by Wayne State University on the development of a smart phone application to give users real-time emissions estimation that would allow them to selectively time their own electricity use to reduce air emissions.[16][17]

TRANSMISSION 2000(R) is Commonwealth's interactive software developed for Microsoft Windows for analysis and planning of electric utility transmission systems.

Modules include:

Leadership

2001–present: Dennis F. DeCosta, P.E., President
1988-2001: Lester J. Walcott, P.E., President

References

  1. ↑ Working at Commonwealth Associates | Glassdoor
  2. ↑ http://www.cai-engr.com/?id=content/corp/about_us.html
  3. ↑ https://www.consumersenergy.com/uploadedFiles/CEWEB/SHARED/Balanced_Energy_Initiative/consumers-energy-ceo-dave-joos-on-investing-in-michigans-future.pdf?n=2109
  4. ↑ Croton Dam (Michigan)
  5. ↑ http://www.southerncompany.com/southern_centennial/timeline.html#
  6. ↑ http://intranet.cai-engr.com/sites/default/files/document_files/32/4.%20%20The%20Commonwealth%20Story%201885%20-%201985%20_%2028%20pgs_A%20Century%20of%20Engineering.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.cai-engr.com/aboutus/history.php
  8. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/business/jackson-lansing/index.ssf/2013/01/engineering_firm_commonwealth.html#incart_river
  9. ↑ http://online.jacksonmagazine.com/publication/?i=168889
  10. ↑ http://commonwealthassociates.blogspot.com/2012/03/weve-gone-golden.html
  11. ↑ http://ecmweb.com/top-40-electrical-design-firms/top-40-electrical-design-firms-2016
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ http://www.freep.com/assets/freep/pdf/C42152031117.PDF
  14. ↑ http://www.jacksonmagazine.com/
  15. ↑ http://www.gostructural.com/news-international_right_of_way_association_unveils_the_2011_infrastructure_project_of_the_year-993.html
  16. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2013/08/commonwealth_associates_part_o.html
  17. ↑ http://engineering.wayne.edu/wsuwater/about/hero.php

External links

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