What Adobe Associates does

Adobe Associates, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned civil engineering and land surveying firm headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, founded by Paul Brown in 1982. The company provides a bundled suite of professional services — civil engineering, land surveying, wastewater and septic design, land planning, permit processing, and SWPPP stormwater compliance — for private developers, public agencies, affordable housing developers, hospitality operators, wineries, and estate owners across the North Bay region (Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Lake Counties). Its surveying practice employs drone-based aerial mapping (INSPIRE 1 and PHANTOM III aircraft) operated by certified pilots to deliver orthorectified topographic surveys for large rural parcels.

The firm generates revenue on a project-by-project, fee-for-service basis, with no software product, subscription, or recurring platform revenue stream. Pricing is scope-driven and quotes are issued per project based on complexity and deliverables; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Customers are reached primarily through direct engagement, architect and developer referrals, and participation in industry bodies (NCBE, ACEC, AIA Redwood Empire), rather than through digital or demand-generation channels. Marquee engagements include the ACEC 2026 Engineering Excellence Honor Award-winning Lytton Rancheria Homeland Housing Project, the $29M Alta Madrone Affordable Apartments, Victory Station industrial development, and over 130 fire-rebuild projects following the 2017 Sonoma County wildfires.

Operationally, Adobe is led by members of the Brown family (Paul Brown as founder, David Brown as CFO and President, Steve Brown heading the Wastewater department) alongside tenured technical staff including Principal Land Surveyor Aaron Smith and Principal Engineer Tim Schram. The firm has 11-50 employees, holds no external funding, has made no acquisitions, and operates strictly within a single regional market. It has earned 11 Best Places to Work in the North Bay awards and multiple industry recognitions, signaling strong employer brand and project-quality reputation but no apparent strategy for geographic or category expansion beyond its established North Bay footprint.

Name

Adobe Associates

Legal name

Adobe Associates, Inc.

Website

https://adobeinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adobe Associates is a family-owned civil engineering and land surveying firm founded in 1982, serving private developers, public agencies, affordable housing clients, wineries, and estate owners across California's North Bay with site design, surveying, wastewater, permitting, and stormwater compliance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering and Land Surveying Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Land Subdivision (2372)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Grading, Drainage & Site Preparation (HSAIABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Land surveying services
• Wastewater system design
• Land planning consulting
• Stormwater compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Fee-for-service professional services model providing civil engineering, land surveying, wastewater design, land planning, permit processing, and stormwater compliance consulting to private and public clients for development projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Adobe Associates, Inc. is a civil engineering and land surveying firm that provides site design, grading and drainage, construction administration, boundary and topographic surveys, ALTA surveys, construction staking, wastewater/septic system design, land planning, permit processing, and SWPPP stormwater compliance for residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality, municipal, and affordable housing development projects in California's North Bay region. Services are delivered as project-based professional engagements, often bundled from initial survey through construction completion, and leverage drone aerial mapping for efficient topographic work on large rural parcels.

Product overview

Adobe Associates, Inc. is a professional services firm providing civil engineering, land surveying, wastewater design, land planning, permit processing, and SWPPP stormwater compliance services. The company operates as a unified suite of complementary engineering disciplines rather than a software product platform. Their core offerings include Civil Engineering for site design and construction administration, Land Surveying utilizing drone technology for aerial mapping and topographic surveys, Wastewater & Septic Design for rural land development, Land Planning for project navigation, Permit Processing to streamline regulatory approvals, and SWPPP Stormwater Compliance with certified QSD/QSP professionals. These services work together to support private and public development projects from initial surveying through construction completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Engineering Services Provides experience and expertise for residential and commercial civil engineering projects, including site design, construction documents, grading and drainage, and construction administration. Targeted at private developers, property owners, and public agencies in the North Bay.
• Land Surveying Services Land surveying services utilizing modern equipment and drone technology for aerial mapping, topographic mapping, boundary surveys, construction staking, ALTA surveys, and record of survey. Serves private developers, architects, and public agencies in Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Lake Counties.
• Wastewater and Septic Design Wastewater and septic system design for residential and commercial properties, including site exploration, percolation testing, septic system design, and construction review. Targeted at rural properties without municipal sewer in the North Bay region.
• Land Planning Land planning services to help clients understand the development process and overcome potential roadblocks in project planning. Serves private developers and property owners undertaking development projects in the North Bay.
• Permit Processing Permit processing services leveraging established relationships with regulatory agencies to streamline the often arduous permitting process. Serves developers, property owners, and public agencies undertaking development projects requiring agency approvals.
• SWPPP Stormwater Compliance Stormwater compliance services including Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) development and Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD) and Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP) services for California Construction General Permit compliance. Serves developers, contractors, and public agencies requiring stormwater compliance on construction sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years helping thousands of clients maximize project value
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Integrated Design StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on San Pablo Lytton Casino parking lot project, working as part of a team including engineering and design consultants.
• Miller Pacific Engineering GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on San Pablo Lytton Casino parking lot project as geotechnical engineering partner.
• GlumacminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on San Pablo Lytton Casino parking lot project as engineering consultant.
• TJKM Transportation ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on San Pablo Lytton Casino parking lot project as transportation consulting partner.
• Tri-Quest Builders & DevelopersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on San Pablo Lytton Casino parking lot project as development partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BKF Engineers: Large California-based civil engineering, surveying, and land use planning firm with offices across the state. Directly comparable to Adobe Associates in service mix (civil, surveying, planning) but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• KHA (Kimley-Horn and Associates): Large national consulting firm offering civil engineering, surveying, and land development services across the U.S. Represents a scaled, well-capitalized competitor that can encroach on regional markets including the North Bay.

Direct peers

• Carlile · Cooley · Smith · Ranson (CCSR): Northern California civil engineering and land surveying firm serving the Bay Area and North Bay with comparable site design, surveying, and permitting services. Closest direct competitor given overlapping geography and service lines.
• Sandis Civil Engineers: California civil engineering, surveying, and land planning firm focused on Bay Area public and private development projects. Highly comparable in service mix and client base to Adobe Associates.
• Whitson Engineers: California-based civil engineering and land surveying firm serving residential, commercial, and municipal clients. Comparable in size, service offering, and regional focus to Adobe Associates.
• Coastland Civil Engineering: Northern California civil engineering and construction management firm serving public agencies and private developers. Comparable scope of services including site design, surveying, and stormwater compliance.
• Siegfried Engineering: Northern California civil engineering and surveying firm serving Bay Area and wine country clients. Overlapping service portfolio in site design, land surveying, and wastewater design.
• CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group: Bay Area civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm with similar mid-sized firm profile. Comparable service mix for residential, commercial, and municipal development projects.
• MacKay & Somps Civil Engineers: Northern California civil engineering and land surveying firm focused on residential and commercial land development. Comparable in project types and regional footprint.

Regional players

• Drake Haglan & Associates: California-based civil engineering and surveying firm with strong presence in Southern California. Comparable services and project types, though primarily serves a different regional market than Adobe Associates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AdobeAssociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adobe Associates