What MacKay & Somps does

MacKay & Somps is a privately held civil engineering, land planning, and surveying firm founded in 1953 by Donald MacKay and George Somps, headquartered in Pleasanton, California with a regional office in Roseville. The firm delivers an integrated suite of professional services — Engineering, Planning, and Surveying/Mapping — for land development and public infrastructure projects throughout Northern and Central California. Service offerings span roadway and utility infrastructure master planning, site design, construction documents, flood plain analysis, master planned community design, entitlement processing, public outreach, boundary and ALTA surveys, topographic surveys, final subdivision maps, construction staking, and drone-based imagery and mapping. Project work is organized around master planned communities and residential subdivisions, mixed-use and commercial developments, public works and infrastructure, industrial/logistics sites, and institutional clients including university campus improvements.

The firm's primary customer segments are homebuilders and land developers (its core market since the post-WWII Santa Clara Valley build-out), public agencies (cities, counties, special districts), and contractors and commercial developers. Named enterprise clients include Woodside Homes of Northern California, Anthem United, Westpark Communities, Brookfield Homes, Toll Brothers, Trumark Homes, Del Webb, Stanford University, Placer County, the City of Lathrop, Crow Holdings Industrial, Lifetime Fitness, and Urban Retail Properties, with multiple relationships documented at 20+ year tenure.

MacKay & Somps generates revenue through project-based professional services fees for engineering, planning, and surveying engagements from feasibility through construction support, with pricing quote-based on project scope and complexity. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on industry reputation, the firm's project portfolio, direct outreach, and long-standing client relationships rather than mass marketing. The firm is independently owned, with current principals Mark McClellan (since 2014), Paul R. Hart (since 2021), and Chris Ragan (since 2023) overseeing two offices and a team of 101–250 employees. No external institutional investors, parent company, funding rounds, or acquisitions are disclosed.

Name

MacKay & Somps

Legal name

MacKay & Somps

Website

https://msce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

MacKay & Somps is a privately held civil engineering, land planning, and surveying firm founded in 1953, serving homebuilders, land developers, public agencies, and commercial clients across Northern and Central California from its Pleasanton and Roseville offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roseville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: Revenue generated from providing civil engineering, land planning, and surveying services on a project basis. Services are delivered from initial feasibility studies through construction support, with fees based on project scope and complexity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

MacKay & Somps provides civil engineering, land planning, and surveying services for land development and infrastructure projects throughout Northern and Central California. The firm delivers comprehensive engineering, planning, surveying, and consulting services from initial feasibility studies through construction support, serving home builders, land developers, public agencies, and contractors. Services include roadway and utility infrastructure master planning, site design, entitlement processing, master planned community design, specific plan preparation, boundary and topographic surveys, drone imagery and mapping, and construction staking.

Product overview

MacKay & Somps is a civil engineering, land planning, and surveying firm that provides an integrated suite of professional services for land development and public infrastructure projects throughout Northern and Central California. The company's offering consists of three core service lines—Engineering Services, Planning Services, and Surveying/Mapping Services—which are delivered across multiple project types including Master Planned Communities & Residential, Mixed Use & Commercial, Public Works & Infrastructure, Industrial, and Institutional projects. The firm operates from two offices (Pleasanton and Roseville, CA) and serves home builders, land developers, public agencies, and contractors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Services Comprehensive civil engineering services including roadway and utility infrastructure master planning and design, site design for various project types, construction documents and specifications, flood plain analysis, and public finance district support for residential, commercial, industrial, and public infrastructure projects.
• Planning Services Land planning and community design services including master planned community design, project visioning, residential land plans, specific plan preparation, design guidelines, entitlement processing, and public community outreach for home builders, developers, and public agencies.
• Surveying/Mapping Services Professional surveying and mapping services including boundary and right-of-way surveys, ALTA surveys, topographic surveys, drone imagery and mapping using Unmanned-Aerial Systems (UAS), final subdivision maps, parcel maps, and construction staking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Producing complete planning and construction documents resulting in efficient plan checks and timely approvals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services firm with extensive California transportation, property, and environment practices. Larger and broader; competes on major public infrastructure pursuits.
• Stantec: Global publicly-traded engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with substantial California land development, water, and infrastructure practices. Larger and broader portfolio, but competes on the same project types in Northern California.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with strong water, environment, and infrastructure practices in California. Competes on municipal infrastructure and environmental permitting work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting giant with major presence in California transportation, environment, and water. Competes with M&S on larger public infrastructure and entitlement-heavy master plan pursuits.
• Jacobs: Global professional services firm with significant California water, transportation, and infrastructure operations. Competes on large-scale public works and integrated program management engagements.

Direct peers

• BKF Engineers: California-headquartered civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm focused on land development, transportation, and public infrastructure across the Bay Area and broader West Coast. Highly comparable in service mix, regional concentration, and developer client base.
• Psomas: West Coast civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm with strong California land development and public works practices. Comparable in size, regional footprint, and multi-disciplinary delivery model.
• Kimley-Horn: Large, privately-held US civil engineering consultancy with deep land development, transportation, and planning practices. Closest like-for-like competitor on multi-disciplinary service delivery, developer client relationships, and project-based fee model.
• Wood Rodgers: California-based engineering, planning, surveying, and landscape architecture firm serving public and private clients across Northern and Central California. Same geography, same service triad, and same primary customer segments as MacKay & Somps.
• Langan Engineering & Environmental Services: Privately-held engineering and environmental services firm specializing in site/civil, geotechnical, and land development for private developers and institutions. Direct comparable on developer-focused, project-based civil engineering services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 MacKay & Somps