Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors

What Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors does

The Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors (MARLS) is a private, member-driven professional association founded on April 30, 1963, representing approximately 500 licensed land surveyors across Montana through eight regional chapters (Northwest, Western, North Central, South-Central, Central, Southeast, Southwest, and one additional chapter). The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Tisha Stahly, with operations anchored in Bozeman, MT (3017 Teslow Drive). It functions as the unified statewide body for the profession, advocating through an active legislative committee and a contracted lobbyist, with formal representation on the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (PELS). MARLS is a founding member of the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors and an affiliate of the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NSPS).

MARLS's core product surface is a member services portfolio rather than a software platform. The flagship is the annual MARLS Conference (March 4-6, 2026 in Bozeman, with subsequent editions scheduled for Helena 2027, Kalispell 2028, and Billings 2029). Continuing-education programming supports Montana state licensure renewal requirements, and the NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program (priced at $600 per participant for the August 25-28, 2026 session in Missoula) provides FEMA/NFIP credentialing. Adjacent offerings include the MARLS Scholarship Fund and Trig-Star high-school mathematics competition, the quarterly Treasure State Surveyor publication, a member-only portal with password-protected login, a disability insurance plan, and an employment postings job board. Technology consists of a content-management-based website, member account system, and email-driven login - no proprietary models, APIs, or AI integrations are disclosed.

The revenue model is subscription recurring (membership dues on a July 1 to June 30 cycle) supplemented by event/training fees, insurance residuals, and publication sponsorships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for general membership; event-specific pricing is differentiated between members and non-members. The GTM motion is direct-to-consumer via the marls.com website, industry events, and chapter-level networking, targeting a single customer persona: licensed Montana land surveyors. Geographic scope is strictly domestic USA (Montana only); no international, digital, or distributed-revenue expansion is in evidence.

Name

Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors

Legal name

Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors

Website

https://marls.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Montana's statewide professional membership association for ~500 licensed land surveyors, founded in 1963, providing continuing education, an annual conference, NSPS floodplain certification, scholarships, and legislative advocacy through eight regional chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sidney

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from approximately 500 licensed land surveyors across Montana. The membership year runs July 1 to June 30.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MARLS is a non-profit professional membership association that serves licensed land surveyors in Montana. Its core offerings include professional membership with access to a member account portal, continuing education programs, the NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program, the annual MARLS Conference, scholarship programs (MARLS Scholarship Fund and Trig-Star), and a quarterly publication (Treasure State Surveyor).

Product overview

Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors (MARLS) is a state-wide professional membership organization offering a unified portfolio of member services rather than a commercial product platform. The core offerings include annual conferences (MARLS Annual Conference in Bozeman), continuing education programs, and the NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program for professional development. Additional services include the MARLS Scholarship Fund and Trig-Star Scholarship Program for student outreach, the Treasure State Surveyor publication, a disability insurance plan member benefit, an employment postings job board, and member-only portal access. MARLS supports approximately 500 licensed land surveyors through eight state chapters, providing networking, advocacy, and professional development resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2026 MARLS Annual Conference An annual professional conference for licensed land surveyors in Montana, scheduled for 2026 in Billings, MT. The conference brings together members for networking, education, and professional development.
• NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Western Federation of Professional SurveyorscoreOthersMARLS is a founding member of the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors, providing national-level representation and collaboration with other state surveying organizations in the western United States.
• National Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NSPS)coreOthersMARLS is an affiliate member of NSPS, enabling participation in national-level initiatives, certifications like the Certified Floodplain Surveyor program, and access to national resources and advocacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western Federation of Professional Surveyors: Regional federation of state-level surveyor associations across the western U.S.; MARLS is a founding member, making it a direct organizational and operational peer in governance and advocacy.
• Texas Society of Professional Surveyors: Texas state-level professional society for surveyors; comparable member-driven structure providing continuing education, legislative advocacy, and member services.
• New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors: New York state-level professional association for licensed land surveyors; directly comparable dues-funded structure providing CE, legislative representation, and chapter activity.
• National Society of Professional Land Surveyors: National membership organization for U.S. land surveyors; MARLS is an affiliate member and offers NSPS-branded programs such as the Certified Floodplain Surveyor certification through its platform.
• Florida Surveying and Mapping Society: Florida state-level professional society for surveyors and mappers; closely analogous model offering continuing education, conferences, advocacy, and member benefits.
• California Land Surveyors Association: California's state-level professional association for licensed land surveyors; runs an analogous dues-funded model delivering continuing education, conferences, advocacy, and chapter-based networking.

Others

• Surveyors Historical Society: Adjacent historical/educational organization focused on preservation of surveying heritage; MARLS promotes its Rendezvous event and shares subject-matter overlap, though it is not a competing membership body.

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Civil Engineers: Large, established professional association for civil engineers that also serves surveying-adjacent professionals; comparable dues-and-events model but operates across a broader engineering portfolio rather than surveying-only.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61552176053556
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marls-scholarship-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors