Compass Surveying

What Compass Surveying does

Compass Surveying Ltd. is a privately held professional land surveying firm founded in 1983 by Michael Filipski and headquartered at 2631 Ginger Woods Pkwy, Suite 100, Aurora, Illinois. The firm delivers a full suite of land surveying services across the state of Illinois, including ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, Boundary Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Subdivisions, As-Built Surveys, and Construction Staking, supplemented by newer UAS/Drone and 3D Laser Scanning/LIDAR capabilities. Customers include real estate developers, civil engineers and architects, attorneys and law firms (including as expert witness), title insurers, general contractors, government and school district entities, and renewable energy developers active in solar farm siting.

The firm operates on a project-based services model, quoting lump-sum or "not to exceed" fees per engagement with typical turnaround of 3–4 weeks from authorization. Field work is executed with Trimble RTK GPS, Trimble robotic total stations, 3D laser scanners with +/- 2mm accuracy, and photogrammetric drones that produce point clouds, orthomosaic maps, and digital terrain models; office work delivers ALTA-compliant plats, subdivision plats, as-built records, and defensible boundary opinions. Customer acquisition is sales-led and referral-driven, with no paid digital advertising observed; channels are limited to the firm's website, direct phone and email outreach, and active membership in the Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association, NSPS, ASCE, and NAIOP.

Compass is founder-controlled with no external investors, no parent company, no acquisitions, and no disclosed funding events. Senior leadership comprises four PLS-credentialed partners with a combined 130+ years of in-house tenure: Michael Filipski (Founder/President, also Illinois Land Surveyors Licensing Board Chair and executive editor of three Illinois boundary law reference works), David Filipski (Executive VP), Scott Krebs (Senior VP), and Daniel Walter (VP Operations). The business is geographically anchored to a single U.S. state and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Compass Surveying

Legal name

Compass Surveying Ltd.

Website

https://clsurveying.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Compass Surveying Ltd. is an Illinois-based professional land surveying firm founded in 1983, offering ALTA, boundary, topographic, and construction staking surveys plus UAS/drone and 3D laser scanning services to developers, attorneys, engineers, contractors, and government clients across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Surveying Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Sensing & Geospatial Vision (satellite/drone imagery) (HDAAAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Land surveying services
• Boundary surveys
• ALTA title surveys
• Construction staking
• Topographic surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Land Surveying Services: Project-based professional services for land surveying including ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, Boundary Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Construction Staking, As-Built Surveys, Subdivisions, and UAS/Drone Surveys. The company offers lump-sum or 'not to exceed' pricing for every project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Compass Surveying provides professional land surveying services throughout Illinois, including ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, Boundary Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Subdivisions, As-Built Surveys, and Construction Staking. The firm uses state-of-the-art technology such as Trimble RTK GPS, robotic total stations, 3D laser scanning/LIDAR, and UAS/drone surveys to deliver accurate measurement data for residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and renewable energy projects.

Product overview

Compass Surveying is a land surveying services company offering a comprehensive suite of surveying services throughout Illinois. Their core offerings include ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys (the gold standard for commercial properties), Boundary Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Subdivisions, As-Built Surveys, and Construction Staking. The company differentiates through advanced technology offerings including UAS/Drone Surveys and 3D Laser Scanning/LIDAR services. Together, these services support residential and industrial land development projects, corporate real estate transactions, and renewable energy projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys The gold standard of land surveys performed to nationally recognized standards adopted by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Delineates property boundaries and locates above-ground improvements, buildings, structures, fences, parking facilities, roadways, and easements of record for commercial, industrial, residential and farmland transactions.
• Boundary Surveys Locates and establishes the lines and corners of a parcel of land as legally described in a deed or document of record. Involves field and office work, locating or setting boundary corners, and preparing a plat of survey showing improvements and the relationship of possession lines to record or title lines. Used for residential land development projects, churches, schools, and institutions.
• Topographic Surveys Determines the elevation and location of natural and man-made surface features and existing site conditions including ground elevations, drainage features, concrete and paved areas, buildings, roadways, trees, utilities, wetlands, and waterways. Supports engineering design, construction, and as-built verification for land development, roadway, and infrastructure projects.
• Subdivisions Legally divides one parcel or tract of land into two or more lots or land parcels, including subdivision plats, re-subdivision plats, and planned unit development (PUD) plats. Subdivision surveys require retracement of the boundary of the parent tract.
• As-Built Surveys Post-construction surveys that compare final measurement data to proposed engineering data to verify that site improvements were constructed in substantial conformance with approved civil plans. Also called Record Drawings or As-Constructed Record Drawings.
• Construction Staking Construction layout services involving analyzing and interpreting architectural and civil engineering plans, calculating appropriate offset survey points and elevations, and placing stakes in the field that mark the location and elevation of proposed grades, utility structures, curb and gutter, buildings, and other improvements. Supports residential, commercial, warehouse, institutional, and infrastructure projects.
• UAS / Drone Surveys

Quantifiable outcome

• 3D laser scanning achieves +/- 2mm accuracy with millions of 3D points per second collection rate
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024SPDC partnered with Compass Survey Limited (referenced as a local Nigerian firm in the news article) to build domestic capacity in USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) operations. SPDC successfully deployed a USV for a pipeline route survey at Bonny in the Niger Delta, completing a record-breaking 166-hour mission. Compass Survey's role appears to be part of building local Nigerian capacity in USV technology and operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. Large Illinois civil engineering and surveying firm headquartered in Rosemont, IL. Overlaps directly with Compass on ALTA surveys, construction staking, topographic work, and government/municipal clients across the same Illinois geography.
• Gewalt Hamilton Associates: Illinois-based civil engineering and surveying firm serving the Chicago metro area with comparable boundary, topographic, ALTA, and construction staking services. Closely comparable by geography, service mix, and client base (developers, municipalities, attorneys).
• Manhard Consulting: Civil engineering and surveying firm with strong Midwest presence (founded in Illinois) offering the same core land surveying services (boundary, ALTA, topographic, construction staking) to residential, commercial, and retail developers.
• V3 Companies: Illinois-based engineering, surveying, and environmental services firm with comparable land surveying, construction staking, and ALTA offerings; competes for the same developer, municipal, and institutional clients in the Chicago region.
• Terra Engineering Ltd. Chicago-area civil engineering and surveying firm providing boundary, topographic, ALTA, and construction layout services to the same developer, municipal, and institutional client base as Compass.

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: Large national planning, engineering, and surveying firm with offices across the Midwest. Overlaps on commercial development, transportation, and renewable energy surveying services; competes for the same high-profile Illinois projects.
• Stantec: Global engineering, surveying, and environmental services firm with substantial Illinois presence. Comparable surveying capabilities across land development, infrastructure, and energy verticals but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Bowman Consulting Group: National multi-discipline engineering and surveying firm with significant Illinois/Midwest operations. Directly comparable service line but at much larger scale; competes for the same ALTA, construction staking, and energy surveying work.

Regional players

• Hanson Professional Services: Midwest-based engineering and surveying firm with Illinois operations providing boundary, topographic, and construction staking services for infrastructure, government, and commercial clients — comparable service mix and regional client base.
• Hitchcock Design Group: Illinois-based land planning, civil engineering, and surveying firm serving Chicago-area developers and municipalities. Closely comparable service offering and geographic focus to Compass, though more weighted toward planning and landscape architecture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/compasssurvey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Compass Surveying