Combs & Associates

What Combs & Associates does

Combs & Associates, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned land surveying and civil engineering firm headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin, in continuous operation since 1972. The company provides an integrated suite of land development services across four core practices: land surveying (boundary, ALTA, lot, topographical, and accident surveys), civil engineering (site engineering, subdivision engineering, storm water management, erosion control, construction engineering, and FEMA flood services), land planning and development (planning board consultation, concept plans, subdivision design, platting), and GPS-based machine control modeling that creates 3-D models for automated earth-moving equipment. The firm leverages GPS, satellite communication, and modern surveying instrumentation (theodolites, transit equipment) to deliver construction staking and machine guidance for construction projects throughout Southeastern and Central Wisconsin.

The business model is project-based professional services with quote-driven pricing and complimentary consultations. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees for surveying engagements and professional service fees for engineering and planning work. It serves a diversified client base of landowners, real estate developers, architects, home builders, municipalities, contractors, design/build contractors, title companies, banks, and the Wisconsin DOT, with a team of 11-50 employees. The Combs family leads operations, with Ryan Combs as President and Professional Land Surveyor, Ashley Combs as CFO and Director of Operations, and Adam Griffin as VP and Director of Engineering, supported by senior survey technicians, professional engineers, and field staff.

Distribution is direct-to-client with no intermediaries, using a website (combssurvey.com), phone inquiries, and in-person consultation at the Janesville headquarters as the primary marketing channels. The firm is privately held with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Competitive positioning emphasizes 50+ years of continuous operation, an integrated single-vendor service model, and an extensive proprietary database of regional survey records accumulated over five decades.

Name

Combs & Associates

Legal name

Combs and Associates, Inc.

Website

https://combssurvey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Combs & Associates is a family-owned land surveying and civil engineering firm in Janesville, Wisconsin, founded 1972. It provides surveying, civil engineering, land planning, and GPS machine control modeling to developers, municipalities, and landowners across Southeastern and Central Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Surveying & Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Land surveying services
• Civil engineering design
• Land planning
• Machine control modeling
• ALTA surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Janesville

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. Land Surveying Services: Professional surveying services including boundary surveys, ALTA surveys, lot surveys, topographical surveys, and accident surveys. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for individual survey engagements.
2. Civil Engineering Services: Site engineering, subdivision engineering, storm water management, erosion control, construction engineering, FEMA flooding services, and GPS machine control modeling. Project-based engineering and design service fees.
3. Land Planning & Development Services: Comprehensive land planning services including planning board consultation, concept plans, subdivision design, preliminary plat, and final plat preparation. Revenue generated through planning and design project fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Combs & Associates provides professional land surveying, civil engineering, land planning and development, and GPS machine control modeling services. The firm combines engineering, planning, mapping, and surveying into a single integrated offering for landowners, developers, architects, builders, municipalities, and contractors throughout Southeastern and Central Wisconsin.

Product overview

Combs & Associates is a surveying and civil engineering firm offering a comprehensive suite of land development services. The company operates as a single unified service provider combining land surveying, civil engineering, land planning & development, and machine control into a seamless offering. The land surveying division encompasses specialized sub-services including Boundary Surveys, ALTA Surveys, Lot Surveys, Topographical Surveys, and Accident Surveys. Civil engineering services cover site engineering, subdivision engineering, storm water management, erosion control, and construction engineering. The machine control service creates 3D models for GPS-guided construction equipment. These services work together to support clients from initial land planning through final construction staking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Surveying Professional land surveying services including boundary surveys, ALTA surveys, lot surveys, topographical surveys, and accident surveys, with field data collection, boundary determination, construction staking, data analysis, mapping, and compliance reporting for landowners, developers, architects, builders, title companies, banks, and the Wisconsin DOT.
• Boundary Surveys Property boundary surveys that mark all property lines on the ground, place permanent markers at corners, provide a map showing configuration and size, and include a written legal description for property owners.
• ALTA Surveys Comprehensive land title surveys conducted to American Land Title Association standards for commercial properties, covering boundary surveys and improvement locations and identifying additional evidence of possession or use, typically required by title companies and lenders.
• Lot Surveys Retracement of residential lots where all corners are marked, monuments are placed if not recovered from the original survey, and the lot is depicted on a plat of survey.
• Topographical Surveys Three-dimensional representations of a property showing corners and elevations, used in the design phase of larger projects or for resolving drainage problems.
• Accident Surveys Mapping of areas where accidents occur, typically at intersections, showing sight lines, nearby buildings, road slopes, and other relevant features to support legal proceedings.
• Civil Engineering Engineering and design services including site engineering, subdivision engineering, storm water management, erosion control, construction engineering, FEMA flooding services, and GPS machine control modeling for public and private clients.
• Machine Control Creation of 3-D models of proposed construction projects for large earth-moving machines, using GPS satellite communication so machines can determine exact location and elevation and make real-time adjustments for cutting and placing material on road, highway, and commercial site projects.
• Land Planning & Development Comprehensive land planning services including planning board consultation, concept plans, subdivision design, preliminary plat, and final plat preparation for developers and municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased productivity and decreased construction time and costs through machine control modeling

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with large surveying, civil engineering, transportation, and land development practices across the U.S. Overlaps with Combs on surveying, site civil, and transportation/machine-control work but operates as a much broader portfolio incumbent — relevant primarily as a competitive threat on larger Wisconsin DOT and development projects.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, surveying, and environmental services firm active in land development, transportation, and water resources in the U.S. Midwest. Comparable to Combs at the service-line level (surveying, civil engineering, land planning), but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint; competes for the same Wisconsin development and DOT work.

Direct peers

• MSA Professional Services: Wisconsin-headquartered civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm serving municipal, commercial, residential, and industrial clients across the Midwest. Directly comparable to Combs because of the overlapping regional footprint (Wisconsin), identical core service lines (surveying, civil engineering, land planning), and similar end-market segments (municipalities, developers, contractors).
• KCI Technologies: Mid-Atlantic-based engineering, surveying, and construction services firm serving transportation, utility, land development, and public-sector clients across the Eastern U.S. Comparable in its multi-disciplinary service offering (surveying, civil/site, construction engineering, planning) and similar project-based fees for ALTA, boundary, and topographic work.
• Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC): Mid-sized civil engineering, surveying, and environmental consulting firm with offices across the U.S. serving private developers, energy, industrial, and public-sector clients. Comparable service-line set and end-market overlap with Combs, particularly in site/civil engineering, ALTA/land surveying, and subdivision work.
• Spicer Group: Michigan-based civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm serving municipal, commercial, and industrial clients across the Midwest. Comparable to Combs because of overlapping service lines (surveying, site/civil engineering, land planning), similar relational sales model, and comparable mid-sized private firm profile.
• Bolton & Menk: Midwest-based civil engineering, surveying, planning, and environmental services firm with offices across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, and surrounding states. Directly comparable to Combs in service mix (surveying, civil/site engineering, land planning) and end markets (developers, municipalities, transportation), with adjacent Wisconsin-area presence.
• JSD Professional Services: Wisconsin-based civil engineering, surveying, planning, and land development firm serving municipalities, developers, contractors, and private landowners. Comparable to Combs because of the same Wisconsin regional footprint, integrated surveying/engineering/planning service model, and similar client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

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 Combs & Associates