“Water supply, or more specifically the lack of it, can be a project-stopper. We’ve developed a vast body of knowledge in this area that has won us a lot of projects. This kind of expertise only comes with years of experience and a core group of key long-term managers committed to retaining, building upon and passing along that knowledge. We’re uniquely advantaged by having both the experience and the team.”

Jim has been with MacKay & Somps since 1976. A graduate from Stanford University with a BS in Civil Engineering, he is a Registered Civil Engineer in California and Nevada. Jim began his career with M&S in the San Jose office. In 1984 he was appointed Operations Manager for the Sacramento office. He grew this office from a staff of six to over 60 people by 1989 when he established an office in Roseville.

In 1992, Jim was chosen to become a Principal for the firm. He continued his duties overseeing the Sacramento and Roseville offices and took on additional corporate duties. In 2006, Jim was elected President of MacKay & Somps.

Jim has expertise in land use planning and engineering for large scale development projects with a unique knowledge of municipal water supply planning particularly in the Sacramento Region. Jim has served on the Board of Directors of the North State Building Industry Association. He has received recognition from North State BIA for his contributions to the development industry including Associate of the Year in 1998 and Volunteer of the Millenium in 2000. Jim has also served on the Board of Directors and as local chapter president for the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California.

“Our services, tools and techniques are state-of-the-art, but our work ethic and quality commitment are definitely old-school. That’s what keeps our engineering work from becoming a commodity – there’s extra value in our experience, in our connections, in our reputation and in our people – and makes us a true partner in your project.”

John began his professional career with MacKay & Somps in 1979 after graduating from Chico State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He designed and managed numerous projects in Santa Clara and Alameda Counties before opening the company’s Fremont office in 1988. He subsequently managed the San Jose office from 1991 to 2004 and then briefly managed the Pleasanton office when the San Jose office merged with Pleasanton office in 2005. John became a Principal in 2007 and has passed on the Pleasanton Operations Management duties to Mark McClellan.

John continues to be active with Clients and project development as well as the company’s internal operations.

“As a development consultant, we’re much more than just a vendor providing our client with a product. We’re an advocate for them, for their vision, for their project and for its success. That means we don’t just accept an agency’s conditions of approval. If it’s appropriate, we challenge them. We treat their project like it is our own.”

Bob joined MacKay & Somps as a land surveyor in 1978 after working for a large utility company for several years. He graduated from California State University Fresno in 1976 with a degree in Surveying and Photogrammetry with Tau Beta Pi honors and having achieved the Land Surveyor in Training (L.S.I.T.) certification.

Bob started his career with Mackay & Somps in the San Jose office, soon transferring to the Santa Rosa office where he was in charge of all survey related functions. In 1984, Bob obtained his California Land Surveyor’s license and transferred to the Union City office to gain experience as a project engineer/project manager. That office subsequently moved to Fremont and in 1989, he was appointed the Operations Manager. Bob managed the merger of the company’s Fremont, Livermore, and Concord offices into the Pleasanton office in 1994 and was the operations manager for that joint office until 1999 when he was made a MacKay & Somps Principal.

In addition to his responsibilities for company administration, Bob also acts as a Project Manager and Client Representative for the Pleasanton office as well as Chief Surveyor for all of the MacKay & Somps offices.