VA Consulting Inc.

VA Consulting Inc. (VA) is a full-service consulting engineering firm specializing in the fields of land development, transportation, water resources and land surveying. For over four decades, the California-based company has served public and private clients in the planning, design and construction processes. The company’s outstanding dedication to customer satisfaction is evident, as the majority of VA’s business is 75 percent repeat clients.

VA was originally established in 1973 as Van Dell and Associates. “I acquired VA from the original founder 11 years ago,” details Max Vahid, president and CEO of VA. “The second generation of ownership is now managing the company.” Vahid orchestrates the company’s operations from three offices in Southern California and one in Phoenix.

The Dream Team

Vahid attributes VA’s success to the long history of professionalism and caliber of its employees. “We employ 55 highly skilled individuals,” he shares. The technical staff consists of registered civil engineers, traffic engineers, land surveyors, planners, designers, as well as CADD and mapping technicians to satisfy a broad range of expertise. Additionally, many employees are also professors at local colleges and universities.

“We offer internships to students nearing graduation,” adds Vahid. “We think it’s important to take the younger generation in and give them some experience in the industry. We will continue to offer these experiences in the future.”

The combined skill set of the professionals at VA provides unsurpassed experience and industry-leading knowledge all under one roof. “We have every discipline in-house, which makes the process more streamlined for the client,” explains Vahid. “People come to us for our know-how. The capabilities of our staff make for a high-quality service experience for our customers.”

VA takes the burden off the owner by performing every step of planning and design phases, from preparing construction documents to assisting clients selecting contractors for the job. The company is fully capable of this in many sectors, including transportation, water resources, site development, surveying, mapping and assessment district engineering.

Notable Projects

Diverse expertise, as well as a vast range in staffing allows VA to perform many specialized projects. “One of the most notable jobs we are currently working on is a large-scale expansion at one of California’s major airports,” details Vahid. “We’re providing the majority of the civil engineering consulting work on this site.”

The firm is also engaged in several land development projects, one of these involving the creation of residential and commercial areas in Southern California and Arizona. “Once complete, the various developments will hold 30,000 and 40,000 people,” adds Vahid.

Another significant endeavor is a railway separation project. “The dilemma here is many areas in California have the railroad at the same level as the street, making for massive traffic delays when trains come through,” explains Vahid. “We’re going in and separating the rail from the roadway, transforming it into two levels so trains can pass through without interruption.”

Many of VA’s operations are extensive, ongoing projects. “The majority of our work takes years to complete from planning and design to the final construction,” details Vahid. An example of the long-term process is VA’s work on a local air force base. “We completed the design for this site about two years ago and the construction wrapped up in February 2013,” adds Vahid. “This involved some roadway relocation, major drainage improvements, bridge construction and landscaping.”

The only consulting services the company does not perform in-house are environmental and geotechnical engineering. “We hire other consultants for these services, because it is outside of our range of expertise,” shares Vahid. “As much as we care about providing quality work to our clients, when we hire someone to supplement work we need to know they can uphold the same standard. We only work with a handful of other trusted consultants.”

Despite a descent backlog of work and a proven success record, Vahid admits the company has seen its share of economic challenges over the past years. “The toughest thing has been the increasing market pressure,” reveals Vahid. “There are fewer jobs and more people competing for those spots, but we’re back on the growth path again.”

An unstable economy or not, Vahid anticipates VA will actually be up in annual growth between 15 and 20 percent in the next couple of years. “We are pushing for organic growth within the business and hope to expand our staff in San Diego and Phoenix,” adds Vahid. Vahid has full confidence in the capability of his people and VA’s trusted reputation. VA Consulting Inc. continues to serve the southwestern corner of the U.S. with an unmatched skill set under one roof.