Sisters Ashley Nulick and Janay Mommer pose for a photo as winners of the Family Owned Business Award for their engineering firm Lars Andersen & Associates, Inc. Photo by Devon Jacoby/Backstory Creative

A Fresno-based engineering firm that started as a small land surveying business over 80 years ago was recognized for its eight decades of serving the Central Valley.

Lars Andersen & Associates, Inc., founded in 1941, received top honors in The Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Awards (FOBA) for the small-sized business category.

The FOBA awards program was held at Pardini’s in Fresno on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The Business Journal online will feature stories about the winners in the coming days.

The four-generation company, which was started in Fresno, has expanded to open a second office in Peoria, Arizona. The firm has 14 employees as of their FOBA application on May 1. They remain committed to a hands-on and principle-led service, which makes them stand out from others in the industry.

In the application, they listed five guiding principles to help make the company successful: onboarding with purpose, mentorship and leadership development, community engagement and giving back, internal communication and recognition and staying local, thinking long-term.

The company is led by the Mommer and Nulick families and the recognition has a deep significance.

 

“It would mean obviously so much, just because being family-owned for 80-plus years, it just shows what a family-owned business can accomplish,” said Ashley Nulick, director of projects and administrative operations.  

Her sister, Janay Mommer, who is the firm’s controller, said the award honors the past and present of the company.

“It would be a really great way to honor our great-grandfather and our father for continuing the business for this long, and for us to be able to have the honor of continuing the legacy for them,” Mommer said.

The legacy started with the company’s namesake, Lars Andersen, in 1941. Andersen worked into his 90s. His grandson, Scott Mommer, who studied civil engineering at Fresno State, is now the president and has helped expand across two states. His wife, Kelly, also has a key role in the company as secretary and treasurer.

Over the company’s 80 years, it has grown to a full-service design and engineering company that offers services such as grading plans, stormwater management, as-builts and Certified Access Specialist reports. Despite some industry challenges, Janay Mommer said the firm has remained true to Andersen’s original values and hopes to instill those same values into the next generation.

 “I would hope that they would be able to acknowledge and recognize the motto of Lars Andersen,” she said. “But the true value and integrity of the business is to put our clients first and continue with the highest engineering standards, regardless of making money or cutting corners.”

Janay and Nulick said the work starts early for the young generation, from coffee runs and proposal assembly to project submissions. The approach makes sure that family members understand every part of the business before stepping into management.

Each family member working their way up is paired with Scott and Daniel Zoldak, the vice president, to gain hands-on experience.

“The hardest part is making sure that everybody in the family is well-rounded. If not every department, nearly every department,” Janay said on the challenges of preparing the next generations for success.

Community service is another important part of their legacy. They support organizations including the Fresno Rescue Mission, St. Vincent de Paul and Habitat for Humanity, often volunteering time as well as resources.

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