TAIT goes way back …
to keep you ahead of the game
From its earliest beginnings, the TAIT story reflects the dedication and commitment of our founders to consistently exceed the expectations of our customers.
Built on over 40 years of these principles, TAIT has grown into a multi-disciplined organization of knowledgeable professionals and a leader in Land Development, Retail Development Programs, Environmental Services, and Public Projects.
Tait & Associates (TAIT) was founded by Dr. Kenneth E. Tait, PE in 1964, after he branched off from Holm, Tait & Associates – a company offering civil and structural engineering services to oil companies.
Prior to founding TAIT, Dr. Tait served with the Navy Seabees during the Korean conflict, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Bureau of Land Management. He later served as Chief Engineer
Read more with Mobil Oil in Africa, helping them locate the first oil well in Libya in 1957. He was also a Construction Engineer for Standard Oil of California and a Regional Engineer with Signal Oil.
In the '60s and '70s, TAIT provided civil engineering design services to the majority of all oil service stations throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. This in-depth experience in service stations and underground infrastructure, coupled with growing client demands, led TAIT to branch out into land development, retail development and environmental services. By then, TAIT had become a major player in large commercial development projects.
In the '80s, TAIT met the growing demand for a one-stop-shop offering both testing and repair services. The company began providing environmental assessment, subsurface investigations, soil and groundwater remediation projects (related to petroleum contaminants from leaking underground storage tanks), plus service station construction and construction maintenance.
During the early '90s, commercial retailers (primarily grocery stores) started adding fueling stations to their existing sites. This market change brought TAIT full circle, allowing the company to dovetail its successful track record of oil service station work with emerging commercial retail development. As oil service station buildings were remodeled and facilities grew in complexity - to meet changing market demands and restrictive regulations - TAIT added retail development and architectural services.
At this point, Thomas F. Tait, MBA, JD became president of Tait & Associates and “fine-tuned” Dr. Tait’s initial business philosophy for “getting things done.” This included adopting a flat organization structure, which allowed for rapid decision making and open relationships among its divisions. The new business structure also allowed for fast problem solving, using networking resources to quickly pursue opportunities.
TAIT ultimately adopted a uniquely holistic approach, uniting all divisions to provide a comprehensive list of services and creating a highly effective end-to-end solutions provider. TAIT’s original vision to be the “best of the best” became the cornerstone for all of its business practices and reaffirmed TAIT’s long history of high ethics, integrity and quality.
Today, TAIT eagerly takes on the toughest projects, serving land developers, Fortune 500 companies, national retail chains, and public agencies. For more information about our clients, please visit the Our Services section.