MMS "Consultants?"

It’s likely that anyone who cares knows that “MMS” represents our founders’ initials: Ron Meyer, Bob Mickelson, and Larry Schnittjer. Well, the other day I had a conversation with someone who wondered why the company is named MMS Consultants instead of MMS Engineering & Surveyors. The obvious answer is in the fact that we also do landscape architecture/design and adding that would be more than a mouthful. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that even if we wanted to feature all three specialties in our name, it wouldn’t tell the whole story.

A great deal of what we do is help property owners and developers determine the best path to take when developing land. From the simple notion of determining what’s possible in terms of development (what will the land support, how can it be developed without negatively impacting the surrounding community, etc.) to securing the support of the governing jurisdiction and the approval of neighbors, we do a lot before any site planning starts.

We have to be experts on local regulations and combine all we know about the land in question to help the developer secure proper zoning and all of the permits required to proceed. We work as intermediaries between zoning boards and developers to find effective ways to make projects work for everyone. Getting people to agree is always the first step in the process.

Now it’s true that there is a fair amount of engineering that goes into earning that agreement. We have to be able to demonstrate how what is planned will work with the existing infrastructure without over-taxing it or causing damage. We have to know where any diverted water will go so it doesn’t do damage as it drains. We involve utility companies to make sure services are available to the people who will be using the property. And we have to be able to forecast the effects development will have on traffic and devise solutions to handle it.

So now you know. That’s why we’ve been known as “MMS Consultants” since 1975!