MARKING 55 YEARS in business, the engineering team at Forte and Tablada has reasons to celebrate. This multitalented firm is thriving and growing, especially over the past five years.

Forte and Tablada specializes in surveying and engineering design of infrastructure projects that make it possible for communities and facilities to operate and grow; particularly, transportation systems, drainage water, wastewater and drinking water systems, bridges, as well as structural and electrical systems.  Forte and Tablada is capable of performing a variety of surveying and engineering projects in scope and diversity. Surveying small to large projects for individual homeowners up to massive public works and transportation projects are part of its everyday services. The multidisciplinary firm employs civil, structural, environmental and electrical engineers, as well as one of the largest and most advanced surveying/measurement staffs in the state.

A client-focused approach has carried the engineering firm far since its 1961 founding by CEO Ann Trappey’s father, Vincent A. Forte, P.E., and Julian Tablada, P.E., both electrical engineers.

Recently, this second-generation company has grown by leaps and bounds, enlarging Forte and Tablada’s footprint and menu of services. And Trappey has dialed up a team of young professionals to continue this trend to the next generation.

“There is no one thing we can put our finger on to explain it,” Trappey notes, “but that is probably good because it means we have diversified our services. Our structural engineering and surveying/advanced measurements group, in particular, has seen significant growth due to an integration of clients and services.”

Of its 90 employees statewide, Forte and Tablada has doubled in size over the past five years. The period of expansion began in 2007 with the acquisition of Baton Rouge Land Surveying. Three years later, Forte and Tablada acquired the Shreveport civil engineering firm BBC Engineering Inc. and opened an office in Bossier City, establishing a strong north Louisiana presence.

Then, in 2012, Forte and Tablada acquired both Engensus Engineering and Consulting, which specialized in structural engineering, bridge engineering and risk consulting, and Engensus Measurements, a provider of advanced 3-D measurements, modeling and animation.

Bringing in Engensus enabled Forte and Tablada to complement its core engineering and land surveying services with structural engineering as well as advanced measurements, a type of surveying that utilizes laser scanning and other sophisticated surveying technology.

“There are now other firms who do laser scanning and traditional land surveying, but the way we have been able to tie those two technologies together is pushing the envelope and creating value for our clients,” Trappey says. “These technologies also add a huge element of safety, because it allows us to gather data remotely in what would otherwise be very up-close and unsafe environments. For instance, we can scan under an interstate bridge without actually getting under the bridge.” Continued innovation is key to the surveying work Forte and Tablada is doing along the proposed route of Interstate 49 South. Over the years, the firm has also been heavily involved in several Green Light Plan road improvement projects for East Baton Rouge City-Parish. Other recent jobs include sanitary sewer overflow projects for Baton Rouge and a drainage master plan for the Baton Rouge airport. What first put Forte and Tablada on the map, of course, was its project management and engineering design on a $550 million hydroelectric power plant in Vidalia, Louisiana, one of the top 10 engineering projects in the U.S. in 1991.

Trappey also credits the firm’s clients for its longevity. “We have clients who have been with us for over 40 years,” she notes. “That is because we have stayed true to our mission of being trusted advisers through lots of good old-fashioned communication and making sure clients’ needs are met.”

Forte and Tablada also serves its community through various philanthropic efforts, particularly by supporting organizations related to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education such as the Louisiana Art and Science Museum “Engineer IT” program. Trappey herself serves on the board of the Foundation for East Baton Rouge School System and is the 2016 chair of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

And the company’s employees have a sense of service that can be traced back to the principles her father founded Forte and Tablada on 55 years ago.

“We have been really blessed to find excellent employees who continue to serve our clients the way they should be served,” she says.