Mesa Associates, Inc.

Mesa is a woman/minority-owned full service multi-discipline engineering, procurement, and construction management firm specializing in providing engineering services to electric utility, heavy industrial, and government clients. Mesa offers one of the most experienced and capable teams available for conducting engineering studies, analyzing systems, preparing designs, specifications, schedules, and cost estimates for a wide range of projects.

Mesa Associates, Inc. founder, Chandrashekhar “Shekhar” Savant, received a bachelor’s degree of civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. In 1976, after working as an engineer for eight years, Shekhar left his home in Bombay, India and came to the United States. Finding work as a dishwasher in a restaurant allowed Shekhar to support himself until he could continue his education. Once the restaurant owner discovered he was a civil engineer, the owner allowed Shekhar to design an extension to the restaurant; thus began Shekhar’s engineering career in the United States. Shekhar’s wife, Ranjana, joined him in the U.S. eight months later.

After receiving a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of West Virginia, Shekhar and his family moved several times with various jobs until 1987 when they settled in Madison, Alabama, a suburb of Huntsville. Shekhar had carried a dream for several years to have a multi-disciplined engineering firm that would ultimately become international in scope and reputation. Together, he and Ranjana talked about having a company that would be distinctly unique – not only in the way the company would treat clients, but perhaps more importantly, in the way it would treat its employees. Shekhar and Ranjana made a decision in 1988 to charter Mesa Associates, Inc. While performing engineering services for industrial clients in the Huntsville-Decatur area during the early years of the company, the Savants decided to pursue work in the electric utility market – a decision that ultimately lead to the success of Mesa.

The spring of 1994 brought tragedy to the Savant family and the company with Shekhar’s sudden and unexpected passing. Ranjana, with the support of the Mesa employees, kept Shekhar’s dream alive. Today, Ms. Savant, President and CEO, manages the multi-discipline family of companies that has grown to more than 850 employees and 18 offices in the U.S. We have continued to deal fairly and equitably with both clients and employees as we increased sales and improved profitability. Mesa continues to build strong, long-term relations with our clients by conducting ourselves with honesty and integrity. A reflection of the way Mesa treats our employees is their dedication and the personal interest each one takes in making the company successful. Our employees are Associates and are considered part of an extended family, the “Mesa Family”. Caring for our employees and their families was part of the original dream and continues to live on at Mesa.