Commonwealth Associates, Inc.

Commonwealth Associates is part of the United States power industry legacy of engineers, William A. and James B. Foote. The Foote brothers' early efforts birthed some of America's most notable utilities, including Consumers Energy. The brothers transformed life in the area with streetlights, hydropower dams, and long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines. The Jackson, Michigan, office was established in 1886 under the Commonwealth name. It served for years as the engineering arm of five giant utilities held by Commonwealth & Southern Corporation, becoming an independent firm when the federal government ordered the break-up of the holding company in 1949. Computer Sciences Corp. acquired Commonwealth Services, Inc. July 15, 1970. Gilbert Associates, Inc. purchased Commonwealth Associates, Inc. in 1973, forming Gilbert/Commonwealth, Inc. Several thousand megawatts of power generation were designed by the staff in Jackson before Gilbert closed that office in 1988. Rebirthed in that same year as Commonwealth Associates, Inc., engineering consulting and design continued to be provided for electric transmission and distribution facilities, and, in 2011, the company made the decision to once again offer power generation and energy services. In 2013, Commonwealth celebrated its 25th anniversary of being employee-owned.