For nearly 50 years, L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS) has provided innovative services throughout the region. The family owned business, named after cofounder Larry Isham Smith, has expanded throughout the decades from a part-time surveying company to the renowned full-service civil engineering and surveying company you see today.
Larry became a Registered Land Surveyor (RLS) in the state of Tennessee in 1975. This professional licensure marked the birth of LIS, as it provided Larry with the necessary certification to do survey work at the professional level.
In 1996, Lucile (Sherrod) Smith, a cofounder and now the President of the company, and Larry, Vice President, turned their professional company into a corporation. During this time, Lucile became the first woman in the state of Tennessee to become a licensed surveyor by passing the state-specific examinations.
To contend with the ever-changing industry, Larry and Lucile began exploring other services to offer, such as construction layout and engineering services. Coverage areas also grew with the addition of Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi. As these new service areas were added, offices were established throughout the region, with the current Nashville branch opening in 2004 to accommodate demand.
At the end of 2017, Lucile retired, and Larry became part-time, still holding his position as Vice President. Their son, Patrick Smith, took over the company as President in 2018. Through his leadership and renewed focus on engineering services, he has carried on the surveying tradition while expanding the company’s services and expertise, which led to the addition of the Portland office in 2021.
With a fresh perspective, LIS has continued to embrace new technologies developed within the engineering and surveying world such as drone mapping, aerial mapping, and laser scanning. The company has expanded to a staff of nearly 50 staff members, including a team of Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, field crews, and office support staff, all of whom work together to provide multistate coverage for projects of all sizes throughout the Central and Southeast regions of the United States.