GHH Celebrates 100 Years of Quality & Accuracy!

Building on Trust, Delivering Results:
Godfrey Hoffman Hodge Celebrates 100 Years!

We’re pleased to share the news of this milestone and look forward to continuing to do what we’ve been doing for a century: providing our clients with fast, accurate and quality services. Here’s a brief history of how we got here:

1924: The story begins when two young engineers, recent Yale graduate Lewis Stein and Constantine “Gus” Giordano meet while working for the City of New Haven Engineering Department. Together, they set out on their own and forge a partnership in New Haven, laying the foundation for a legacy in land surveying.

Bernard Godfrey enters the scene. While still in high school, he learns the ropes under Stein & Giordano’s guidance, igniting a lifelong passion for the field. His journey takes him through forestry, entrepreneurship, and back to surveying, eventually marrying Stein’s niece and taking over the firm in 1960.

Enter the next generation: Adam Hoffman, Godfrey’s nephew, joins the firm in 1977, inheriting the family’s dedication to precision and service. He expands his expertise with a forestry degree and land surveying minor, rising through the ranks before becoming a partner in 1988. The firm rebrands as Godfrey-Hoffman Associates.

The 2000s usher in expansion. Godfrey retires in 2000, and Hoffman restructures, solidifying the company’s future as a Limited Liability Company. The firm ventures into engineering with the addition of Victor Benni in 2001, further diversifying its offerings.

2010 marks a pivotal moment. Hoffman acquires Hodge Surveying, a Farmington Valley mainstay since 1925. This strategic move broadens the company’s reach and expertise.

Finally, in 2019, the two entities merge to become Godfrey Hoffman Hodge, LLC. This marks a culmination of nearly a century of dedication, bringing together 100 years of combined experience in land surveying and engineering.

Today, Godfrey Hoffman Hodge stands as a full-service powerhouse. We tackle projects across Connecticut, serving public, private, commercial, residential, and industrial clients. Our commitment to quality, accuracy, and cutting-edge technology ensures every project receives the attention it deserves.

Why GHH? Ask Surveyor Calvin Weingart…

Meet Surveyor Calvin Weingart, P.L.S.

A Q & A with a 25 year veteran surveyor, Calvin finds passion and inspiration in his work and brings that to GHH’s clients on every project. 

How long have you worked at GHH?
I have worked here since June 15, 1998, so a little over 25 years.

What do you do and why do you do it?
I am a Professional Licensed Land Surveyor.  I do it because it is a good mix of outdoor physical activity and indoor intellectual activity.   I’ve been the Survey Manager at Godfrey Hoffman Hodge since 2015. I enjoy every aspect of the position from initial client contact to mission planning and execution to training and mentoring of survey technicians.

Why should someone seeking a survey contact GHH over your competitors?
I manage each job as I would want it managed if I was the client: consistent communication, performance to utmost ability, professionalism, patience. My goal is to minimize the chance the client will ask for an update.

What does a typical day look like for you?
I get in the office a little before 8 most days and review the plan of the day for our department.  I start mission briefs promptly at 8:00 and get the crew(s) ready to head out to the field.  If I am part of the field crew I gather files, gear and people and try to be out by 8:20 or so.  Between travel time and company hours there is only about 5 hours of onsite time so every minute counts in the morning.

If I am working in the office, I get the crew(s) launched out the door and start working on whatever task I have for myself that day.  This can range from survey computations, autocad drafting, land records research and quality review of completed surveys.  I have a dual mission in the form of staff and client support, so I am often switching from one function to another.

By about 2:30 or so I start thinking about the next day’s tasking to try and stay ahead of everyone so there is minimal down time and maximum efficiency.  By 3:30 the crew is usually back in, if they aren’t in already. They download the day’s data files and process all the info.  We attend to a few administrative chores such as time keeping and we wrap up at 4:30 with, hopefully, the next day planned out and all gear and files set to go.

What has changed during your career?
Technological advances in data collection, the availability of very accurate open-source data and municipal GIS.  All for the better or worse depending on your point of view.

What hasn’t changed?
The need for a professional surveyor’s expertise to verify measurements, the need to apply the rules of evidence and interpret boundary law and chopping line through dense brush on very hot days.

What’s the most interesting property you ever surveyed?
I  can’t name the exact property but I did get a chance to work in a very interesting location in the very heart of New Haven . Lets just say that we worked in spaces where some globally powerful people once socially  gathered in private.

What’s the hardest property you ever surveyed?
That is a subjective question! Some small parcels are very challenging with respect to forming a boundary opinion so the hard part is intellectual. On the other hand, some large parcels are physically demanding, such the 100 plus acres we surveyed in North Stonington.  I had two back to back days of walking 8 plus miles during one phase of the job. And there was the job this summer where we located and identified 612 trees.

What keeps you going back?
My job checks all the boxes for me: Physical work, intellectual work, technical expertise, mission planning, leadership, doing something that is a little offbeat that most people know a little about but not too much.  And finally, I am truly fortunate that I found a career in which you can start at the very bottom and work your way up to professional licensing through (I know this sounds quaint) hard work and dedication.

Tools From The Field

Accuracy Matters.

We incorporate the latest tools and technology in pursuit of capturing robust surveying data in the most efficient manner – all for the benefit or our clients.

Here, Calvin Weingart enters flight data and commences a drone flight. Utilizing this tool gives the ability to augment data collection on sites. In this case we are doing so in Wallingford and East Haven, CT.

Once the flight is complete, team member Ben Weingart monitors the collection of GPS data on a ground control point. This data allows the team to precisely relate ground positions to target locations captured by the drone. Once the field work is done, Ben works in the office to perform the corrections and commence processing.

Accuracy Matters – we have the tools and know-how to help with all your surveying needs.

Tales From The Field: Summer 2022

Catch Up with the GHH Team

GHH has been busier than ever this summer!

Calvin Weingart shares the behind-the-scenes of laying out test pits to determine soil suitability for septic systems in North Stonington, CT.

Zach Weingart and Jeff Plourde precisely check the positioning and data input of the S6 total station and targets in Branford, CT. A quality construction project begins with a quality survey control network. 

Adam Hoffman drives a steel rod into its respective location to create a permanent reference point for a client. While modern technology and technological advances have been made, manual labor will always be present. 

Stay up to date with the GHH team and connect with us on our social media accounts! 

GHH Acquires Woman Owned Winterbourne Land Services

Winterbourne Land Services: A pioneering surveying firm for women land surveyors

GHH Acquired Winterbourne Land Services, a cutting edge woman owned firm, on November 15th, 2021

The Woman Behind Winterbourne Land Services 

Winterbourne Land Services is a Connecticut historic Land Surveying and Civil Engineering company, established in 1993 by Rosalind C. Page. The firm was one of the first woman owned land surveying companies in the state. Rosalind was one of the few professionally licensed female land surveyors at the time. The Winterbourne team has worked on an abundance of private, commercial, and municipal projects of all shapes and sizes. The firm has performed work within New Haven, Middlesex, and Hartford counties.

Avon Village Center Opening 🎉

Avon Village Center welcomes you! GHH’s newest development with the Carpionato Group

GHH helped develop the newest retail development in Avon, the Avon Village Center with its partner, Carpionato Group, furthering its stake in the commercial development industry, on September 1st, 2021

Developing the Center 

Avon Village Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Godfrey Hoffman Hodge and the Carpionato Group have been working hard on creating the newest commercial development in Avon, CT, Avon Village Center. This modern commercial and residential hybrid development is sure to stay with opportunities abound for locals.

The first retailer to open in the center was the Whole Foods Market, guaranteed to draw large crowds. GHH is proud to announce that we were a part of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Whole Foods,  formally announcing the opening of the center.

To learn more about the complex’s beginning stages, check out these articles: https://patch.com/connecticut/avon/avon-village-center-phase-1-complete

https://www.avonct.gov/planning-community-development/pages/avon-village-center-project

https://www.carpionatogroup.com/property/486/avon-village-center-avon

Continue reading “Avon Village Center Opening 🎉”

Clarence Blair Associates circa early 1900s

GHH Acquires Clarence Blair Associates 🎊

Clarence Blair Associates, Inc. (CBA) Acquired by Godfrey Hoffman Hodge, LLC. (GHH)

Learn about the historic acquisition of Clarence Blair Associates, one of Connecticut’s oldest surveying & engineering companies.

Godfrey Hoffman Hodge, LLC. (GHH) Is pleased to announce our acquisition of Clarence Blair Associates, Inc. (CBA), as of March 2021. The firm’s extensive historical records will greatly bolster GHH’s own archives relating to New Haven County and beyond.

Clarence Blair Associates History 

Clarence Blair Associates was founded in 1892, earning and diligently maintaining an excellent reputation of high-quality survey and engineering service throughout their long history.  GHH’s current owner, Adam Hoffman, has had a long professional relationship with CBA, dating back early in his survey career, working as an instrument man and survey party chief at CBA in the early 1980s.

Godfrey Hoffman Hodge History

GHH is a third-generation, multi-disciplinary firm established in New Haven County in 1924 under the name Stein and Giordano. In 1968, ownership passed to Bernard E. Godfrey (Also a CBA employee back in the early 1960’s). Godfrey took current owner Adam Hoffman on as business partner and co-owner in 1988, changing our name to Godfrey-Hoffman Associates to reflect the partnership.  In 2010, we acquired the Farmington Valley-based survey firm Hodge Surveying Associates, whose own lengthy history dates back to 1925. In 2020, we adopted our current name to reflect this change. Over the years, GHH has grown to provide a full range of land surveying, civil engineering, planning, design, and permitting services throughout the entire state of Connecticut, operating out of our main office at 26 Broadway, North Haven.

Learn More

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February 23rd is Terminalia! 🎉

Terminalia: Ancient Rome’s February Festival 🏗

Land Surveying Celebrated at the end of the Roman Year (February 23rd)

What is Terminalia?

February 23rd boasts this festival. It is named after the Ancient Roman God of land boundaries, Terminus. Terminus was portrayed as a stone with no arms or legs, symbolizing the boundary marker between plots of land. This portrayal of Terminus was especially important in emphasizing how the boundaries were binding. The name is derived from the Latin word for such a boundary.

Romans believed that a sacrificial festival must occur at the end of each calendar year, February 23rd, in order to remain on good terms with the god. These sacrifices included adorning the physical terminus (boundary marker) with floral garland and offerings of sweets and other meals. It also included physical sacrifices of lambs or pigs.

The terminus was believed to be the peacekeeper between neighbors. It ensured that there would be no arguing over property lines. Neighbors would meet at their local terminus for this celebration annually.  A large feast would then occur! 🍾

Why Celebrate Terminalia?

February 23rd Celebration of Land Surveying
Modern Land Surveying

You may be wondering why a group of land surveyors and civil engineers in the 21st century would want to celebrate an Ancient Roman festival…🤔

The use of terminuses in ancient Rome are the some of the earliest forms of the modern practice of boundary marking with the use of specific objects, markers, or locations. Without the ancient Romans creating a practice of respect between neighbors and foreigners, by placing terminuses between their properties, the art of land surveying may not be where it is today.

Join Us!

While we may not be adorning stone boundary markers or offering sacrifices to a deity, we are celebrating the great history of our profession and the advancements we have made through the centuries. Check out these great resources on Terminalia:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Terminus

https://pantheon.org/articles/t/terminus.html

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-history-of-terminate-terminator

https://www.berntseninternational.com/home/blog-builder/happy-terminalia?utm_source=constant%20contact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021Terminalia

The Role of the DEEP and Your Property

Connecticut DEEP

When looking to develop your property, whether it be residential or commercial, the DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) plays an important role. The DEEP helps to insure that your property is not going to cause any damage to the local environment when starting new construction, or that if you are looking to change the boundary lines of your property, that it will not encroach on protected lands. This service is very important for both the property owners, insuring that they are not breaking any laws, and the environment alike.

Continue reading “The Role of the DEEP and Your Property”