Built in Walton County. Trusted across the coast.
Some firms come and go. ECA has been a fixture of Northwest Florida's civil engineering community since 1979.
Emerald Coast Associates was founded in 1979 by Raymond Richardson as a surveying firm rooted in Walton County. In the mid-1990s, Raymond sold the business to Russell Aldrich, PLS, who carried the firm's surveying heritage forward. In 2001, Russ brought on Dean Burgis, PE to launch the civil engineering, permitting, and land planning disciplines — transforming ECA into a full-service practice.
In 2005, Dean Burgis, PE, Daryl Burgis, PLS, and Dexter Lundy, PLS purchased the business from Russ, continuing to grow ECA's presence and capabilities across the Panhandle. In 2022, ECA divested its surveying division to GeoPoint Surveying, sharpening its focus exclusively on civil engineering and land planning. In 2025, Winston Chou acquired the firm, leading ECA into its next chapter of professional service.
Through every transition, the work has stayed the same: thoughtful, technically sound civil engineering for the places and people of the Emerald Coast.