Underground Construction - November 2020 - 25

Mears Integrity

50TH ANNIVERSARY

People, Service Drive Mears' Continued Success
Jeff Griffin | Senior Editor

The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary
of the Mears Group.
Founded in 1970, Mears today is an
industry-leading energy infrastructure
solutions provider serving multiple markets
that include gas distribution, pipeline and
facilities construction, pipeline integrity,
horizontal direction drilling (HDD) and
Direct Pipe (DP) installations. Mears is
also active in the electric transmission
and distribution, telecommunications,
and water and sewer markets.
As it has for 50 years, Mears' headquarters remains in the small town of
Rosebush, Mich., but it now has locations
in 24 other states.

Beginnings
In 1969, Herb Fluharty was a project
engineer for Underwriters' Laboratories
(UL) in Chicago.
" I had grown up working on pipeline
construction for the company my
father founded, Welded Construction, "
said Fluharty.
Although he was then employed at a

large organization, Fluharty recognized
and appreciated the challenges of owning
a small business. When his father passed
away, Fluharty wanted to move back
to Rosebush to be closer to his mother
and family.
About the same time, a friend started
a land surveying and civil engineering
business. " He encouraged me to go in that
direction, " said Fluharty.
In June 1970, Fluharty, his wife, Chris,
and three young children returned to
Rosebush where he started a small surveying business. By 1974, the company was
serving pipeline clients in central Michigan,
and the scope of its services expanded to
include machinery, engineering, accounting, repairs and sales.
In 1975 the company was renamed
Mears - an acronym using the first letter
of each word in its list of provided services
- Engineering. It started, and remains, as a
family matter, Fluharty owned and operated, and with an extended Mears " family. "
" Remember, " Fluharty said, " we come
from Rosebush, Mich., a town of 300; we

were family. I had my son, Scot, and nephew, John, who came alongside me early on
and have always been essential to Mears'
success. Some would say: 'Herb could get in
the door; John could convince the customer
we can do the job; and Scot was left to get it
done and make some money doing it. "
Somehow the feeling of " family " has
been retained as the company has grown to
more than 5,000 employees. It's clear they
are all proud of their company and enjoy
working there.
" I believe it stems from respecting and
appreciating people as individuals blessed
with differing gifts, " Fluharty observed. " I
grew up on the pipeline and was exposed to
many folks with various talents.
" My father, who was a welder himself,
taught us respect for those who did the
work. He told me often, 'Remember, these
are the people who really make us our
living.' That, along with, 'You don't have to
know everything, just bring together those
that do,' has always stuck with me.
" I believe Mears has been blessed with
incredible talent, leadership that recogUCONonline.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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Underground Construction - November 2020

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