Golder Associates Inc., branded as just Golder, is an international company that provides consulting, design, and construction services in earth, environment, and related areas of energy. The company has 7,000 employees in offices in Africa, Asia,

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, Europe, North America and South America. In April 2021, the company was acquired by

WSP Global WSP Global Inc. is a Canadian company with American and British roots, providing management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. After the purchase of New York-headquartered ...

History

The company was founded in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada in 1960 by Hugh Golder, Victor Milligan, Larry Soderman, under the name H.Q. Golder and Associates, and focused on

soil mechanics Soil mechanics is a branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids (usually air and wat ...

and ground engineering. In the 1970s, the service offering expanded to include

rock mechanics Rock mechanics is a theoretical and applied science of the mechanical behavior of rock and rock masses; compared to geology, it is that branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock and rock masses to the force fields of their physical env ...

. In the 1980s the company's groundwater practice evolved to encompass the broader field of

hydrogeology Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aquif ...

, with particular expertise in contaminated soil and groundwater. In the early 1990s, as public awareness of environmental issues increased, Golder added biological capabilities – including aquatic and terrestrial biology – to its range of services.

Hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

and

hydraulic engineering Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the mov ...

were added in the late 1990s, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS),

information management Information management (IM) concerns a cycle of organizational activity: the acquisition of information from one or more sources, the custodianship and the distribution of that information to those who need it, and its ultimate disposal throug ...

, cultural sciences and

energy services An energy system is a system primarily designed to supply energy-services to end-users. The intent behind energy systems is to minimise energy losses to a negligible level, as well as to ensure the efficient use of energy. The IPCC Fifth As ...

were added in the 2000s. In the mid 2000, Golder added Environmental, Health, and Safety providing a wide range of services to assist companies in protecting their employees and the environment. Consultants can conduct studies on air, water, ergonomics, as well as evaluating health and safety programs for compliance. On site audits provide valuable information and corrective actions for employers. The company was an

employee-owned Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...

corporation, until it was acquired by

in 2021. the company continues to operate under the "Golder" brand.

Geographic expansion

The company established other offices in Canada in the early 1960s, later expanding into the United States (1968), as well as the United Kingdom and Australia (1972). Since that time, the company grew geographically through a combination of opening new offices and through

mergers Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

with existing companies. Offices (2009) were located in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, India.

Sectors

Within the areas of consulting, design, and construction services in earth, environment, and energy, Golder works with clients in many industries: from oil and gas to mining to transportation and more. * Manufacturing * Mining * Oil & Gas * Power * Urban Development & Infrastructure * Manufactures * Construction * Laboratory * Light industrial firms

Services provided

* Engineering: Construction Materials Engineering, Testing & Instrumentation Services, Dams & Hydropower Services, Ground Engineering Services, Pipeline Systems Services, Tunnelling Services, Waste Management Services * Environmental & Social Assessment: Cultural Heritage Services, Ecological Services, Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Services, Social Management & Compliance Services * Environmental Management and Compliance: Atmospheric Services, Environment, Health & Safety & Industrial Hygiene Services, Human Health & Toxicology Services, Energy, Carbon & Climate Services, Permitting Services, Sustainability Services, Contaminant Site Investigation & Clean Up Services, Performance & Assurance Services, Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment Services, REACH & Chemical Management Regulatory Services, Public Health Assessment Services, Aquatic Effects Assessment Services * Natural Resources Planning & Evaluation: Resource Evaluation Services, Geochemical Services, Mine Planning & Engineering Services, Mine Waste Management Services, Backfill Systems Services * Strategic Planning, Advice & Management Services: Information Management & Graphics Services, Project Management Services, Mergers & Acquisitions, Divestiture & Due Diligence Services, Risk Assessment & Decision Analysis Services, Planning, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design Services, Facility Siting Services * Water: Water & Wastewater Treatment Services, Coastal & Marine Services, Groundwater Services, Surface Water & Hydrology Services

References

{{Authority control Consulting firms of Canada Engineering companies of Canada Consulting firms established in 1960 1960 establishments in Canada