ATL was established by Spencer F. Thew in 1967, born from his entrepreneurial vision to fill an important role in society. Spencer, an Engineer by profession, obtained his Civil Engineering degree from Clarkson University and gained invaluable experience while serving in the United States Army with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Early in his career, Spencer developed an appreciation for the value, efficiency, and cost savings observed while executing comprehensive Quality Control and Quality Assurance Programs during the lifecycle of construction and infrastructure projects. This appreciation, coupled with a recognized need for improved quality, led to the origin of ATL.
Equipped with his education, training, and ambition, Spencer set out to bring a quality component to construction projects in Northern New York. Spencer promoted the value of implementing quality measures during project design and construction. ATL started as an independent Construction Materials Engineering and Testing Laboratory from an old farmhouse and Spencer did much of the work himself. He worked passionately at his mission, and as he broke down traditional barriers, established a respected reputation and solid client base. Perhaps more importantly, his pioneering efforts helped bring quality to the local construction industry and established in-roads for future advancements in both the private and public sectors.
From that modest inception in 1967 and through the leadership of President Marijean Remington, the firm has grown both geographically, and in technical expertise through the 1990’s to present.
Marijean’s emphasis on strategic planning and controlled growth has led ATL to its current structure of 10 full-service offices located in New York. Her focus on ATL’s long-term strategic planning and operational strategies has proven successful in meeting the challenges of a continually changing marketplace. Marijean continues to prepare ATL for the future through a strategic plan based on controlled growth and an emphasis on investing time, effort, and funding to ensure a knowledgeable staff, modern equipment, and successful business plan.
Built on the stable foundation established by Spencer and Marijean, and anchored by the core values of integrity, honesty, commitment, and dedication, ATL has matured from one man’s “grass-root” determination into a multi-disciplined engineering support firm. Over the years, ATL has recruited and maintained a talented staff capable of providing a uniquely comprehensive range of services. Diversity in staff and services has added stability to ATL’s business and has been a key factor in our growth.
Looking forward, ATL will continue to implement the strategies and values that have been developed to progress the business plan that will ensure our continued success. As we continue to grow, our beginnings remind us of the quality of service on which ATL was founded.