Our History

Egan, Field & Nowak, Inc.’s history of serving the Land Surveying needs of Minnesota is unmatched. In 1872, Ulysses S. Grant was president of the United States and James E. Egan founded a land surveying company in the St. Anthony Main area of Minneapolis. His firm quickly established an excellent reputation. Great care was taken in producing quality work and in choosing superior partners. On April 1, 1917, “J.E. Egan & Co.” became “Egan, Field & Nowak, Inc.”

The publication “City Business” lists Egan, Field & Nowak, Inc. as the 13th oldest business in Minnesota. As land surveyors we are the oldest and most experienced firm in Minnesota. Decades of reputable surveys have made us “the benchmark” in the surveying profession. With distinct pride in this heritage, our team of professionals advance into our third century.

Since the firm’s origination as a land surveying company in the late 1800’s, the firm has grown to also include an energy sector and civil engineering services. Egan, Field, & Nowak, Inc. currently has offices in Minneapolis, MN and Omaha, NE. Our employees have performed work in all of the Midwest states and many others throughout the United States.

Timeline

  • 1872
    James E. Egan forms “J. E. Egan & Company” in Minneapolis.
  • 1880 Egan prepares surveys of the new Washburn Mill sites.
  • 1902 Egan surveys “Dayton’s Dry Goods” on the corner of 8th and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis.
  • 1917
    James Egan teams up with Clarence Field and Otto Nowak forming “Egan, Field & Nowak Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors”. Offices were located in the Oneida Building on the corner of Marquette and 4th Street in downtown Minneapolis. Egan, Field & Nowak becomes the “Oldest and Largest Survey Firm in the City”.
  • 1928 Egan Field & Nowak performs surveys for the new Foshay Tower, the tallest building west of Chicago at the time.
  • 1958 Egan Field and Nowak prepares a large 35 block survey in the Gateway area of downtown Minneapolis. This survey was prepared for the Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority and is the last known survey of this large area of downtown prior to the area being leveled by the wrecking ball.
  • 1967 Egan Field and Nowak surveys for the expansion of Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport and becomes the first surveyors in the area to utilize electronic distance measurement (EDM).
  • 1988 Egan, Field & Nowak begin using GPS technology in daily survey operations.
  • 2004 Egan, Field & Nowak expands into the energy services market.
  • 2009 Egan, Field & Nowak opens a satellite office in Omaha, NE.