Our History

Our founder, James Pearl Anderson, began practicing land surveying in Kansas City in 1919 after WWI.  He continued to develop his surveying knowledge by working for the top firms in the area on projects like Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks.  In 1946, he formed Anderson Survey Company with his two sons, Robert and Oliver, following their active duty in WWII.

After James Pearl's death in 1948, his two sons took over and through their leadership Anderson Survey Company soon developed into one of the top surveying firms in the Midwest.  With the death of Robert in 1964 and Oliver in 1983, the company's leadership transferred to Oliver's son, James S. Anderson, and daughter, Jeanette K. Dennis.  

Governor Mel Carnahan appointed James S. Anderson to the Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors due to his extensive knowledge base and reputable work. During this board service, James was appointed as Chairman of the Board by Governor Bob Holden and is the only land surveyor to have ever held the position. Through his role as President of Anderson Survey Company, James S. Anderson further established the company as one of the premier land surveying firms in the Kansas City area.

While Jeanette has passed and James has mostly retired, James still sits on the Board of Directors and offers his years of experience in both surveying as a practice and historical knowledge of past jobs.  Dani Anderson is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors and is an integral part of daily operations while also overseeing HR, benefits, accounts payable, and payroll.  Today, the fourth generation, Bob Anderson, PLS, and Holly Kaden, have officially retained stock in the company and both sit on the Board of Directors.  Bob serves as the company's CEO, while Holly serves as the CFO.  The leadership of the fourth generation, in collaboration with the legacy of James and Dani, represents a continued commitment to growing Kansas City.

Part of Anderson Survey Company's history is the voluminous records library we house. Our vast library includes the acquisition of atlases by the Tuttle, Ayers, Woodward company dating back to 1907.  It also contains extensive, catalogued, original copies of subdivision plats in Jackson, Clay, Platte, Johnson and Wyandotte Counties that cannot be found online.  Additionally, Anderson Survey Company has kept internal field notes, survey drawings, and survey calculations for all projects completed since 1946.  These records provide information showing how each survey was performed, what evidence was found, and what decisions were made when performing the survey.  Furthermore, this vast library can provide information that can potentially save time on future surveys, help resolve differences between surveyors and provide evidence to defend a survey upon being challenged in court.  The atlases, subdivision plats, field notes and numerous other kinds of records housed by Anderson Survey Company provide much of the basis for land surveying and development in the Kansas City Metropolitan area.