GSE Associates, Inc. started out in 1944 as a
one-man firm, originally founded by Arthur A. De Fraites, Sr., a civil
engineer. Mr. De Fraites worked for clients mainly in the oil business
and local public bodies. He progressively increased his varied client
group by establishing himself as a leader in providing professional,
quality solutions. After beginning in New Orleans, the company settled
in Houma, Louisiana where the majority of its' clients were at that
time.
De Fraites Associates reestablished itself in New
Orleans when it bought Zervigon Associates and increased in size by
doing so. This enabled the company to offer electrical engineering as
another in-house service.
In 1972 the firm was incorporated as Gulf South
Engineers, Inc. to better reflect the majority client and project base
the company had become known for.
The firm is currently headed by Arthur A.
De Fraites, Jr. who like his father before him is a civil engineer. Over
the years, as the company grew, other engineering disciplines were
added, such as structural and environmental.
As the engineering projects grew in size they
often included buildings as ancillary features and architectural
services were needed to address their design. So, in 1981 an
architectural division was created. This completed the expansion of the
firm to a full service professional A&E firm.
In 1999 Gulf South Engineers, Inc. changed its
name to GSE Associates, Inc. to better identify the full range of
professional services it offers.
GSE’s design services are all done in-house
with professional CAD designers and draftsmen. The company has also
had, for most of its history, professional land surveyors which enable
GSE to provide a wide scope of services from one company for virtually
any kind of A/E project.
GSE Associates, Inc. confidently looks to the
future with a belief that we will continue to flourish based on:
(1) Our solid past,
(2) An unusually loyal staff with a wide range of
experiences and abilities, and
(3) The philosophy that our most important job is
to satisfy our clients needs.
