COMPANY HISTORY

1950's

1954

• Frank Sarles resigns as City Engineer for City of Santa Rosa and opens his own engineering firm, Frank B. Sarles, Consulting Engineer"

1955

• Walter Brelje joins firm

1956

• William B. "Ben" Race joins firm

1960's

1960

• Firm is incorporated as Sarles, Brelje & Race; Office moves to South E Street in Santa Rosa
• Forestville County Water District is formed. As District Engineer, Brelje & Race design and oversee construction of community water system
• Windsor County Water District is formed. Brelje & Race provides engineering and construction management services for new wastewater collection and treatment facilities

1963

• Engineering services begin for The Sea Ranch, a 5,200-acre master planned community with 10 miles of Pacific Ocean frontage in northern Sonoma County
• Engineering services begin for Oakmont, a 2,500-unit active adult community in the Sonoma Valley

1964

• Frank Sarles retires and firm name is changed to Brelje & Race

1970's

1971

• Brelje & Race appointed District Engineer for Bodega Bay Public Utilities District
• Engineering begins on site improvements and wastewater treatment facility for Windsor Vineyards, one of the first modern wineries in Sonoma County

1976

• Engineering completed for the wastewater treatment facility at the Christian Life Center, now the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

1980's

1980

• Firm begins providing engineering services to Redwood Valley County Water District

1981

• Walt Brelje and Ben Race retire

1983

• Brelje & Race prepares a feasibility study which leads to the formation of the Airport-Wikiup Larkfield County Sanitation District and the Airport Business Center, the largest commercial and industrial center in unincorporated Sonoma County

1987

• Firm grows to over 50 employees and Jim Daugherty, Dick Carlile and Leroy Carlenzoli elect to split into 3 separate firms
• Office moves to Airport Business Center near the Charles M. Schulz Airport north of Santa Rosa

1990's

1991

• AutoCAD replaces hand drafting as primary drawing format

1992

• Award-winning AWT facilities and reclaimed water distribution systems completed for newly incorporated Town of Windsor

1994

• Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus opens. Brelje & Race provided complete planning, design and construction management services for the site.

1997

• With completion of 300 AF reservoir and 1 MGD surface water treatment plant, 34 years of work at The Sea Ranch comes to a close
• West Cotati Pipeline completed for City of Santa Rosa. This 3.5 mile reclaimed water pipeline is the backbone of a regional reclaimed water reuse program and provides irrigation to the 320-acre E & J Gallo Cotati Ranch Vineyard

2000's

2002

• Award-winning ultraviolet disinfection facilities completed for Town of Windsor
• Mayacama development opens. Brelje & Race provided infrastructure planning, design engineering and construction management for the development which includes a private Jack Nicklaus-design golf course, 30 luxury home sites and 50 guest casitas.

2004

• Brelje & Race celebrates their 50th year in the engineering industry.

2006

• Work at the Geysers Geothermal Field begins for Western GeoPower, Brelje & Race’s first international client