Lumsden Associates, P.C.

The Lumsden Associates, P.C. firm of today began as a vision of Buford T. Lumsden in the late 1960’s. His knowledge of drafting and surveying first started during high school. As a teen, Buford stated that the only reason he took mechanical drafting was because it was a sure “A” on his report card. Luckily for the Lumsden family and hundreds of future employees, Buford developed a passion for the surveying and drafting field, and in 1968 he founded a staple of the Roanoke Valley, the Buford T. Lumsden and Associates, P.C. firm. The creation of his own firm did not come with ease though. With only one other employee at the origin of the company, Buford would survey properties during the day and stay late into the night to finish the required drafting and office work. The hard work began to pay off, and he was able to expand his staff and available services. By the mid 1970’s the company had grown to 10 employees, and during the early 1980’s the growth of the engineering department boomed. While the personnel growth and additional services provided extra opportunities to serve the community, it also spawned a new challenge as the company quickly outgrew its original location in the Mays homeplace on Merriman Road in Southwest Roanoke County. In 1971, the firm moved to its current location along Brambleton Avenue, and by 1986 the company moved into an adjacent new office building on the same property providing room for future growth.