Rosebush, Michigan: Herbert L. Fluharty establishes Fluharty Engineering—civil engineering and land surveying for the municipal, realty, and private sectors.

Fluharty Engineering takes on Dow Chemical USA for pipeline construction projects and expands its service footprint in the Midwest through pipeline engineering.

Herb Fluharty sells part of Fluharty Engineering to Welded Construction Company to his uncle, Hank Mogg, to become MEARS Engineering: Management, Engineering Accounting, Rental, Sales.

Dow Chemical collaborates with Mears to assist with cathodic protection problems on its pipeline system resulting in Mears performing close-interval surveys to identify poor or low cathodes protection on pipelines.

After the acquisition of Welded Construction, Mears—led by founder Herbert Fluharty—focuses on pipeline integrity and engineering.

Working with emerging micro-computers programmers, Mears creates a complete cathodic protection data management system targeting the needs of pipelines companies resulting in national attention and opening the door to providing cathodic protection services.

For Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation, Mears develops an installation system to carry the carbon-based backfill to surround the AnodeFlex.

Mears expands its services into Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) to install AnodeFlex in environmentally sensitive areas. Mears becomes one of the largest and respected HDD contractors in the world—completing crossings over 11,000 feet in length, and installing pipe sizes up to 60-inches in diameter including long, complicated intersects.

Mears leverages its HDD and pipeline construction expertise to become one of the largest long-haul telecommunication contractors in the country, specializing in rail-plowing and specialized services.

Mears’ Herbert, Scot & John Fluharty develop and perfect a patented plowed system of installation for AnodeFlex, thus recognizing Mears as the preferred designer/installer of this rehabilitation system.