About Us

About Us

DGT Associates is New England’s premier surveying and engineering firm. With clients spanning the cross section of community stakeholders from developers and construction managers to municipalities and homeowners, DGT provides unparalleled experience in the region.

Founded in Boston’s Seaport District, DGT Associates’ roots stretch back more than 125 years. Our legacy firms, Aspinwall & Lincoln, Crocker, Hennessy, Cullinan, Gunther and Schofield Brothers being the most prominent, serve as the bedrock of the community. From Fenway Park and Mass General Hospital to the Prudential Center and Harvard and MIT, our stamp is prevalent throughout the region’s iconic and vibrant properties.

Guided by our heritage, DGT is committed to thoughtful innovation in the surveying and engineering industries. We utilize cutting-edge technology, combined with decades of field-work experience, to deliver valued, meaningful results. Our professional crews are trained and perform to the highest standards of precision and safety. And our team is sized for the flexibility required to take on projects of varying scales, timeframes and complexity.

Whether a residential boundary survey or a commercial headquarters site design, DGT’s proven capabilities and expertise are designed to support the diverse needs of businesses, institutions and individuals.

Our Leadership Team

Michael A. Clifford, PLS

Co-founder & Principal

Mike, a co-founder and principal-in-charge at DGT Associates, is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. With over 30 years of experience in surveying and engineering, Mike has worked on a variety of urban development and infrastructure projects in the Greater Boston area – including the historic harbor line mapping, the Central Artery and Ted Williams Tunnel projects.

While Mike started in the industry under the guidance of prominent Boston firm, Gunther Engineering, and has great respect for DGT’s legacy firms, he is also a strong advocate for the industry’s modernization. Mike believes that the integration of cutting-edge technologies with the traditions of the past can thrust surveying and engineering into the 21st century.

Mike holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University. He resides with his wife in Sharon, Massachusetts, and has two sons. He is active in his community as a Troop Committee Chairman in the Boy Scouts of America, Old Colony Council.

  • Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)
  • The Engineering Center, Boston; Past Director

Robert S. Staples, PLS

Co-founder & Principal

Bob, a co-founder and principal-in-charge at DGT Associates, is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Massachusetts. In addition to his role overseeing survey and business operations, Bob prides himself on evaluating and implementing new technologies to assure DGT Associates is not only best in practice, but also ahead of the curve.

Bob has over 20 years of private, public, and military survey experience, where he has conducted and supervised crews on a variety of large-scale infrastructure and institutional projects. His experience on these projects, large and small, have given him an expertise in all forms of survey data collection, processing and mapping, as well as a mastery of CAD, GIS, and LIDAR systems.

Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Ave Maria College.

  • Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)
  • American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
  • National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)
  • Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS)

Bert E. Corey, PE

Engineering Department Manager

Bert is a licensed Professional Engineer, Soil Evaluator and Title 5 System Inspector in Massachusetts, with over 20 years of experience in the industry. In his role as Engineering Department Manager at DGT Associates, Bert manages a diverse array of commercial, industrial, residential and municipal projects of all scales. His responsibilities include conducting and overseeing all civil engineering site planning developments, roadway design, residential subdivisions, storm-water management, and creating sewage system designs and evaluations. Bert also has a background in soil testing and conveying site/property assessments.

Bert earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Bert calls Northborough home, and enjoys hiking, woodworking, and all sports, particularly indoor soccer.

Fiseha W’Gebriel, S.I.T.

3D Services Manager

Fiseha is a 3D Scanning, CAD and Survey Project Manager, with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He works on or oversees all of the firm’s CAD and 3D Laser Scanning operations and is responsible for the creation and implementation of DGT’s “CAD Standard” program.

Fiseha holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He is married with two children and loves cheering them on at their basketball and soccer games. He and his wife enjoy teaching Sunday school at their local church and is involved in guiding and supporting the youth group in their college and career choices.

  • Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)

Michael A. Twohig

Project Director for Subsurface Mapping

As head of subsurface utility mapping at DGT, Mike brings over 35 years of experience in professional utility locating, mapping, damage prevention, and industry safety awareness program to the firm.

Mike earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland. While he has lived and worked all over the world, Mike now calls Boston home.  In his spare time, Mike enjoys hiking, riding his bike, and restoring old cars.

  • Common Ground Alliance Excavation Safety Guide; Advisory Board (2010-2014)
  • CGA International Conference
  • 3D Subsurface Utility Mapping IMLF and SPAR
  • Directional Crossing Contractors Association (DCCA); Survey Standards Committee
  • Directional Drilling MagazineEditorial Board
  • Published in Trenchless Technology and POB magazines
  • 3D Subsurface Utility Mapping SPAR

Bassam Taleb

Survey Group Manager – Boston

In his role as Survey Group Manager at DGT Associates, Bassam is tasked with conducting and overseeing the management of property line and topographic surveys, ALTA/NSPS land title surveys, and devising construction layout, ranging from the single-family home to the multi-story high rise. Having earned over 30 years of experience in the surveying and engineering industries, Sam is well equipped to take on any project, living and working by the maxim, “No job is too big or too small.”

Bassam obtained both his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Northeastern University. Sam resides in New Hampshire and loves to spend his free time at the beach in the summer, and exploring new places around the world.

John Lloyd, PLS

Regional Office Manager — Worcester

John, a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Kentucky and Tennessee, brings over 20 years of experience to the DGT Associates team. In his role as Regional Office Manager, he manages operations of projects in central and western Massachusetts.

John is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Surveying Technology from the University of Maine, where he earned a B.S. in Surveying Engineering. John resides in Sterling, Massachusetts with his wife, two sons, and their dog, cat, and chickens. Away from work, John plays and coaches hockey and serves as president of the Shrewsbury Youth Hockey Association. He also enjoys hiking, camping, skiing, and photographing landscapes.

  • Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS); Current Chairman of the Scholarship and Program Committee; Past President (2005-2007)
  • National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Board of Directors

Peter A. Lothian, PLS

Survey Project Manager

Peter is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Massachusetts, with over 20 years of experience in the industry. In his role as Project Surveyor, Peter conducts and oversees in-the-field survey work ranging from boundary, topographic, and ALTA land title surveys, to preparing estimates, contracts, and RFP bids. He also leads in the continuous learning and development of the surveying staff.

Peter earned a B.S. in Surveying Engineering from the University of Maine. In his spare time, Peter enjoys fishing, hiking, canoeing, and embarking on home improvement projects.

  • Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)
  • National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)

Rock Eisenheim, PLS

Senior Project Manager & Director of Client Relations

Rock is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Massachusetts with more than 35 years of combined experience in land surveying and the construction industry. As Senior Project Manager at DGT Associates, Rock leads commercial, industrial, municipal, and residential projects, ensuring a smooth kickoff and successful completion. As Director of Client Relations, Rock also works closely with clients to ensure satisfaction is not only met but exceeded.

Rock earned a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, including the option in surveying from the University of Wisconsin. Rock has held a Construction Supervisor’s License (CSL) in Massachusetts and a Boston Builder’s License. In his free time, Rock enjoys playing golf and spending time with family and friends.

  • Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE)

Steven L. Bernstein, PE

Senior Project Manager

Steven is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts. With almost 50 years of civil engineering experience in the consulting engineering profession, Steven has worked in a multitude of roles, including project work, and management. As Senior Project Manager at DGT Associates, Steven contributes to and provides expert opinions on numerous projects related to flooding, drainage, water damage to buildings, and slip and falls caused by drainage and/or construction defects.

Steven holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University, a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an A.S. in Building Construction from the Wentworth Institute of Technology.

  • Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE
  • New England Water Environment Association/WEF
  • New England Water Works Association/AWWA
  • Member Construction Institute ASCE

Joe Losanno, PE

Project Engineer / Project Manager

As Project Engineer and Project Manager, Joe is responsible for tasks including site and utility layout and design, zoning compliance, stormwater design, sewage disposal design, title 5 soil evaluation and system inspections, and site inspections for as-built data.

Joe holds a B.S in Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has been with DGT since 2014. When not at work, Joe enjoys attending Boston sports games and spending time outside gardening and grilling.

  • Professional Engineer
  • Title 5 Soil Evaluator
  • Title 5 System Inspector

Fredric W. King, PE, LEED® AP

Senior Engineer, Senior Wetland Specialist

Fred is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and brings over 40 years of experience to the DGT Associates team. In his role as senior project manager and engineer, Fred’s responsibilities range from site planning for commercial and industrial developments, project permitting and LEED Sustainable Site Design. As a senior wetlands specialist, Fred also provides delineation of boundaries, prepares Notices of Intent under the Massachusetts’ WPA and presents projects before municipal boards and state agencies.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology and UMass-Lowell. He resides in Maynard, Mass. with his wife, Marilyn, and their two children. Fred enjoys playing golf, camping, and kayaking. Fred has served extensively on local boards and commissions in Massachusetts, including the Town of Maynard Conservation Commission from 2002 to 2017.

  • Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
  • International Erosion Control Association
2011
This Year in History…

DGT Survey Group tests vertical alignment of Fenway Park’s famed right field “Pesky’s Pole”