Mesa's total investment in the 32,000 square foot two story facility will be $4-million.  The project team includes Blue Ridge Development, LLC; developer, Merit Construction, Inc.; general contractor, Byrd and Cooper Architects; architect, and RM Moore Real Estate Company; tenant representative.  AmSouth Bank in Huntsville, Alabama is providing the financing.

"This is a new experience for Mesa, because we've always leased office space," said Chief Executive Officer Wayne Standefer.  "This is the first time our firm has ever built and owned our office.  We've simply outgrown our current facility."

Mesa, headquartered in Madison, Alabama, is a 300-employee engineering and consulting firm with offices in Knoxville and Chattanooga.  The 14-year-old company opened its Knoxville office in 1996 to work with Alcoa, Inc. on plant refurbishment.  Mesa's current Knoxville office is located off Pellissippi Parkway.

"Working for an expanding business, a company that is bringing new jobs here, is always exciting for us," said Merit Construction President Bruce Bosse.

What started as a small Knoxville office with five designers has grown into a 120-employee operation with three of the company's four divisions.  These are the utility-electrical, utility-civil and industrial divisions.  Standefer said Mesa expects the company to grow considerably in the next few months.

"In the design and construction of our new building, we've anticipated all of our growth needs," said Standefer.  "We expect to be in Knoxville for a long time."

The industrial division serves several industrial businesses in the Knoxville area, including Alcoa, the Rohm and Haas Company, Kimberly-Clark and Foster Wheeler.  The company also works extensively with TVA -- its biggest customer -- on hydro- and fossil-plant modification and refurbishment throughout the Tennessee Valley.

The firm's utility-electrical division is responsible for transmission-system planning and substation and switchyard design.  The utility-civil division works on transmission-line engineering and design, surveying and mapping.