VHB announces that it has purchased the assets of Fountains Spatial, Inc., a provider of geographic information system (GIS) services located in Schenectady, NY. Fountains Spatial president Larry Spraker, a nationally-recognized expert in the development of web-based GIS applications using Esri technology, and vice president Austin Fisher, a 20-year GIS industry professional, will join VHB’s growing technology services team, along with Fountains Spatial’s five additional professionals. The Fountains Spatial team will work out of VHB’s Albany, NY, office and operate as VHB.
“This acquisition builds upon our existing GIS experience, allowing us to expand the services we offer and strengthen our ability to use technology effectively to find better solutions for our clients,” said Steve Anderson, GISP, director of geospatial and innovative solutions at VHB. “Joining with Fountains Spatial aligns with VHB’s strategic priority to advance our technology capabilities to stay ahead of our clients’ challenges, particularly around urbanization.”
The Fountains Spatial team brings extensive project experience working with clients in local, state, and federal government organizations, the utility sector, not-for-profits and the private sector. As a 20-year Esri Business Partner, Fountains Spatial has extensive experience with Esri software and is at the forefront of the latest in technology developments. Fountains has provided essential geospatial services to counties and cities in New York including GIS needs assessments, parcel mapping, web site application hosting and maintenance and training. Fountains has worked closely with New York State agencies for many years to develop a significant number of public facing, enterprise applications such as the New York Cultural Resource Information System (NY CRIS), the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), and the NYS Liquor Authority Mapping Program (LAMP). In addition, working with Esri, Fountains helped to design the State of New York’s Accident Location Information System (ALIS) and currently maintains and makes enhancements to the system.
Spraker said, “Joining forces with VHB works on many different levels and allows us to build upon our previous experience in New York to help VHB broaden its array of technology-related services. For example, many of the applications we have built for clients in NY could be beneficial to other states and organizations. Together, VHB and Fountains will have a greater impact providing clients with smarter technology solutions.”
