Our History of Archaeological Consulting
Metcalf has a long history of meeting client's needs.
MAC earned its reputation by completing thousands of projects of all sizes for clients in many different industries as well as directly for federal, state, and local governments. Archaeology services and project types include large, complex surveys and data recovery excavations for the mining industry and multi-state linear projects such as pipelines and electrical transmission lines. The firm works in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. MAC maintains its focus on the trans-mountain West because the region is characterized by a similarity in the prehistoric sequences and the nature of the archaeological sites. MAC staff members are well known for their contributions to the understanding of human adaptation and history in this region.
Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. was founded in 1980 as Metcalf-Zier Archaeology, Inc. (MZAI), a corporation with six shareholders. Early success was based on client relationships developed by founders Mike and Sally Metcalf earlier in the 1970s working under a research association with Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs. Severe contraction in the energy industry in the early 1980s resulted in consolidation of the company and its name became Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. in 1984.
MAC's office in Bismarck, North Dakota was acquired in the early 1990s and has been an integral part of MAC ever since. In 2003 the company was restructured with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and became a 100% ESOP-owned firm in January of 2007. In 2008, the business functions of the company were moved to the Denver metropolitan area (Wheat Ridge), but the original Eagle, Colorado location remains integral to the archaeological operations of the company. Small satellite locations house staff in areas strategic to our clients needs.
The company believes that combining good cultural resource practice with excellent client service is the formula for success. We value each employee and encourage their development and success. Our strong commitment to integrating research into private-sector archaeological consulting is shown by a number of technical publications, graduate theses, and by a great many presentations at professional meetings. Our employees have contributed significantly to the knowledge of prehistory, to a number of professional associations, and to the profession as a whole--many former employees have moved on to success in academia, business, and government.