Michael Knopf began his surveying and engineering experience in 1971 with the Tulare County Public Works Department as an Engineering Aid and Draftsman involved in county road and bridge projects.
Leaving public employment in 1973, Mr. Knopf joined Lane Engineers, a private consulting firm with emphasis in land surveying, civil engineering and land development planning. During this engagement, Mr. Knopf also worked under contract as the construction quality control representative on large earthwork and building projects for the U.S. Navy. During his time at Lane Engineers, Mr. Knopf fell in love with surveying and worked in a supervisory capacity over company land surveying activities and as a project manager for numerous land development projects.
Leaving Lane Engineers in 1976, Mr. Knopf helped form another firm that eventually became Michael Knopf & Associates in 1978, a civil engineering, land surveying and land planning firm in Visalia, California. Licensed as a California Land Surveyor in 1977, Mr. Knopf also became licensed as a Civil Engineer in 1979. In 1987, Mr. Knopf obtained both his general engineering and general building contractor licenses.
In 1998, Knopf’s firm, Michael Knopf and Associates, merged with QUAD Engineering, the merged firm becoming Quad Knopf, later named QK. Mr. Knopf served as a Land Surveying and Engineering Division Manager until he became the President and CEO of the firm in 2005, a position in which he served for 12 years. As President and CEO he oversaw the firm’s overall operations, business development, and client relations. In 2017, Mr. Knopf stepped down from this position as part of the planned leadership transition of the company and returned to a technical and supervisory role including leadership of the company’s Land Surveying practice.
Mr. Knopf Retired from full-time employment in 2019 but still serves as the firm’s outside Chairman and continues to be involved as a special consultant for various project roles and strategic initiatives.
