OUR STORY.

The year was 1950.

John J. "Jack" Coates had just made history by founding the first right-of-way acquisition company in the United States, based in his hometown of Oklahoma City. The concept of contracting right-of-way acquisition services was not going to be an easy sell, but Jack Coates believed in the cause and hit the road to market his idea and his pioneering company - Coates Field Service, Inc.

Jack Coates was not new to the land business. His father had formed Coates Abstract Company in Oklahoma City in 1907, the year Oklahoma became the 46th state. Growing up and doing business in the heart of the oil and gas industry, Jack Coates saw a need for temporary employees who were experienced in negotiation and the acquisition of land and assigned to companies as they embarked upon large construction projects. He knew no one else was providing this service.

Fueled by enthusiasm and commitment to his new venture, Jack Coates began to convince companies to use his company to fulfill their needs, and he began to recruit the best employees he could find. His favorite inspirational slogan to his employees quickly became "onward and upward!"

In the years that have come and gone, many things have changed. Laws and regulations have quadrupled, companies have merged and been purchased, thousands of experienced employees have been retired or "right sized" and, perhaps most significant of all, public resistance to many projects has reached epidemic proportions. Right of way acquisition, once considered an afterthought, must now receive equal consideration with engineering and construction issues.

Public opinion expressed to administrative agencies, in the media and in the court systems demands attention from project planners and managers. Coates employs right of way managers and agents who have experience working in the current atmosphere that often surrounds major projects.

Coates senior management, many educated in law, business management and project cost control and with hundreds of years combined practical right of way experience, are available for the early planning of projects. This saves our clients a substantial amount of time and money.

Coates is dedicated to providing quality service to our clients. We look forward to continuing our service into the 21st century.