Tasmania’s Lester Franks are the latest surveying firm acquired by Veris.

A new name in the surveying industry has just been launched. Veris, which was previously known as OTOC, is the result of the acquisition of eight surveying businesses to create a national presence.

Following a vote by shareholders at the company’s AGM, Veris Limited was approved as the name for Australia’s first publicly-listed national surveying business.

The Veris brand builds on the company’s strategic transformation over the past few years with the acquisition of a number of planning, design and surveying businesses in order to create a national network with a significant presence across all major markets. The latest of these acquisitions was Tasmania’s Lester Frank, which was purchased for AUD$5 million earlier this month.

The full list of companies within Veris that will now operate under the new brand are: Whelans, Elks Engineering Surveys and WKC Spatial in Western Australia, THG Resource Strategists in South East Queensland, Whitsunday Surveys in North Queensland, Charles O’Neill Surveyors & Planners in Far North Queensland, Geo-Metric Surveying, and Lawrence Group in New South Wales. Bosco Jonson in Victoria, Linker Surveying in New South Wales and Lester Franks in Tasmania and South Australia will be referred to as ‘a Veris Company’.

Veris CEO Simon Thomas

CEO, Simon Thomas, said the Veris brand would seek to unite the culture and the service offering across Australia and introduce a new vision for the organisation, positioning it for continued growth.

“For the last few years we have been patiently making strategic acquisitions to create a truly national planning, design and surveying business,” said Mr Thomas. “Our businesses are working well together and delivering on our objectives across Australia and in their local markets.”

“We are now well-positioned to leverage our national offering under a new brand and secure a range of opportunities in what has been traditionally a very fragmented and state-based sector,” he said.

Mr Thomas emphasised that the Veris network involves much more than surveying, as each business was selected in order to also deliver national capability and expertise in urban design and town planning.

“These businesses work well together because they provide a high level of strategic advice in the business of population growth and complement each other’s capabilities and service standards,” he said.

“The name Veris has been chosen to reflect the values of the business.

Veris has established itself in the Australian property industry with key projects including the Master Planned Community in Ellenbrook, Western Australia; Whitfords City Shopping Centre, Western Australia; King Street Wharf, NSW; and Magenta Shores golf course estate, NSW.

Veris’ wholly owned infrastructure services division OTOC Australia, will continue to operate under the current name, which is recognised due to a strong track record for project delivery in the government, resources, communications and energy sectors.