History

John A. Martin & Associates, Inc. (JAMA) was founded in 1953 by John A. “Jack” Martin, Sr. Under his leadership the firm built a solid reputation for client service, technical excellence and a commitment to people. Although founded as a Los Angeles-based practice, JAMA quickly began delivering structural services beyond Southern California and even today operates as a dominant player on landmark projects within the Western United States.

 

John A. “Jack” Martin, Sr.

Work and notoriety grew rapidly for JAMA through the fifties and sixties setting the precendent for steel, long span truss, and concrete tower structures as a hallmark of JAMA’s extensive capabilities.

Fremont Hotel & Casino (1956), Estancia High School (1965), Ahmanson Center (1970)

In 1970 John A. “Trailer” Martin Jr. joined his father and continued to diversify the firm’s geographic reach and market capabilities, adding engineers licensed within all fifty states and Guam and Puerto Rico. Projects expanded throughout the United States and abroad in aviation, hospitality, convention centers, education, civic, healthcare, commercial and residential sectors.

John A. “Trailer” Martin Jr.

The 1980’s and 1990’s were a period of impressive growth and accomplishment, and firmly established JAMA’s mark on the skyline of Los Angeles.

Cal Plaza Office Tower (1985)

 

Fox Plaza (1987)

The millennium brought a technological shift at the firm with the full integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) into its design and production. Projects such as the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and MIT Stata Center brought programs such as AutoCAD, Catia, Rhino and Revit Structure into the forefront and helped steamline JAMA’s processes to visualize design opportunities, anticipate conflicts, and coordinate drawings and construction procedures. JAMA continues to be recognized as a leader in technology within the field.

Disney Concert Hall (2003)

MIT Stata Center (2004)

The present day has brought continued advancement and evolution at JAMA. In 2017 Trailer officially stepped down from day to day presidential operations of the firm, focusing on project design and our forensic and expert witness services division. A newly appointed Leadership Group, comprised of five Partner-level staff, now oversee the management, design and production of the firm. 2023 marked the firm’s 70th anniversary.

Orange County Museum of Art (2022)