History

Founded in 1976, Nova Group, Inc., is headquartered in Napa, California. The company established its reputation with the building of steam lines for the U.S. Government at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. In the late 1970s, Nova added to its expertise in mechanical construction when it installed hundreds of thousands of feet of utilities—including steam and condensate piping—at several Bay Area military bases; built marine structures such as cofferdams and wharves; performed drydock upgrades;and installed high-voltage power distribution systems, transformers and switchgear, and emergency power-generation facilities.

In the early to mid-1980s, two important developments helped expand Nova’s capabilities and grow the company. First, after being awarded several new contracts for the U.S. Navy on the island of Oahu, Nova expanded its workforce west to Hawaii. The 50th state provided tremendous opportunities for extensive mechanical and utility construction projects, and Nova quickly established itself as a respected contractor from the mainland. Since then, Nova has consolidated its position as a company with a global footprint.

The second development took the form of ASME and government agency certifications to manufacture pre-insulated piping systems, containment piping, and prefabricated piping. To date, Nova has engineered, manufactured, and installed over one million feet of Class A steam and condensate piping systems. More recently, Nova’s 50,000-square-foot fabrication site in Napa was named an AISC Certified Fabrication Facility by the American Institute of Steel Construction, confirmation that the company has the personnel, organization, experience, capability, and commitment to fabricate structural steel for projects ranging from simple bridges to complex buildings.

Besides marine construction, by the 1990s Nova was building aircraft hydrant fueling systems, installing the first of these at various military sites throughout the United States, from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Today, Nova is one of the nation’s most experienced and respected general engineering contractors specializing in hydrant fueling, waterfront, and utility construction.The company employs over 150 construction professionals worldwide, and has been awarded almost $1.2 billion in government contracts. Since the beginning, the engine of Nova’s success has been to exceed customer expectations through innovative construction, safety, quality, and outstanding customer service.