LC Engineering Group, Inc. is much more than an engineering company; it is an extension of Leonard Liston’s dreams, aspirations, and family and friends.
Leonard graduated from Royal High School in 1971 and went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from California State University, Northridge in 1977. He began working at CC&R and then Harris Engineering before starting his own soils engineering firm, West Coast Soils. In 1982, Leonard officially formed the civil and structural consulting firm, L. Liston & Associates, now known as LC Engineering Group. During his 40+ years in the engineering business, he oversaw more than 14,000 real estate projects and built dozens of custom homes in California and Montana.
Leonard was known throughout the industry for his friendly smile and compassionate character. His optimistic outlook and creative problem solving attracted him to even the toughest and most complicated of projects. He was drawn to a good challenge, always finding solutions and never taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Leonard cherished the genuine relationships he built with clients and colleagues alike. He was driven in every aspect of life and made such a great impact on everyone he came across. Some of his greatest pleasures at work were hosting his office Christmas parties and treating his employees to annual trips to his family cabin in Big Sky, Montana and boating in Lake Nacimiento. He wanted nothing but the best for his employees, clients, family, and truly all those around him. He valued his time and spent it wisely, doing the things he loved most.
Leonard I Liston II passed away on Sunday, October 18, 2020 at the age of 67. His nearly 2 year battle with cancer exemplified his courage and strength in facing life’s challenges with a smile. Despite the pain he suffered daily, he stayed strong and continued to spend time with his family and caring for his business as much as possible.
Leonard was our boss, colleague, friend and mentor, and he is missed greatly. His legacy is not only survived by his family, but also by his employees and son, Lennie Liston, who continue to operate LC Engineering Group.
We invite you to watch Leonard's Celebration of Life here, which was commemorated on November 20th, 2020.
Client Tributes
“A forward thinker, Leonard formulated the perfect business plan for Santa Monica Mountain coastal engineering. LC is the optimum size firm where Leonard and handpicked expert principal engineers perform all of the work. They typically turn complex hillside development and watershed engineering challenges into project enhancements.”
“Leonard was and remains an icon in the world of Los Angeles development. He was always professional and brought intelligent solutions to complex issues. The stand out memories include his constant faith in finding a way to make a project work within impossible code restrictions. He was always a team player and he lead his staff in the same way.
Beyond his incredible work he was always quick to laugh, he was a joy to work with, easy going with a calm sense of self. I have always admired him and will continue to honor him and keep his memories alive in this shared industry”
“Leonard was one of the stars of our industry and loved by his colleagues. I will miss him.”
“I have always enjoyed working with Leonard, his professional knowledge was immensely impressive and his human kindness even more so. He will be dearly missed by all of us!”
“I wanted to reach out and send my prayers to you and your family. It was a blessing to have known Leonard and Harrison is here for you and your team.”
“Leonard was always one of my favorite clients and I loved working with him and your family. He was always so willing to take counsel and think about what was best for all of you. While I never knew in-depth of his engineering prowess, I am confident that he was brilliant and will leave a long legacy on all of the projects that he worked on.”
“Leonard was absolutely one of my favorite people and professional with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with and solve problems.”
“Leonard was a great man with a fun-loving, bright spirit. We feel honored to have known him!”
“Leonard taught me so much, and I will always look up to him as a role model, both as a great businessman/engineer, and as a great family man. His accomplishments were truly amazing. I am really going to miss him.”
“Leonard was a very special person, a friend and a trusted colleague. We will all miss him.”
“I cherished the interactions I had with Leonard, always enjoying his positive energy, spirit and talent.”