Mr. Groves founded EMC Planning Group in 1978. Through his leadership and commitment to excellence in client service and the hiring of highly qualified personnel, Mr. Groves has successfully established the firm as one of the leading land use and environmental planning firms in California.

Mr. Groves is involved in project management and coordination of a full range of planning projects completed by the firm. From 1995—1997, he served as project manager for the Fort Ord Reuse Plan, a nationally recognized and award-winning policy document.  The Fort Ord Reuse Plan was the largest base closure in the United States (28,000 acres) and designated by President Bill Clinton as the model for base closures across the United States. 

Mr. Groves focus within the firm is on client representation for urban and regional planning projects, coastal planning efforts, conceptual design, real estate due diligence and site evaluation studies, land use planning and permitting efforts, and city, county, school district and special district planning and permitting. With his experience as a land use and policy planner, Mr. Groves has provided project management for over 750 planning projects, within more than 150 California cities, counties, and special districts.