Faces in new Places
Tom Flaherty is now employed at Surveying & Mapping, Inc. after many years as Survey Manager at Pacheco Koch. Best of luck in your new endeavors!

Ten Questions with 1st Vice President Paul Mannel…

1. How did you get started in the Surveying profession?

I started construction surveying after H.S. back in Philadelphia, 1985. I did staking for two interstates I-76, I-476 for Kiewit and architectural layout on many building interiors.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing the profession today?

Staying competitive with pricing and not compromise the product of our services. The challenge is keeping up on technology to maintain that edge.

3. More than ever, a strong and united TSPS will be essential to protect the profession from the anticipated consolidation in the upcoming 2013 legislative session. What steps should members (and Chapter 5) be taking to prepare for this?

Be proactive with the legislative process. Campaign our members to keep the SURPAC funds rolling in. This will take some sacrifice and we’ll need the support of the membership.

4. For you, why is it important to be an active member in TSPS?

TSPS was and has been instrumental in my development as a PLS. Therefore I feel an obligation to support the institution that it will be there for my own support and development for future generations.

5. You have volunteered time assisting with the Skills USA surveying students. What was that experience like?

I think Skills USA is a terrific organization. We need to help them with their students so maybe we surveyors could potentially hire them to support the surveying practice in the spirit of excellence. I personally enjoyed training the Birdville ISD students. Interaction with younger folks has it’s challenges but is rewarding.

6. If you could make one change to the survey profession, what would it be?

I don’t think it is proper that a Title Company re-type our legal descriptions. They should record our document with a signature and seal. And in this day and age of GIS technology, we as surveyors should add State Plane Coordinates to appropriate corners in the description, so the data can be accurately mapped. This is what the Public at large expects from the profession, in my point of view.

7. Is there any one person who influenced you in the profession?

My father, Robert Mannel. He was a licensed architect and got me started doing layout work.

8. How can today's Surveyors keep pace with the rapid technological advancements that directly influence our profession?

Make time and budget for additional training. Make the investment, spend the time, and spread the love (train your people).

9. As Programs Committee Chairman, has there been any thought of holding a monthly Chapter meeting during the lunch hour?

Honestly, no thought on this except that we might see a drop in attendance.

10. Some are calling for a relaxation of the 4 year college degree requirement for licensure. Where do you stand on that issue?

I think that we should maintain the degree requirement. Technicians are not yet professionals. As for the technicians, we should support our employees with the CST program.

Committee Reports: The following Committee Chairs provide a monthly Report of their Committee’s activities each month. Anyone interested in assisting any of the Committees are encouraged to contact the respective Chairman.

Public Relations-Chairman Gary Matthews: The Committee is working on setting up library displays. Members are encouraged to check with their local libraries to see if an opportunity exists. These displays are always popular with the public, and easy to set up.

The Committee also reports that Chapter 5 members Jason Jernigan and Justin Waldrip will conduct a Career Day presentation to three 8th grade classes at Sellers Middle School on December 1.

Education-Chairman John Pierce: See the information about the Spring Semester survey course offerings in the Newsletter.

Skills USA-Chairman Randall Marshall: Chapter 5 is actively involved with training of Duncanville HS students (up to 18) in preparation for upcoming survey competitions. An after school session was held on November 18. An extended training session is planned for Saturday December 10, and volunteers include Randall, Andy Dobbs, John Melton, Jimmie Nichols, and Chris Freeman. Training will include notekeeping, level loops, chaining, and field procedures/techniques.

Membership-Chairman Justin Waldrip: Chapter 5 gained several new members over the past couple of months, probably due to attending the Annual Convention. Chapter 5 now has 181 total members, including 136 RPLS members.

Programs-Chairman Paul Mannel: Planning for the 2012 Meetings is ongoing. Members are encouraged to offer Program/Speaker ideas.

  In the Rearview Mirror…


There were about 50 attendees to the November Chapter meeting, held at the GeoShack facility in Richardson (formerly Midwest A&E). GeoShack treated the attendees to a catered BBQ dinner. Scott Holt from the City of Dallas was the Guest Speaker, and presented an informative program on the new City Field Note requirements, as well as information on research records available at the Survey Vault. Scott and his staff have done an outstanding job of preserving these valuable records that are used by many people for a variety of reasons.

The meeting also gave attendees a chance to see long time Midwest A&E co-owner John Nicholson, who will now move on to bigger and better things. Good Luck with your new endeavors, John!

Chapter Officers for 2011-2012
The Executive Committee for Chapter 5 for 2011-2012 is as follows:

Jason Jernigan, RPLS	President
Paul Mannel, RPLS	1st Vice President
Justin Waldrip, RPLS	2nd Vice President
John Pierce, RPLS	Secretary/Treasurer
John Melton, RPLS	1 year Director
Richard Ortiz	1 year Director
Randall Marshall, RPLS	2 year Director
Gary Matthews, RPLS	2 year Director
Jerry Lehew, RPLS	Past President
Chris Freeman, RPLS	Chapter Representative

Chapter 5 Committee Chairs 2011-12

Education	John Pierce
--SkillsUSA	Randall Marshall
Public Relations	Gary Matthews
Membership	Justin Waldrip
Programs	Paul Mannel
Nominating	Jerry Lehew

  On the Horizon ...


The next TBPLS Board Meeting Meeting is scheduled for Friday December 9th in Austin, and 4 CEUs are awarded to attendees of TBPLS Board meetings. See their website for meeting location and agenda information. (www.txls.state.tx.us).


SKILLS USA @ Duncanville High School
Duncanville High School Engineering Dept. Teacher Bart Burnett has put out a call to Chapter 5 for RPLS’s and/or SIT’s to assist his survey students in their preparation for their District and State Survey competitions. Randall Marshall at Pacheco Koch (972-235-3031) is the Chapter 5 Skills Committee Chair, and he wants a pool of volunteers that can each spend a couple of hours/month for December-January assisting students. This is a highly successful initiative that Chapter 5 has been looked upon at a leader. Two current students are already making plans to attend TSTC (Waco) and Tyler JC next year.
On November 18, Randall was joined by Andy Dobbs and Chris Freeman to begin the survey training at DHS. Five students attended, and most of the 2 hour after school training dealt with level loops and notekeeping.
Randall has scheduled a survey “boot camp” for Saturday December 10, from noon to 4 at the high school. Up to 18 students have indicated that they are interested in the Skills survey program, so having sufficient volunteers is imperative in the success of the training. Contact Randall to join in this outreach.

North Lake College Spring Semester Survey Courses
For the past 10 years, North Lake College of the Dallas County Community College District has offered a variety of college credit survey classes for DFW area students. These courses are recognized by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying in satisfying the minimum 32 hour survey course hours. All courses are taught by current or past licensed RPLS’s.
As an added bonus to students working for TSPS members of Chapter 5 or Chapter 2, Chapter 5 has scholarship funds available for those applying students. Funds typically cover the cost of the course textbook and/or necessary calculator. This is a great benefit for students, who can acquire a top notch library at little or no cost. In addition, students can apply for additional scholarship funds through TSFI to help cover the actual tuition fees.
The Chapter 5 Annual Tim Mireaur Memorial Golf Tournament, organized by Sean Flaherty for the past 12 years, raises scholarship funds to benefit the local employees of TSPS members so that our staff can advance their knowledge and position themselves for certification and licensure without having to leave the area.
It is important that we all understand the importance of having a local program. But without students, the program will face scrutiny from DCCCD. Encourage your staff to explore the course offerings and enroll in one of the courses. Classes begin January 17. Registration is currently available, visit the North Lake College page via www.dcccd.edu

Thanks to John Pierce for his continued efforts in maintaining the connection between TSPS and the DCCCD.
Survey courses being offered for the 2012 Spring semester include:

SRVY 1301 Intro to Surveying w/ Lab	Freeman	W 6-9:30PM
SRVY 1309 Survey Measurements w/ Lab	Henry	T 6-9:30PM
SRVY 1315 Survey Calculations	De La Graza	T 6-9:30 PM
SRVY 1341 Land Surveying	Pierce	R 5-10 PM
SRVY 2305 GIS Applications	Coleman	M 6-10 PM
SRVY 2331 Geodetic Surveying and Mappingv	Karacic	T 6-10 PM
SRVY 2344 Surveying Legal Principles II	Jernigan	W 6-9 PM

Chapter 5 Membership…Recruit a Member!
There are currently 141 members of Chapter 5. TSPS encourages all Chapters to work at increasing the membership. Encourage your co-workers, staff, and colleagues to consider joining TSPS. With the current possible legislative action related to the TBPLS, strength in numbers will be critical when we want a strong and united voice heard. If all members would recruit one other member, Chapter 5 would double in size. Justin Waldrip (ARS Engineers, Inc.) is the Chapter 5 Membership Chairman, contact him or any other Chapter Officer for information or guidance.


Newsletter Contributions
If you would like to offer an article or share some news or information, you are more than welcome to do so. The Newsletter is a service to Chapter 5 members, and your contributions are encouraged. Whether it is a technical offering, a historical article, or just a neat photo or link that might be of interest to our members, please forward it for inclusion so that all may enjoy.

JAMIE GILLIS JOINS GEOMATIC RESOURCES Irving, Texas – February 9, 2011 – for immediate release Jamie Gillis, RPLS, PLS has joined Geomatic Resources LLC as a Technical Support Specialist based at Geomatic’s Solutions Center located adjacent to the DFW Airport in Irving. He will provide technical support for Leica Geosystems GPS, Robotics, Total Stations, and Data Collection to Land Surveying Professionals in North Texas and Oklahoma.

Jamie brings a strong background in the surveying industry, and his high level of professionalism and survey knowledge to the Geomatic Resources team. His experience covers a wide range of surveying duties. His background includes serving as Instrument Man, Survey Assistant, Party Chief, Offshore Survey Technician, Project manager, and Professional Land Surveyor. His early surveying experience includes performing numerous field assignments in Nova Scotia, Canada. Recently, he has served as RPLS/ Project Manager for a number of natural gas gathering pipeline projects, oil & gas lease and location surveys, boundary, topographic, and hydrographic surveys and has been involved with offshore positioning and metrology, monitoring & logging surface & sub-surface positioning data in the Gulf of Mexico. Jamie is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor in Texas and Louisiana, and is very active in the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. He holds a PBC in Geographic Information Sciences from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. He also received a BA in History and Political Science from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “Jamie will be taking on the key role of supporting our existing customer base on all survey products and will be helping with our ongoing sales efforts. We hope you share our excitement in adding such a well respected and knowledgeable person to our staff. Please join us in welcoming Jamie Gillis to Geomatic Resources” says Rodney Walsh, President of Geomatic Resources LLC. Jamie can be reached via email at jg@geotx.com About Geomatic Resources Geomatic Resources LLC is one of the largest independent distributors of Leica Geosystems products in the United States, serving North Texas and Oklahoma from a sales, rental, service, support and training center adjacent to the DFW airport in Irving, Texas. Geomatic provides Surveying Professionals with state of the art GPS, Robotic, Total Station, Digital Level, Machine Control and HDS Laser Scanning solutions as well as a full range of Supplies and Accessories. For more information about Geomatic Resources visit www.geotx.com, email rw@geotx.com, or call 1-817-691-5328.

 

Safety First…..Make it a Priority

Click here for links to various Safety websites that might be helpful to your firm and staff.
 

Clean out your closets and equipment storage areas...if you have survey items/equipment that is lying around and stuffed away in storage, the Duncanville H.S. SkillsUSA survey students would like to take those items off your hands. Dust that stuff off and bring it to a Chapter meeting, or call Chris Freeman (972-226-8181) so he can deliver items to the growing program at the school led by Faculty Advisor Bart Burnett. Chains, tapes, tripods, levels, calculators, flagging, safety vests………….you name it, they’ll take it…even broken equipment that can be dissected, scrapped for parts, whatever. Heck, they might even take that grumpy ol’ I-man off your hands...

UPCOMING 2011 MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULE

2011 Monthly Meeting Dates (speakers/programs)

December – No Meeting due to Holidays


2012 Monthly Meeting Dates (speakers/programs To Be Determined)

January 10
February 14
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12
July 10
August 14
September 11
October - no meeting due to Annual Convention
November 13
December - no meeting due to Holidays

Chapter 5 Meetings typically held the second Tuesday of each month at:

Cantina LAREDO Restaurant
165 Inwood Village, Dallas, TX 75209
(Southeast Corner of Inwood & Lover’s Lane, next to Inwood Theater)
Phone: 214/350-5227     www.cantinalaredo.com
Social/Dinner Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (order from the menu)
Chapter Meeting: Business @ 7:00 pm, Program @ 7:30 on 2nd Tuesday

Thanks to the following Full-Page Ad subscribers:
Geomatic Resources, Courthouse Research Specialists, WDS, and GeoShack.
Be sure to support our friends at these firms, they support us!!

And thanks to the following firms for their contributions to the Chapter by placing a Business card in the Newsletter:

The Wallace Group, Dunaway & Associates, R Delta Engineers, Winkelmann & Associates, Di Sciullo & Terry, Lamb-Star Engineering, Gonzalez-Schneeberg, and Halff Associates.