In the Rearview Mirror…


The August Chapter meeting was attended by 40+ members and guests.
Attendees were treated to an evening of Walt Robillard recounting his 65 years in the survey profession. His passion for the profession was quite evident, and he implored surveyors to reach out to the young and encourage them to get on a path that will lead to success in life, no matter what the undertaking.
A motion was made, seconded, and approved by voice vote “that the Chapter donate $1000 for this year’s Annual Convention, with the money earmarked for the Convention Golf Tourney”; and “that the Chapter donate $500 for the Ladies Auxilliary, to offset expenses for their activities during this year’s Annual Convention”.



TSPS Strategic Planning & 3rdQuarter Board Meeting August 26 & 27 – This year Strategic Planning took place on Friday August 26 at the Waco Hilton Hotel. Incoming TSPS President Davey Edwards presented his vision and plan for the coming year, as well as gather input from members and Committees members. It was obvious Davey has been working to organize for the coming year, and following this past legislative session it is important for all TSPS members to recommit themselves to the good of our profession, and dedicate some effort towards the strengthening of our profession and organization.

Chapter 5 members attending included incoming Chapter President Jason Jernigan, current President Jerry Lehew, and Chapter Rep Chris Freeman. Jason made a splash by indicating that his push is for TSPS to be able to offer its members a 4 hour CEU course for free, provided by local Chapters. The idea was received well by the 40+ attendees at the session.

Committee activity occurred on Saturday morning before the afternoon Quarterly Board Meeting. Bart Burnett from Duncanville H.S. spoke at the Chapter Activities Committee meeting about Skills and ways members can connect with high school programs in their respective areas. He was presented with a $500 check from TSPS Skills USA Committee Chairman Jamie Gillis, a matching donation from the Dallas Chapter. He gave a stirring report to the attending Chapter Presidents and others about the success at Duncanville and its strong relationship with Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 was represented at the Board Meeting by Chapter Representative Chris Freeman. Jerry Lehew and Jason Jernigan were in attendance. Click here to read more.



Fall Semester North Lake College Survey Courses –
Enrollment for the Fall semester fell short of the minimum required students in several of the courses. This will set the program back, and reinforces that we all need to work hard to encourage employees to take these courses. The whole intent of the courses is to have a local option to educate and develop our employees.

Courses that made their enrollment requirements were Introduction to Surveying, Surveying Calculations, and Legal Principles I.

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.

  On the Horizon ...

The next TBPLS Board Meeting is scheduled for Friday September 16 in Austin, and 4 CEUs are awarded to attendees. See their website for meeting location and agenda information. (www.txls.state.tx.us). ). There was thought that the TBPLS may hold a meeting at the Annual Convention, but apparently that will not be the case. Garey Gilley reported that he did not think that the TBPLS would be holding a meeting in conjunction with the TSPS Annual Convention in October.


2011 TSPS Annual Convention & Exhibits October 5-8
Don’t forget, this year Chapter 5 is co-hosting the Convention with Chapter 2. The site will be the Frisco Stonebriar Embassy Suites, next to the Dr. Pepper stadium. Mike Bearden is the Convention Committee Chairman, and has been busy with securing seminar presenters, sponsors, and all the other details that come with this event. There will be a need to get volunteers to assist with all the little details, so please help Mike and his Committee by offering to assist. It makes the event a great success. Contact Mike Bearden at (972) 400-1689.


Chapter Elections....time to VOTE
The Chapter Nominating Committee has prepared a ballot and has distributed it to the members. Do your part and take a couple of minutes to vote and submit your ballot. We have some great nominees that all will offer fresh ideas. Results will be tabulated and certified prior to Officer Installation at the September 13 Meeting. Also, if you are interested in working on one or more of the Chapter committees, currently or down the road, there is always a place for volunteers. Remember, any volunteer organization will only be as strong as its members. Help keep Chapter 5 as a leader in our state organization.


Chapter 5 Membership…Recruit a Member!
There are currently 140 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. Paul Mannel 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.

Chapter Officers for 2010-2011
The Executive Committee for Chapter 5 for 2010-2011 is as follows:

Jerry Lehew, RPLS	President
Jason Jernigan, RPLS	1st Vice President
Paul Mannel, RPLS	2nd Vice President
John Pierce, RPLS	Secretary/Treasurer
Fred Bemenderfer, RPLS	1 year Director
Colin Henry, RPLS	1 year Director
John Melton, RPLS	2 year Director
Richard Ortiz	2 year Director
Raul Wong, Jr., PE, RPLS	Past President
Chris Freeman, RPLS	Chapter Representative

Chapter 5 Committee Chairs 2010-11

Education	John Pierce
--SkillsUSA	Richard Ortiz
Convention Planning	Mike Bearden
Membership	Paul Mannel
Programs	Jason Jernigan
Golf Tournament	Sean Flaherty
Day at Lone Star Park	Robert Schneeberg
Nominating	Raul Wong, Jr.
Public Relations	Chris Freeman

 

Safety First…..Make it a Priority

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

UPCOMING 2011 MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULE

2011 Monthly Meeting Dates (speakers/programs)

September 13 – Installation of New Officers by Davey Edwards
October 5-8 – Annual Convention in Frisco @ Stonebriar Embassy Suites
November 8 – Scott Holt, RPLS, and John Cantrell, RPLS from the City of Dallas will discuss survey related information
December – No Meeting due to Holidays


2011 Special Events

Annual Convention & Exhibits –co-hosted by Ch. 5 & 2 Oct. 5-8 in Frisco

Monthly Chapter 5 Meetings are held 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:
Midwest A&E, 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.