Chad is a Senior Land Surveyor in R&M’s Land Surveying Group. He has been with R&M for 4 years and has 19 years of experience in all facets of field and office surveying. Chad has been responsible for planning and execution of field surveys, collecting field data, taking detailed field notes, reducing data and preparing final deliverables ranging from project control summaries to final mapping. He has performed many “field-to-final mapping” surveys for control, design and construction.
Chad is currently providing surveying for the Mertarvik Airport, Anchorage Downtown Lighting and Signalization Upgrades, Willow Fishhook Road Flood Repair, Airport Way-Cushman Street Intersection Reconstruction, and Beaver Loop Road Improvements and Pedestrian Pathway Design projects.
AT WORK
Why surveying?
I just fell into it. I love the outdoors. I was actually planning on studying to be an engineer. But my dad suggested, since I like the outdoors so much, I should try surveying and I just blindly stumbled into it. I had no idea what surveying was, but I’m glad I took the chance.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Working with the individuals here at R&M. Everybody has a professional attitude and wants to be here. It’s nice being around people that enjoy their work, which in turn makes me want to excel at my job. This is also a very family-oriented company. Family is important to me and having that type of environment also makes it easy to come to work.
Favorite Project?
The State was re-spanning the Million-Dollar Bridge, which is close to the base of Child’s Glacier outside of Cordova. It was really cool because of the unique nature of the project. We were based out of Cordova, and flew to the project site in a Beaver on floats. The bridge itself was constructed in the early 1900s for the railroad, which was used to get copper from the Kennecott mine. One of the spans collapsed during the 1964 earthquake. So there is a lot of history associated with the project.
Any interesting projects you’ve worked on over the last few years?
The Jewel Lake Road Pedestrian Widening project is probably the most interesting one I’ve worked on recently. I was the field-to-finish project surveyor, which means I worked on the project from field work to final deliverables. I did all the research for the right-of-way going all way back to the 1920s. It was just an awesome, stellar project. It took about six months of work, including a couple months in the field and about four months in the office.
What do you look forward to discovering next in the work you do?
The survey industry is going through a change right now so we are exploring different areas for work. Being a part of that is really enticing to me and I’m excited about seeing where that goes. I want to continue being a part of R&M’s stellar Land Surveying Group. We have a massive amount of experience within the Group, which is prime for gaining professional knowledge. Overall, I’m just excited about seeing the growth of the company and where we’re going in the future.
AT PLAY
Volunteerism:
My wife Jessie and I are heavily involved with Dimond West Little League. Jessie is president of the Little League and I’m the board safety officer. I also help coach. We dedicate a little bit too much of time to it, but it’s a lot of fun and very rewarding. Growing up I remember Little League. It’s still etched in my brain so I want to donate enough time so other kids can have that same memory. It’s a very beneficial organization and we thoroughly enjoy it.
Hobbies:
Mainly hanging out the family. We do a lot of hiking in the summertime, that’s our thing. We do Flattop as a family a lot and me and the wife try to hike Wolverine as much as we can. My goal at the end of this summer is to build up so that I can do Pioneer Peak. I really want hike Pioneer. I’ve never done it.
Favorite sports team:
This may sound a little corny, but it would have to be the Dimond West Little League teams. I like to watch sports but I don’t religiously follow a particular team because as a military brat I was bouncing all over the place growing up. One year I liked the New York Giants, the next year I was a 49ers fan and then a Denver fan. I love watching sports but I just don’t follow a particular team.
Three words to describe you:
Dad. Husband. Dedicated.
Three things you can’t live without:
Kiddos. Wife. Pizza.
Favorite Vacation Spot:
Anywhere with friends and family. I can go anywhere and have a good time as long as I’m surrounded by friends and family.
Services Mentioned
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