We hit 20 years in business this past year in May! Wow, how time flies! What an incredible year 2024 has been, with ups and downs, but more ups than downs.
2024 has been another year of growth, with the geospatial market continuing to lead the way with reality capture, digital twins, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality creation. It was another year of growth, and we settled into Kompass, our business management software. It has become the brain of SurvTech and enabled us to increase efficiency companywide.
We’ve seen growth across all departments, but SUE and 3D scanning are the most improved. They had incredible years, and their managers and staff deserve much credit. The hydrographic department won a safety award for replacing people on lakes with unmanned survey vessels! At SurvTech, innovation is not just for efficiency but also to remove our employees from harm's way.
We have added innovation in numerous departments this year. Here is a list of some of our new technologies at SurvTech:
A SLAM (Simultaneous Location And Mapping) LiDAR UAV used to perform mapping in GPS-deficient environments, like mines, caves, and inside buildings.
A shallow water multi-beam and side-scan sonar unit capable of simultaneous collection of 12 times water depth multi-beam and 3D side-scan sonar.
A new advanced laser tracker with scanning capabilities.
A stabilized mount for our LiDAR and camera in the airplane.
A topographic/bathymetric LiDAR sensor equipped with a four-band RGB camera for performing coastal, lake, and riverine work.
The purchase of this equipment is only the first step. The second step is training and creating workflows to produce geospatial deliverables. Our commitment to technology has increasingly led to new and incredible projects, some local, some within the continental United States, and others around the globe.
We successfully renewed our surveying and mapping contracts with the USACE Jacksonville and Mobile districts. Additionally, Clay Evans, from our Tampa survey department, achieved a major milestone by passing the professional surveyor and mapper exam and earning his license.
On a personal note, we celebrated some incredible milestones among our team members this year:
Josh Fox welcomed another daughter to his family.
John Merritt tied the knot and began an exciting new chapter in his life.
Bill Kapustiak, after having three daughters, welcomed a son into his family.
We capped off the year with a record-breaking 120 attendees at our Christmas party!
Reflecting on the year, we must also acknowledge the losses that have impacted us deeply. Three of our valued employees passed away in 2024.
We lost Cortez Moody first. He was a relatively new employee and had only been here a few months when he suddenly passed.
Next, we lost Mitch Long. He had only been at SurvTech a few months, but many of us had known Mitch for some time and had always respected his wit and sense of humor. He was fitting into SurvTech well when we heard the news.
The last employee was Henry “Hank” Simpkins. Henry had been with SurvTech since 2012 and was a big part of SurvTech’s success, being one of the biggest proponents of technology at SurvTech. In Henry's honor, SurvTech set up a scholarship for surveying students at the University of Maine. I’m told Henry was a legend at UMaine, and I will admit he was just like that at SurvTech. They all will be truly missed.
As 2025 approaches, we reflect on an incredible year for SurvTech and extend our heartfelt gratitude to our clients, vendors, employees, and the communities we serve.