PLSO Oregon Surveyor JanFeb 2017

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The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 40, No. 1 4
From the PLSO Chair continued
together, and put out a quality product that everyone
could be proud of, and by the way, charge a decent
and fair price for our services. My observation over
the years is that we all sell ourselves too cheaply.
Anyway, for me it was a great ride and I don’t believe
I could have been luckier in my chosen career path!
All things end, so on the first day of January 2016 my
partners and I transferred ownership of the company
to a handful of long term employees. I am pleased to
report that they are doing quite well.
So, that brings us to the present. I had always told
myself that at some point I wanted to give back to the
profession that had brought me so much satisfaction.
As your Chair, I would like to work on 3 specific goals.
1.While the organization is on much sounder financial
footing than we were a few years back, we need
to increase our financial stability. There will be
unanticipated challenges that come up from time
to time. Dealing with these issues will take money.
We cannot function properly as an effective organi-
zation without proper finances.
2.Our membership is aging. I only have to look in
the mirror to see the future. While our numbers
are up slightly over the past few years, we need to
attract a younger generation to the profession. I
am confident that most of you feel that surveying
is a great profession and an excellent choice for
a career. So why are we not able to attract more
young people into the fold?
3.What I like to call professionalism, or our image. I
believe this issue ties into the first 2 goals. It has
been my observation over the years that we are not
viewed as having the same professional stature as
an engineer, an architect, or a doctor, yet we work
on one of the most valuable commodities, land or
dirt as I like to call it. It irritates me to no end that
often the person who facilitates the sale of property
is more valued by the seller than the surveyor who
basically guarantees the boundary and exceptions
on the land. It is my opinion that this situation is
not forced on us as much as it is created, or at least
perpetuated by ourselves.
My plan is to elaborate upon each of these subjects
in the Oregon Surveyor over the course of the year.
As your 2017 Chair, I look forward to working with the
Board in pursuing these goals, along with a successful
and rewarding year.
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