15 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org Member Spotlight go right into surveying right out of college. That led him to have a little more life experience before embarking on his chosen career. And having the finance and business background gave him the valuable skills to start his own business. “There are surveyors who are probably better surveyors than I am,” says Chappell. “But in the end, it is a business. It’s a surveying-specific business, and it has been a benefit to me to have that background.” He says once he embarked on being a surveyor, he didn’t have any regrets about the path he chose for himself. Having an “engineering brain” means that his career suits him better than marketing or sales or whatever he might have ended up doing if he hadn’t gone back to school. Prior to joining PLSO, Chappell was active in his regional chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association. He wanted to continue to meet people and grow his network, but there are some differences in the way that surveying, and mapping is done in Oregon as compared to California. So, ultimately, he wanted to have some peers he could talk to and learn from. “And,” he says, “I just like being active in organizations. I enjoy meeting the other characters.” Being members of the organizations has “definitely” helped his career, he says. “You have a lot of people who are into history that are helpful instead of being competitive. So, it’s always nice to be able to call somebody up and bounce a survey question you have off of them. Maybe they’ve had some experience in areas that I haven’t. That’s a nice part about it.” As for being on the Finance Committee, Chappell is just getting started so he is still figuring out how he can be the most helpful. He sees that a small number of people are trying to do a lot of work to lead and grow the profession, and he wants to help. He says he would recommend anyone in surveying become a member of their organization and start getting involved. “It keeps you engaged at the next level,” he says. “You can show up to work and do your survey work, and then go home, but being involved in the profession more is very rewarding.” Curt at Cycle Oregon in Pendleton. Curt and his partner, Michelle, at the Oslo Opera House in Norway.
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