The Best Land Surveying Podcasts all in one place

Episode 066.5 - Project Management 101

As you know by now, our sole objective is to "add value & make friends". Not only did we do that with this episode, BUT we also had the person who coined that phrase join us as well. Glen Abramowski aka Glenski, is a Supplier Program Management Specialist at Boeing. Tony Mintrup, PMP is a seasoned Project Manager for Klein Tools. They joined us to talk about what it takes to be a successful project manager. We touch on the triple constraint being scope, schedule and budget, the 7 P's (proper prior planning prevents piss poor production) and everything from project initiation to project closeout. Glen & Tony provided some great insight to this very challenging part of what we do as geomatics professionals. Whether you are a provider of a professional service or develop and sell products, there is something in this episode for you! Music by Social Distortion! 

Episode 065 - Dr. Nik Smilovsky & Phil Ponce, PE

Check out this week's episode when we got caught up with Dr. Nik Smilovsky from Bad Elf and Phil Ponce, PE. Phil is the Vice President of Engineering Mapping Solutions, Inc. AND a huge fan of the Bad Elf products. Nik sums up 2020 and talks about how Bad Elf not only survived but actually thrived and advanced as it pertains to sales and research and development. Some great things coming down the Bad Elf pipe in the weeks and months to come. Phil is an avid user of the Bad Elf Flex receiver and has even developed a "setup" that includes utilizing an Ebike and building a proprietary GIS platform for all day, real-time data collection. Afterall...friends let friends collect Bad (Elf) data! Be sure to listen for the weekly podword. Please consider becoming a patron by visiting the Geoholics Patreon page and take a sec to subscribe to The Geoholics YouTube channel. Music for this episode by Queen!

Episode 064 - Thomas Olmsted

Happy New Year Geoholics! We could not have chosen a better guest to kick off 2021. Thomas Olmsted served 9 years of military service as an active-duty Navy SEAL. During his tenure in the SEAL Teams, he deployed multiple times in support of the global war on terror. He was a member of SEAL Team 1,7, augment with Team 5, and spent time as an instructor training SEALs prior to going overseas. Prior to his military service, Thomas played football and baseball at Troy University where he received All-Conference Honors multiple years and was voted Captain of the football team during his senior season. Upon graduation with a B.S Degree in Social Science and a Minor in Business, Thomas played in the 2006 Senior Bowl and was an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins. He is also an Alumni of Harvard Business School, PLDA and is currently the Vice President of National Accounts for Pavecon, a national construction company. We were honored to have an in-depth discussion with Thomas about leadership and operational excellence. Lots of new and exciting changes happening with the Geoholics that you will not want to miss. The value of this episode is off the charts! Music provided by Metallica.

2020 Year in Review Episode

Thank you…thank you…thank you…and thank you again...what a year! The boys take some time to reflect on the past year revisiting a number of highlights along the way. From Episode 018 all the way through Episode 063 and everything in between! If you’ve been a fan from the “point of beginning” or have just started “following our footsteps”, you’re not going to want to miss this “retracement” of The Geoholics in 2020! We even had some live guests join us to talk about their individual episodes and how they are handling their new found fame. Music for this episode by Neil Diamond!

Episode 063 - Jason Schroeder & Brandon Montero w/Elevate Construction IST

Do not miss this Top 5 value-adding episode! Jason Schroeder & Brandon Montero drop by to share their passions and motivation for creating Elevate Construction IST (ECIST). ECIST exists to improve the lives of all construction workers and managers in all positions everywhere. By scaling up excellence through podcasts, blogs, videos, in-person consulting, online and in-person training, in addition to large scale boot camps and events, ECIST will provide needed training to a new generation of workers, foremen, field engineers (surveyors), and superintendents. Training that creates a strategic advantage. Training that adds lasting value within teams and on-site. Training that prevents failed projects, crash landings, poorly run projects, unsafe conditions, and poor team health. RESPECTING WORKERS | TRAINING LEADERS | PRESERVING FAMILIES. Consider this episode a gift from The Geoholics that keeps on giving. Music for this episode by OneRepublic.

Episode 062 - Lauren Holland & Ann Allen

Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means and is the subject of this week's podcast. We were fortunate to be joined by Lauren Holland & Ann Allen to discuss this sensitive topic. Ann is the Chief Executive Officer at Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES) and Lauren is the CICES Co-Chair 2040 Forum. These ladies played a vital role in performing research and data acquisition for “Unsocial Networking”, a research article recently published in Civil Engineering Surveyor which is the monthly journal of the CICES. In addition, their glasses game is second to none. Cyberbullying is a huge social issue that is affecting people of all ages across the globe and needs to be discussed openly more often. Do not miss this value-adding conversation! Music for the episode by The Dead South.​

Episode 061 - Michael Twohig, Sean Wolfe, PG & Robert Ramsey, PE

If you have ever wondered what the acronym SUE stands for but were afraid to ask, this is the episode for you! We were honored to have 3 respected experts from the Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) world joins us for this episode. Michael Twohig is a 34 year SUE veteran and the Director of Subsurface Mapping at DGT Associates in Boston. Sean Wolfe, PG is a Senior Vice President and the Mountain Region Manager at CobbFendley & Associates. Robert Ramsey, PE is a Vice President at T2 Utility Engineers and oversees the West United States Operations. We collectively define the basic SUE quality levels, discuss ASCE 38 (SUE Guidlelines) and some of the pending revisions, the overwhelming benefits of SUE, how technology is advancing SUE data collection and some of the challenges the profession is currently facing. Let’s just say we all learned a lot and barely scratched the surface of this under-valued yet badly needed profession. There will be a SUE 2.0 episode soon to dig a little deeper…no pun intended! Music for this episode by Electric Light Orchestra!

Episode 060 - Adam Kersnowski

The boys, especially Kent (Grokawalski), were really excited to welcome another entrepreneurial minded polack to the show this week! Adam Kersnowski, Co-Founder and COO of AirWorks joined the guys to talk about a potentially game-changing, AI-enabled software that is driven by a recently patented algorithm. AirWorks is an award winning solution that allows the customer to go from aerial imagery and/or point clouds to a CAD drawing in 3 easy steps. They create fully finalized engineering plans in CAD with linework and topography faster and more accurately than ever before. We also collectively try to determine the difference between AI & VR and how they compliment eachother. Music for this episode by Stick Figure!

Episode 059 - Bryce Adams, ACTAR

If you've ever wondered if the officers surveying accident and crime scenes are Professional Land Surveyors, this is the episode for you! Bryce Adams is a Technical Forensics Expert with the Trimble Forensics group. He has accumulated thousands of hours of training in the field of crash investigation, earned the ACTAR accreditation, is a certified trainer through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and has trained numerous future police officers in the area of crash investigations and reporting. Needless to say, Bryce is an “expert” in the area of crash investigations in both civil and criminal cases. We discuss the approach to determining the methods used in a variety of criminal and accident scenarios, the importance of good record keeping, combining the different types of data collection and general crime scene skills. PJ wants to get a guest on from the middle of the ocean and a cheese roller champion. BS and DD get in a fight. Music for this episode by Greta Van Fleet.

Episode 058 - Ben Shinabery, PLS

We are on a role with yet another great value-adding episode. The boys welcomed Ben Shinabery, PLS to the show this week. Ben is a bit of a survey renaissance man starting his survey career almost 35 years ago working for his dad! Much like DD, he has taken the "road less traveled" to becoming a professional surveyor. He is probably one of the first people to use field-to-finish methods and has parlayed that into developing processes and procedures that are currently being used to survey, in record time, 1000 bridges in Kentucky! We would be remiss if we did not mention that Ben was also the 100th subscriber to The Geoholics YouTube channel! Needless to say, we love this guy and you will too! PJ = Martian. BS is boring. DD provides a PSA re: mental illness and suicide. Music for this episode by Switchfoot!

Episode 057 - Gary Delaney, MSc (NT), FRIN, FRICS, FSCSI, Lt NS (Ret’d)

We can now put a virtual tack in Ireland! Gary Delaney the geospatial forensic expert witness NOT the famous comedian joined the boys for this incredibly informative episode. We discussed how to use a sextant and the inherent inaccuracies of it and other navigation technologies. Gary shares the highlights of his 20-year career in the Irish Navy and how Global Position Intelligences (GPI) is being used to solve international crimes. He also talks about "Loc8 Code" a geocoding system he has developed that is being used by public services across Ireland and the concerns with Ligado 5G. Be sure to check out the "Gay & Gary Lockdown Lunacy Videos" YouTube channel for some great humor! Music for this episode by Al Stewart!

Episode 056 - Robert "Bob" Vollmer, PLS

Episode 055 - The Bad Elf Episode

This week we were joined by the guys from Bad Elf! Ride along with us on an adventure into efldom as we learn about the origin of the Bad Elf name, how Bad Elf is breaking down barriers in the geospatial industry, what the Bad Elf team is doing to thrive during a global pandemic and the prophetic elf visions of 2021! BTW...the Bad Elf crew also loves beer. In fact, whoever can come up with the most creative name for their new kegerator is going to receive a highly sought-after Bad Elf fitted hat!!! Email your entry to [email protected] before 11/15!!! Good news...BS is back...they were able to sew his arm back on after the alligator wrestling mishap! PJ got another certification and DD meets a self-branded gay cowgirl! Music for this episode by Phish!!

Episode 054 - Tim Burch, PLS & Emily Pierce, PLS, CFedS

Join us as we welcome Tim Burch, PLS & Emily Pierce, PLS, CFedS to The Geoholics! We were honored to chat with these two influencers touching on topics such as the POB Editorial Advisory Board, how technology is influencing the fundamentals of land surveying, NSPS short term and long-term goals, Berntsen International's efforts to promote land surveying and a tiered licensing model! Do not miss this episode! PJ talks about the status of "spaceman". BS is out with an upper body injury. Steve Gangwal (episode 11) joins the boys! DD can't believe anyone is dumb enough to save crack pipe photos. Carelessness is highlighted. Music for this episode by Guns n Roses!!

Episode 053 - Christy Davis & Marisa Trzemzalski

Guess what...NCEES is a really beneficial organization!!! Marisa Trzemzalski, the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for Surveying at NCEES and Christy Davis, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors join us on this episode to tell us all about it. We discuss the NCEES strategic plan, who the organization benefits, the services it provides, the relationship with the SCORE initiative, promoting land surveying and how diversity is affecting the profession. Needless to say, we packed a ton into this episode!!! PJ wants to buy a sailboat. BS is a winner. DD is a Polack. Music for this episode by Dave Matthews Band...and their 800 pounds of human waste!!

Geoholics Anonymous - "Younger" Geomatics Professionals

Welcome to this meeting of Geoholics Anonymous! This is another “round-table” format discussion touching on the current issues affecting the geomatics world. This panel is made up of Kent Groh, PLS (Host of The Geoholics), Ryan Kelly, CP (Co-host of The Geoholics), Jose Pedraza, PLS - Survey Director at Stuart Consulting Group, Chris Glantz, PLS - Deputy State Surveyor ODOT, and Gabby Getz - Software Developer at Cesium and winner of the 2019 Younger Geospatial Professional (YGP) of the Year Award presented in cooperation with LiDAR News and Leica Geosystems. The topic of this GA meeting is getting to know and understand the perspective of "younger" geomatics professionals. These folks are in the prime of their careers and have plenty to say about the past, present and future of geomatics. RIP Eddie Van Halen. 

Episode 052 - Evan Knox

Do yourself a favor and spend this hour with us as we learn what it takes be at the top of our branding and marketing game! Let's be honest, surveyors typically are not the best "business minded" people. Evan Knox, the Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Caffeine Marketing, joined us and graciously shared an array of tips and tricks that will without question help you to grow your business and expand your personal brand. He brings a fresh and simple approach to something we tend to take for granted or in some cases completely ignore. The bottom line is "Bad Marketing is Costing You"! PJ does not know what bubble hockey is. BS is tired. DD and TLM celebrate an anniversary.  Please SUBSCRIBE to The Geoholics YouTube channel and be sure to support our Friends of the Program. Music for this episode by Hillsong Young & Free!

Geoholics Anonymous - Mentoring Chapter 1

Welcome to this meeting of Geoholics Anonymous! This is another “round-table” format discussion touching on the current issues affecting the geomatics world. This panel is made up of Kent Groh, PLS (Host of The Geoholics), Ryan Kelly, CP (Co-host of The Geoholics), Trent Keenan, PLS, WRS, CFedS - President of Diamondback Land Surveying, Robert (Rob) M. McMillan, PLS, EIT - District 11 Land Surveys MS 313 and Brandon Montero - Senior Survey Manager at Okland Construction. The topic of this GA meeting is the importance of mentoring and how it will directly influence the future of land surveying and the geomatics professions. Kent goes off the rails...again...drinking whiskey...that Trent brought so it's his fault...on the topic of a national requirement to become a registered/professional land surveyor. 

Episode 051 - Ross Gerber & Topher Cochrane (Chasing Bubbles)

All we can say is...wow...we've been humbled again. If you've been listening to The Geoholics for a bit you know that we are total fanboys of the incredible documentary titled Chasing Bubbles. Well, we had the honor and privilege to be able to chat with two of the film's biggest stars...Ross Gerber & Topher Cochrane. Ross spent 6 months aboard Bubbles & Topher had the task of reviewing over 200 hours of video from what amounted to a 3-year long journey literally around the world. If you've watched it and even if you haven't yet, you will not want to miss this insightful and moving conversation. PJ talks about when we discovered Chasing Bubbles and how it motivated him to become a certified sailor. Huddy turns seven! DD accuses Stephen Gostkowski of being on the take. Please SUBSCRIBE to The Geoholics YouTube channel and be sure to support our Friends of the Program. Music for this episode by Talking Heads!

Episode 050 - Wilson Phillips, LS

We hit the half-century mark...this is episode 50 of The Geoholics! An updated fan pack offer, a DD John Mellencamp story, new FOTP promo codes, a Class Action Park review, Wulf and Transient Tony and hard hat safety were discussed all before we even introduced our guest. Wilson Phillips (the surveyor NOT the band) joined us to talk about the state of surveying North of the border and what it's like being from Winnipeg and having to share the spotlight with Winnie the Pooh and the ASHAM Stompers. We had a great chat touching on a number of topics and hope that you will enjoy it as much as we did. Please SUBSCRIBE to The Geoholics YouTube channel and be sure to support our Friends of the Program. Music for this episode by John Mellencamp!

Episode 049 - Louis Maconi & The Lovely Megan

The Wine Episode...we went off the rails a bit with this one, BUT if you're into wine or ever wanted to learn more THIS is the episode for you!!! Music for this episode by The Smiths!!

Episode 048 - Nate Gardner, PLS & Aaron Michalenko, PLS

Geoholics Anonymous - Land Surveying Education Chapter 1

Welcome to this meeting of Geoholics Anonymous! This is another “round-table” format discussion touching on the current issues affecting the geomatics world. This panel is made up of Kent Groh, PLS (Host of The Geoholics), Ryan Kelly, CP (Co-host of The Geoholics), Joe Paiva, PE, PLS - CEO GeoLearn, James Coan PLS, CFedS - Renton Technical College, Todd Horton, PE, PLS - Meridian Geospatial Consulting & Parkland Community College and Adam McCartney, CST III - Party Chief at Maricopa County Department of Transportation and student at Great Basin College. The topic of this GA meeting focuses on land surveying and geomatics education. We touch on post-secondary education opportunities, the importance of technicians, apprenticeships, and achievable credentials such as the NSPS CST program.

Episode 047 - Pedro Ortiz GEX

Que Pasa Geoholics! We kick off year two having a very informative and enlightening conversation with the one and only Pedro Ortiz. Pedro comes from a family of land surveyors and has been working in the field for over 24 years. He shares what it is like to survey in Spain and the obstacles surveyors must overcome in his country. Amazingly, they face a number of same challenges as other surveyors around the globe. Big news... this is our FIRST episode that will also be released on YouTube! PLEASE subscribe to The Geoholics channel and we promise to keep you educated and entertained! Check out our FOTP for exclusive Geoholics offers. Music for this raver by The Prodigy!