TSPS: How/why did you get into surveying?

Brandon: I learned about surveying during an internship at the Lower Colorado River Authority while going to school at UT in Austin. While working I realized surveying involved parts of other disciplines I had interest in, including history, engineering, law, GIS, and technology. Another great advantage I saw in surveying was the flexibility to choose how much time a person could spend in the field versus the office. The quality of other professionals in the field helped seal the deal on my decision to pursue a career in surveying, their friendliness and helpfulness stood out among other career choices I had considered and really aided in my decision.

TSPS: Why did you join TSPS?

Brandon: TSPS provides many benefits for its members, but more than anything I wanted to support an organization that promotes surveying to the public. Also, surveying seems to be an often overlooked career choice by many and TSPS helps to inform the public and youth on what a surveyor does to attract new recruits into the surveying profession. One of the best advantages to joining TSPS is the networking it provides, allowing surveyors to come together and share knowledge and learn from each other.

TSPS: What is your most memorable surveying moment?

Brandon: Finding old original monuments has been something I have always found intriguing because of the unique history behind the monument and knowing what the surveyors would have endured to set them during those early times in Texas' history. I decided to pull some of the original patents for some family land near my house and try my hand at searching for some of the old corners, knowing most, if not all will be long destroyed. After a lot of research and several evenings walking through the woods looking for other corners, I finally found an original witness tree with an X blazed into it by a surveyor in 1854, my oldest to date. The mark is on the aptly named "Big Brushy Creek" and I spent the next half hour chopping yaupons out of the way so I could get a quality picture. I consider myself a very young surveyor and I expect many more memorable experiences to happen in the future.

Brandon's Favorites:

Color: Burnt Orange
Food: Chinese
Animal: Labrador Retriever
Singer: Ray Wylie Hubbard
Hobbies: Hunting (especially turkeys), fishing, and spending time with my wife and 2 year old son

Brandon is currently the TSPS Chapter 14 - Guadalupe Valley President and works for CivilCorp, LLC in Victoria, TX.