February 2023
62nd Annual LSPS Convention
April 19-21, 2023
Golden Nugget Casino & Hotel, 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd., Lake Charles, LA 70601
Hosted by the Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors and LSPS District 4
Jonathan Dufrene, LSPS President
PRESIDENTIAL PRIVILEGE
I feel like it took a decade of surveying and becoming licensed to realize how much I don’t know about surveying. I guess that’s mostly been a passive way to stay professionally humble, but it’s also from recognizing the myriad of disciplines strewn across multiple industries that can be filed under “surveying.” It’s kind of hard to promote the profession when you might not know much about possible career paths in photogrammetry, aerial mapping, GIS, or even construction layout. For instance, I don’t think I’ve ever really done any direct work for what most people would refer to as the oil and gas industry, which is somewhat unusual for a surveyor in South Louisiana. The vast majority of our company’s work has probably all been within 15 miles of New Orleans, so I might not be the best person to ask about other possible career paths in different parts of the state. But even these non-boundary areas are really important to all of us because of the doors they open up. Someone going into school may be really interested in GIS but then pivot into surveying after learning about it. Maybe they’ll become licensed, maybe they won’t. The good news with that is some companies really need licensees and some really need field techs. Either way, we’re still attracting more talent.
So how can we help ourselves out by promoting unfamiliar aspects of our industry? Most of us have very busy workdays that don’t really offer much room for expanding into different sections of our profession simply to help promote it when called upon. This is why being involved with LSPS over the last 6 years has been invaluable for me. The strong camaraderie between the members of our society provides for a very natural way to learn about what else is out there in the surveying world…enthusiasm is contagious.
Once again, I encourage all of you to continue exploring different ways that you can serve your community and your profession. Serving LSPS has been a highly rewarding experience, and I am truly grateful for the honor and the lasting professional relationships. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Dufrene
THANK YOU TO OUR MEMBERS FOR DONATING TO THE
2022-2023 “EVERY MEMBER CAMPAIGN!”
Benefactor Level
Dufrene Surveying & Engineering, Inc
LSPS DISTRICT INFORMATION
District 1
John Teegarden
jteegarden@ascellc.com
District 2
Andrew Szush
andrew.szush@tbsmith.com
District 3
Shawn MacMenamin
smacmenamin22@gmail.com
District 4
Jason Tuggle
Jason_tuggle@hotmail.com
District 5
Jon Braswell
jbraswell@sehuey.com
District 6
Jean Reulet
jean.reulet@tbsmith.com
District 8
Lee Broom
lbroom@ballard-clc.com
District 9
Dennis Gowin
dgowin@ddgpc.com
If you are not an LSPS member, we would like to invite you to attend a District meeting in your area. Contact the LSPS office at lsps@lsps.net, or the chairman in your area noted above for details about upcoming meetings.
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY UPDATE
The Louisiana Tech University Student Chapter of LSPS is off to a great start. An organizational meeting was held on October 20, 2022, with students interested in becoming professional land surveyors. Justin Miller, a recent Construction Engineering Technology (CET) graduate and LSI was the guest speaker. He spoke about the CET surveying option, becoming licensed as a professional land surveyor, and his new career as a land surveyor. Officer elections were held, and the elected officers are Mason Macaluso, President; Kyler Hill, Vice-President; Connor Sigler, Treasurer; and Kash Landry, Secretary. There are currently 25 student members in the Student Chapter.
The first Student Chapter meeting was held on December 8th. Guest speakers were LAPELS Board Member, Wil Fontenot, and Robbie Benoit, Senior Project Manager with GIS (Chustz Surveying, Inc.). They talked about the surveying profession, the importance of licensure, and how to become licensed. They also shared some projects and surveying techniques with the students. Wil Fontenot displayed some of his antique surveying equipment. Students enjoyed the meeting and the free pizza and gumbo.
Chris Cothron and Mark Forsyth with NEI were the guest speakers for the January meeting. They made presentations about the latest technology in surveying equipment and how the equipment is used to save time and costs for performing various surveys. It was very interesting to learn of the expense involved in purchasing some of the equipment.
Louisiana Tech University’s LSPS members are looking forward to the February student chapter meeting with Lazenby and Associates members. They are also anticipating the LSPS Convention in Lake Charles during April.
For information about the Construction Engineering Technology surveying option at Louisiana Tech University contact Reginald Jeter, PE, Program Chairman at rjeter@latech.edu.
From left: Kash Landry, Mason Macaluso, Connor Sigler, and Kyler Hill
Chris Cothron (left) and Mark Forsyth (right) with NEI
Robbie Benoit addresses the Student Chapter of LSPS at Louisiana Tech University.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By: Harper Duncan & Associates, LLC
Though the 2023 Legislative Session doesn’t begin until April 10, legislators have already been called to the Capitol for a special session. The special session is being held the first week of February to address high insurance premiums by creating an incentive program for insurance providers in Louisiana.
While we are monitoring the special session, we are beginning to form a priority list for the regular session. Though only six bills have been filed (as of February 1) we have been meeting with other associations and legislators to find out what could be filed in the coming months. Since this year is a fiscal session, legislators will be limited to five bills general in nature. There are currently two issues we are monitoring and waiting for legislation to be filed: employment in regards to medical marijuana and professional licensure reciprocity. These bills will most likely be broad and will not be targeted to any specific industry. If these bills are filed, we will be monitoring them closely to see how they could impact LSPS.
We will have more information on specific legislation as the March 31 bill filing deadline approaches. Any legislation impacting LSPS will be reported as it is filed and weekly updates throughout the session.
House Transportation, Highways and Public Works
Wright, Mark Chairman
Brass, Ken Vice Chair
Cormier, Mack Member
Edmonston, Kathy Member
Firment, Michael “Gabe” Member
Freiberg, Barbara Reich Member
Gadberry, Foy Bryan Member
Glover, Cedric Member
Horton, Dodie Member
Moore, Pat Member
Owen, Charles Member
Owen, Robert “Bob” Member
Pierre, Vincent J. Member
Schamerhorn, Rodney Member
Selders, Larry Member
Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee
McMath, Patrick Chairman
Carter, Gary Vice Chair
Bernard, Louie Member
Peacock, Barrow Member
Pope, J. Rogers Member
Price, Edward J. Member
Smith, Jr., Gary L. Member
House Commerce Committee
Davis, Paula Chairman
Hilferty, Stephanie Vice Chair
Cox, Kenny R. Member
Duplessis, Royce Member
Fontenot, Bryan Member
Geymann, Brett F. Member
Goudeau, I, Jonathan Member
Green, Jr., Kyle M. Member
Hollis, Paul Member
Jordan, Edmond Member
McCormick, Danny Member
McKnight, Scott Member
Newell, Candace N. Member
St. Blanc, III, Vincent “Vinney” Member
Tarver, Phillip Eric Member
Thomas, Polly Member
Senate Commerce
Ward, Rick Chairman
Henry, Cameron Vice Chair
Abraham, Mark Member
Cathey, Stewart, Jr. Member
Connick, Patrick Member
Fields, Cleo Member
Morris, John C. “Jay” Member
Peterson, Karen Carter Member
White, Mack “Bodi” Member
JOIN LSPS:
The Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors is organized to enhance the Surveying Profession. Our goal is to carry out our mission by maintaining high technical and cultural standards in our field, working with educational institutions for the maintenance of high standards of education in Land Surveying, requiring a high standard of ethical practice by our members, and encouraging the personal and professional development of young Land Surveyors.
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