For the past 3 years we have had a dozen or so of our land surveyors based for months in a small town in southern Idaho (population 3,500). They have been surveying a new 24 mile transmission route. Not just one route but several alignment options. These surveyors work in hail, snow, lightening storms, rain showers, sweltering heat and mighty wind gusts. They climb hills that are at as steep as a mountainous hike all while shouldering 60 lbs of surveying equipment. They do this not just 5 days a week but 6 days a week. They come home for 1 week after a 2 week work period. They leave their families, they leave their homes and they travel to this rugged countryside to work hard for our clients. They do this without complaining.Derrick and I had the privilege of visiting our current crew this week: Alex Matarazzo, Troy Delp and Cliff Saunders. Between the three of them they say good-bye twice a month to a total of 9 kids. Tough to do! While Facetime and Skype can help connect them to their wife and kids it doesn't replace being home. It also creates a dynamic at home that must be hard on their wife who, for all practical purposes, becomes a single-parent for 2 weeks.
I often marvel at the physical strength all of our field personnel must need to trek through the Northwest and beyond. For me it was staggering to see the heights of those "hills" and they begin at an elevation of 7,000 ft. Their work is important and adding stakes for alignment options property landowners can picture where the location of a pole or substation will be constructed and how that will affect their operations and residential use.
We each have a role at MacKay Sposito but I can't help admire the surveyors who have made the sacrifice to pack up twice a month and head off to this project. Their work is meaningful and as I sit in my air-conditioned office I am thankful for their steadfast commitment to helping our clients be successful.