On Tuesday, January 20th, Jennifer Helms kicked off our 2015 Lunch and Learn series with a presentation on GIS titled Map Sharing and Story Maps. Jennifer knows her stuff – she holds Associate of Applied Science degrees in Drafting Technology and GIS Technology, and she also taught GIS courses at Treasure Valley Community College in eastern Oregon.

Congratulations are in order for Hollie Logan and Kaitlin Shrier, both of whom recently earned important certifications from leading professional organizations within our industry.      

No, that's not James Dean you're seeing, but our own Design Technician, Rich Martin, circa 1972!

When I first started working full-time at MacKay & Sposito in 1986, the company was tucked into a narrow office space at 110 E. 17th Street in downtown Vancouver.  There was a small front office where Wanda, the secretary, sat with her trusty typewriter and ‘80’s vintage telephone.  Behind her was a narrow hallway that led to the main office area where most of the employees were located.  It was nothing fancy -- brown wood paneling, brown carpet, brown drafting tables, and black coffee.  Rich could be seen leaning over his drafting table and, without fail, always had a cup of coffee at his side. Oh, and if you took the last of the coffee from the pot, you'd better have brewed some more!

Frank Costanza, one of our surveyors, is featured in the January 5th issue of The Columbian, a Vancouver newspaper.