By Amy Arnett
Kurt Newbrough, President and CEO
In the early 1980s, Kurt Newbrough felt—as many did at the time—that he needed to leave West Virginia to pursue a career. He and his wife landed in Richmond, VA without even a hint of a plan.
Newbrough ended up answering an ad for a company called J.K. Timmons and Associates, now Timmons Group, that was hiring rodmen in their survey department. During his work with the company, he decided to further his education as his interest in surveying transformed from piqued curiosity to a full-blown career path. He has performed more than 360 miles of route designs, surveying and mapping.
Fast forward to today, and Newbrough has brought his career back to his home state of West Virginia and operates his own surveying company, Energy Surveys, Inc. out of Clarksburg, WV. Prior to starting Energy Surveys, Inc. in January 2014, Newbrough was elected Harrison County’s county surveyor from 2004-2008.
The company serves the tri-state area of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The geographical location and company specialties have proven to be a perfect marriage for Newbrough and Energy Surveys. The oil and gas and construction industries that find their center in the region can benefit from surveying services and vice versa.
According to Newbrough, Energy Surveys’ “bread and butter” is as-built surveys, which are carried out during or after a project that give an accurate record and overview of what was accomplished. The documentation and new maps showing newly constructed structures are crucial for record-keeping and payment tracking.
Beyond as-built surveys, Energy Surveys also offers numerous other services, including routing surveys, mapping, construction layout, site development, topography and material testing. Newbrough puts his nearly 30 years of experience to work every day with the company, and he’s incorporated hands-on knowledge and strategic planning to develop, maintain and sustain quality survey and field services departments.
The surveying industry is necessary for businesses and individuals, but until the services become a must, many don’t know much about the intricate field. Energy Surveys seeks to constantly educate about their field, so they answered questions for West Virginia Executive about what exactly they go to work doing each day.
WVE: What is surveying?
ES: Surveying is the measurement and mapping of our surrounding environment and structures within it using mathematics, specialized technology and equipment.
WVE: Why is surveying important to businesses and individuals?
ES: For many businesses, surveying is essential for many of the projects they specialize in completing. Many firms need surveys done in order to ensure their projects are being completed as designed and also need documented proof of the final product. Examples include pipelines, buildings, cell towers, roads and other structure developments.
For individuals, surveys legally establish property boundary lines and set corners, including those that occur during partitions and acquisitions of property. When we do this, we also draw up a new plat and deed so it can be legally documented for courthouse records. We also offer documentation of other features like elevation certification that are used for insurance purposes.
WVE: What tools do surveyors use on a project?
ES: Surveyors use a variety of tools depending on the project, including highly accurate GPS units, total station instruments, prism poles, laser scanners, metal detectors and levels. We also use geographical information systems, or GIS, which transforms raw field data to tangible deliverables to show elements like topography.
WVE: How do surveyors use prisms?
ES: One of the measuring methods for distance when using a total station instrument is the prism method. A laser is beamed at a reflective prism, located at the target measuring point, and the distance is measured by the time it takes for light to be reflected back.
WVE: How has technology affected the way surveying is performed?
ES: Years ago, everything used to be measured with chain links, but now, we have highly precise systems that allow us to complete projects with more accuracy in a timelier manner.
