Early in 2018 Southeastern Surveying and Mapping Corporation (SSMC) announced changes to its ownership structure. Previously a partnership between Gary Krick, SSMC President, and Jim Petersen, SSMC Senior Vice President, the firm was sold to its employees via stock ownership and is now a 100% employee-owned company.
Following 22+ years of
dedicated leadership, Gary will be retiring from his role and moving to
an advisory capacity on the SSMC Board of Directors. After succeeding
Roger Lonsway, the company's founder, Gary and Jim worked tirelessly to
move the company forward and help it remain competitive in the changing
business landscape. Their vision and commitment grew SSMC from a single
office in Orlando into the largest surveying firm in Florida, with nine
offices and ever-expanding clientele. Gary and Jim were also
instrumental in moving the company from a single-service surveying and
mapping provider to a diversified firm providing surveying and mapping,
subsurface utility engineering, and GIS services.
Gary began his
career with SSMC in 1973, just one year after the company’s inception.
Originally a surveying rodman, Gary moved up quickly, becoming an
invaluable member of the team and helping change the future of the
company. In 1996, when Roger Lonsway retired, he sold the firm to Gary
and Jim, and now, SSMC moves into the next chapter of its ownership.
Acting
on behalf of the employee owners are Thom Mead, Darryll DeMarsh, and
Brian Garvey (30, 19, and 18 years with SSMC, respectively), who will
serve as the executive leadership team. During the current transition
Thom will split his time between the Chipley regional office and Orlando
corporate headquarters, thereby allowing him to integrate into
corporate operations while assuming director duties of the Survey
division. To help with this realignment, Lee Anderson and Tony Syfrett
have assumed management of the Chipley office and will start assuming
more of Thom’s project management and leadership responsibilities.
Given
the new company structure, SSMC will be performing a detailed review to
evaluate current workflow processes and adjust organizational
responsibilities, with the ultimate goal of modernizing how we do
business. However, our company’s objective remains the same now as it
was in 1972: To meet our clients’ needs on time and within budget while
maintaining our commitment to delivering outstanding quality service.
