The Geoholics

All we can say is Ben is the man! The guys were honored to spend time with Ben Williams this week, the COO of Exyn Technologies, an autonomous drone technology stack leading the industry in unstructured environment and GPS-denied navigation. Ben is an Entrepreneur, Operator, Product + Engineering guy, and begrudging optimist. He has worked in large organizations (AT&T/Fullscreen Media, Lockheed Martin, and the U.S. Navy) as well as founded and led smaller startups (Reelio, Zentropy, Open Sky Energy, PennDSL). On top of that, in 2017 he was selected for Wharton's 40 Under 40! I guess we should also mention that Ben is a father, husband, combat veteran, Div I track athlete, men’s league rugby player, and alpine mountaineer. We are definitely not worthy! Mother Teresa was quoted! Music by Led Zeppelin!!

This could not have gone any better! The guys were joined in-studio this week by Randy Tompkins, PSM, PLS, PS the winner of the 2000th member of The Geoholics LinkedIn Group contest!! Randy made his way to AZ all the way from Florida to talk all things surveying. He is the Federal Survey Manager and Senior Project Surveyor in DRMP’s Geospatial Division. Just some of the topics touched on include automation in the survey industry, AI, reality capture, LS requirements, importance of education, diversification, how the required skillset is changing for a geospatial professional and so much more. Randy's passion for problem solving and developing top talent are very apparent. Mike Rowe was quoted. Music by Boston! 

What a blast! Always great having our guests in-studio! The guys (and Aaron Michalenko!) were joined this week by Adam Kersnowski, Co-Founder & COO at AirWorks. Adam consistently brings "it" to another level every time we talk to him...this time was no different! We discussed the latest AirWorks updates, what makes AirWorks unique, AI deliverables, real world user experiences, the 3D viewer, managing deliverables, partnerships with Carahsoft, Nearmap, DataSight and Esri! Big things are happening and you do not want to get left behind! David Lassner was quoted. Music by Leon Bridges!!

Check this out! The guys were joined this week by Stephanie Gardner (Utility Unicorn Making the Mythical Real), Joe Eberly (VP Growth & Sales) & Raz Ezra (Senior Director of Sales) = Team 4M Analytics!!! This team of professionals is changing the face of utility risk mitigation and coordination! “4M Analytics’ adds disruptive enhancements to an engineer’s ability to comprehensively investigate the underground utility environment sufficiently to design new infrastructure projects without expensive and time-consuming surprises.” - James (Jim) H. Anspach. Post Malone was quoted. Music by Full Trunk!

One of the BEST path to becoming a land surveyor stories EVER!!! The guys were joined in-studio this week by Dennis Rose, PLS and it was one for the ages as they say. Dennis is the Chief Operating Officer at GIS Surveyors, Inc. (GSi) which is a veteran owned geospatial firm with land survey, lidar, GIS & utility locating. Just some of the topics discussed include punk rock, a life altering road trip, utility surveying, life at GSI, outsourcing, insourcing, team development, LaHaina, GIS integration, and questioning the answers!!! Groucho Marx was quoted. Music by The Misfits!!!

We love these ladies!!! The guys & Peta Cox were joined this week by Amy Roosa & Deila (Dee-eye-la) Ray from Safety Rack. These ladies are not only passionate about their respective trades, but also making sure women are provided with PPE that fits!!! We discussed challenges & triumphs, importance of inclusion & diversity in the trades, safety & the PPE gender gap, the impact good mentoring has on women in the trades, and overall advice for women either working or considering a career in the trades!!! Theresa Whitmarsh was quoted. Music by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg!!

The guys were joined this week by a very impressive trio of TopoDot influencers! Jennifer Triana, TopoDot Business Development Director, Randy Allen, TopoDot Director of Training & Support and Josh Miller, David Evans & Associates Delivery Leader and TopoDot superuser all added a ton of value to an already packed show. Some of the items discussed include how TopoDot has become an industry standard, AI advancements, the new ground extraction tool, unique user success stories, and the many ways TopoDot continues to support the geospatial industry. Peter H. Diamandis was quoted. Music by Bad Bunny!!!

Now for a completely new twist...DD was joined by his oldest daughter McKenna for her first ever co-hosting gig!! This was a ton of fun to say the least! Heather Hakes was our esteemed guest this week to discuss how you can upgrade your mindset + habits to live a happier, more prosperous life. Heather has been fascinated with psychology and human potential and has been studying personal development for more than 20 years. She is passionate about the power of mindset and how shifting paradigms will literally change your reality. She is on a mission to be a lighthouse for humanity to re-mind you to take your innate power back through awareness and self empowerment. Heather's vision is to help you to unlearn all of the false beliefs holding you in fear, lack and limitation. She is a Personal Trainer - for your MIND! Deepak Chopra was quoted. Music by Blues Traveler!!!

www.heatherhakes.com

Making CPAP's & Property Rights cool again!!! The guys were joined this week by Amy Coughenour (Coke-an-hour) Betancourt, President & Chief Executive Officer at Cadasta Foundation. Cadasta is an innovative non-profit organization founded in 2015 that develops and promotes the use of digital technology and data to put vulnerable communities and their land and resource rights on the map. Amy is a transformational global leader delivering impact through creative alliances, growth strategies, with a keen ability to connect across multiple stakeholders. Who knew how interesting and vitally important this effort is?!?!? Adding to this inspiring and informative conversation, DD was joined by Nik Smilovsky & Rex Parry!!! William Howard Taft was quoted. Music by Gipsy Kings!

Any friend of Tim Evans' is a friend of ours! The guys had an unscripted conversation with Ryan Nickle, Owner/President Nickle Contracting. Check out this completely different formatted episode and get to know a generational success story in the uber competitive general contracting world!