Our Summer Spotlight series shines a light on the uniqueness of our Dawood team members. Diversity is key, as we all look to excel in a world of possibilities. Today, we speak with Survey Project Manager Ashley Harper.
- Tell us about your background.
Licensed in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia, I have more than 20 years of experience managing residential and commercial site land surveys and ALTA/NSPS surveys. My resume includes utility, roadway improvement, industrial, renewable energy, power generation facility projects and construction projects—areas where Dawood excels.
I’ve also worked as survey lead at the Plant Vogtle Nuclear Construction site for Georgia Power and Southern Nuclear and survey project manager for the Kia Motors manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia—providing layout for foundation support systems entailing more than 30,000 geopiers and auger cast piles.
- What’s your role at Dawood?
I joined the company in January as a survey project manager in Atlanta, Georgia, performing boundary and topographic surveys for residential and commercial developments.
- What do you like most about our company culture?
Dawood is a larger firm with a smaller company feel. Anytime I have questions or need help with issue resolution, it’s easy to get the support I need. I enjoy working closely with engineers, developers, and contractors to solve problems, ensure quality and client specifications are met, and develop relationships.
For example, I recently attended the Southern Company Technical Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, with two of my Dawood colleagues—Director of Energy Cindy Khalaf, PE, and Director of Geospatial Technologies Jodie Gosselin, GISP. This well-organized client event was not only an opportunity to tell Dawood’s diversity story and showcase our turnkey technology, engineering, and surveying solutions, but a great learning experience.
- What’s the greatest bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Never hold grudges, let anger linger, or burn bridges—you don’t know what people may be experiencing at any given moment in time, or when you may need each other again.
- What are your hopes for our industry?
That the A/E/C industry continues to advance with technology and garner interest from younger generations. Global Positioning Systems (GPS), for example, is a core location-based tool that has evolved leaps and bounds since I began using it when I started my surveying career. More resistant to jamming, today’s GPS contains a high-powered transmitter that works well in dense woodland areas where reception can be less reliable.
Drones with LiDAR technology also are evolving at a faster pace than I thought possible—physically smaller and able to capture more accurate and reliable survey data.
Professionals starting their careers in our industry tend to treat technology as 2nd nature, and their fresh infusion of ideas and willingness to solve problems with a different perspective is necessary to keep us all trending in the right direction.
- Technology is exciting, but we all need to unplug…how do you recharge?
The beach gives me a chance to really relax and reset. My family and I love visiting the Florida Panhandle near Ft. Walton and Destin. Sitting on the sand and listening to the peaceful sound of the waves crashing is extremely relaxing. I also like to wade out past the shoreline for surf fishing in the evening.
- Favorite quote?
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” — Robert Louis Stevenson