Richard "Dick" Elgin

elgin@rollanet.org

573-368-1550

Rolla, MO

“SURVEYING INSTRUMENT ROAD SHOW”


For this presentation, conference attendees are asked to bring their old, vintage, antique or unusual surveying equipment for valuation and comment by Dr. Elgin.  Dick is well known collector and researcher of such equipment and owns one of the largest private collections of early American surveying equipment.

If needed, Dick can supplement the presentation with a slideshow of important pieces from his extensive collection.

In this presentation, Dick sometimes pokes a little fun at the equipment and the person who brought it in.  At past meetings this has been a very well received presentation.

 “IMPROVING YOUR FIRM’S OFFICE PRACTICES”

Seminar Abstract

A presentation for owners, principals and managers of surveying/engineering firms, it offers effective, tested, practical, successful ideas for getting the project from initial client contact to getting paid, efficiently.  Taught by the former owner of a successful firm, the speaker gives the attendee the benefit of his 26 years of frustration in getting the project out the door, as promised, billed and paid, while at the same time, providing the Quality Assurance/Quality Control the project deserves.  Built into the session is time for questions with helpful, responsive answers from the speaker.  The presentation outline includes:  Let’s get organized:  In house forms.  Who does what?  Pricing the survey.  Getting paid.  Collections.  Use of surveyor’s notes on plats.  Reasons surveying firms fail.  Company goals.  Office aphorisms.  The presentation is supplemented with example forms.

“MARKETING YOUR SURVEYING SERVICES”


Seminar Abstract

A presentation for owners, principals and managers of surveying/engineering firms, it gives simple, effective, tested, practical, successful ideas for marketing the firm’s services.  Taught by the former owner of a successful firm, marketing ideas that have worked (and failed) are offered.  Built into the session is time for questions with helpful, responsive answers from the speaker.  The presentation outline includes:  Effective marketing ideas; the “Odds of Sales Success Scale”; ways of killing a marketing program; shall we propose on the project or forget it; effective public relations activities; ways to raise the firm’s profile; improving client relations and marketing aphorisms.  The presentation is supplemented with example form letters.

About Dr. Richard L. Elgin, PS, PE
St. James, Missouri

A second generation surveyor, Dr. Elgin was raised in St. James, Missouri and in his late parents' surveying business located in Rolla, Missouri.  After high school Dick joined the Army, went through helicopter flight school, was made a Warrant Officer, and spent 1969 in Vietnam flying LOH's and the ubiquitous UH 1 "Huey" with the Americal Division.  Following the Army he received the BSCE and MSCE degrees from the University of Missouri Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology, S&T) and his PhD from the University of Arkansas.  Leaving Arkansas he joined the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering at S&T as an Assistant Professor (1980 1984) and still is an Adjunct Professor, teaching surveying courses.  From 1984 until 2008 Dick was the owner and President of Elgin Surveying & Engineering, Inc..  Semi retired, Dick currently works for Archer Elgin Surveying and Engineering, LLC.  He is a former member of the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Landscape Architects; is a Past President of the Missouri Society of Professional Surveyors; is a member of both S&T's and the University of Arkansas' Academy of Civil Engineers; is a member of S&T's Order of the Golden Shillelagh; and is on the Board of Directors of S&T’s Alumni Association.  With Dr. David Knowles and the late Dr. Joe Senne, Dick coauthored the "Celestial Observation Handbook and Ephemeris" and codeveloped the "ASTRO" celestial observation software products.  With David Knowles, he coauthored "Legal Principles of Boundary Location for Arkansas."  Dick is the author of "The U.S. Public Land Survey System for Missouri."  He is an avid collector and researcher of early American surveying equipment, and owns one of the largest private collections of such equipment in the United States.  Semi retired, he and his wife enjoy touring by Moots bicycle, RV or in their perfectly restored 1976 Alfa Romeo GT Junior or 1967 Austin Cooper 1275 S.