A lot of things happened 18 years ago. 2004 was the year the last episode of Friends and the first episode of Lost was aired. It was the year Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in his university dorm, and if not most importantly, the year Terrain Surveys was established.
On the 28th April 2004, our founders, John, Neil and Colin, put their heads together and started Terrain Surveys. Working out of a single office in Codicote, they dedicated their time to building the foundations of what has become a hugely successful business. And now, nearly two decades later, we employ 25 like-minded people who are ready to take on the next challenge.
To celebrate this milestone, we treated the team to an early finish so they could enjoy an afternoon of ten-pin bowling followed by a fantastic meal at The Bombay restaurant. After taking on a few new starters recently in line with our plans to grow the team year-on-year, it was a fantastic opportunity to get to know everyone a little better outside of office hours.
Terrain Surveys rebrand project
After 18 years working under the same brand, we decided now was the time to reflect on what we have become in that time, and showcase that to our ever-growing customer base. We wanted to step away from a brand that had become tired and divisive, towards something contemporary that would allow us to stand out within the industry. Over the years, the direction of our business has changed, and we continue to take on more and more large-scale, commercial contracts, meaning we needed a way to project this shift of focus to a wider audience.
Working with a creative design agency, we turned the brand on its head and started from scratch. Sitting down and discussing what was important to us as a business, what drives us forward and what has made us who we are, was a hugely insightful part of the process, and allowed us to create a brand concept that reflected all aspects of our business, past, present, and future.
From our uniform to our website, we’ve given everything a brand-new look for 2022.
Growing up over the years
So, what’s changed the most over the last 18 years? We’ve spoken to a couple of our long-standing employees to get their views.
Nick, Survey Manager, explains, “I’ve been at the company for 15 years, joining after leaving college. My first role was a Trainee Surveyor and I’ve now progressed to become a Survey Manager. When I joined, I was the 6th member of the team based in a single office in Codicote. However, around 10 years ago we moved to our current office giving us plenty of room to grow. I think one of the biggest changes has got to be how we used to navigate to the survey locations. There were no satnavs in those days so it was all reading from an old-fashioned paper map, a skill set lost on today’s trainees!”
Technology has played a major part in our industry, changing the way we carry out surveys and helping to streamline processes. Nick remembers, “When I first started, we used to add survey data to OS maps as we didn’t have GNSS to work with; we used to hand tape and sketch. The integration of 3D laser scanners in our industry has had a huge impact. These fantastic pieces of kit have helped improve the quality and efficiency of our services massively.
Emails weren’t as common, we had to plot drawings and physically post hard copies of these to clients instead of only sending a digital copy via email.
As a result of advances in technology and our own systems and processes, our turnaround time is much quicker and client expectations are higher as a result.”
Andrew, a Senior Surveyor, looks back over the last 7 years, “We used to do a lot of smaller residential work which would generally involve 1-2 days on-site, but that’s changed over the years and we’re now spending a week or longer on site completing more large commercial sites which is exciting.
Technology has made a big difference in our industry. We now get the same results in less time, so a project that took two weeks on-site would now only take two to three days. There have been big improvements with GNSS and rapid 3D laser scanner technology advancement. The early generation of scanners were fantastic at the time, they still have their place for the right project but would be considered cumbersome, heavy and slow compared to the latest generation of scanners. I’ve recently become a commercially licensed UAV operator so I can take drones out to the site to do roof inspections, 3D modelling, and photography, something we’d never have been able to do all those years ago.”
It’s great to see how many improvements Terrain Surveys have made over the years. We’re proud to be at the forefront of the industry, always looking for ways we can incorporate the latest technology to provide a better service for our customers. But what we also love to see is how our newest employees feel about the future of Terrain Surveys and how we can help jumpstart their careers.
We asked Elliot, a Junior Surveyor, what interested him about joining our company. “I wanted to join a company where I could continue to learn and have a career. I also liked the mix of being onsite and in the office. I like the fact it’s an active job, the company is a welcoming place and offers excellent training.”
Max, a Trainee Surveyor, agrees, “I was attracted by the job specification, the ongoing learning and the variety on the job. I liked the mix of office and onsite work, plus there is an excellent opportunity to progress as a career.”
We can’t wait to keep building upon our business over the next 18 years and look forward to speaking with Max and Elliot again when they become long-standing Terrain Surveys employees!
