Milestones in the industry.

Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Chevy Chase, Md., an underwriting management firm, chose John F. Shettle as a new president to lead its operations.

Kurt Allen, PLS, vice president of Photo Science Inc. in Greenbelt, Md., was seated as the thirteenth president of the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS). Allen has established two priorities for MAPPS: to strengthen the association's efforts in government affairs and to focus on professionalism in the way MAPPS member firms perform their services, and serve their clients and the public.

The MAPPS membership also elected four new members to the board of directors and re-elected one incumbent member. Michael Bullock of Intermap Technologies Inc., Englewood, Colo. was re-elected to a third term on the board. Newly elected directors include: David Hart of Continental Mapping Consultants, Sun Prairie, Wis.; Brant Howard of CompassData, Centennial, Colo.; Dick McDonald of Michael Baker Jr. Inc., Beaver, Pa.; and Anne Hale Miglarese of EarthData Holdings, Washington, D.C.

Leica Geosystems HDS, San Ramon, Calif., announced a further strengthening of its strategic partnership with Zoller+ Fröhlich, Wangen, Germany. Based on the commercial success of an OEM distribution agreement under which Leica markets Z+F's ultra-high speed laser scanners as the Leica HDS4500, the OEM agreement has been made fully exclusive to Leica for several key geographic markets. The key Leica-exclusive markets are North America, South and Latin America, China and Australia. Leica remains free to sell under the Leica brand and fully support HDS4500 phased-based scanners to the remaining geographic markets on a non-exclusive basis.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) presented Clyde Porter, PLS, the Distinguished Service Award for his record of dedicated service to the engineering and surveying professions. Porter is an emeritus member of the Idaho Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors. During his ten-year membership on the board, he served as secretary in 1996 and 2001, as vice chair in 1997 and 2002, and as chair in 1998 and 2003. Porter also served one year on the NCEES Finance Committee and ten years as a member of or consultant to the Examinations for Professional Surveyors Committee. He also served several years as subcommittee chair for the Fundamentals of Surveying Examination Committee.

BL Companies, Meriden, Conn., announced that 12 senior staff members became shareholding owners of the firm. BL Companies' ownership team now includes its two directors of land surveying: Jennifer Marks, LS, and Robert Roper, LS.

Jeffrey A. Meyerrose, LS, joined Woolpert Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., as a survey project director. Meyerrose provides Woolpert's clients with project management and business development for residential, commercial and industrial development projects with large survey components. Meyerrose earned a B.S. degree in land survey engineering from Purdue University and is registered in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. Also, Ron Budd joined Woolpert as a survey project manager. Budd's duties at Woolpert include business development and oversight of the construction portion of the survey group.