Milestones in the industry.

POINT Inc., Olathe, Kan., announced Shigeyuki Sawaguchi as its new president. Sawaguchi provides his extensive product knowledge, international business experience and new vision to further the development of SOKKIA GPS products around the world. Sawaguchi joined POINT in December 2005 as vice president of business development and serves on its board of directors.

Woolpert Construction Services LLC (WCS), Columbus, Ohio, named Robert Compton, PE, as its new president. Compton leads Woolpert's Columbus office and is responsible for developing the firm's national and international clientele. He brings more than 30 years of commercial and infrastructure construction experience to the firm and has extensive experience in conceptual design, estimating, feasibility, project analysis and management.

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS), Livermore, Calif., named Dale Jefferson as software business development manager. Jefferson is based at the Topcon Technology Center in Columbus, Ohio. His primary responsibility is to develop software business for all Topcon strategic markets.

Also, Topcon announced several key promotions. Peter Wallace, former national sales manager of survey, was promoted to director of survey sales. Murray Lodge, former national sales manager of construction, assumed the position of director of construction sales. Steve Briggs, previously in the product group as senior manager for institutional accounts, moved to the sales department as networks and OEM sales manager.

Surdex Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., opened a new office in Houston, Texas. Staff at the new Houston location include: Randy Burkham, vice president of customer solutions; Jeff Tippen, senior project engineer; and Karen Burkham, Southwest office manager. Combined, the Houston staff holds more than 40 years of industry experience with skills in surveying, imagery, LiDAR, GIS, mapping, and project and account management. The Houston office offers services to the oil and gas industry worldwide, as well as engineering firms, and local, state and federal government agencies across the western United States.

Frontier Surveying Company, Corpus Christi, Texas, announced additions and staffing changes. James B. Gillis, NSLS, CLS, RPLS, joined Frontier as survey operations manager. Gillis has more than 30 years of experience in surveying and mapping, including boundary surveys, topographic mapping, control surveys, petroleum exploration surveys and construction monitoring. James M. Naismith, RPLS, LSLS, was appointed as vice president responsible for financial issues. Naismith has extensive experience in all aspects of surveying and mapping and has held management roles with two primary manufacturers of survey equipment. John Fincher, RPLS, joined Frontier as a project manager for pipeline surveys in the Fort Worth office. Fincher has been a registered land surveyor for more than 43 years with extensive pipeline and boundary survey experience. Another addition, Mike MacInnis, RPLS, was appointed as a project manager concentrating on hydrographic survey activities. MacInnis has experience in domestic and international seismic surveys. Jerry Moore, RPLS, with 16 years of experience, has taken on the role of project manager for oil and gas surveys. Clay Ward, RPLS, also joined Frontier and is working on a strategic expansion into central and west Texas. Ward has extensive experience in oil and gas and rural surveying.

RETTEW, Lancaster, Pa., announced staffing additions and promotions at the firm's Liberty and Margaretville, N.Y. offices. David Andros joined RETTEW with more than six years of experience as a design engineer. As a project engineer for the firm's land development group, he performs feasibility studies, site investigations, design services and writes grant applications for stormwater drainage, residential and commercial sewage treatment systems and subdivision/land development projects. Donald Schmalzle, PE, was also hired as project manager in the firm's land development group. Schmalzle has more than 27 years of experience in designing, managing and supervising projects, as well as overseeing quality assurance. Michael Rielly was promoted to project manager in the firm's land development group. Rielly's experience in civil engineering and land development projects allows him to serve an array of clients. John Van Benschoten was promoted to party chief of the firm's survey group. In addition to supervising the land survey crew in the Margaretville office, Van Benschoten is responsible for managing a wide range of surveying projects, including aerial control, GPS surveys and wetland delineation.

Coleman Engineering Company, Iron Mountain, Mich., announced the return of Tom Gordon, PE, to its Iron Mountain office. Gordon was with Coleman Engineering Company from 1978 to 1988 and rejoins the firm as the civil engineering department manager. Gordon has 28 years of experience as a civil engineer, including water and wastewater systems, land development and solid waste management, and is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan and Kentucky.

Greenhorne & O'Mara Inc. (G&O), Laurel, Md., appointed Hugh H. Hughes, RLS, LS, as project director of surveys. Working from the Fairfax, Va. office, Hughes oversees survey projects and operations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for private sector and federal, state and local government clients.