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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering alumnus Quentin Schukar has swiftly scaled the surveying ladder, from intern to vice president and director of surveying at Sherrill Associates, Inc. in Edwardsville.

During his undergraduate studies, Schukar’s professional potential was immediately apparent to Sherrill Associates’ owner and Chief Financial Officer David Sherrill, PLS, who is a lecturer in the SOE’s Department of Construction.

Sherrill’s intuition was correct. Schukar has proven his dedication toward professional growth and advancement since first joining the company as an intern in 2011. He completed a bachelor’s in construction management with the land surveying specialization in 2012.

Since then, he has held roles as an instrument operator in the field, crew chief, drafter and field crew coordinator. He’s obtained professional licensure in Illinois and Indiana, and a federal license. Schukar found his professional passion, and it shows.

“I enjoy surveying, because you get to work on something different almost every day, and no two jobs are exactly alike,” reflected Schukar, a Vandalia native. “Everything is so much easier when you are doing something you love. My advice to current students is to not let yourself get complacent. Keep trying to better yourself as a professional.”

“Quentin is an integral part of Sherrill Associates, Inc.,” Sherrill said. “He’s part of our ownership team and is the future of the company. His education and personal drive are what all growing companies seek.”

“The surveying specialization at SIUE prepared me for entering the workforce and becoming a professional,” Schukar said. “It taught all the basics I needed to hit the ground running once I graduated. The program also prepared me to take the Surveyor-in Training (SIT) and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license exams.”

In his current role, Schukar manages the company’s five field crews, initial research for all jobs, and the setting of property boundaries for each of the states in which he’s licensed.

“I enjoy working at Sherrill Associates, because we are a small company that truly cares about the quality of our work and takes care of our clients,” he said. “I also enjoy that most of our work is boundary surveying versus a lot of engineering work or construction staking.”

“Long-term, I would like to be involved more on the business side of Sherrill Associates,” he added. “I would like to expand the company to involve more drone work, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and 3D scanning.”

As for industry advancement, Schukar strives to make students more aware of surveying in order to build a robust pipeline of future leaders.

“Professional surveyors in general are aging as a group, and many will retire in the near future,” Schukar explained. “There aren’t enough young surveyors to replace them. I didn’t hear about surveying until my second year in college. Introducing the industry to students at an earlier stage could grow our profession.”

Photo: SIUE School of Engineering alumnus Quentin Schukar, vice president and director of surveying at Sherrill Associates, Inc.