Gary LoRusso - Surveys Breakthrough Success
Gary LoRusso, a land
surveyor and past real estate professional, currently manages multi-million
dollar developments. He studied surveying and forestry at Paul Smith College in
the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and since 1977 has developed his career.
LoRusso often provides topographic surveys, mapping, boundary, subdivisions,
and other professional services. With the knowledge he gained as a licensed
real estate broker, he concentrates his efforts on property development
projects which he finds very mentally rewarding.
As a surveyor, Gary LoRusso wears a lot of hats in the land
development sector. For example, he locates property for development,
negotiates sales agreements, drafts documents, reviews regional codes, deals
with boundary issues, and a number of other concerns. In essence, a land
surveyor maps property using engineering, math, and law. They are more than
experts with tripod leveling instruments, however, because they interpret data
and transform it into a useful, and in Mr. LoRusso’s case, an artistic form.
The surveying field has drastically shifted with technology over
the past few decades. Global positioning systems (GPS) and satellite imagery
are utilized for major surveying sites and can, depending on the circumstances,
measure distances just as accurately as traditional tools. Generally speaking,
a surveyor used to use tape measures for distance, levels, theodolites, and
other basic techniques for mapping an area from a known elevation and location.
According to LoRusso, there are several different types of
surveying in practice to this day. The land title survey, for example, is the
image people traditionally conjure up when the term is mentioned. Here are a
few of the more common types of surveying:
· Bathymetric: Bathymetric
surveys are used for measuring the features and topography of the bed of a body
of water.
· Hydrographic: Hydrographic
surveyors map coastlines and other water-based features for engineering,
resource management, and navigation.
· Boundary: Boundary
surveying combines land measurements with legal documents. These are used for
laying out property borders for parcels. There are also mortgage surveys
utilized in the mortgage loan process to determine if the improvements are
located within the boundaries.
· Deformation: As
the planet changes and reacts to geological shifts, deformation surveys are
carried out to see if an object or feature moves. Certain points are measured
from one time to another, and a comparison of the data determines whether or
not a structure is moving.
Surveys are used in a variety of ways. Gary LoRusso says
construction on roads, dams, pipelines, railways, bridges, and buildings
require accurate surveys for engineering purposes. Surveyors encounter a series
of challenges with every project. For example, miscalculation errors in
previous surveys, easements, wildlife and vegetation can cause shifts in
existing “monumentation,” or property markers (either artificial or physical).
Throughout his career, Gary LoRusso has continued his education in
order to stay on the cutting-edge of surveying. Having received more than 1,000
additional hours of college level training, he has taken courses in ethics,
flood plain management, wetland determination, biology, negotiation, geodesy,
boundary law, business, and engineering.
He is the owner of Keystone Surveying and Mapping in 1991 in
Palmer, AK. As the business’ owner, he understands that a combination of
business acumen and surveying expertise was required to propel his business to
success. He worked as a broker and partner for Munford Real Estate for 12
years, and was also a member of the Valley Board of Realtors and the National
Association of Realtors. As mentioned, LoRusso managed multi-million dollar
investments that stretched from real estate brokerage through completion. The
entire process often includes the following steps:
· Helping
construction firms locate property suitable for development
· Taking
part in sales negotiations
· Drafting
law-abiding documents for both parties
· Reviewing
applicable codes, rules, and regulations that may affect the property’s
development
· Resolving
any issues with titles and local and state governments
· Resolving
boundary conflicts
· Creating
a timetable for development
· Determining
the project’s future value
· Pitching
the project
Gary LoRusso is also a licensed surveyor in New Hampshire and has
been since 1986. During this time, he was a member of the New Hampshire Land
Surveyors Association. His activism does not end there, however, and he has
used his skills as a businessman and surveyor in a number of aspects for
professional and charitable organizations.
Organizational
Charity and Development
Gary LoRusso was a catalyst for the mapping of an alternate
route for the Wolverine Canyon trail on Lazy Mountain, AK. An existing
community trail created conflicts with the Lazy Mountain Community Council, and
LoRusso dedicated his time and professional services to produce a topographical
map of the area. A lot of his philanthropic endeavors focus around local forest
protection. Some of his past and present involvements are with the Palmer Arts
Council, the Appalachian Trail Conference, National Audubon Society, National
Wildlife Federation, and the Farmland Trust of Alaska.
Trail mapping is a major aspect in sustainable forest development.
Members of a community utilize trails to reduce human impact ratings in the
wild, and trails do not build themselves. Instead, skilled surveyors often go
out on their own dime to lay out the boundaries of a trail in development.
Gary LoRusso Works on His Hobbies
Throughout his life and career, Gary LoRusso has pursued a number
of hobbies. He picked up the banjo when he was 25 years old and took a year of
lessons from east coast banjo legend Frank Valentino. Never having played an
instrument before, LoRusso studied, practiced, and played until he returned to
Alaska and joined up with a ragtime piano player. He played tenor banjo
throughout Alaska for several years.
He crossed over to several different genres as well. For instance,
he joined with Polka Dan and played for the guests of a cruise ship that was
docked in Anchorage. He later picked up the tenor guitar when he was 40 and
learned to improvise jazz and swing music. One of his most interesting gigs was
as a member of the Nomadic Milkmen. The non-traditional acoustic jam band plays
original music and rocked the Sluice Box at the Alaska State Fair.
He is
also an avid outdoorsman. LoRusso enjoys fishing for rainbow trout and silver salmon, hiking,
cycling, and, of course, surveying. Community service, for LoRusso, is a hobby
that he has taken part in since his career began. He is also interested in
stone masonry (stonework or stonecraft). Historically speaking, stonemasons
were major components in some of the world’s largest construction projects.
Professional
Development
Currently a registered land surveyor in Alaska, LoRusso is one of
the few wetland consultants on a list of wetland consultants provided by the
Army Corps of Engineers. He is also a member of the American Congress on
Surveying and Mapping and several other professional organizations. He focuses
a lot of his free time on professional development, and he participated in a
rewrite for the New Hampshire and Alaskan land surveyors’ ethics and standards.
As a volunteer, he spent countless hours reviewing and writing questions for
the State of Alaska Professional Surveying Exam.
He is a well-known surveyor throughout his valley and all across
Alaska. Through his company, Keystone Surveying and Mapping, he works alongside
borough regulations and understands local and federal laws and regulations.
This helps him become a proactive planner for land developments and property
management in general.
LoRusso’ s experience in real estate, surveying, and business
allows him to approach multi-spectrum problems and find an efficient,
cost-effective and community-minded solution. The industry constantly undergoes
changes and rewrites, but due to his active-minded efforts in the real estate
and surveying sectors, he is able to stay on the cutting edge. Gary LoRusso
looks forward to years of continued success in all of his endeavors.
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