About
History
HERITAGE Land Surveying & Engineering, Inc., formerly Heritage Surveys, Inc., opened its doors in October of 1976. Our headquarters is located in the scenic and peaceful Western Massachusetts town of Southampton. Inside, the staff works on a state-of-the art networked computer system while the field crew visits sites throughout Hampshire and Hampden counties, collecting data.
HLSE works like a close-knit team. Most employees have worked at Heritage for more than ten years, with several having more than 20 years of experience and others dating back to its inception. As a result, we are able to provide a continuity of service that many clients greatly appreciate and we also often can build from an established base of information for individual projects.
The President of HERITAGE Land Surveying & Engineering, Inc. is Bruce Hunsaker.
The HLSE staff works cooperatively with other consultants and professionals such as architects, engineers, attorneys, landscape architects, foresters, photogrammetrists and environmental professionals. We frequently will pull together a team of professionals to provide comprehensive supervision and coordination of all services for a particular project.
HLSE has been on the leading edge of technological improvement since its establishment. It was one of the first firms in the region to use and become proficient with the AutoCAD and Softdesk programs. For many years, our staff members have been obtaining field measurements of angles and distances electronically, then downloading the data into our state-of-the-art computer system. Employees have undergone training courses in the use of field and office equipment, and regularly attend courses and seminars to keep abreast of the latest improvements.
Heritage Surveys, Inc. has received several winning awards in the Cadastral Survey, Title Insurance Plan, and Engineering Site and Subdivision Plan categories at the MALSCE Conventions in recent years.
Personnel
President
Bruce F. Hunsaker
Bruce has been involved in the industry for over 36 years and has been instrumental in furthering the success of existing corporations as well as building a start up company during a down economy. Prior to founding HLSE, Bruce directed the daily operations of over 30 survey crews providing construction staking for large scale residential and commercial/industrial projects. He has also provided surveying and project management for transportation projects undertaken by clients such as Caltrans, the County of Orange and the Cities of Irvine and Anaheim to name a few.
Founder and Former President
Bruce A. Coombs
Bruce is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont, He is also a licensed Real Estate Broker and Certified Soil Evaluator in Massachusetts. He attended Paul Smith's College where he studied Land Surveying and then, received his B.A. degree in Forest Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a member and past president of the local chapter of the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE) and a member of the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping and the Massachusetts Tri-County Highway Superintendents Association.
Bruce has been a resident of Southampton, MA since 1966. He is a member of the Southampton Capital Improvement Committee and the Southampton Historical Society. He also acted as an advisor to the Town of Southampton Rural Lands Committee for a comprehensive zoning update and GIS mapping project.
Director of Engineering
Mark Reed
Mark received his degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Greenfield Community College in 1976 and joined the Heritage Surveys team in 1983. He is a Certified Soil Evaluator. Mark is well-versed in the Massachusetts Title 5 Sanitary Code, the design and installation of sewage disposal systems, Federal and State laws and regulations including the Massachusetts Environmental Code, Building Code and the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection and Riverfront Acts. He has been a member of the Southampton Conservation Commission for many years. He also has served as a member of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, the Connecticut Valley Association of Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors, and the Rural Lands Committee for the development of GIS Mapping and comprehensive revisions of the Town of Southampton Zoning Bylaws.
Mark coordinates and supervises all engineering and environmentally related survey projects with clients, employees and management, and represents clients at meetings with municipal boards and officials. He evaluates projects for zoning and subdivision compliance and advises clients accordingly. He also performs percolation testing, soil analysis and evaluation.
General Manager of Operations
mARK annis
Mark D. Annis received an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Greenfield Community College in 1974 and began work at Huntley Associates, in 1973, and progressed to full time employment after June 1974. Mark secured a position at Heritage Surveys, Inc. in 1976 and remained until 1986. He then worked for various survey companies in Western Massachusetts from 1986 to 1996.
From 1996 to 1999 Mark was the successful proprietor of Mark D. Annis Land Surveying, he then moved on to various survey companies in Western Massachusetts from 2000-2011.
Mark returned to Heritage Surveys, Inc. in January of 2011. He has implemented the use of Robotic Technology making field work as efficient as possible and occasionally requiring only one person do field work for Boundary Surveys or Construction Surveys.
Mark is the current secretary of the Berkshire Chapter of MALSCE (Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers) having served in that position since 2005.
Former General Manager of Operations
Peter Watson
Peter graduated from Paul Smith's College with a degree in Land Surveying and began working at Heritage Surveys in 1978. Peter has mastered all aspects of surveying including research, field surveying and computer-aided design and drafting. He is also well-versed in the subdivision and zoning regulations of towns throughout Western Massachusetts. Peter has served as a member and chairman of the Cummington Planning Board and as a member of the Connecticut Valley Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers.
Peter meets with clients, evaluates survey projects and provides cost estimates. He also schedules, coordinates and oversees all research, field survey work, computer-aided design (CAD) and mapping performed by other employees.