Origin of Keen Surveying
The history of Keen Surveying LLC has its roots in the late-1970’s. My uncle, John Keen, was asked to help a local surveyor in Southwest Virginia with a small survey job that he was trying to finish. John worked only a short while with the surveyor, but the experience left a positive lasting impression on him. He vowed that he too would become licensed and open his own business before long. As he delved deeper into his own surveying education, he began to incorporate my father, Jack Keen, into some of the jobs he was taking on. This created the same lasting impression upon my Dad as it had my uncle. Already in the midst of a teaching career, my father decided to also pursue his new interest in the field of surveying. It was difficult to balance being a full-time high school math teacher with the studying and apprenticeship required to become a licensed land surveyor. Nevertheless, he persevered and by 1995 he achieved his goal of becoming a professional land surveyor.
This necessitated an occasional field crew to gather data of course, and he found willing participants in both my brother (Ernie) and I. And so began my own journey in the field of land surveying. My pursuit in this career led me through a civil engineering degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This provided me with an understanding of the overall civil engineering world, and how surveying can often play an integral role within it. Both before and after my own licensure was achieved, I worked in different engineering firms around the region. I gained a more practical perspective on what I was most suited for in the profession of surveying. That has ultimately led me to the creation of Keen Surveying LLC. A firm that will be able to address survey needs around the region with a balanced approach to the needs of the client, along with an understanding of the civil engineering world that surrounds us all. While remaining in close connection with my father on occasional projects, I have the ability to serve both private individuals and municipalities in numerous potential ways. Utilizing state of the art software and GPS, along with traditional methods when needed, Keen Surveying can fulfill virtually any need that arises. This all goes to show that although the firm is relatively new, its genesis was both written and practiced, long ago.
