by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Greg Clary likes being a part of history.
As the owner and president of Clary & Associates, Inc. a professional surveying and mapping company, he has made a lot of history.
“While in college, I fell in love with land surveying as I discovered the historical roots of land surveying,” said Clary, who holds the Professional Surveyor and Mapper license. “George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln were land surveyors. Many of our founding fathers have their roots in land surveying because when our country was laid out, it had to be laid out by someone. We as surveyors were the original professionals in the country and our roots are real strong.
“In other words, I may a record a record plat for a subdivision. That record plat is put on the public records and it is there forever. The information that we use to establish boundaries relates back to 100 or 200 years ago and we use that historical record to recreate and perpetuate boundaries and ownership lines.
“When you look at the roots of our country, private ownership is the very heart of the freedom of our country, so surveying and mapping is rooted into establishing private property limits and ownership rights. We are tied into the law, engineering field and the concept of private property ownership.”
Clary likens his job to that of a practitioner.
“It’s like when you go to see your doctor,” he said. “My clients come to me like a land doctor. They are buying and selling land and my job is to survey the land and properly assist them in getting to the point where they can do their transaction, develop or do whatever it is that they are doing with it.”
Even as president of the company, he is still very hands-on with the work and signs off on about 90 percent of the surveys that come through the company.
“I don’t just see them, I supervise them,” he said. “I tell them what I want done. We then establish the procedures and policies and how we will go about doing our business. I’m in charge of about 90 percent of the private surveys that are done.”
Clary said that Realtors and developers need surveying and mapping firms that are honest, have high integrity and will give them the facts.
“What I like about it [land surveying] is the privilege of being a part of probably the most important investment a person makes,” said Clary. “Plus, the fact that we have a critical role in the development of the community. When we put our surveys on public record, they stay forever. You can design a project, and it may be destroyed and rebuilt, but the boundaries will remain. So, the privilege of being a surveyor is that what I do today is affecting generations of people. So that’s pretty cool to me to be a part of a long-term thing that makes your mark.”
After 20 years, his company is still going strong.
“We have good employees and excellent clients,” said Clary. “Our staff is in my opinion the best in Jacksonville. We had some good long-term employees that have helped us grow as a firm.”
Technology has also changed the company and the way they do things.
“When I started, the technology wasn’t even heard of then,” said Clary. “From a technological standpoint, the business and profession has rapidly taken on a different pathway. We have different skill sets that are required to perform the work today. From a technical standpoint, it is much more difficult. But, from an end result standpoint I think it is better. We can provide a higher level of accuracy and a more efficient method of providing the end result. We are able to provide a lot higher grade of service than we were before.”
When he started the company, he had one employee. Now, he has almost 50.
He is very focused on assisting and helping the professionals that work in this firm to grow as professionals and further their growth and development through continuing education.
The company provides subdivision surveying and platting, GPS surveys, transportation design and right of way surveys, topographical surveys, condominium surveys, subsurface utility designation and vacuum excavation, and Geographic Information System services.
“What our job is to do is to define the facts,” said Clary. “Then we show the facts in different formats so that the engineers, buyers or sellers can determine what they own or what they are going to develop.”
Real estate professionals, government entities and the general public use the company’s services in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.
Clary & Associates specializes in large, multi-phase subdivisions and commercial real estate surveying, including condominiums, apartment complexes, lodging facilities, shopping centers, malls, business parks, and industrial sites. Clary & Associates also has extensive experience providing transportation surveys to meet Florida Department of Transportation and associated governmental standards and requirements.
Clary’s job is to manage the business from an overall standpoint.
“I oversee and am responsible for the surveying, techniques, hiring of personnel and client relations,” he said. “I work with most of the private clients such as developers and builders.
He has been in the surveying business for over 30 years.
While he was working on an engineering degree at college, he took several land surveying classes, which peaked his interest.
He left college to work as an engineer’s aide with the State Road Department in Georgia. While there, he fell in love with the concept of surveying.
He decided to move to Jacksonville and got a job as a party chief with Louis H. McKee P.A. Surveyors in Orange Park.
In 1972, he became field office supervisor and party chief at McGhin, Ard & Associates, Land Surveyors also in Orange Park.
Prior to opening his own company, he worked as president of Northeast Florida Surveyors in Jacksonville and West Central Florida Surveyors in Tampa.
He opened his firm in 1983.
“My vision was to open my own company since I began surveying,” said Clary. “I wanted to give a high level of service to my clients and I also wanted to do it in a fashion that would be a little better than what I was able to working for other firms. As a professional, having my own practice would allow me to establish my own standards, my own methodology and how I approached my work. Having the ability and freedom to do that was what I was trying to accomplish.”
Clary also used his expertise and skills gained through Clary and Associates, Inc. to create and implement Applied Mapping, Inc. in 1997. Applied Mapping, Inc. involves GIS consulting services and the development of a high tech, yet user-friendly software application used to facilitate enhance operations, streamline workflow and assist managers in visually managing their assets, resources and time.
Over the last 20 years, Clary has learned a few lessons to keep him going.
“Honor, integrity and responsibility is the key note to my practice,” said Clary. “Honesty and integrity are two very important issues for me and what I do.”
Those key ingredients will hopefully propel his company into the future and take them to where they want to go.
“The biggest challenge that I face is keeping a vision of the profession and the vision of the future that I want this business to grow into,” he said. “I am making sure that I have clearly set a path and direction for the benefit of my clients and employees so that I don’t miss steer the ship. I want to make sure the ship is heading in the right way.
“The vision of the future is to continue to be on the cutting edge of service to my clients. I want to make sure we give them the highest level of service by utilizing the latest technology available, the best personnel I can possibly field to make sure they get the best possible service they can get and to maintain a high level of professional presence in the community by supporting the community and our city. The big deal is to keep all that in balance and to get there.”
Professionally, Clary has always felt it was important to be involved. He served for 12 years on the Subdivision Standards & Policy Advisory Commission of City of Jacksonville.
“I served under three different mayors,” said Clary. “It’s a thrill to live here, work here and to have a business here.”
He is also a member of the Florida Society of Professional Land Surveyors, American Congress On Surveying & Mapping, F.S.P.L.S. Florida Crown Chapter, associate member of the Florida Engineering Society, former chairman and member of the Florida Board of Land Surveyors, former director of the Northeast Florida Homebuilder Association, member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the Association of Information Technology Professionals
In addition to his professional involvement, he is heavily involved in giving to those less fortunate.
A few of his benefactors are the City Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Seamark Ranch, Pine Castle, Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, Children’s Haven, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Bartram Trail & Guard, the Mandarin Athletic Association, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Boyco Big Baseball, and the Northeast Florida Girls Softball Association.
Clary has also supported the American Cancer Society, Campus Crusade, the Christian Light Foundation, Here’s Life Jacksonville, the March of Dimes, The Rutherford Institute, the Red Cross, Gideons International, STAY, MDA, Lutheran Social Services, Prisoners of Christ Ministry, Junior Achievement, and Independent Living for the Adult Blind.
Clary credits his Christian beliefs for understanding the value of giving to others. He supports his staff in their efforts to give to human service agencies and says contributing whatever you can, whether it is time or money, helps those in need and makes our community a better place to live.
He is also very involved in his church, Russell Baptist. He has been involved in several ministries, traveled overseas to minister and is a Sunday school teacher. Clary was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Savannah. When Clary is not working he enjoys trophy hunting. He has been married to Tina for 30 years. They have four children, Alan, April, Jennifer, Joni and six grandchildren.