FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 19, 2016
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
The Arkansas Division of Land Surveys is pleased to announce that John M. Thornton of Hot Springs, Arkansas has been appointed as State Surveyor.
He is a native Arkansan, residing in Hot Springs, Arkansas. John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Minor in Math and commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from Arkansas Tech University. After graduation, John attended officer basic training and upon completion returned home and joined Company A, 489th Combat Engineer Battalion, US Army Reserve. Upon completion of service as Company Commander and serving with the 489th Battalion, he joined the 122nd ARCOM division as a Major and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before leaving his 20 year military career. He began his survey career in 1974 and he became a licensed Professional Surveyor in 1979 and has maintained continuous licensure since that time.
During thirty-six years of Professional Surveying he spent thirty-four years at B & F Engineering, Inc. in Hot Springs, Arkansas and the last six years as Branch Survey Manager with Garver, LLC.
John has been involved in every facet of surveying that includes research, fieldwork, deliverables for cadastral, topographic, control and hydrological surveys. He has performed and managed survey work for construction staking for various forms of infrastructure such as bridges, streets, highways, drainage, utilities, levees, and parking lots.
His clients have ranged from individual property owners, to large corporations, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During his span of work, the Arkansas Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors has received no professional complaint of any form.
John possesses another important credential, as a Certified Floodplain Manager, licensed through the Arkansas Floodplain Management Program of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. He has used that knowledge to assist the City of Hot Springs, and Garland County with floodplain management activities. This activity requires the navigation of a complex set of rules and procedures required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program. John is considered an authority among his peers on matters related to elevation certifications for the National Flood Insurance Program.
A substantial portion of John's time has been volunteered to the Arkansas Society of Professional Surveyors. His involvement with the State's Surveying Society has ranged from thirty-six years of continual membership, to service as chairman of several committees, he served on the Board of Directors, served as President, and currently serves as the Legislative Committee chair. The Arkansas Society of Professional Surveyors provided their unanimous endorsement of his candidacy for this position.
On John’s appointment, Shelby Johnson, State Geographic Information Officer said, “I am excited we have John in place to lead the Division into the future. Everett Rowland laid a good foundation with his years of service and I have no doubt that John will usher in some new ideas and progress on this work. I’m looking forward to his success and the chance to learn from his experience.”
Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, said, “I’m very excited to welcome John Thornton as our new State Surveyor. John’s qualifications and expertise have well-prepared him for this role. I know that he will be a great asset to the state of Arkansas.” Thornton and Johnson are scheduled to meet with the Governor in the coming weeks to review future plans for the Division. The State Surveyor position and the Division of Land Surveys were created in 1973, with the mission to preserve the Public Land Survey System in Arkansas. The previous State Surveyors are Rayford Hudson, Cotton Green and Everett Rowland. Thornton becomes the fourth person to have held the title of State Surveyor since 1973.
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