ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – In 1968, a young Terry Durden, PLS – now a vice president of DRMP – stood beside his father at a Disney World work site, staring up at a steel frame. “That’s going to be Cinderella’s Castle,” his father, a professional land surveyor who worked in Orange and Lake counties, told him. It was at that moment, surrounded by rebar and imagination, that Durden first saw the magic in surveying. That spark turned into a lifelong calling.

“I was basically born into the surveying profession,” Durden said. “My father is a retired professional land surveyor, and attending Florida Society of Professional Land Surveyors conventions was his idea of a family vacation. I’ve basically been a part of the Florida survey community my entire life.”

Now, decades later, Durden and his wife, Kim Durden – office manager of DRMP’s St. Augustine office – are retiring, closing a successful career chapter marked by family, entrepreneurship, and close ties to Florida’s surveying community. The couple met at Mount Dora High School in Florida – Kim Durden was 15, Terry Durden was 17 – and became high school sweethearts. Years later, they co-founded Geomatics Corporation in 1999 and opened its doors in January 2000, growing it from a one-truck operation into a respected 23-person firm. When Geomatics was acquired by DRMP in 2023, the Durdens stayed on to help guide a smooth transition, making sure the firm’s values and legacy were carried forward.

Terry and Kim Durden celebrating their retirement at a party hosted by DRMP.

Terry Durden began working full-time for his father’s company in 1978 right after high school, starting as a rodman and working his way up to crew chief. He reflected fondly on the early days of surveying as the field began evolving with new technologies.

“Surveying was just starting to become the dynamic profession that it is today,” he said. “I remember when the company got its first electronic distance measuring device (EDM). The crew chief made us chain the distances as a check because he didn’t trust the new technology. This time also ushered in the use of radios instead of hand signals, electronic data collectors, and computer-aided drafting.”

By 1987, Terry Durden was ready for the next step, enrolling in the Surveying and Mapping program at the University of Florida while raising a young family with his wife.

“Those years in Gainesville taught Kim and me that hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance can and will pay off someday,” he said.

It was the era of emerging GPS technology, and Terry Durden soon found himself working on research projects with graduate students, gaining hands-on experience that would influence his future career.

In 1991, the opportunity to move to St. Augustine arose where Terry Durden worked with the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s office to establish a GPS network for a future Geographic Information System (GIS). He wasn’t yet licensed, but he made a plan to deliver a quality network, earn his license, and apply for the county surveyor role.

“The years in Gainesville paid off,” he said. “I finished the GPS network, took the surveyors exam, and passed on my first try, and won the county surveyor position”  

Pictured from left are DRMP President Glenn Lusink, retiree Terry Durden, and DRMP Vice President Joe Di Benedetto during a retirement celebration.

But Terry Durden’s drive to innovate and grow didn't stop there. In 1993, after resigning from his county surveyor role, he joined a private firm in Jacksonville to manage its GPS department. A large percentage of his jobs were done for the water management districts, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE).  One of the highlights of this phase of his career was working on a Static GPS Network for the ACOE, which involved existing control monuments around Lake Okeechobee. He used a helicopter to deploy eight GPS units over the course of three days.

“That job kept me away from home for weeks at a time,” he recalled, “and I wanted to devote more time to my family.”

By December 1999, it was time to forge his own path. With a simple business model, “Work hard, provide the best job possible for the client, and take good care of employees,” Terry Durden co-founded Geomatics Corporation in St. Augustine. What began in January 2000 with “one truck, equipment, and one employee besides the two of us,” Kim Durden recalled, would become a respected name in Florida’s geomatics industry.

In those early years, Kim Durden balanced a full-time job with St. Johns County while supporting the business and raising their three sons, then ages 14, 12, and 7. “About year four, I went to work full-time with Geomatics,” she said.

The couple’s complementary strengths helped the company flourish with Terry Durden leading technical operations and business strategy and Kim Durden managing administration and culture.

By 2007, as the housing market began showing signs of slowing, Terry Durden pivoted Geomatics toward municipal and state contracts. He hired Pablo Ferrari, PSM, (now a vice president at DRMP) to head the firm’s Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) department, made Geomatics a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)-certified firm with Ferrari and Kim Durden as majority owners.

Ferrari said working with the Durdens throughout the years has been a joy, and their careers had crossed paths many times since they first met at the University of Florida in the late 1980s.

“Terry invited me to join him at Geomatics Corporation in 2006, and we’ve been partners ever since,” he said. “Kim has been the ‘glue’ that held us together through thick and thin. I will truly miss seeing them walk into the office each morning and saying, ‘Good night, see you tomorrow’ every evening. They’ve worked incredibly hard to get where they are today and deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labor.”

Pictured from left are DRMP Vice President Pablo Ferrari, Kim Durden, and Terry Durden.

In April 2023, after 23 years of growth and success, the Durdens and Ferrari sold Geomatics Corporation to DRMP. “I would not have sold to any company that did not have the same dedication to quality of work and employee retention,” Terry Durden said. “It was very challenging for Pablo, Kim, and I to walk away from total control of a company, but it was very rewarding knowing that DRMP had the same mindset toward clients and employees that we had. Another rewarding aspect was that I had the benefit of being a part of a large company that has many professionals who are at the forefront of the ever-changing technologies of surveying today.”

Kim Durden said when DRMP merged with Geomatics she didn’t know what to expect.

“I wanted more than anything for it to be the right move for our team,” she said. “It didn’t take very long to figure out this was a very smart move. Almost immediately we were impressed by how helpful and professional everyone was and the support we received.”

As the St. Augustine office manager, Kim Durden played a key role in guiding her team through the transition. “Hopefully I did my part to make it a smooth transition,” she said. “More importantly, just seeing our team receive the wonderful benefits package and 401(k) that Geomatics couldn’t offer was a huge plus. In addition to the benefit package, is the recognition of milestone anniversaries, the company-branded gifts, and the fun team building events DRMP so generously supports. Seeing our employees warm up in the end, I knew this was a good, solid decision.”

Kim Durden beams at her retirement party.

The Durdens also remained committed to their values of service, community, and compassion.

“One of the values we continued with DRMP was to still be able to guide people, even if they might not become a customer, by taking the time to answer their questions,” Kim Durden said. “It’s not only the right thing to do but, it sets a company apart in the community.”

Among Kim Durden’s most memorable moments were projects with Habitat for Humanity, St. Johns Housing Partnership, and the television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Geomatics performed boundary surveys, laid out the foundation, and completed the final elevation certificate once the house was finished.

“Being able to see young families get into new or updated homes was rewarding,” she said.

Working alongside her husband and their sons, Jacob and Zachary who also work at DRMP, professionally for so many years brought its own rewards.

“It has been very rewarding in so many ways, but to sum it up, I am very proud,” Kim Durden said. “They make me a better person. I can’t say it has always been easy, but it has taught me patience, compassion and respect far beyond what I could imagine.”

As they step into retirement and travel across the country in their RV, what will the Durdens miss most?

“The people, most definitely,” Kim Durden said. “Also, I like structure and routine, so leaving that behind is a little intimidating. I will find my rhythm again someday, but for now, one day at a time.”

For Terry Durden, retirement comes with reflection and advice.

“Don’t think that everything should come to you easily,” he said. “If you want it, go out and earn it.”

About DRMP
DRMP is a multi-discipline firm serving clients in the public, private and industrial sectors in the development of infrastructure and has been in business since 1977.  DRMP currently employs 700 professionals in 23 office locations spread strategically across our service area.  Today, DRMP is ranked among Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” in the United States.  For more information, please visit www.drmp.com.