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November 26, 2007

Site work | A chat with Fred Nehring, founder of Nehring Company P.C. in Bath

Founded: September 2006
Employees: Nehring, plus one part-time worker
Startup costs: $75,000
Revenue, year one: $60,000
Projected revenue, year two: $80,000
Contact: 443-3044
53 Front St., Ste. 9, Bath 04530
www.nehringcompany.com

How do you describe your job to people?
Well, land surveying consists of about three parts. The [first] two phases are looking for the legal records and then looking for evidence of what was called for in the legal records on the ground. Once I have those two things, I bring them back here in the office and do my third favorite thing I like to do ˆ— draw the plan. Sometimes it takes a little bit of interpretation and deciphering, but it's fun.

The surveys that I get involved with mostly are boundary surveys, where someone wants to put up a fence or thinks that their neighbor is building on their property. Another one ˆ— not so much here, but up north ˆ— is timber trespass. Landowners always want to know where the [boundary] is so they can harvest their wood.

How did you get interested in this field?
I used to work behind a desk and I just thought, "Wow, it would be so much better if I could move around a little more." I managed a credit union in New York City. I just wanted to change my life around a little bit. A lot, actually. And this seemed like a very good profession because it has the detective work, the field work, the drawing. And of course being on your own, you're able to make your own hours, to form a business that you really like.

So what was your first step?
I went to school in Orono. I had to return to college and get a four-year degree in what they called "Spatial Information Science and Engineering." My previous work was all in accounting and business. I graduated in 2003 and I got a job at [Leighton & Associates Inc.] in Boothbay. After I passed my test, I decided to open up my own practice, and here I am.

And you knew that you wanted to run your own firm afterward?
Pretty much. [But] I was happy to work for someone. There's a certain comfort in that you don't have to be going out knocking on doors to drum up the work. One thing I was not prepared for when I opened up my own business was the marketing aspect. What drives the surveying business is the relationship that [surveyors] can build up with the Realtors, with lawyers, the engineers. And so far, it takes a long time to get known.

Along that line, I'm working with the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts have a surveying merit badge. Last year, I got the Boy Scouts to work on a project for Habitat for Humanity. The boys got their merit badge, Habitat got their surveying work done and I got a little exposure in the community.

The thing that's helped a lot is getting involved in networking groups. We have a little group here in Bath called Midcoast Commerce Connection that meets every Tuesday morning at Mae's Café. We share referrals.

Would you consider contracting that work out to a marketing firm?
That's an idea. Right now I have a little marketing plan together that I'm working on. It's supplemental to my business plan. My business plan was put together by a consultant, "Rosy Scenario." You know her?

Rosy Scenario? Oh! I think I have heard of her. So she put that together for you. And then is she working on your marketing plan, too?
No, she's fired. When I started this I had the ambitions of having a small crew at work and, like I said, it was really slow at first. So, yeah, I basically took in about half of what I thought I was going to take in. It's a real struggle to put everything together. Fortunately, I've had the wherewithal to hang through this.

Does the slow real estate market impact your business at all?
Yeah, there's been a number of people who've put off projects where they wanted to sell a piece of their land. And they'll say, "Maybe later." Fortunately there's enough people who have a neighbor who they want to have a fence between ˆ— boundary disputes and that kind of thing. Fortunately there's no recession on those. Maybe unfortunately, I should say.

New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.

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