Earth Data Reports Record Number of Eagle Scouts Among Its Employee Ranks

What does it take to be an Eagle Scout? Mark Williams, the CEO of Earth Data, Inc., a Centreville, Maryland-based company offering field-oriented water resources and geospatial consulting services would tell you it speaks to a person’s integrity, honesty, hard work, and dedication. That’s why he’s proud to have four Eagle Scouts among his employees today.

“I feel like it’s highly unusual to have four of 20 employees – 20 percent, having reached the advancement of being an Eagle Scout. When I’m reviewing resumes and I see Eagle Scout that means something to me—helps to tilt the scale in favor of me bringing someone in for a personal interview,” states Mark Williams, CEO, Earth Data, Inc.

Although not an Eagle Scout himself, Williams values community service which has been a big part of his civic life.

“My number one rule of life is to treat every living being with dignity and respect. I believe we need to leave the world a better place than we found it. At Earth Data, we are more than data. We are people who work hard and want to help, not only our clients but our community.”

Pictured left to right are Jeff Chipman, James Janis, Jackson Forrest and JP Stokes, four of 20 employees at Earth Data who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in their younger years.

According to the Boys Scouts of Ameican, each year, approximately 55,000 youth achieve the important milestone of completing an Eagle Scout service project which reflects the scout’s spirit of caring and giving. These projects usually have a significant impact on a community and represent the scout’s very best effort.

Earth Data Geospatial Analyst James Janis became an Eagle Scout because of the honor that comes with the designation. His Eagle Scout Project centered around the Assateague Coastal Trust “Gateway to the Bay” project.  The purpose of the project was to use native vegetation to make the drive to Assateague Island seem less touched by man.

“My Eagle Scout project was a small part of a larger project.  The first thing that was needed was to find land to be donated for the landscaping portion.  After I identified the location, I looked through native plant species that would be suited to the area.  Because we were building the Pine Shore Golf Course, where I worked at the time, I had all of the equipment that was needed to install the landscaping with help from volunteers from the troop. The Eagle Scout project gave me confidence in my leadership ability and in obtaining goals,” stated Janis.

Another Earth Data employee, Jackson Forrest, who serves as the company’s Senior Geospatial Analyst and Data Manager, commented, “I wanted to become an Eagle Scout because of the years I was able to spend with friends going on trips and learning new skills. Our local church had a degraded walkway from the church to the hall next door, so my Eagle Scout project involved removing the old stone pathway and building a new brick walkway. Earning the Eagle Scout recognition allowed me the opportunity to learn how to raise money for my project and to figure out the logistics and organize the volunteers to help me get the work done. It was great to give back to the community.”

Earth Data Senior Hydrogeologist JP Stokes, now a registered professional geologist (P.G.) in 3 states, decided to overcome his childhood shyness challenges and complete his Eagle Scout project before his 16th birthday. His Eagle Scout project was to ensure that his community of nearly 1,000 homes all had house numbers visible from the street to help increase the emergency services response times.

“So much of the Eagle Scout journey involves being able to effectively reach out to others for help, as well as communicate with your neighbors and community leaders, especially in public speaking forums. The service project helped me with not just setting goals but knowing how to achieve them through long-term planning, time management, and managing the resources I had at my disposal. It taught me leadership and instilled a desire in me to continue with community service to others,” he comments.

Earth Data Senior Geologist and Project Manager Jeff Chipman made his pledge to attain the Eagle Scout award along with his brother. His project was to design and build front-facing bookshelves for a local elementary school.

“The Scouting program in general is what I am a big advocate of. I learned a lot of valuable lessons for safe and responsible outdoor recreation, being a valuable member of my community on the local and national level, and just how to have fun. All of the life lessons I learned helped me become who I am today,” he states.

“The Eagle Scout award has helped me advance in the various jobs I held before and during college. Now that I have become a project manager here at Earth Data, it is very obvious that the lessons learned during my Eagle Scout project were in fact lessons on how to manage a project and ensure that it is completed – which has been invaluable in my work here.”