Ray Niles P.S.M., C.H., President
Degrove President Ray Niles (Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) is a hands-on leader who understands that clarity and accuracy are critical to his client’s success. He knows that building long-term relationships requires more than sound technical skills, it requires exceptional communication and customer service.
Since taking over Degrove Surveyors in 1986, Ray has provided direction for day-to-day operations and administrative oversight. He also offers collaborative expertise to help you determine the best, most cost-effective method to meet your needs. Performing topographic, hydrographic and wetland surveys with his crews keeps him up-to-date with what’s going on in the industry and in the field and enables him to ensure you receive timely, reliable service, and clear, accurate information.
Ray launched his career in 1981. He has directed survey activities for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Hazard Studies in Florida’s Duval, Marion, Manatee, Charlotte, Putnam, Orange, Pinellas, Lake, Collier, Palm Beach, Osceola, and Polk Counties, and in Dorchester County, South Carolina. He has also worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Park Service, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Florida Department of Transportation as well as private developers and project managers.
Ray earned his Bachelor of Land Surveying degree from the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida. He is a Fellow Member and past president of the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society (FSMS), recipient of the Society’s prestigious H.O. Peters - Surveyor of the Year award, and past president and member of the Florida Crown Chapter of FSMS. He currently serves as liaison to the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers, is a member of the University of Florida Geomatics Advisory Committee, a member of the Hydrographic Society of America, the National Society of Professional Surveyors, the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping and the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Ray is licensed and certified to practice surveying and mapping in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi.