We took some time to sit down with Sr. Design Technician and Drone Pilot, Josh King, to discuss his work experiences and how he came to JHA Companies. Josh’s history with drafting started back in High School, where he learned to draft by hand. This skill developed alongside an interest in landscape architecture, so he decided to pursue a degree in Environmental Horticulture & Landscape Design from Delaware Valley College. His degree led him Thomas McLane & Associates, a Landscape Architecture firm based in Scranton, PA, where he gained more landscape design experience using AutoCAD. From there, Josh worked for CHA Companies, as part of the civil site group, where he focused on E&S control plans and site layout of land development projects. However, Josh and his wife wanted to live and work closer to Laceyville, PA where Josh grew up. So, he transitioned to working as a Drafter and Survey Field Technician for Glen Yasharian Surveying, based in Wyalusing, PA. Fun fact: during his time with Yasharian, Josh, his wife Emily, and their first child lived in a 20-ft diameter yurt! After a couple years there, Josh was ready to grow in his career, and he ended up working at JHA Companies as a Drafter and Survey Field Technician for several years. He also developed into the GIS Team Leader. Josh briefly left JHA to work for Williams in the role of Drafter II, where he helped support the Route Development team with plan production and mapping. It was during his time at Williams that he began his interest in drones and became a certified drone pilot. He was able to fly their active facilities, including a 2.5-mile pipeline throughout the build process. After his time at Williams, he ended up having lunch with Joe Hunt, who ended up offering him a role at JHA. Josh rejoined the team and now works on the Gas Distribution Team, using the drone and traditional methods to create mapping.
Outside of work, Josh loves time spent with his family. His wife Emily and large family of six children (ranging from 8 months to 13 years old) have fun kayaking and biking together. Josh also enjoys jogging and is currently raising lots of chickens. Josh also relishes his time spent reading to learn about different interests (recently learning about aquaponics and plans to build a residential size system in the future).
