Snyders Build Family Legacy, Surveying Business
By Bradley Towle
MIDDLEBURGH — When Rudy Snyder began surveying in the early 1960s, his three children, Jim, Betsy, and Meg, were still very young. The elder Snyder received his license in 1967 and eventually founded the Rudolph D. Snyder L.S., P.C. in 1991. Rudy Snyder’s foray into the surveying profession opened pathways for his children and established what would become the family business. In the late 1970s, Jim’s friend informed him he was leaving for Colorado, and Jim thought he would also make the westward journey. Upon learning of Jim’s planned departure, Rudy asked his son about joining the family business. There was an increasing amount of work in the area, and Rudy found the occupation financially rewarding and an enjoyable way of life. To obtain a license meant apprenticing for six years, so it was no small commitment. Jim accepted the offer and stayed in Middleburgh.
After graduating college in 1978, Betsy Snyder Dupont entered the business as a researcher and rodman. The nature of the job, a mix of outdoor and office work, made it the “right fit” for Betsy. “Every job is unique,” she says. She committed to her six-year apprenticeship and obtained her license in 1985.
Meg Snyder Corradino did not start in the family business as early as her siblings. She had a career in advertising but, around 1996, decided she was ready for a career change. The timing was right. The trio’s mother, Janet, was reaching the end of her days running the office, and Meg’s part-time work soon folded into a full-time job working with her brother and sister. While Jim and Betsy are often out in the field, Meg has focused on research. “Everyone brings something different to the table,” she says. Meg sees their work as putting together a puzzle, with all three siblings collecting the pieces needed to ensure they do each job accurately and well. “It’s gotta be right before it goes out the door,” says Meg.
More than forty years later, Jim, Betsy, and Meg continue to run Snyder Surveying from their Middlebugh office. The trio wears many hats as a surveying company, from researchers of historical records, representing clients at local planning boards to amateur naturalists. On my initial visit to their offices, Jim showed me some of the Chaga mushrooms he had foraged while conducting a land survey. He took me on a tour of their library, showed me local family relics dating back to the late 1700s, and described surveying, what has changed and what has not. Flood certification tops the list of things he’s seen increased demand for.
The career has provided Jim, Betsy, and Meg with varied experiences and deep knowledge of the region. “We have explored the surrounding area more than most and met people from all walks of life,” says Betsy. While the Snyder siblings speak highly of their chosen occupation for its variety (the uniqueness and history of each property keep life interesting), Jim, Betsy, and Meg all agree on one more thing— they genuinely enjoy working together. “It’s all good,” says Meg. “And it’s been fun working with family.”