Meet Our Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors
To ensure the most thorough and efficient delivery of service, Palm & Associates clients have direct contact with our senior staff. And because we are selective in the number of projects we take on at any one time, our clients are assured that their project will be given our complete attention with a strict adherence to the client's schedule. This may mean working in the evenings or on the weekends in order to have plats and documents ready for the next county meeting. Or it may mean staking a site in the early morning hours in advance of a contactor who has had an opening in his job schedule.
We are a small team by design. This assures clients that a phone call to our office will be answered by a person--not a machine. But at Palm & Associates we take this commitment to customer service one step further. In most cases the person answering the phone will recognize your name (and even your voice) and will likely have a working knowledge of your project.
Our clients are likely to work directly with our land surveyors and civil engineers including the following members of our team:
Robert Palm
Jim Hipskind
Doug Bolles
Robert D. Palm, LS PE Owner and Principal
Bob Palm is living his dream of providing long-term clients with continuous land surveying and civil engineering services in Northwest Indiana communities.
Shortly after graduating with a degree in civil engineering from Tri-State University in 1972, Bob Palm returned to his roots in New Carlisle, Indiana joining forces with civil engineering professor Richard L. Taylor to work on the construction layout for I-94 and the early stages of Heritage Valley in Valparaiso. By 1980, Bob had become sole owner and formed Palm & Associates while Mr. Taylor continued as civil engineering head at Purdue's North Central Campus. Rather than moving to a larger community, Bob opted to keep Palm & Associates in New Carlisle, a location central to the community leaders he had come to know--and the land he understood.
The firm's first projects under Bob's leadership were the construction layout for the ethanol plant in South Bend and fortuitous projects with Robert Coolman (Coolman Communities LLC) and Jerry Chapman (Chapman Development). The ethanol project set Palm & Associates on the path of providing civil engineering and construction layout services for large, commercial projects. And the first Coolman project positioned the firm as an early expert in land conservation design and planning.
An avid outdoorsman, Bob enjoys perch and trout fishing on Higgins and Birch Lakes in Michigan. Bob has endeavored to give back to the community having served 25 years as a volunteer fireman, member of community organizations and boards, and coaching many youth baseball and basketball teams.
Bob's professional affiliations include the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Council of Engineering Companies, the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors, the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors, and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.
Land Surveyor Registration:
Indiana (S0307)
Professional Engineer Registration: Indiana (No. 19189)
Illinois (No. 062-039951)
Michigan (No. 28348)
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James A. Hipskind, CPESC
Jim has worked in the civil engineering and land surveying field since 1986, primarily performing project design, construction inspection, and project management services. Over the years, Jim's clients have included the private sector; city, and county governments; county water and sewer authorities; and the Department of Transportation for various states. These states have included Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. Additionally, Jim has worked for projects on the island of Grenada in the West Indies.
Projects that Jim most often works on include residential and commercial land development design and management, and storm water, wastewater, and water design programs. Specific project tasks vary from project design/engineering, drafting, and coordination & management with review agencies and clients and construction inspection.
Jim studied architectural drafting and technology at Vincennes University and received his civil engineering technology degree from Purdue North Central University.
Outside of the work place, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife and kids while working with their little league teams. Jim also serves as the treasurer for his homeowners association.
Professional Affiliations and Certifications: International Erosion Control Association, Great Lakes Chapter CPESC, Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (#4136), Presby Environmental Enviro-Septic (#6732INES)
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Doug Bolles, Land Survey Manager
An Indiana native, Doug began his land surveying career 25 years ago performing field-work on official retracements of public lands in the Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio. Upon his relocation to Indiana and during subsequent years, Doug headed field crews performing work in all aspects of boundary, topographic, and construction surveys. In 1989, Doug joined Palm & Associates, heading up the land surveying field crews and serving as the firm's boundary specialist. Doug's present responsibilities include serving as land survey manager/chief of parties and performing construction & boundary calculations. Doug often is the first contact with a prospective client and is the liaison for boundary & construction survey clients.
One of the most enjoyable parts of Doug's work is playing historic detective for land parcels that clients need surveyed. Doug is most likely the team member to volunteer to go through the county's historic documents (easements, plats, maps, etc.) to determine the legal boundaries, easements, ownership, etc. of a parcel. It's an exercise that requires an understanding of the legal aspects, government writings, and physical measurements of land ownership--not to mention patience, persistence, and a high tolerance to dust.
Aside from his land surveying and detective work, Doug volunteers his time as an involved dad and committee member for a local Boy Scout troop and as a high school/middle school music booster club member. Doug and his wife are avid fishermen and enjoy getting out on the lake every chance they get.
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