Kerry Yocom, Regional Manager – Digital Construction Logistics, USA, shares an update on Plowman Craven’s growing presence in the United States, the opportunities emerging across the market and his ambitions for the next phase of growth.
Since joining Plowman Craven in March 2026, Kerry Yocom has been helping to build the company’s US surveying capability at pace.
What began with operations focused primarily around New York and North Carolina is developing into a much broader footprint, with projects extending across the east, west and central United States, including work in California, Washington and Ohio.
At the same time, Kerry has been strengthening the team on the ground, bringing together surveyors with a mixture of extensive industry expertise and newer talent.
“We’ve made some real progress,” says Kerry. “I’ve hired five or six new team members who are helping us build the US team. Some have extensive experience, while others are newer to the industry, so we’re developing a really good mix of people.”
Digital surveying at scale
The US team is currently delivering a range of control-based surveying and digital construction services, including ground control, LiDAR and 3D digital scanning, alongside setting-out solutions using HP SitePrint.
The scale and geographical spread of this work are demonstrating the potential for Plowman Craven’s expertise to be applied across an increasingly diverse US market.
Plowman Craven continues to provide a variety of services to a major online retailer, while collaboration with other areas of the wider Plowman Craven business is opening further opportunities.
One example is the company’s work with Waymap, bringing together Kerry and the US team with Jim Gregory, Managing Director – Property, and his team. Following the successful deployment of Waymap on the Singapore Metro for the LTA, the relationship has continued to develop, supporting work on a global headquarters building in New York and major transportation infrastructure in Los Angeles.
Together, these projects demonstrate the potential to apply Plowman Craven’s expertise to complex projects across international markets, while creating opportunities to expand this work even further.
For Kerry, this ability to connect expertise from across the business and apply it internationally is an important part of Plowman Craven’s proposition.
A stronger US operation
Although Kerry has only been with Plowman Craven for a matter of months, he has already seen a noticeable evolution in the US operation.
One of the biggest changes, he says, has been the growing confidence in the North American team and its ability to manage and deliver projects effectively.
“The dynamic has changed,” Kerry explains. “There’s more trust in the ability of the North America team to make sure everything is handled properly and completed in the way our clients expect.”
That confidence provides a strong foundation for the next stage of development.
Kerry’s ambition is to grow the team to around ten people, potentially more depending on workload, while simultaneously broadening the range of markets and clients Plowman Craven serves in the US.
Working with James Arnott, Managing Director – Infrastructure, and colleagues across the business, Kerry is already exploring opportunities within inspection, oil and gas and renewable energy.
“Renewables is a major market here,” says Kerry. “It would be great to get our foot in the door and start bringing more of our capabilities into that sector.”
Competing in one of the world’s biggest markets
Growth in the United States also brings considerable competition.
Texas alone is home to established surveying and engineering businesses that have operated in the market for decades, making relationships, reputation and proven technical capability particularly important.
Kerry believes his own experience and industry relationships, combined with Plowman Craven’s wider technical expertise, provide a strong platform from which to grow.
With almost 25 years in surveying, his career has encompassed oil and gas, high-rise infrastructure monitoring, civil surveying, scanning, chemical facilities and complex industrial environments.
That breadth of experience gives him an understanding not only of different surveying disciplines, but also of the demands facing clients across a wide range of US industries.
His longer-term ambition includes becoming a licensed surveyor in Texas, potentially followed by additional US states, further strengthening the capabilities available within the business.
One team across continents
Despite the geographical distance, the US operation remains closely connected with colleagues across Plowman Craven’s international teams.
Kerry maintains particularly regular contact with Damian Lee, Head of Operations (Infrastructure) – Digital Construction Logistics, and Jonathan Fletcher, Survey Manager, (Property) Digital Construction helping to maintain close communication between the US and UK teams.
That international collaboration also extends to Plowman Craven’s team in India. With a time difference of around 10.5 hours between Kerry and his colleagues in India, maintaining effective communication across multiple time zones is an important part of ensuring teams remain connected and projects continue to progress efficiently.
With the time difference between the US and UK, Kerry often begins his working day early to create an overlap with colleagues.
“I’m usually on the computer between five and 5:30 in the morning so I have that collaboration with you guys,” he says. “It means we can fill in any gaps, make sure we have that communication about what’s going on and catch up before the day starts over here.”
This international collaboration gives the US team access to the depth of knowledge and resources available across the wider Plowman Craven business, while creating an effective connection between teams in the US, UK and India.
Having worked with hundreds of surveyors during his career, Kerry has been particularly impressed by the expertise he has encountered within the business. He highlights the opportunity to exchange ideas and technical knowledge with colleagues including Jonathan Fletcher and Jim Gregory, describing the depth of conversation and expertise available across the company as a real strength.
It is this combination of local US experience and Plowman Craven’s wider international technical knowledge that Kerry believes can differentiate the business as it continues to establish itself in the market.
Looking ahead
For Kerry, the opportunity in the United States is significant.
The immediate focus is on continuing to build a strong team, delivering consistently for existing clients and developing relationships that can take Plowman Craven into new markets and sectors.
But his longer-term ambition is much bigger.
“If we put our right foot forward, I think we’re a force to be reckoned with in the surveying industry,” he says. “There’s no limit to what we can do and what we will do if we’re given the opportunity.”
With a growing team, an expanding geographical footprint and opportunities emerging across digital construction, infrastructure, inspection, energy and renewables, Plowman Craven’s US story is only just beginning.
