Austin Ridgely, PLS

Senior Vice President

Austin serves as HLR’s Senior Vice President and leads the firm’s southern Illinois operations from the Mt. Carmel office. With more than 25 years of land surveying experience, he oversees survey project delivery throughout the region while helping drive operational efficiency and collaboration across departments.

Before joining HLR’s executive leadership team, Austin served as Vice President of Lamac Engineering for 14 years, where he built a strong reputation for technical excellence, client service, and team leadership. Today, he manages regional operations, project delivery, and client coordination for a diverse range of municipal, transportation, utility, and private-sector projects.

Austin is highly active with both clients and project teams, providing technical guidance, quality assurance oversight, and mentorship to help develop the next generation of survey professionals. He is committed to keeping teams informed of the latest advancements in surveying and engineering technology, ensuring HLR continues to deliver efficient, accurate, and innovative solutions.

His technical expertise includes boundary surveys, section corner perpetuations, route, topographic, hydrographic, and right-of-way surveys, as well as GIS project development and construction layout support for roads, bridges, and railway projects. Austin is also highly proficient in drone-based surveying and advanced RIEGL 3D terrestrial laser scanning technology. With extensive experience in both field and office operations, he possesses a unique understanding of what it takes to successfully deliver projects from concept through completion, making him a trusted resource for clients and colleagues alike.

"Our team members are highly-skilled, motivated, personally accountable, and ready to roll up their sleeves to solve tough problems. My passion lies in working with our staff to solve our clients’ challenges, whether they require a simple solution or innovative technology and methods.”