Actions have always spoken louder than words for serial-entrepreneur Joanne Crum. Now, with over 38 years in business and an impressive career as both a licensed and certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) land surveyor and attorney, Joanne has cemented her place as a trailblazer in Schoharie County. Her story is rooted in perseverance, family, and community – and it all began with a $1,000 gamble her father took in 1957.

Born in New Jersey, Joanne’s father worked as a longshoreman in New York City. When a coworker offered to sell him a house on 20 acres in upstate New York, he bought the property sight unseen. Joanne recalls the story of her mother’s reaction upon arrival: “She said, ‘Look at that poor old house,’ and my father said, ‘It’s yours.’” The family spent summers in the Town of Broome in that rustic farmhouse, with water drawn from a well and an outhouse that was flushed through the kitchen sink.

Even though she had been visiting since the age of two, Joanne’s ties to upstate New York deepened when she was accepted into an early winter semester class at SUNY Cobleskill. She initially planned to pursue nursing at Albany Medical, but her plans changed when she fell in love with both Cobleskill and her future husband, Jim Crum, whom she met in the college choir. She took chemistry, calculus, and physics courses, building a foundation for what she thought would be a career in healthcare.

After graduating, Joanne and Jim tied the knot and will be celebrating 47 years of marriage on October 1st. Ironically, Jim has a surveying degree from Paul Smith’s, yet he accepted a position at Lancaster Development in construction. A few months later, Joanne’s career began in Middleburgh with Rudy Snyder, where she worked in surveying research and later became a licensed surveyor. “My husband already had all the books,” Joanne chuckled.

After nine years in the field, hiking up the mountain, slicing her machete through the brush, carrying 40-pound instruments across her back and hand-drawing her own maps, Joanne reached a turning point: “I had to either move up or move on,” she recalls.

Instead of seeking work in Albany like most, Joanne took a leap of faith and started her own surveying business in a male dominated field in 1987. At the time, Joanne had a five-year-old daughter, and her brother’s advice, “You can either talk about it or do it,” drove her to succeed. A few years into her surveying career, Joanne became certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) after learning about the federal requirements for certain companies. Surveying remains a male-dominated industry, with less than 5% of surveyors being women; Joanne paid her respect to Betsy DuPont the only other woman surveyor in the county.

“If they have a sick child, they’re not coming in,” Joanne instructed, recognizing a slightly unusual business model approach than the rest of the industry. Setting herself apart, Joanne is focused on her team’s talent with care and consideration. She credits Emil Galasso, a dear friend who helped her secure funding, enabling her to keep and support her staff through the years maintaining core values attributed to her success and growth.

Joanne didn’t stop at surveying.

Motivated by her interest in law, she decided to attend Albany Law School at age 52. “If I don’t do well the first semester,” Joanne reflects on her thought process on going back to school, “I’ll pay it off and well, move on with life.” Despite the challenges of balancing work, family, and a demanding full-time four-year program, Joanne graduated, becoming one of only two licensed surveyors in New York who are also attorneys. Her unique combination of skills allows her to offer seamless services, from surveying land to handling real estate closings, deeds, wills, and powers of attorney.

Joanne was recently reappointed to the state board of engineering and land surveying and previously served as Vice President of the National Council of Engineering and Land Surveying (NCES), where she chaired the committee responsible for the national surveyor exam. Though she held a leadership role as Vice President of the Northeast Zone, she chose to focus on her family rather than pursue the presidency while her daughter was young.

When asked if it’s hard to wear so many hats, “Literally, I put one foot in front of the other every morning,” Joanne humbly shares, “we are all just normal people. If someone says, ‘we need this,’ I’ll do it.” Filling in gaps is what Joanne does best, exemplified in her third WBE certified business, Iron Or (Anything Else).

A strong woman with a soft heart.

Joanne speaks fondly of Trixie, the couple’s golden doodle, who accompanies her to work until noon each day before heading back to the Carriage House with Jim. While Joanne notes she only sings in the car these days, she proudly boasts about both her husband and her daughter’s musical talents and professional singing careers. Instead of singing, Joanne enjoys taking her two granddaughters to the Power Authority and exploring the Eagle Trail, Sterling Insurance viewing spot being one of her favorite places to visit.

Rooted in her community, Joanne encourages and advises others to do the same, “just support people, buy local, do business local, it’s thrilling, really, we have a great community here.”

It was an honor having Joanne sit on the panel and share her pursuits with local business owners during SEEC’s Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise luncheon hosted last month. All attendees were impressed by Joanne’s boundless entrepreneurial spirit.

As Schoharie County continues to evolve, Joanne’s story serves as a beacon of inspiration. Today, Joanne is ready to mentor the next generation of surveyors and attorneys, offering apprenticeships and internships to high school students. Ensuring her legacy of service and professionalism continues; “If I can find someone to take over my office, they can have it lock, stock n barrel.”

ROOTED

Interviewed and Authored by SEEC Associates, September 2024
Photos taken by Roslyn Rose Photography