Anthony Stevens

It's hard to picture T-Kartor without Anthony "Tony" Stevens, our intrepid Dev Ops Project Manager (USA), who has been with us for nine years.

Tony earned his master's in Geology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Although he used some GIS technology in a hydrogeology charting project at SIUC, he was initially more familiar with mapping by hand before diving into the geospatial industry. 

Following graduation, Tony headed to Tennessee to take a position at a Tennessee-based geospatial company, where he started to get involved with development work. In 2014, he joined T-Kartor and transitioned to 20% production and 80% development work. These transitions helped Tony grow his development and database management skills, eventually leading him to his current position as our Dev Ops Project Manager. 

Tony knows that success in the geospatial industry takes consistent learning, something he has done over the years by continually working to pick up new skills. He has a natural curiosity that he would liken to being a "button presser," like Beaker from the Muppets or Wile E. Coyote from Looney Tunes.

One program that Tony and the team have been learning is ESRI's ArcGIS Pro. The software is built to mimic a Microsoft program; this differs from the commonly used ArcMap, which ESRI is slowly phasing out. 

One part of the workday Tony always looks forward to is checking in with the developers, especially his colleague and friend, David Lewis. He enjoys hearing how the tools that the development team has built can make analysts' jobs easier and get projects done more efficiently.

Tony is an integral part of T-Kartor’s U.S. leadership team, where he enjoys collaborating and bringing people together.

Since T-Kartor transitioned to remote work, employees are spread out throughout the St. Louis metro and beyond; this can make in-person meetups tricky, but Tony and the team are committed to keeping in-person gatherings coming.

Tony's goal for the leadership team in 2024 is to continue their transparency and communication with all departments. He feels that when people understand how they contribute to success day-to-day, the whole group becomes stronger. He also hopes to have even more fun next year!

The future can be daunting, but Tony believes the industry's outlook is bright. He predicts AI and machine learning will integrate into everyday tasks within ten years. 

Tony also expects that there will be increased work in the geospatial technology sector, which will be varied and support many different industries; we may even see planetary work, rounding out the idea behind geospatial itself. 

New to the geospatial industry? Tony asserts that patience is vital and advises newcomers to look at projects as putting small pieces together daily, connecting bits of knowledge until the bigger picture takes shape. He advises young industry professionals to continue learning and positioning themselves so that they stand out and can pursue growth opportunities. 

Outside of work, Tony spends time outdoors (he's an avid rock climber). Tony also considers himself a "maker" and likes to craft everything from model ships to Muppets.

One item he hopes to cross off his bucket list in 2024 is to finish a half marathon.