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Strata appoints leader to launch a global tunneling division

Dec 2020

Strata Worldwide has announced appointment of Mike Rispin to lead the launch of its new global division, Strata Tunneling. Strata supplies products to the tunneling industry including emergency refuge chambers, proximity detection devices, collision avoidance systems, IoT internet of things networking, automated environmental monitoring, and specialty chemicals. The company is now looking to establish a stronger market presence in tunneling supported by Strata technicians and international distributors.

Mike Rispin

Rispin joins Strata Worldwide as Vice President – Tunneling and brings more than 36 years of international tunneling and mining expertise to the position, having spent decades working in upper management for companies including BASF, Normet and Dyno Nobel. He is a professional engineer with memberships in both the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and The Moles organization and is currently the Vice Chair of the Underground Construction Association (UCA) of SME.

“Mike has had a career developing new markets for existing companies,” said Alan Henderson, Vice President Americas for Strata Worldwide. “His range of experience in underground industries will assist in us becoming a key supplier to the global tunneling industry. He is an excellent addition to our global team.”

Established in 1992, Strata has been a leader in underground mining products and systems for nearly three decades. From its central headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the company has built upon an extensive product portfolio that serves markets in multiple industries across six continents. “It is a natural progression for us to look to support the tunneling industry in the same way,” said Mike Berube, President and CEO of Strata Worldwide. “We will continue to invest in industry resources to support Mike and allocate R&D funds to grow our product line.”

Arup appoints Underground-Infrastructure Leader for the Americas

Nov 2020

Andreas Raedle moved in September from his current post with the Arup engineering and consulting firm in the Singapore office to a new post as Underground-Infrastructure Leader for the Americas.

Andreas Raedle

During his five years in Singapore for Arup, Raedle served as the Australasia Tunneling Skills Leader and was involved in numerous underground engineering projects in the region among them: the Changi Interterminal Airport T5 tunnels, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System-Phase II project and the Thomson Line and Cross Island Line projects for the MRT in Singapore; the Central Interceptor wastewater project and City Rail Link in Auckland, New Zealand; the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane and the Sydney Metro Greater West projects in Australia, the KVMRT Phase 2 and Phase 3 metro projects in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the Orange Line for Metro Bangkok in Thailand.

Through his career Raedle has gained extensive experience in securing and implementing large, multidisciplinary projects. Prior to joining Arup and being posted to Singapore, he was for four years in the UK working for the Hochtief/Murphy construction JV particularly on its Crossrail running tunnels contract under the Thames River and where he also served as an elected member of the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) organising committee for a three year term. Prior to that he was design manager for Hochtief in his home country Germany, working on several large Hochtief tunnelling projects in Europe, and before that he began his underground engineering career, working on various tunnelling projects, for the Prof W Wittke Consulting Engineers firm.

In the USA, and based in the San Francisco office, Raedle has the brief to grow the Arup tunneling and underground-engineering practice in the rail, water, and aviation, science and industry sectors and be responsible for technical leadership and excellence.

Louis Falco joins United Underground

Sep 2020

United Underground Precast has welcomed Luigi “Louis” Falco as Vice President of Engineering & Quality. Falco is widely recognized in the industry for his expertise and experience in segment manufacturing and quality management. Over his career, he has been involved in more than 32 tunnel projects throughout North America.

Louis Falco

“Louis brings us 40 years of professional experience in the fields of underground construction and segmental liner engineering and manufacturing,” said Jonathan Gavin, President and Owner of United Concrete Products. “He offers skills that will add to the strength of all of our product offerings from bridges to roads to tunneling.”

Previously, Falco was involved in every aspect of segmental liner manufacturing for 23 segmental tunnel liner projects as Project Manager & Quality Manager at CSI Tunnel Systems. Involvement included design review, installing quality systems, submittals, scheduling, project mobilization, and managing the production of segmental liners. Additionally, he served as Quality Manager at Modern Continental Construction, was an estimator, superintendent and project manager at Kiewit Construction Company, and was a tunnel superintendent at Perini Corporation. Other notable assignments were with Kajima Engineering, S A Healy Company, and Atlas Construction. He holds a BS Civil Engineering degree from Concordia University in Montreal. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

"I am excited to have Louis Falco as part of our tunneling team," said Walter Siryk, President and Principal at United Underground Precast. "Louis’ work ethic, collaborative style and skill set, will further enable us to respond to market opportunities and assist our clients with their underground precast needs."

United Underground Precast was formed to meet the increasingly complex technical and manufacturing demands crucial to the delivery of advanced durable precast concrete segmental tunnel liners, micro-tunneling pipe, and other custom precast elements for major underground projects. “We have the most experienced team in the industry,” said Siryk. “Our team has completed more than 75 segmental tunnel liner projects internationally, including more than 31 projects in North America.”

Through its affiliation with United Concrete Products, it offers unrivaled capabilities with its fully-owned NPCA and PCI Certified plant assets, quality testing, and concreting expertise. Founded in 1954, United Concrete Products has more than 450,000ft² of heated production space located on more than 120 acres in six manufacturing plants and growing.

McMillen Jacobs announces new Underground Division President

July 2020

McMillen Jacobs Associates announces that Victor Romero, PE, CPEng, is elected Underground Division President for the company. As President, Romero will lead the executive management, strategy, and operational functions of the Underground Division.

Victor Romero

Past president of the Underground Division, Dan Adams, will transition to lead the development of new projects as McMillen Jacobs CEO.

As a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and of the Colorado School of Mines, Romero has been with McMillen Jacobs for almost 30 years, providing leadership and underground engineering in the water, wastewater, highway, and rail transit sectors. He has served in a number of leadership roles with McMillen Jacobs, including leading expansion of the practice in Australia and New Zealand. He has been responsible for the successful oversight and execution of some of the largest and most complex design-build projects for McMillen Jacobs.

“While our company has a long history of delivering quality work and highly technical solutions, we are innovative because of our people,” said Romero. “It will be an honor to lead such a talented and wonderful team.”

“Victor is a proven leader,” said Adams. “With this transition we will both continue to focus on assisting clients and implementing the long-term vision of the company.”

McMillen Jacobs Associates, with 21 offices across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is an employee-owned environmental, engineering, and construction company providing a comprehensive array of technical services to the heavy civil, underground, and water resources industries. Visit the company website for more details

References

DC Water starts on major CSO program – TunnelTalk, October 2011
Vice President speaks of DC Water Clean Rivers project – TunnelTalk, April 2020
Underground developments on Seattle LRT – TunnelTalk, April 2020
Auckland calls for rail link proposals – TunnelTalk, October 2018
Los Angeles effluent outfall bid result – TunnelTalk, November 2018
Characteristics of successful/unsuccessful projects – TunnelTalk,April 2018
Robbins TBM equipped for high pressure water control – TunnelTalk,August 2017

Ramboll strengthens worldwide expertise in immersed tunnelling

May 2020

It is with delight that Ramboll welcomes Andrew Shaw to its top talent specialist team in the field of immersed tunnelling. Shaw joins the international Ramboll division of Major Crossings and will be based out of the Tunnel Department in the Head Office in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Andrew Shaw

Shaw as an immersed tunnel expert with 30 years of experience in the design and construction supervision of major transport infrastructure projects. He joins Ramboll from Capita Property and Infrastructure where he was a Technical Director and its immersed tunnel lead. His recent experience includes the delivery of the detailed design of the Shatin to Central immersed tunnel in Hong Kong, and as the client’s Technical Advisor on the Second Midtown immersed tunnel in Virginia, USA. The protfolio of immersed tunnel experience for Ramboll increases and with the engineering experience of Andrew Shaw, the Tunnel Department now has greater range.

Shaw is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) and the majority of his experience has been gained in the design of heavy civil engineering structures for road and rail projects. He has a proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver complex designs for design-build contractor clients.

Global Division Director, Lars Thorbek of Ramboll comments: “With this announcement, it is a good day for Ramboll tunnelling, following the successful development of the Major Crossing division over the last three years. Within the elite field of immersed tunnelling, and with the addition of Andrew to our team, Ramboll can truly reinforce our position as a top tier consultant. Make no mistake, this is a strong message to the market, that even in these difficult times, Ramboll is still open for business and pushing forward. Our Transport Spearhead is mobilized to take on the large international projects and with the opportunities in immersed tunnelling growing, such as the Fehmarn Belt sea link (Denmark-Germany), Western Harbour (Australia), Wesertunnel (Germany), Fehmarnsund crossing (Germany) Doha Bay Crossing (Qatar) and George Massey Crossing (Canada) the future looks bright for this field and for transport as a whole.”

“I am delighted to join the division of Major Crossings based in the Tunnel Department in Copenhagen,” said Shaw, “and look forward to building on the strong presence that Ramboll has established in the niche market of immersed tunnelling.”

“I have worked with Ramboll’s tunnel team on and off for the past 25 years and have always been impressed with the creativity, professionalism and integrity. My first experience of Ramboll dates back to the construction of the Øresund Tunnel in the late 1990s. As a young engineer I worked on the project for five years during the detailed design and construction of this record-breaking tunnel. This was my introduction to the immersed tunnel technique which proved to be a formative experience in my professional development.”

“It is an exciting time to join the team, as the Fehmarn Belt Link enters the implementation phase. This is a fantastic project that reinforces Ramboll as world leader in immersed tunnelling, and one which will offer a wealth of opportunities for the next generation of engineers.”

For further information about Ramboll, please contact Head of Tunnels Department Stephen Whitham.

References

Construction phase initiated for Fehmarnbelt Link – TunnelTalk, April 2020
Shatin-Central Link progress in Hong Kong – TunnelTalk, February 2016
Closing in on a Midtown connection – TunnelTalk, October 2015

Normet Board of Directors welcomes experienced new member

February 2020

Lars Engstrom

Lars Engström will join the Normet Group Board of Directors. Lars is currently Chairman and a Board member of several companies and has served as President at Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology, Chief Executive Officer at BE Group, Chief Executive Officer at Munters Group and Divisional President at Atlas Copco. He has a degree from the University of Linköping.

Lars brings international industry experience to Normet that will be valuable as it continues to grow, and the company looks forward to his contribution as he takes the role on formally in mid March.

Senior project engineer joins HNTB California

February 2020

Celal Kirandag has joined HNTB national tunnel and underground team in Southern California as senior project engineer, based in Santa Ana.

Celal Kirandag

Before joining HNTB, Kirandag gained more than 25 years of experience at two national consulting firms. His experience includes high-profile, complex underground projects such as the Westside Extension Project and the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project for the Los Angeles Metro Authority; the Istanbul Strait road crossing project in Turkey; and the Washington State Department of Transportation Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project.

“Our clients recognize Celal as a technical expert and an authority for complex continuum analyses for underground structures,” said Sanja Zlatanic, HNTB Chair National Tunnel Practice and Senior Vice President and HNTB Fellow. “He is an expert in the 3D analysis of segmental tunnel linings subject to seismic forces and ground-structure interaction. His ability to conceive efficient solutions to intricate problems deepens the national tunnel practice expertise and is a valuable addition to our team in the west.”

Kirandag has a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from City College of New York. He completed additional Master-level courses in civil engineering from Middle East Technical University in Turkey, where he also earned his Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in both California and Washington States.

References

TBMs continue metro success in Los Angeles – TunnelTalk, August 2017
Boundaries busted for highway under the Bosphorus – TunnelTalk, September 2015
Best value proposal for Alaskan Way – TunnelTalk, December 2010

New executives for Optimas Leadership Team

February 2020

Marc Strandquist

Mike Tuffy

Kate Daly

Industrial distributor and service provider for fastening and supply chain solutions, Optimas Solutions, has appointed three new members to its leadership team; Marc Strandquist as President of the Americas, Mike Tuffy as President of International and Kate Daly as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. They will focus on business growth and organisational strategy while strengthening operations and service excellence.

President of the Americas Marc Strandquist brings more than 30 years of experience in the fastener distribution and manufacturing business to Optimas. He will form strategies that drive revenue and portfolio growth, improve operations and enhance customer service across the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Prior to Optimas, Strandquist oversaw companies in Europe, South America and North America for Wurth and GenFast. He is also a past president of the National Fastener Distributors Association (NFDA).

Mike Tuffy in his new role of President of International, will lead Optimas across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. With more than 30 years of experience in the fastener industry, Tuffy will use his broad knowledge of commercial, sourcing and operations to match customer needs with Optimas solutions. Previously, Tuffy served as Executive Vice President, EMEA for Optimas and was a key member of the acquisition team that led Optimas to evolve from Anixter in 2015.

Kate Daly brings over 25 years of leadership experience to Optimas as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. She will lead organizational development, talent management and total rewards while supporting Optimas leaders in driving a high performance and high engagement culture. Daly gathered a deep understanding of world-class human resources execution as well as critical thinking and business acumen from previous roles with DSC Logistics, D&W Fine Pack and PSAV Presentation Services.

“It is important to take care of our customers, supplier partners and employees with a thoughtful and personalized approach from industry-experienced leaders,” said TJ Rosengarth, Optimas President and CEO. “Marc, Mike and Kate bring a wealth of experience, operational expertise and proven track records of results to help drive revenue growth and customer success across the globe.”

C.W. Felice adds engineering capability and capacity

January 2020

Jack Mulvoy has joined C.W. Felice as Chief Engineer for the firm. Jack brings more than 35 years of experience in design, management, and construction engineering on above and below ground projects. Jack is known for being client-oriented and for delivering creative, efficient and cost-effective solutions to complex infrastructure projects. Jack recently served as Chief Engineer for DSI Tunneling, with North American and global responsibility for design, technology transfer and construction support. He holds a Mining Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin and is a registered engineer in 27 US states. He has published practiced oriented professional papers and holds several patents.

Jack Mulvoy

The firm is also pleased to welcome Andy King to the firm as a Senior Project Engineer. Andy has a background that includes 12 years of work in the design of support of excavations as well as shafts and tunnels. His expertise also includes preparing formal submittal packages, and he has also contributed to published practice-oriented professional papers, and is named on several patents.

C. W. Felice specialises in delivering geostructural and construction engineering services to the contracting, design, and owner communities. Its tunnel, underground and structural foundation experience has been gained internationally in all types of ground conditions. A core competency is the integration of design and construction services with an appreciation of traditional and alternative project delivery systems. The company is proud of its ability to integrate its understanding of ground conditions and load combinations to deliver cost-effective, constructible solutions on time.

C.W. Felice has been verified as a Veteran-Owned Small Business by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

AECOM expands its tunneling practice in the Americas

January 2020

Infrastructure firm AECOM has announced the addition of three renowned tunnel experts: Bob Frew, Giuseppe Gaspari, and Dr Ana Ruiz, to its tunneling practice in the Americas. "I'm excited to have Bob, Giuseppe and Ana as part of our tunneling team," said Nasri Munfah, Americas National Tunneling Practice Leader at AECOM. "Their skill sets, along with our local and global expert staff, enables us to respond to market opportunities and assist our clients with their underground and tunneling engineering challenges."

L-R: Bob Frew, Giuseppe Gaspari, and Ana Ruiz

From left: Bob Frew, Giuseppe Gaspari, Ana Ruiz

Frew, who transferred from the AECOM London office, will serve as subject matter expert for large diameter TBM tunnels. With more than 40 years of experience in tunnel design and construction, his diverse expertise encompasses design, project management and construction management for tunnel and underground structures including roadways, rail, metro, water and sewer tunnels. He has worked on such notable projects as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in England, the Copenhagen metro, the Chong Ming Tunnel in Shanghai and the Hong Kong Harbour Area Transfer Scheme. Frew is active in national and international professional organizations and his TM-CLK project in Hong Kong holds the world record for the largest TBM at 57.75ft (17.6m) in diameter and is the recipient of the ITA 2019 Project of the Year Award.

Gaspari will lead the AECOM tunneling and underground engineering practice in Canada. His tunneling experience incorporates design and program management for major programs including the Kadikoy-Kartal metro line in Istanbul and the high-speed rail Brenner Base tunnel between Austria and Italy. In North America he has provided technical leadership for the Ontario line in Toronto, along with major design roles on such projects as the West Vaughan Sewage Servicing Project, an 8 mile (12.9km) EPB-TBM tunnel with nine shafts in the greater Toronto area. Gaspari is a local board member for the International Tunneling Association-Young Members, a World Tunneling Conference executive committee member and the founder of young member groups at the Italian Tunneling Society and the Italian Geotechnical Association. Gaspari has published over 20 technical papers and is an active lecturer at Queen's University, Ryerson University, University of Toronto and York University.

Ruiz is a tunnel ventilation and life safety expert and will provide the technical expertise in this field for transportation tunnels and underground transit facilities. She has extensive experience in tunnel ventilation and fire-life safety as well as numerical modeling using subway environmental simulation and computational fluid dynamic modeling for fire scenarios. Throughout her 20-year career, Ruiz has led tunnel ventilation design projects including the ventilation design for the 4 mile (6.4km) long Calle Mallorca tunnel in Barcelona, Spain, part of the Madrid-Barcelona high speed rail line; ventilation design for two subway lines, covering 12 and 13 stations in Chennai, India; and in the USA, the 86th Street subway station in New York City. A member of the NFPA 502 technical committee since 2012, Ruiz has authored publications and delivered presentations at conferences. She has also served as the Spanish representative of Ministry and Industry in the CERN Council.

Addition to Mott MacDonald Executive Board

January 2020

Mott MacDonald has appointed Professor Denise Bower OBE to its executive board as its Group External Engagement Director. She will be responsible for client and partner relationships, thought leadership activity and driving improvements in the delivery of major projects.

Prof Denise Bower

"Denise has been working with us for nearly four years as an independent member of the shareholder committee and I am delighted she is now joining our executive board, said Mike Haigh, Mott MacDonald Executive Chair. “For many years Denise has been a champion of the need for improved project delivery, something close to our hearts here in Mott MacDonald. We wish Denise the very best in her new role.”

Denise is well known through her role as the executive director of the Major Projects Association and as Professor in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds. She is a member of the Infrastructure Client Group and works closely with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to improve major project preparation and delivery through consultancy firm Routemap. She has worked with numerous sponsor and client organisations, helping to shape major projects and programmes.

“I have enjoyed my time at the Major Projects Association immensely as its mission to improve the initiation and delivery of major projects is important in an uncertain world,” said Bower. “Through my work at the University of Leeds and Routemap I have had an amazing opportunity to make a positive contribution to a sector that benefits economies, societies and the environment. I am delighted to be joining the Group board of Mott MacDonald to build on these experiences and work closely with my new colleagues to work with our clients and partners in an inclusive and socially responsible way.”

Nine new Principals for McMillen Jacobs Associates

January 2020

McMillen Jacobs Associates announces nine Principal promotions in its Underground Division.

Chris Burke	Ken Dombroski
Grant Finn	Doug Grimes
Tom Hennings	Wolfe Lang
Laura Miles	Andy Mencke

With 27 years of experience in engineering, construction, project management, and forensic construction consulting Christopher (Chris) Burke is the new Boston Office Manager. He has an MS in Structural Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The new Central Regional Manager with 30 years of experience as a civil engineer is Kenneth (Ken) Dombroski. His primary areas of practice are stormwater management and municipal engineering, and he is one of the leading experts in the Great Lakes region regarding manufactured stormwater treatment devices and methods for underground stormwater detention. He has an MS in Public Administration, a BS in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio.

In Seattle, Grant Finn is promoted to a new Principal. He has more than 19 years of civil engineering experience with a focus on underground engineering projects. His background includes structural design for underground works, including excavation support design, deep and shallow foundation design, tunnel rehabilitation, seismic engineering, and cut-and-cover facilities. Finn has an MEng from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is a registered Professional Engineer and Structural Engineer in Washington, a Chartered Engineer in the UK, and a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia.

With more than 30 years of experience in design and construction of tunnel, hydropower, water supply and reclamation projects, Doug Grimes is Vancouver Office Manager. In the past 10 years, he has served as project manager on some of the most significant water and gas pipeline projects in Vancouver. He has an MSc in Geological Sciences from Queen’s University and a BSc in Earth Science from the University of Manitoba, Canada. He is a registered Professional Geoscientist in British Columbia and a certified Professional Project Manager.

Thomas (Tom) Hennings is East Region Structural Engineering Practice Lead. He has more than 28 years of structural experience with 21 of those years specializing in underground projects including tunnels and deep excavation support systems. He has an MS in Structural Engineering from Purdue University and a BS in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and 14 other states, as well as in Ontario, Canada.

Geotechnical Engineering Practice Lead for Pipelines and Infrastructure is Yuxin (Wolfe) Lang. He has more than 25 years of geotechnical engineering experience, focusing on water, wastewater and conveyance projects. He has an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and a BS in Geological Engineering from the Hebei Institute of Civil Engineering in China. He is a registered Professional Civil Engineer in Washington, Ontario, and British Columbia and a registered Geotechnical Engineer in Oregon.

With 32 years of experience in civil engineering focusing primarily on alternative delivery and dispute resolution, Laura Miles is Portland Office Manager. Miles has an MS in Business Administration from Boston University and a BS in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She is a registered Professional Civil Engineer in California, Hawaii, and Oregon and is a certified DBIA Professional.

Civil and Architectural Design Practice Lead Andrew (Andy) Mencke has 17 years of experience providing detailed design and project coordination on major transit, water, and wastewater system expansions and upgrades. During his time at McMillen Jacobs, he has been heavily involved in the Sound Transit East Link, Northgate Link, and University Link projects in Seattle from their early design phases through construction. He has an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington, a BS in Civil Engineering from Gonzaga University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Washington State.

Yiming Sun

With in-depth knowledge and experience in the design of temporary and permanent support for tunnels, large caverns, and deep shafts, Yiming Sun joins the practice and brings more than 25 years of experience in civil, geotechnical, and mining engineering as well as extensive experience in numerical modeling for seismic, geotechnical, structural, groundwater, slope stability, and thermal analyses. Yiming has a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an MS in Structural Engineering and BS in Geotechnical Engineering from Tongji University in China. He is a registered Professional Engineer in California, Nevada, and Minnesota.

Hatch appoints Don Del Nero as Regional Director for Tunnels

December 2019

Hatch is pleased to welcome Don Del Nero as Director of Tunnels for the United States. In this new role, Del Nero will lead the Hatch underground infrastructure programs for clients in the transportation, water, wastewater, and stormwater sectors, while connecting with the global engineering capability of the company to deliver practical solutions that are safe, innovative, and sustainable.

Don Del Nero

Del Nero brings more than 30 years of experience to the role, including more than 100 miles of tunneling and trenchless underground project experience. He is an accomplished author, presenter, and instructor with more than 40 papers and presentations covering some of the most complex issues of the industry, such as means and methods selection and associated responsibility, TBM specifications, soil and rock abrasivity, and mining in gravel, cobbles, and boulders.

“We are excited to have Don’s contagious personality and his unusually diverse set of talents join us,” said Gary Kramer, Global Tunnel Director of Hatch. “He brings his proven and diverse expertise in the field of underground infrastructure to the Hatch team and our clients. His knowledge and understanding of the complex issues of the tunneling industry and encouragement of tunneling professionals to tackle tough challenges aligns perfectly with the Hatch culture and commitment to engaging great people who make a difference.”

“I am very pleased to join Hatch,” said Don Del Nero. “It is a company not only known for its technical acumen, but also for its unwavering commitment to safety, innovation, and community. I look forward to growing the Hatch tunneling team while delivering world class underground infrastructure projects across the region.”

Del Nero holds a minor in geology, a BSc in Civil Engineering and a MSc in Geotechnical Engineering. He will be based in Atlanta, Georgia.

WSP appoints tunnelling practice leaders in Canada

November 2019

Mark Claassen

Engineering firm WSP has appointed Mark Claassen as Tunnelling Practice Lead, Canada. As an experienced manager and technical leader, with 36 years of experience, 25 years of which were in the tunnel industry, Claassen is known for his constructability expertise and hands-on geotechnical background ranging from investigations to design management. He has served as project manager for tunnel design, geotechnical investigations and construction supervision projects and has worked on projects involving TBMs, microtunnelling, drill-and-blast, hand-mining, and HDD. Claassen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from George Mason University, a Master’s of Management (Project Management) from the Keller Graduate School of Management, and numerous professional designations.

Eric Wu

The firm has also appointed Eric Wu its Tunnelling Lead in Western Canada. With more than 32 years of professional experience and an extensive portfolio in infrastructure projects across the globe, Wu has worked on rail, metro and highway projects in the UK, Dubai, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Ireland. He worked on immersed tunnel projects in Greece, Ireland and Hong Kong as well as energy projects in the UK, Abu Dhabi and the Bahamas, and numerous reservoirs and water works in Wales. He was conferred an Honorary Visiting Professor title by Cardiff University in 2015. Wu has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from Cardiff University, a diploma in legal studies from Cardiff University, and a PhD in rock mechanics from the University of West Scotland.

New Civil Engineering Head for Implenia

December 2019

From 1 January 2020, Christian Späth is appointed Manager of Division Civil Engineering at Swiss construction company Implenia and a member of its Executive Committee. With many years of international experience in all areas of civil engineering, Späth succeeds René Kotacka who has decided to take an eight-month sabbatical after delaying the plan to stay in post to help implement a company strategy and lead the reorganisation of the Division Civil Engineering.

Christian Späth

Späth has worked in various specialist and management positions at Implenia since joining the company in 2012. From 2013 to 2015 he was responsible for entry of Implenia into the tunnelling market in Austria and Germany and for managing these units. He took over as head of the whole tunnelling business in all markets in July 2015. After implementation of the new strategy and reorganisation in March 2019, Späth took over as head of the Implenia global civil business and has led the unit since then as a member of the Division Civil Engineering management team. He will continue to lead the unit on a global level.

After graduating in civil engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Späth began his career in 1995 at Hochtief, where he was a site and project manager for tunnelling in Essen and Munich. He moved to Alpine Bau in 2005, where he began as Head of Tunnelling Germany, based in Munich, before becoming Branch Head for International Civil Engineering and Major Projects in Vienna and Salzburg in 2009. Späth, 51 years old, is a German national and lives in Weyarn near Munich. His place of work will be at the Implenia headquarters in Switzerland.

“Christian Späth is a respected specialist and leader,” said André Wyss, Implenia CEO. “He has construction and project management experience in large civil engineering projects and has already had an impact on all three of our civil engineering units – Civil, Tunnelling and Special Foundations – on the international stage. I am pleased that we are in a position to hand over management of the division to such a well-qualified person; someone who has developed at, and with, Implenia and who will soon be enhancing our Implenia Executive Committee.”

References

TBMs complete Stuttgart-Ulm rail excavations – TunnelTalk, October 2019
Norway delays Rogfast procurement for a rethink – TunnelTalk, October 2019
Munich city S-Bahn awards Marienhof Station – TunnelTalk, February 2019
Stockholm awards cable tunnel project – TunnelTalk, February 2019
Ground freeze dig for Berlin metro U5 final step – TunnelTalk, December 2018
Final finish for Gotthard Baseline excavation – TunnelTalk, March 2011

Experienced strategist to lead Mott MacDonald Global sector

October 2019

Mott MacDonald has appointed Doug Wilson as its new Global Sector Leader for Advisory Services responsible for delivering a strategy for sustainable growth in its project, programme and commercial management, project finance, and economics and asset management advisory services, across its core territories and prioritised market sectors.

Doug Wilson

With a background in the defence industry, and more than 30 years’ experience in developing and delivering government and private sector programmes and project across the full life cycle, Wilson has delivered success across the transport, energy, utilities and built environment sectors.

Having had several business management roles, his most recent for Mott MacDonald has been in its international development business, delivering programmes in education, health, utilities and economic development, with a primary focus across Africa and Asia. He has helped Mott MacDonald contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals across fragile, conflict affected and developing nations, focusing on delivering positive social outcomes. Before this, he led the development of Mott MacDonald capabilities in the advisory sector across the UK.

“There is great potential for growing our advisory services capability and scope across our global business,” said Wilson. “This will support our vision of opening opportunities with connected thinking to create solutions that make a lasting difference for humanity and the environment. The continued development of our digital solutions, combined with the strength of our global practice networks, will also attract the best talent.”

“Doug is well-placed to continue the expansion of our advisory services across our core territories and sectors, building on our established and international portfolio and reputation,” said Guy Leonard, Mott MacDonald Group Strategy Director.

New MD at Mott MacDonald built environment business in Europe

September 2019

Ken Norbury

Ken Norbury has been appointed Managing Director of the UK and Europe Built Environment Business at Mott MacDonald, succeeding Cathy Travers, who has become Managing Director of its UK and Europe Regional Business.

Since joining in 1997, Norbury has held various positions at the company, including transport sector lead for the built environment business and subdivisional manager and practice lead for rail. His project management experience covers large rail and civil engineering multidisciplinary schemes.

The Mott MacDonald UK and Europe Built Environment Business is based across all of its offices in the region. With experience across all sectors, the company offers a wide range of design, planning, and advisory consultancy services, including civil, structural, architectural, and building services engineering, across the whole built environment sector.

Top ventilation and fire safety expert joins HNTB

August 2019

Bernd Hagenah has joined the HNTB National Tunnel and Underground Team as Principal Engineer for Tunnel Ventilation and Fire Life Safety, bringing more than 20 years of experience on some of the most complex and innovative underground construction works. In addition, he joins as an Associate Vice President and will be based in the HNTB Empire State Building office in New York City.

“Bernd is internationally known as one of the top technical experts in ventilation and aerodynamics,” said Sanja Zlatanic, Chair of the HNTB National Tunnel Practice, Senior Vice President, and HNTB Fellow. “The expertise he brings is valuable, as underground mobility solutions and tunnel methodology continue to evolve and grow in importance in the USA, due to increased urban migration and a need to minimize surface disturbance.”

Bernd Hagenah

Current tunnelling projects that HNTB are working on include:

Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project as the Joint Venture Engineer of Record for LA Metro
Sepulveda Pass Phase 1 as the Owner’s Engineer for LA Metro
West Seattle-to-Ballard Link Extension as the Owner’s Engineer for Sound Transit
VTA BART-to-San Jose extension Phase 2 as Program Manager for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Alaskan Way as the Joint Venture Engineer of Record for WSDOT
Istanbul Strait road tube crossing as the Independent Design Verifier for P3 Concessionaire
Baltimore and Potomac tunnel as Program Manager for Amtrak

Hagenah previously served as a senior consultant and international project manager for another firm in Switzerland. He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University and a degree in physics from the University of Gottingen. In addition to his significant practical experience, he has published more than 15 professional papers.

New regional leadership appointments at WSP USA

August 2019

WSP USA has announced several leadership appointments at both its southwest and southeast regional practices.

Victor Martinez	Cecily Way
Steven Kats	Claudette Moody
Michael Kirk	Brock LaForty
Jennifer Recchie	Mike Surasky

To support growth in the southwest, the engineering consultancy has announced four appointments at its Los Angeles office.

Victor Martinez, former area manager for the Orange and San Bernardino offices, has been appointed Los Angeles Area Manager and Southwest District Manager.
Cecily Way, former senior planning manager, is the new Los Angeles Operations Manager.
Steven Kats was named Business Development Manager for Los Angeles, where he is responsible for client engagement.
Claudette Moody is now Director for Policy, Strategy and Government Relations in the Southwest District, a role she will assume in addition to her previous duties on the Los Angeles leadership team.

The four have delivered numerous complex infrastructure projects, ranging from the California High-Speed Rail – the single largest infrastructure project in the USA, to the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement. In their new positions, they will work closely with regional management teams to deliver successful projects, support diversification and growth, drive strategic vision and ensure the region meets its financial goals.

Ongoing tunnelling projects in the region with WSP involvement include the Los Angeles Regional Connector Transit Project and Los Angeles Metro Purple Line Extension, West Santa Ana Transit Corridor and Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project.

“Martinez, Way, Kats and Moody are exceptional leaders and mentors, bringing comprehensive experience in the transportation and infrastructure business to their new roles,” said Chris Peters, WSP Regional Business Manager. “Their deep understanding of the territory, as well as robust community and agency connections, provide the ideal framework for executing the ambitious vision of our clients for the future of the region.”

WSP has also made four leadership appointments in the southeast region with Michael Kirk becoming Alternative Delivery Manager, Brock LaForty named Regional Business Development Director, Jennifer Recchie joining as Regional Marketing Manager, and Mike Surasky appointed as Regional Operations Manager. Kirk and LaForty will be based in the Charleston, South Carolina, office, Recchie joins the company in Orlando, Florida, while Surasky will be based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“These four individuals bring a deep understanding of our clients and have a passion for addressing their needs,” said Pamela Townsend, Southeast Business Manager at WSP. “The strengths they bring will help the region deliver on current and future projects and will have a significant impact on further developing our presence in the Southeast.”

References

Obituary: James Monsees – TunnelTalk, August 2019
Rebranding of WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff – TunnelTalk, July 2018
California high speed rail designs – TunnelTalk, August 2019
LA breaks ground on Purple Line extension – TunnelTalk, November 2014

Changes in underground division for McMillen Jacobs Associates

July 2019

Victor Romero

The Underground Division of McMillen Jacobs Associates has appointed Victor Romero to the role of Executive Vice President. He will assist President Dan Adams in management of the Underground Division, which has grown to 300 people in 18 USA and international offices.

Romero has been with McMillen Jacobs for 28 years, providing underground engineering in the water, wastewater, highway and rail transit sectors. For the past eight years, he has served as Managing Director of the Australia/New Zealand Region.

“The future of our workload in the Underground Division includes a large volume of design-build projects in geographically diverse cities across North America,” said Adams. “The ability Romero has to build teams and simultaneously deliver underground design-build projects in Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland is a skill that we will deploy throughout our organisation to provide value to clients across all our regions.”

Isabelle Lamb

Taking over from Romero as Managing Director Australia/New Zealand in the Auckland office in New Zealand is Isabelle Lamb, who will work with Romero over the next six months to implement a smooth transition for staff, clients and their projects.

Lamb is a native New Zealander and has a geological/geotechnical background with experience on infrastructure and underground projects throughout the Australia/New Zealand region. She has more than 25 years of experience in the management of design teams for the construction of underground structures and associated surface facilities for transit, water and wastewater conveyance, and roadway projects. Most recently, Lamb served as tunnel Design Lead, Project Manager, and Design Manager for the Sound Transit University Link Extension, Northgate Link Extension, and East Link Extension projects in Seattle, Washington State in the USA.

New leadership at Lane Industries

July 2019

After working with the company for 30 years, Mark Schiller has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Lane Industries and its subsidiary The Lane Construction Corporation. He succeeds Robert Alger, who has 40 career years with Lane and will become the Chairman of the company’s Board.

Mark Schiller

Schiller has a proven track record of leadership, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Operations–Construction, a role in which he will continue.

Lane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salini Impregilo of Italy, following a merger in 2016, and has a track record of 130 years in the construction sector. The USA has been the largest single market by revenue for Salini Impregilo and S A Healy, its USA subsidiary since 1982 and until its merger with Lane in 2018. Previous orders for the group in the USA exceed US$4 billion in value and new orders, including those in the process of being finalized, total a combined $800 million. The group is a pioneer in the USA of design-build and public-private partnership methods of project procurement and delivery.

In 2018, Lane and its owner Salini Impregilo, decided to focus more on the tunnelling sector of heavy construction. It is currently working on the Northeast Boundary sewer and CSO project in Washington, DC, with S A Healy having previously completed the Anacostia Tunnel of the DC Clean Rivers program, and on the Purple Line light rail system in Maryland. The Salini Impregilo Group, as S A Healy or Lane, also worked on the metro running tunnels for the Central Line in San Francisco and completed the highly technically challenging Lake Mead third water intake project in Nevada and the West Side CSO project in Portland. Internationally, Lane is part of the JV with Salini Impregilo recently selected as the preferred bidder for the Snowy 2.0 hydro project in Australia.

Schiller said he is looking forward to leading Lane into “the next phase of its 130-year legacy. As an organization, we will continue to refine and optimize our processes to improve our growth and meet industry challenges.”

“Mark has assembled an excellent him over the years,” said Alger, “and I remain committed to supporting our executive team in my new capacity to ensure we are well positioned to capitalize on all of the opportunities that lie before us.”

References

Snowy Mountains adds long planned element – TunnelTalk, May 2019
Final push for cleaner waterway in Washington DC – TunnelTalk, July 2018
Breakthrough at Cleveland clean up operation – TunnelTalk, April 2018
Watering up the hard-fought Lake Mead tunnel – TunnelTalk, September 2015
Central Subway breakthrough in San Francisco – TunnelTalk, June 2014
Portland CSO closing in on breakthrough – TunnelTalk, September 2009
Merger creates Italian tunnelling force – TunnelTalk, April 2013
Podcast: Keynote address by Pietro Salini, CEO, Salini Impreglio – TunnelTalk, May 2019

New Chairman and Managing Director for Mott MacDonald

June 2019

Mott MacDonald has appointed Mike Haigh as its new Group Chairman, succeeding Keith Howells who retires after 45 years with the global engineering, consultancy, the last eight as Chairman. James Harris is to take over from Haigh as Group Managing Director for the employee-owned business. Both will begin their new roles in July 2019.

Mike Haigh

James Harris

Haigh and Harris have played central roles in the business strategy of Mott MacDonald since taking senior positions in the company. Haigh has been a vocal advocate for digital technology and the opportunities that this can bring to infrastructure projects. Digital transformation continues to be a major focus, creating innovative new services for clients and integrating technology into all facets of new and existing infrastructure to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits. Haigh is also a proponent of employee ownership and the creative, innovative and economics benefits these firms offer.

Harris has driven forward core initiatives such as embedding carbon reduction in operational and project decision making and expanding support for clients to tackle climate change and build resilience. He was member of the Infrastructure Working Group of the Green Construction Board, which produced the seminal Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR) for the UK Government Treasury in 2013, followed by PAS 2080, the first international standard for managing infrastructure carbon. With the ICR setting out the principle that major cost efficiencies could be achieved by decarbonising the delivery and operation of infrastructure assets, PAS 2080 explained how to do it.

Haigh also promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in business and was named by The Women’s Business Council and Management Today as one of the top 30 men tackling gender inequality in the workplace. Harris was named a Leading Ally Executive by LGBT+ professional networking organisation OUTstanding together with the Financial Times newspaper.

Both pay tribute to Howells who, after 14 years as Managing Director and then Chairman, leaves a powerful legacy of stewardship and commitment to the US$2 billion turnover Group. comments: With Howells at the helm Haigh said the firm “evolved greatly as an organisation, not only in the people we work alongside but also in the roles we recruit for. The digitisation of our work means we are now often recruiting for data scientists, software architects and information consultants, which perhaps did not exist in our industry eight years ago.”

Haigh joined Mott MacDonald after graduating from the University of Leeds in 1981, beginning a graduate engineer in the firm’s water sector business. Since 2017, he has been Managing Director responsible for the day-to-day management and operational performance of the global business. In 2013 he became a Group Board Director.

Harris joined the firm as a graduate after studying civil and structural engineering at University College Cardiff. In 1990 he moved overseas to work on some of the company’s major civil engineering projects in Hong Kong before returning to UK in 2002 and being appointed to the Executive Board in 2017 and Managing Director for the UK and Europe region.

References

Mission possible to halt climate change – TunnelTalk, August 2018
Buzz words to concentrate efforts in 2018 – TunnelTalk, January 2013
Sustainability and the tunnelling industry – TunnelTalk, December 2013

New post created in Georgia for education expert

June 2019

In a newly created position, Donald Rigby is to join Madewell Products Corporation to drive education and engagement within new and existing contracting partners, engineers and owners. Formerly Vice President of Marketing and Education with Avanti International, Rigby will continue active participation in NASSCO, NASTT, and WEF organizations.

Donald Rigby

Madewell Products manufactures a variety of cementitious and epoxy products for manholes, wet wells, pump stations and coatings for large diameter pipes and their specialized application equipment. All Madewell products and components are manufactured at its headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA. It serves municipal and industrial owners, specifying engineers, and utility contractor communities with proprietary products, methodologies, and conveyance equipment for the restoration and preservation of underground structures.

“Rigby is a veteran of the underground trenchless industry with proven capabilities to strategically align marketing, sales, and enable contracting partners to execute services that solve infrastructure problems. We will benefit from his experience on our leadership team,” said Jon Steele, President, Madewell Products.

New ventilation expert for New York office

May 2019

Based in the New York office, Thomas O’Dwyer has joined McMillen Jacobs as a Principal and Tunnel Ventilation/Fire Life Safety Practice Leader to lead ventilation design and analysis, rehabilitation/upgrade, and construction projects. As a licensed professional engineer in New York, O’Dwyer brings 27 years of experience to the post including his BA in mechanical engineering from The Cooper Union and an MBA in management from Baruch College.

Thomas O’Dwyer

His tunnel ventilation experience includes Los Angeles Regional Connector, Westside Extension of the Purple Line, and Gold Line Eastside Extension; the conceptual study and preliminary analysis of Metro Transportation Authority/New York City Transit’s No. 7 Subway Line Extension; and the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

He also has extensive experience in computer programming and has been an integral part of efforts to advance and improve the Subway Environment Simulation (SES) computer program.

O’Dwyer belongs to many professional organizations including National Fire Protection Association, and published The Development of an Emergency Tunnel Ventilation Strategy for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) System in 2017 describing work he performed for WMATA following the fatal train fire outside of L’Enfant Plaza Station in January 2015.

Senior ventilation-fire life safety advisor and new group director for HNTB

May 2019

Jason Yunlong Liu

Tunnel ventilation and fire life safety specialist, Jason Yunlong Liu, has rejoined HNTB and is appointed a Senior Technical Advisor in the firm’s Bellevue office in Seattle to deliver its tunnel ventilation engineering design and analysis across the USA. Liu has a PhD in mechanical engineering and is a PE licensed engineer, in mechanical engineering in Washington State in the USA. He is also a registered mechanical and fire life safety engineer of the States of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria in Australia.

In January 2019 Liu (left) was elected a Fellow of Engineers Australia

With more than 20 years of experience in tunnel ventilation and fire life safety design, Liu has overseen the successful delivery of multiple billion-dollar design-bid-build and alternative delivery projects from engineering through to construction. Among these and in recent years, he was a fire-life safety specialist on behalf of the project owner for the Riyadh Metro Line 1 and Line 2 projects, with total of 35 stations, in the capital city of Saudi Arabia; and he was a ventilation and fire life safety lead on behalf of the builder for Melbourne Metro in Australia. He also analyzed the Sydney NorthConnex and WestConnex highway tunnel fire life and safety for the designer; and contributed to the Melbourne West Gate highway tunnel ventilation and fire life safety design and to the detailed design of the Perth Forrestfield airport rail link in Western Australia.

Bradley Miller

Also in the Seattle, Bradley Miller is appointed a Group Director for HNTB with responsible for project delivery, operations and technical excellence for multiple departments in the Bellevue office. Previously an Associate Vice President with HNTB, Miller brings 28 years of transportation industry experience to the position and has recently transferred to Seattle from the HNTB Indianapolis office where he was office delivery manager.

Since joining HNTB in 2008, Miller served in a number of leadership roles in Indianapolis including transportation projects with construction values totalling more than US$6 billion. These included $70 million of design-build, best value procurement processes with the Indiana Department of Transportation and as project manager for the $99 million IndyGo Red Line bus rapid transit project. He joins a team of more than 230 transportation infrastructure and architecture professionals delivering highway, transit, rail, planning, program/construction management, tunneling and other services to clients in the northwest region of the USA.

Miller has a Bachelor of Science in construction management from Purdue University, is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers and previously served in various Indiana ACEC committees.

Golder adds to tunnel design capabilities

May 2019

Bo Bendtsen

Golder welcomes Bo Bendtsen to its Melbourne office in Australia as a Principal Structural Engineer. With more than 35 years of experience on large and complex surface and underground projects Bendtsen has been lead engineer delivering major infrastructure projects, including a variety of tunnelling projects across Australia, Scandinavia, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Prior to joining Golder, he was the Vice President of Tunnel and Underground Infrastructure at COWI. He will lead the development of Golder geo-structural capabilities in Melbourne and will assist with the ongoing implementation of Golder global tunnelling strategy across the Asia Pacific Region.

Bendtsen also adds significant leadership experience to the Melbourne team, both in tender and project delivery settings. “His wealth of experience in geo-structural design will enable us to deliver further value to our clients in Asia Pacific and beyond,” said Golder Global Tunnelling Leader, Stephen Barrett. “The opportunity to work on the pipeline of tunnelling and broader infrastructure projects that Golder currently has in Asia Pacific was one not to be missed,” said Bendtsen.

Promotions announced at Hayward Baker

May 2019

North American geotechnical construction company Hayward Baker has announced several senior management appointments.

Shawn Jungwirth	Brian Freilich
Matt Redfern	Cyrus Jedari
David Kirschner	Darrell Easterling

Transferring from Keller (Canada) to the Houston office of Hayward Baker, Shawn Jungwirth, assumes the role of Business Development Manager. He will assist in ground improvement projects and earth retention techniques in southern Texas and Louisiana. With more than 23 years of experience in civil construction and project management, he began working for Keller in 2005 and served previously as the company’s regional manager for Southern Alberta.

After joining Hayward Baker as a Design Engineer in March 2013, Brian Freilich is promoted to Senior Engineer in the Houston office. Freilich brings an innovative approach to geotechnical and ground improvement design procedures, which provides a commercial advantage to the company in-house design-build capabilities. In his new role, he will continue to be a differentiator for the company working on projects throughout the Gulf Coast region, as well as assisting with challenging projects throughout the country.

With more than 14 years of experience in heavy civil construction and project management and nearly five years with Hayward Baker, Matt Redfern is promoted from Project Manager to Operations Manager in the San Diego office and will oversee operations for all structural support product lines throughout California.

As Geotechnical Design Engineer in the Tampa office, Cyrus Jedari will focus on the design and quality of ground improvement projects in Florida. He has a PhD in geotechnical engineering with experience in large-scale projects and onsite field operations.

Promoted from Project Manager to Business Development Manager with focus on the Carolinas, David Kirschner began his career with Hayward Baker in Greensboro in 2000. He has performed several roles with the company while becoming an industry expert in multiple techniques, including deep foundations and earth retention.

Also in the Greensboro office, Darrell Easterling is promoted to Structural Support General Superintendent with a focus on business in the Carolinas.

A move back to explosives

April 2019

Mike Rispin

On leaving his current position with Normet at end of April, Mike Rispin will take up a new career post with Dyno Nobel Explosives in the capacity of Vice President – Underground (Americas).  The move brings Rispin back to his roots having spent the first 12 years of his career in the explosives business.  The company with which he started that career in 1985, Dupont Explosives, is now part of Dyno Nobel through acquisition.  “So, in some ways I am going home but with the benefit of 23 years of knowledge and contacts on the ground control side of things,” said Rispin. “I am joining an organization which has thoroughly impressed me and I am highly energized.  While it is challenging to leave Normet, particularly after close to ten years, I am looking ahead to this next chapter of my career.”

From his home base in the Cottonwood Heights office in Salt Lake City, USA, Rispin will represent Dyno Nobel Explosives across the markets of mining, construction and aggregates and will travel extensively. “I look forward to interacting with established colleagues and friends in the underground construction industry again in the future,” he said.

New Principal for McMillens Jacob

April 2019

Mark Dempf

A new Principal and Vice President in the Construction Management practice of McMillen Jacobs is appointed. Based in the New York office, Mark Dempf, PE, ENV SP will support existing projects and new projects for existing clients such as the NYC Department of Design and Construction and NYC Department of Environmental Protection and new clients including NYC Economic Development Corporation The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Passaic Valley Sewer Commission, and other water and sewer utilities in the New York metropolitan area.

A licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Vermont, Dempf has 33 years of experience in infrastructure/utility master planning, design, and construction activities having been involved with more than US$400 million of construction work. He was previously Tri-State Director of Construction Services for Vollmer, which was acquired in 2007 by Stantec. In that post he and his team managed NYC DDC design and construction contracts performing analysis on the construction of the wastewater treatment system at the Delaware Aqueduct as part of the Rondout-West Branch bypass tunnel project.

Dempf has a BSCE from the University of Vermont and is a member of the New York Water Environment Association, American Water Works Association, New York State Society of Professional Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Management Association of America, National Society of Professional Engineers, Water Environment Federation, and American Public Works Association.

New water treatment division manager for Moretrench

March 2019

Ed Carter

Moretrench, a Hayward Baker company, has appointed Ed Carter as its Groundwater Treatment Division Manager. Under his leadership, Moretrench will continue to provide turnkey water treatment services alongside dewatering and geotechnical construction services to meet water treatment needs for the heavy construction, tunneling, power generation, environmental and oil and gas industries. Carter has operational and technical experience in the groundwater/environmental treatment industries and works at the Moretrench headquarters in Rockaway, New Jersey.

Moretrench and Hayward Baker are part of the connected companies of Keller, a leader in geotechnical solutions, working to develop solutions for geotechnical challenges.

Management changes at Normet

February 2019

Greg Hallett

As of 1 March, Greg Hallett will take up the post of Senior Vice President, Sales Area North America. Hallett will also continue his current responsibility of heading the USA Sales Unit and will take over from Mike Rispin, current head of Normet North America, who is leaving the company to pursue new career opportunities.

“Growth in North America is critical for our future success. I am looking forward to Greg building a strong business and foundation for growth,” said Robin Lindahl, current President and CEO of the Normet Group.

Lindahl is also leaving Normet and a new CEO is being recruited to take his place by 1 August 2019. Aaro Cantell, Chairman of the Normet Group, said: “I am confident we will find a good successor to Robin to continue the positive development of Normet.”

References

In search of a new CEO for Normet – TunnelTalk, Feb 2019

Lead Program and Construction Management at WSP named

January 2019

Bernard McNeilly has been appointed to lead program management and construction management (PM/CM) at WSP USA. He will head a new organisational unit within the company that offers services including program/project management, program controls, project information management systems and construction management and employs 1,200 staff.

Bernard McNeilly

“Under Bernie’s leadership, we plan to provide best-in-class PM/CM services to clients in all markets, drawing on our decades of experience in providing program management and construction management on some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the United States,” said Gregory Kelly, President and CEO at WSP USA.

“With this renewed emphasis on PM/CM, we are strengthening the full range of our infrastructure services, offering support to our clients at each stage of project delivery. Based on his previous success delivering for our clients, I am confident that Bernie is the right choice to lead our PM/CM efforts going forward.”

McNeilly has previously overseen iconic projects in New York, including East Side Access, the LaGuardia Central Terminal project, the Gateway Program and the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project.

“WSP has long been a trusted delivery partner for PM/CM, and with the recent addition of Louis Berger to WSP, we will strengthen and expand our PM/CM offering,” said McNeilly. In December, 2018, WSP acquired Louis Berger, an international professional services corporation founded in 1953.

McNeilly joined WSP in 2007 and has held a series of progressively responsible management positions. He was most recently chief operating officer (COO) for the transportation and infrastructure business of WSP. Prior to that he was regional business manager for WSP Northeast transportation practice and area manager for transportation in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

McNeilly has a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and holds a professional engineering license in multiple states.

Among WSP’s current and recent PM/CM assignments are the Moynihan Train Hall and Farley Building Redevelopment in New York City; the Chicago O’Hare International Airport Modernization Program; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s ATLNext program; Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise; phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway in New York City; the redevelopment of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport; and the new Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California.

References

USA honours outstanding achievements – TunnelTalk, July 2018
New York on the brink of a rail tunnel crisis – TunnelTalk, November 2014

Experienced lead for electrical supplier

November 2018

Dominique Llonch has been appointed as the new Chairman of Nidec Industrial Solutions and CEO of Nidec ASI, the multinational leader in the Nidec Group Industrial Solutions sector. Llonch succeeds Giovanni Barra, who has been at the helm of the company since 2013.

Dominique Llonch

Llonch has more than 25 years of experience in the aerospace, oil & gas, T&D and power generation sectors. He began his career as program manager for digital controls in jet engines, and then became engineering and service leader for oil & gas applications in DCS Solutions. He then held various positions of responsibility in the services, engineering, production and project execution areas, working in different regions of the world, including China, India, Russia, Europe, United States, the Middle East and Africa.

Llonch has also held roles in the industry and energy sectors. As vice-chairman of the power automation and controls business at a global level in ALSTOM Power, he was responsible for around 200 C&I projects for the construction of every type of power plant. He reorganised the business and refocused attention on production and service excellence and technological innovation in order to offer the best customer experience possible and to promote planned profitable strategic growth. Before joining Nidec, he held the position of General Manager Projects Europe & Africa in General Electric, managing the development of gas-fired plants for a value of over €5 billion.

Llonch has a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering obtained at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (Sup’Aéro) and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) at INSEAD.

Nidec Industrial Solutions offers complete electrical systems and offers customised solutions throughout the world for a wide range of industrial applications. Offering electric motors and generators up to 65 MW of power (87,000 HP); power electronics inverters and converters; automation and software for industrial processes; retrofitting of power plants and hydroelectric generators; integrated systems for the production of electrical energy from renewable sources and their stabilisation in connecting to the national grid.

GHD extends its global tunnelling experience

November 2018

Adding to its global experience in underground space design and construction, professional services company GHD has made some new appointments.

Wolfgang Kreiner

Brendan Henry

Wolfgang Kreiner also joined GHD as Technical Director earlier this year. Also based in Brisbane, Wolfgang has 15 years’ of international experience, including metro projects in Melbourne, Riyadh and Caracas. He recently obtained a Masters in BIM Management, focused on the implementation of 3D-modelling for civil structures.

GHD Brendan Henry has been named Service Line Leader, Tunnels for Australia, to support further technical development and growth of the tunnels practice. Brendan has 25 years’ experience around the globe and previously led the company’s tunnel team in Brisbane.

“GHD works with colleagues and clients around the world to provide innovative designs for complex tunnelling projects regardless of location,” said Henry.

GHD was recently awarded by the International Water Association for its ground-breaking work on Severn Trent Water Birmingham Resilience Project, which included tunneling to bypass sections of the historic Elan Valley Aqueduct.

As technical advisor to the North East Link Authority in Melbourne, Australia, GHD is involved in engineering design of Victoria’s longest road tunnel at more than 5 km.

Board Chair elected at McMillen Jacobs

November 2018

The McMillen Jacobs Associates Board of Directors has elected Sarah Wilson to be Board Chair. Wilson is a Vice President at McMillen Jacobs Associates, where she has worked in tunnel design and construction management for more than 19 years, and she has spent the past five years in board service for the firm.

Sarah Wilson

“I am proud that McMillen Jacobs is on the cutting edge of the industry with a woman Board Chair. I see the Board Chair responsibility as driving communication between the board and company management, and I’m lucky to be working with some extremely talented people,” said Wilson.

Ms Wilson has leadership experience and technical expertise gained from final design roles on transit, dam and water conveyance facilities, and construction management experience on numerous underground contracts in both soft ground and rock. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an MS in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. She has authored numerous professional papers and articles on geotechnical and construction management topics, and is a past president of the American Rock Mechanics Association. She is a CMAA certified construction manager and a registered professional civil engineer in California.

New roles at Pipe Jacking Association

November 2018

At a recent AGM to celebrate 45 years of service to the tunnelling sector, the Pipe Jacking Association (PJA) appointed members to new roles. Jim Kirby, Technical Director at COWI, was appointed to the position of PJA Chairman. Kirby has 25 years of contracting and consultancy experience, specialising in tunnelling, pipe jacking, shafts and pipelines. This is the first time in the PJA 45-year history that a consulting engineer has held the chairmanship, underlining a new and progressive era for the association. David Atkinson, Contracts Director for the trenchless business at contractor, AE Yates, was elected as vice-chairman; and the outgoing chair Graeme Monteith takes over the role of Secretary from Andrew Marshall.

Jim Kirby

The PJA welcomes major infrastructure operators, Network Rail and United Utilities as new associate members. The membership category of associate was created recently in order that major client organisations could easily engage with industry to the benefit of all.

“The PJA has been active in a number of key areas to include education and research, technical innovation, industry standards. Recently we have lobbied the ICE and NIC around the issue of urban road congestion and assisted Network Rail with the compilation of a new UTX standard. We plan to continue and grow these activities and to raise the awareness of pipe jacking as one of the primary methods for installing drainage and other utilities in urban areas with the minimum of disruption significantly reducing carbon outputs,” said Jim Kirby.

New group CEO for Technymon

November 2018

Bernd Fischer has been named Group CEO at Technymon. He will oversee business development and operations for Technymon Technology in the USA, Germany, Brazil and Italy and promote its HIMON brand. Fischer has 25 years of international experience in the metal polymer industry, recently as President of GGB Bearing Technology, CEO of Oerlikon Balzers and Executive VP Global Services at Castolin Eutectic.

Bernd Fischer

“I am excited for the opportunity to continue this tradition of excellence and further grow the company,” said Fischer. “I look forward to working with Technymon’s extremely talented team to elevate the international recognition of its products.”

Fischer will collaborate with Varun Sood and Jozef Jansen, the founders of UC Capital, which purchased the Technymon Group in 2017. Sood and Jansen will remain as Board Directors and continue working on the company’s strategic direction and decisions.

“With Bernd at the helm of the Technymon Group we are integrating an industry expert with a thorough understanding of the global metal polymer bearing market, its technology and respective applications,” said Sood. “We see this leadership as an integral step in elevating our business, competitiveness and market penetration.”

New Chief Executive for final phases of Crossrail

November 2018

Transport for London (TfL) and Crossrail have appointed Mark Wild as Chief Executive as the focus of the project moves towards full-time testing, Wild will lead the project through its final phases, including trial running, trial operations and the opening of the central section.

Mark Wild

Wild joins Crossrail from London Underground, where he has been Managing Director since June 2016. He will return to his role at London Underground once the Elizabeth line has opened through central London. He will initially work alongside Simon Wright who will step down as Chief Executive of Crossrail later this year as planned.

Last week, an interim financing package between the government and the mayor of London was confirmed, which will enable Crossrail to continue its construction work and vital testing at pace to open the Elizabeth line to passengers as quickly as possible.

While Wild is at Crossrail, London Underground Director of Network Operations Nigel Holness will step up to the role of Managing Director. He will take up his previously-announced position of Deputy Chief Executive for Metro Trains Sydney at a later date.

“Mark’s extensive knowledge and experience of delivering major signalling and systems integration projects will be vital for the final stages of the project,” said Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner.

Aurecon appoints new technical tunnel specialist

October 2018

CK Tsang has been appointed as Technical Director – Infrastructure at Aurecon. Tsang has 20 years of experience in the industry as a project manager and director of tunnelling, metro and highway projects, he has worked on many world-renowned tunnelling projects. These include using the world’s biggest subsea tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link project in Hong Kong, and the world’s longest immersed tunnel (6 km) linking two man-made islands for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project in China.

CK Tsang

A leading specialist in civil and geotechnical engineering for drill and blast tunnelling, TBM tunnels and immersed tube tunnels, Tsang’s focus at Aurecon will be on the development and delivery of innovative, timely and cost-effective tunnel solutions for clients in Australia. "Tunnel infrastructure is going through a period of unprecedented change, with growing populations, and emerging technologies transforming how we plan, design, and build tunnel projects,” says Tsang. “The use of underground space for drainages, sewage treatment and transportation will be an ongoing challenge for the planners of urban city infrastructure.”

Tsang is the author of many technical papers focused on tunnelling and transport infrastructure, and has been a lecturer on tunnel and cavern engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

References

Lesotho Highlands Phase II preparations – TunnelTalk, February 2018
Melbourne awards its PPP metro contract – TunnelTalk, July 2017

Transportation expert joins APTA Board of Directors

October 2018

Julie D’Orazio, Senior Vice President and national market leader for transit and rail for WSP USA, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) as a business member at-large.

Julie D’Orazio

D’Orazio has been active within APTA since 2010 and is currently serving on several committees. D’Orazio is focused on three key areas that align with APTA’s mission- safety and security, innovative mobility solutions and service network optimization and efficiency.

“Julie’s long and varied experience in transportation will provide the APTA board of directors with valuable insight and guidance and, most importantly, provide broad representation for WSP in this important industry organization,” said Joseph Pulicare, President of US Transportation and Infrastructure for WSP USA.

In her role with WSP, D’Orazio is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the transit and rail business which includes increasing revenue, enhancing marketing capabilities, and strengthening relationships with clients. She is also responsible for providing strategic and tactical advice to WSP clients on a wide range of transit and rail issues, including project delivery, management and operations.

D’Orazio is a registered professional engineer in New York and currently serves on the board of directors of WTS New York. She has been active in other professional associations including the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York and the American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Section.

Two new tunnelling experts join AECOM

October 2018

The National Tunnel Practice at AECOM welcomes two new staff to its New York office.

Guido Castrogiovanni

Lars Jennemyr

Guido Castrogiovanni has been appointed as associate vice president and senior design manager, joining from consulting group COWI. He has 23 years of experience in tunneling, geotechnical, and underground engineering in urban areas and is also an expert in alternative delivery methods of tunnelling and underground projects. Among his previous projects are the Doha Metro Red Line, the Cityringen Metro in Copenhagen, and Rome Metro Line B1 and Line C, as well as other large transportation projects in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

Lars Jennemyr has joined AECOM from Skanska as senior tunnel construction engineer. He has experience in underground and tunneling projects from across the globe including South East Asia, South America, Africa, Canada and the United States in transportation, water, and hydropower projects. He brings extensive experience in conventional and mechanised tunnelling.

In addition, Jennemyr has special expertise in tunnel construction, construction planning, constructability, construction estimating, and scheduling and project implementation. His previous work includes the Second Avenue Subway, 86th St. Station in New York; the No. 7 Subway Line Extension in New York; the Regional Connector and the Purple Line Extension in Los Angeles; Citytunnel in Malmo, Sweden; the Kukule Ganga Hydro Power Project in Sri Lanka, and the Hong Kong Strategic Sewage Scheme project.

"AECOM supports a progressive culture and attitude. We are excited that highly competent, broad thinking experts like Guido and Lars will help us foster advancement of state-of-the-art approaches for underground construction," said Nasri Munfah, AECOM Director of Tunnelling and Underground Engineering. “With the addition of these new appointments and 200 professionals and about 1,000 geotechnical specialists throughout the Americas, we offer innovative solutions to tunnelling challenges.”

References

Doha Metro set for final project breakthrough – TunnelTalk, August 2016
All TBMs finish on Copenhagen metro – TunnelTalk, March 2017
Metro breakthrough in Rome – TunnelTalk, September 2010
LA Metro awards second Purple Line contract – TunnelTalk, February 2017
Planning of deep sewage tunnels in Hong Kong – TunnelTalk, May 2009

New Director to lead AECOM in the Americas

April 2018

New Director of Tunneling and Underground Engineering, Nasri Munfah, has been appointed by AECOM Design and Consulting Services to lead its tunneling and underground engineering business in the Americas.

Nasri Munfah

Munfah will be responsible for developing and implementing a long-term strategic growth plan for tunneling across the AECOM transportation and water businesses in the Americas.

With more than 35 years of experience in tunneling and underground engineering, Munfah has overseen the successful delivery of multiple billion-dollar design-bid-build and alternative delivery projects from engineering through to construction.

He is the main author of the first comprehensive manual for tunnel design in the United States, the US Federal Highway Administration Technical Manual for Design and Construction of Road Tunnels – Civil Elements.

Munfah is also the author of numerous technical papers, the recipient of numerous industry awards, and a lecturer in various short courses.

He is an active member of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, the Underground Construction Association, the Transportation Research Board, the Moles and other national and international tunneling organizations. He is also a professor in Columbia University Civil Engineering department offering courses in the design and construction of tunnels and underground structures.

References

The rockstars of tunnelling – TunnelTalk, October 2017

Experienced engineer joins Golder Tunnelling

May 2018

Leo Ariza

Tunnel engineer Leo Ariza, MSc, MEng, has joined the Golder Tunnelling Team based at the Sydney, Australia, office.

With 20 years of experience leading underground infrastructure projects globally from feasibility studies through to construction, Ariza was previously a principal tunnelling engineer with CH2M and ILF, responsible for design and project management for large infrastructure projects.

The hire continues the strategy by Golder to add to its global tunnelling capabilities, having recently acquired the assets and ongoing operations of the Alan Auld Group of Companies.

References

Alan Auld acquisition by Golder Associates – TunnelTalk, October 2017

Senior Tunnel Engineer for Aldea Toronto

April 2018

Hiva Mahdavi, PhD, PEng, has been appointed Senior Tunnel Engineer/Project Manager for the Aldea office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hiva has more than a decade of international engineering and tunnel design experience with a special interest in geotechnical design.

Hiva Mahdavi

Hiva has experience of managing, designing and delivering transit and utility tunnel projects using best practice methodology for the conditions. One of her most recent projects for the city of Calgary was named winner of the NASTT NW Project of the year competition in 2015 and winner of the award of excellence in Consulting Engineers of Alberta in the Category of Sustainable Design in 2016.

“Hiva’s experience, talent, depth of knowledge and specialization in geotechnical modelling together with her ability to lead a design team through complex project conditions, make her a great addition to the team,” said Aldea Senior Vice President Bob Goodfellow.

Hiva started with analysis of pipe-soil interaction and moved through geotechnical investigation to design of tunnel and underground excavation.

“What I love about tunneling is that it has both geotechnical and structural elements to it because of the way ground and structure interact with each other.” said Hiva. “The complexities and challenges of each project are quite unique. It takes a great team to make it all work and what I love about Aldea is that every single person is a good technical resource.”

Aldea Services manages design and construction of major underground civil projects, undertaking planning, design, construction and risk management as well as general engineering consulting.

Leadership roles for HNTB to support growing activity on western USA

February 2018

Gordon Clark and Mark Ramsey are appointed to new leadership roles within the national tunnel and underground team of the HNTB Corporation to support a growing portfolio of activity in the western States of the USA.

Gordon Clark

Mark Ramsey

Vice President Clark, PE, is appointed West Division Tunnel Practice Leader and Ramsey is promoted to Vice President and named West Division Tunnel Practice Construction Management and Delivery Leader. Clark will be based in Bellevue, Washington State and Ramsey in Los Angeles.

“These new roles reflect the depth of project delivery and technical excellence Gordon and Mark bring to the HNTB tunnel and underground engineering practice group and to our clients,” said Sanja Zlatanic, PE, HNTB Senior Vice President and National Tunnel Services Practice Chair. “They continue to build the in-depth experience of HNTB in providing innovative solutions through managing risks inherent to major complex tunneling projects primarily in the transit, rail, highway, aviation and water resources markets.”

Previously, Clark served as HNTB Technical Director-Tunnels and Complex Underground Structures and Ramsey was the firm’s West Division Tunnel Practice Leader. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of Mining Engineers and American Underground Construction Association. He earned a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University. He will continue to lead a multidisciplinary group of technical staff for developing complex designs, technical investigations and alternatives for providing innovative technical concepts and detailed designs for quality delivery.

With 25 years of experience, Ramsey will maintain his role as Implementation Manager for the program management team on the 6-mile Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley Phase II project which will extend BART services to Santa Clara through 5 miles of tunneling and three underground stations beneath downtown San Jose, California, and includes also an at-grade station, a storage yard and a maintenance facility. Ramsey graduated from Purdue University with his Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering and Management. He is a member of the UCA (Underground Construction Association) of SME and of the Transportation Research Board Tunnel and Underground Construction standing committee.

The firm’s tunnel projects some of the largest TBM tunnel projects in the world and some of the most complex underground projects in the USA. Projects in the western states of the USA to have benefited from HNTB planning, design and support services include the Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor in Los Angeles; the Presidio Parkway highway relocation project in San Francisco; the Devil’s Slide road tunnel in San Mateo, California; and the SR 99 Alaskan Way Tunnel project in Seattle. The employee-owned infrastructure firm has more than a century of service in the United States and understands life cycle issues of infrastructure and complex technical, financial and operational challenges.

New Principals at McMillen Jacobs Associates

February 2018

Employee-owned environmental, engineering, and construction company McMillen Jacobs Associates has promoted six new principals in its Underground Division.

John Murray

John Murray, PE is promoted to the New York and New Jersey Office Manager. With 20 years of experience as a design engineer and project manager on several major tunnel design projects. Murray has served as a design lead and project manager on a number of design-build and design-bid-build tunnel projects. He is currently design manager for the Catskill Aqueduct Repair and Rehabilitation Project in Upstate New York and is leading the firm’s efforts as part of the program management team on the Ottawa Rail Transit project in Canada. He earned his MS in Geotechnical Engineering and BS in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a registered Professional Engineer in New York and Georgia.

Kristian Nelson

In New Zealand, Kristian Nelson CPEng, PEng, IntPE, is appointed Office Manager in Auckland. After working for 19 years as a civil engineer in both Canada and New Zealand, Nelson has extensive experience in planning and delivering projects that maintain client access to facilities and working around operational activities. He has managed projects from design to delivery, and has a deep understanding of the impacts and interrelationships of design, construction, options, and constraints. Currently Design Manager on the Army Bay WWTP Upgrade and Outfall Replacement in Auckland, and after earning his BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia, he qualified as a Chartered Professional Engineer in New Zealand, a Professional Engineer in BC, Canada, and an International Professional Engineer.

Troy Page

New Principal, Troy Page, PE, started out as a tunnel laborer in Chicago while in school, and worked his way up the ranks through 34 years of experience. He spent 24 years with heavy construction contractors, and has experience in most tunneling methods, as well as grouting, estimating, and claims. His extensive knowledge base affords him the ability to develop detailed engineer’s estimates, perform design feasibility and constructability reviews, and review contractor submittals. Among others, Page has provided cost estimating services on some of the firm’s most significant tunneling projects, including Akron Ohio Canal Interceptor, Ottawa Light Rail Transit, and San Francisco Central Subway PM/CM projects. He earned his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota and is a Professional Engineer in New York.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, PE, CCM has applied her combined experience in design and construction management to solving problems on underground projects for more than 18 years and primarily in water supply and rail transit sectors. Wilson recently served as Resident Engineer for the US$234 million Central Subway Tunnels and $294 million Union Square Market Street Station contracts for the San Francisco MTA. She currently oversees the firm’s construction management practice as well as serving on the Board of Directors. She is a Past President of the American Rock Mechanics Association and is currently working on an update to the UCA of SME’s publication Recommended Contract Practices for Underground Construction. She earned her MS in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, where she is a regularly invited lecturer, and her BS in Civil Engineering from Drexel University, where she was named one of the Top 40 under 40 in 2015. Wilson is a Registered Professional Civil Engineer in California and a CMAA Certified Construction Manager.

Samuel Swartz

Samuel Swartz, PE, is Office Manager of the firm’s new base in Chicago. He has 19 years of engineering experience with the company, working on major tunnel design projects. He has served as project manager and design lead on a number of large tunneling projects, and is currently leading the final design for Metro Vancouver’s Second Narrows Water Supply Tunnel in Vancouver, Canada. Swartz earned his MS in Civil Engineering at University of California at Berkeley and his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in California, Washington, and Illinois.

Mark Trim

With 19 years of experience working as a design engineer and manager specializing in permanent and temporary underground structures, Principal Mark Trim, CPEng, PE, has worked on notable projects in North America and Australia including the WestConnex M4 East Project in Sydney, the Airport Link Project in Brisbane, the Northern Sewerage Project in Melbourne, and the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Project in Canada. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia and a Registered Civil Engineer in New York, Texas, and Washington. He earned his MS in Mining and Earth Systems Engineering and a BS in Civil Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and works in the Sydney, Australia office, which he opened in 2014.

LEEA welcomes new Chair and CEO

January 2018

Paul Fulcher has been welcomed as the new Chairperson of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association in the UK and Dr Ross Moloney as Chief Executive Officer of the Association.

Ross Moloney and Paul Fulcher

Fulcher, MD of Rigging Services, an active member of the board for 20 years and Chairperson from 2001 to 2003, succeeds Oliver Auston who held the position for two years.

‘I am excited to be back in the role as Chairman of the Association especially during this time of change and global re-organisation of LEEA member services during 2018. I look forward to working alongside a strong Board of Directors, and Ross in his new role as CEO. Ross brings experience in skills development, senior leadership and employer representation,” said Fulcher.

“I am honoured to be leading LEEA into its next phase of growth and excited to be working with the Board and the Association’s dedicated staff. I look forward to meeting our valued members over the coming weeks and months,” said Moloney.

LEEA is also pleased to announce the appointment of board member Kat Moss, from Catena Inspection as Chairperson of the Association’s Learning and Development Committee. Kat has been a Board member for 2 years and will add invaluable experience and guidance to the ongoing strategy.

HS2 appoints new Procurement Director

January 2018

David Poole

David Poole is to join HS2 as Procurement and Supply Chain Director to lead the construction phase of the project. Poole joins from Highways England in mid March where he is currently Executive Director, Commercial and Procurement. He will be based at the HS2 headquarters in Birmingham.

Prior to Highways England, Poole was Supply Chain Director at GE Aviation Systems and Flight Control Systems, leading their commercial and supply chain activity.

“David's experience of managing complex supply chains will be invaluable as we continue to recruit the contractors we need to deliver the railway on time and on budget,” said Mark Thurston, HS2 Chief Executive. “HS2 will transform the experience of rail travel for huge numbers of people across the UK. I am pleased to be joining the project at such an important time in its development,” said Poole.

References

Civil contract awards for UK HS2 Phase I – TunnelTalk, July 2017
Construction bids invited for HS2 stations – TunnelTalk, September 2017

New Associate Director at Hewson UK

January 2018

Paul Perry

The Guildford office of Hewson Consulting Engineers in the UK welcomes Paul Perry as an Associate Director. Perry will lead and further develop the Hewson underground structures team and brings to the role more than 30 years of experience in the design of major underground projects. These include the Lower Thames Crossing, the Bond Street Station upgrade, Crossrail and the MTR Central Subway pedestrian tunnel in Hong Kong. He has also contributed to the development of properties above and adjacent to underground stations including redevelopment of properties on Oxford Street as part of the London Underground Bond Street Station upgrade and the Aldgate East and Grafton Street developments above the network’s Victoria Line.

Perry is a member of the British Tunnelling Society and of its organising committee with particular responsibility for liaison with the British Geotechnical Association, and he has written on the practical use of BIM for the Institution of Structural Engineers BIM panel.

Geotechnical specialist takes up honorary role

December 2017

The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) has appointed Nick Armstrong to the three-year term of Honorary Secretary following an interview and recommendation to the executive committee.

Nick Armstrong

A manager with Fugro site characterisation and geoconsulting business, Armstrong joined the BGA last year. He brings 40 years’ professional experience to the role, including 25 years working on ground investigation projects with Fugro.

“I am delighted to have been accepted for the position of Honorary Secretary of the British Geotechnical Association. The association is hugely influential within the sphere of geotechnical engineering, both in the UK and internationally, and plays a crucial role in relation to training and professional development. I look forward to promoting innovation and best practice to help the industry move forward in these exciting times,” said Armstrong, following inauguration.

The BGA specialises in the application of soil mechanics, rock mechanics and geology to engineering and is influential in the international ground engineering arena.

Leading industry figure to chair UK Industry Training Board

November 2017

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board of the UK (ECITB) has appointed Lynda Armstrong OBE as its new Chair. In her role, Armstrong will lead the Board and champion its work at the forefront of skills provision in the engineering construction industry in England, Scotland and Wales.

Lynda Armstrong OBE

A geophysicist by training, Armstrong worked for Shell International for 35 years in roles in oil and gas exploration, and in petroleum engineering and production. Since retiring from Shell she has held a number of positions on boards as a Non-Executive Director, including Kaz Minerals, Orsted (formerly DONG Energy), SBM Offshore and CEOC and also chairs the British Safety Council, a not for profit organisation promoting safety in the workplace.

Armstrong was awarded the OBE for services to the UK Oil and Gas Industry and is a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

“Throughout my career I have always considered developing skills critical to personal and business success. I look forward to working with Chris Claydon and his team in their important task of promoting and supporting engineering construction skills,” said Armstrong.

“I am delighted to welcome Lynda to the ECITB. I look forward to working with her to address the long-term skills needs of the industry, boosting productivity and home-grown talent, and helping to advance the UK status as a leading international destination for engineering construction excellence,” said Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of ECITB.

The Chair is appointed by the ECITB Government sponsor, the Department for Education, for a four-year period. Responsibilities include setting the strategic direction of ECITB and ensuring that its policies and actions support national governments’ strategic policies and the needs of the engineering construction industry.

References

Meeting demand for new generation professionals – TunnelTalk, October 2017
UK training centre relaunched with new provider – TunnelTalk, October 2017
Training the key to reducing in-tunnel incidents – TunnelTalk, October 2017

New senior staff appointments at Avanti

August 2017

Frank Aguilar

A new President and new Director have been appointed at Avanti International. Frank Aguilar is the new President, and Angela Magill, widow of Avanti founder David Magill, has been elected Director. Aguilar succeeds Daniel Magill who held the position from 2009 when he succeeded his late father David.

Aguilar will work closely with Magill to achieve strategic operational goals, capitalize on all market opportunities, and provide guidance and support to customers. Since joining Avanti in 1999 he has been Regional Sales Manager, Technical Product Manager, VP of Customer Service, and most recently, VP of Operations.

“Avanti has a strong, cohesive management team and loyal support staff. I am excited to lead our team in this new role as President,” said Aguilar.

Avanti has been producing acrylic, polyurethane, and cement grouts for 40 years.

Geotechnical manager recruited to Aldea Services

October 2017

The new Northeast Regional Manager appointed by Aldea Services is geotechnical and geostructural engineer Dr Carlos Lazarte.

Dr Carlos Lazarte

During a professional career that spans nearly three decades, Lazarte has worked on more than 300 geotechnical, geo-structural, and structural engineering projects in more than 26 US States and 25 countries. He has experience of project development in a variety of sectors including for government facilities and private entities and prior to this role executed large infrastructure projects in Washington, DC.

“Dr Lazarte brings a broader perspective to our projects,” said Bob Goodfellow, Aldea Services Senior Vice-President. “Aldea creates great opportunities for its staff,” said Lazarte, “and rises to each challenge, keeping the goal of our client in mind.”

Notable projects worked on by Lazarte include the Inmate Tunnel, New Courthouse, San Diego, California; the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Air Train turnaround extension tunnel; the DC Water series of CSO tunnels (Blue Plains, Anacostia River, and North East Boundary Tunnels), and the 16th Avenue sanitary sewer rehabilitation project, for the Region of York in Ontario, Canada.

COWI appoints a Regional Director for Scotland

October 2017

Promoted to the post of Regional Director for Scotland, Eva Macinnes joins the UK Tunnels Leadership Team with responsibility for the performance of the Scottish business.

Eva Macinnes

"Eva was the stand-out candidate and has displayed first-class technical and project management skills since joining us in 2013, receiving consistently great feedback from clients and contractors," said Andy Sloan, UK Tunnels Executive Director at COWI.

"I am looking forward to further developing my engineering experience, based in the Glasgow office, while continuing to work with a great team of people. This opportunity has come at an exciting time as we continue to progress the COWI UK ambitious 2020 growth strategy and I am eager to get started," said Macinnes.

Since joining COWI, Macinnes has demonstrated technical and leadership skills on a variety of engineering challenges, including coordinating the design of a 40m-deep vertical shaft for the Thames Tideway tunnel, and leading the remediation of a 40m-high slope that was threatening the safe operation of the West Coast Mainline.

Transportation delivery executive

October 2017

Based in San Francisco and with 25 years of experience in public service and transportation policy, Jean Banker has joined Mott MacDonald as Vice President, Transportation Delivery.

Jean Banker

Banker has worked in a variety of senior roles at the Port of Oakland for the last ten years and spent the previous 13 years as Deputy Director of Capital Programs for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) where she managed, secured funding for, and monitored $30 billion of capital projects.

“Jean joins us just as our transportation business in the West is growing,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “Her experience will provide valuable support for our infrastructure advisory services and transportation efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area."

Banker holds a BA degree from Vassar College and an MA degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Schnabel hires technical tunnelling director

August 2017

James Parkes has joined Schnabel Engineering as a senior associate in the new position of Technical Tunneling Director. Based in Baltimore, he will be responsible for positioning and growing the national tunnel and underground engineering services practice of the company.

James Parkes

Most recently with WSP/Parsons Brinkerhoff, James brings 18 years of experience in technical leadership, operations and personnel management, strategic planning and business development.

Specific to project design and management, James has a diverse portfolio of high-profile tunnel, shaft, dam, water resources, light rail and transportation infrastructure projects located throughout the United States.

A graduate of Virginia Tech with bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering, James is a licensed professional engineer in Maryland, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. He is also a member of the Underground Construction Association of SME; the American Society of Civil Engineering; the Association of Dam Safety Officials, and the United States Society on Dams.

Schnabel Engineering provides specialized expertise for the planning, study, design and construction of geotechnical, dam and tunnel engineering projects in the United States and abroad. The employee-owned company has worked in more than 140 countries since its founding in 1956 and has pioneered the use of new technology, foundation systems and sustainable infrastructure.

New Transportation Planning Practice Leader

August 2017

Andrew Gardner, a vice president and light rail expert based in Vancouver, Canada, has been appointed Transportation Planning Practice Leader for Mott MacDonald West and Canada.

Andrew Gardner

“Andrew is recognized for his expertise in the development and operations of light rail transit systems, and has helped ensure the success of many important projects,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO, Mott MacDonald North America.

A Chartered Engineer with over 25 years experience in the development, planning, designing, and financing of major light rail transit projects in Canada, the USA, and the UK, Gardner has worked as both an owner and consultant, and has managed large multidisciplinary design teams. He has extensive experience in developing modern transportation infrastructure.

Gardner has served as project manager or project director for projects including South of Fraser Rapid Transit (Surrey, BC), Evergreen Line Advanced Rapid Transit (Vancouver, BC), Valley Line (Edmonton, AB), Midland Metro Extensions (Birmingham, UK), Leeds Rapid Transit (Leeds, UK), and Oxford Street Transit (London, UK).

Senior Vice Presidents for Mott MacDonald North America

August 2017

Todd Heacock

Engineering veteran Todd Heacock, with 40 years of experience in consulting and structural engineering, has joined Mott MacDonald as a Senior Vice President of Structural Engineering for North America based at its headquarters in Iselin, New Jersey.

Heacock has experience in the areas of planning, structural and architectural design, coordination of design disciplines, and construction of large and complicated structures. He has also provided expert witness testimony and performed forensic engineering studies for multiple clients and attorneys.

“Todd Heacock has worked on a wide range of signature projects in the US and abroad, and will be an invaluable addition to our expertise in the built environment,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America.

Margaret Simmons-Cross, Senior Vice President, based in Seattle, has been named Division General Manager for the Greater West Division of Mott MacDonald.

Margaret Simmons Cross

“Margaret has been a valuable member of Mott MacDonald for more than a decade, having contributed to the success of major transportation projects in our Western operations,” said Nick DeNichilio.

In her new position, Margaret provides leadership to Mott MacDonald operations in Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Edmonds, Washington; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Lakewood, Colorado.

A registered professional engineer in five states, Margaret has been with Mott MacDonald for 12 years. Most recently, she was construction manager for the Silicon Valley Rapid Transit BART Extension, a $2.4 billion program near San Jose. Prior to that she was project manager for the design of the Sound Transit Link light rail extension to SeaTac Airport.

An active member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), Margaret was named the WTS Member of the Year in 2015 by the Bay Area Chapter.

Two new senior geotechnical appointments for WSP

August 2017

Mike King

With more than 36 years’ international experience, Mike King joins WSP as new Head of Geotechnical Engineering and Tunnelling from CH2M where he was the global practice lead for tunnels, and head of underground construction for the Crossrail project for more than five years.

Mike has worked on key projects in the UK and internationally including the Channel Tunnel, the Jubilee Line Extension, the Lisbon Metro, and the Sao Paul Metro.

“I was attracted to WSP by their vision and ambition for the future of their tunnelling and geotechnical sectors, and also by the cultural fit that I could see suited my approach to working,”said Mike.

WSP also welcomes Eric Wu as its new Regional Director in the geotechnical and tunnelling team, based in Cardiff. Eric joins from Jacobs where he was the director of operations and head of geotechnical engineering discipline.

Eric Wu

Throughout his 30 years’ career, Eric has worked on a number of high profile projects across the globe from metro, rail and highway projects in Dubai, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan to immersed tunnels in Thessaloniki, Ireland and Hong Kong, and numerous reservoirs and water works in Wales

He has been conferred an Honorary Visiting Professor title by Cardiff University in 2015 in recognition of his high level of competence, achievement and distinction in his field of expertise.

“I was particularly attracted to WSP’s collaborative ethos with offices across the globe and exciting opportunities in many market sectors. I hope to contribute to the continual growth and success of WSP, in particular the geotechnical and tunnelling team,” said Eric.

“I am delighted that Mike and Eric have joined WSP in key leadership roles for our geotechnical and tunnelling capability. Their technical excellence and track record of working on some of the most challenging projects around the world places them perfectly to help us fulfil our ambitions in this field, delivering complex infrastructure across the highway, rail, utility and energy sectors,” said Steve Denton, Head of Civil, Bridge and Ground Engineering for WSP.

New Vice President for Advisory Practice

August 2017

The Advisory Practice of Mott MacDonald welcomes new Vice President Grant Holland to the company’s office in Austin, Texas.

Grant Holland

“Grant Holland is a nationally recognized innovator in the field of infrastructure finance and project delivery,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “He brings more than 32 years of experience in project management and business development, and will help reinforce our strength in public-private-partnerships.”

Holland has worked on both the buy and sell of public-private partnerships and design-build projects in the transportation, parking, water/wastewater, transit, and building sectors. He was Project Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Rapid Bridge Replacement Program and has served as Project Manager for projects including State Highway 183 Managed Lanes (Texas DOT), CNG Fueling Stations (PennDOT), and I-80 Robb Drive to Vista Boulevard Design-Build Project (Nevada DOT).

Geotechnical Vice President appointed by Mott MacDonald

July 2017

Mott MacDonald has appointed Walter Burke to Vice President of Geotechnical Services in its Environment Practice at headquarters in Iselin, New Jersey.

Walter Burke

Burke’s expertise encompasses geotechnical/foundation engineering studies, shallow and deep foundation systems, slope stability, ground improvement measures, solid waste disposal facilities, landfill closure, and environmental engineering.

“Walter Burke brings us 40 years of professional experience in the fields of geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “He offers skills that will add to the strength of our offerings across all the sectors we serve, from aviation and tunneling to railways and bridges.”

Burke has authored and/or presented technical articles, case studies, and publications to numerous professional organizations.

New structural group lead for WSP North Carolina

July 2017

Thomas Harris

WSP USA appoints Thomas Harris to supervising structural engineer in its Raleigh office. He will lead the group responsible for structural design and project delivery throughout North Carolina.

With nearly 30 years of experience in structural analysis, bridge design, plans preparation, and project management in the Southeast, Harris has worked on preliminary and final design for major river crossings; multi-level interchange structures; rail and transit structures; pedestrian bridges and design-build projects. Prior to joining WSP, he was a project manager with the Raleigh office of a national engineering organization, serving as lead bridge engineer on projects in North Carolina.

A licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, Harris has a master of civil engineering degree and a bachelor of science in civil engineering from North Carolina State University.

Election to Executive Council of ITA

July 2017

Executive Vice President and Director of Professional Excellence at Mott MacDonald, Randy Essex, has been elected to the Executive Council of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association for a three-year term. The election took place at the General Assembly of the World Tunnel Congress in Bergen, Norway, held June 9 to 15 2017.

Randy Essex

“Randy has played a key role in many of Mott MacDonald’s signature projects, including the Niagara Tunnel, New York Harbour Siphon Tunnel, Euclid Creek Storage Tunnel, and East Side Access,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “His new position with the International Tunnelling Association is well deserved.”

Randy has been involved with the planning, design, construction engineering, or dispute resolution for more than 160 tunnel projects. His tunnelling experience encompasses projects across North America, Australia, Chile, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Singapore.

In 2016, Essex was honoured with the prestigious Golden Beaver award for engineering. For the last five years, he has served as the Voting Delegate for the Underground Construction Association for the US at annual meetings of the World Tunnel Congress.

HNTB appoints principal tunnel geologist

July 2017

Based in the New York City office and working with clients nationwide, Mala Ciancia has joined HNTB Corporation as Principal Tunnel Geologist. With more than 40 years of experience in engineering geology, subsurface characterization, rock laboratory testing, slope stability, applied hydrogeology and quality assurance, Ciancia has directed and provided technical recommendations to public agencies and private clients for tunnel investigations, highways, power plants, dams and reservoirs, and siting studies. Her project responsibilities have included initial exploratory studies, preparation of geologic data for design, development of geotechnical design parameters, and monitoring of geologic conditions encountered during and after construction.

Mala Ciancia

“Mala’s extensive geology background and strong leadership are an excellent fit within HNTB,” said Sanja Zlatanic, HNTB Practice Chair and Senior Vice President. “Her expertise in engineering geology is highly respected throughout the industry.”

Ciancia is a licensed professional geologist in Indiana, Louisiana, Delaware and New York and has been published many times. She has a Master of Science in Engineering Geology from Purdue University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences from Cornell University and is active in several associations, including the Association of Engineering and Environmental Geologists, Geo-Institute of American Society of Civil Engineers, ASTM International Committee D18-Soil and Rock, New York Academy of Sciences and Geological Society of America.

Ciancia brings experience of providing innovative solutions and managing risks on tunneling projects in highway, transit, rail, aviation and water. Underground projects in America that have benefited from HNTB planning, design and support services include the Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor in Los Angeles, Presidio Parkway in San Francisco, Devil’s Slide Tunnel in San Mateo California, the Washington Dulles International Airport tunnels, the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project in Seattle.

New manager for Aldea Atlanta

July 2017

With more than 30 years of tunneling industry experience and recently inducted into the Moles organization, Jim Brady is appointed by Aldea Services to run its Atlanta office.

Jim Brady

“We are lucky to have Jim as a senior part of our management team,” said Aldea Senior Vice President, and fellow Mole member, Bob Goodfellow. “His presence in opening the Aldea Atlanta office further expands the capabilities of the firm in design, construction engineering, and risk management.”

Brady’s father had a long career in tunneling and was inducted into the Moles in 1974. His maternal grandfather John Byrnes was the 44^th professional engineer to be registered in the State of New York and helped build the original New York City water supply tunnels.

Brady has extensive experience in the tunneling industry, which is a valuable resource in the globally diverse Aldea team. “We have a lot of perspectives and experience and are always looking at a bigger picture rather than just a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Brady. “Aldea is a company that looks at a challenge differently and it is that technical and cultural diversity that is one of our greatest strengths”.

References

Aldea Services LLC – TunnelTalk, June 2011

NATM Tunnel Practice Leader at WSP USA

June 2017

WSP USA has appointed Dr Axel Nitschke to the position of Tunnel Practice Leader to be based in its Washington DC office. Dr Nitschke will be a member of the firm’s geotechnical and tunnel excellence center and will lead the practice on the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

Dr Axel Nitschke

With more than 20 years of experience in tunneling including design, management, quality assurance/quality control, safety and construction, Dr Nitschke has gained particular experience in conventional tunneling and NATM excavation, as well as tunnelling with TBMs. Before joining WSP he worked on tunneling projects across Europe and the Americas, working as project manager, designer, construction manager, risk manager, contract manager, and consultant. NATM projects he has worked on in the USA include the Beacon Hill station tunnel in Seattle, Washington; the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (Phase I) in Virginia; the Devil’s Slide highway tunnel in San Mateo County on the California coast; and the Caldecott highway tunnel fourth bore project in Oakland, California.

“Axel brings extensive NATM and tunnel design and construction experience to WSP,” said Frank Pepe, Vice President and Director, WSP USA Geotechnical and Tunneling Technical Excellence Center. “His skills and global experience, will allow our team to continue to serve our clients and solve their underground and tunnel engineering challenges.”

A licensed professional engineer in Virginia, California, Maryland, Washington, Washington DC and New Jersey, Dr Nitschke received PhD and MSc degrees in civil engineering from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. He is a member of the board of directors and Chair of the Underground Committee of the American Shotcrete Association. He is also a member of the committees for shotcrete and fiber-reinforced concrete of the American Concrete Institute, of the American Society of Civil Engineers and of the UCA of SME Underground Construction Association of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.

References

Caldecott Fourth Bore Project video – TunnelCast, November 2013
Devil’s Slide opening celebration video – TunnelCast, March 2013
Beacon Hill celebration and investigation – TunnelTalk, July 2009

Transporation expertise hire for HNTB

June 2017

HNTB has hired John Daza, PE, PMP, as Senior Project Manager-Rail and Associate Vice President, who will operate from a based in the firm’s New York City office. Daza brings more than 20 years of structural engineering experience in the design and construction of complex transportation projects to the post. His background includes project, program and construction management services for rail and transit systems, tunnels, roadways and related facilities. Among his many accomplishments is the reconstruction of the roadway network around the World Trade Center site in New York City.

John Daza

“John has a deep understanding of the region’s infrastructure network and is a proven leader in developing innovative solutions to challenging projects to maximize existing rail transit systems, add much needed new capacity and enhance safety,” said Thomas J. Spearing III, HNTB New York office Leader and Senior Vice President.

Prior to joining HNTB, Daza was a department manager and senior associate at another major consulting firm. In that role, he led the structural engineering design for transit station rehabilitation and other transportation facilities. Daza is a professional engineer in New York and New Jersey, and certified as a project management professional. Daza hold a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the State University of New York, Buffalo and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Highway Engineers. He will add to the role HNTB plays on important infrastructure programs, including construction manager for renewal and rehabilitation of multiple station facilities for New York City Transit; program manager for New Jersey Transit’s implementation of Positive Train Control technology; owner’s engineer for the New NY (Tappan Zee) Bridge; and the general engineering consultant for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, among others.

References

Ground Zero revival of Lower Manhattan – TunnelTalk, September 2013
Post Sandy pump-out under way in New York – TunnelTalk, November 2012

New appointees for Mott MacDonald North America

June 2017

Mott MacDonald has appointed three new practice leaders for its operations in North America.

Mike Vitale, a well-known leader in the North American tunneling industry and with more than 34 years industry experience, is appointed Tunnels Practice Leader. He is a contributing author on several industry publications and guidelines and gained his expertise on transportation and water/wastewater tunnel projects across North America including on the award-winning Euclid Creek CSO Tunnel and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) tunnel system on which he worked for more than 21 years. His team currently oversees nearly 200 tunnels in various stages of design and construction.

Scott Fenical

Jennifer Kohlsaat

Mike Vitale

“Mike has been an essential element of our success in the tunneling industry throughout North America and will help ensure that we are poised to take advantage of growth opportunities in the US, Canada, and beyond,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald North America.

Jennifer Kohlsaat is appointed Environmental Practice Leader. Based in the Mott MacDonald Iselin, New Jersey office, Kohlsaat has been responsible for notable brownfield remediation projects, including creation of the award-winning Newark Riverfront Park. Kohlsaat will manage and conduct environmental compliance for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects as well as State, regional, and local-based NEPA projects for transportation and infrastructure markets. She also provides impact assessment and permitting services for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) projects.

Scott Fenical is appointed Coastal Practice Leader. Based in the Mott MacDonald San Francisco office, Fenical is a coastal engineer with 19 years of professional experience and lead developer of the vessel hydrodynamics longwave unsteady (VH-LU) modeling system, believed to be the most highly validated and widely applied system for simulating deep-draft vessel hydrodynamics and berthed vessel loading.

“Protecting our coastal environments and infrastructure is critical. Scott brings our clients a broad range of specialized skills in coastal analysis to improve the resilience of their assets, optimize design solutions, and minimize impacts to the environment,” said DeNichilo.

HNTB hires a principal tunnel engineer

May 2017

HNTB has hired Charles A. Stone, PhD, PE, as Principal Tunnel Engineer to work with clients nationwide and from his base in the firm’s New York City office. Stone has experience in the tunneling, shaft sinking and mining industries and specializes in the construction of underground structures in rock, ranging from large drill+blast underground subway caverns to TBM-driven tunnels.

Charles A. Stone

“Charles is a seasoned tunneling professional bringing a diverse array of practical tunneling design and construction experience to the growing HNTB infrastructure team,” said Sanja Zlatanic, PE, HNTB Tunnel Services Practice Chair and Senior Vice President.

At HNTB, Stone’s responsibilities will include investigating complex technical problems and serving as a senior technical specialist providing also independent analysis and quality control of underground work performed by other professionals. Stone’s addition expands HNTB’s tunnel technical bench and brings an additional array of in-depth experiences in providing innovative solutions and managing risks on tunneling projects in the highway, transit, rail and water resources markets.

Prior to joining HNTB, Stone served another consulting firm where he worked on the Hamilton Interceptor Improvement Project in Ohio and the East Side Access West Bound Bypass Structure in New York. He is a registered professional engineer in New York, Indiana and Kentucky.

Stone has been published many times, including Top-Down Construction for Tunnel Portal Walls in Karstic Limestone (RETC Proceedings 2015) and New York Subway Caverns and Crossovers – Update on Initial Lining Design (RETC Proceedings 2007).

Stone earned a doctorate in mining engineering/rock mechanics from Michigan Technological University; a Master of Business Administration, executive management, from Ashland University; a master’s degree in mining engineering/mineral processing and a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Kentucky.

HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm with more than a century of service in the USA, addressing the complex technical, financial and operational challenges of its clients. The HNTB portfolio of planning, design and support services projects including the Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor in Los Angeles; Presidio Parkway in San Francisco; Devil’s Slide Tunnel in San Mateo, California; the Washington Dulles International Airport tunnels; and the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project in Seattle.

New head of tunneling for Aldea Services Toronto

May 2017

Aldea Services appoints Angel Del Amo Moreno as Senior Tunnel Engineer in their Toronto office. Angel has nearly 15 years of engineering and tunnel design experience and most recently served as the lead designer on the Istanbul Metro in Turkey.

Angel Del Amo Moreno

“Angel’s experience from his work on major projects around the world is an important addition to the Aldea Services team. Given the varying tunneling techniques and materials employed around the globe, Aldea’s international team experience gives us a broader perspective and more design options to bring to the table.” said Bob Goodfellow, Senior Vice President.

In addition to his recent work in Istanbul, Angel has extensive international experience in precast tunnel lining design, SEM design, metro projects with complex soils, gassy tunnels and sealing systems, and extensive experience with tunnels in seismic areas, including Los Angeles and Istanbul.

Regional tunnels practice leader for Mott MacDonald in western USA

May 2017

Mott MacDonald has appointed Joe O’Carroll as Senior Vice President and Regional Tunnels Practice Leader responsible for the firm’s strategic growth in the tunneling sector in Southern California and western USA.

Joe O’Carroll

O’Carroll has more than 35 years of experience in the heavy civil and underground construction industry and in the specific field of project risk management. He has contributed to many noteworthy US projects including Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Highway Tunnel, San Francisco’s Central Subway Project, and the Port of Miami Highway Tunnel Project. Prior to settling in the United States, he worked on tunnel projects in Australia, Singapore, and the UK where he was involved on the Channel Tunnel undersea fixed link between England and France.

“Joe brings additional experience and expertise to our tunnels practice and to what is already a very strong team of tunneling professionals,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “His global experience with contractors, consultants, and owners will bring added value to our clients as we pursue new opportunities.”

O’Carroll has been active in the US tunneling industry and has authored several papers on tunnel design, construction cost estimating, and contract procurement. He recently co-authored the UCA of SME Guidelines for Improved Risk Management on Tunnels and Underground Projects in the United States of America, and is currently the conference chair for the forthcoming Cutting Edge Tunnel Conference, to be held in Seattle.

New senior engineering manager at WSP

May 2017

Working from the New York office, Syed Haq has joined Parsons Brinckerhoff as a Senior Engineering Manager responsible for providing project management and technical expertise for major tunneling and infrastructure projects.

Syed Haq

Haq has more than 30 years of experience in both engineering design and construction supervision services for small and large infrastructure projects. Prior to joining WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, he oversaw the construction of tunnels and off-site facilities for the Croton water treatment plant in the Bronx, New York.

A licensed professional engineer in New York and Ohio, Haq received an MS in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati; an MS in mining engineering from Southern Illinois University; a BS in mining engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan; and an MBA in the management of technology from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineers, and the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration.

New branch leader and new office in New York for Schnabel

May 2017

Engineering company Schnabel has opened its 19th US office in New York to be headed by newly appointed Senior Associate and Branch Leader Bill Fall. The location in Midtown Manhattan will provide a range of traditional engineering and related services in the tunneling, geostructural, geotechnical, dams and levees, and risk management sectors.

Bill Fall

Fall has more than 30 years of engineering and construction experience managing major transportation, infrastructure and environmental projects such as rail transit, bridges, tunnels and waste-to energy facilities in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to business development and management, he will also be responsible for project management, technical guidance and mentoring.

With a BS in civil engineering from the University of New Haven and an MCE in civil engineering (geotechnical) from Manhattan College, Fall is a licensed professional engineer in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

New appointees for McMillen Jacobs Associates

April 2017

McMillen Jacobs Associates appoints new chief financial officer and director of federal programs.

Darlene Brown

Don Lauzon

Darlene Brown is appointed Chief Financial Officer. A Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of experience, 20 of those in the engineering and construction industries, Darlene will assume overall responsibilities for financial decisions and working with senior leadership to develop long-term financial strategies for the company. Her background includes extensive work in tax and regulatory requirements, streamlining operations while increasing efficiencies and managing year-end processes. Darlene earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Washington and has been a CPA for over 25 years.

Donald Lauzon has been appointed to Director of Federal Programs. With more than 33 years of successful experience in project engineering, project management, engineering analysis, and engineering operations with the USACE. Donald will build on the current federal/civil works successes of the firm. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Rhode Island College, a Master of Science degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Military Operational Art and Science from the U.S. Air Force, Air University. He has received many prestigious honors, citations, and awards, including the Unit Presidential Citation, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star.

FTI Consulting strengthens project management services

April 2017

Steven Means has been appointed to the role of Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Constructions Solutions practice within the Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment, based in Houston.

Steven Means

Steven has more than 25 years of construction industry experience that spans public and private clients and federal government, with a particular focus on large-scale projects in the utility, oil and gas, petrochemical and mining sectors. In his new role Steven will lead the advisory-based services to the construction and engineering industry, working with companies on governance, risk management and operational execution.

“The addition of Steven enhances our ability to provide project and portfolio management services, from initiation to the close of the project,” said Paul Ficca, Global Leader of the Construction Solutions practice at FTI Consulting. “Steven brings a wealth of knowledge and experience advising companies on effective governance, controls and risk management to manage large, complex capex programs, which is critical to drive shareholder value in a competitive environment.”

Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Steven held a variety of senior positions at Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers, providing leadership on the design and construction of large projects and their integration into an effective asset management program. His experience includes engagements in a variety of industries in a direct advisory role spanning project management, governance, procurement, contract management, merger integration and disputes.

“My vision is to bring leading-edge innovation to the construction industry to enhance capital project delivery,” said Steven. “FTI Consulting is a global leader in construction services, and being able to work with clients throughout their projects’ lifecycles is a tremendous benefit.”

Tunnel projects manager for WSP

April 2017

Dr Sean Lee

New appointee to WSP Dr Sean Lee is recruited as Senior Supervising Engineer for the firm’s tunnelling and geotechnical projects. Based in the New York office, Lee has extensive experience in numerical analysis, design and project management on major tunneling projects in the US and abroad. Prior to joining WSP he served as the Americas region tunnels skills leader at another engineering firm.

A licensed professional engineer in Michigan, Dr Lee received PhD and MS degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and a BS degree from Han-Yang University in Korea. He is a committee member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Section and a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration.

References

Parsons Brinckerhoff name to disappear – TunnelTalk, January 2017

New Chief Executive for UK HS2

March 2017

The Board of HS2 confirms Mark Thurston as the new Chief Executive, just weeks ahead of scheduled award of seven main construction contracts totalling £11 billion.

Mark Thurston

Thurston will leave his current role as Regional Managing Director overseeing the CH2M European and UK operations in the spring, once he has transitioned his leadership responsibilities. He began his career in the rail industry more than 30 years ago as an apprentice with Transport for London (TfL). He has worked for CH2M since 2008, on the London 2012 Olympics and Crossrail, where he was lead for the Programme Partner joint venture for three years.

CH2M holds a number of design and engineering contracts with HS2 for delivery of Phase I of the two-phase £55 billion project to construct a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham (Phase I), and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham and Leeds (Phase II).

A spokesman for HS2 confirmed to TunnelTalk this week that £11 billion worth of major construction contracts, spread across seven packages, will be awarded in the coming weeks. “The main works contracts – which include the tunnelling – will be awarded in the summer.”

“Mark not only knows the UK rail industry from the bottom up, but has worked for organisations operating at the highest level, globally. His grasp of how to manage the transition from page to reality makes him not only the right person to take over at HS2 now that Royal Assent has been granted, but also to see it through the years leading up to the first train being commissioned,” said HS2 Chairman David Higgins.

“The challenge is huge in terms of the task and timescale, but the HS2 Board believes Mark has the knowledge, experience and leadership qualities to deliver the project within the budget we have been given and to do so in a way that recognises our responsibility both to Parliament and the communities in which we will be operating.

Thurston, who is also a visiting professor at the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management at University College London, said: “HS2 is arguably the most important investment in infrastructure in the UK for a generation. I am looking forward to leading the HS2 team and its partners to deliver a railway that will transform connectivity between our major cities and regions.”

References

HS2 “on track” despite departure of CEO – TunnelTalk, September 2016
Nine teams shortlisted for UK HS2 major civil contract packages – TunnelTalk, March 2016
Procurement strategy for HS2 civil works – TunnelTalk, September 2015

New Technical Director for HNTB

March 2017

Gordon Clark has joined HNTB Corporation as Technical Director (tunnels and complex underground structures) and Vice President. Clark is based in the Bellevue, Washington office and works with clients nationwide.

Gordon Clark

With more than 30 years of experience as an engineering consultant, leading and managing the planning, design and construction of large, multidisciplinary civil infrastructure projects, Clark has both technical and managerial experience on several multibillion-dollar mega projects with extensive hands-on experience in the planning and design of large-diameter tunnels and underground structures.

“Clark brings an incredibly diverse array of experience in a realm of tunnel and complex underground structures across several market areas, from the Seattle area and internationally,” said Sanja Zlatanic, PE, HNTB tunnel services Practice Chairman and Senior Vice President. “His technical and design management expertise, knowledge of planning, design and construction, and great attention to project critical elements including mitigating project risks, enable him to provide a wide range of solutions to HNTB clients for tunneling and underground projects.”

Clark will lead complex designs, technical investigations, innovations, analyses, and construction of tunnels and underground facilities. He will help Zlatanic in further expanding the national tunnel practice in the West, nationally and internationally.

With extensive experience and numerous presentations and published abstracts to date, including “Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing: Challenges, Risks and Mitigation Strategies,” at the World Tunneling Conference and “Geotechnical Baseline for the Alaskan Way Tunnel, Seattle, Washington,” at the Rapid Tunneling and Excavation Conference, Clark will add considerable expertise to HNTB.

Clark is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers; Society of Mining Engineers and American Underground Construction Association. He earned a Master of Science in structural engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Oregon State University.

New appointees for McMillen Jacobs Associates

March 2017

McMillen Jacobs Associates has promoted two of its senior engineers to positions of greater management responsibility and business expansion.

John Kaplin

Sarah Wilson

John Kaplin has been appointed California Regional Manager. The Region includes offices in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Pasadena, and San Diego. Kaplin has been with McMillen Jacobs for three years, most recently serving as Construction Management (CM) Practice Lead. Kaplin has 30 years of experience in geotechnical investigations, design management, and construction management of underground and heavy civil projects. He has worked in leadership positions on projects with a wide variety of delivery methods including design build and CM at Risk. Kaplin holds an MS in Engineering Geology and a BS in Geology from Colorado State University.

Sarah Wilson will be Construction Management Practice Lead. She currently serves as Resident Engineer on the Central Subway project in San Francisco. Wilson is a Senior Associate and has been with McMillen Jacobs for 17 years. She has served in project management roles on a wide variety of challenging underground construction projects from planning through design and construction. In her new role, she will provide day-to-day support for CM staff, overall leadership to the CM practice on operational matters for existing projects, and collaboration with senior management on development of new business and talent for construction management projects. Wilson received an MS degree in Geotechnical Engineering from UC Berkeley and a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Drexel University.

New Senior Vice President Tunnels for COWI

March 2017

COWI appoints Steven Kramer as Senior Vice President Tunnels for its North American business. Kramer previously served as Vice President and Director of Tunneling for the Americas at AECOM and was Vice President at HNTB (2011–14), Senior Vice President at Arcadis, (2008–10), Vice President at Jacobs Engineering (1998–2007), and Director of Research at the American Society of Civil Engineers (1989–1990).

Steven Kramer

As a frequent speaker at industry conferences, and author of more than 90 technical and management papers, Kramer brings a vast array of experience using conventional and alternative delivery methods for tunneling and trenchless practices in the fields of transportation, water and energy. He has served as project manager/principal for more than 50 projects for municipalities, utilities and transportation authorities ranging in construction values up to $250 million in North America, Europe and Asia.

Previous large projects that he has been involved with include the Port of Miami Transportation Tunnel, East Boston Branch Sewer Relief, the NEPA Study for the Replacement of the Baltimore & Potomac Rail Tunnel, Pentagon Intake/Outfall Tunnel and the Detroit Upper Rouge Wastewater Tunnel. Kramer has led winning teams for design, construction management and alternative delivery projects in the water, highways and transit sectors with construction values exceeding $1 billion.

“We are lucky to have such a well-known and experienced business leader joining the executive team, especially with such a diverse background in a multitude of multidisciplinary and alternative delivery method projects. I am confident that his expertise in underground construction and major infrastructure projects will be an asset to COWI and will help take the organization to the next level,” said Steve Hunt, President & CEO of COWI North America.

References

COWI looks to grow its US tunnel business – TunnelTalk, December 2015
COWI acquires Donaldson Associates of the UK – TunnelTalk, October 2014
Jenny Engineering acquired by COWI – TunnelTalk, February 2013

New offices and manager for Brierley Associates

February 2017

Brierley Associates has appointed Ike Isaacson as manager of its new Milwaukee and Chicago offices and to support the firm’s expansion of Midwest and tunneling operations to complement its Minneapolis office and national tunnel sector practice. Isaacson has more than 16 years’ domestic and international experience as an engineering geologist and tunnel engineer.

Ike Isaacson

He has BS and MS degrees in geological engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (Missouri School of Mines), where he focused on geologic investigation/interpretation, karst systems, and underground engineering. Isaacson spent weekends exploring and mapping karst and cave systems in the Midwest. He also completed a BS in economics during his time at Rolla.

Isaacson earned a Masters of Engineering in civil and environmental engineering at MIT, specialising in geotechnics. He brings broad interdisciplinary expertise and experience to Brierley gained through varied roles as a consultant, owner’s representative, and tunnel contractor. He has overseen land and off-shore geotechnical investigations, field reconnaissance/mapping programs in remote areas, and site characterizations for tunnels and dams. He also has experience in physical and remote inspection of transportation and water tunnels, tunnel rehabilitation, ground freezing, grouting, tunnel construction, hyperbaric interventions, resident engineering, constructability, monitoring data interpretation, ground loss mapping and remediation.

Prior to joining Brierley Associates, Isaacson was a tunnel engineer and geologist for several large consultancies, in North America, Panama and New Zealand.

“Adding Ike’s technical skill sets, industry experience and contacts, is a major new asset for the firm,” said A J McGinn, President and CEO of Brierley Associates.

Global advisory services recruited for Mott MacDonald

February 2017

Mott MacDonald has appointed John Seed as its new global advisory services sector lead. He will be responsible for shaping worldwide sustainable growth in the consultancy’s advisory services business and for developing its global strategy. Seed has 30 years’ experience managing multidisciplinary government and private sector projects. Most recently he was manager of the Mott MacDonald advisory and management business in Europe, being responsible for the consultancy’s work in programme project and commercial management, infrastructure finance and advising international financial institutions.

John Seed

Prior to this he was the global leader of infrastructure finance and head of Europe and Africa for Mott MacDonald, leading advisory teams in Paris, Arnhem, Warsaw, Prague, Kampala, Nairobi and Johannesburg.

Seed has been involved in major infrastructure finance schemes and is advisor to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, a Board Member of the International Project Finance Association and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Association for Project Management.

“In my role as advisor for global growth our one-team approach will bring together expertise from across our regions and ensure best practice and resources are applied to the right projects on a global basis,” said Seed.

“Seed has been part of Mott MacDonald since he graduated and has helped make our advisory business the leading success it is today,” said Guy Leonard, Group Strategic Development Director. "The creation of this new role recognises the importance we place on the advisory services sector,” he added.

New Managing Director for Mott MacDonald

January 2017

Mott MacDonald has appointed Executive Board Director Mike Haigh as Managing Director of its US$2 billion global business. He will be responsible for the day-to-day management and operational performance of the employee-owned engineering, management and development consultancy. The company employs 16,000 staff across the world.

Mike Haigh

Haigh began his career with Mott MacDonald in 1981 when he joined as a graduate engineer working on international projects in the water sector. He developed a strong background in the general management, planning and implementation of large infrastructure projects, with particular expertise in the water sector and held a number of senior roles before joining the firm’s Executive Board in 2013. Most recently Mike was Managing Director of the Mott MacDonald Europe and Africa region which has more than 7,000 staff and revenue in excess of £820 million.

“As an employee for more than 30 years I know how innovative and creative Mott MacDonald can be,” said Haigh. “The needs of the world are changing fast and we have opportunities to work with our clients and partners to create intelligent solutions that enhance value for them, their stakeholders and the wider society. There are exciting times ahead and I am delighted to be taking up this role.”

Keith Howells, Mott MacDonald Group Chairman said: “I have known Mike since he joined us as a graduate, and I am delighted to have him running our worldwide operations as Group Managing Director, building on his experience of managing our Europe, UK and Africa, and Middle East and South Asia businesses.”

New geotechnical recruit for GeoTesting Express

January 2017

Anna Kotas

Anna Kotas, PE, has joined the GeoTesting Express company (GTX) as a geotechnical engineer.

Kotas will be based in Central Virginia and will be responsible for business development and expansion of sales of GTX laboratory testing services.

Kotas is multilingual and brings more than 16 years experience as a geotechnical engineer to the role.

David Sackett to head Brierley’s new Virginia office

January 2017

Brierley Associates appoints David Sackett as Manager of its new office in Norfolk, Virginia as it celebrates expansion into the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast region.

David Sackett

With more than 30 years of domestic and international experience as a geoscientist, Sackett is a licensed professional geologist in Virginia and Texas and holds a Certified Professional Geologist designation issued by the American Institute of Professional Geologists.

Throughout his career, Sackett has been responsible for the acquisition and management of geological interpretations of high-resolution marine geophysical data, nearshore and landside site characterization, planning and execution of integrated geotechnical investigations, preparation of geological and geotechnical reports and technical reviews in English and Spanish. He managed the Norfolk, VA office of an international geotechnical consultancy and served as the North/South America nearshore business sector leader, with a focus on design/build of large renewables and port infrastructure projects. He previously managed offices in Chile, Panama, Trinidad and Venezuela prior to returning to the U.S. in 2014.

Shannon & Wilson announce 2017 promotions

Jan 2017

Christopher Darrah	Jeri-Beth Bowman
Jeremy Butkovich	Andy Caneday
Kathy Corbett	Matt Gibson
Kathryn Petek	Tyler Stephens

Shannon & Wilson appoints Christopher Darrah to Vice President; Jeri-Beth Bowman to Senior Associate; Jeremy Butkovich, Andy Caneday, Kathy Corbett, Matt Gibson, Kathryn Petek and Tyler Stephens to Associate.

Christopher Darrah joined the company in 1987 and has worked in the Fairbanks, Alaska office, which he currently leads, since 1992. As a geologist and environmental scientist, his professional focus is on environmental assessments and regulatory compliance for both public and private clients.

Jeri-Beth Bowman has been with Shannon & Wilson for more than 17 years, supporting many of the firm’s administrative and human resources functions. She is currently Director of Human Resources, managing the recruiting and retention of more than 300 employees in 12 offices.

Jeremy Butkovich joined the company in 2005 after completing his Master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a licensed professional engineer in Washington, he leads a variety of geotechnical engineering projects for transportation, education, and utility clients.

Andy Caneday is a licensed engineering geologist in Washington and has been with Shannon & Wilson since 2002. He manages subsurface exploration programs and characterisation of complex subsurface conditions to support engineering for a large range of infrastructure projects.

Kathy Corbett is Shannon & Wilson’s Corporate Data Systems Administrator. She has been an integral part of the company’s information technology staff for more than 17 years, coordinating systems and software for maximum efficiency and reliability.

Matt Gibson joined in 2008 and provides geotechnical and earthquake engineering expertise on large infrastructure projects along the west coast of the United States and Canada. He holds a Master’s degree in geotechnical engineering, and is a registered professional civil engineer in both Washington and California.

Kathryn Petek joined the company in 2006 after completing her doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering. Kathryn has provided geotechnical expertise on a wide variety of transportation and building projects throughout the northwest United States and Canada.

Tyler Stephens joined in 1999 as a geotechnical engineer, and has worked extensively with the firm’s Railroad Services Group for more than six years. His projects have included tunnel rehabilitation, rock slope stability, rock slope design, landslides, embankment failures, and bridge foundations.

Shannon & Wilson is an employee-owned consulting firm with more than 60 years of experience providing geotechnical and environmental consulting services from 12 offices across the United States.

New Vice President to spearhead transit development at Mott MacDonald

December 2016

Mott MacDonald appoints Ron Aitken, a transit professional with more than 35 years of experience, to the role of Vice President-Strategic Transit Development. Drawing on resources from Mott MacDonald’s global transit business, Aitken will assist in opening transit opportunities in the US and Canada and will be based in the firm’s office in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Ron Aitken

“We are delighted to have Ron join our rail and transit practice,” said Nick DeNichlio, President and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. “As Project Director for the Concession team in Toronto, he helped deliver the Eglinton Crosstown Project, a complex P3 initiative and the biggest light rail transit project in Canadian history.”

Aitken’s career has spanned roles in engineering, vehicle manufacturing, project management, project development, sales, owner’s representative services, and transit system operations and maintenance. He has held executive oversight responsibility for monorail, light rail, and people mover projects, and has a strong background in all elements of transit system delivery.

Aitken has served as Project Director for some of the largest automated driverless transit system projects in the world, including projects in the US, Canada, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

Organisational changes at Normet North America

1 Dec 2016

Three new members of staff have joined the Normet, North America team. “These additions will strengthen the knowledge and experience base of Normet in North America and enhance our team capability to provide compelling solutions for customers in the underground mining and tunneling sectors,” said Mike Rispin, Senior Vice President for Global Sales and Marketing at Normet Group.

Gregory Hallett

Lauro Lacerda

Gregory Hallett becomes Vice President, North America and Managing Director, Normet Americas, Inc. An experienced manager with 30 plus years in the construction and mining industries, Hallett comes from an original equipment manufacturer and is widely experienced in providing equipment and process solutions for underground construction and mining applications. He will work from the North America headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, reporting to Rispin.

Lauro Lacerda joins the organization as Manager, Ground Control and Construction Technologies, heading up the Construction Chemical and Rock Reinforcement business in North America. With more than 32 years of experience in the mining and tunneling industry sectors, Lacerda has held senior positions with large mining companies, a major rock reinforcement supplier, a construction chemical supplier and most recently a large US tunneling contractor. He holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Engineering from American universities and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Nevada. He will work from the North America headquarters and report to Hallett.

Also new to the team is Rob Stepan as Product Development and Production Coordinator, Construction Chemicals, supporting the growing tunnel boring machine effort and other facets of the construction chemicals business in North America. With a background in chemical research and development, mainly on the formulations side, Stepan is also an experienced product manager. He will work from Cleveland, Ohio and report to Lacerda.

References

Supporting the growth of sprayed concrete solutions – TunnelTalk, April 2016

New CEO for Australian civil engineering firm

October 2016

Construction giant CIMIC, which owns underground construction firms Leighton and Thiess and is itself owned by Hochtief of Germany, announces the promotion of Adolfo Valderas to the post of Chief Executive Officer.

Adolfo Valderas

Current CEO and Chairman Marcelino Fernández Verdes will continue as Executive Chairman. “I am very pleased to announce Adolfo will succeed me as CEO,” said Fernández Verdes. “Adolfo has played an integral part in CIMIC Group’s achievements during the past three years, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. The Board and I have every confidence in his ability to lead CIMIC Group.

Valderas, a civil engineer, said: “It is a privilege, and a great responsibility, to be appointed as Chief Executive Officer of CIMIC Group – a leading, competitive, international contractor.

“CIMIC Group’s solid financial position, our robust pipeline of projects and the expertise of our people in delivering complex construction, tunnelling, mineral and concessions projects provides us with a strong future of which I am proud to be a part.”

Valderas was previously CIMIC Group Deputy CEO and COO. Prior to that he was Chairman and CEO of Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras. Iridium, an ACS Group company, is the world-leading developer and manager of government concessions involving transport and public works infrastructure.

New hires strengthen COWI underground

October 2016

Guido Castrogiovanni

Carlos Jaramillo

COWI North America strengthens its position in the field of tunnel engineering with the addition of two new post-holders.

Carlos Jaramillo, PE, who has been involved in all phases of major tunnel design projects and has expertise in the application of rock mechanics as it relates to tunnel and underground design work, joins the Oakland office as Chief Tunnel Specialist.

Meanwhile, Guido Castrogiovanni is appointed as COWI's new Vice President and Project Director. He has more than 20 years of experience in tunneling and geotechnical design within urban areas. He was the design Tunnel Manager for the Cityringen Metro in Copenhagen and has considerable expertise in designing metros around the world. He will be located in the Springfield, New Jersey, office of COWI North America.

References

Tough ground beckons for Cityringen – TunnelTalk, March 2015

New Vice President at Mott MacDonald

October 2016

Mott MacDonald appoints Mary Cay O’Malley, PE, PS, as a Senior Vice President and Project Delivery Leader, based out of the firm’s Cleveland office.

Mary Cay O’Malley

O’Malley has 28 years of experience in managing and supporting large, complex transportation projects. As Project Delivery Leader she will support some of Mott MacDonald’s largest transportation projects, with an initial focus on design-build projects.

Nick DeNichilo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mott MacDonald in North America, said, “Alternate delivery methods like design-build and public-private partnerships are becoming increasingly important. Mary Cay will make an important contribution to our already strong relationships with clients.”

O’Malley has spent much of her career focusing on projects using a design-build delivery method for highway and light rail projects. She has managed and contributed to many significant projects including Seattle’s East Link light rail extension, Denver’s T-REX highway and light rail expansion project, and The New I-64 in St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s first design-build project.

O’Malley holds a Master’s Degree in Transportation Engineering, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Civil Engineering and Surveying, from Ohio State University. She is a registered professional engineer in seven States.

References

Hatch Mott MacDonald splits its joint venture – TunnelTalk, November 2015

Management reshuffle at Datwyler

October 2016

Leading industrial manufacturer Datwyler appoints Torsten Maschke as CEO of its specialist Sealing Solutions Division, and to membership of the company’s Executive Management Board.

Torsten Maschke

The division specialises in customer-specific sealing solutions for the Automotive, Health Care, Civil Engineering, and Consumer Goods industries, and Maschke is a proven expert in the fields of both elastomer and sealing technology.

As part of a management reshuffle, 47-year-old German national Maschke takes over the management of the division from Dirk Lambrecht (as from 1 October 2016). Lambrecht will become the new CEO of the Datwyler Group as from 1 January next year (2017), while Paul Hälg, the previous Group CEO, will be proposed to the General Assembly for election as President of the Board of Directors in March 2017.

“It is with great pleasure that I hand over the management of the Datwyler Sealing Solutions Division to Torsten Maschke,” said Lambrecht. “With his many years of experience in the elastomer and sealing industries, he is the perfect person to strengthen existing customer relationships and to lead our expansion into new technologies and niche markets.”

Maschke will be responsible for the running of a newly expanded Sealing Solutions Division following completion last week (30 September) of the acquisition of German company Ott.

Following the acquisition, Datwyler gains new expertise in technology and materials in its Sealing Solutions division. Injection moulding with thermoplastic and liquid silicone is the ideal match for Datwyler’s existing technologies and offers the company the opportunity to increase the depth of its added value and tap into new niche markets with potential for growth. Ott employs 200 people and generates an annual revenue of around CHF 33 million.

New Tunnel Practice Chairman at HNTB

September 2016

International infrastructure consultancy HNTB names Sanja Zlatanic as Chairman of its National Tunnel Practice. In her new role Zlantanic replaces Nasri Munfah, who left to join WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff as Director of Global Tunneling last month (August).

Sanja Zlatanic

Zlatanic, PE, has been at HNTB since 2011, and is a senior VP. She directs the firm’s tunneling and underground projects and leads HNTB’s global marketing and business development for tunneling and underground within the transportation and water resources market sectors. She is based in the firm’s New York City office in the Empire State Building.

“Tunnels and complex underground structures continue to be an integral and growing part of HNTB’s work within the transportation sector, dominating some of our most recognizable projects,” said Doug Mann, HNTB Corporate Development President. “In her new role, Sanja will lead the firm’s efforts to grow the existing market and establish new rail and transit underground infrastructure opportunities resulting from growing urbanization trends demonstrated by transit-oriented development challenges, along with pressing needs to repair and improve existing, aging, tunnel infrastructure.”

Zlatanic, who continues to serve as Chief Tunneling Engineer, brings to her new role 28 years of experience in project and engineering management of mega-transportation, transit and underground projects. She has been responsible for managing all phases of major multi-billion dollar projects, from feasibility and conceptual engineering through final design and construction. Her expertise in project management and multi-disciplinary coordination and integration of complex underground structures and tunnels have been recognized by clients and major transit agencies both nationally and internationally.

Zlatanic provides counsel on many of HNTB’s largest projects, including the Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor in Los Angeles; the Amtrak Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel in Baltimore; the SR99 Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement in Seattle; and others. Recently, HNTB successfully completed its role as independent design verification engineer on the iconic Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Tunnel Project in Turkey, on which Zlatanic was Project Manager.

The new Chairman of HNTB’s tunnel practice holds a degree in structural engineering (tunnels, concrete and steel structures), having graduated from the University of Belgrade. She also completed the Executive Education for Women program at Smith College. As an active member of various tunneling and underground societies, she has published numerous articles, chaired conference sessions, and made presentations on the design and construction of tunnels and underground facilities at national and international tunneling conferences. In 2015 she was elected board member and Secretary-General of Associated Research Centers for Urban Underground Space, an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to partnerships among experts who research, plan, design, construct and decide upon the best use of urban underground space.

New board member for the Doka Group

September 2016

The international formwork company Doka has appointed graduate construction engineer and experienced industry expert Jens Günther as the newest member of its board. From January 2017 he will take over as Chairman of the Executive Board when Jürgen Obiegli retires after 25 years in various senior management positions in the Group. The other two members of board are Ludwig Pekarek, Production, Engineering and R&D, and Gerd Pechura, Finances and IT.

Jens Günther

Before coming to Doka, Jens Günther, was with ThyssenKrupp from 2011 rising to CEO of ThyssenKrupp Infrastructure. Before that, the 46-year-old was 15-years with German construction company Hochtief, holding a variety of management posts. "In Jens Günther we are getting a colleague who shares our company's values and who fits perfectly into the culture of Doka", said Jürgen Obiegli, who was involved in the process of selecting his successor.

Along with the remits of sales, marketing and human resources, Günther will be pushing major initiatives including digitisation in construction. "Doka has already paid attention to this matter,” asserts Günther. “Concremote for example, is a fully matured product that is market-ready and totally in sync with both the demand and the trend for more speed and more safety in construction. It is important to remain attractive as an employer for the upcoming generation. Collaboration, participation in knowledge and efficient communication are essential drivers of a learning organisation which is exactly what we want to be," he added

Doka is a leading manufacturer of formwork technology. As an enterprise within the Umdasch Group, the Doka Group has more than 160 sales and logistics facilities in more than 70 countries and employs a worldwide workforce of more than 6,000. A recent tunnelling project is formwork used to cast the elements of the Midtown immersed tubed highway tunnel project in Virginia, USA.

References

Midtown link between Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia – TunnelTalk, October 2015

Sales and business development director for Gomez International

September 2016

Gomez International, Inc., announces the hiring of Chris S. Rhoades as Director of Sales and Business Development. Rhoades, former Director of Sales for Brookville Equipment Corporation, joined the Gomez team from August 1. He will be working from his base in Pennsylvania and will be responsible for coordinating the sales efforts at Gomez International with the assistance of Tom Crnjac.

Chris Rhoades

“After 19 plus great years at Brookville, I have a great opportunity to transition from one world-class company to another,” said Rhoades. “I am looking forward to merging my skillset with the team members at Gomez International to provide solutions for those in tunneling, mining, and other industries.”

“We are all extremely pleased that Chris has chosen to join us,” said Renetta Gomez, President/CEO, Gomez International, Inc. “We have spent some time looking for the individual to help take our company to the next level of assisting our customers with their project needs. We feel we have found the right person for the job.”

Gomez International, Inc., is based Phoenix, Arizona and has been a leader in the tunneling, construction, and mining industries since 1991. The company comprises three divisions. The Consulting/Engineering division provides expert support and assistance in all aspects of a project from design through successful completion. The Procurement Specialist division offers customized equipment manufacture and rebuilding capabilities. The Sales division is partnered with six Japanese corporations specialized in equipment for the tunneling industry - Sagami Servo, Shin Tomoe, Hirosawa, Kayaba, Starloy, and Mutsubishi Rubber.

Visit Gomez International for more details.

DC Water CEO appointed to US Government advisory council

August 2016

President Barack Obama in the United States has announced his intent to appoint CEO and General Manager George S Hawkins of DC Water to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC).

George S Hawkins

The Council provides the President, through the Secretary of Homeland Security, with advice on the security of the critical infrastructure sectors and their information systems. The council is composed of a maximum of 30 members, appointed by the President from private industry, academia, and State and Local Government.

In announcing the appointment of Hawkins and five others to key posts in the Administration, President Obama said, “I am pleased that these experienced and committed individuals have decided to serve our country and look forward to working with them.”

Hawkins said, “I am very honored to serve with the distinguished members of this important Council. Based on what I have learned at DC Water, I will work hard to make sure that water infrastructure is always included in discussions about infrastructure funding and need. The Council’s work on infrastructure security and resilience are also critical issues for the water sector. We have a great potential to put people to work, protect and enhance public health, and strengthen a fundamental building block of a strong economy and community.”

Hawkins has served as CEO and General Manager of DC Water since 2009 and served as Director of the District Department of the Environment from 2007 to 2009. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of New Jersey Future, a non-profit economic development organization and served as Executive Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association from 1997 to 2004. He worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1992 to 1997 and in 1997 served as the EPA representative to the National Performance Review. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

Hawkins received an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School and from 1988 to 1992 worked as an environmental lawyer in private practice.

Hawkins was interviewed by TunnelTalk in December 2015 in reference to the extensive tunneling being completed for the DC Water Clean Rivers CSO program to prevent discharge of combined sewer overflows into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers as they flow through Washington DC city.

References

DC Water project and chiefs earn honors – TunnelTalk, August 2016

Marco Giorelli joins JCK Underground Inc

August 2016

Underground engineering and management specialist Marco Giorelli joins CK Underground in Washington DC where he will support the company’s engagement on the DC Water Clean Rivers Program and contribute to its work nationally.

Marco Giorelli

Giorelli has three decades of underground experience and an expertise in mechanized tunnelling. After working on the Caracas Subway, the Boston Harbor Cleanup Project and the Aosta-Mt.Blanc Highway tunnels, he returned to North America to take a position with TBM manufacturer Lovat in Toronto where for 15 years he honed his skills as a TBM expert, supporting TBM projects throughout the world.

Most recently Giorelli was Project Director and Manager for the contractor for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT-Eastern Tunnels and the Spadina Subway Extension-Southern Tunnels in Toronto where he was responsible for Can$300 million in soft ground tunnel and transit construction work.

Giorelli holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Merrimack College, a MS in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Professional Engineer license in the Province of Ontario. “The addition of Marco aligns perfectly with our vision to build a national practice distinguished foremost by its excellent service to its clients,” said Joel Kantola, Principal at JCK Underground. “His seasoned construction engineering and management skills in the transit and tunneling business will build on our ability to manage large tunneling programs. We are thrilled that he selected JCK Underground to continue his career and be part of our leadership team.”

JCK Underground is a DBE certified firm providing engineering, program management and construction management services for tunneling and underground projects throughout North America.

Three McMillen Jacobs Associates promoted to Principal

August 2016

McMillen Jacobs Associates has promoted Associates Mark Lawrence, Jan Van Greunen and John Waggoner to the position of Principal.

Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence, PE, specializes in the design of permanent and temporary excavation support systems. With more than 35 years of experience, he leads the excavation support design group in the San Francisco office. His experience spans a multitude of significant projects. Notably, he provided design of slurry wall shaft excavation support systems for the pump station shaft for the Willamette River CSO Project, still the largest diameter slurry wall shaft constructed in soft ground in North America, and the pump station shaft for the Brightwater Conveyance System. His more recent projects include the Mangere pump station dual cell slurry wall shaft for the Watercare project; a 110ft diameter x 94ft CSM shaft for the Humboldt Bay power plant decommissioning; several deep excavations in San Francisco for new underground space; and assistance with decline structures in Sydney. His dedication to the company and open approach to training and helping others learn are unique among most in our industry.

Jan Van Greunen

Jan Van Greunen, PhD, PE, has more than 40 years of experience in conceiving, planning, managing, and coordinating analysis, design, and construction of civil engineering works and complex steel and concrete structures and is based out of the San Francisco office. Van Greunen has provided structural design expertise and leadership on some of the firm’s largest and most complicated projects, from a structural perspective, including the Rondout-West Branch Bypass Tunnel, where the lining must resist an external water head ranging from 600ft to 900ft; the Caldecott Fourth Bore highway tunnel, which is close to the Hayward Fault, resulting in high seismic demands; the Claremont water supply bypass tunnel, which crosses the Hayward Fault and includes a vault to accommodate the anticipated 8ft of fault offset; and a set of airport link caverns, which required span widths of up to 85ft in plain concrete. His willingness to always make things work embodies the company’s approach to solving problems. This, combined with his calm yet confident demeanor, has endeared him to staff and project clients.

John Waggoner

John Waggoner, PG, CEG, has more than 35 years of experience in the application of engineering geology to a diverse array of both public and private sector civil engineering projects. Based in the Pasadena office, he understands the significance of geologic factors to the permitting, design, and construction process and has used this expertise to avoid or minimize complications during construction on many signature California projects. These include the San Jose to Merced leg of the California High Speed Rail Project, the Arrowhead water delivery tunnels, and numerous assignments for LA Metro and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District that ‘fly below the radar’. Waggoner’s work on the Newhope-Placentia trunk sewer replacement design project in Orange County and the Chevy Chase sewer construction management project in Glendale helps maintain his market understanding across Southern California. His efforts to stay in touch with our clients, have helped the firm expand the construction management group into a new era of growth.

Munfah leaves HNTB for senior role at WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff

August 2016

Nasri Munfah leaves HNTB, where he served as Senior VP and Chairman of Tunnel Services, to take on a new role as a Senior VP and Director of Global Tunneling at WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Nasri Munfah

In his new role Munfah will be responsible for developing a long-term strategic plan to advance the firm’s tunneling practice both nationally and globally, providing leadership in project delivery, marketing, recruitment and professional development of staff, acquisitions, and teaming opportunities with other firms.

He has more than 30 years of experience in tunneling and underground engineering and project management experience in transportation, transit and underground engineering. He has been responsible for managing all phases of multi-billion dollar, multidisciplinary domestic and international tunneling and transportation projects from feasibility and conceptual engineering through final design and construction. He is a principal investigator and a co-author of the Federal Highway Administration’s Tunnel Design Manual, the first comprehensive manual for tunnel design in the USA.

Munfah worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff between 1970–2004, serving as Senior VP, National Tunnel Practice Leader, Senior Technical Manager and Senior Engineering Manager on tunneling projects worldwide. He received an MS degree in structures from Michigan State University and a BS in civil engineering from the University of Aleppo in Syria. Munfah also serves as an Adjunct Professor in Columbia University's civil engineering department, teaching graduate courses on the design and construction of tunnels and underground structures. His professional affiliations include the American Society of Civil Engineers, The Moles, the Transportation Research Board, and the ITA.

Independent Commissioner for HS2

August 2016

HS2 Ltd appoints Gareth Epps as independent commissioner for the UK’s flagship rail project.

Gareth Epps

Epps, who previously held a senior community relations role at Crossrail, will investigate issues that have not reached a satisfactory conclusion through HS2 Ltd’s complaints process.

Having spent nine years at Crossrail developing and implementing community processes, and with ten years’ experience as a local authority councillor, Epps has extensive experience dealing with public interest issues relating to large infrastructure projects.

His main functions will include mediating in unresolved disputes between HS2 Ltd and individuals or bodies; and monitoring complaints and providing reports marking trends and providing advice on how to reduce the instance of complaints where possible.

Simon Kirby, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, said: “We recognise that people will be affected by the construction of the line and are thoroughly committed to ensuring that those people are treated fairly and that all practicable measures are taken to minimise disruption.

“Improving our approach to affected communities is at the very top of our priority list.”

Epps said: “While HS2 Ltd and its contractors will take steps to minimise disruption, it is important that residents and businesses along the route know they can seek fair and independent resolution of complaints if necessary.”

Fugro specialists bring ground investigation expertise to industry roles

August 2016

Fugro specialists have been elected to serve at committee and director level with prominent UK bodies representing the geoscience sector.

John Grainger

John Grainger, manager of the Fugro drilling service line (Europe Africa Caspian), has been appointed a Director of the British Drilling Association (BDA). During his term of office he will serve as one of two directors responsible for the overall strategic management of the Association in its representation of drilling contractors and specialists in the UK geotechnical and ground investigation industry. Grainger joined Fugro in 2012 and is a chartered engineer and chartered geologist with an MSc in engineering geology. He has more than 35 years of experience in drilling and ground investigations for major infrastructure projects in locations across Northern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Caspian.

Grainger has previously served as BDA chairman and is presently chair of its marketing committee. He has also represented the Association on BSI working groups both past and present. Other Fugro personnel co-opted to BDA roles are Neil Breach, a safety advisor who joins the safety sub-committee, and senior project engineer Paul McMann who now serves on the training and education sub-committee.

Dr Chris Coleman

Meanwhile, Dr Chris Coleman, a principal engineering geologist at Fugro has been elected to the committee of the Engineering Group of The Geological Society (EGGS). Formed in 1964 and the largest of the Society’s Specialist Groups, EGGS is the main focus for engineering geology in the UK and represents the Society on The Ground Forum, the umbrella organisation for professional bodies and trade associations in ground engineering. With Fugro since 2007, Coleman is a chartered geologist and technical lead for onshore and nearshore site characterisation. He is a specialist in Quaternary deposits and terrains, investigation of intertidal zones, and development of 3D ground models for geohazard visualisation and engineering appraisal. Coleman said: “I am delighted to participate in the Engineering Group which plays a pivotal role in training and professional standards in the field of engineering grology.”

New MD for Fugro GeoServices

August 2016

Ross Stevens is appointed Managing Director of Fugro GeoServices, the UK-based site characterisation specialist.

Ross Stevens

Stevens, a chartered civil engineer who joined Fugro Seacore in 2007 after a decade in project management and civils contracting, has developed extensive experience in managing global marine site investigations in oil and gas and the renewables markets.

In 2012, he was appointed Deputy MD of Fugro Engineers BV based in the Netherlands, returning to Fugro Seacore as a director in 2015, ahead of its integration in October 2015 as part of Fugro GeoServices Ltd.

Stevens said: “To be taking on the position of MD is a great honour, especially at a time when Fugro is playing such a key role in site characterisation for the UK’s new nuclear programme and high speed rail network, and supporting infrastructure projects around Europe.”

Stevens takes over the reins from Marcus Rampley who has steered Fugro GeoServices through its successful integration of UK-based Fugro specialists, marking an illustrious 37-year career in geotechnics.

Fugro GeoServices Ltd brings together world-class expertise in geotechnics, geophysical investigation and marine drilling services. With more than 500 employees, as well as access to Fugro’s global resources, it undertakes seven key activities: nearshore geotechnics, offshore geotechnics, marine installation, onshore drilling, cone penetration testing, geophysics, and instrumentation and monitoring.

In its first year, Fugro GeoServices’ has helped secure major contracts in the energy, transport, marine and civil engineering sectors in the UK and beyond. Key projects include site characterisation for HS2 and for NuGeneration Limited’s Moorside Project, one of the largest UK site investigations to be let as a single package.

New SBU Sales Manager for Robbins

June 2016

The Robbins Company appoints Joe Lechner as Small Boring Unit (SBU) Sales Manager in the company’s trenchless division. With more than 18 years of industry experience, the role is a natural career progression for Lechner whose early roots are with SBUs, although more recently he has worked with TBMs.

Joe Lechner

In his new position Lechner will handle SBU sales and rentals for Robbins, assist customers in equipment specifications for projects, and provide full-spectrum customer support. In addition, Lechner will be responsible for many other tasks such as generating quotes for cutters and spare parts, shop scheduling, forecasting, internal operations for Robbins, and field service support, as needed.

“I want customers to know they can come to me with any issues. I have a good understanding of the industry and our business,” said Lechner. “I want to provide an all-around good experience.”

Lechner began working with SBUs in 1998, starting in field service. When he wasn’t out in the field, he was building SBUs and cutters. He started up and commissioned SBU-As in the field, and transitioned over to working with TBMs worldwide in the mid-2000s.

Lechner said his goals as Sales Manager for the SBU product line for the next two years include increasing stocking levels and providing fast deliveries to customers. He noted the division is streamlining inspection quoting and repair processes to ultimately provide the most efficient services possible. With a few hundred machines in service, some of which are working around the clock, he anticipates product sales, rentals and repairs all will remain consistent moving forward.

“We’re lucky to have Joe working with Robbins,” said Tom Fuerst, Utility Tunneling Sales Manager. “With his background and extensive knowledge, he’ll easily implement the best solutions for our customers.”

Pepe to lead WSP/PB tunneling excellence center

June 2016

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff (WSP/PB) appoints Frank Pepe as Director of its US geotechnical and tunneling technical excellence center.

Frank Pepe

An existing Vice President at the global engineering consultancy, Pepe has spent the majority of his 32-year career gaining experience across a full spectrum of underground project delivery, including geotechnical investigations, ground improvement, tunnel design, foundation design, underpinning, and complex subsurface work. He has worked on many of the firm’s signature assignments throughout the United States and abroad. Previous project involvement includes the Second Avenue Subway and the 63rd Street Tunnel.

“With some of the foremost engineering and construction professionals in the world, we have earned industry-wide distinction as one of the leading tunneling experts, advancing new techniques and innovations which have solved some of the most complex issues in underground construction,” said Joseph G. Pulicare, President of the US Transportation & Infrastructure division. “Frank is the ideal person to see that this tradition of technical excellence in underground engineering continues well into the future.”

Pepe received MS and BS degrees in civil engineering from Syracuse University and is a licensed professional engineer in New York, Minnesota, Michigan and New Jersey. His professional affiliations include the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Testing and Materials.

WSP/PB strengthens its underground transit team

June 2016

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff strengthens its underground practice with the addition of two new team members.

John McConkey

Barrie Roberts

John McConkey will lead electrical design teams for tunnel and transit projects as a senior engineering manager based in the firm’s New York office. He comes to WSP/PB following a 30-year career with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he served as the agency’s chief electrical engineer from 2007. He managed the in-house design of a substation for the PATH system and the rehabilitation and redesign for resiliency of traction power substations damaged by Hurricane Sandy. He also served as chairman of the Port Authority High Tension Safety Board.

A licensed professional engineer in New York and New Jersey, McConkey received a BS in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His professional affiliations include the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Barrie Roberts rejoins WSP/PB as a senior engineering manager within its transportation and infrastructure sector.Also New York City-based, Roberts will function as a design manager on major tunneling infrastructure projects.

He has more than 30 years of design and construction experience in the USA and abroad, primarily in tunneling and geotechnical-based contracts for transit, rail, highway, water and wastewater projects. He comes to WSP/PB from the power generation sector, where he served as construction manager.

Between February 2003 and August 2013 Roberts served as senior supervising engineer at PB, leading geotechnical and tunneling design on the No.7 Subway Line Extension and later as construction manager for the running tunnels on Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway project.

Roberts received an MSc degree in engineering geology from Imperial College, London; and a BSc in mining from University College, Cardiff, Wales.

Lord Adonis proposed as Crossrail 2 chairman

May 2016

The UK Government and the Mayor of London propose interim chairman of the UK National Infrastructure Commission, Lord Adonis, as Chairman of Crossrail 2.

Lord Adonis

Lord Adonis, who in the past has urged that the 38km north-south line be built as soon as possible, is himself a former Minister of Transport. The appointment is subject to approval by the London Assembly and the Transport for London (TfL) Board.

“I am delighted to be nominated to be Crossrail 2 chairman, whilst continuing the vital work of the National Infrastructure Commission, and I look forward to making it happen,” said Lord Adonis.

“Without Crossrail 2 London will grind to a halt. There are no greater challenges facing London than overcrowding on the transport network and the city’s acute housing crisis. Crossrail 2 will help tackle both,” he added.

Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “In this year’s Budget, the Chancellor gave the green light to Crossrail 2. This transport project needs strong and experienced leadership and we agree with the Mayor of London that Lord Adonis will bring all of the vital skills and knowledge needed to drive the project forward. We now look forward to working in partnership with Transport for London and Lord Adonis to fully develop the business case for Crossrail 2.”

References

Moving Crossrail 2 towards design – TunnelTalk, February 2016
UK Budget backs underground infrastructure – TunnelTalk, March 2015

Underground expansion at McMillen Jacobs

May 2016

Global engineering specialist McMillen Jacobs announces five key appointments in its expanding underground practice. James Wonneberg and Brian Laush both join the company’s Seattle office as Lead Associates providing support to WSDOT on the SR99 Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project.

James Wonneberg	Brian Laush
Mark Funkhouser	Peter Raleigh

Wonneberg started his career in Chicago, then relocated to Seattle in 2008 for the Brightwater Central Tunnel and Influent Pump Station projects. In 2011, he moved to Washington DC for the Blue Plains Tunnel, part of the DC Clean Rivers Project, where he had the opportunity to see the project through from NTP to final completion. In his new post on the SR99 Project he will serve as Resident Engineer.

Laush, who attended the University of Washington and majored in Construction Management, will provide project controls on the SR99 project.

Mark Funkhouser joins the Cleveland office of McMillen Jacobs as a Principal Geotechnical Engineer. He has 30 years of international experience specializing in geotechnical and rock mechanics engineering. Over the last 15 years, he has primarily consulted on major underground design-build projects in the transportation and hydropower market sectors, including: geotechnical characterization on the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) project for the Toronto Transit Commission; resident engineering for Brisbane’s CLEM 7 Tunnel; and preliminary design and owner’s engineer for the Drumanard Tunnels in Louisville, Kentucky.

TBM specialist Peter Raleigh returns to McMillen Jacobs Associates as a Lead Associate based in the Cleveland office. He recently served as Construction Manager on the Green Line Underground project in Doha, Qatar and he has more than 23 years of experience in tunnel engineering. His TBM expertise has been utilized on the Evergreen Link and Port Mann Main Water Supply Tunnel in Vancouver, Canada; University Link, Northgate Link, Brightwater, and Ballard Siphon Replacement in Seattle, USA; and the Central Interceptor Conceptual Design in Auckland, NZ.

Jae Bateman joins the Sydney office as an Associate focusing on major tunnelling works in the expanding Australian market. He has worked extensively in mining and geotechnical engineering over the last 20 years in both underground and open-pit mining operations as a site technical manager responsible for mine planning, geology, survey, geotechnical performance, and project management, including the design of underground layouts of roadways in development and extraction and ventilation planning.

Superstorm Sandy recovery chief joins Mott MacDonald

May 2016

Former US Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General, John Peabody, joins Mott MacDonald as Senior Vice President and Director of Federal Programs, based in the firm’s Arlington, Virginia office.

John Peabody

Peabody, who retired from the US Army Corps of Engineers after 10 years in 2015, commanded three different corps divisions. As Deputy Commanding General for civil and emergency operations, he was responsible for an annual program with a budget of $6 billion. During this time, Peabody oversaw 23,000 military and civilian professionals who undertook research and development and who planned, designed, built, operated, and maintained water resource infrastructure valued at $125 billion.

In support of state and local authorities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Peabody was also responsible for coordinating all emergency response missions and preparatory activities for civil disasters. He led the Corps of Engineers to change its focus on the operations and maintenance of deteriorating infrastructure and shaped the organization’s strategic plan to improve the delivery of civil works projects.

Peabody successfully completed dozens of major Corps programs and projects, including the $14.6 billion hurricane risk reduction system in New Orleans, and the $5 billion post-Hurricane Sandy recovery program.

Nick DeNichilo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mott MacDonald in North America, said, “John brings an extraordinary record of service in water infrastructure and a history of managerial excellence. He will provide vision, business development, and strategic leadership to enhance our work in federal markets.”

Peabody is affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, the Army Engineer Association, and the Association of the US Army.

References

Superstorm Sandy devastates the New York region – TunnelTalk, October 2012

New Director of Project Delivery at WSP/PB New York office

May 2016

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Michael Valletta as Director of Project Delivery in the firm’s New York City office.

Michael Valletta

In his new position, Valletta will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of project delivery for transportation projects in the New York area, from inception through closeout.

Valletta has 38 years of design and construction experience and comes to WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff following 31 years with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Most recently he served as Assistant Director in the agency’s tunnels, bridges and terminals department, and Director of its priority capital programs division where he was responsible for delivery of large-scale projects including the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project, the Goethals Bridge Replacement, and the Lincoln Tunnel Helix Replacement and Access programs.

Valletta received an MBA from St. John’s University and a BS in architecture from the New York Institute of Technology. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Project Management Institute.

Carter rejoins PB/WSP as Area Construction Manager

May 2016

Bill Carter

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff announces the return of Bill Carter to the organization to oversee construction management activities for transportation projects in Washington and Oregon.

Carter, who is appointed as Area Construction Manager working out of the Seattle office, has nearly 50 years of experience in the management of planning, design and construction of transportation programs and projects. He was previously with WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff from 1998– 2012 when he led the firm’s construction management practice in the Northwest area. Most recently, he has served as an independent consultant assisting various engineering firms – including WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff – on a variety of projects.

Carter retired in 1998 from WSDOT following a 30-year career with the agency. He received MS and BS degrees in civil engineering from the University of Washington and is a licensed professional engineer in Washington State.

HNTB strengthens California High Speed Rail team

May 2016

HNTB appoints Lucy Wu as Senior Tunnel and Geotechnical Engineer, based out of the firm’s Oakland office in California.

Lucy Wu

Wu has previously worked on Bay Area transit projects including the Transbay Transit Center and the BART Warm Springs Extension. Most recently she served as project engineer for several development projects in Hong Kong.

“We are pleased to add Lucy to our growing Bay Area team,” said Jimmy Thompson, HNTB Principal Tunnel Engineer. “Her engineering experience both locally and internationally is a welcome addition to our capabilities as we embark on more complex tunneling and other underground projects.”

In her new position Wu is working as a geotechnical project engineer for the California High Speed Rail project. HNTB is leading the environmental process and the preliminary engineering for the line from San Francisco to San Jose and Merced. HNTB is also overseeing Project and Construction Management for Construction Package 4, and Wu will be involved in preliminary engineering and design preparation of the tunnels through the Pacheco Pass.

Wu serves as Co-Vice Chair and Asian region representative for the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering’s Young Member Presidential Group; and as a member of the ISSMGE Innovation and Development Committee. She also belongs to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Association for Project Management and the Institution of Engineers Australia, among other professional organizations.

“Lucy brings an incredibly diverse array of geotechnical and tunneling experience,” said Nasri Munfah, PE, HNTB National Tunnel Services Chairman and Senior Vice President. “Her expertise and knowledge will enable her to provide a wide range of solutions to HNTB clients in the Bay area.”

Wu earned her MS in civil engineering from Stanford University and a BS degree in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

HNTB is currently engaged in the successful delivery of many high-profile Northern California projects including the Warm Springs BART Extension Project in Fremont; the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority’s Central Subway; the Tom Lantos Tunnels in San Mateo County; and the new Presidio Parkway in San Francisco.

References

Central Subway breakthroughs – TunnelCast, June 2014
Passenger demand exists for US high speed rail – TunnelTalk, November 2015
Governor signs California HSR funding bill – TunnelTalk, July 2012
California HSR identifies qualified contractors – TunnelTalk, February 2012

New Business Development Director at WSP/PB

May 2016

Global engineering provider WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Bruce Moulds as its new Southeast Regional Business Development Director for the USA.

Bruce Moulds

In his new position, Moulds will be responsible for developing and implementing business development strategy for transportation and infrastructure projects, and managing marketing efforts for the firm’s southeast region – including Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Some of the firm’s recent projects in this area include the PortMiami Tunnel; the Second Midtown Tunnel in Norfolk, Virginia; program management assignments at the Port of Charleston and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; and the rehabilitation design of the tunnel ventilation system for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Moulds, who will be based in the firm’s Atlanta office, has more than 36 years of transportation engineering experience. Prior to joining WSP/ Parsons Brinckerhoff, he was a Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development for the transportation business line of an international engineering organization. He was responsible for major pursuits, market assessments, and growth strategies for the business unit, providing engineering services to public and private sector clients across North America.

Moulds received a BS degree in civil engineering from Michigan Technological University, and is a licensed professional engineer in Georgia. His professional affiliations include the American Council of Engineering Companies and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

US Federal Transit Administration appoints new chief

April 2016

US President Obama appoints Carolyn Flowers as head of the American Federal Transit Administration (APTA), an agency of the US Department of Transportation that disburses US$10 billion each year to State and local governments seeking to improve and expand transit programs.

Carolyn Flowers

Flowers, who is promoted to the top job from her previous position as Senior Adviser, assumed leadership and all decision-making duties on April 2 (2016). She will lead a staff of more than 500 people at the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and 10 regional offices throughout the United States. She has been with the FTA since January 2015.

Prior to joining the FTA, Flowers served as Chief Executive Officer/Director of Public Transit for the Charlotte Area Transit System, where she was responsible for countywide bus and rail transit planning and management. She began her career in public transportation with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) in 1993 and over 19 years served in many capacities in budget, administration and operations at LACMTA.

Flowers earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science and a Master’s in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Management. She has served on a number of professional boards, including co-chairing the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Reauthorization Task Force, and has received a number of awards for her commitment to advancing public transportation nationwide.

APTA Chairman Valarie McCall welcomed the appointment. “Carolyn Flowers is an outstanding choice to head the FTA. She is highly respected in the transportation industry and her extensive expertise and experience in public transportation will ensure she continues to be a great addition to the FTA.”

APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy said: “We look forward to continuing to work with Carolyn as we advance public transportation throughout the country. Her experience as FTA Senior Advisor over the last year, and her decades of experience managing public transportation systems, are a tremendous asset as the FTA implements critical provisions of the FAST Act.”

Churchill to head up Atlanta ventilation project

April 2016

Engineering and design consultant WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Michael Churchill as a Senior Supervising Mechanical Engineer in the firm’s Atlanta office in the USA.

Michael Churchill

In his new position, Churchill will serve as lead design engineer responsible for supervising and performing mechanical engineering for a tunnel ventilation system rehabilitation and renewal project for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The project involves restoring the existing MARTA ventilation system through a combination of repair, rehabilitation or replacement of tunnel ventilation equipment. WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff is lead designer on a design-build team led by Archer Western Construction.

Churchill has 25 years of professional experience and previously served as a mechanical department manager at an Atlanta engineering firm. From 1994 to 2006 he was a supervising mechanical engineer with Regional Transit Partners in Atlanta, a joint venture that served as the general engineering consultant for MARTA. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University and is a registered professional engineer in Georgia, South Carolina and California.

Since designing the original New York City subway line at the turn of the twentieth century, WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff has participated in the design and construction of some of the longest, largest, deepest, and most complicated tunnels in the world, including tunnels built in hard rock, soft ground or mixed-face conditions, and using mining, boring, jacking, cut-and-cover, and immersed tunnel technology. The firm’s ventilation group has been responsible for numerous ventilation design breakthroughs.

Mott MacDonald recruits HS2 Engineering Director

Mar 2016

Mott MacDonald, the engineering design company, appoints Chris Dulake as its Major Projects Portfolio Director.

When he takes up his new role in May (2016), Dulake will play a leading role engaging with customers and positioning Mott MacDonald for major UK and international infrastructure projects.

Chris Dulake

With nearly 30 years’ experience as a civil engineer, and having worked on major infrastructure projects around the world, Dulake joins from HS2 where he was Engineering Director for Phase 1 London–Birmingham. Prior to this he spent seven years as Chief Engineer on the Crossrail project, where he was the single point of engineering technical authority for the program.

At Crossrail Dulake was instrumental in establishing the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA), as well as playing a leading role in devising the contract procurement strategy.

He has previously held positions with Arup and AECOM, and has served as a project director over a number years. Previous major metro projects include the King’s Station Redevelopment in the UK, the Marmaray Crossing in Istanbul, and the Second Avenue Subway in New York.

Mike Haigh, Mott MacDonald Group Board Director, said: “Chris is a fantastic appointment for us as he has great insight into the priorities for clients undertaking major infrastructure projects. He will be a hugely valuable resource for our staff due to his vast experience and our clients can only benefit from his knowledge to help realise their project ambitions.”

Mott MacDonald is involved in some of the world’s largest infrastructure projects, including Crossrail, HS2, the London Power Tunnels and Thames Tideway in the UK; San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and East Side Access programs in the USA; the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Link in the Asia-Pacific region; as well as major projects in Africa and Pakistan.

HNTB adds to its pool of tunnelling expertise

March 2016

Infrastructure design firm HNTB appoints Eric Wang, PE, LEED AP, as principal tunnel engineer, to be based in the New York office and working with clients across the USA.

Eric Wang

Wang has more than 27 years of geotechnical and tunneling experience, encompassing the planning, design and construction of large, multidisciplinary tunnels for mass transit, bridge and water resource projects under design-bid-build as well as design-build delivery methods. His underground design and construction background as both designer and contractor includes TBM, drill+blast and roadheader experience, systems engineering management, and underground complex structures.

“Eric brings an incredibly diverse array of geotechnical and tunneling experience from the tri-state area and elsewhere,” said Nasri Munfah, HNTB Tunnel Services Practice chairman and Senior Vice President. “His expertise and knowledge of the region’s infrastructure will enable him to provide a wide range of solutions to HNTB clients for tunneling and underground projects.”

Wang’s responsibilities include investigating complex technical problems and serving as a senior technical specialist on major underground projects. He also will provide independent analysis and quality control of underground work performed by other professionals.

Prior to joining HNTB, Wang served another consulting firm as geotechnical and tunneling group leader for the New York metro region. He is a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Underground Construction Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Deep Foundations Institute. He earned an MS degree in civil engineering (geotechnical) from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in mining engineering (rock mechanics) and a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

WSP/PB strengthens Los Angles office

Mar 2016

Global engineering and consulting firm WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Lisa Maurath as Area Manager of its Los Angeles transportation and infrastructure office.

Lisa Maurath

As Vice President and Area Manager, Maurath is responsible for the firm’s transportation activities in Greater Los Angeles, including oversight of Phase 2 of the Expo Line light rail, the Regional Connector subway and the Westside Subway Extension.

She rejoined the firm in 2009 following an eight-year tenure in the Minneapolis and Chicago offices, while for the past six years Maurath has served as the Operations Manager for the Los Angeles office. Overall she has over 30 years of experience in project and program management, business development and operations, project controls, construction management, engineering, and procurement in the infrastructure business.

Maurath, who is a registered professional engineer in California and Illinois, received her BS in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and currently serves on the advisory boards of Mobility 21 and Cal State Los Angeles College of Engineering, as well as on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. She is serving as the 2016/17 President for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Consulting Engineers Council and is active in the American Public Transportation Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Management Association of America, and Women’s Transportation Seminar.

Ramboll strengthens its underground practice

Feb 2016

Consulting design and engineering practice Ramboll consolidates its transportation and underground construction service with three new hires.

Soren Wegener

Klaus Banghoj

Klaus Banghoj

Søren Wegener Gamst, 44, becomes a Senior Consultant in the company’s transport division. He has previously worked on the feasibility study for a possible new tunnel between Copenhagen and Malmö, as a consultant on the pre-feasibility study, and later the EIA, for a tunnel crossing of the Vejle Fjord, and has contributed to the EIA for new E18 road tunnels in Kristiansand, Norway. Previously, he worked as engineering geologist on the Karahnjukar hydropower project in Iceland. He holds a geology degree from Aarhus University.

Klaus Banghøj, 36, is appointed Chief Project Manager in Ramboll’s transport division. Banghøj has extensive experience in the project management of infrastructure projects, as well as tunnel design. He has previously worked on the road link to the North Harbour in Copenhagen – which includes a 620m cut and cover tunnel – the new electrified high speed railway between Copenhagen and Ringsted in Denmark, and has further contributed to the EIA study of a tunnel crossing of Vejle Fjord in Denmark. He hold an MSc in civil engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.

Stephen Whitham, 34, is appointed Chief Project Manager in Ramboll’s transport division. Whitham has extensive experience in engineering project management and geotechnical engineering and over the last decade has worked on projects that have included the Cityringen branch extension to Nordhavn (Denmark). Whitham holds an MSc in geotechnical engineering from Newcastle University, and is a Chartered Engineer of the UK Engineering Council as well as a member of Institution of Civil Engineers in the UK.

References

Tunnelling complete at Karahnjukar – TunnelTalk, April 2008
Copenhagen advances Cityringen extensions – TunnelTalk, May 2014

HS2 director takes prestigious high speed rail role

Feb 2016

Recognition of the leading role the UK is playing in advancing high speed rail is demonstrated by the appointment of HS2 Ltd Technical Director Professor Andrew McNaughton as the first Briton to chair the Paris-based International Railways Union (UIC) inter-city and high speed rail forum.

Andrew McNaughton

“The forum covers all aspects high speed rail from technical and environmental, to economic and city development, and my election underlines that HS2 is seen as having used knowledge gained from around the world and is now playing its full part in advancing it, the better to unlock all the potential economic and travel benefits of investing in this mode,” said Prof McNaughton.

He added: “I’m delighted and honoured to be appointed Chair for the UIC inter-city and high speed rail forum, which is where the world's high speed rail experts meet to exchange best practice and develop new advances.”

HS2 Ltd’s role in designing the UK’s new two-phase, 560km-long, high speed rail network has pushed forward the sector’s understanding in a number of areas including integration of high speed rail with urban development and regeneration; environmental assessment and mitigation measures; and in the area of technical advancement.

Contract awards for the tunnels for the Phase I London–Birmingham section of UK high speed rail are expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

References

HS2 announces enabling works contractors – TunnelTalk, December 2015
HS2 announces TBM and procurement strategy – TunnelTalk, October 2014

New hire to focus on innovative solutions

Jan 2016

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the global engineering and professional services firm, appoints John D. Porcari as President of its US advisory services.

John D. Porcari

In his new position Porcari will direct the company’s strategic consulting services across all market sectors, including transportation and infrastructure.

He is responsible for integrating the firm’s technical expertise in planning, engineering, program/construction management and operations with the strategic thinking required by owners, developers and operators to successfully deliver programs and projects.

“As he leads our efforts to expand strategic advisory services, John will focus on value-added research, analysis and advisory services throughout all of our business sectors,” said Greg Kelly, President and CEO. “He will marshal the resources of our strategic consulting practice to help owners, developers and operators of transportation infrastructure devise innovative solutions to critical business and operational problems.”

Porcari joined WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff in December 2013 as Senior Vice President and National Director of Strategic Consulting. Prior to this he was Deputy Secretary at the US Department of Transportation, serving as the COO for an executive branch department with a $77 billion annual budget, 10 operating administrations, and 55,000 employees worldwide. He twice served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (2007–09 and 1999–2003), managing a state agency responsible for integrated highway, transit, aviation, port, bridge and tunnel authority, with 9,300 employees and a $3.2 billion annual budget.

Porcari received a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of New York at Albany; and a bachelor of arts in Political Science from the University of Dayton.

New transportation chief to target US FAST Act opportunities

Jan 2016

Global engineering specialist WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Joseph G. Pulicare as President of its US Transportation and Infrastructure sector.

Joseph Pulicare

Effective this month (January 2016) Pulicare will succeed Cliff Eby, who is retiring. Pulicare currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the firm’s US Transportation and Infrastructure sector. He will be based in the firm’s US headquarters in New York City.

“I am very pleased to have Joe take on this leadership role as we move forward to build and enhance the transportation sector subsequent to the recent signing of the FAST Act,” said Gregory A. Kelly, President and CEO of WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff in the US, Central and South America.

Pulicare has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, and as well as a number of senior executive positions he previously served as a program manager and principal engineer with New Jersey Transit.

He received his master’s degree in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Transportation Association and WTS International.

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff is currently working on hundreds of transportation projects across the USA, including transit and rail, highways, airports, and seaports. The firm’s history of transportation engineering began with the design and construction of the original New York City Subway (1891–1904).

Edgerton inducted into US National Academy of Construction

Jan 2016

Bill Edgerton

William W. Edgerton, a Principal and Past President of McMillen Jacobs Associates, is elected as a new member of the National Academy of Construction’s (NAC) 2015 class in an induction ceremony that took place at the NAC Annual Meeting in Charleston, SC.

Edgerton, who currently serves as the Manager of Tunneling for DC Water’s $2.6 billion Clean Rivers Project in Washington DC, serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) and is the immediate past chair of the Underground Construction Association’s Executive Committee. He was the named Outstanding Individual in the Underground Industry at the 2002 North American Tunneling Conference, and received the Golden Beaver Award for Engineering from The Beavers in 2012.

As well as having worked on some of the largest tunnelling projects in the USA – including final design of King County’s Brightwater Conveyance Tunnel, and contracting and delivery of San Francisco’s Central Subway – Edgerton is active in professional organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Disputes Review Board Foundation.

References

Enhancing the success of DRBs – TunnelTalk, October 2008
Golden Beavers Awards 2012 – TunnelTalk, November 2011

New Construction Director for Midtown tunnel

Dec 2015

Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC), the PPP consortium constructing the new two-lane unidirectional Midtown immersed traffic tunnel between Portsmouth and Norfolk in Virginia, USA, appoints Dan Norman as its new Construction Director

Dan Norman

Norman is among the original team hired in 2012 by ERC to manage the $1.5 billion Elizabeth River Tunnels (ERT) Project. For the past three years he has served as Assistant Construction Director.

Norman will now oversee construction for ERC, working closely with Virginia Department of Transportation and design-build JV contractor SKW (Skanska/Kiewit/Weeks Marine) Constructors, to ensure that work complies with technical, safety and environmental requirements.

The 38-year-old was born and raised in the Republic of Panama; his American-born father worked on the Panama Canal. He left to study for an engineering degree at the University of Notre Dame and begin his career in the United States, working for two engineering companies and earning an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Business.

After spending a few years working on the Panama Canal Expansion Project, Norman returned to the USA to begin work on the ERT Project. “I was excited to get this opportunity with ERC and start from scratch building a team and building the project,” he said.

“It’s one of the most amazing projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Norman. “It’s technically challenging, fast-paced and involves several different stakeholders.”

Norman oversees all three construction sub-projects that make up the Elizabeth River Tunnels Project, from tunnel rehabilitation (of the existing Midtown Tunnel) to construction of the Martin Luther King (MLK) highway extension and the new Midtown tunnel. The new Midtown tunnel, which is comprised of 11 prefabricated concrete segments, is scheduled for completion in 2018.

References

Sinking the concrete elements at Midtown – TunnelTalk, December 2014
Tidal gates save Midtown Tunnel from floods – TunnelTalk, November 2012
Midtown P3 contract awarded in Virginia – TunnelTalk, December 2011

New CEO to drive Seattle ST3 transit program

Nov 2015

Seattle Sound Transit has secured the services of the USA’s third most senior transportation official as its new CEO. The appointment of Peter Rogoff, a former Federal Transit Administrator, follows a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors.

Rogoff will succeed current CEO Joni Earl, who announced last May that she will retire in the first quarter of 2016 after Sound Transit opens the University Link light rail extension.

Peter Rogoff and outgoing CEO Joni Earl

“Peter Rogoff will bring the experience this region needs to expand rail and bus service for our fast-growing cities,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Mobility is our linchpin for a prosperous and sustainable future. Today, we welcome one of America’s most seasoned transportation leaders.”

In July 2014 the United States Senate confirmed Rogoff as Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy in the US Department of Transportation, the department’s third highest ranking official. Previously, in May of 2009, the US Senate confirmed Rogoff as President Obama’s Federal Transit Administrator.

“Sound Transit has earned the public’s trust and a nationwide reputation for its success in delivering transit infrastructure for the people of Puget Sound,” Rogoff said. “As its new CEO, I am excited and determined to expand on that legacy as we build projects and expand service in all three counties.”

As the nation’s chief public transit official, Rogoff negotiated and signed a record number of full funding grant agreements with transit agencies across the nation to expand rail and bus rapid transit infrastructure.

Prior to his FTA appointment, Rogoff served for 22 years on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including 14 years as the Democratic Staff Director of the Transportation Subcommittee, led by Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Senator Patty Murray of Washington.

While the agency works to complete current voter-approved projects, Rogoff will lead the staff’s work to support the work of the Sound Transit Board in shaping a major Sound Transit 3 package of further regional transit expansions, planned for voter consideration in November next year (2016).

“Peter Rogoff’s resume quickly rose to the top of the more than 190 resumes Sound Transit received,” said Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, who served on the Board’s CEO Search Committee. “His interest in coming to our region says something about the caliber of the agency Joni Earl and our staff have built. We are thrilled to have secured such a strong successor of Joni to lead the further expansion of rail and bus services.”

Current Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl, who has been on medical leave, will retire in March 2016 following the opening of the University Link light rail line. Since arriving at Sound Transit 15 years ago, Earl has successfully led the agency forward from the 2000–2002 near collapse of plans to build a regional mass transit system. Today, Sound Transit is on track to open more than 30 additional miles of voter-approved light rail extensions by 2023, establishing a 50-mile regional system. Earl’s retirement will coincide with the under-budget and ahead-of-schedule opening of the University Link light rail extension that she took back to the drawing board in 2001.

New MD for expanding Paul Nutzfahrzeuge

Nov 2015

Paul Nutzfahrzeuge, the Germany-based commercial vehicle modification specialist which provides transportation and custom engineered solutions for the tunnel equipment supply industry, appoints Thomas Pfister as its new Managing Director of Sales and Technology.

Thomas Pfister

The newly created position is the result of an increase in demand following a successful internationalisation program. Pfister will be responsible for numerous projects including the expansion of sales in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets. Over the last ten years the 48-year-old engineer has focused consistently on the development and expansion of the market presence of German companies in the commercial vehicle industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

In May 2015 the company moved into new production facilities and a large administration building constructed at the new company location between Albersdorf and Vilshofen, Bavaria. With a total investment of around €25 million, the necessary facilities and production capability have been created for the rapid expansion of the booming Special Trucks & Chassis niche division. As part of this expansion a third business division – Vehicle Body Solutions – has been created.

References

Chassis conversion for heavy-duty applications – TunnelTalk, July 2015

Growing tunnel portfolio prompts new hires at Aldea

Oct 2015

Tunnel and geotechnical engineering practice Aldea Services makes two new additions to its team.

James Goldsberry

Paul Leduc

James Goldsberry joins Aldea’s Columbus, Ohio office as an Engineering Geologist. He has 14 years of experience in delivering large-scale geological and geotechnical investigations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in geology from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Bowling Green State University. He is a Professional Geologist licensed in the state of Kentucky.

Paul Leduc joins the Frederick, Maryland headquarters office of Aldea as a Staff Engineer. He is a graduate of Ohio University with a Master of Science, and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Ohio University. He served as a Research Assistant of the Civil Engineering Department of Ohio University with a focus on multiple engineering projects around the state.

Both of the new appointments will be working closely with other engineers on Aldea’s growing portfolio of tunnel design and construction management projects.

New MD to drive HMM growth in the western United States

Oct 2015

Tony Purdon, Executive Vice President of Hatch Mott MacDonald, is appointed Managing Director of the company’s West Unit. As the leader of one of HMM’s four Business Units, Purdon will be responsible for the engineering firm’s growth and development in the western United States.

Tony Purdon

Purdon joined HMM in 2002 in Seattle, as project manager for an elevated section of Sound Transit’s first light rail transit segment. He went on to lead the design of the award-winning Sea-to-Sky Highway design-build-finance-operate project, which was a key commitment in securing the 2010 Winter Olympics for Vancouver and Whistler.

Purdon will fill the position previously held by John Townsend, who has announced his retirement from full-time service. Townsend joined HMM in 1995 as Resident Engineer for the Red Line extension in Los Angeles, and held a similar role on the multi-award-winning Arrowhead Tunnels project. He will continue to assist HMM with its growth initiatives throughout North America.

HMM’s current projects in the west US region include the design role for the LA Metro Regional Connector design-build project, engineering and construction management on Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority’s Silicon Valley Rapid Transit extension, and program management services for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project.

Parsons Brinckerhoff strengthens tunneling practice

Sep 2015

Global engineering and consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff names Steve Klein and Steve Dubnewych as vice presidents of the firm’s tunneling practice in California.

“With these two stellar additions to our team, we reinforce our position in tunnel engineering in California and the rest of the country,” said George Munfakh, director of the firm’s Geotechnical and Tunneling Technical Excellence Center.

Currently, the firm is at work on major rail tunneling projects in Los Angeles and San Francisco in addition to the California High-Speed Rail Project that will connect both cities.

Steve Klein

Steve Klein, who will be based at the firm’s Sacramento office, has more than 35 years of experience in the planning, design and construction of tunnel projects throughout California and the USA. He has led the design of tunnel projects with construction values ranging from US$100 million to more than US$5 billion – including tunnels for water supply, wastewater, hydroelectric power, highways and mass transit Prior to joining WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff, Klein was California regional manager for an international engineering firm, responsible for managing offices in San Francisco, Pasadena, San Diego and Walnut Creek.

Klein received an MS in geotechnical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS in geotechnical and structural engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the American Water Works Association, and the North American Society for Trenchless Technology. He is a registered professional engineer in California and four other states.

Steve Dubnewych

Steve Dubnewych will be based in Los Angeles and will lead the company’s southern California tunneling practice where he will support global projects – particularly those related to water conveyance. He has 28 years of tunneling experience, including work on tunnels for highways, transit, wastewater, water supply and hydroelectric generation. Prior to joining WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff, he was a principal in the Los Angeles office of an international engineering firm, responsible for managing design and construction activities for a variety of highway and water/wastewater conveyance tunnels in southern California.

Dubnewych received BSc degree in mining engineering from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. He is professionally affiliated with the Underground Construction Association of SME and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California.

Sandvik appoints ex-Atlas Copco VP as President and CEO

Sep 2015

Björn Rosengren

The Board of Sandvik replaces Olof Faxander, President and CEO since 2011, with Björn Rosengren, former President and CEO of marine and drilling specialist Wärtsilä Corporation. Faxander leaves his current position, and the company, with immediate effect, and will be replaced by Rosengren on 1 November (2015).

Prior to taking up his senior role at Wärtsilä, 46-year-old Rosengren held several management positions spanning a 13-year career (1998-2011) at heavy drilling and excavation plant manufacturer Atlas Copco. He left that company in 2011 as Executive Vice President and Business Area President for Constuction and Mining Technique.

“I know Björn Rosengren as an exceptionally experienced and successful industrial leader and he has the experience needed to develop Sandvik into the future,” said Johan Molin, Sandvik Chairman.

Of Faxander’s departure Molin said: “The change of President and CEO was initiated by the Board and should be viewed as a next step in Sandvik’s further development. Olof has managed Sandvik through very challenging market conditions and made creditable contributions in the restructuring of Sandvik to a more efficient organization.”

Rosengren said: “I look forward to joining Sandvik, a well-recognized industrial company with great potential.” Mats Backman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer will serve as Acting President and CEO in the interim period until November 1.

References

Sydney NorthConnex roadheader award – TunnelTalk, July 2015

New head of Underground Operations at Shannon & Wilson

Sep 2015

Axel Nitschke

Shannon & Wilson appoints Axel Nitschke PhD, PE, as Vice President, Director of Operations for Underground Services based at the company’s DC Metro office in Washington DC.

Nitschke has a background in construction management, tunnel engineering and design, and geotechnical consultancy. He served for five years in the 1990s as Assistant Professor in the Construction Technology, Tunnelling and Construction Management department at the highly respected Ruhr University in Bochum, before leaving to pursue more practical posts within the construction and underground construction fields.

His doctoral thesis, “Load bearing capacity of steel fiber reinforced concrete in tunneling” was also completed at Ruhr University. Nitschke is currently Chairman of the American Shotcrete Association, and his former employers include Gall Zeidler Consultants, Wayss & Freytag and Beton- und Monierbau GmbH.

His previous experience includes road, rail and utility tunnel projects for clients including Sound Transit, New Jersey Transit, CALTRANS, DC Water and other agencies throughout Europe.

Jenny Engineering expands northeast USA operations

Sep 2015

Jenny Engineering Corporation (JEC) appoints Mahmood Khwaja as its New England Practice Lead as part of a strategy to expand its permanent operations in the northeastern region of the USA.

Mahmood Khwaja

Khwaja, PE, SE, is an accomplished geostructural engineer with more than 25 years of experience. He will lead the company’s business development and technical operations.

Previously Chief Project Manager at JEC, Mahmood specializes in the design of above- and below-ground structures. His experience includes cut-and-cover, mined, bored and jacked tunnels; analyzing complex soil-structure interaction behavior using numerical methods; analysis and design of above- and below-ground transit stations, tunnels, deep shafts, de-aeration chambers, large-scale water structures, staged excavation, support of excavation systems, underpinning and soil improvement, and trenchless methods (HDD).

Located in parent company COWI’s Massachusetts office, Mahmood’s new position opens opportunities for the company’s tunnel business in the northeastern USA.

Scott Roux, President & Managing Director at JEC said: “Mahmood brings a solid technical background coupled with a strong interest in business development to this new position and we are thrilled to set up more permanent operations in New England. COWI North America is growing rapidly and we anticipate that Mahmood's presence and intimate knowledge of the area will help strengthen our existing New England relationships and help develop new ones.”

References

Jenny Engineering is acquired by COWI – TunnelTalk, February 2013

WestConnex Project Director switches to PB

Sep 2015

The Transport Team of Parsons Brinckerhoff announces former WestConnex Authority Project Delivery Director, Paul Goldsmith, as Major Projects Executive.

Paul Goldsmith

Goldsmith, who will work out of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Sydney office, has extensive experience in the booming Australasian underground market in the development, procurement and delivery of major road and rail infrastructure projects.

NSW Client Director for Transport, David Stuart-Watt, said: “Paul will be responsible for maintaining and developing relationships and partnerships with our contractor clients in the region and will also provide leadership across major transport projects in the region.

“Paul brings with him major project experience having held leadership roles on city-changing projects such as WestConnex, the M2 Upgrade, the M5 Widening, the Cross City Tunnel, and the City West Link Road, all in Sydney, and the Tugun Bypass on the Gold Coast.”

Goldsmith, a chartered civil engineer with 30 years experience in Australia and in the UK, spent almost three years as a senior executive developing and delivering WestConnex, the three-phase road infrastructure mega-project that will deliver a largely tunnelled bypass of western Sydney. Two of the three tunnel excavation contracts are already in place.

After working with Infrastructure New South Wales (INSW) and Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to develop WestConnex as part of the 2012 State Infrastructure Strategy, Goldsmith led the Sydney Motorways Project Office to develop the business case in 2013. He was Acting Chief Executive of the newly formed WestConnex Delivery Authority for three months and Project Director for WestConnex Stage 1, culminating in the award of a Design & Construct contract and planning approval for the M4 Widening project, together with receipt of tenders for the M4 East project in December last year.

Paul has extensive experience in the development and delivery of PPPs, having held the position of General Manager, Motorway Projects with Roads and Maritime Services for five years, successfully negotiating and delivering PPP motorway upgrades with private sector partners for both the M2 Upgrade and M5 Widening projects in Sydney. Prior to this he spent six years as a senior project manager for the procurement and delivery phase of the Cross City Tunnel. Paul's early career was spent in road and rail infrastructure projects in Australia and the United Kingdom.

References

First tunnel award for Sydney WestConnex – TunnelTalk, June 2015
Sydney WestConnex prequalifiers – TunnelTalk, October 2014

Consulting firm HNTB recruits new leading engineers

August 2015

Infrastructure engineer Jimmy Thompson has joined HNTB as principal tunnel engineer in its national US tunnel practice. Thompson will be based in the firm’s Oakland office in California and joins HNTB having served on several high-level international projects, including as lead tunnel engineer for the California High-Speed Rail project.

Jimmy Thompson

Thompson has 30 years experience in the design and construction of large infrastructure projects, and specializes in tunnels and underground facilities. His industry experience from around the world includes design, program management, estimating, planning and programming, contract documentation preparation, site supervision and construction management for transit, highway and water tunnel projects.

“Jimmy is a highly qualified tunnel and construction engineer with leadership experience on important and high-profile underground projects,” said Nasri Munfah, PE, HNTB Chair of Tunnel Services and Senior Vice President. “His expertise and leadership abilities are invaluable to our clients.”

Thompson joins HNTB from Parsons Brinckerhoff where, as well as being lead tunnel engineer for the California High-Speed Rail project, he was also underground design lead for the project management team on the Red Line Light Rail Transit Project in Tel Aviv, Israel, and tunnel design manager for the Eurasia TBM highway tunnel under the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Previously, with Mott MacDonald in the UK, he worked as a design engineer on the Channel Tunnel undersea rail project between England and France and as a team leader on the Shatin to Central Link railway project in Hong Kong. Following a move to the United States to join Hatch Mott MacDonald, he working on projects in California including as lead tunnel engineer for the Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor project in San Jose and as senior tunnel engineer for the Lower Northwest sewer interceptor pipeline project in Sacramento.

Thompson earned a Bachelor of Engineering with a focus in civil and structural engineering from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom and is affiliated with the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom and a member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Civil Discipline.

Internationally experienced infrastructure engineer, Daniel Louis PE, GE, joins HNTB Corporation as the Southern California Project Management/Construction Management Director, Director of Tunnel Practice – West, and Vice President.

Daniel Louis

From a base in the firm’s Santa Ana, California office, Louis will focus on the growth and development of PM/CM projects in Southern California, as well as supporting tunneling and underground projects nationally.

Louis has 30 years of experience in tunneling, heavy civil construction, program management and construction management services. He has served on major projects worldwide, including the East Side Access railway project in New York, the Antamina Mine in Peru, the West Rail Line in Hong Kong and several rail programs for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

“Dan’s expertise and technical skills are a great addition as we continue growing our tunneling and underground engineering practice,” said HNTB’s Chair of Tunnel Services and Senior Vice President Munfah.

Louis earned a Master of Science in geotechnical engineering and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His professional affiliations include the UCA (Underground Construction Association) of the USA, Construction Management Association of America, Design-Build Institute of America, and Associated General Contractors of California. In his previous position, Louis was Vice President and Head of North America Civil Infrastructure for an international construction company.

In Southern California, HNTB has been involved in infrastructure programs that are reshaping the region including the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project on behalf of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. HNTB is an employee-owned firm. Its work in California dates back to its founding in 1914 and today includes more than 350 full-time professionals based in seven regional offices.

References

Los Angeles scopes mega Metro expansions – TunnelTalk, November 2013
Governor signs California HSR funding bill – TunnelTalk, July 2012

New Chairman for Hong Kong rail provider

August 2015

Under pressure Hong Kong rail operator MTR Corp announces the appointment of Professor Frederick Ma Si-Hang as the company’s new Chairman. He will serve for a period of three years starting in January next year (2016).

Frederick Ma Si-Hang

Professor Ma joined the MTR Board as an Independent Non-executive Director in July 2013 and is currently Chairman of its Nominations Committee. Last year he chaired the Independent Board Committee established to review the reasons for the revised schedule and cost overruns for the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Project.

MTR Corp’s latest report shows the revised cost of its flagship high-speed rail project will top HK$85 billion, 19% more than the HK$71.5 billion estimated last year, and 31% more than the HK$65 billion budget approved by the Legislative Council in 2010. It is also likely to open a year late, in 2018. Another project, the Shatin–Central Link, has also had its completion date delayed by a year to 2019 for the first phase, and may also require further funding.

Professor Ma will succeed Dr Raymond Ch’ien Kuo-fung, who has served as Chairman of MTR Corp since 2003.

“My priority will be to ensure MTR continues to provide high quality transport services while completing the four railway projects we have on hand to enhance connectivity for the community,” said Professor Ma. “The job will certainly come with its challenges,” he added.

Outgoing Chairman Dr Raymond Ch’ien Kuo-Fung said: “Over my last 12 years as Chairman and, indeed, in all the years since 1998 when I joined the MTR Board, it has been an exciting journey to witness the numerous milestones that the company has marked, the most recent of which being the opening of the Island Line Extension to Kennedy Town.”

In its home base of Hong Kong, MTR Corp operates nine commuter railway lines, a light rail network and a high-speed Airport Express link on which more than 5.4 million passenger trips are made on a normal weekday. Another 4.9 million passenger trips are made on the rail services it operates outside Hong Kong in the mainland of China, the UK, Sweden and Australia. In addition, the Corporation is involved in a range of railway construction projects as well as railway consultancy and contracting services around the world.

References

London and Sydney award rail concessions to MTR Corp – TunnelTalk, September 2014
Hong Kong begins massive express link to China – TunnelTalk, March 2011

McConnell Dowell appoints new CEO

August 2015

Australasian tunnel and construction company, McConnell Dowell, announces appointment of Scott Cummins as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 October 2015.

Scott Cummins

Cummins takes over from long-serving David Robinson who will be retiring following 37 years at the company.

Kobus Verster, Chief Executive Officer of McConnell Dowell’s parent company, Aveng, said: “Scott’s appointment follows a comprehensive executive search which considered both internal and external candidates. I am confident that he will lead McConnell Dowell in sustaining its track record in its anchor market, Australia, while helping us realise the full potential of its international operations.”

Cummins has worked in project and functional management and leadership roles in the Marine, Production, Construction Engineering, Fabrication, Business Development and Regional Operations for McDermott International over the last 25 years. Throughout his career he has held leadership roles in major locations across the world, including Singapore, Indonesia and Dubai.

Since January 2015 Cummins has held the position of Senior Vice President of Commercial at McDermott International. Prior to this position his roles have included Executive Vice President Offshore and Senior Vice President and General Manager of Asia Pacific. He is an Australian national with a Bachelor of Engineering from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; and an MBA from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK.

New recruits to NORMET global operations

August 2015

Jaime Ibarra

Cris Soler, Regional Vice President for Normet North America, has announced that Jaime Ibarra has joined the organization in the role of TBM Technical Manager – Americas. He will also be coordinating closely with Lars Langmaack, Normet’s global Technical Manager-TBM. Ibarra has more than 30 years of experience in the tunnelling industry, beginning his career in TBM equipment manufacturing, managing the equipment assembly and commissioning, as well as guiding customers in their use, function and operation. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of roles in mechanized tunnel projects around the world including TBM operation, tunnel engineer, project manager, TBM general manager, TBM specialist, and most recently as TBM Technical Manager with a construction chemicals manufacturer/supplier. Ibarra’s key role in Normet is to lead Normet’s North and Latin American teams into the fast growing market of TBM related construction chemicals.

In Australia, Kari Hamalainen, Normet Vice President-Asia-Pacific, has welcomed Neil Fitzmaurice to the company in the role of Managing Director and also John Gelson in the role of Manager, Ground Control and Construction Technologies. Fitzmaurice reports to Hamalainen and Gelson to Fitzmaurice.

Neil Fitzmaurice

John Gelson

Fitzmaurice has worked across multiple geographies and diverse cultures within the Asia Pacific region whilst being resident in Japan, Singapore, China and Australia. He has been working with the chemicals industry for more than 30 years and has extensive experience with senior management positions in different roles. His previous role was with a major chemicals manufacturer/supplier as head of the mining business in Australia.

Gelson has either worked directly or indirectly with the mining and tunnelling industry for more than 39 years. He has worked as an underground mine manager and deputy mine manager in the UK before moving to Australia where he worked with a mining contractor as the Manager for Mining Services. After that he held different roles with a major chemicals manufacturer/supplier in the underground construction sector in Australia and in the Asia Pacific region.

These additions strengthen Normet’s operations in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region as well as in Latin America. The combined expertise and experience of these gentlemen add significantly to Normet’s capability as a solutions provider to its mining and tunneling customers. Normet is a company with a passion to offer continuous improvement to underground construction and mining processes for increased safety, productivity and profitability. The Finnish-based company operates globally, with more than 900 business professionals working from 43 locations in 27 countries worldwide, and has delivered more than 10,000 built-for-purpose underground machines which are serviced and supported under the Normet Life Time Care policies.

New leadership team for Michels Tunneling Division in the United States

July 2015

Michels Corportation, with headquarters in Brownsville, Wisconsin, USA, has announced a new senior leadership team for its national Tunneling Division. The team consisting of Jim Stevens, Vice President, Tunneling, Craig Vandaelle, Tunneling Manager, and Kit Fleming, Director of Operations. All three are long-term Michels employees and professionals in the tunneling industry.

Jim Stevens

Craig Vandealle

Kit Fleming

“This leadership team represents the best of the best,” said Pat Michels, President of Michels Corporation. “All have well-earned reputations for delivering results, sharing insights and demonstrating leadership every day. Together they have an exciting opportunity to build on Michels’ reputation for excellence and to partner with our customers to develop and build reliable solutions.”

Stevens has 50 years of experience in the construction industry, including five years with Michels. Rising from a laborer, operator and dump truck driver, through project and operations management roles, Stevens has achieved many successes in his storied career, including recently spearheading construction of a 15ft diameter x five mile water supply tunnel under San Francisco Bay. The project was completed under budget and eight months ahead of schedule. In January, he was honored with the prestigious Golden Beaver Award for Supervision for his accomplishments in construction.

Vandaelle has 15 years of experience in the North American tunneling and trenchless technology industry. In his eight years at Michels, Vandaelle has served as project manager on many significant projects in the United States and Canada, among them the McOrmond Drive Sanitary and Storm Sewer Trunks in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Big Lake Offsite Gravity Portion (W14) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Vancouver City Central Transmission Project, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and the Upper Northwest Interceptor in Sacramento, Calif. Vandaelle is also active in industry organizations, including the Northwest chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology for which he is currently serving as Vice Chairman.

Fleming has more than ten years of tunneling experience as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Stanford University. He specializes in large-diameter tunneling and has significant experience with EPBMs and the soft soils commonly associated with them. Fleming has built tunnels for a variety of uses, including sewers and subways. Additionally, he has experience working with electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems as well as controls for tunnel boring machines and conveyor systems. Fleming has five years of experience with Michels, most recently serving as Deputy Director of Operations and Deputy Project Manager on the San Francisco Bay project.

Michels Tunneling, based in New Berlin, Wisconsin, is part of Michels Corporation which is a leading utility contractor in North America and is ranked among the top 33 on the Engineering News Record Top 400 Contractors list for 2015. The company’s policy for a comprehensive pre-planning process for each new project is critical to its ability to build safe, reliable tunnels under even the most extreme of conditions.

References

San Francisco Bay Tunnel – TunnelTalk search result references
Jim Stevens wins Golden Beavers Award – TunnelTalk January 2015

New Coastal Practice at Hatch Mott MacDonald

July 2015

Hugo Bermudez

Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) has opened a new Coastal Practice in the United States and has promoted Hugo Bermudez as its leader. The new practice will enhance the company’s ability to respond to climate change and protect urban centers and habitats along inland waterways.

Licensed as a Professional Engineer in six states, Bermudez is based in the firm’s off in Austin, Texas, and has more than 20 years of experience in the coastal engineering field. He will work closely with Dave Van Rensburg, HMM’s Practice Leader for Ports. “Our new Coastal Practice will be able to draw on the broad-based resources of our other practices to compete for larger and more complex projects,” said Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of HMM. “Resilience and sustainability have become key considerations for our clients and prospects, and the Coastal Practice will bolster our ability to meet the challenges they face.”

Bermudez has experience in the numerical modeling and analysis of coastal processes such as tidal and wind-driven circulation, geomorphology and statistical analysis of water level, and relative sea level rise. He has managed numerous projects to help State agencies with coastal planning. Some of his notable projects include Cameron Parish Shoreline Restoration and Grand Isle State Park Shoreline Stabilization in Louisiana, and Bluewater Highway Shoreline Protection in Texas.

References

In search of resilient cities – TunnelTalk

New finance chief at HS2

July 2015

Steve Allen

HS2 Ltd appoints Steve Allen as its Chief Financial Officer. Allen joins from Transport for London (TfL) where, as Managing Director of Finance, he is responsible for business planning and financial control across £11bn worth of annual transport spending and £21bn of capital investment.

After starting his career at the UK Department for Transport, Allen went on to work for Citigroup and Abbey National before joining TfL in 2003.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Simon Kirby said: ”On a project as large and complex as HS2, rigorous financial control is essential. That is why I am delighted to welcome Steve to the team. His experience of delivering multi-billion pound investment programmes will be invaluable as we move towards the start of construction in 2017.”

Looking ahead to his new role Allen said: "HS2 is an ambitious, innovative and challenging project that promises to transform the experience of rail travel for huge numbers of people across the UK and provide a major boost to economic growth. I am excited to be joining at such a critical time for the project.”

New VP Operations for Avanti

July 2015

Frank Aguilar

Houston-based chemical and cement grout specialist Avanti appoints Frank Aguilar as its new Vice President of Operations.

Aguilar has been part of the Avanti team for more than 15 years, 14 of them as Technical Product Manager with responsibility for product development and research, technical support and international relations. In addition to being named VP Operations, Aguilar takes on a newly created role of “Integrator.” The “Integrator” role aims to be the glue that holds the organization together – from helping eliminate obstacles to heading special projects.

“As Vice President of Operations, and Integrator, my role is to understand the pulse of the company, and work to continuously improve each department in order to provide a memorable experience to our customers,” said Aguilar.

Avanti President Daniel Magill said: “Frank exhibits extraordinary knowledge of our products as well as a detailed understanding of our core processes – if there are ever questions, you can count on Frank to know the answer.”

Since 1978, Avanti has improved facilities and operations in mines, dams, sewers, subways, tunnels, tanks, storm drains and other underground structures, and was involved in the post 9/11 World Trade Center clean-up.

UCA of SME elects new Chairman

17 June 2015

Arthur Silber

The Underground Construction Association of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (UCA of SME) elects Arthur Silber as the new Chairman of its Executive Committee.

Silber, who works as Hatch Mott MacDonald’s Northeast Corridor Area Manager and Transportation Strategies Director, has more than 40 years of engineering experience.

Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Hatch Mott MacDonald, said, “Artie has had an extraordinary career in public service, and he has made an immeasurable contribution to HMM since joining us in 2010.”

After graduating from Stevens Institute of Technology with his engineering degree, Silber worked 28 years for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, rising through the ranks to be the Assistant Commissioner responsible for all planning, engineering, construction, and an annual $1 billion capital program.

Subsequently, he moved to NJ Transit to lead its Capital Program, and eventually became the Assistant Executive Director and Chief of the $9 billion Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Tunnel Project. During his career he was the Project Manager for many complex bridge and roadway projects, including a 25-mile new interstate highway segment, large unique bridges, and underground structures throughout New Jersey.

Geocomp strengthens LA Metro team

May 2015

Matthew Tibbutt

Geocomp announces appointment of Matthew Tibbutt as Senior Project Manager to its consulting division in Massachusetts, USA, where he will lead the Instrumentation and Monitoring department for the Boston office.

Tibbutt, who has extensive experience in complex system design, instrumentation installation, data interpretation and project management for large civil infrastructure projects, will support key projects such as Los Angeles Metro Crenshaw/LAX Corridor as well as local projects for MassDOT and MBTA. His previous experience includes time served on London’s Crossrail project and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Geocomp, headquartered near Boston, designs, installs and manages comprehensive performance monitoring programs using real-time instrumentation and monitoring technologies to provide a unique set of data aggregation and risk management tools for complex tunneling projects.

Geocomp appoints new Practice Area Leader

April 2015

Ryan Drefus

Boston-based Geocomp, which provides real-time geostructural design and performance monitoring services to clients across the USA and worldwide, announces promotion of Ryan Drefus, PE, to Practice Area Leader, Geotechnical Instrumentation and Monitoring.

Drefus has more than 14 years of experience with engineering projects in dense urban areas, including expertise overseeing geotechnical instrumentation for large transportation and infrastructure projects. His previous work experience includes designing and servicing automated testing systems and associated instrumentation for projects in dense urban areas, as well as the instrumentation and monitoring of existing structures and structural elements, including piles and tie-downs.

Drefus has been responsible for project management and technical supervision of the geotechnical instrumentation for various projects throughout New York City, including the design and implementation of the networked AMTS monitoring system for both the 96th and 72nd Street stations of the Second Avenue Subway Project in Manhattan.

Geocomp designs, installs, and manages comprehensive performance monitoring programs using real-time instrumentation and monitoring technologies to provide a unique set of data aggregation and risk management tools for complex tunneling projects.

HS2 strengthens its delivery team

25 Feb 2015

HS2 Ltd, the company overseeing delivery of the second phase of high speed rail in the UK on behalf of the government, appoints Stuart Westgate as Programme Development Director.

Stuart Westgate

Westgate – who brings experience from time spent working for London Underground (LU), Crossrail and HS1 – will lead development of the new north-south rail line and provide an important link between HS2 and other transport bodies. He joins HS2 from KPMG, where he spent four years as Director of Major Projects Advisory.

“Stuart has a proven track record of leading innovative, ambitious and complex projects and is exactly the type of person we want at HS2 as we continue to move toward construction,” said HS2 CEO Simon Kirby.

Westgate has vast experience in providing programme and leadership services to major infrastructure clients in the areas of transport and finance. Prior to joining KPMG, in 2011, he spent two years as Director of Crossrail Surface, where he was responsible for the mainline elements of the cross-London rail scheme.

Previous roles include 22 months as Deputy Director for LU’s ‘Cooling the Tube’ Programme, for which he led the development and delivery of a portfolio of almost 100 projects focused on the research, development and delivery of cooling solutions for LU's deep tube network. Notable achievements during this time were the development of design solutions for six of LU's tube lines, two summer campaigns of cooling, and the initial development of the innovative ice-in-car aircon system.

Westgate has also served as Programme Manager for the Strategic Rail Authority for the integration of HS1 and Thameslink at St Pancras Station.

“HS2 is an immensely important project and I’m delighted to be joining the company at such an exciting time in its development. HS2 represents an unrivalled opportunity for innovation and growth and I’m very much looking forward to playing a part," said Westgate.

Managing Director appointment for Crossrail 2

Feb 2015

Michèle Dix

Crossrail 2, the next major infrastructure project for London being developed by Transport for London (TfL) and UK rail operator Network Rail, announces the appointment of Michèle Dix as Managing Director.

Dix, who was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the Empire) for services to the transport industry by the Queen earlier this year (2015), leaves her post as TfL’s Managing Director for Planning to take up her new role. She will work alongside Daniel Moylan, London Mayor Boris Johnson’s advisor on the estimated £27 billion project.

Crossrail 2 is the proposed new high-frequency, high-capacity north-south rail line running from Surrey through London and into Hertfordshire. At its heart is a 36km twin-running tunnel between Wimbledon in south London and Tottenham Hale in the north of the UK capital. Crossrail 2 will add capacity to the rail network in London and the south-east, supporting economic regeneration by providing the infrastructure needed to build new homes and create more jobs.

Dix has been TfL’s Managing Director of planning since June 2007, and has also worked for the old Greater London Council, where she qualified as a chartered civil engineer through its transport planning graduate scheme. She has also worked for Halcrow Fox, and continues to serve as chairwoman of the UITP, the worldwide network of public transport stakeholders.

References

UK Crossrail 2 attracts mass public support – TunnelTalk, December 2013
Task force identifies preferred Crossrail 2 route – TunnelTalk, February 2013

ILF strengthens its North American presence

Feb 2015

ILF Consultants (ILF) appoints of Dr Chris Laughton as a Principal Engineer in its main Seattle office. Laughton brings to ILF over 35 years of direct project experience as a contractor, designer, consultant and owner’s representative.

Dr Chris Laughton

His recent work has included managing the design and construction of underground research laboratories for the US Department of Energy. He currently chairs the US Underground Construction Association Benefits of Going Underground Committee, and is a member of the International Society for Rock Mechanics Commission on Underground Research Laboratories. Laughton holds an MS degree in rock mechanics and a PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a registered professional engineer in the United States and Europe.

ILF USA is based out of Seattle, Washington, with offices in Traverse City, MI, Fairfax, Virginia, and Atlanta, Georgia, and specializes in providing tunnel and underground engineering services, design and construction of foundations and retaining systems and construction engineering support services.

New Jenny Engineering President to focus on expansion

Feb 2015

Scott Roux

COWI-owned Jenny Engineering Corporation (Jenny), North America's specialist tunneling company, announces a restructuring of management to capitalize on the expanded opportunities for tunnel engineering in the local, North America and international market.

Effective February 2, 2015, Scott Roux, PE, is appointed President and Managing Director of Jenny and will focus the company on growth of staff, technical capabilities and office expansion on the West coast. Additionally, Prakash Donde, PE, will move into a Principal position to focus on elevating Jenny as the company of choice for tunnel work through business development, project management and expert consulting.

Jenny, an internationally recognized tunnel engineering firm specializing in the planning, design, and construction management of tunnels and underground structures, has since inception provided engineering services for more than $30 billion total construction value worldwide, and has built a reputation for high standards of performance and completing projects on schedule.

The company’s client base includes infrastructure owners, multi-discipline A/E firms and infrastructure contractors. Jenny has expertise in all types of tunnel projects including transit, highway, water, utility, sewer and drainage, pedestrian, and mines.

With the appointment of Roux, Jenny intends to plan and prepare for future growth and the opportunity to contribute additional tunnel work to the rest of North America. Additionally, Jenny will continue to draw on parent company COWI’s rich experience in tunnel engineering and construction to encourage this move forward.

Roux, formerly Vice President US Operations at sister company Buckland & Taylor, brings a wealth of knowledge and business acumen to this new position. “Scott Roux has proven his proficiency in focusing and growing a company in the United States,” said Steve Hunt, President and CEO of COWI North America, Inc. “He took Buckland & Taylor’s presence from a single Seattle office, to a bicoastal operation with offices in both New York and Oakland. I am confident that he will take Jenny Engineering to the next level where it will become a dominant entity within North American civil engineering.”

References

Jenny Engineering acquired by COWI – TunnelTalk, February 2013

Engineering society presidency for resiliency expert

Jan 2015

The New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers (NJSME) elects infrastructure resiliency expert Eric Betz of Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) as its President for 2015. He has been a long-time member of the Society and has served as a member of the Executive Committee and Advisory Board for the last decade.

Eric Betz

As an HMM Vice President, Betz manages the company’s Municipal and County Services Division and three of the firm’s four New Jersey-based offices.

Nick DeNichilo, President and CEO of Hatch Mott MacDonald, said, “Eric is a leader in one of HMM’s key initiatives: helping counties and municipalities make their infrastructure more resilient in the face of extreme weather conditions.”

Betz’s projects have included the emergency reconstruction of New Jersey’s Route 35 in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the reconstruction of Interstate I-287 after Hurricane Irene in 2011, and various municipal, county, utility authority infrastructure, and utility projects throughout the state over the last 23 years in practice. Betz also spearheads the firm’s Northeast Region Coastal Protection, Restoration & Resiliency Program and collaborates with HMM's national and global leaders in this area.

References

Superstorm devastates the New York region – TunnelTalk, October 2012
New York tunneling projects weather Irene – TunnelTalk, August 2011

Director-level appointments at HS2

Jan 2015

As UK High Speed Rail (HS2) prepares to engage the civil construction industry ahead of a procurement process that is expected to begin next year, two new director-level appointments are announced.

Jonathan Crone

Colin Morris

With just two years to go until the start of scheduled construction of the UK’s new north-south rail line, HS2 Ltd moves to bolster its Programme and Strategy Directorate with the senior appointments of Jonathan Crone and Colin Morris.

Crone joins as Director of the Programme Management Office, while Morris will join as Programme Delivery Strategy Director. Both will report directly to HS2 Director of Programme and Strategy, Alistair Kirk.

Crone joins HS2 from Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd where as a divisional manager he led a multi-disciplinary team delivering project controls and integrated reporting on major oil and gas projects around the world. He has more than 30 years of experience on major infrastructure projects, both in the UK and overseas – including project management of Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport.

Morris joins from EC Harris, and has more than 26 years of experience in programme, project management and engineering. He has extensive experience of leading major change and urban regeneration programmes in the UK and abroad, including senior roles at Halcrow and the Ministry of Defence. At EC Harris, Morris led work with the Saudi Government on a number of high profile projects, including new multi-modal transport systems in Jeddah.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Simon Kirby said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Jonathan and Colin to the team. HS2 will soon become one Europe’s largest infrastructure projects and their experience of delivering highly complex projects on time and on budget will be essential as we prepare for the start of construction in January 2017.”

References

HS2 announces TBM procurement strategy – TunnelTalk, October 2014
UK High Speed 2 needs 56km of twin tunnels – TunnelTalk, January 2013

New Dallas chief for Parsons Brinckerhoff

Dec 2014

David Lutz

Consulting and engineering design firm Parsons Brinckerhoff names David Lutz as Senior Supervising Engineer in its Dallas office.

In his new role Lutz, who has 26 years of experience in the management, design, analysis, and supervision of geotechnical engineering projects, will manage the geotechnical and tunneling staff in the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices.

Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff Lutz was Vice President at a Dallas consulting engineering firm, where he served as branch manager of the Dallas office and as geotechnical engineering department manager. He directed the geotechnical aspects of numerous infrastructure projects for the Texas Department of Transportation and other state and local agencies.

He holds an MS degree in geotechnical engineering and a BS in geological engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, and the Association of General Contractors.

HS2 board recruits expertise to deliver UK high speed rail

Oct 2014

HS2 Ltd, the company charged with delivering the UK’s £50 billion High Speed Rail Project, appoints three new non-executive directors to its board.

Christine Emmett

Neil Masom

Baroness Jo Valentine

They are: Christine Emmett, who has a background that includes working for British Rail and the Channel Tunnel project; Neil Masom, who has a background in civil aviation and defence with a specialism in supply chain and information management; and Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First and a member of the House of Lords Committee which provides pre-legislation scrutiny of European infrastructure proposals.

HS2 Ltd Chairman David Higgins said of the latest appointments: “Delivering HS2 will be as complex as it will be significant for the country. We therefore need board members who understand the technical, financial and community issues that will confront us. Jo, Christine and Neil, working with the existing members of the board, will bring the cumulative experience we need for the massive task we face.”

Masom said: “HS2 is an extremely exciting project that has huge potential to act as a catalyst to boost British industry and create new economic opportunities. Coming from north west England I think High Speed Two’s arrival is a fantastic opportunity for the region.”

Emmet is currently a Gateway Reviewer on high-risk projects and has reviewed high profile projects in the health and transport sectors for the UK government, the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Executive. She has 30 years’ experience of multi-billion pound procurement and project management including the Channel Tunnel project and rail privatisation. She said: “Having worked at British Rail and been involved with the Channel Tunnel project much of my working life has been rail-focused, so naturally I am greatly looking forward to joining HS2. It is a fantastic project that carries Britain’s railways into the twenty-first century with confidence and optimism.”

Baroness Valentine said: “HS2 is a hugely important and exciting project that holds out the prospect of recasting the economic geography of Britain. I am delighted to take up this new position on HS2 Ltd’s board as we work towards securing its full potential for the country.”

MinSouth elects new President

Oct 2014

Andrew Hindmarch

MinSouth, the London-based society for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), elects Mott MacDonald’s Andrew Hindmarch as its new President.

The 950-strong community consists of mining and minerals related professionals based in London and the South East of England. It aims to inform and seek support for the wider public of the objectives of the IOM3 and holds joint meetings with the British Tunnelling Society (BTS). Last year Minsouth won the IOM3 Large Local Society of the Year Award.

“It is a privilege to become the President of MinSouth for the next year and I am particularly keen to engage younger engineers in our activities. With sustainability now at the forefront of much that we do, the next generation of engineers will be facing a much more environmentally challenging future when working within extractive industries, whether mining for minerals or tunnelling for infrastructure, sayd Hindmarch. “Thanks to the hard work of the MinSouth Committee and the support of sponsors who share our aims, we will continue to support students and educational initiatives to help ensure we have the necessary skills in the future to help address these issues.”

Andrew is a Fellow of the IOM3 and former committee member of the BTS. Based in Mott MacDonald’s tunnelling consultancy in Croydon, he has more than 26 years of experience. As well as working in the UK, Andrew has also worked in California, Australia, Denmark and South Africa. He is also a joint recipient of the Alec Wilson Memorial Award – Certificate Of Merit for the best paper on tunnelling awarded by The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

ILF strengthens its underground team

Oct 2014

Jim Brady

ILF Consultants (ILF) moves to strengthen its underground consulting practice with the appointment of Jim Brady. Brady brings a variety of underground experience, particularly in the areas of constructability, estimating and quantitative risk management. He will be based in Atlanta and will work be working closely with Conrad Felice, President of ILF USA, on the Delaware Aqueduct risk analysis project.

Brady, a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines, started his career over 27 years ago. He has worked on numerous projects in many capacities including Tunnel Engineer, Project Engineer, Designer, and Owner’s Representative. His underground expertise has also been used on a wide variety of microtunneling and other trenchless technology projects throughout the United States. Most recently he completed an assignment for the DC Clean Rivers Project serving on the Owner’s Risk Management Team for the Anacostia River CSO Program located in Washington, DC.

ILF USA, based out of both Seattle, Washington, and Fairfax, Virginia, specializes in providing deep foundation and underground engineering and consulting expertise throughout the United States.

New Fire & Life Safety Practice Leader

Oct 2014

Norris Harvey

Design and engineering consultant Hatch Mott Macdonald (HMM) appoints Norris Harvey, PE, as Practice Leader of its Fire & Life Safety (FLS) practice. An international expert in the field of tunnel ventilation and life safety, Harvey is based in HMM’s New York City office. Only last month The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) panel on Road Tunnel and Highway Fire Protection (NFPA 502) appointed Harvey to its technical committee (see September 2014 Career Moves, below).

“Norris joined us just over a year ago, and has made his mark on the Fire & Life Safety practice in a number of areas,” said Nicholas DeNichilo, President and CEO of HMM. “He has helped integrate the FLS practice’s specialized expertise into a number of our other practice areas, including Tunnels, Rail & Transit, Highways, and Water/Wastewater. Norris provided immediate impact on HMM’s rehabilitation of the Brooklyn-Battery and Queens Midtown Tunnels in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.”

Harvey has 20 years of experience in all phases of project delivery, from feasibility studies, to design analyses and modeling, to construction support. His experience includes international road and transit tunnel design, and analysis using Computational Fluid Dynamics and the Subway Environment Simulation computer program. He is also experienced in tunnel inspection and assessment, and in evacuation modeling for determining emergency egress requirements, and has published extensively in the field of tunnel ventilation.

Senior manager for tunneling projects at Hatch Mott MacDonald

Sept 2014

Dan Ifrim

With more than 30 years in the tunneling industry, Dan Ifrim has joined Hatch Mott MacDonald as a Senior Project Manager. During his career, Ifrim has provided project administration, technical leadership and knowhow experience to many international projects including the Istanbul Metro, Turkey; the Grand San Bernardo Service Tunnel, Switzerland; the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel in Akron, USA; and the Bathurst watermain, Spadina Subway extension, and Kennedy Station redevelopment projects in Toronto, Canada. Ifrim is based in Mississauga, Canada, and makes the move to Hatch Mott MacDonald from AECOM.

“Dan combines in-depth tunnel boring expertise with top-notch project management and negotiation skills,” said Nicholas DeNichilo, President and CEO of Hatch Mott MackDonald. “We are delighted to welcome him to the company.”

Ifrim is a member of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, the Professional Engineers Ontario, the Tunnelling Association of Canada (TAC), and the USA Underground Construction Association (UCA). He is author of several publications including TBM procurement aspects and Tunnel boring machines history and trends in Canada.

UCA of SME second term for Lawrence

Sept 2014

Colin Lawrence

Hatch Mott MacDonald Senior Vice President Colin Lawrence is re-elected to serve a second term on the Executive Committee of the Underground Construction Association, a division of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).

Lawrence, who is based in New York City, serves as North American Practice Leader for the company’s Tunneling Practice and has more than 34 years of specialized experience in the industry. He has been involved in some of the most technically challenging tunnel projects in the world, including the Channel Tunnel between England and France, the Storebaelt Tunnel in Denmark, and New York’s East Side Access project.

A recognized leader in the US underground industry, Lawrence is currently engaged with the organizing committees for many industry conferences, including the World Tunneling Congress 2016, the North American Tunneling Conference (NAT), the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC), the Cutting Edge Tunneling Conference, and the George Fox Tunneling Conference.

New Executive Director at MTR Corp

Sept 2014

Dr Philco Wong, MTR

MTR Corp appoints Dr Philco Wong as Projects Director with full effect from the end of next month (October 2014), following the retirement of TC Chew. In the meantime he will hold the position of Projects Director Designate to assist in a smooth transition.

Dr Wong has over 35 years of experience in business management, and implementation and delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. He joined MTR in November 2011 as General Manager of the now under construction Shatin-Central Link.

Dr Wong holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Manitoba, Canada; and a Master of Engineering degree in Construction Management and Engineering from the University of Toronto, Canada; and a Doctorate in Business Administration by Curtin University, Australia.

Since 1978 Dr Wong has held many senior management positions overseeing major construction projects. He is a fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Institution of Civil Engineers in the UK. He is currently Chairman of the Vocational Training Council’s Advisory Committee of Engineering Disciplines and Construction Collaborative Degree Programmes, as well as being a member of the Committee on Procurement and Subcontracting of the Construction Industry Council.

“I would like to welcome Philco to the Executive Directorate team. His extensive experience in the construction and engineering sector will be valuable in ensuring MTR continues to implement and deliver our five railway projects to high safety and professional standards,” said Lincoln Leong, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corp. “At the same time, I would like to thank TC for his dedicated contribution and commitment to the Corporation over the past several years, taking our railway projects through milestone after milestone,” added Leong.

References

Hong Kong Shatin-Central metro rollout – TunnelTalk, September 2014

Steel fibre expert joins synthetic fibre manufacturer

Sept 2014

Dr Ralf Winterberg

EPC, Elasto Plastic Concrete, a leading supplier of macro synthetic fibre reinforcement for concrete has announced appointment of Dr Ralf Winterberg, MSc PhD Civil Engineering, as its new Group Chief Engineer.

The move by Winterberg from the steel fibre business to EPC is representative of the increased use and acceptance of synthetic fibre reinforcement in the construction industry. As well as supplying synthetic fibre products, EPC offers technical and application support and advice for synthetic fibre reinforced shotcrete and concrete, and engineered and finite element analysis designs.

Winterberg’s primary responsibilities will be the coordination of the group technical development and R&D, the continued development of synthetic fibre technologies and the development of global design standards for the use of synthetic fibre reinforcement.

“I am very pleased to be joining EPC and continuing the growth and use of macro synthetic fibre particularly in underground construction where I have been involved for many years,” said Winterberg. “I can see that macro fibres have great potential and add significant benefits in construction where durability and sustainability may be of concern, such as in water and sewerage tunnel applications.”

Winterberg is specialised in fibre reinforcement for concrete and its application development. He studied civil engineering at the University of Bochum, Germany, and received his PhD on the cracking behaviour of steel fibre reinforced concrete there in 1998. For the past 16 years he has led the development of steel fibre reinforced concrete with several companies, eventually as Technical Director of the fibre division at Maccaferri Asia.

EPC CEO Matthew Clements said that “the appointment of Ralf to the position of Group Chief Engineer is an important step for EPC and is critical to our strategic plan to grow our business in more sophisticated construction such as segmental linings. Ralf will add significant value to our technical team and our already outstanding research and design capability.”

Winterberg co-authored the Guide to good Practice: Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete by the German Concrete Association and contributed to the RILEM TC162-TDF Test and Design Methods for SFRC as well as to CEN TC104 WG11 Fibres for Concrete for the harmonised European Standard EN 14889. He was chairing the Fibres’ Technical Committee of EFNARC and is a member of the ITA–AITES Working Group 12 on Shotcrete use and the ITATech Activity Group on Support.

NFPA strengthens road tunnel fire protection committee

Sept 2014

Norris Harvey

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) panel on Road Tunnel and Highway Fire Protection (NFPA 502) appoints Norris Harvey to its technical committee.

NFPA 502 is one of more than 300 codes and standards maintained by the NFPA, an international non-profit organization, founded in 1896, which currently has 65,000 members around the world.

An international expert in the field of tunnel ventilation and fire life safety, Harvey is based in Hatch Mott MacDonald’s (HMM) New York City office. Iain Bowman, HMM’s Deputy Practice Leader for Fire & Life Safety, is appointed as an alternate.

“Norris joined us only a year ago, but has already made his mark on the Fire and Life Safety Practice,” said Nicholas DeNichilo, President and CEO of HMM. “He has helped integrate the work of Fire and Life Safety with that of our Tunneling practice, and has made important contributions to projects including the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel.”

Harvey, who has 20 years experience in tunnel inspection, assessment and computational evacuation modeling, currently serves on the World Road Association (PIARC) Working Group that is developing the Fixed Fire Fighting Systems in Road Tunnels: Current Practices and Recommendations. He has represented the US since 2008 on this Working Group, and has also published extensively in the field of tunnel ventilation.

References

Jenny Engineering is acquired by COWI – TunnelTalk, February 2013

New promotions at Jacobs Associates

Sept 2014

Andrew McGlenn

Jennifer Jordan

Jacobs Associates announces two more promotions to Lead Associate within its tunnel and underground engineering consultancy practice.

Jennifer Jordan, PE, is the manager of the Boston office. She brings more than 20 years of experience in geotechnical related field investigation, design, and construction of a variety of underground engineering projects. Her experience covers a broad range of services areas including planning, implementation, and reporting of geotechnical investigations; conceptual level planning and design studies; geotechnical design and analyses; and preparation of contract documents. Jordan recently served as lead geotechnical engineer on DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project.

Andrew McGlenn, PE, SE, PEng, has 17 years of experience in structural engineering for above-ground and underground infrastructure. He is based in the Seattle office, where he serves as the lead structural engineer on various underground projects in the Pacific Northwest as well as abroad. McGlenn’s recent experience includes serving as project manager and engineer of record for the Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Tunnel and Port Mann Main Water Supply Tunnel, both located in British Columbia, Canada.

New Chairman for Tunnels and Underground Structures Committee of the TRB

August 2014

Dr Conrad Felice

President and CEO of ILF Consultants, Dr Conrad Felice, is appointed Chairman of the Tunnels and Underground Structures Committee for the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

TRB committees play a vital role in facilitating the exchange of transportation research information and results with committee members working together to develop research problem statements, review and recommend papers for publication and presentation, and organize committee meetings, workshops, and other activities.

Felice has more than 35 years of experience in delivering project and program management, engineering and design, and construction engineering services on above and below-ground engineering projects, including tunnels and bridges.

ILF, with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Fairfax, Virginia, specializes in providing underground engineering and consulting expertise throughout the United States. Incorporated in the US in 1986, the firm is a part of ILF Consulting Engineers, which is ranked among the world's leading engineering firms with more than 2,000 employees world-wide.

Head of transportation operations in Pennsylvania for Parsons Brinckerhoff

August 2014

David Lowdermilk

With more than 35 years of transportation industry experience, David Lowdermilk, has been named Statewide Transportation Manager for Pennsylvania at Parsons Brinckerhoff. Nearly 400 employees working in the State and from offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Camp Hill, and Ephrata, Parsons Brinckerhoff serves the State’s infrastructure markets in transportation, water, power/energy, and facilities. Some of the firm’s recent and ongoing projects in Pennsylvania include the master plan for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station and construction inspection services for the ‘missing link’ of the I-95/I-276 highways north of Philadelphia.

Lowdermilk previously served as Regional Vice President at a Philadelphia engineering firm where he led the transportation practice with responsibility for the day-to-day management and operations for 14 offices in several states, including Pennsylvania. From 1991 to 2000, he served in the Philadelphia office of Parsons Brinckerhoff, first as Chief Highway Engineer and then as Operations Manager for the office.

Lowdermilk received a BSc degree in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. He is the immediate Past-President of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania and is Past President of the Delaware County Chapter of the National Association of Professional Engineers. His is also a member of the American Society of Highway Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Bernie McNeilly, Northeast Transportation Regional Manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff, said: “We are extremely pleased to have Dave rejoin our team where he will continue to strengthen client services and delivery throughout the Commonwealth.”

New senior manager at Jacobs Associates

August 2014

Rick Smith

Jacobs Associates announces promotion of Rick Smith, PE, to Senior Associate. Based in the company’s Seattle office in the USA, Smith has 27 years of geotechnical engineering experience for heavy civil design and construction, including underground structures for water, wastewater and transit, highway and railway bridges, support of deep excavations, landslide stabilization, and earth and rock fill dams.

He has been a key team member on several large underground projects in and around Seattle, including the Brightwater Conveyance System, the University Link Light Rail Extension, Northgate Link Light Rail Extension, the North Creek Interceptor Sewer, and the Fremont Siphon. He is currently managing geotechnical and trenchless services for the Rainier Valley Wet Weather Storage Project in Seattle.

UK HS2 appoints high speed rail expert

August 2014

Will Bentley

HS2 Ltd, the company managing the implementation of the £50 billion High Speed 2 rail project in the UK, appoints Will Bentley as Programme Controls Director. Bentley joins from EC Harris where as Head of Programme Controls he oversaw the project controls for successful delivery of the new Heathrow Terminal 2a project. He also has major rail project experience having played a key role in the success of the rail programme for the 2012 London Olympics, and later working as an advisor to the Norwegian Government on planning the delivery of that country’s high speed rail link. Bentley's previous employers include Parsons, where he worked as a technical advisor to the banks involved in the Eurotunnel project; Bechtel (Lead Project Controller); and Atkins (Head of Project Controls, rail).

HS2 Ltd Construction CEO Simon Kirby said: “I’m pleased to welcome someone of Will’s extensive experience and calibre to HS2 Ltd. This is a hugely exciting, challenging and vital project and it’s imperative that we have the best people working to meet our objectives. Will has already played a significant part in some of the biggest infrastructure projects of recent times and he will now play a crucial role in ensuring HS2 is delivered on schedule and on budget.”

Bentley said: “I’m relishing the opportunity to be part of such a challenging, unique and exciting infrastructure programme that will create lasting benefits for the UK.”

References

‘Speed up delivery to cut costs’ says HS2 boss – TunnelTalk, March 2014

Infrastructure life cycle appointment at SNC-Lavalin

August 2014

Marc Rivard

Marc Rivard is appointed as Executive Vice-President, Infrastructure Engineering, within the SNC-Lavalin Infrastructure Group.

Based in Montreal, Rivard will lead the global Infrastructure Engineering business unit, which provides consulting, planning and engineering services in the mass transit, railways, roads, and water and wastewater infrastructure and as part of the Infrastructure Group which addresses the full life cycle of infrastructure, and includes the company’s infrastructure concession investment, engineering, construction and operations & maintenance businesses.

Rivard has more than 27 years of experience in the industry, and joins SNC-Lavalin after eight and half years with WSP (previously GENIVAR), where he was President of the company’s operations in Canada, the Caribbean and France. He was leader of more than 5,000 professionals in 100 offices and also played a key role in the development, execution and integration of the firm’s acquisition strategy.

Prior to that, he worked for Stantec for 19 years, where he was a managing principal and primary lead for the firm’s building engineering segment in Canada’s National Capital Region. Over the course of his career.

Rivard has more than 27 years of experience in the industry, and joins SNC-Lavalin after eight and half years with WSP (previously GENIVAR). Prior to that, he worked for Stantec for 19 years, where he led a number of municipal infrastructure projects.

Hydropower expert joins Jacobs Associates

August 2014

Robert Filgas

A new Senior Associate has joined the growing pool of hydropower experts at Jacobs Associates. Robert Filgas, PE, joined the Walnut Creek, California office as a Senior Associate in May. He has 34 years of civil/structural, water resource related project experience, including locks, dams, hydroelectric powerhouses, penstocks, pipelines, canals, tunnels, buildings, and roads.

He has served as contract and task order manager, design engineer, and field engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program, the US Bureau of Reclamation, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, as well as for repair/replacement projects throughout the United States.

Filgas has extensive engineering and construction experience, including feasibility and conceptual studies, economic evaluation, final design, plans and specification development, development of construction QA/QC programs, O&M manuals, schedules, contract document preparation, and facility inspections.

He holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

Editorial board seat for HNTB ventilation and fire safety engineer

August 2014

Yunlong Jason Liu

Senior tunnel ventilation and fire-life safety engineer for HNTB Corporation, Yunlong Jason Liu, Ph.D., PE, has joined the editorial board of the Case Studies in Fire Safety journal published by Elsevier. The journal provides a venue for researchers and practicing fire-safety engineers to present new ideas on the development of fire science or to apply fire research to projects in a case study context.

“Being appointed to the editorial board is a testament to Yunlong Liu’s knowledge and expertise, and a confirmation of HNTB’s ongoing commitment to providing full services for tunnels and underground construction projects, including ventilation and life safety aspects,” said Nasri Munfah, PE, Senior Vice President and HNTB Chair Tunnel Services.

Dr Liu is based with the mechanical department in HNTB’s Bellevue, Washington State, office, and specializes in tunnel ventilation design and analysis using computational fluid dynamics and the Subway Environment Simulation computer program. Over the past decade, he has led the concept design of tunnel ventilation systems, and conducted detailed ventilation and fire safety design for road and rail tunnels.

He also is a panel member of the Project 20-07/Task 363 on Tunnel Ventilation for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program that is funded by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He has been assisting the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to setup an outline facility for preparing funding proposals and identifying potential contractors and screening the submitted proposals from candidates to award the project.

Liu is a registered professional engineer in mechanical engineering in Washington State, a Chartered Professional Engineer of Engineers Australia, and a registered mechanical engineer of the National Engineering Registration Board in Australia. He has professional experience in Australia, China, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States.

Working together with his team, Liu has proposed a modified critical velocity when longitudinal ventilation is operating simultaneously with a dedicated smoke exhaust system. This critical velocity, obtained from the performance based analysis, has saved equipment and operation cost while ensuring the safety for managing the fire emergency conditions. This finding has been applied to the design of the ventilation system for Washington State Department of Transportation’s Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel in Seattle.

Since joining HNTB in 2011, Liu has served on numerous high-profile projects nationwide, including performing structural fire-safety thermal analysis for the Presidio Parkway Public-Private Partnership in San Francisco; occupants egress analysis for a tunnel project at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport; independent verification analysis for ventilation design of the Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project in Turkey; Warm Springs Extension Line Railway Station ventilation in California; and an independent review of the emergency ventilation for Interstate 90 Two Way Transit – Mt. Baker Ridge Tunnel and Mercer Island Tunnel in Seattle.

As a firm, HNTB also has delivered many ventilation, fire safety, structural fire durability, pollutant dispersion and related integrated systems design projects, including Sound Transit’s University Link in Seattle and the Caltrans Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, California.

References

Case Studies in Fire Safety – Elsevier
EIS supports Alaskan Way tunnel – TunnelTalk, July 2011
Sound Transit University Link LRT extension – TunnelTalk, Reference Archive
Devil’s Slide highway tunnel Northern California – TunnelTalk, Reference Archive

Pushing the interests of the Euro construction industry

July 2014

Sigrid de Vries

The body representing the interests of the European construction industry appoints Sigrid de Vries as its new Secretary General.

De Vries, a partner in the public relations agency Quick Communications, will represent the sector in its political and economic dealings with European Union (EU) institutions and manage the association’s Brussels office. She succeeds Ralf Wezel who leaves after a 12-year tenure with CECE.

“The construction equipment industry forms an important part of the machinery manufacturing sector in Europe, and EU legislation has a direct impact on its ability to stay competitive. I look forward to promoting the interests of this industry at European institution level and working with CECE members, partner associations and other stakeholders to achieve common goals,” said De Vries

De Vries, a Dutch national, is an experienced EU governmental affairs and communications professional, who served many years as director of communications at ACEA (the European Automobile Manufacturers Association) in Brussels and later led the institutional relations activities of CNH Industrial in Europe.

HNTB recruiting to meet US$70 billion projected demand

June 2014

Arman Farajollahi

Senior-level technical expertise on major projects is secured by HNTB with appointment of Arman Farajollahi, PE, as principal tunnel engineer at its national office in New York City.

Prior to joining HNTB, Farajollahi was technical leader for AECOM. He joins other recent additions to the tunnel practice to meet the expanding tunneling and underground needs of HNTB’s national and international infrastructure clients.

“Our industry anticipates $70 billion in tunnel construction projects in North America in the next five years. The need for tunnels continues to grow, especially in urban areas where 80% of the US population is concentrated and surface opportunities for infrastructure development are limited,” said Nasri Munfah, PE, Senior Vice President and HNTB Chair Tunnel Services. “Arman brings high-level technical expertise and broad tunnel experience, strengthening our technical bench as we continue growing HNTB’s award-winning tunneling and underground engineering practice,” he added.

Farajollahi’s experience includes more than 22 years in analysis, design and construction management of tunnels and underground construction — in both soft ground and hard rock — for transportation, wet infrastructure and hydropower projects. He has provided engineering support services during design and construction of more than 30 infrastructure projects in the United States, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, he has served as an on-site engineer for construction management of design-build and design-bid-build projects.

Farajollahi received a MS in civil engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in engineering geology from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He also received a BS in geological (mining) engineering from Tehran University, is a licensed professional engineer in New York, Maryland and Washington, DC, and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Design consultant adds 70 years experience

May 2014

John Critchfield

Michael Kobler

Jacobs Associates continues to expand its construction management practice with the hire of two new associates.

Highly experienced John Critchfield, who becomes a Lead Associate, is currently serving as Resident Engineer on the stalled Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project in Seattle. He has close to 40 years of experience in geotechnical and underground engineering, with a background that includes a wide range of heavy civil projects with particular emphasis on tunneling. Previous projects include the Miami Port Tunnel, and the challenging 27km Brightwater Conveyance Tunnel north of Seattle, a project blighted by TBM failure. Previous roles have included construction management, design engineering, site investigations, planning, consultation, and research, as well as field supervision and office administration. Critchfield holds an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Michael Kobler becomes a Senior Associate and is currently serving as Resident Engineer on the Central Subway project team in San Francisco. He has more than 30 years of experience in providing services for public agencies and private companies in tunneling and underground construction. Kobler has served as construction manager, resident engineer, cost estimator, scheduler, and consultant on a variety of tunnel projects. His expertise includes various types of tunneling equipment and methods including SEM, TBM and drill+blast. Kobler holds a BS in Mining Engineering with a Management Option from the Montana School of Mines.

“As clients continue to undertake challenging underground construction projects, Jacobs Associates is adding depth to our construction management leadership. John and Michael’s combined seven decades of experience is a welcome addition to our growing construction management practice,” said Principal and Jacobs Associates Construction Management Division Leader Rafael Castro.

References

Excavation complete on Brightwater – TunnelTalk, August 2011
Seattle TBM Bertha recovery strategy – TunnelCast, April 2014
Excavation wraps up on Miami Port link – TunnelTalk, May 2013
Closing in on Central Subway breakthrough – TunnelTalk, April 2014

Morgan Sindall appoints new tunnelling chief

May 2014

Nick Fletcher

Former Laing O’Rourke infrastructure operations director Nick Fletcher moves to Morgan Sindall to take up the post of Managing Director of Civil Engineering, where he will hold overall responsibility for infrastructure, tunnelling and utilities businesses.

Fletcher, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers and a former Managing Director of Laing O’Rourke Ireland, will report to Graham Shennan, Managing Director of the Morgan Sindall Construction Division.

“Morgan Sindall has a powerful market position across its three civil engineering businesses and I’m looking forward to leading a team that has proven itself time and again in successfully delivering large-scale and complex infrastructure projects,” said Fletcher

The Morgan Sindall tunnelling business has now completed the primary excavation works on the Lee Tunnel project for Thames Water, as part of the MVB joint venture. The east London project is valued at £208m to Morgan Sindall, which has now started secondary lining works and the installation of pumps.

The company is also prequalified by Thames Water to bid on all three main tunnelling lots that comprise the 25km Thames Tunnel as part of the Thames Tideway project.

References

Tunnelling boosts Morgan Sindall results – TunnelTalk,February 2013
Bidders line up to deliver Thames mega project – TunnelTalk, October, 2013

Jacobs Associates adds to DC Rivers team

April 2014

David Corkum

Geotechnical engineer David Corkum is appointed as a new Principal at Jacobs Associates. Corkum has 35 years of experience in heavy civil underground construction, and slots into the DC Clean Rivers project team where he will be overseeing design and construction activities.

“We are honored to welcome Dave to our team of Principals,” said Jacobs Associates Principal Rafael Castro. “His extensive experience will be invaluable to the firm’s leadership in the underground construction market.”

Corkum provided his construction and management expertise on some the USA’s largest and most important energy and infrastructure projects. These include the construction of New Hampshire’s Seabrook Station nuclear power plant; the construction of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red Line extension project; the design of the Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline project; site investigation for a high-level nuclear waste repository facility in West Texas; and program and construction management on Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant and Outfall tunnel. Corkum, a recognized expert in risk management, has helped project owners and engineers craft contract language that properly and fairly allocates project risks and reduces construction disputes.

Corkum holds a BS in Geology from Northeastern University and a JD from Suffolk University Law School. He is a Licensed Professional Geologist and has been admitted to the State and US District Court Bars in Massachusetts.

References

Washington DC accelerates flood relief award – TunnelTalk, October 2013
DC advancing clean river mega project – TunnelTalk, May 2013
Blue Plains tunnel teams selected in DC – TunnelTalk, March 2011

HNTB strengthens tunnel leadership team

Mar 2014

Mark Ramsey

Expanding infrastructure solutions consultancy HNTB Corporation appoints its fifth tunnel leadership hire in eight months, following the recruitment of Mark Ramsey to the firm's national tunnel office as West Division Tunnel Practice Leader and Associate Vice President.

Ramsey will support and pursue projects in the western United States and Canada from offices in Santa Ana, California. Prior to joining HNTB he was sponsor of the underground northeast area office in the underground district for Kiewit Infrastructure Group, where he was responsible for underground projects and pursuits in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

Ramsey has experience in tunnel engineering, planning, scheduling, cost control and cost projections, estimates and negotiations. He has led design-bid-build and design-build tunneling and underground projects in the United States and Canada and his portfolio of tunnel projects includes tunnel engineering, construction engineering and management, planning, scheduling, cost control and cost projections, procurement, overseeing handling of materials, estimates and negotiations, administration of contract documents and owner relations. His expertise includes transit, water and sewer, highways, design-build, and multiple forms of tunneling including drill+blast, NATM and TBM in various geologies including rock, soft ground and mixed ground conditions. He has led design-bid-build and design-build tunneling and underground projects in the United States and Canada. Ramsey's portfolio of tunnel projects includes the Tren Urbano transit system in Puerto Rico, the Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil's Slide in California, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Second Avenue Subway in New York, and the Spadina South transit line in Toronto.

"Mark's expertise and technical skills are a great addition as we continue growing our underground engineering practice," said Nasri Munfah, PE, HNTB Chair Tunnel Services. "He will put this experience to work as more cities turn to underground solutions for their infrastructure facilities."

Ramsey graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's degree in Construction Engineering and Management. He is a member of the UCA of SME and the Transportation Research Board Tunnel and Underground Construction Standing Committee. He also served as Chairman of the 2010 North American Tunneling Conference.

New Tideway CEO targets tunnel academy expansion

Jan 2014

Andrew Mitchell

London's next major tunnel project, the 25km-long Thames Tideway, appoints Andrew Mitchell as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mitchell joins from the city's neighbouring Crossrail Project, now half way through tunnel construction, where he was Programme Director and a member of the board.

The 53-year-old will report to the recently appointed Chairman, Sir Neville Simms, and lead development of a new company which will be responsible for the financing and delivery of the £4.1 billion mega-CSO tunnel project. The process for procurement of this new company, which will operate under licence from Ofwat, the water regulatory body, is already under way following the issue of a preliminary notice to the market on January 6 (2014). The construction tender process is already under way, with two of the three main tunnels already having been released for bid.

Sir Neville Simms

"As an engineer, I am passionate about the critical place well-functioning infrastructure has in driving prosperity and growth," said Mitchell. "Just like Crossrail, the Thames Tideway Tunnel is essential to the long-term social and economic well-being of the capital and the country. I am honoured and excited to have this opportunity to be in the vanguard of making the project a reality at last.

"Having been closely involved in its establishment at Crossrail, I am particularly looking forward to developing the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) at the Thames Tideway Tunnel, ensuring the country has a ready and available pool of engineers capable of meeting the infrastructure challenges the country faces over the next few decades."

Sir Neville Simms, former Chief Executive of Tarmac and Chairman of Carillion, was appointed Chairman of Thames Tideway Tunnel last month (December 2013). He was a founder member of the British Government's Private Finance Panel and chaired Defra's Sustainable Procurement Task Force. He was knighted in 1988 for his services to construction and has been a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering since 1996.

"I strongly believe that it is now the turn of our generation to repeat the foresight of our Victorian ancestors and ensure that the capital's sewerage system is fit for purpose for the 22nd century. London and the country deserve nothing less," said Sir Neville.

References

Bidders line up to deliver Thames mega-project – TunnelTalk, October 2013
TBMs ready for London sewerage drives – TunnelTalk, February 2012
Super sewer to revitalize River Thames – TunnelTalk, March 2009

New leadership team at ILF

Jan 2014

James Morrison

Dr Conrad Felice

ILF Consultants announces appointment of a new leadership team with immediate effect. Dr Conrad W. Felice is appointed President/CEO and will be joined by James A. Morrison as Executive Vice President. Each brings more than 30 years of expertise and a depth of industry knowledge to advance ILF's core competencies of tunnel and underground systems, geotechnics and foundation engineering applied to the infrastructure, energy, water and mining and natural resources markets.

ILF Consulting Engineers, with a permanent staff of 1,800 employees, has been involved with providing engineering design and implementation of more than 1,000km of tunnels over the last 30 years, helping its clients successfully execute complex industrial and infrastructure projects.

European Construction body appoints new President

Jan 2014

The Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE) has a new President - Eric Lepine, General Manager of Caterpillar France. Lepine takes over from Johann Sailer as official spokesman representing the interests of 1,200 medium-sized European construction equipment manufacturers from 14 European countries that are affiliated via their national organizations to CECE.

Eric Lepine (left), and predecessor Johann Sailer

During 26 years of experience in the construction equipment industry, Lepine has held various high-ranking positions at Caterpillar in different countries including Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Russia, the USA and the UK. He is currently based in Grenoble, France.

Lepine's outlines the main goal for his presidency as ensuring implementation of the Ten Points listed in the CECE-CEMA Industry Manifesto, which was presented during the 2013 CECE summit in Brussels to members of the European Parliament and the European Commission. His main priorities are achieving harmonisation of road safety requirements for non-road mobile machinery within Europe; ensuring that industry's needs are duly taken into account within the current revision of the exhaust emission legislation; and working towards final approval of the market surveillance legislation review, currently stuck at European Council level.

"We will keep on promoting the idea of fair competition and free trade for all market players in Europe. What we have to avoid is unnecessary complexity in laws and regulations," said Lepine, whose deputies for the next two years will be Christian Stryffeler, Executive Vice-President for the machine division of Ammann AG, and Giampiero Biglia, Business Director at CNH Industrial.

The European construction equipment industry achieves an annual turnover of €25 billion and employs 130,000 people.

UK Network Rail chief to drive forward HS2 construction

Jan 2014

Simon Kirby

Network Rail Managing Director of Infrastructure Projects Simon Kirby is appointed as the new £750,000 per year chief of construction for the UK's High Speed 2 project. As the £19.4 billion London-Birmingham Phase 1 of the scheme enters the parliamentary hybrid bill phase the current Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, Alison Munro, is confirmed in that post until September, when she will become Managing Director of Development to oversee the bill through parliament.

Announcing Kirby's appointment, new HS2 Chairman David Higgins said: "As I start my tenure as Chairman of this essential project that will free up much-needed capacity on our crowded railways, I am extremely pleased that we have secured Simon to run what will be the biggest infrastructure project in Europe, and one of the biggest in the world.

Alison Munro

"Delivering this project in a way which is not just cost effective, but also delivers its benefits to as much of the country as soon as possible, is a huge engineering project, but Simon has proven throughout his career that he is capable of taking on such a unique challenge. I fully realise that the skills he brings to the task are much sought after throughout the world and we are delighted he has agreed to take on the role - and that Alison Munro has agreed to continue in her role of overseeing both the parliamentary process and the development of Phase Two.

Kirby will join HS2 in June and become its CEO in September (2014). During the past five years he has been responsible for overseeing the £550 million refurbishment and renovation of Kings Cross, including construction of the new Western Concourse, the £895 million scheme at Reading to unblock one of the UK's worst rail bottlenecks, completion of the first new railway line in Britain for 100 years - the £300 million Airdrie-Bathgate line, and completion of the first phase of the £6.5 billion Thameslink project.

Project scope for the 560km Phase 1 London-Birmingham, and Phase 2 Birmingham-Manchester and Birmingham-Leeds includes 56km of twin running TBM-bored tunnels. The current schedule expects construction to begin on Phase 1 in 2017.

References

HS2 hybrid bill launched in UK – TunnelTalk, November 2013
Making a business case for UK high speed rail – TunnelTalk, September 2013
UK High Speed 2 needs 56km of twin tunnels – TunnelTalk, January 2013
New 9km tunnel for UK HS2 – TunnelTalk, April 2013
Extra tunnels seal UK high speed rail approval – TunnelTalk, January 2012

Director of strategy joins Parsons Brinckerhoff

Jan 2014

John D. Porcari

Former Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation, John D. Porcari, has been appointed as Senior Vice President and National Director of Strategic Consulting at Parsons Brinckerhoff. As head of the strategic consulting group, Porcari will guide the firm's efforts to integrate technical expertise with the strategic thinking needed by owners, developers, and operators of transportation infrastructure to solve critical business and operational problems and establish the foundation for successful delivery of programs and projects. He will be based in Parsons Brinckerhoff's Washington, DC office.

Porcari was Deputy Secretary at the USDOT from 2009, serving as the Chief Operating Officer for an executive branch department with a $77 billion annual budget, composed of 10 operating administrations and 55,000 employees worldwide. He was responsible for managing all DOT operations, including the funding of the national interstate highway network and its transit and passenger rail systems. Porcari also served twice as State Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, from 2007 to 2009 and from 1999 to 2003, managing a State agency responsible for integrated highway, transit, bridge and tunnel authority with 9,300 employees and a $3.2 billion annual budget. From 2003 to 2007 Porcari was Vice President for Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, serving as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the flagship campus.

Porcari received a master's degree in public administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of New York at Albany and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Dayton. He has served on the board of directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the American Public Transportation Association, and the World Trade Center Institute.

New head for Seattle office of Parsons Brinckerhoff

Dec 2013

Ron Paananen

With a wealth of experience that includes senior management positions with the client organizations of major tunneling projects across the USA, Ron Paananen has joined Parsons Brinckerhoff as its Seattle Area Manager. In his new position, Paananen will manage the Parsons Brinckerhoff operations in the States of Washington and Alaska and will be responsible for broadening exposure of the company throughout the region.

During his time with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Paananen most recently led the program to replace the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct progressing the project through the various alternative planning stages to the selection of the single tube, double-decked bored highway tunnel which is currently being excavated using the world's largest ever TBM at 17.5m. He also served as the WSDOT Deputy Urban Corridors Administrator, responsible for oversight of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, SR 520 Floating Bridge Replacement, and I-405 Highway Corridor Program. Prior to this he served four years as WSDOT's Deputy Northwest Region Administrator.

With more than 34 years of experience in design and management of transportation infrastructure, including ferry terminals, highway, and bridge projects, Paananen comes to Parsons Brinckerhoff from an international consulting engineering firm where he served as a Deputy Program Manager, overseeing work on the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative in Washington DC, which is a 20-year program to revitalize the city's southeast and southwest waterfronts. Paananen also served as the Project Manager for the South Capitol Street Project, a $900 million project to restore the corridor to a grand urban boulevard entry to Washington DC.

Paananen received an MSc in civil engineering from the University of Washington and a BSc in civil engineering from Michigan Technological University. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Washington.

References

Alaskan Way mega-project procurement – TunnelTalk, October 2010
Best value proposal for Alaskan Way – TunnelTalk, December 2010

Bekaert appoints segmental lining specialist

Dec 2013

Aldo Ceresola

The Chief Executive Officer of Switzerland-based formwork specialist Ceresola, Aldo Ceresola, joins Bakaert's Swiss-based Dramix steel fibre reinforcement team as part of a drive to expand the product into key European markets.

The appointment, which took effect from December 1 (2013), involves a short introduction to the Swiss market followed by him taking responsibility for all Bakaert tunnelling activities in Switzerland from 1 February 2014.

Bekaert Sales Manager Dieter Hansel said: "Aldo has some 20 years experience in underground construction, especially in segmental lining. He will strengthen our team and further extend Dramix products within the Swiss, Austrian and German underground markets."

Dramix technology has given Bekaert a leading position in the global market for steel fibre concrete reinforcement, and has applications in both the shotcrete and segmental lining construction fields, as well as in other conventional construction fields where cost effective reinforcement solutions are required. Dramix products were used extensively in the construction of the Channel Tunnel and Docklands Light Railway Extension in the UK, among many other projects worldwide.

References

20 years of fibre concrete linings in the UK – TunnelTalk, October 2010
Concrete finish for Glendoe repair – TunnelTalk, December 2011
Fire damage rebuild of Mont Blanc road link – TunnelTalk, June 2001

Parsons Brinckerhoff strengthens its African operations

Dec 2013

Savannah Maziya

Global infrastructure consultancy Parsons Brinckerhoff announces appointment of the highly experienced Savannah Maziya as Chairman of the Board of its Africa affiliate company.

Maziya will assist the company in establishing new business areas and ensuring that the Board is effective in setting and implementing the company's direction and strategy in Africa. She will be based in the firm's Johannesburg office. Maziya has extensive industry experience, including serving as Group Chief Executive Officer of Bunengi Holdings, and National Sales and Investment Manager (USA) at Cacharel. She also served as President of Serengeti Portfolio Of Prestige and was Chief Executive Officer of the African Broadcast Network.

Maziya currently serves as a Director at WBHO Construction and at the Standard Bank of Swaziland. She has been a Non-Executive Director at Phumani Paper and Gold One International Limited, and a Director at Wilson Bayly Holmes - Ovcon Ltd., Uranium Ore, and Rand Water. She was a member of the King of Swaziland's Economic Advisory Board and a member of the Construction Industry Development Board of Public Works.

Maziya received a BA degree in finance and broadcast communication from Bridgewater State University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and an MBA in finance and strategic planning from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK.

World-leading immersed tunnel specialist to join BAM

Nov 2013

Martijn Smitt

One of the world's leading experts in immersed tunnel construction joins Dutch-based BAM Civiel as director. From February 1 next year (2014) Martijn Smitt, 45, will replace Wouter Remmelts, 53, who moves across to become director of BAM International.

Smitt is currently director of Strukton Civiel, where over the last 20 years, first as a project manager, then project director and then since 2006 as director, he has carved out a reputation as a leading world authority in the specialised and rapidly growing field of immersed tunnelling.

Smitt recently played a leading role in convincing the Brazilian government to opt for the country's first ever immersed crossing to link Guaruja with the port of Santos, instead of a bridge. He was also involved in the US$2 billion Busan-Geoje bridge-tunnel link in Korea which included an immersed tunnel comprising 18 x 180m-long (3.6km) prefabricated elements set 35m deep on the seabed. Other projects Smitt has been involved in include the immersion of the Wijker Tunnel elements, construction and immersion of the Caland Tunnel elements, the design and immersion of Metro Line 4 in Prague, and the underground Central Station in Amsterdam on the city's North-South Line.

Since 2009 Smitt has also served as a board member for the Dutch trade organisation of the construction industry, Bouwend Nederland.

New business division announces strategic hires

Nov 2013

John Kaplin

The first two strategic appointments to the new Jacobs Associates (JA) construction management practice - Jacobs Associates Construction Managers (JACM) - are announced. According to the new head of JACM, Jacobs Associates Principal Rafael Castro, more appointments will follow.

John Kaplin, LEED AP, joins JA’s Boston office as a Senior Associate. He has more than 25 years of construction management experience in the water/wastewater and renewable energy markets and is active in the areas of agency construction management, construction management risk, lump sum bidding, and design build project targets. Previous project involvement has included Narragansett Bay Commission's Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Phase I and Phase II Abatement Program, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel, and DC Water's Clean Rivers Project. Kaplin holds an MS in Engineering Geology and a BS in Geology from Colorado State University.

Judy Cochran

Judy Cochran, PMP, joins JA's Seattle office as a Lead Associate. She too has 25 years of construction management experience, primarily on large wastewater projects. Cochrane's experience includes construction contract drafting and administration, review of contractor claims and differing site conditions, and negotiations and dispute resolution. Much of her career has been spent working for King County Wastewater Treatment Division in Washington State. Cochrane's previous roles include construction program manager for the Brightwater conveyance facilities, project manager for the Denny Way/Lake Union CSO Control project, and program manager for the West Point Secondary Facilities project. She holds an MA in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland, and a BA from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She is a certified Project Management Professional and is an executive committee member of the American Underground Association.

References

New division to enhance underground services – TunnelTalk, November 2013

New geotechnical and foundation practice leader

Oct 2013

Ray Sandiford

HNTB announces another high profile addition to its tunneling and underground practice team. Raymond Sandiford, who will work out of the firm's New York City office, is appointed associate Vice President and Geotechnical and Foundation Practice Leader.

Sandiford brings with him 30 years of worldwide experience, including post 9/11 restoration projects for PANYNJ, including direction of all underground design for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center subsurface work. This included a new pedestrian tunnel, the 9/11 Memorial, the World Trade Center slurry walls, underground garage and the WTC Security Center. He also directed all underground work for the restoration of PATH services in New Jersey and construction of the PATH temporary station in New York after the events of 9/11.

Prior to joining HNTB, Sandiford was geotechnical and underground chief engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he directed major geotechnical and underground construction projects for more than three decades. His experience includes program management, project management and design and construction of major complex infrastructure programs. He has managed various consultants and contractors on a range of multibillion dollar infrastructure projects. His areas of expertise include rail, tunnels and shafts, bridges, complex underground projects, transit facilities, safety and security projects, highways, airport facilities and marine facilities.

"Ray's variety of experiences and technical skills are a great addition as we continue growing HNTB's tunneling and underground engineering practice," said Nasri Munfah, PE, HNTB Chair Tunnel Services. "His significant working knowledge of large-scale underground programs will be invaluable to our clients on major projects such as the Baltimore B&P tunnel, the Metro Crenshaw/LAX transit project in Los Angeles, and the SR 99 Alaskan Way Tunnel in Seattle."

Sandiford graduated from Columbia University with his master's degree in civil engineering. He is a member of several professional associations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Moles, Deep Foundations Institute, and Industrial Advisory Committee of the Columbia University School of Engineering.

References

Ground Zero revival of Lower Manhattan – TunnelTalk, September 2013
PATH prepares for a new era – TunnelTalk, September 2002
Exchange Place turn around re-opens – TunnelTalk, May 2003

Targeting growth in Canadian underground projects

Sep 2013

Markus Weeks

Australia-based engineering, architectural and environmental consultancy GHD announces Marcus Weeks as Principal Tunneling Consultant, Canada. The appointment reflects expected growth in undergound projects in the Greater Toronto Area.

Weeks relocates from Melbourne, Australia, to the GHD office in Markham, Ontario, and will be responsible for leading the company's Canadian tunneling team, which is spread across three offices and employs 250 people.

"We are excited to bring the tunneling know-how that Marcus has to our Canadian clients," said Colin James, GHD Manager, Canada. "In the Greater Toronto Area, capital expenditure programs have highlighted significant tunneling projects to be delivered over the next decade in water, wastewater and transport. This is an opportune time to apply Marcus' advanced knowledge in our region."

Weeks is an industry leader with extensive global tunneling experience. His knowledge spans the project life cycle from planning, functional design and detailed design, to specification of civil works and construction phase support. His background in both Canada and Australia includes leading applications of tunneling technology including soft and hard ground tunneling methods, large diameter pipe jacking and segmental tunnel linings.

"Our technical tunneling solutions are characterized by innovation and a focus on our clients' needs," said Weeks. "GHD's skilled tunnel engineers are equipped to provide input during all stages of a tunneling project from planning and design through to project and construction management. Our collective intelligence has been enhanced through the delivery of award winning technical solutions to both contractors and client organizations throughout Australia and around the globe."

The knowledge held by Marcus is complemented by a global network of 6,000 GHD professionals, and specifically a global team of tunneling engineers and geotechnical professionals.

Amberg strengthens its American operation

Sep 2013

Dr Chris Laughton

Amberg Engineering announces appointment of Dr Chris Laughton as Practice Leader - Tunneling, North America.

Laughton, who holds a Masters degree in Rock Mechanics and Excavation Engineering and a doctorate in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, has more than 35 years of experience working as project manager, consultant, engineer and contractor on major worldwide underground projects and brings a broad range of underground design and contracting experience to the Amberg team. He holds professional engineering registrations and has attained chartership status in the US and Europe. He has authored more than 50 technical papers focused on adding value and reducing risk in the construction of underground structures.

"We are very pleased to win Chris for the Amberg team in North America," said Alex Bickel, VP for Business Development at AE North America. "I am convinced that his expertise and experience will help us to leverage the extensive international underground and tunneling know-how within the Amberg Group to the projects we currently pursue in the North American markets."

Amberg Engineering, North America, is a member of the Amberg Group headquartered in Switzerland, employing more than 250 engineers in various locations around the world.

HNTB engineer appointed Secretary General of ACUUS

Sep 2013

Sanja Zlatanic

The international organization of Associated research Centers for Urban Underground Space (ACUUS) has appointed Sanja Zlatanic, PE, Chief Tunneling Engineer for HNTB Corporation, as its next Secretary General for a term running to 2017.

ACUUS is an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to partnerships among experts who design, analyze and decide upon the use by cities of their underground spaces. The organisation was formally established in the fall of 1996 at Sendai, Japan, when founding members from Canada, France, Japan and the United States agreed to incorporate the new international organization in Canada. Zlatanic takes over as Secretary General of ACUUS from Prof Yuan Si of China who was in the post since 2007. Current President of ACUUS is Ray Sterling of the USA.

Zlatanic, a Vice President of HNTB and based in its New York City office, has 25 years of experience with tunnels and complex underground structures. She has been in a leadership role for many large transportation projects in the United States and internationally. Her projects of involvement in the metropolitan New York City area include the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel project, the No 7 Subway Line Extension project, the East Side Access project, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System, and the 63rd Street Line Connection.

Since joining HNTB in 2011, Zlatanic has been leading independent design verification of the Istanbul Strait Road Crossing Tunnel project in Turkey and participating in the expert review panel overseeing design of the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project in Seattle.

"Through her active role in promoting sustainable underground space use, Sanja is respected among industry colleagues and project owners around the globe, as evidenced by her ACUUS board position and appointment to secretary general," said Nasri Munfah, HNTB Chairman Tunnel Practice. "She is well-known for leading complex projects successfully and resolving planning, environmental, design and construction issues along the way."

References

TBM set to take on Bosphorus highway crossing – TunnelTalk, August 2013
Alaskan Way contract signed – TunnelTalk, January 2011

A return to Marti Technik

Aug 2013

Pierre-Alain Scherwey

After a three-year absence, Pierre-Alain Scherwey has returned to a post with Marti Technik AG of Switzerland and is presented with the challenge to further develop the company's conveyor business in the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions.

Customers can continue to expect the same commitment and dedication that Scherwey has shown for the past years as a team member of The Robbins Company.

Scherwey invites contacts to let him know how he can assist in supporting new tunnelling and continuous conveyor much haulage projects. Scherwey have managed some of the most complex and extensive continuous conveyor haulage systems associated with tunnelling and mining projects.

New TfL appointment to Crossrail board

Aug 2013

Daniel Moylan

Transport for London (TfL) confirms appointment of board member Daniel Moylan as its representative on the Crossrail Board as a non-executive director.

"Daniel brings a wealth of experience including over twenty years service to London local government and four years as Deputy Chairman of TfL and is ideally placed to support and advise on regeneration and legacy issues," said Crossrail Chairman Terry Morgan.

Moylan, who joined the TfL Board in August 2008 and served as Deputy Chairman of TfL from 2009 to 2012, replaces Sir Mike Hodgkinson, who was the previous TfL nominee to the Crossrail Board. He has been a Conservative councillor in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea since 1990, and was Deputy Leader of the Council from 2000 to 2011. He is Chairman of Kensington and Chelsea Environmental Limited and co-chairs Urban Design London.

Expanding HNTB continues recruitment drive

Aug 2013

HNTB announces two new appointments as it continues to deliver growth and win new underground projects.

Since January (2013), HNTB has added more than 50 professionals in New York and expects that hiring trend to continue this year in response to extensive and immediate transportation and funding needs in the region.

Thomas Richardson

Thomas Richardson, PE, joins the infrastructure design and planning company as tunnel construction manager. He brings more than 30 years of experience in program management, design and construction management of geotechnical, tunneling and underground engineering projects, transit systems, water and sewage systems, airports and bridges.

Based in the firm's Arlington, Virginia, office Richardson will serve clients nationwide, though his first project for HNTB will be working on the second Midtown Tunnel project in Norfolk.

"As we are winning new underground projects, Tom's experience and technical skills are great assets to the growing HNTB tunnel and underground practice," said Nasri Munfah, HNTB chair tunnel services.

Richardson has extensive experience in hard rock and soft ground tunneling, TBMs, NATM, microtunneling and open-cut construction. He also is an experienced geotechnical engineer and an environmental engineer and has managed large projects for the Department of Defense. He is registered in 10 states and has published numerous articles and papers.

Previous projects include serving as: construction manager for the trans-Ko'olau tunnels of Interstate H-3 in Hawaii; construction manager of the Pedestrian Walkback Tunnel at Washington Dulles International Airport, which included a NATM tunnel that was constructed with low cover under an active taxiway; design manager and senior tunnel and geotechnical engineer for the design of automatic people mover, pedestrian, baggage, and utility tunnels at Dulles Airport; and the design of Blue Plains water tunnel in Washington, DC.

Richardson graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and attended Georgia Institute of Technology to earn a Master of Science in civil engineering. He is a member of several national associations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists, the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers.

Quon Chin

Also added to the HTNB team of professionals is Quon Chin, AIA, as Principal Transit Architect and Project Director in its New York City office.

In his new role Chin will be collaborating with the firm's rail/transit leadership to pursue and deliver complex multidiscipline station and facility projects in the eastern United States.

Chin, a respected transit architect, has more than 30 years experience providing design and program management services to various transit agency clients in the northeast, including MTA New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Amtrak and the New York City Department of Transportation.

Most recently, Chin served as design oversight manager on the Central Subway Project, which extends the Muni Metro T Third Line for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Prior to that, he was package manager for the 86^th Street Station as part of MTA New York City Transit's Second Avenue Subway project.

Chin earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Pratt Institute and completed the Pratt Architecture & Urban Design in Rome program in 1981. He is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia and an active member of the American Institute of Architects.

Geotechnical expertise for Parsons Brinckerhoff

July 2013

Dr Shankam Jagannath

Based at the firm's office in San Diego, Shankam Jagannath is confirmed as a Supervising Engineer in the Geotechnical & Tunneling Technical Excellence Center of Parsons Brinckerhoff. With more than two decades of geotechnical and environmental engineering experience, Dr Jagannath is responsible for providing geotechnical services for infrastructure projects including rail, road, water and power tunneling projects.

Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, Jagannath was a Principal Engineer at an engineering firm, providing geotechnical consulting services for the Westside Subway Extension in Los Angeles, the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Projectfor Southern California Edison, and the Aliso Canyon turbine replacement and substation projectsforthe Southern California Gas Company. He was also a geotechnical task lead for numerous Caltrans projects including the Orange County Eastern Transportation Corridor and the Foothill Transportation Corridor project.

Dr Jagannath received a PhD in civil/geotechnical engineering from the University of Arizona, an MSc in civil engineering from IISC in India, and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Bangalore University in India. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Heiner Sander joins HNTB in the United States

July 2013

Heiner J. Sander

Bringing more than 30 years experience in tunneling and underground engineering to the post, Heiner Sander joins HNTB Corporation as Vice President and Tunnel Practice Leader, East. With global experience in project management, design and construction management under design-bid-build and design-build delivery methods, Sander's work includes design, project management and construction supervision of large tunnel and underground projects throughout the world. His extensive background in TBM and NATM tunneling will support the firm's tunneling team and contribute additional experience on these valuable practices. Sander also brings experience of ground support, geotechnical, instrumentation and monitoring, and protection of existing structures.

His career experience spans the world including projects in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Among notable projects he has been involved in, are the Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil's Slide in San Francisco, the SR710 Gap Closure Tunnel in Los Angeles and the Channel Tunnel undersea rail link between France and England.

Sander graduated from Austria's Hóhere Technische Bundes with a graduate degree in civil engineering. He is a member of several national associations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Mining Engineers. Sander will operate from his long-time US home base in Arlington, Virginia.

New fire safety specialist at PB

July 2013

Strategic consulting and engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints Anna Xiaohua Wang as Principal Technical Specialist based in the New York office.

Anna Xiaohua Wang

A specialist in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and fluid physics, Dr Wang will be responsible for performing analytical modeling and design for a variety of projects, including tunnel fire safety, highway and road design, transit, and water and wastewater facilities.

Dr Wang has more than 17 years of experience in mechanical engineering and fire safety engineering. Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, she was a Project Manager in the fire life safety and simulation group of a New York consulting firm. She has applied CFD modeling to a wide range of engineering and environmental problems, including fire safety design, smoke control/ventilation, and fire suppression for underground structures, wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics, hydraulics and wastewater treatment, manufacturing, defense, and HVAC design.

Dr Wang received a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, an MS in thermal engineering from the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Science, and a BS in power machinery and refrigeration engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Terratec appoints region manager

May 2013

Bruce Matheson

Bruce Matheson has joined the Australian TBM and mining equipment designer and manufacturer Terratec with the portfolio to concentrate on developing the expansion of the company beyond the Australasian borders.

"I am thrilled about becoming part of the Terratec team," said Matheson. "It is an amazing time for Terratec right now with at least one machine going out the door every month. These include the eight machines heading to India for application on the current expansion phase of the Delhi Metro. Four of them are delivered to date, and all on time."

An exciting aspect of the appointment for Matheson is the increased product line as Terratec expands into the ever-growing raise boring machine market.

Terratec has been responsible for the design and fabrication or refurbishment of more than 50 TBMs and raise boring units since the company was incorporated in Australia almost 25 years ago. The company's design centre and one of its main fabrications facilities is located in Hobart, Tasmania.

After relocating to a home base in Scotland, Matheson will manage Terratec activities in Europe and the Middle East and other geographical regions outside Australasia. Contact Matheson at bruce.matheson@terratec.com.au.

References

Terratec rolls out Delhi Metro TBMs – TunnelTalk, December 2012
Bangkok Metro Blue Line Extension begins – TunnelTalk, September 2012

New partners, projects and offices for Aldea Services

Apr 2013

Two new partners and two additional engineers in the team are helping Aldea Services in Rockville, Maryland, USA keep pace with the rising demand for the specialized services offered by the firm. Mohamed Younis and Paul Headland have been promoted to Partners in the firm, joining Bob Goodfellow and Gina Goodfellow in the ownership group.

Paul Headland, P.E., P.G., joins the Maryland operation as Vice President of Geological Services and offers more than 20 years of experience in tunneling and mining.

Paul Headland

Mohamed Younis

Headland is known in the North American tunneling industry and has specialized expertise in microtunneling and trenchless design and construction as well as ground behavior and geological characterization for all types of tunnels.

Mohamed Younis, PE promoted to Vice President, Tunnel & Geotechnical Engineering. Mohamed has more than 20 years of international and North American experience in engineering management, design, and consultation. Younis has managed and lead the design for major tunneling projects includingthe Dubai Metro, the WSSC Bi-County Water Tunnel in Washington DC, and the Kolkata Metro.

Guadalupe Monge Fabian

Roozbeh Yousefzadeh

The two new engineering recruits are recent Colorado School of Mines graduate Guadalupe Monge Fabian who joins the Columbus, Ohio office; and Roozbeh Yousefzadeh, P.E., who joins as a structural engineer in the new Frederick, Maryland office, along with office administrator, Leslie Sullam.

"The new Frederick office provides us with another solid base for operations to support our national and international projects," said Goodfellow.

The Aldea team, collectively, has worked on some of the industry's most challenging tunneling and underground projects, including the Jubilee Line Extension, London; the East Side Access railway project in New York City; the Dubai, Kolkata, Mumbai and WMATA, Washington DC Metros; the Columbus, Ohio Wet Weather Plan Tunnels; the DC WATER Clean Rivers Tunnels, Washington DC; the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, Seattle; the Abu Dhabi Deep Sewer Program; and the Brunel Tunnel rehabilitation project in London, UK.

New Executive Director for New York Transit Center

Apr 2013

David Bragdon

The Transit Center, Inc at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the United States has announced the appointment of David Bragdon as its new Executive Director.

Bragdon is a specialist in urban and regional planning, urban transportation and sustainability issues. He served two four-year terms as the President of the Metro Council, the elected Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region of Portland, Oregon, from 2003-2010, and more recently worked as Director of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability in New York City, where he managed update of the city's sustainable growth and infrastructure strategy, PlaNYC.

"We are delighted to have David's well rounded expertise as well as his 'hi-coastal' experience at the helm of Transit Center," said Board Chair Rosemary Scanlon. "We look forward to leveraging David's talents to build on our past success with the commuter benefits program to become a national force on a range of transit supportive issues."

Transit Center, Inc was founded at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the mid-1980s and, as the incubator and provider of pre-tax commuter benefits, sold the successful TransitChek program to Wage Works in January, 2012. From that transaction and its national contacts within the transit industry, the Transit Center's Board of Directors is committed to expanding the organization's mission to support the growth of sustainable mobility and transit ridership. Transit Center's future activities will include applied research and advocacy, particularly on innovations that drive the demand for transit use, such as land use changes, funding and investment strategies, and incentives and improvements to the rider experience.

In accepting the post, Bragdon said: "Increased urbanization worldwide, the need for better transportation systems, and the limitations of traditional financing programs all call for creative new ideas in how we grow and maintain urban form that supports sound transportation and attracts more and more satisfied riders."

Bragdon has an A.B. from Harvard College, where he wrote his honors thesis on railroad deregulation, and a Master's degree from Reed College. He is a resident of Brooklyn, NY.

New senior staff appointment for Buckland & Taylor in Seattle

Apr 2013

John Brestin

John Brestin is appointed as Vice President & Major Projects Director of the Buckland & Taylor office in its Seattle office in Washington State, USA. Brestin brings many years of experience to the post, most recently working as Vice President and Project Director at HNTB in Kansas City. Brestin is responsible for overseeing many national projects as well as project management on large complex projects.

"John will be an invaluable asset to Buckland & Taylor," said Steve Hunt, President of Buckland & Taylor. "He brings a wealth of experience and a unique engineering understanding of the US market that will be essential for our continued success".

Buckland & Taylor is a Cowi North America Company that provides specialized engineering services to clients worldwide from its head office in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, its offices in US in Seattle and New York City. Recently, Cowi North America acquired specialist tunneling firm Jenny Engineering Corporation in New Jersey, USA to its set of North American subsidiaries Buckland & Taylor; Ocean and Coastal Consultants; and Ben C. Gerwick, Inc..

References

Jenny Engineering is acquired by COWI – TunnelTalk, February 2013

PB announces California high speed rail appointment

Jan 2013

Terry Marcellus

Global infrastructure consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff announces the appointment of Terry Marcellus as Senior Commercial Specialist in its Sacramento office in California, USA.

In his new position Marcellus, who holds law and BA degrees from the University of California in Los Angeles, will be responsible for managing the delivery of design-build construction packages for the initial segment of the California High Speed Rail project.

He has more than 18 years experience in program management of major transit projects, including service as Contract Manager on multi-billion dollar programs of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles Community College District.

Charles Maass

Meanwhile, Charles Maass joins PB's New York Office as Senior Supervising Construction Engineer. In his new position he will serve as Resident Engineer for the city's Second Avenue Subway Project with responsibility for overseeing construction work on the 96^th Street Station and adjacent tunnels.

Maass, who holds a BS in civil engineering, joins PB following a 20-year career with the New York State Department of Transportation. His most recent role there was as Engineer in Charge on the US$130 million Roslyn Viaduct replacement project in Long Island.

References

TBM breakthrough in New York – TunnelTalk, September 2011
California HSR identifies qualified contractors – TunnelTalk, February 2012

Changes at Brierley Associates after founder leaves for fresh challenge

Jan 2013

Gary Brierley

US-based tunnel, trenchless, geotechnical and geostructural design firm Brierley Associates announces its founder Gary Brierley is leaving the company he established 13 years ago to begin a new sole-practitioner consultancy.

After fruitful discussions throughout 2012 Brierley is creating Dr Mole, which will be based in Brierley's offices and will continue to work closely with Brierley Associates. Ownership of his former company has been gradually transitioned to a new generation of leaders and owners over the last 12 months, and as part of that process Brierley Associates also announces three new management appointments as part of the company's restructuring.

Jay Perkins

Jay Perkins takes up the position of Eastern Regional Manager following a career that spans more than 30 years. During his tenure he has designed, managed and completed a variety of underground projects at local, national and international level. His technical experience encompasses geotechnical investigations and instrumentation programs; design of deep foundation systems for commercial, institutional and industrial buildings; and wastewater treatments facilities and tower structures. Jay is well versed in design of temporary excavation support and dewatering systems, evaluation of earth embankment dams and slopes, landfills, and cutoff walls. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Robin Dornfest

Robin Dornfest, a specialist in engineering geology and geotechnical engineering aspects of water and wastewater, dams, oil and gas, transportation, aggregate and hard rock mining, slope stability, tunnels, trenchless, and water supply projects, is appointed Central Regional Manager.

During his 15-year career Robin has provided third party reviews as well as serving as an expert witness. He served as the first President of the Northern Section of the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers (CAGE), and is currently a CAGE Board Member and is on the Executive Committee and Treasurer for the Northern Colorado Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is a registered Professional Geologist in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming, as well as a Certified Professional Geologist.

Alan Howard

Alan Howard, one of the founding partners of Brierley Associates, is appointed as Western Regional Manager and Vice President, having just completed a multi-year assignment on the highly successful Caldecott Fourth Bore Tunnel Project in the Berkeley Hills.

He opened Brierley Associates' California office in 2010 and helped negotiate the strategic merger with Berti Lindquist Consulting Engineers shortly thereafter. Alan has over 32 years of experience in engineering geology and hydrogeology, including field experience on a wide variety of projects throughout the USA and overseas. He is a specialist in subsurface investigations and geotechnical instrumentation for tunneling, trenchless, geostructural, and other civil engineering and underground/mining projects. He is a registered Professional Geologist and Certified Engineering Geologist in California.

Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints a new vice president

Dec 2012

John Boulé

Former Commander with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), John Boulé, has been named a Vice President of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

In his new position and based in the firm's New York office, Boulé will serve as Senior Manager for Priority Project Delivery, initially responsible as lead manager for the Northeast Region's Superstorm Sandy recovery and mitigation efforts. Boulé is expected to quickly take on additional responsibilities as a senior manager for work on other major programs in the greater New York City market.

Boulé comes to Parsons Brinckerhoff following a 26-year military career. He retired as a colonel after serving in command and staff positions of increasing responsibility in the US and overseas. He served as USACE's New York District Commander from 2009 to 2012, responsible for managing a $1 billion annual capital budget in five states, at nine military installations and in Greenland. He previously served as Assistant Director for Civil Works at USACE headquarters in Washington, DC, helping to manage the Corps' $5 billion nationwide water resource development program. He has served as a US Army Engineer Battalion Commander in Baghdad and as a Team Leader, Department of Army Staff, Programs and Force Development, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Boulé is a licensed engineer and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and later served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. He also has Master of Science degrees in Structural Engineering and Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology from Stanford University, a Master of Science degree in Resourcing National Strategy from the National Defense University, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Need for improved profit sparks top level changes at Hochtief

Nov 2012

Marcelino Fernández Verdes

German tunnelling and construction giant Hochtief announces major changes to its senior management team, with the new chief citing the urgent need for improvements within the company.

Marcelino Fernández Verdes, a member of the Executive Board, takes over from Dr Frank Stieler as Chief Executive Officer, who has agreed an early termination of his contract and leaves with immediate effect. Stieler leaves after just 18 months in the company's top role.

"My priority for the years to come is to improve the profitability and to continue the sustainable growth of Hochtief. We need to strengthen the cooperation within the company and enhance our competitiveness," said Verdes.

The 57-year-old, who has been a member of Hochtief's executive board since April, has previously served as the company's Chief Operating Officer of its Americas division. Since studying construction engineering at the University of Barcelona he has held a variety of positions in the construction industry since 1984.

Thomas Eichelmann

In 1997, he became General Manager of ACS Proyectos, Obras y Construcciones, and then took over as Chairman and CEO in 2000. Following the merger between Grupo ACS and Grupo Dragados in 2003, Verdes took office as Chairman and CEO of Dragados. He served as Chairman and CEO of Construction, Environment and Concessions at ACS Actividades de Construcción y Servicios from 2006 and was appointed to the Executive Committee of the ACS Group in 2000, and to the Board of Directors of ACS Servicios y Concesiones (Chairman and CEO) in 2006.

Also leaving Hochtief is its 65-year-old Chairman Manfred Wennemer, who is resigning for personal reasons at the end of December (2012). He will be replaced by 47-year-old Thomas Eichelmann, who has been a member of the company's Supervisory Board since May 2011.

Having held positions with the Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, the economics graduate served as Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Börse from 2007 to 2009. He has been CEO of ATON GmbH since February 2010.

Hochtief wins €150 million tunnel contract in Chile – TunnelTalk, November 2012

Normet UK strengthens its underground team

Oct 2012

Sergio Matias

In October 2012 Sergio Matias joined the growing Normet UK team as Technical Manager for underground construction and mining.

Matias, from Portugal, is a civil engineer and has had numerous roles, focused essentially on high performance concrete production in Angola, Portugal and now the UK. His most recent role of developing high performance sprayed concrete on the Crossrail project in London for a contractor further broadened his technical capability.

"Sergio has a professional passion for turning sand, cement and water into incredible civil engineering structures," said Ross Dimmock, Managing Director of Normet UK Ltd, "mixing in necessary construction chemicals to make them even better!"

Normet UK includes full acquisition in 2012 of UK construction chemical producer TAM International and now numbers a team of 18 business professionals, all dedicated to the underground construction and mining sector in the UK and Ireland. From its headquarters in Coventry, key projects in 2012 have included supply of a complete sprayed concrete package to contract C410 of the Crossrail project in London and TBM backfill grout products to its contract C300, as well as supplying sprayed concrete and equipment to the Tara Mine in Ireland; supplies for rehabilitation works on the London and Glasgow underground metro systems; and materials for repair work on the M6 motorway.

"A key mission of the Normet Group is to improve the health and safety of underground workers through mechanisation of the most demanding and dangerous stages of underground excavation and by improving the efficiency of customers' processes by saving time and money," said Dimmock.

The Group supports the technical development of underground processes through active participation on national and international tunnelling and mining groups and as part of that effort, Matias is a member of the BTS SCL Best Practice Group contributing reviews of applicable testing methods and materials for successful sprayed concrete tunnel linings.

The Normet Group today has sales and service companies on five continents, in 22 countries and 36 locations. It has an employee base of almost 900 and had net sales in 2011 of €170 million.

Caterpillar implements strategic management moves

Oct 2012

After amalgamation of Lovat Tunneling into the Caterpillar Group, a level of strategic management positions has been implemented.

After more than two years as Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Corporation, Klaus Ukens has accepted a position within Caterpillar Mining and has relocated to Dortmund, Germany. In this new role Ukens will be responsible for shaping Caterpillar's Global Underground Mining Strategy. Effective in November, the position held previously by Ukens will be divided into two separate but complementary roles.

Klaus Ukens

Craig Bournes

Nick Natale

Craig Bournes will take up the position of Director of Sales. Bournes has been a key leader in the sales organization of the company and previously for Lovat for 16 years and has prior experience in both tunnel design and as a geotechnical engineer.

Nick Natale assumes the position of Director of Marketing and Product Support. Natale has spent the last year at Caterpillar Tunneling leading marketing efforts and championing parts growth. In his 14+ years with Caterpillar, he has held a variety of marketing and product support roles across North America and Europe.

Dick Cooper, President and General Manager of Caterpillar Tunneling, said of the organizational changes: "Klaus has led us effectively through the organizational transition from Lovat to Caterpillar Tunneling. With the establishment of Sales Director and Product Support Director positions we are striving to serve customers even better through this new organization designed to provide customers with the best tunneling equipment for their unique projects and ensure an industry leading product support organization to keep our customers mining."

New TBM division chief at Aker Wirth

Oct 2012

Ulrich Frenzle

German mining and civil construction equipment supplier Aker Wirth has appointed Ulrich Frenzle as manager of its Mining & Construction group which incorporates the TBM division.

Frenzle replaces Hans Greve, who moves to concentrate on selected projects and business development activities. Frenzle has more than 20 years experience in top management at well-known international companies specialising in mechanical and plant engineering.

"We have set some challenging objectives for the Mining & Construction product group for the next years. Our products offer the current market enormous potential and Ulrich Frenzle has the required expertise to bring the group in line with our corporate business strategy," said Aker Wirth CEO Einar Brønlund.

Four new promotions at Jacobs Associates

Sep 2012

USA-based Jacobs Associates announces four promotions to Senior Associate.

Keith Abey, PE, SE, is the lead structural engineer for the Pacific Northwest region, providing critical design review, numerical modeling and advice on historic structures for a variety of applications. He has nearly 20 years of experience in structural analysis, design and construction administration.

For more than 30 years, Ted DePooter, PE, has managed complex underground projects. His expertise has ranged from advising clients on project schedules and contract finances to conducting evaluations on complex tunnel control systems. He has analyzed problem areas, worked with clients and project teams to identify solutions and instituted programs to mitigate problems.

Mark Lawrence, PE, has 30 years of experience in engineering and construction, and for the last 14 years has specialized in the design of permanent and temporary excavation support systems. Mark has considerable background in preparing design drawings, specifications and calculations for falsework, excavation shoring, and temporary structural supports, and for coordinating these projects during construction.

Dan Van Roosendaal, PE, has 20 years of experience in project management, rock and soft ground tunneling, and blasting. He recently relocated to New York to serve as the project manager for New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection’s Rondout West-Branch Bypass Tunnel Engineering Support contract.

Keith Abey	Ted DePooter
Mark Lawrence	Dan Van Roosendaal

Chief's retirement prompts management reshuffle at AECOM (ANZ)

Sep 2012

The retirement of long-serving AECOM Australia/ New Zealand (ANZ) Chief Executive Richard Jackson has prompted changes in the global professional technical services company's Australasian setup.

Michael Batchelor is named ANZ Chief Executive, with Chris Tatam, who for the past three years has served as Managing Director (Transportation ANZ), taking the vacant role of Chief Operating Officer as of 1 October (2012).

Michael Batchelor	Chris Tatam
Peter Wyton	Ian Hosking

Peter Wyton is appointed Managing Director (Transportation ANZ) with Industry Director Ian Hosking stepping up to replace him as leader of AECOM's NSW business.

New AECOM ANZ Chief Executive Batchelor will oversee the region's 5,200-strong multi-disciplinary team of designers, economists, engineers, planners, scientists and program managers.

He replaces outgoing Chief Executive Richard Jackson, who is retiring following 25 years with AECOM.

"As Chief Executive, Mr Jackson oversaw the integration of EarthTech [a company providing global consulting, engineering, and design, build and operate services to the water, wastewater and transportation industries; purchased in 2008 for US$510 million]. He also oversaw integration of AECOM's legacy firms of Maunsell, Bassett, ENSR and EDAW in 2009, and the addition of Davis Langdon in 2010," said Batchelor.

"He spearheaded AECOM's move into many new markets and its expanded, integrated offer to clients, creating significant growth for the company and leaving a great legacy of leadership and innovation that I hope to continue."

Mr Batchelor said he was looking forward to the challenge of being at the helm of the ANZ business, and an integral component of AECOM's global presence that boasts 45,000 team members.

"AECOM's ANZ team of talented and passionate people help turn ideas into reality and deliver exceptional infrastructure solutions for our clients," said Mr Batchelor.

"I'm excited to lead this team of dedicated professionals and provide project outcomes that benefit the community and society as a whole."

Another addition to PB Technical Excellence Centre

Sep 2012

Norman Rhodes

American infrastructure consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff has added another leading expert to its Mechanical and Electrical Technical Excellence Center (TEC).

Norman Rhodes is appointed Tunnel Services Technical Director and will be based in the firm's New York City office.

Dr Rhodes is a world expert in the application of advanced engineering analysis to solve complex design problems. His experience extends from the development and application of the first general purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models for three-dimensional ventilation and fire analysis to their present-day application in design.

Dr Rhodes is the former secretary of the PIARC (Permanent International Association of Road Congresses - now called the World Road Association) working group on fire and smoke control in tunnels, and is co-author of the following publications: Fire & Smoke Control in Tunnels; Systems and Equipment for Fire and Smoke Control in Road Tunnels; Operational Strategies for Emergency Ventilation; Design Fire Characteristics for Road Tunnels; A Guide to Optimizing Air Quality Impact Upon the Environment; and An Assessment of Fixed Fire Fighting Systems. He also served on a steering committee of the European Community for research on fires in tunnels and was responsible for the development of best practice guidelines for emergency response management.

Dr. Rhodes received a Ph.D. from Southbank University, London, a master's degree in Thermodynamics and Related Studies from Birmingham University and a first class honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dundee College of Technology.

Tunnel specialist heads up M&E at Parsons Brinckerhoff

Sep 2012

John Munro

American global infrastructure consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed tunnel services specialist John Munro as Director of the firm's Mechanical and Electrical Technical Excellence Center (TEC).

Munro, who will transfer from the company's Australia office to its New York headquarters, will provide leadership and strategic direction to the TEC with a focus on growing the firm's tunnel and underground infrastructure business, enhancing marketing capabilities and strengthening client relationships.

He has over 25 years of global industry experience, predominantly in tunnel technology and fire engineering strategies, and was responsible for the tunnel fire safety design for the recently opened Airport Link project in Brisbane, a multi-billion dollar combined toll road and busway that is now Australia's longest road tunnel.

As the manager of tunnel technology at the Roads and Traffic Authority in Australia, Munro was responsible for developing policy and standards for road tunnel fire safety. He held a similar position with the Rail Infrastructure Corporation (RailCorp), developing fire safety policy and standards for new and existing rail tunnels in addition to leading research and risk assessments as well as project delivery roles.

Munro, who holds a Master of Science degree in fire safety engineering from the University of Ulster, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Diploma in Industrial Studies from the University of Ulster, has written extensively on the subject of tunnel safety.

He has also served as a member of the Standards Australia Committee, during which time he was involved in the development of a recently published road and rail tunnel fire safety standard, as well as being a former member of the PIARC (Permanent International Association of Road Congresses, now called The World Road Association) committee on road tunnel operations. He has recently been invited to become a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Normet Scandinavia appoints new chief

Aug 2012

Ola Woldmo

With more than 30 years experience in project management and as an advisor on major civil engineering and infrastructure projects in Europe, Africa, South America and southeast Asia, Ola Woldmo is appointed as Managing Director of Normet Scandinavia.

The Norwegian national brings with him to his new post globally-recognised expertise in rock mass grouting, sprayed concrete and rock support methods.

An expert in his field, Woldmo has built his career on 18 years in management positions with companies that have included Veiekke and BASF Construction Chemicals Norway. He has also served as Sales and Technical Manager for MBT-Degussa UGC in Hong Kong and later, in Singapore, as UGC Director for the Asia-Pacific region.

Woldmo joins Normet from Woldmo Consulting, where he acted as advisor to Leighton Contractors in Hong Kong, SKAVA in Codelco’s Andina Mine in Chile, and the Bombela/Bouygues partnership on the Gautrain project in Johannesburg, South Africa.

As well as being a member of the international committee of the Norwegian Tunnelling Society, Woldmo is a frequent lecturer on the world circuit on matters relating to rock support.

New managing director for Femern A/S

July 2012

Claus Baunkjær

Femern A/S, the client organization of the mega sea-link road and rail connection across the Fehmarnbælt between Denmark and Germany has appointed a new managing director. As of 1 September 2012, Claus F Baunkjær will replace current Managing Director, Leo Larsen, who will continue as managing director of the parent company Sund & Bælt Holding A/S.

Baunkjær, age 47, holds an MSc Economics degree and joins Femern A/S from a position as Deputy Permanent Secretary and Directorate Member of the Danish Ministry of Transport where he worked on a number of major road and rail construction projects. His previous appointments have included Head of Division with the Danish Ministry of Finance.

Baunkjær brings with him extensive insight into the Fehmarnbælt project. He was one of the main forces behind the drafting of the 2008 State Treaty between Denmark and Germany to create a fixed link across the Fehmarnbælt.

Femern A/S has been planning and designing the 18km immersed tube tunnel link between Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden since 2009. Within the next 12 months, the firm will submit detailed descriptions of the project to the Danish and German approval authorities. At the same time, a public procurement process, on a unprecedented scale, will progress towards actual construction of the tunnel, which is scheduled to begin in just more than three years' time.

Baunkjær lives with his family of three children in Lejre, Denmark.

Political backing to Germany-Denmark link – TunnelTalk, February 2011
Cost comparison for Fehmarnbælt link options – TunnelTalk, November 2010
TBM tunnels considered for Fehmarn sea link – TunnelTalk, December 2011

New managing director for PB Australia-Pacific operations

July 2012

Mark Dimmock

Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Mark Dimmock as Managing Director of its Australia-Pacific operations, succeeding Jim Mantle in the post.

In his new role, Dimmock will oversee 2,500 employees working on a diverse range of projects covering transport, water, power, mining, oil and gas, industry and property. He will be responsible for setting the direction and positioning the business for future growth in the dynamic Australia-Pacific region.

"Mark brings 22 years of experience to the position and has tremendous depth and breadth of knowledge of our clients, our business and the region," said Guy Templeton, President and Chief Operating Officer of PB's Australia/Asia-Pacific/Southern Africa operating company. "Prior to heading up our global mining business, Mark worked on major projects in civil infrastructure, traffic, industrial, urban development, and mining, and was responsible for the management of multidisciplinary design teams for large industrial projects and developments."

In the new post, Dimmock will also continue as the firm's Managing Director of Global Mining.

Dimmock holds a Bachelor of Engineering (civil) from the University of Newcastle and a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Alun Thomas moves to Ramboll, Denmark

June 2012

Alun Thomas

Ramboll consulting engineers of Denmark has welcomed Alun Thomas as a new recruit to its tunnelling team in Copenhagen. Thomas will head the development of the practice's tunnel business.

"With a starting point of such world class tunnel references as the Fehmarn and Oresund immersed tube tunnel projects, Thomas will build our market position and make contact with more international customers," explained Ib Enevoldsen, Director of Transport for Ramboll.

When TunnelTalk met Thomas at the tunnelling conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in April 2012, he explained that after several years with consulting engineer Mott MacDonald of the UK, it was time to embrace a new challenge and accepted the offer to head up an effort by Ramboll to establish an international bored and mined tunnelling division.

Thomas holds a PhD in tunnel engineering and authored a book on sprayed concrete lined tunnels. He has also contributed to industry standards such as the BTS Tunnel Specification publication. He has worked internationally on tunnel projects since 1994 and in more than 10 countries, most recently for the Crossrail project in the UK and the Bataapati Radioactive Waste Repository in Hungary.

Sprayed Concrete Lined Tunnels – TunnelTalk, Books and Reports

Download a pdf order form

New Chairman for the British Tunnelling Society

June 2012

Damian McGirr

Chief tunnel engineer at Donaldson Associates, Damian McGirr took up his post of Chairman of the BTS at the Society's annual general meeting in May 2012.

McGirr succeeds Bob Ibell of LBA (London Bridge Associates) who has been Chairman for the past two years.

McGirr wants to build on this opportunity to promote tunnelling in the UK as a safe, cost effective and sustainable method of developing infrastructure. McGirr has reported that "the UK tunnelling industry and the BTS need to ensure that tunnelling has a continued and increasing role in the development of major projects."

In addition, McGirr wants to continue developing ways in which to attract more young people into tunnelling.

"We need to ensure that we have the engineers needed for the future support and development of our industry," he said.

BTS Chairmen – BTS website

Double senior appointments at Parsons Brinckerhoff

June 2012

Greg Kelly

Greg Kelly is appointed to the newly created position of Global Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), with Clifford Eby succeeding him as President of PB's Americas Transportation operating company.

"The COO position is being created to ensure the continued success of each of our operating companies and to enhance their abilities to work together across our expanding global operations," said George J. Pierson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Greg Kelly has led our largest business since 2008, and is ideally suited to take on this new role within the company."

Kelly, who holds an MS degree in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a BS from Temple University, has served in a number of leadership positions during his 20-year career with PB. As President of the Americas Transportation operating company for the last four years he was responsible for managing a business unit with close to US$1 billion in annual revenue and 4,000 employees located in 70 offices throughout the USA. On a national basis, he was responsible for all planning, design, strategic consulting and construction services within the transportation market, including highways, bridges, transit and rail, aviation, and ports and marine. He is actively involved as a project executive on some of the firm's largest infrastructure assignments including those for clients in California; Washington, DC; Texas; and New York.

Clifford Eby

Eby, who holds an MBA in finance and investment from George Washington University, and a BS in civil engineering from Lehigh University, was previously a Senior Vice President in charge of PB's Technical Excellence Centers in the Americas Transportation company, and also supported the firm's strategic efforts in rail and infrastructure markets, particularly high-speed rail. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the industry, with specific expertise in rail safety, finance and economic regulatory practices, transportation policy, and rail infrastructure program design. Prior to joining PB, Parsons Brinckerhoff, he served as Acting Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) from 2008 to 2009 and as Deputy Administrator from 2005 to 2008.

Both Kelly and Eby hold professional engineering licenses in multiple states.

New Director of Tunnels at AECOM Australia and New Zealand

June 2012

Mattias Rheinlander

AECOM welcomes Technical Director Mattias Rheinlander as its new Director of Tunnels for the Australian and New Zealand region.

Rheinlander, a qualified civil engineer, has more than 25 years experience in leadership, construction management and design and engineering roles in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Europe and South East Asia, where he has worked on high profile projects including the Victorian Desalination Plant, Waterview Road and tunnel project in Auckland, East Side Access metro tunnel project in New York, drainage tunnel projects in Hong Kong, and the Theodore Roosevelt Dam modification in Arizona.

His role will also involve identifying options for alternate delivery models across projects such as design build, alliances and public private partnerships, coupled with engineering design options of future underground space and tunnelling projects.

"Land use density increasing in our cities and expansions of new and existing mine sites within the resources sector has created high demand for traditional and multi-use tunnels as viable and cost-effective infrastructure for the power, water, resources and transportation industries," Rheinlander said. "I am looking forward to using the knowledge I have acquired during my time both in Australia and abroad to create solutions to the challenges our clients face across a whole project lifecycle."

HNTB hires national technical director of tunnel services

May 2012

Conrad Felice

HNTB continues to enhance and expand its tunnel practice with the recent addition of Conrad Felice, a tunneling expert and recognized authority in safety and security of tunnels and underground facilities with more than 30 years of direct project experience.

"The firm is excited for Conrad to join the growing tunnel practice," said Nasri Munfah, HNTB's Chair of Tunnel Services. "Tunnels are important elements in improving aging infrastructure in the United States, and it is imperative that we continue advancing our knowledge and expertise to stay competitive in an ever-changing market."

Felice joins HNTB as a Vice President and Technical Director of Tunnel Services. He has a demonstrated expertise in providing corporate leadership, program and project management, and technical engineering services on tunnels and underground structures, bridge foundations, dam, pipeline, energy and marine systems and other infrastructure projects. His areas of specialized technical practice are underground and tunnel engineering, structural foundation engineering for long span bridges, geotechnical engineering and hazard assessments, and security analyses.

Felice is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering, and the US National Academy of Sciences Committee on Underground Engineering for Sustainable Development, in addition to several other professional organizations including the Transportation Research Board's committee on Tunnels and Underground Structures and the International Tunneling Association. Felice has authored numerous papers and presentations and has peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers.

Felice will be located in the Seattle office of HNTB.

Jacobs Associates welcomes a new Associate

May 2012

Shimi Tzobery

San Francisco based consulting engineer Jacobs Associates has welcome Shimi Tzobery, PE, as an Associate. He has nearly 20 years of experience designing, constructing, and managing complex tunneling projects in excess of $2 billion in contract value, including highway, rail transit, drainage, and water tunnels.

Throughout his career, Tzobery has served as in the role as project owner, construction manager, senior designer, and general contractor. This experience gives him a wide perspective on project management and an understanding of each party's point of view. His diverse background includes work on challenging projects, including the Arrowhead Tunnels for the Inland Feeder System in California; the East Side Access and Harbor Siphon Tunnels in New York; and the Lake Mead Intake #3 Tunnels in Nevada. His expertise includes tunnel design and construction, TBM performance analysis, water control programs, claims investigation and analysis, contract negotiations, and tunnel data and risk management systems.

Tzobery received an MS in Tunneling from the Colorado School of Mines, and is a registered professional engineer in the States of California and New York. He has presented tunneling papers at both domestic and international industry conferences. He will be based at the firm's Pasadena office in Southern California.

Final breakthrough for Arrowhead - TunnelTalk, August 2008
East Side Access optimization - TunnelTalk, August 2008
New York harbor crossing under way - TunnelTalk, September 2011
Long wait over for Lake Mead TBM - TunnelTalk, September 2011

New vice president of sales at Xylem

May 2012

Mike Delzingaro

A new vice president for sales at the water technology provider Xylem has been appointed.

Mike Delzingaro, the company's former is appointed Vice President Sales at global water technology provider Xylem.

The company's former Regional Manager, who reports to newly appointed Managing Director Grant Salstrom (see below), has 14 years experience with Xylem and Godwin Pumps and holds BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University.

Salstrom said: "I am very pleased to have Mike in this role. He is a well-known pump systems expert, with great customer focus. His knowledge of our business coupled with a passion for growing the Godwin and Flygt brands makes him an obvious choice for leading our sales organization."

New Managing Director at Godwin Pumps

Apr 2012

Grant Salstrom

Godwin, the pumps and submersible manufacturer, has appointed Grant Salstrom as its new managing director.

In his new role Salstrom has responsibility for the growth and development of the Godwin and Flygt brands within the dewatering market in the United States.

Salstrom joined Godwin Pumps in 1987 as a parts manager, progressed through a series of positions, and was appointed VP and Chief Operating Officer in 2008. His experience with Godwin Pumps, and now the Xylem dewatering solutions business, is vital in his new role.

Salstrom said: "We are growing sales and rentals throughout the US and adding capacity to our already strong network of branches and distributors. We are excited for the year ahead, and growing as a brand of Xylem."

Pumps and related services are offered through a network of distributors and 38 branch offices throughout the USA. In addition, Salstrom will oversee the Godwin manufacturing facility in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, and support global growth as Xylem looks to expand its dewatering business around the world.

Godwin, which since January this year has been a brand of Xylem, maintains a fleet of more than 6,000 portable rental pumps and 3,200 pieces of related equipment for use in dewatering in construction, mining and quarrying; in drinking water supply; and in wastewater bypasses.

Godwin Pumps moves under Xylem umbrella - TunnelTalk, January 2012
Godwin to join Flygt and Grindex in ITT - TunnelTalk, July 2010

Shotcrete Technologies recruit industry veteran

Apr 2012

Thomas Lauper (right)

Worldwide shotcrete expert Thomas Lauper has joined USA-based mining, tunneling and infrastructure supplier, Shotcrete Technologies.

The former SIKA/Aliva and BASF Civil Engineer brings with him more than 30 years of worldwide experience.

Lauper has worked all over the world, including the Xiaolangdi Multipurpose Dam project in China, the Lotschbergtunnel project in Switzerland as well as in the Philippines and Chile.

Lauper and the Shotcrete Technologies team, which has its head office in Idaho Springs, Colorado, will be in attendance at this year's North American Tunnelling Conference 2012 in Indianapolis (June 24-27).

Normet establishes Africa subsidiary

Mar 2012

Gary Clench

Gary Clench is appointed by tunnelling and mining group Normet to head up its new South African sales and customer support company, Normet Africa.

The new subsidiary, which will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa, will take care of sales and servicing of the entire Normet product range, and will also establish local production for construction chemicals.

Clench, a South African, holds an MDP from the Stellenbosch University, a CPIM through the American Production and Inventory Control Institute, as well as a marketing diploma. He has filled various roles at equipment suppliers in South Africa, most recently as Underground Sales Manager for Caterpillar mining products where his remit included capital equipment, aftermarket and rebuilds of soft rock equipment. He has been involved with various hard rock and soft rock tunnelling equipment manufacturers over the last 36 years.

He said: "As mining and tunnelling markets with Africa are growing, having our own entity and resources here will allow for a more focused market approach and growth strategy. We are going to have our own sales personnel for equipment and spare parts together with technical support and service personnel to support our existing and new customers."

New manager for Europe for Elasto Plastic Concrete

Mar 2012

Denis Crehan

Denis Crehan is welcomed by Elasto Plastic Concrete as General Manager of its European business.

"It is an exciting time for EPC, Elasto Plastic Concrete, having performed strongly in the past two years in spite of the global financial crisis," said EPC Managing Director Andrew Ridout. "The acceptance and use of BarChip on major tunnelling projects in Europe is as strong as it has ever been. I am delighted to welcome Denis to build on our success in our local markets as well as develop our business in emerging markets such as the Middle East, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe."

Crehan, who will be based out of the EPC European head office in Dublin, Ireland, has spent the last 25 years in the construction and civil engineering industry, with the past 15 years at board level with international client developers and contracting organisations working on various projects in Ireland, UK, Europe, USA, The Gulf, South Africa, and more recently in North Africa.

"Crehan's experience on behalf of owners and contractors provides a greater understanding of clients' needs," said Ridout. "Crehan wants to build on this so that all clients are aware that EPC offers expert design assistance, full technical support with a client presentation service, backed up with the most recent test reports and references from the company’s satisfied client portfolio."

"Crehan's strong commercial background will also ensure that all our clients and their consultant design teams have a dedicated one stop shop for all their macro synthetic fibre requirements," said Ridout. "The result is significant 'all in' cost savings, time savings and long term performance over steel reinforcement. These benefits are particularly relevant in underground facilities, tunnels, mining, hydro schemes, marine, precast, airport runways and general construction projects where the case for BarChip is compelling."

To learn more about Barchip's macro synthetic fibre system for tunnelling and mining projects in Europe, contact Denis at dcrehan@elastoplastic.com.

Senior management appointments for PB and Balfour Beatty

Jan 2012

Guy Templeton

Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Guy Templeton as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its Asia/Australia-Pacific/Southern Africa operating company to succeed Chuck Kohler who was appointed to the position in July 2011 on an interim basis. Kohler, meanwhile moves up to Group Director of Operational Delivery for Balfour Beatty, Parsons Brinckerhoff's parent company.

From a base in Sydney, Australia, Templeton will oversee approximately 5,000 employees who work on hundreds of transportation, power, mining, water/wastewater and community development projects throughout Asia, the Australia-Pacific region, and southern Africa.

"Guy Templeton has demonstrated a consistent history of achievement and performance improvement across a number of industries, markets and countries," said George J. Pierson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Parsons Brinckerhoff. "His strong leadership capabilities and considerable management experience in the Asia/Australia-Pacific region will enable Parsons Brinckerhoff to continue to be a leading presence in these critical markets."

Templeton said: "I look forward to working with my colleagues to help the company reach its full potential in this very exciting and diverse region."

Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, Templeton operated his own consulting firm, helping organizations in Australia and Asia improve their performance.

Chuck Kohler

He served as an advisor to WorleyParsons Ltd, a 35,000-person provider of services to the energy, resources, and complex process industries, leading simplification of the company's operations.

Templeton received an MBA from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of New South Wales. He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a former member of the Business Council of Australia, and contributes to several not-for-profit organizations focused on education.

Kohler, a 24-year veteran of the company (see separate July 2011 Career Moves entry below), is a licensed civil and structural engineer, with an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago, and a Masters and Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign. He moves to Balfour Beatty to manage Operational Delivery for Parsons Brinckerhoff's parent company.

Rick Capka rejoins Parsons Brinckerhoff

Dec 2011

Rick Capka

Parsons Brinckerhoff has welcomed back Rick Capka as its Area Manager Construction Services in the company's Seattle office.

Capka, who is quitting his post as Construction Manager for Sound Transit to take up the post, will be responsible for managing PB's construction services operations in the Seattle area. The firm is currently involved with several key projects in the region, including the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel.

During his time with Sound Transit Capka worked on underground construction contracts associated with the University Link LRT. Before that he was resident engineer for PB, working on the Beacon Hill tunnel and station of Sound Transit's Central Link LRT.

Capka holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and is a licensed professional engineer in Washington. He is a member of the Construction Management Association of America; American Society of Civil Engineers; Society of American Military Engineers; and the Underground Construction Association of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Seattle LRT breakthroughs - TunnelTalk, Nov 2011
Japanese machine for Alaskan Way mega drive - TunnelTalk, July 2011
Beacon Hill celebration and investigation - TunnelTalk, July 2009

PB appoints Senior Project Engineer for Port of Miami Tunnel project

Nov 2011

John Critchfield

Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed John Critchfield as Senior Project Engineer in its Miami office, a role that will see him managing construction engineering and inspection of underground works for the Port of Miami Tunnel project.

Critchfield has more than 36 years of experience in geotechnical and underground engineering, with particular emphasis on tunneling. His project experience includes highway, transit and water/wastewater tunnels constructed by cut-and-cover, sequential excavation and TBMs. Most recently he has been involved in the Beacon Hill underground section of the Sound Transit South Link in Seattle and the ESIS and NEIS sewer tunnel projects in Los Angeles.

Critchfield holds an MSc degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a BSc in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Underground Construction Association.

Port of Miami Tunnel gets under way - TunnelTalk, July 2010
Miami Port Tunnel finally a project - TunnelTalk, Oct 2009

Tunnel and station ventilation expert for PB in LA

Oct 2011

Dr. Hasan Moinuddin

Parsons Brinckerhoff has engaged Dr. Hasan Moinuddin as a Principal Technical Specialist in the Los Angeles office, responsible for the design of tunnel and station ventilation systems, and plumbing and fire protection engineering for the Westside Subway Extension and the Regional Connector projects in Los Angeles.

Moinuddin has more than 17 years experience designing mechanical systems for transit and buildings. He received his Ph.D., Master of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from OSAR (Odessa State Academy of Refrigeration).

He is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as an associate member of the International Academy of Refrigeration.

Fig 1. Expansion plans for the LA Metro with the Subway to the Sea (dashed purple line) and the Regional Connector (dashed blue line) currently in design

The Westside Subway Extension of the LA Metro, known also as the Subway to the Sea and the Purple Line, extends the heavy rail route underground along Wilshire Boulevard and west towards Santa Monica (Fig 1).

The Regional Connector is a underground link to connect the Blue Line and Expo Line to the Gold Line and the city's central Union Railway Station. Both project are being planned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority as part of an expansive materplan of expansion for the city's metro system.

Americans approve billions for transit projects - TunnelTalk, Nov 2008

New director at Normet

Oct 2011

Heikki Ojala

The former Head Instructor of Finland's Emegency Services College has joined underground mining and tunnelling equipment manufacturer Normet as HSQE Director.

Heikki Ojala will start his new post on November 1. The 53-year-old , who holds a Master of Economic Sciences in Management, has wide experience in manufacturing, quality management, product development and emergency services.

Ojala spent 15 years as Quality Manager, Head of Factory and Director for Development of Global Business at Ponsse Oyj. He has also been Managing Director of Oy Logset, a manufacturer of forest machines.

He will be based in Normet Oy in Iisalmi, Finland.

Industry experts leave Parsons Brinckerhoff for HNTB

Oct 2011

Nasri Munfah

Two of the industry's most recognized tunneling experts have joined employee-owned HNTB Corporation to lead its tunnel practice.

Nasri Munfah, who is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University's civil engineering department, joins as Senior Vice President and Chairman of Tunnel Services. He has 30 years of experience in all aspects of transportation, transit and underground engineering projects and he has worked on the East Side Access Project in New York, the Windsor GreenLink in Ontario, Canada, the Istanbul Strait Road Crossing tunnel in Turkey and the Central Subway project in San Francisco.

Munfah, formerly Senior Vice President and Chairman of Tunnel Services at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), was also the principal investigator and one of the main authors of the first tunnel design manual in the United States, as well as being an active member of the Executive Committee of the American Underground Association. He said: "After 32 years with PB, I have decided to take a different path in my professional career."

Joining Munfah is Sanja Zlatanic, who leaves her role as Assistant Vice President and Chief Structural Engineer at PB, to join HNTB as Vice President and Chief Tunneling Engineer. She has wide experience in the industry including work as Project Manager and Chief Structural Engineer on the No.7 Subway Line Extension, the East Side Access Project, the Trans Hudson Express Project and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit Project's Weehawken Tunnel.

Sanja Zlatanic

Zlatanic was recently elected as a member of the International Tunneling Association Committee for Underground Space and an ITACUS Ambassador for the Americas, promoting sustainable underground space use. She won the 2010 Technical Excellence Award from PB.

"Tunnels are an integral part of HNTB's work within the transportation sector," said Ken Graham, CEO, HNTB Infrastructure. "These experienced hires will enhance and expand our firm's ability to repair and improve existing, aging tunnel infrastructure as well as address the promise that even more impressive, modern underground structures hold to help solve pressing congestion and development challenges."

HNTB provides solutions and risk management on tunneling projects in the highways, transit, rail aviation and water resources markets and its planning, design and support services have contributed to a number of major projects including the Devil's Slide Tunnel in San Mateo, the Washington Dulles International Airport tunnels and the SR99 Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Project in Seattle.

Black & Veatch looks to grow Asia-Pacific business

Sep 2011

George Currie

Black & Veatch's Management Consulting has appointed George Currie to lead and grow project financing and infrastructure management consulting services in the Asia-Pacific region.

Infrastructure spending in the region is expected to exceed US$5 trillion between now and 2020 according to an Asian Development Bank report. Currie will be tasked with growing a team of management consultants in the region and building direct relationships with Asia Pacific's banking and infrastructure investment community.

A civil engineer by training, Currie brings nearly 30 years of experience working outside his native UK across power, water and transport engineering projects.

Over the last 12 years UK national Currie has specialised as an independent consultant advising financial institutions investing in major infrastructure deals across Asia, the Middle East and Central America.

Prior to joining Black & Veatch, Currie helped devise a strategy and development plan to create a national rail system in Qatar to be ready for the World Cup 2022. He has also worked as an investor's or lender's technical advisor on a variety of projects including the New Cairo Wastewater Treatment Plant PPP, Theun Hinboun Expansion hydropower project in Laos and CBK hydropower plants in the Philippines.

New Geotechnical Market Director for Avanti

Sep 2011

Britt Babcock

Chemical grout manufacturer Avanti International has appointed Britt Babcock as Geotechnical Market Director.

Babcock has more than 16 years of experience in the construction and engineering industries as a geotechnical engineer, most recently as a Regional Project Consultant and Mining Market Manager for Contech Construction Products.

In his new role he will oversee the use of urethane grouts and acrylic gels in groundwater control and soil stabilization applications in mines, dams, deep excavations, and tunneling.

Babcock earned his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University and is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and Texas. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineering and Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

His previous work experience includes performing preliminary studies, geological hazard evaluations, slope stability analysis and managing field and laboratory testing of construction materials such as soils, bedrocks, asphalts and concretes.

He has managed and supported a variety of projects in the residential, commercial, industrial, federal, military, and mining sectors, which earned him Contech's Project Consultant of the Year award.

New head of Asia-Pacific-Southern Africa regions for Parsons Brinckerhoff

July 2011

Chuck Kohler

Chuck Kohler is appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Asia/Australia–Pacific/Southern Africa operating company of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB).

In his new role Kohler, who succeeds Stuart Glenn, will oversee nearly 5,000 employees who work on hundreds of transportation, power, mining, water, wastewater and community development projects.

George Pierson, PB President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Chuck Kohler brings extensive international project experience, as well as broad expertise in finance and management to his new role. I know we can count on Chuck to expand Parsons Brinckerhoff's presence in some of our most important markets."

Kohler, a 24-year veteran of the company, was most recently the firm's Global Director of Projects. He joined the firm in 1987 as a bridge engineer in the Chicago office. He then spent eight years in the firm's Singapore and Hong Kong offices.

In Singapore, he served as Project Engineer on the Singapore Underground Road system, Project Manager of the Tuas Bay Tunnel, and Deputy Director for the program management of the Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewerage System. In Hong Kong, he was manager of the office's civil engineering division and Project Engineer on the Western Harbor Crossing.

He returned to the firm's corporate headquarters in New York in 2000, where he worked in corporate finance for three years, before returning to project work as Project Manager on the first phase of the Upper Rouge Combined Sewer Overflow in Detroit, Michigan. In 2005 he moved to the firm's Godalming office in the UK, where he served as Director of Operations for the Europe–Africa organization. He was named Executive Vice President in December 2007, and returned to New York where he assumed responsibility for overseeing the firm's major projects.

A licensed civil and structural engineer, Kohler has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago, and a Masters and Bachelors degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign.

Two extremes in one for Singapore's DTSS - TunnelTalk, March 2005
The good, bad and mixed on the DTSS - TunnelTalk, April 2004

www.pbworld.com

Tunnelling in focus for new director at Samsung C&T

July 2011

Dan Louis

Samsung C&T, the global construction arm of Samsung Group, has engaged Daniel A. Louis, P.E., G.E. as its Vice President and Technical Director for the Civil Engineering Division. In the position, Dan will focus on tunnelling and underground projects worldwide and develop new projects and opportunities in the Americas and Australia/New Zealand. He will also provide support to the ongoing globalization of Samsung C&T staff, processes and procedures.

Louis has more than 26 years of experience in tunnelling, heavy civil construction, and mining with emphasis in program management. He has worked on a number of prominent projects including East Side Access (New York), Antamina Mine (Peru), West Rail (Hong Kong) and the Los Angeles Metro. Most recently he served as Vice President, Infrastructure & Tunnelling Services for URS.

Louis is based at Samsung C&T headquarters in Seoul, Korea and will also work with Samsung's US offices in California and Texas. In addition to marketing and business development, he will provide technical support to Samsung's current overseas projects including those in Singapore, India and the Middle East.

Louis has a B.S. and M.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. His professional affiliations include the UCA of the Society of Mining Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Louis is the 1993 Winner of the British Tunnelling Society's Harding Prize.

Parsons Brinckerhoff appoints supervising engineer

June 2011

Larry Goldfarb

Larry Goldfarb has been named a Senior Supervising Engineer in the Herndon, Virginia office of Parsons Brinckerhoff. He is a member of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Geotechnical and Tunneling Technical Excellence Center.

Goldfarb has 29 years of engineering experience working on major highway, bridge and transit infrastructure projects. His background also encompasses geotechnical work on port projects in the US and abroad.

Goldfarb has a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a BS in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Denver. His professional affiliations include the American Concrete Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Highway Engineers, Deep Foundation Institute, MultidisciplinaryCenter for Earthquake Engineering Research, and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

Career promotions at Jacobs Associates

May 2011

Dan Adams

Jacobs Associates has confirmed that Daniel N. Adams, PE, CPEng, currently Executive Vice President, is elected President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), taking over from current President and CEO William W. Edgerton, PE, who becomes Chairman of the Board. These changes accompany a shift toward a style of management that will allow the company to accommodate expansion while providing quality service to local clients. Messrs. Adams and Edgerton will continue their current project roles without alteration.

"I am honored to be following in the footsteps of Bill Edgerton, who has not only been a mentor to me, but a leader in the heavy civil construction industry," said Adams. "My vision for Jacobs Associates is to continue our tradition of providing practical solutions with a commitment to high quality and ethical client service standards." Adams is the sixth president of Jacobs Associates since the firm's founding 57 years ago.

Adams has focused the bulk of his 22-year career on underground construction, gaining experience on projects around the globe. He joined Jacobs Associates in November 1995, was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000, and was promoted to Principal and Vice President in 2002. Having served as Executive Vice President since 2010, he has pioneered several strategic initiatives that facilitated growth and improved financial performance of the firm, such as the regional management model.

"For this point in the company's development, Dan Adams is the right person at the helm, and I am glad to pass the baton to him at this time," said Edgerton. "In addition to his focus on team building and employee retention, his commitment to the advancement of the underground industry will be critical to Jacobs Associates' continued success over the coming years."

Jacobs Associates provides innovative solutions for difficult underground projects in the water, wastewater, and transportation sectors. With an emphasis on tunnels and shafts, it offers a full range of design and construction management capabilities. It also offes a package of claims and dispute resolution services. It has offices in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Pasadena, San Diego, Boston, New York, Melbourne and Auckland.

Jacobs Associates

New President of Atlas Copco's Mining and Rock Excavation business area

Apr 2011

Robert (Bob) Fassl

With effect from 1^st July, Robert (Bob) Fassl will take up an appointment as President of Atlas Copco's Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area. Fassl replaces, as head of the division, Björn Rosengren who is leaving the Group for a position with Wärtsilä of Finland.

Fassl was born in 1962 and is currently head of Atlas Copco's Drilling Solutions division, based in Texas, USA. A Canadian citizen, Bob joined Atlas Copco in 1982 and has held several positions including General Manager, Service Manager, Supply Manager, Production and Purchasing Manager, in North America, Sweden and Great Britain. He speaks Swedish, German and English.

"It's with great pleasure we welcome Bob to the Group Management team of Atlas Copco," said Ronnie Leten, President and CEO of the Atlas Copco Group. "His deep knowledge of the mining industry and global business experience will be great assets for the development of the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area."

The appointment coincides with restructuring within Atlas Copco from three to four more focused business areas. The new Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area brings together divisions for underground and surface drilling products, crushing, loading and hauling, and exploration equipment that equalled total revenue for the company in 2010 of about SEK 22.5 billion. The business area will be based in Stockholm.

Fassl's mission is to further develop the business area's market leading positions and to strengthen its aftermarket business through the creation of a dedicated service division.

New divisional structure at Atlas Copco to focus on customer priorities - Company News, April 2011

Atlas Copco's loss is Wärtsilä's gain

Apr 2011

Björn Rosengren

After 13 years with the company, Björn Rosengren is resigning as Senior Executive Vice President for Atlas Copco and as Area President for the Construction and Mining Technique business area to join Finland's Wärtsilä corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets.

On joining Atlas Copco as President, Atlas Copco Craelius division in 1998 and advanced to President of the Rock Drilling Equipment division before over presidency of the Construction and Mining Technique business area in 2002. Rosengren relocated from Stockholm to Shanghai during 2010 to head up the company's manufacturing, distribution, R&D, and after-sales service divisions in China and India. After earning an MSc Technology from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1985, Rosengren held various marketing and management positions in Scandinavian industrial companies before arriving at Atlas Copco and rising rapidly through the range to executive management level. Rosengren hosted the annual Atlas Copco luncheon for the international mining, construction, and underground excavation trade press each December. The trade press corps shall miss these enjoyable and engaging events while they wish him success in his new post and welcome his successor Robert Fassl.

2010 in retrospect - TunnelTalk, December 2010
2009 in retrospect - TunnelTalk, December 2009

Promotion to civil unit Chief Operating Officer at Skanska

Mar 2011

Mike Cobelli

The civil construction business unit of Skanska USA has announced that Mike Cobelli is promoted to a newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer, Skanska USA Civil Inc.

Cobelli will continue to serve as Executive Vice President (EVP) for Skanska USA Civil's West Region and COO will be responsible for the allocation and assignment of operational resources across all of Skanska USA Civil's offices, working closely with EVPs in every region.

"Mike has been an integral part of Skanska USA Civil's growth, initially in the Northeast, and his leadership has helped our western offices break into new markets," said Skanska USA Civil President & CEO Rich Cavallaro. "In his new role, Mike will strengthen our efforts nationally and help us all take advantage of emerging opportunities as we gear up for significant growth across all of our markets."

Cobelli has more than 26 years of industry experience, all with Skanska. He has worked in several regions of the country and has a portfolio that includes highway and transit projects on both the east and west coasts. He will continue to be based out of Riverside, California.

Black & Veatch expands utility strategic planning expertise

Mar 2011

Mark Gabriel

The Management Consulting business of Black & Veatch has expanded upon its expertise in utility strategic planning with the addition of Mark Gabriel. In his role, Gabriel will lead the company's Strategy Practice that helps clients manage risks and enhance performance across their utility operations.

"Mark is a nationally renowned industry leader and premier strategist in the utility business," said Rodger Smith, President of the company's Management Consulting business. "He has a proven and extensive track record in helping clients leverage people, technology, product and service offerings and competitive market position, to achieve sustained organizational success."

Gabriel, who is based in Denver, Colorado, has more than 20 years of utility-focused experience. Prior to joining Black & Veatch, Gabriel was a Senior Vice President at a national business and technical consulting agency. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Argos Utilities Inc.

Among his many accomplishments, Gabriel authored the book Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future. The book provides a blueprint for utility technology strategy and won the 2009 Indie Award for Excellence in Environmental Writing.

Black & Veatch's Strategy Practice provides energy and water utility clients with guidance and support in making decisions in the fields of improving business operations to maximizing return on investments and financial management; navigating today's complex regulatory landscape; and assist in acquiring or divesting specific assets or entire businesses.

Strengthening the Tam-Normet UK Team

Mar 2011

Bethan Haig

A Chartered Civil Engineer with more than six years of experience in the design of tunnels with Mott MacDonald, Haig comes directly from working on the C121 sprayed concrete lining design contract of Crossrail.

With design experience that includes the primary linings of the A3 Hindhead road tunnels, Haig used numerical modeling techniques to subsequently further developed SCL criteria for the Crossrail lining design. She was able to witness the implementation of this design and construction approach at close quarters as an engineering geologist at the face of the Hindhead tunnels.

Her Crossrail experiences include working in the team that identified state-of-the-art solutions appropriate for integration into the SCL lining design, working with London Underground to ensure compatibility with their standards, and developing the specifications for construction.

Haig is an active member of the British Tunnelling Society Young Members Group and works to promote careers in engineering to the next generation as a Stemnet Ambassador, supervising Headstart courses.

"Bethan has already established herself as an innovative tunnelling engineer in the UK, and this, coupled with her proactive helpful style, will bring enormous benefit to the construction teams seeking up-front efficient technical solutions," said Ross Dimmock, Regional Director based in the UK for TAM. "Her inclusion in our team ensures that TAM-Normet now has the most complete UK support team to support the exciting industry demands."

SCL and spray-on waterproofing at Hindhead - TunnelTalk, March 2010

A new year brings new appointments at Normet

Jan 2011

Mark Mudlin

Effective at the start of the new year, January 1, 2011, Normet makes two new appointments. Mark Mudlin joins the Normet Americas team as Sales Manager – Mining. In this capacity, Mudlin will reside and travel from Elko, Nevada, central to the large customer base in the western USA, and head up the sales effort to customers with Normet’s offering of equipment, Life Time Care parts and services, and TAM construction chemicals.

"Mark is a seasoned professional joining our rapidly growing team," said Mike Rispin, V.P.-Americas for the Normet Group. "He has that valuable combination of operating and engineering mining experience, coupled with a proven track record of sales and support to that same customer base."

Mudlin is a graduate mining engineer from the South Dakota School of Mines and his employment history includes Asamera Minerals, Barrick Goldstrike Mines and Anglogold, and he spent the last eight years with BASF as a Technical Sales Specialist in Nevada.

Rick Kraft

Rispin added: "With Rick Kraft, our mainstay in mining, taking on a global role with Normet as a Senior Project Manager, our customers can be confident with Mark joining the USA organization."

Kraft has been a long time contributor with Normet, for many years as principal of Normet USA and now with the global company. His experience and expertise with equipment and, in particular, the sprayed concrete process, is well known to North American mining operations. He will now expand his focus globally as part of the worldwide Life Time Care organization.

"We wish Rick great success in his new role and look forward to continued interaction with him in North America, albeit in his new capacity" said Rispin.

Steve Archer

Earlier in November 2010, Steve Archer was appointed General Manager of Normet Canada Ltd. With a Mining Engineering Technology Diploma and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management, Archer joins the Normet Team from Atlas-Copco, most recently as the Product Line Manager - Canada for Rock Drilling Tools. He also served as Vice President Construction Tools, DTH Product Manager - Americas, Area Manager - Southeast US and in a variety of sales, sales marketing and sales management positions. He started his sales career with Cubex Ltd.

Archer resides in Sudbury, Ontario and will be based at the Normet Canada headquarters there.

"With a track record of sales and management success in his career, Archer brings close to 30 years of experience and knowledge of the North American underground mining and tunneling industries and a passion for customer service," said Mike Rispin, Vice President - Americas for the Normet Group. "Normet Canada is having a very successful first year and is on a significant growth curve. We are very pleased to have Steve and his knowledge of equipment, parts and service on our team."

Normet Canada offers the full line of Normet equipment, parts and service, and will soon be offering the TAM line of construction products for mining and tunneling.

Management appointments at Parsons Brinckerhoff

Nov 2010

Steve Reffitt

In London, Steve Reffitt becomes UK Operations Director. Riffitt comes to PB with nearly 30 years of engineering and construction industry experience, the majority of which has been gained in the UK consultant market working for WSP and Atkins. At WSP, he was responsible for new business growth for a group comprising 2,500 engineers and specialists engaged in transportation, energy, industrial, infrastructure, and public and private building consulting. He led business improvement and was also responsible for establishing and developing the WSP outsourcing centre in Delhi.

In his previous role with Atkins, Reffitt was an operational leader with full responsibility for a range of businesses, including roles as head of structural engineering and UK Operations Director for buildings. Prior to Atkins, he worked for Taylor Woodrow Construction for 10 years on two AGR nuclear power station sites and various rail tunnelling projects.

Reffitt is a graduate of Imperial College and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Institution of Structural Engineers.

Thomas Anella

Thomas Anella has been named Project Operations Manager for the eastern region of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB). From the firm's Princeton, New Jersey office, Anella will be responsible for technical and financial oversight of PB projects in the eastern United States.

A PB Vice President and Principal Project Manager, Anella has been with the firm for 27 years, most recently serving as Area Manager for the Princeton office. He has extensive experience in infrastructure design and construction and has managed numerous highway, bridge and roadway projects. Anella holds an MS degree in engineering management and a BS in civil engineering from Drexel University.

In Virginia, Irene (Renee) Bartnik joins the Norfolk office of PB as Senior Supervising Planner. In her new position, Bartnik will serve as PB's lead environmental planner on projects including the new Downtown Tunnel under the Elizabeth River between Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, and improvements to Dominion Boulevard in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Renee Bartnik

Bartnik comes to PB with more than 15 years of project management and senior design experience nationally and internationally on projects for federal, private, and public clients. Her specializations include: project management; land use environmental and airport planning; energy initiatives and studies; soil erosion control; permitting and zoning issues; public involvement; and trail and park design. Prior to joining PB, she was Senior Environmental Aviation Planner at another professional services firm.

Bartnik holds an MS degree in landscape architecture from the California State University at Pomona and a BS degree in landscape architecture from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Canada. She is a member of the US Green Building Council, the Landscape Institute in Great Britain, the American Planning Association and the Association for Landscape Architects, and has LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the US Green Building Council.

Normet takes on a business developer

Nov 2010

Andreas Enzler

Andreas Enzler is to join the Normet Group as Vice President Business Development and Marketing.

Andy, 43, is a BA graduate of the University of St Gallen, brings along an experience of 12 years in the field of construction chemicals, mainly concrete admixtures but also epoxy resin and PUR flooring and waterproofing.

Enzler joins Normet after several years of international assignments for construction chemicals such as regional controller Latin America in Cleveland, USA, and CFO Asia/Pacific in Shanghai, for MBT, Degussa where he gathered extensive experience in business- and strategy-development. His expertise is in development of corporate structures particularly in emerging regions and markets.

Enzler will join Normet by January 1, 2011, and will be based at Normet International head quarters in Switzerland, reporting to President of Normet Group Tom Melbye and travelling extensively to support the further growth and development of Normet's business.

Normet develops, manufactures and markets equipment and vehicles for mining and underground construction and offers services for the maintenance and usage processes for the entire lifetime of the products. Together with its strategic partner, TAM International, Normet offers also a comprehensive range of constructions chemicals for underground mining and tunnelling processes.

Ross Dimmock joins TAM-Normet

Oct 2010

Ross Dimmock

After working 10 years at MBT/BASF Construction Chemicals, followed by a period as Technical Director of the Tunnel Division at Mott MacDonald, Ross Dimmock has rejoined former colleagues in the new Normet team as Regional Director - Europe & Middle East and Tunnelling & Mining Director – UK at TAM International Group.

Dimmock has specialising in project management of sprayed concrete tunnelling design when at MBT/BASF as Technical Director of the Underground Division, successfully developing and implementing new technologies for underground construction. He has a wealth of experience also in ground improvement and tunnel rehabilitation techniques.

Internationally recognised as an expert with 22 years of experience in sprayed concrete tunnel lining (SCL) design, Dimmock has held leading roles on major SCL tunnel projects in the UK, including the Channel Tunnel, the London Underground Jubilee Line Extension, and the current Crossrail project in London, which is the largest urban rail project in Europe.

"Ross is highly respected in the industry and with his knowledge and expertise he will strengthen the development and expansion of the TAM business. We are thrilled to have him aboard." said Martin Robbins, CEO of TAM International Group

Dimmock's contact details are:
Tel: +44 (0) 2476 253 098
Email: ross.dimmock@tam.uk.com
www.taminternational.com

PB appoints council for litigation

Oct 2010

W. Stephen Dale

W. Stephen Dale has been named Assistant General Counsel for Litigation at Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB).

In his new position, Dale will focus on the management and successful resolution of litigation involving the company. His responsibilities include developing strategies for dispute resolution and systems and procedures to address discovery; selecting, managing and coordinating outside counsel and consultants; and analyzing and reporting on the company's litigation experience to management.

Prior to joining PB, Dale was a partner in the SmithPachterMcWhorter law firm in Vienna, Virginia that concentrates on construction and government contracts law. He represented prime contractors before federal, state, and regional tribunals on more than $350 million in claims and litigation on large, complex infrastructure projects.

Dale holds a J.D. degree and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and formerly sat on the Board of Governors of the Construction Institute.

Sound Transit has a new deputy chief executive officer

Sept 2010

Celia Kupersmith

Sound Transit welcomes Celia Kupersmith as the agency's new Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

"Celia is a nationally respected transit leader who brings extensive engineering, capital project management and operations experience to Sound Transit," said Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl. "She will play a pivotal role in delivering high quality transit projects and services to the people of our region. We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome her aboard."

"Few transit systems nationally are growing as fast as Sound Transit's, and none offer the professional challenges and opportunities that exist here," Kupersmith said. "There is not another agency in the country that could have lured me from the Golden Gate Bridge."

As General Manager of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District from 1999 through last month, Kupersmith oversaw not only the operations of the iconic bridge but a bus transit system offering more than 58 local and inter-county routes, and the largest ferry system in California. She led a staff of 830 employees under the direction of a 19-member board of directors.

From 1993 through 1999, Kupersmith served as executive director of the Regional Transportation Commission in Reno, Nevada, overseeing bus services, road construction, road maintenance, and long-range transportation planning for the northern Nevada region. From 1985 through 1993, Kupersmith rose through the ranks at Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, departing as Deputy General Manager.

At Sound Transit Kupersmith is taking over for outgoing Deputy CEO Ron Tober, who is returning to Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We talked Ron into coming out of retirement to join Sound Transit for a year, and then talked him into staying an extra eight months," Earl said. “During that time he made a major contribution to the residents of our region, particularly during last year's launch of Central Link light rail service."

Seattle embraces new transit system – TunnelTalk, July 2009
Build-out plans for the Seattle LRT – TunnelTalk, July 2010

Godwin Pumps appoints new global marketer

Sept 2010

Per Ohstrom

From world headquarters in Bridgeport, New Jersey, Godwin Pumps, has announced the appointment of as its Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development.

"With more than 15 years of experience in industrial product and service marketing and business development, Per will be relied upon to drive Godwin's worldwide profitable growth and continued customer satisfaction," said Godwin President, Michel Bakhos.

Joining Godwin from RSC Equipment Rental, where he served as the Vice President of Marketing, Ohstrom grew revenue with new, value-added services and promotions - adding 4,000 new accounts and $10 million worth of sales in his two-year tenure there. Prior to RSC, he previously provided marketing leadership at billion-dollar companies including Hagemeyer North America, CHEP, Rohm and Haas, and International Paper.

Ohstrom holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Lulea University of Technology (Sweden), and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University. Ohstrom will report directly to Michel Bakhos and will oversee Godwin's marketing, communications, training, product management and worldwide business development and market management.

Godwin Pumps is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of ITT Corporation since July of this year. It maintains a fleet of more than 6,000 portable rental pumps and 3,200 pieces of related equipment for use in dewatering in construction, mining and quarrying and in wastewater bypasses in municipal, industrial and environmental markets. It is the worldwide manufacturer and supplier of the Dri-Prime® pump that features fully automatic self-priming to 28ft, dry-running and solids handling capabilities.

Godwin to join Flygt and Grindex in ITT – TunnelTalk, July 2010

Greg Colzani makes a move to Parsons Corp

Sept 2010

Greg Colzani

Parsons Corp. has hired Greg Colzani as Tunnel Sub-Sector Manager within the Parsons Transportation Group. Colzani joins Parsons with more than 30 years of experience in mining, tunneling, and heavy civil and underground construction, with emphasis in construction management and quality control.

With exceptional knowledge of heavy civil and tunnel construction, Colzani has been recruited to many precedent-setting projects during his career. These include the H-3 Highway Tunnels in Oahu, Hawaii; the 5^th & Hill Street section of the Los Angeles Metro in California; the North Fork Stanislaus Hydro Project, California; the Stanford Linear Collider Project, California; the Hanging Lake Highway Tunnels, Colorado; the South Bay Ocean Outfall Project, California; the Willamette River CSO Program in Portland, Oregon; and the DCWASA Long Term Control Plan (CSO) project in the District of Columbia.

Most recently he led the Construction Management discipline at Jacobs Associates. He has provided value engineering and constructability reviews of a number of wastewater and water systems. Colzani is equally experienced with the Risk Assessment/Risk Mitigation process and has facilitated several risk workshops for large complex tunnel projects. He is a recognized expert in the implementation and management of alternate contract deliver systems.

Colzani is active in American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Management Association of America, and the Construction Specification Institute and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Chris Gause recruited to Normet Americas, Inc

Sept 2010

Chris Gause

Normet Americas, Inc. is pleased to announce that Chris Gause has joined the organization in the position of Sales Manager - Tunneling/Civil. In this capacity, he will lead the business development for Normet's equipment and technological solutions into the tunneling, underground, and heavy construction industries in North America. Gause joins Normet from BASF and brings with him 30 years of experience in construction chemicals and 15 years experience with chemical and equipment solutions for underground construction.

"We are delighted to have such a seasoned member of the American underground community join our team," said Mike Rispin, President of Normet Americas. "Gause has a wealth of expertise and experience with practical solutions for sprayed concrete and, in fact, all other cementitious disciplines, grouting and TBM operations. We look forward to his interaction with the underground contracting and engineering communities."

Gause also joins the management team of Normet's North American region. He will operate from his home office near Cleveland, Ohio; mobile: +1 216 835 6108 mail: chris.gause@normet.fi. "I'm extremely excited by my new role with Normet. It will get me back working with the client and offering solutions to the day to day challenges, which is what I enjoy most," said Gause.

Normet develops, manufactures and markets equipment and vehicles for mining and underground construction and offers services for the maintenance and usage processes for the entire lifetime of the products. Normet employs 460 professionals worldwide. The turnover in 2009 totaled 90 million Euros with more than 90% of the production exported by the Finish based company.

Gause joins several other recent recruitments by Normet as it consolidates its international presence and collaboration with the construction chemicals manufacturer TAM International. These include:

Mike Rispin, President of Normet Americas, Inc;
Odd-Bjørn Kleven, appointed Director Tunnelling and Special Projects;
Dr Roar Myrdal recruited as Technical Director, Chemicals, Mining and Tunnelling responsible for R&D of mining and tunnelling chemicals at TAM International;
Michael Keienburg as a Sales Director.

Transit and tunnel lighting specialist

Aug 2010

Michael Maltezos

Schréder Lighting USA has appointed Michael N. Maltezos as its DOT, Transit and Tunnel Specialist.

In his new position Maltezos will be responsible for overseeing lighting activities for transit and tunnel projects throughout the USA and Canada. He will work closely with municipalities, DOTs and transit agencies, as well as the specification lighting community including lighting designers, architects, and engineers. In Schréder Lighting, Maltezos will report directly to General Manager John Camp.

Maltezos has more than 25 years experience in electrical engineering, construction engineering, project/program management, and lighting design management. He has supervised the design and construction of several roadway systems and building facilities. Prior to joining Schréder Lighting USA, he served as an award-winning independent lighting designer and consultant, based in Tampa, Florida, where he worked on major commercial, public and municipal design projects. He also served as Senior Associate for CTE Engineers, Inc., and Project Engineer and Design Engineer for McDonough Associates Inc., both based in Chicago.

Maltezos is a member of the IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America), of the IESNA Roadway Lighting and Street and Area Lighting Committees, and of the American Public Works Association.

Recognized as an industry expert on roadway lighting, Maltezos has received seven International Illumination Design Awards (IIDA) from the IESNA.

Located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Schréder Lighting USA opened its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Addison, Illinois this year. The company is a member of the Schréder Group G.I.E., which was founded in Belgium in 1907 and has become an international organization with more than 2,600 employees, in more than 40 facilities, in 30 countries and on five continents.

Schréder Lighting USA

Normet International takes on a technical director

Jun 2010

Dr Roar Myrdal

Following its 40% buy into TAM International, the growing construction chemicals manufacturer and distributor, Normet International Ltd has appointed Dr Roar Myrdal as Technical Director, Chemicals, Mining and Tunnelling. Starting September 15, 2010, he will be responsible for R&D of mining and tunnelling chemicals and will report to Normet's Director, Tunnelling and Chemicals Odd-Bjørn Kleven, who is also COO of the TAM International Group.

Myrdal has a doctoral degree in chemistry and holds an adjunct professorship in concrete technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has been working with concrete technology in industry, public road authorities and research institutes since early 1990s and has a broad international experience in research projects and industrial cooperation.

Before joining Normet, Dr Myrdal has been working as a senior scientist at SINTEF, the leading international research institute and the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia, and as a member of the management group in COIN, the Concrete Innovation Centre at SINTEF. Previously, he was head of the R&D department at global producer of construction chemicals, Rescon Mapei.

Dr Myrdal played a key role in developing alkali-free accelerators for sprayed concrete and is well known for his contribution to the development of chemical admixtures for concrete. He has published more than 50 international papers and reports on chemistry and concrete technology related topics.

Normet and TAM form global partnership – TunnelTalk, April 2010 Back

Knights move to global position with Halcrow

Jun 2010

Martin Knights

As of Tuesday June 15, 2010, Martin Knights of the UK holds a new post as Global Director of Tunnelling for the UK-based international consulting firm Halcrow.

The move is significant in several ways. It ends a five year association with former employer Jacobs Engineering; it reinvigorates the global reach of the Halcrow practice; it is a significant career move for the immediate past President of the ITA (International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association); and continues Knights' connection with the global tunnelling industry as established during his association with the ITA, its Executive Committee and its Working Groups.

Knights was a Director at the UK division of Jacobs Engineering and before that was with the Brown & Root consultancy which took over the UK firm Howard Humphreys, which Knights joined in 1989 from Atkins.

"Working with Brown & Root was rewarding," said Knights. "We built a strong tunnelling/geotechnical engineering practice within the company, which, together with the British Tunnelling Society (BTS), supported my association with the ITA. The move to Halcrow is a new challenge and I am looking forward to working with the team of Halcrow professionals in their rail, water, tunnelling and geotechnical engineering divisions."

The move also continues a long association for Halcrow with the ITA. Knights, as the twelfth President of the ITA, follows in very big footsteps of two previous Halcrow engineers who also served the ITA with distinction.

Sir Alan Muir Wood, as the most influential founding member of the ITA and its first President from 1974 to 1977 - later elected its Honorary Life.

ITA-AITES Presidents

1974 - 1977 Sir Alan Muir Wood, UK (†)

1977 - 1980 H. C. Fischer Switzerland (†)

1980 - 1983 Günter Girnau, Germany

1983 - 1986 Jack Lemley, USA

1986 - 1989 Einar Broch, Norway

1989 - 1992 Colin Kirkland, UK (†)

1992 - 1995 Dan Zdenek Eisenstein, Canada (†)

1995 - 1998 Sebastiano Pelizza, Italy

1998 - 2001 Alfred Haack, Germany

2001 - 2004 André Assis, Brazil

2004 - 2007 Harvey Parker, USA

2007 - 2010 Martin Knights, UK

2010 - 2013 In-Mo Lee, Korea

Time President - was a Senior Partner with Halcrow & Partners and Colin Kirkland, the sixth President from 1989 to 1992 was also a Partner with the Halcrow Group.

"The job with the Halcrow Group is focused on promoting the use of tunnels and underground space in all countries of the world," said Knights, "and to assist governments and client authorities to assess the feasibility of developing, financing and constructing their underground space and tunnelled infrastructure projects. It is a job closely associated with one of the main purposes of the ITA and brings an independent commercial element to that work. There is much to do to advance the possibilities of developing the underground space to the advantage of developed and developing countries alike."

As well as taking up his new career post this week, Knights is also recognised by the British Tunnelling Society with presentation of the coveted James Clark Medal honour. The award is presented in recognition of outstanding contribution to the national and international tunnelling industry.

Knights is also a trustee of London's Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe, the Trustees of which were recently awarded this year's The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service - the MBE for volunteer groups. The Brunel Museum is dedicated to the Brunels' and their great achievements, notably the Thames Tunnel. The aim is to bring greater understanding of the Brunels' daring engineering and radical thinking to new audiences.

Knights will be based at the Halcrow Group head office in London at Vineyard House in Hammersmith. Main office telephone number +44 (0) 207 602 7282.

BTS James Clark Medal award – TunnelTalk, Jun 2010

Halcrow Group
British Tunnelling Society
Brunel Museum

Jun 2010

John Bergen

PM/CM Lead for the Black & Veatch Northwestern U.S. practice
With more than 30 years of experience in water and wastewater infrastructure design and program and construction management (PM/CM), John Bergen has joined Black & Veatch's global water business as PM/CM Lead for the Northwestern U.S. region. He is based in the company's Walnut Creek, California, office.

Bergen will also assist with various national PM/CM efforts. His vast experience in civil-sanitary engineering includes program and construction management, facilities design, biddability and constructability reviews, value engineering, design-build and quality assurance/quality control. Bergen's work in infrastructure design and PM/CM for all types of water and wastewater facilities in Northern California totals approximately $500 million in construction cost.

Risk Manager with Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)

Jun 2010

Will Willson

As a Risk Manager with Parsons Brinckerhoff's (PB) Geotechnical and Tunneling Technical Excellence Center in Princeton, New Jersey, Will Willson will be responsible for risk assessments, risk analysis and risk management for many of PB's major infrastructure projects worldwide. He will also advise transit and other agencies and authorities in the requirement for and application of risk assessment on federally funded projects.

A recognized industry leader in cost and schedule risk assessment, risk analysis and risk management of major infrastructure projects and capital construction programs in the United States and abroad, Willson was previously an Associate Principal with Davis Langdon and a Senior Vice President with Faithful & Gould.

Previous experience includes Project Planning Manager for the Channel Tunnel project in the UK during preliminary engineering and then head of the risk assessment for the project during detailed design through to financial close on behalf of London and Continental Engineering. Willson worked also on the Kowloon-Canton Railway's high-speed rail link to the New Territories in Hong Kong, the Los Angeles Gold Line Eastside Extension on behalf of the Federal Transit Administration, and on development of risk matrix and due diligence studies for infrastructure projects for Infrastructure Ontario.

Willson is a chartered quantity surveyor and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and an associate value specialist with the Society of American Value Engineers.

PB names head of New York operations

Jun 2010

Neil Lucey

As Area Manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff's New York office, Neil Lucey will handle client management and project performance of all New York operations. With nearly 40 years of experience in planning, design and construction for infrastructure projects and programs, Lucey has managed numerous high-profile transportation and facilities projects in the New York metropolitan region.

Lucey holds a master of science degree in transportation from Polytechnic University of New York and a bachelor of civil engineering degree from Manhattan College. Prior to joining PB, Lucey served as a Senior Vice President for a consulting engineering company, responsible for the Northeast Transportation practice. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is incoming Chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies in New York State.

Schrader succeeds Hawksworth as Chairman of PB

Richard A. Schrader

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has announced that Richard A. Schrader is appointed Chairman, succeeding Keith J. Hawksworth who is retiring after 33 years with the firm.

Schrader, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will provide broad policy oversight for PB in its operations as a global infrastructure strategic consulting, engineering and program/construction management organization.

"I look forward to having Rich as a partner in guiding PB going forward," said George J. Pierson, President and CEO. "I will continue to rely on Rich's extensive expertise in financial management and will look to him for assistance in determining PB's strategic direction." Schrader will also undertake additional duties in service of PB's owner, the Balfour Beatty Group.

The firm has begun an executive search process for a CFO to succeed Schrader, who has been with PB for 27 years and has been a member of the firm's Board of Directors since 1992. Prior to joining PB in 1983 Schrader served on active military duty in the US Army Corps of Engineers for 11 years with assignments on military construction projects, including command of an engineer company in Germany. He has also served on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences. He has a bachelor's degree from West Point, a master's degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and an MBA from Long Island University.

Hawksworth, who joined PB in 1976, served as CEO from December 2007 through December 2009 and during that time led a strategic planning process that resulted in PB's October 2009 merger with Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group headquartered in the UK. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Hawksworth was Chief Operating Officer of PB's International division. He also served as head of PB's Asia-Pacific operation and was PB's Principal-in-Charge on many of the firm's largest international projects.

The PB Board will consist of George Pierson, PB's CEO; Ashok Kothari, a 35-year PB employee and long-term Board member, and Rich Schrader.

Parsons Brinckerhoff

Feb 2010

Bently Green

New project director at Black & Veatch
Bently Green, P.E., has joined the Black & Veatch global water business as a Client Accounts Project Director. Green brings more than 19 years of civil engineering and infrastructure experience to the position, including substantial water and wastewater project management capability.

A long-time member of WEF and AWWA, Green has special technical expertise encompassing design and planning of wastewater treatment facilities, water treatment facilities, large-diameter water and wastewater conveyance systems, and pumping stations. He has managed large, complex programs requiring extensive resources and has provided close collaboration with clients. Green will be based in the company's St. Louis office.

Team building at Normet

Feb 2010

Odd-Bjørn Kleven

Well known sprayed concrete and tunnelling expert Odd-Bjørn Kleven is appointment Director Tunnelling and Special Projects by Normet International. Kleven joins the team after 15 years with MBT/ Degussa / BASF, in Switzerland and worldwide and has already started at this new position.

With both practical and theoretical knowledge, Kleven has more than 25 years' experience in the underground construction industry both as contractor and as supplier of products and equipment. From his base in Norway and at the company's operations in Baar, Switzerland, he will have responsibility of Normet Tunnelling and Special Projects globally.

Normet develops, manufactures and markets equipment and vehicles for mining and underground construction needs and offers services for the maintenance and usage processes for the lifetime of the products. More than 90% of the production is exported to international end users. Normet employs some 450 professionals and in 2008, the group's turnover was €107 million.

Crossrail procurement manager

December 2009

Martin Rowark

Crossrail Ltd (CRL) has appointed Martin Rowark as Head of Procurement. Reporting directly to Commercial Director Martin Buck, he will lead the CRL Procurement Division to achieve best value in the delivery of the procurement requirements of the Crossrail project to programme and budget.

Rowark is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and commenced his career in construction as a management contractor. Joining Railtrack at their floatation, he worked at Great Western Zone and later Southern Zone, leading the Contract and Supply function. In 2001 he construction consultants Davis Langdon LLP as Head of Civil Engineering and Railways, operating from London. This role involved commissions on Channel Tunnel Rail Link, West Coast Route Modernisation, The White City Development, ERTMS and Metronet Trans4m/Alliance. Following this Rowark acted as Deputy to the Head of Procurement for the London 2012 Olympics. Most recently he has been advising the TfL team delivering the East London Line.

As head of procurement, Rowark will ensure that the acquisition of works, services and supplies from the external supply market is efficiently and effectively managed in line with relevant Procurement Regulations, Government policies and best industry practice. Rowark will join Crossrail on 21 December 2009.

New CEO for Parsons Brinckerhoff

December 2009

George J. Pierson

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has announced the appointment of George J. Pierson as the firm's Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2010. Pierson is currently President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the firm's Americas division and succeeds Keith J. Hawksworth, who becomes Chairman.

Pierson, who will continue as President and COO of PB's Americas division, assumes the management of a professional services company with 15,000 employees in 150 offices worldwide and 2009 revenues of $2.1 billion and following acquisition as a wholly-owned subsidiary by Balfour Beatty in October.

Pierson, a licensed engineer and lawyer, joined PB as General Counsel and Secretary in February, 2006. He was appointed COO of the Americas division in January, 2008. Pierson has a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an MBA from St. Mary's College of California, an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in civil engineering from Bucknell University.

Hawksworth has been with PB for 33 years and succeeds James L. Lammie as PB's Chairman. He was named CEO in January, 2008 and led a two-year strategic planning process that resulted in a merger with Balfour Beatty that was approved by 99% of PB's stockholders in October, 2009. “Having achieved the strategic objective of a larger, more diversified company that has the resources to remain competitive going forward, I believe the time is right for me to turn the management of the company over to George” he said.

UK contractor buys Parsons Brinckerhoff – TunnelTalk, Oct 2009

Nick Flew

October 2009
Nick Flew has been appointed Managing Director of the UK and European operations of Parsons Brinckerhoff following acquisition of the global infrastructure consulting engineering practice by UK contractor Balfour Beatty last month (September 2009).

Flew was previously Director of Balfour Beatty Management and played a key role in the acquisition of Parsons Brinckerhoff that was finalized this week. In his new position Flew will lead the integration of the operations of Balfour Beatty Management and the UK/Europe operation of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Flew has 28 years of technical and management experience across a range of different sectors in the UK and internationally. He is a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. He joined Balfour Beatty Management from Atkins in 2004. Flew is a graduate of Cambridge University with a degree in engineering in 1981.

The company created by the merger of Balfour Beatty Management and the UK/Europe operation of Parsons Brinckerhoff will operate as Parsons Brinckerhoff in order to retain the strong Parsons Brinckerhoff brand, according to Stuart Glenn, Chief Operating Officer of PB's International division. “The acquisition of Parsons Brinckerhoff is an important step towards fulfilling Balfour Beatty's ambition to be a global leader in infrastructure services,” said Glenn.

Founded in New York in 1885, Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) is a leader in developing infrastructure around the world and has 13,000 employees working in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia-Pacific regions.

UK contractor buys Parsons Brinckerhoff – TunnelTalk, Oct 2009
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Balfour Beatty

Dan Dobbels

October 2009
Dan Dobbels, PE, has joined Jacobs Associates as a Senior Associate in its Boston office. Dobbels has more than 25 years of experience in planning, design, and construction of a variety of underground engineering projects, including water/wastewater conveyance tunnels and pipelines; underground transit systems; electric, gas, and other utility tunnels and pipelines; hydroelectric facilities; rock slopes; waterfront structures; and deep foundations. He also has extensive experience in the application of trenchless technology for new pipeline construction.

Dobbels' practical knowledge covers a broad range of a project's life cycle, including planning, implementation, and reporting of geotechnical investigations; conceptual-level planning and design studies; detailed design and preparation of contract documents; construction phase services including office and resident engineering; claims analysis and evaluation and forensic studies.

Dobbels has BS and MS degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and is a member of a variety of national and international professional associations.

Steve Hirtz

September 2009
Pipeline rehabilitation and tunneling contractor, SAK Construction LLC, has engaged Steve J. Hirtz as Vice President of rehabilitiation operations. SAK serves a variety of city, county and state agencies; industrial sectors; municipalities; and water and sewer cooperatives coast-to-coast.

Hirtz will be based in the SAK headquarters in of St Louis, Missouri, and brings to SAK more than 25 years of experience in cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), tunneling, and other trenchless technologies. He previously served as general manager for a major pipe services firm in Missouri and served in a number of operations and field management positions for a leading pipeline rehabilitation firm.

Founded in 2006, SAK Construction is led by industry veterans Jerry Shaw, President; Tom Kalishman, Chairman; and Robert Affholder, Vice Chairman. The three SAK leaders are well known for their expertise in trenchless underground technology, including CIPP rehabilitation. Trenchless technology is particularly needed today to rehabilitate the nation's aging water and sewer infrastructure, including 52,000 water systems comprising nearly a million miles of underground pipe carrying America's drinking water.

Recent SAK Construction projects include a 34,000ft CIPP sewer rehabilitation for the City of St. Paul; a 34,000ft CIPP sewer rehabilitation for the City of Jefferson, Missouri; a 30,000ft CIPP sewer and manhole rehabilitation project in the Nameoki-area for Granite City, Illinois; and the 2,300ft, 96in diameter Coldwater Relief Tunnel in unincorporated St. Louis County for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD).

September 2009
Jacobs Associates of San Francisco is pleased to announce these recent promotions within its team.

Rafael Castro

Rafael Castro PE has been promoted to Principal. Rafael has been involved in the underground engineering industry for 20 years on more than a dozen major tunneling projects on both the East and West coasts. His progressive experience includes design, construction management and condition assessment for sewage, water-conveyance, and transit tunnels. In addition, he has an extensive understanding of ground improvement techniques relevant to soft-ground tunnels and microtunnels. Such techiniques include chemical grouting, compaction grouting, jet grouting, compressed air, and dewatering. As a Principal of Jacobs Associates, Rafael is one of 12 senior technical leaders in the firm responsible for client satisfaction and for performing and supervising technical project work, including quality control.

Peter Raleigh

Peter Raleigh was recently promoted to Associate. Peter has more than 17 years of experience in tunnel engineering, and his expertise with TBMs has been an asset on a number of projects since he joined the firm in 2006. He is currently contributing to the University Link and North Link projects and is project manager and lead inspector on the Ballard Siphon Replacement Project, for which Jacobs Associates is providing construction management services.

Dan Van Roosendaal

Dan Van Roosendaal is also promoted to Associate. Since joining the firm in early 2009, he has been supporting a variety of East coast projects, including completing geotechnical evaluations on DC WASA's deep soft ground tunnels, and providing his blasting expertise to the Jacobs Associates Rail Group. Dan is a geotechnical engineer with more than 20 years of experience in rock and soft ground tunneling, rock and soil slope stabilization, and blasting.

September 2009
Michael (Mike) Rispin has taken up a position with Normet Americas, Inc as its Managing Director – NAFTA. Effective 1 September, 2009 Mike's base is at the company's operations in Union Grove, Wisconsin from where he will head up Normet's efforts in the North American Free Trade Agreement zone comprising USA, Canada and Mexico.

Mike Rispin

Rispin is a graduate of the McGill University Mining Engineering program in 1985, and is a Professional Engineer since 1987. His career in the mining and construction industries spans 25 years: 12 in explosives, with a focus on underground blasting technologies, and 13 in construction chemicals, focusing on sprayed concrete methodologies. He joins the Normet team after 13 years with Master Builders/Degussa/BASF in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland.

Rispin will bring the company's suite of underground equipment, Life Time Care (LTC) parts and service platform, and process expertise to the mining and tunnelling construction markets of the NAFTA area. The company's underground equipment range includes machines for concrete spraying, concrete transportation, explosives charging, lifting and installation units, and units for scaling and managing underground logistics.

Heikki Ulvila, Regional Director of Normet Americas, Inc, and Tom Melbye, Managing Director of Normet International Ltd, and COO of the Normet Group, welcome Mike to the team and commend him to a customer-base that knows him and that he knows well.

Normet Back

July 2009
Janine Beni Witko, PE, is engaged by Halcrow as the Northeast water and power manager, North America. Witko joins the team as part of a strategic initiative to grow further our water and power business in the Northeast United States.

With 25 years of experience in business management, client development and technical skills with a focus on the water sector, Wiltko's areas of expertise include project delivery, water supply planning, water and wastewater facility planning and design, and construction oversight.

"Janine has worked on many impressive projects in the water and power market sector, including, the Hudson River Long term Water Supply (desalination) conceptual design and the United Water New York Lake Deforest AquaDAF design-build upgrade. We are very happy to have her join the Halcrow team," says Russ MacDonald, Director for Water and Power, North America.

Most recently, Janine worked for Black & Veatch where she led the regional engineering operations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as project director/client services manager on high-profile multi-million dollar water infrastructure projects.

She is an active member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and is a program committee member of the New Jersey and New York Water Environment Associations (NJWEA and NYWEA). Witko will be based in Halcrow's New York City office.

Halcrow Corporate Structure

June 2009
Halcrow welcomes Russ MacDonald and Bob Brownstein to key management positions.

Russ MacDonald joins Halcrow's water and power business group as regional director for North America. Based in Tampa, MacDonald will be responsible for attracting new business and leading the North American water and power team. He will also join the region's management team and will contribute towards Halcrow's strategic goal to make North America one of its largest regional businesses.

MacDonald is an internationally recognized industry veteran with more than 25 years' experience in the water and power industry. He has particular expertise in executing design-build and program management schemes for the water, power and transportation sectors. Russ has worked on engineering, procurement and construction projects in North America, the UK, the Middle East, Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand. Before joining Halcrow he served as vice president of the water business group at CH2M HILL. MacDonald, a founding director of the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships, will spend his first few months with Halcrow working on projects in the Middle East .

Richard Harpin, current director, water and power services, in North America, will take up a global role that addresses environmental engineering solutions for water scarcity issues.

Bob Brownstein joins Halcrow's consulting business group as vice president and regional director for the Economics and Business Solutions (EBS) group in North America. Based in New York, Brownstein will be responsible for enhancing and expanding EBS as well as supporting the transport planning market sector.

Brownstein is an internationally recognized expert with more than 30 years of experience in the transportation industry. He has particular expertise in procurement, project development, materials management, information technology, operations, and maintenance. He is a frequent speaker at transportation conferences throughout the world and has played a vital role in the industry's progress in these areas. Before joining Halcrow, he managed these service areas for other major consulting and technology firms, including, AECOM Consult. Brownstein was also the general manager of Spear Technologies, a provider of maintenance and materials management software to the transit industry.

Prior to joining the private sector, Brownstein was a senior official with the New Jersey Transit Corporation, where he served as the senior director of procurement, for the bus operation and then later as the senior director of materials for both the bus and rail operation.

In 2004, Brownstein was the recipient of the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member for 2004 award.

Halcrow

Alan Boden

May 2009
Delcan Corporation has promoted Alan Boden to Principal.

Boden is an alumnus of Nottingham University in the UK and has 30 years experience in civil engineer, and more specifically in tunnelling. The multi-disciplinary engineering firm, headquartered in Toronto Canada, promotes staff to its Principal and Vice Presidential Programs to reward team members for strong leadership and technical skills and contributions made to corporate growth and success. Boden is a construction manager at Delcan and is currently responsible for the design and construction of Toronto's Spadina Subway Extension. He is a Chartered Engineer and is associated with The Institution of Civil Engineers, The Institute of Explosives Engineers, and The British Tunneling Society.

Roger Toms, Senior Vice President for Delcan's Program & Project Management Division commented "Alan Boden is a civil engineer with extensive experience in the management of construction for major transit and transportation projects. After several years serving international projects, most recently in the Far East, Alan joined Delcan last year as a senior construction manager. Since joining, Alan has taken on further responsibilities in design management and mentoring of a group of project managers. We congratulate Alan on his appointment to Principal."

Delcan Corporation

May 2009
Parsons Brinckerhoff welcomes back David A. McAlister and Paul F. Morris who rejoin the firm to senior global management positions.

McAlister is named Executive Vice President and Global Director, Strategic Planning and Development with overall responsibility for the strategic planning and marketing functions throughout the organization.

McAlister David

Morris is appointed Executive Vice President and Global Director, Strategic Consulting and Sustainability, responsible for bringing new focus and direction to the breadth of consulting capabilities that exist throughout PB worldwide. He will also expand the firm's efforts at project, corporate and public levels to exhibit best practices in reducing effects of global warming and climate change.

“Over his 25-year tenure at PB, Dave McAlister played a key role on many of the firm's signature projects, including the WMATA transit system in Washington, D.C.; the MARTA system in Atlanta and the West Coast Mainline Rehabilitation Program in the UK,” noted Keith Hawksworth, PB's President and CEO. “His diverse managerial experience in the U.S. and abroad and familiarity with PB's operations worldwide makes him the ideal candidate to spearhead the firm's global initiatives for growth.”

“Paul Morris will provide the thought leadership and technical innovation that PB's clients require to meet a host of environmental and sustainable development challenges,” continued Hawksworth. “His task is to broaden the company's application of best practices in transportation, energy, water and building infrastructure – all key areas of client as well as community concern.”

Morris Paul

McAlister has more than 30 years of transportation industry experience, including 25 years at PB, from 1981 to 2006. His senior-level positions at the firm included Director of Operations for the Americas and Managing Director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He returns to PB after serving for three years as a Senior Vice President and Transportation Group Global Director of Operations at CH2M Hill.

McAlister received a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Bucknell University and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Morris is rejoining PB after serving two years as a Vice President of Cherokee Investment Partners, a $2 billion private equity fund that partners with communities across North America, Western Europe and Asia to return environmentally impaired real estate to clean, safe and productive use. Previously, he led the PlaceMaking group at PB, the firm's community planning practice. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as managing partner of the McKeever/Morris, Inc firm that was acquired by PB in 1999. Morris received a BLA from the University of Oregon and a graduate certificate in planning and development from Harvard University.

PB - Parsons Brinckerhoff

April 2009:
Steve Walker, current Major Projects Director of Thames Water is leaving the company after 19 years of service.

Walker jointed Thames Water in 1990 and has since held a number of senior roles across the business including Investment Director and Engineering Director. In that capacity, Walker has overseen some of the greatest milestones in the existence of the giant water company that supplies drinking water to 8.5 million customers and manages wastewater services to more than 13.6 million customers across the UK capital, the Greater London area, and the Thames Valley region of the UK - an area of more than 13,000km².

Steve Walker, a Thames Water senior

As Major Projects Director since January 2007, he has been responsible for project development and key investment issues for the company's £2 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel Project, a project based on more than 32km of deep level tunnelling that runs beneath the course of the river, and for which the first major contract is currently in the bidding process for scheduled award by the end of 2009.

During his early career with Thames Water, Walker was responsible for the construction and delivery of the £250 million London Water Ring Main Project, an engineering masterpiece of more than 80km of average 2.5m diameter water supply tunnels excavated at an average depth of 40m beneath the inner suburbs of London to improve operations and supply to millions. The project was instrumental in introducing leading edge TBM tunnelling to London with particular successes for EPB technology as built into three LOVAT TBMs bought by Thames Water and used by the engaged contractors to master the demanding challenges of the project. The project was inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in November 1994 and maintains its exemplary record of being completed two years ahead of programme and under budget.

Following the Ring Main success, and as Engineering Director for the company, Walker managed its UK investment programme of £400m to £500m annually as well as major international investment projects in China, Thailand, Turkey and the Americas. Through expansion of its business internationally, Thames Water provides water and wastewater services to some 70 million customers in 46 countries across the world, with operations in the USA, Germany, Poland, Croatia and China among many others. The company also owns water companies Ondagua and Pridesa, a specialist desalination company, in Spain.

During the last five years, Walker project managed integration of Thames Water into RWE, the multi-utility German water management conglomerate that bought the privatized public authority in 2001, and was subsequently one of the Senior Directors supporting the sale of Thames Water to Kemble Water Ltd, a group of private capital investors led by Macquarie Bank. As Investment Director from 2000 to 2006, Walker was responsible for the development, management and review of major investment projects and programmes to a value of £1billion annually.

Prior to joining Thames Water in 1990 Walker worked in the UK coal mining industry in production management and on major capital investment projects. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a PhD in Mining Electrical Engineering, and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management.

Walker leaves his office in the Thames Water headquarters in Reading, England early next month (April 2009). His replacement is yet to be officially confirmed. As well as semi-retirement and among other ambitions, he is leaving to further his role as an Associate Fellow at the Said Business School at Oxford University. He submitted his resignation a year ago and had the leaving date confirmed in December 2008.

Walker is well known in the UK tunnelling and water management industries and by many in the international arena who will wish him well in his new interests and endeavours.

References

Thames Tideway -TunnelTalk,Mar 2009
Tribute to the company's founder Richard Lovat (download pdf)

Thames Water
Oxford University, Saïd Business School

February 2009:
Michael Freitas joins Telvent Transportation North America group as manager of the Atlantic Region.

Based out of Telvent's North American headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, the Atlantic Region represents about 35% of the company's business in the United States.

Freitas, a civil engineer with more than 30 years experience in highway transportation, has an extensive background in intelligent transportation systems (ITS). He spent the majority of his career with the US Department of Transportation holding positions in the areas of highway safety and operations and becoming involved in the Department's ITS program since its inception.

After retiring from the Department, Freitas joined Ygomi LLC as Vice President of external affairs where he oversaw company interactions with government agencies both in the United States and Europe.

"We are looking forward to having Michael join our team," said José Maria Flores, Telvent's Transportation Division Executive Vice President. "His extensive experience in ITS is a strategic asset as we strengthen our position in key markets."

Telvent is a global company listed on the US NASDAQ stock exchange and specializes in high-value-added products, services and integrated solutions in the energy, transportation, environmental and public administration industries.

Telvent

February 2009:
Rob Holden CBE, current Chief Executive of London & Continental Railways, is confirmed as the new Chief Executive of the £16 billion ($US24 billion) Crossrail project in London.

Rob Holden CBE

Holden comes to Crossrail after supervising delivery of the £5.7 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link High Speed 1 Section 2 project that opened to services in November 2008. The Section 2 alignment comprises 39km of new double track railway from Kent, under the Thames in twin bored tunnels, across marshes north of the river on viaduct and through 19km of twin tube bored tunnels under the suburbs of North London into the new international Eurostar train terminal at St Pancras Station.

Crossrail Executive Chairman Doug Oakervee said of the appointment: "Rob brings exceptional experience in delivering major projects. I am delighted that Rob will be at the helm as Crossrail moves into the critical construction and delivery phase of the project."

When Holden joins in April, Oakervee will move across to take up the new post of Non-Executive Chairman and will remain in post until Terry Morgan CBE takes over as Crossrail Chairman later in the year.

Holden said: "I am very excited to be joining the project. When it opens in 2017 Crossrail will provide an additional 10% to London's rail-based public transport capacity."

Holden joined London & Continental Railways (LCR) in October 1996 as finance director, later becoming chief operating officer. He was also Chairman of Eurostar (UK) Limited and a director of the Eurostar Group.

Holden became Chief Executive in January 1999, following the restructuring of the LCR business and the High Speed 1 project in 1998/99.

Crossrail has announced further appointments to the project's senior executive team:

Valerie Todd has joined Crossrail from Transport for London as Talent and Resources Director; Lesley Calladine joins as Health & Safety Director on 23 February; and David Allen joins from Laing O'Rourke as Finance Director on 2 March.

Oakervee said of the appointments: "They bring a wealth of talent and experience and will complement and strengthen the Crossrail executive as the project moves towards construction of the railway."

Meanwhile, Crossrail is preparing to award its £400 million Project Delivery Partner and £100 million Programme Partner contracts. The Programme Partner will manage the overall scheme while the project Delivery Partner will manage the tunnelled sections beneath London.

Two partnerships are bidding for both contracts: Legacy 3 and a bid by three of the four members of Rail Link Engineering (RLE) which was responsible for delivering High Speed 1 - Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra.

The third bidder for Programme Partner is Transcend - a joint venture between Aecom (parent of Faber Maunsell), CH2M Hill, and Nichols Group.

The two additional groups bidding for the Project Delivery Partner contract are Laing O'Rourke with Atkins; and Capita Symonds with Bovis Lend Lease and cost consultant Northcroft.

Both contracts are to be awarded by the spring.

Shortlist for Programme Partner: Overall scheme management - £100 million Bechtel with Halcrow and Systra Legacy 3 comprising Parsons Brinckerhoff, Balfour Beatty Management and Davis Langdon Transcend, a joint venture of Aecom, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group

Project Delivery Partner shortlist: London tunnelled section management - £400 million Legacy 3 - Parsons Brinckerhoff, Balfour Beatty Management and Davis Langdon Bechtel with Halcrow and Systra Laing O'Rourke with Atkins Capita Symonds with Bovis Lend Lease and cost consultant Northcroft

Crossrail
London & Continental Railways
Channel Tunnel Rail Link (High Speed 1)
Crossrail moves into detailed design - TunnelTalk, Dec 2008

September 22, 2008:
Alan Man is named Vice President and Director of Client Services for North Asia Pacific Black & Veatch's water business in Hong Kong SAR.

Man has 28 years of experience in a wide range of waterworks installations, including pipelines, rehabilitation of water mains, water transfer tunnels, service reservoirs, pumping stations and water treatment works. He was Black & Veatch's Project Director of the Tai Po Waterworks and Aqueducts Project, which was the 2006 Global Grand Prize winner for the Design Category at the International Water Association's Project Innovation Awards.

Prior to joining Black & Veatch in 1993, Man worked extensively in Hong Kong and Australia water industries. He worked for the Water Supplies Department in Hong Kong SAR completed a two-year role with the Power & Water Authority of the Northern Territory, Australia. Man is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and received his BSc in Civil Engineering and his MSc in Urban Planning from the University of Hong Kong.

"Alan has played a key role in cementing our position as one of the lead engineering companies in Hong Kong," said Ralph Eberts, Senior Managing Director of Black & Veatch's Asia-Pacific water business. Black & Veatch has been working in Hong Kong for more than 70 years and provided project support for a number of global and regional projects including the award-winning Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment plant near Brisbane, Australia.
www.bv.com

August 2008:
Michael Keienburg has taken a position with Normet and will work from Baar Switzerland. Keienburg was previously with Sika Mining and Tunnelling.
His new e-mail address is michael.keienburg@normet.fi.

Back

August 2008:
The following senior professionals have joined international engineering and design corporation, Parsons, on major international tunnelling projects:

David Yankovich

David Yankovich, P.E., Principal Project Manager, is responsible for managing the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant_Tunnel and Ocean Outfall project for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. Yankovich has 28 years of civil and structural engineering experience and holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Union College in New York and a master's degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.

Andreas Tauschinger

Andreas Tauschinger, Construction Director for the Dubai Metro in the United Arab Emirates, has more than 25 years of tunneling and project management experience. Representative projects include Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel, England's Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Germany's Nürnburg-Ingolstadt High Speed Rail Link, and Greece's Olympic Metro Athens. He holds a bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Manchester in England.

Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon, Construction Manager for the Rail & Transit Division, is responsible for construction management activities surrounding Phase 1 of the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan. Dixon has more than 30 years experience in engineering and management of heavy and underground construction projects in a variety of general contractor, construction manager, consultant, and public agency roles, with special emphasis on major transit tunnel projects. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.

Leland DuPont

Leland DuPont, Principal Project Controls Manager, is responsible for estimating on a wide variety of tunnel projects, including the Downtown Wastewater Tunnel in Austin, Texas; the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant_Tunnel and Ocean Outfall in Los Angeles, California; and the Bay Tunnel in San Francisco, California. His 38 years of experience includes heavy civil engineering and all phases of project management with an emphasis on tunnel construction.

Sangyoon Min

Sangyoon Min, Tunnel Engineer, comes to Parsons from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he developed the design approach and decision-making tools for Korea's High Speed Rail Line and participated in tunneling research and development for large infrastructure projects. Dr. Min holds a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering and a Ph.D. in construction management and geotechnical engineering, both from MIT, and a bachelor's degree in mining and minerals engineering from Inha University in Korea.

"We're pleased to bring these experienced individuals on board," stated Martin Fabrick, Director of Global Business Solutions. "Their broad knowledge, technical ability, and project management experience will deepen our ability to deliver complex tunneling projects"
www.parsons.com