Author: Cynthia Hopkins

SAN DIEGO, California—Effective immediately, Simon Wong Engineering, Inc. is changing its name to Kleinfelder Construction Services, Inc.

Kleinfelder Construction Services specializes in providing full-scope construction management, inspection, and public relations services for all types of projects: major highway interchanges, roadway rehabilitation and widenings, heavy and light rail construction, grade separations, bridge structures, transit system infrastructure, water/wastewater infrastructure, and utility projects.

Our diverse experience in construction engineering and design means we are able to provide comprehensive services throughout the life of a project, from initial planning and project scheduling to project management, construction engineering, contract management, quality assurance inspection, claims support, and project closeout. Kleinfelder Construction Services also provides expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive public outreach and marketing programs to facilitate community engagement and build consensus for public works projects of all sizes.

In December 2012, Simon Wong Engineering became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kleinfelder, Inc. Over the past five years, Simon Wong Engineering has continued to offer outstanding Construction Management, Inspection, and Public Relations services to our clients throughout Southern California. Along with the rebranding to Kleinfelder Construction Services, we are also pleased to be able to offer our full suite of construction services to clients throughout the United States.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts—Kleinfelder is pleased to announce the addition of Kirk Westphal, P.E., to the East Division as a Senior Principal Professional on our Massachusetts Water Team.

Kirk has over 25 years of experience as an engineer and water resource planner. He has directed projects across the U.S. and abroad involving water supply planning, integrated resource planning (IRP), statewide and regional water planning, climate change adaptation, water and energy, reservoir optimization, water quality, flood mitigation, and risk-based drought management.

Kirk is accomplished in leading interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders through complex resource management decisions. He recently worked with state and city agencies and Native American tribal councils to develop a water agreement that was approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law. He has also led stakeholders and state committees through the process of drafting water policy to guide legislative decisions on balancing consumptive and non-consumptive water uses, climate change adaptation, and matching water quality to intended use.

Kirk joins Kleinfelder to focus on advancing our growing practice in Water Resource and Integrated Planning during one of the most complex regulatory eras in recent memory.  Tom Ritchie, Kleinfelder’s Massachusetts Area Manager, remarked upon Kirk’s experience as someone who “has successfully navigated challenging policy and complex technical hurdles to achieve outstanding results for his clients.  We are excited to have Kirk join our team.”

Kirk holds a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Tufts University, a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Massachusetts. He regularly publishes papers related to water resources and planning, winning national awards for technical papers on progressive water management techniques. Kirk also gives frequent guest lectures on Integrated Planning at New England universities.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Denver, Colorado—Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Janelle Prage has joined the firm as a Senior Recruiter. She is based out of our Denver, CO office and will be responsible for finding and recruiting senior level talent.  She will also focus on our social media efforts and internal talent acquisition training.

With nearly 15 years of experience in recruiting engineering and construction professionals at top tier competitors, Janelle will have immediate impact on quantity and quality of hires at Kleinfelder.  Most recently, she was a Senior Recruiter for the Gulf Southwest Region and Lead Recruiter for the Pacific Region at AECOM where she staffed positions for Water, Transportation, Environment, and Buildings.  She was also a Senior Recruiter at HKA Enterprises, onsite at CH2M.

Janelle graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, Advertising.  She has been certified in internet and diversity recruiting.  She has also been trained in Cold Calling, OFCCP, Passive Candidate Search and Performance Based Interviewing.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

DALLAS, Texas—Tony has 25 years of diversified experience in design, construction, and management of multi-disciplinary civil and public works programs and projects from inception to completion. He has served in management positions at Jacobs, KBR, Inc., and Atkins.

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With a successful track record of managing major project programs and regional operations, Tony has demonstrated his ability to increase financial performance, streamline processes and decrease turnaround times, develop strategic partnerships, enhance quality, and manage the delivery of exceptional client service.

Tony specializes in transportation infrastructure, with extensive experience in construction management and quality control of highways, interchanges, toll roads, and rails. He has worked on several high-profile major construction projects in Texas including serving as the North Texas Tollway Authority Construction Director for the $1.1 Billion President George Bush Turnpike Eastern Extension, and as the Program Manager for the $1.2 Billion Texas Turnpike Authority’s State Highway 45 and Loop 1 Extension project.

Tony joins Kleinfelder to focus on advancing relationships within the Central Division’s Transportation Market. “We are excited to have Tony join our team. His reputation, experience and leadership in transportation compliments our strong team throughout the Central Division and clearly sends a message of our commitment to expanding this area for Kleinfelder,” commented Dirk Applegate.

Tony holds a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management from Cal State Fullerton and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Iowa State.  He is an active member of CMAA and has served as chapter president for both central and north Texas chapters. A highlight and major accomplishment of Tony’s career was when he served as a Deputy Program Director for the $35 Billion Expressway Program in Doha, Qatar in preparation for 2022 World Cup. Tony is married and has two children; he loves soccer, being outdoors, and traveling.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

OAKLAND, California—Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Jon Amdur has joined the firm as a Vice President/Senior Technical Manager. He will be based out of our Oakland, CA office and be responsible for helping to expand Kleinfelder’s sediment remediation and dredging practice as well as enhancing the firm’s Remote Sensing including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS or “drone”) program.

Jon has over 30 years of experience in consulting engineering specializing in construction, remediation, and environmental planning. He has expertise in remote sensing techniques such as Unmanned Aerial Systems to collect data quickly and cost-effectively. Jon is passionate about developing creative solutions to developmental and remedial projects where he has brought project proponents, agencies, and the public together to streamline permitting and construction. He has extensive experience in planning large and complex shoreline development projects and has managed them from initial planning through project closeout.

Jon has spent the last several years on the West Coast working on large development projects as a regulator and project manager, specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, he worked for Haley & Aldrich and previously was the Bay Area Regional Manager for AECOM and URS as well as serving as program manager for the Port of Oakland’s Channel and Berth Deepening project and their Vision 2000 Terminal Development Program. Jon also worked at USEPA Region IX on Dredging and Wetland issues and was the Regional Expert on the management of contaminated sediments.

“Jon’s understanding and experience working in the marine and coastal environment coupled with his experience in finding “win-win” solutions will be a real asset for Kleinfelder and our clients,” says Louis Armstrong, Executive Vice President and West Division Director.

Jon graduated from San Francisco State University with a Masters in Fisheries Biology and Fisheries Management. He is an active member of the Society of Environmental Toxicologists and Chemists, American Fisheries Society, American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists, and Construction Management Association of America.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Washington, D.C.—The Engineering Excellence Award Gala at the ACEC National Convention in Washington, D.C. was a huge success, with Kleinfelder bringing home awards for three prominent projects.​

Kleinfelder was recognized with a Grand Award for work on the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant project.

Zeenat Chandrasekhar, SE (above, third from the left) of the San Diego Structural Group attended the ACEC National Conference and helped accept the Grand Award for the Carlsbad Desalination Plant during the Awards Gala, along with other project representatives from Poseidon (project developer) and Arcadis (lead designer).

“I was honored to accept the Grand Award for the Carlsbad Desalination Plant project with the rest of the project team,” says Zeenat.  “Kleinfelder provided the structural design for all the structures in the plant, which is the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere and the first major seawater desalination plant on the West Coast, providing a steady source of drinking water–unaffected by drought or seasonal dry conditions–to San Diego County’s 3.1 million residents.”

Two other Kleinfelder projects received National Recognition Awards at the Gala: the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) and the Auto Center Drive Grade Separation.

The ACEC National Convention and Engineering Excellence Award Gala are highly anticipated each year, and this year in particular as it marked 50 years since the establishment of the Awards program.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Chad Davis, P.E., MBA joined the firm as the San Diego Area Construction Services Leader on May 15, 2017.

Chad will sit in the San Diego (Copley) office and oversee the San Diego testing and inspection practice.

Chad has 25 years of technical and professional experience, specializing in executive level management and project management, as well as Quality Assurance/Quality Control implementation and management, and engineering forensics. He has directed engineering departments for several prestigious consulting firms in San Diego and has founded two consulting firms, one of which was successfully sold to NOVA Engineering and Environmental in 2008. Chad’s first job in the industry was with Kleinfelder in the former Reno, NV office where he worked as a lab and field tech part-time while attending college.

“I am excited to have Chad join our team and provide leadership in our Construction Services practice,” says Jeremy Larsen, National Service Manager for Construction Materials Engineering and Testing (CoMET). “He is a testament to the Great People we are adding to the Kleinfelder team and I look forward to the additional leadership he will provide in the company down the road.”

Chad comes to Kleinfelder from Twining, Inc. where he served as regional manager for San Diego and the Inland Empire. During his time with Twining, he managed two branch offices in San Diego and San Bernardino, covering a four-county territory. Chad’s leadership successfully increased regional revenue by $7.6 million between 2012 and 2015.

Chad is a Professional Engineer in California and Nevada and holds a QSP/QSD Qualification from CASQA. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University.

Chad is active in the American Concrete Institute, the California Asphalt Pavement Association, Vistage International, and Associated General Contractors.​

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

SAN DIEGO, California—Kleinfelder announced today that the firm has named three experienced and accomplished engineering professionals, Derek Fisher, Dirk Applegate, and Louis Armstrong, to senior positions leading its North American operations. Combined, the new firm leaders have more than 80 years of engineering and management experience. The announcement of these new appointments coincides with the beginning of Kleinfelder’s new fiscal year, which began on April 1st.

“Kleinfelder’s ability to attract proven executives of this caliber is a testament to our firm, our people, and our history,” said Kleinfelder CEO George J. Pierson. “Kleinfelder recently completed an extremely successful year that saw a significant increase in operational performance and a 20 percent increase in sales. With the addition of extraordinary leaders like these, we are confident that the firm will continue to enjoy ongoing success.”

The three new Directors include:

Derek Fisher, Executive Vice President, East U.S. Division Director

Derek Fisher has nearly 25 years of consulting, management, and leadership experience in the engineering consulting industry. In his 12 years with Kleinfelder, he has progressed from a Program Manager to Regional Manager and he has overseen some of the firm’s most successful projects and programs.

Dirk Applegate – Executive Vice President, Central US and Canada Division Director

A newcomer to Kleinfelder, Dirk Applegate leads the newly combined U.S. Central and Canadian Division.  With over 25 years of industry experience, Applegate has managed all aspects of strategic planning and implementation, operations, staffing, business development, and marketing. Prior to joining the firm he served in senior operations and business development roles with Brown and Caldwell and Arcadis.

Louis Armstrong – Executive Vice President, West Division Director

As an engineering professional with nearly 30 years of experience, Louis Armstrong is an accomplished business leader who excels at capturing new markets, and growing market share and profitability across industries. Prior to joining Kleinfelder, Louis served as Executive VP, General Manager-Pacific at AECOM.

Each Division Director will have full authority, responsibility, and accountability for business development, project execution, client satisfaction, and profitability – a shift from the previous organizational strategy. Pierson added, “These appointments will help us align with our purpose – connecting great people to the best work, and our objectives – to provide a superior return to our shareholders and invest in our people.”

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

BOSTON, Massachusetts—Kleinfelder announced today that the Massport Coastal Flooding Resiliency Project (CFRP) has been awarded a 2017 Gold Engineering Excellence Award from ACEC Massachusetts. This award recognizes the successful implementation by Massport and Kleinfelder of priorities established in the Massport Disaster Infrastructure Resiliency Plan, which itself won an ACEC/MA Silver Award in 2015.

Massport’s critical transportation infrastructure generates $7 billion in annual economic activity and supports over 10,000 jobs in New England. To help safeguard the region from sea level rise and Hurricane Sandy-like extreme weather events, Massport is implementing proactive strategies to become more resilient to coastal flooding. Through the CFRP, Kleinfelder helped Massport establish systems to help protect Logan Airport and Maritime facilities in the Port of Boston. These priority actions were identified in the Massport Disaster Infrastructure Resiliency Plan.

Kleinfelder designed deployable flood barrier systems, permanent flood doors, backflow preventers, and emergency electrical systems for Massport’s 10 most vulnerable critical assets. In addition, Kleinfelder and Massport developed Coastal Flood Operations Plans that scale to over 90 actions, across 50 sites, starting 72 hours in advance of flooding, and carrying through early recovery.

CFRP is the first proactive coastal flood resiliency program implemented by a major port authority in the United States. With Massport’s leadership and Kleinfelder’s technical support, CFRP has substantially increased Massport’s, and the region’s, resiliency to climate change impacts.

“We are honored to be recognized for our role in Massport’s groundbreaking resiliency program,” said Nasser Brahim, Senior Climate Change Planner for Kleinfelder. “The real proof of this project’s success is that it is already being replicated by other critical infrastructure owners throughout the United States.”

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Oakland, California—​Kleinfelder announced today that Louis Armstrong has been named Executive Vice President and West Division Director of the firm. Armstrong is a seasoned executive with extensive experience managing the domestic and international operations of major engineering firms. Based in the firm’s Oakland, CA office, Armstrong will oversee all of Kleinfelder’s operations throughout the Western United States.

“We are very pleased that Louis decided to join us. He is a proven leader and will be a tremendous asset to Kleinfelder,” said George Pierson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kleinfelder. “Louis’ experience growing businesses and driving operational excellence will help lead Kleinfelder to new heights.”

An engineering professional with nearly 30 years of experience, Louis Armstrong is an accomplished business leader who excels at running business, capturing new markets, and growing market share and profitability across markets. His expertise extends across numerous engineering specialties, including water, transportation, environment, industrial and high tech, power and petroleum, and buildings and architectural services. He is active in numerous professional and charitable groups, including having served on the Board of Directors of the California Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Planning Coalition. He is also a founding member of the Board of Directors for MEDIATE Art group, a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization.

“I am pleased to be joining the leadership team of Kleinfelder,” said Armstrong. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the firm’s 50-plus-year legacy of providing quality services with a strong commitment to safety and ethics. With our diversified services, premier technical talent and dynamic leadership, Kleinfelder is positioned to help our clients achieve their goals while benefiting the natural and built environments in which we live.”

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.