Author: Cynthia Hopkins

Irving, Texas – Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Ray Carr has joined the company as Program Manager for the Texas CEI (Construction Engineering and Inspection) practice.

Ray officially started on October 31, 2016 and is housed in our Irving office. Ray has over 48 years of Project Management, Construction Management, and Marketing experience in both consulting and private sector roles.

Ray holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and has also completed postgraduate work in business administration at UTA.  He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and several additional States.

Ray joins Kleinfelder following two years as the Owner Verification Construction Manager for TxDOT on the Border West Expressway in El Paso, Texas. This is a 7.5 mile, four-lane Design-Build Toll Road between I-10 and the International Border, with a total budget in excess of $600 million.

Ray’s professional engineering experience includes planning, design, and construction management of multidiscipline projects for both public and private clients. His diverse contributions include office startup; client retention and profitability; serving as a liaison with Local, State, and Federal agencies; establishing design and construction standards; and marketing and managing multi-phase design and construction contracts.

Ray has been responsible for construction projects with a total cost of $978 million, ranging in size from several thousand dollars to more than $600 million of project costs. Ray has extensive experience in program management, preconstruction, construction management, design-build, aviation, planning, streets, highways, private development, water and sewer, healthcare facilities, parks, drainage, fire training, wetlands, Municipal, State, Department of Defense, Federal Government, and regulatory compliance issues.

Ray has served as City Engineer for several small cities; as District Engineer for a water district; and managed projects for TxDOT, LaDOTD, NMDOT, DHS CBP, USAF, USAFRC, FAA, EPA, USACOE, and the Republic of Honduras, Carswell Air Reserve Station, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Sheppard Air Force Base, Spinks Municipal Airport,; the Counties of Angelina, Collin, Grayson, and Plaquemines Parish; and the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Ennis, Wylie, Plano, McKinney, Little Elm, Waco, Royse City, and Granbury.

Ray is an Alumni Member of the Boy Scouts of America and assisted as a volunteer conducting numerous Pinewood Derbies and outdoor adventures. Please join in welcoming Ray to the Kleinfelder family!

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 is pleased to be honored with an Engineering Excellence Award from ACEC California for work completed on the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) Terminal Building and Pedestrian Skybridge connecting San Diego and Tijuana. The binational project spans the U.S./Mexico border and directly connects a new terminal building in San Diego to the Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), making TIJ the only airport in the world with terminals in two countries.

CBX is a high-profile, high-security project toll crossing for ticketed airline passengers offering a direct, convenient connection for TIJ passengers traveling to or from southern California. The bridge allows passengers flying into or out of Tijuana International Airport to circulate across the international border between two terminal buildings, enabling them to avoid unpredictable border wait times and often- lengthy delays at congested land ports of entry at San Ysidro or Otay Mesa. The airport can handle up to 10 million passengers per year and 360 flights per day.

“This extraordinary project is one of a kind and we are honored to be recognized by ACEC California,” said Dan Harpstead, Chief Technical Officer at Kleinfelder, the San Diego-based engineering firm that designed the bridge and oversaw its development. “The project has been extremely beneficial to travelers since it opened during the 2015 holiday season, and more than 600,000 passengers have already used it.”

The project’s owner, Otay-Tijuana Venture, LLC, placed considerable importance on creating a cost- effective structure that emphasized aesthetics and functionality. The $120 million project required tight collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including bi-national and bilingual coordination between the design team and contractors on both sides of the border. Moreover, engineering a building within a bridge structure across international lines required that engineers design the project to satisfy both building and bridge specifications. Additional features such as moving walkways, lights, mechanical systems, fire life safety, and HVAC added complexity to the structure.

Kleinfelder’s bridge design consisted of a pair of steel through-trusses with three simply-supported spans ranging from approximately 115 to 150 feet. In addition to ensuring the integrity of the crossing, this was the optimal solution to accommodate limited site-accessibility and maintain the Tijuana terminal operations during construction. The bridge is supported on four reinforced concrete pier walls and cast- in-drilled-hole concrete piles, all designed to fit aesthetically in the structure’s overall look and feel.

Kleinfelder was instrumental to the successful completion of this complex bridge project, which blends engineering and construction excellence with bi-national collaboration. Kleinfelder’s integrated bridge and geotechnical expertise proved critical for moving the project swiftly from its initial phase of development through completion. Not only was the project completed on-time and on-budget, but it also meets the structural and aesthetic requirements of stakeholders and agencies in both the U.S. and Mexico.

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.

KONA, Hawaii – Kleinfelder was honored with the 2016 Outstanding Environmental and Engineering Geology Award for work on the US-89 Bitter Springs landslide repair project at the AEG Annual Conference, held September 19-24, 2016 in Kona, Hawaii.

This national award is not given every year and serves as a testament of Kleinfelder’s standing as a nationally recognized landslide expert and industry-leading engineering geology and geotechnical capabilities.

The US-89 Bitter Springs landslide project involved a geotechnical investigation of a landslide that occurred in the steep slopes of Echo Cliffs in Arizona. The movement created a large crack and displacement of the US-89 roadway, severing a major transportation corridor and significantly impacting local residents and communities for two years.

Working closely with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) under emergency repair mode, Kleinfelder quickly characterized the landslide mass and designed a remedial long-term stabilization plan to reopen the road and restore normal travel conditions in the area.

The award ceremony was part of the Opening Session of the conference, and included a presentation by Bill McCormick, Sr., Principal Engineering Geologist at Kleinfelder, and Jim Lemmon, Geologist with ADOT.

Kleinfelder’s project team was presented with a bronze plaque—a replica of the large plaque that will be displayed on a rock at the project site in Arizona.  Photos of the project and a project write-up were also featured in the conference program.

“Attending the AEG Annual Conference and accepting the award was a wonderful opportunity to highlight Kleinfelder as a premier engineering geologic/geotechnical firm,” reflected Bill McCormick.

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.

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania – After two years of design and construction, the King of Prussia Mall expansion, located 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, opened on August 18, 2016.

Project-owner SIMON selected Kleinfelder to be the geotechnical and construction materials engineering and testing (CoMET) consultant for construction of the expansion to one of its most famous malls.

The expansion project included the construction of a new 200,000-square-foot above-ground retail space that spans Mall Boulevard and connects the Plaza and Court Malls, as well as a new four-level parking garage.

Construction spanned several major shopping seasons during which the mall remained open to the public, adding a unique layer of complexity to the project.

Because customer experience was paramount to SIMON, Kleinfelder installed and managed a remotely operated noise and vibration monitoring program that included real-time data collection with the capability to provide threshold exceedance notifications to control impacts to mall customers during construction.

With these precautionary measures in place, Kleinfelder’s project team maintained a safe and appealing environment for shoppers during back-to-school shopping, Black Friday sales, and the winter holidays.

Kleinfelder served as the geotechnical engineer-of-record for the project and provided recommendations for the support of the connector structure and garage on a micropile foundation system.

During construction, Kleinfelder provided CoMET services and environmental characterization sampling and analysis for excess soil disposal, including inspection and testing services.

The Kleinfelder team assisted during design and construction to overcome challenges associated with the Karst geologic setting of the site, which included a highly irregular rock surface (pinnacled limestone) and subsidence sinkholes.

Associated improvements also included retaining wall construction and approximately 10 acres of site work, involving pavement, underground utilities, and landscaping.

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.

PRINCETON, New Jersey – The Kleinfelder Group announced today that Pilar Patterson has joined Kleinfelder’s water services team effective October 12, 2016.

Prior to joining Kleinfelder, Pilar held the position of Chief of the Bureau of Surface Water Permitting, Division of Water Quality at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and managed programs regulating over 400 wastewater facilities. Before that, Pilar worked in the sewerage infrastructure construction program and the state revolving fund infrastructure loan program.

“We are excited to have Pilar join the Kleinfelder team,” said James Cosgrove Jr., PE., Vice President/Principal. “I have worked with Pilar for over 25 years in her role as manager at NJDEP, and look forward to bringing her state and national expertise to Kleinfelder. Kleinfelder, our clients, and the community will benefit immensely from her experience and leadership.”

In 2011, Pilar and her team at NJDEP took on the challenge of New Jersey’s combined sewer overflow (CSO) program, and used collaborative permitting to raise New Jersey to a national model for CSO compliance. Rather than pursuing costly EPA consent decrees, which have resulted in billions of dollars of costs to communities, Pilar, in close cooperation with the USEPA, created a permit-based model that brings communities into compliance with the Clean Water Act while allowing flexibility to address local needs and economic realities. Pilar has been recognized by the USEPA as a visionary whose leadership and innovative approach presents a new paradigm for CSO compliance.

Pilar’s in-depth knowledge of New Jersey and Federal environmental regulations, combined with her proven ability to provide innovative and cost effective solutions to communities’ wastewater issues, will provide clients new options and opportunities to address complex wastewater needs.

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 John A. Murphy has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the firm. Murphy is a seasoned executive with significant operating and financial management experience with the domestic and international operations of major engineering firms.

“John will be a tremendous asset to Kleinfelder,” said George J. Pierson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kleinfelder. “Kleinfelder’s ability to attract this caliber of executive reflects very well on the future of the organization. John is well respected throughout the engineering community, and he is a highly experienced and accomplished executive.”

John Murphy has more than 25 years of senior management and financial experience, including 15 years working with major engineering contractors and their domestic and international operations. Prior to joining Kleinfelder he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA) division of WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff which employed in excess of 13,000 staff across the region. He has also served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Chief Executive Officer of the Irving Transportation Group and Executive Vice President and Finance Director for the E&C Division of Kvaerner ASA in London. He brings significant industry experience, strong leadership skills and a practical hands-on approach to the Kleinfelder team.

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 Patrick Schaffner has been named Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources of the firm. Schaffner is a veteran human resources executive who specializes in developing and managing progressive corporate accountability programs for major engineering firms.

“Pat Schaffner is a terrific addition to Kleinfelder,” said George J. Pierson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kleinfelder. “The fact that Kleinfelder can attract talent at this level of quality bodes very well for the future of the firm. Pat will be instrumental fostering a corporate culture and human resources initiatives that reflect our values.”

Patrick Schaffner is a human resources professional with more than 25 years of experience. Before joining Kleinfelder he served as Senior Vice President, Director Global Mobility for WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international professional services organization with more than 40,000 employees world-wide. Prior to that he was Senior Vice President, Global HR Director for Parsons Brinckerhoff.

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 – The Kleinfelder Group announced today that George J. Pierson has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, effective September 6, 2016.

“We are excited to have George join the Kleinfelder team,” said Rodger Johnson, Chair of Kleinfelder’s Board of Directors. “George brings experience gained from years of leading a multi‐billion‐dollar, global infrastructure firm and we will benefit immensely from his leadership as we begin the next stage in our company’s development.”

George currently serves as President and CEO of The Pierson Advisory Group. Prior to that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Parsons Brinckerhoff, a 130‐year‐old global engineering and program management firm with 14,000 employees in 150 worldwide offices, and annual revenues of approximately $2.7 billion. He held this position from 2010 to 2014. During his five‐year tenure as President and CEO, the firm added nearly $1.4 billion of shareholder value.

“I’m proud to be joining a firm with Kleinfelder’s long reputation of contributing to clients’ success, and I look forward to building on that legacy,” said Pierson. “Kleinfelder is at an inflection point in its development and with its broad platform, excellent reputation of client service and strong technical talent, it is well positioned to be a leading force in the A/E market.”

Kevin Pottmeyer, the company’s interim President and CEO, said “We’re delighted to welcome George to Kleinfelder. With his leadership, we are poised to take our business to the next level.”

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.

IRVINE, California – Kleinfelder is pleased to share that Bart Patton, Senior Vice President, has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from ACEC’s Orange County Chapter.

This award commemorates Bart’s prestigious 42-year-long career in the field of engineering, his exemplary service and integrity in the engineering profession, and his service to ACEC.

Bart—who is based in Kleinfelder’s Irvine, CA office—received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Engineering from UCLA in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

Bart was quickly immersed into the engineering profession with his first job out of college as a staff engineer with Converse, Davis and Associates in Pasadena, CA.

Bart (center) surrounded by family and colleagues

Seeing a need to advance the profession, Bart began his long-term commitment to serving early in his career by volunteering to serve on the Board of ASCE’s Geotechnical Group in 1976. As his career advanced, he became the Program Chair for the Orange County Chapter of the Consulting Engineers Association of California (CEAC), the forerunner to ACEC OC.

In 1992 Bart became the second President of the newly organized Orange County chapter of Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California (CELSOC). Bart served on CELSOC’s State Executive Committee in 1999, rising to CELSOC California State President in 2003.

For the next four years, Bart continued to serve on the CELSOC Executive Committee as the ACEC National Director representing California on ACEC’s National Board. He also served on ACEC’s National Planning Cabinet for three years, chairing the Cabinet for two of those years.

In 2007, Bart was made Fellow of ACEC and was selected to join the national Executive Committee as Vice Chair in 2009 and as Senior Vice Chair in 2010. In 2013, he received ACEC’s Chairmen Emeritus Award for his “many years of dedicated service.”

Bart regards his service to ACEC as his greatest service to the profession.

In 1994, Bart accepted a position as Los Angeles Regional Manager for Kleinfelder. After helping to re-organize and grow the LA Region, he became the Southwest Division manager in 1999.

Bart was appointed as Kleinfelder’s Chief Operating Officer in 2004, serving in that position until he began his semi-retirement in 2009. He also progressed through the ownership ranks to become a Senior Principal Owner, and served on the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2011.

“Bart has been a mentor of mine and many others throughout the 20 years we have worked together at Kleinfelder,” says current Los Angeles Regional Manager Pam Massa. “I have seen him in the good as well as challenging times and one thing is for sure: he is not about who is right, but what is right. His passion for engineering and life has made the world a better place.”

Bart will retire from Kleinfelder in December of this year and plans to do a bit of consulting, continue his community service, play more golf, travel with wife Joni, backpack with his brother and friends, and spend time with his family.

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 – With great pleasure, Kleinfelder welcomes Tom Wood to the firm in the role of Transportation Client Account Manager.

In his role, Tom will focus on CDOT, the City and County of Denver, Denver International Airport, and other regional Transportation clients.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences and a Master of Science in Mineral processing from Pennsylvania State University.

He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Professional Geologist and Geoscientist (Tennessee and Louisiana), and Professional Engineer (Tennessee), as well as a Certified Project Manager.

Tom has over 36 years of experience in the engineering, procurement, and construction field—including senior level program management, nation-wide financial and professional staff responsibilities, and experience as a Regional Vice President, Director of Construction, and Environmental Technology Manager.

“I am very excited about adding Tom to the very strong Colorado Team and Kleinfelder,” says Transportation Market Manager Richard Wells. “With his diverse background and vast experience in the engineering business, Tom will enhance the Transportation marketing efforts greatly while assisting the entire Colorado Region.”

Tom has served locally and nationally on technical and community Boards related to hazardous materials, drinking water, transportation, parks and recreation, and radioactive materials.

He has been a senior program, project, business development, and construction manager for heavy industrial and technology projects involving over $1 billion in work for various municipal, commercial, and government clients.

Tom comes to Kleinfelder following a long career in a wide variety of work with companies including Bechtel, Parsons, Jacobs, CB&I, and Willbros.  He has managed the design and construction of major transportation systems, mining & pipeline facilities, remediation of large Superfund sites, and many significant municipal projects in the Denver metro area.

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.