Bio/Firm Description: I am the Executive Director and Structural Services Director of the Masonry Institute of Michigan. In this capacity, I am the principal officer of the Institute and responsible for all Institute affairs in support of their mission statement to promote and advance the masonry industry. I am also a part time faculty member at the University of Toledo where I teach Advanced Structural Design in the College of Engineering, Engineering Technology Department.
I began working in the engineering industry at the age of 16 by working as a field technician where I tested the compressive strength of concrete and the compaction of fill materials on construction sites. This experience was invaluable to me in my career, as it gave me a better understanding of constructability. After this, I began work as a construction inspector at HNTB Michigan. In this position, I continued learning about construction means and methods. Following this, I worked as a geotechnical engineer at Somat Engineering where I performed the design of deep and shallow foundation systems, and earth retaining structures. I then led the Midwest region at Bergmann as the discipline manager of structural engineering. Subsequently, I worked as a senior structural engineer at Fishbeck in Grand Rapids, MI prior to beginning in my role with MIM.
I am the current chairman of the BIM-M subcommittee through The Masonry Society, and I am a voting member on the Structural Members and Design subcommittees for the current TMS 402/602 code cycle.
