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Engineering Mechanical Electrical Control Systems, Forensic Mechanical Electrical Control Systems Engineering, Electrical, mechanical structural system, component failure analysis, product failure analysis, accident reconstruction, moisture causation, poor IAQ causation analysis, fire, explosion causation analysis, control systems, flow measurement, flow control, level measurement control, pressure measurement control, temperature measurement control, humidity measurement control, safety interlocks, motor starters, electrical motors, medium low voltage electrical systems, electrical failure analysis, intrinsic safety, electrical grounding, lightning damage, lightning protection, electrocution, circuit analysis, lamp analysis, HVAC systems, ventilation, fans blowers, air flow analysis, psychrometrics, pumps compressors, refrigeration equipment, mechanical failure analysis, boiler systems, combustion control, fire explosion causation

Professional Summary

Over 30 years of experience in Mechanical, Electrical and Control Systems Engineering for a very wide range of industrial, institutional, municipal and commercial applications.  Expert 2208 has served as a lead design engineer, project manager, engineering manager, forensic engineer and technical consultant.  He is an author and contributing author for several nationally published textbooks on environmental control systems and instrumentation.  He has presented papers internationally on the application of environmental control systems. He has also taught adult education courses on the application of digital and analog controls, and has been actively involved in the ISA (Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society) for over 20 years.  Over the course of his career he has worked for system manufacturers, as well as consulting engineering & architectural firms.  He is licensed as a professional engineer in multiple states and certified nationally as a fire and explosion investigator.  His forensic engineering experience includes fire and explosion causation, electrical and mechanical systems analysis, product defect analysis, and accident reconstruction.

Special Qualifications

Control Systems Engineering Design & Specifications

Recognized speaker and author on the subject of Environmental Control Systems

Working knowledge of the National Electrical Codes (NEC)

Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)

Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI)

Accident Reconstruction

Certified Tribometrist utilizing the English XL Slipmeter (CXLT)

Certified Vibration Analyst – IRD Mechanalysis, Chicago, Illinois

Mechanical Engineering Design & Specifications  (HVAC systems/IAQ/Central Utilities/Mechanical and Pneumatic Conveyor Systems/Pollution Abatement)

Indoor Air Quality Causation Determination (IAQ, Mold & Mildew)

Electrical Engineering Design & Specifications (Medium and Low-voltage)

Multi-discipline Project Management (studies, specifications and detailed design)

Technical Management & Training

Process Safety Management (PSM) and HAZOP Reviews

Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in NC, VA, GA, PA, IN, NY, NH, ME, WI, DE

Recipient of XEROX (AMTX) Award of Excellence for Benchmark Engineering

Associate Director of ISA Management Division in 2003-2006

Member of Sigma Xi – Scientific Research Society

Member of ASTM Subcommittee E50.06 on Forensic Environmental Investigations

Sonar Training – Lowrance/Eagle, Tulsa, OK

Professional Experience

Present
President, CEO and Principal Engineer
A Forensic Engineering Company In North Carolina             
                   
As President and Principal Engineer, Expert 2208 is responsible for overall supervision of the firm’s engineering staff and associate engineers.  Responsible for engineering services P&L; staffing; organization; the firm’s growth; continuing community relations; development; and training efforts, as well as actively conducting fire and explosion investigations as a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (CFEI), accident reconstruction, and mechanical/electrical failure and product defect analysis, case presentation, and courtroom testimony.

2003-2006
A Forensic Analysis & Engineering Corporation In North Carolina
Vice President of Engineering And Senior Principal Engineer

As Vice President of Engineering, he was responsible for supervision of the firm’s engineering staff and associate engineers.  Responsible for engineering services P&L; staffing; organization; the firm’s growth; continuing community relations; development; and training efforts, as well as conducting fire and explosion investigations as a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (CFEI), accident reconstruction, and mechanical/electrical failure and product defect determination, case presentation, and courtroom testimony.  Formerly Raleigh Regional Engineering Manager.

2002-2003
Clark, Richardson & Biskup Consulting Engineers, Inc. – Cary, North Carolina
Senior Project Manager

Responsible for the management of large, multidiscipline engineering projects as part of the Advanced Technology Core Team.  Assisted with business development for the college, university and industrial markets.  Performed 3rd-party peer reviews on electrical plans, mechanical plans, and control system P&IDs for a major pharmaceutical client.  Assisted another pharmaceutical client in their development of Level 2 and Level 3 SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) required for FDA compliance.

1998-2001
The Sear-Brown Group – State College, Pennsylvania
Branch Manager And Industrial Division Manager

Responsible for the management of a forty-five (45) staff, multi-discipline engineering/architectural branch office; and Industrial Division Manager for a team of twenty-two (22) structural, mechanical, electrical and controls engineers and designers.  Increased office profitability while expanding the office from a total staff of 20 to 45 within 18 months.  During that same period, the office’s engineering and design capabilities were expanded to include automation & controls and process engineering (chemical engineering).
Projects that he managed, or served as engineer of record, included:

Plans and specifications for a $40 million major chemical plant expansion, including:
Bulk chemical storage for hazardous and non-hazardous materials;
Railcar and tanker truck loading and unloading stations;
Flammable storage warehousing;
Chemical reactor system additions and upgrades;
A blast-resistant control building;
DCS automation system expansion;
Secondary containment and fire suppression systems (deluge and foam);
Site development (truck access, storm water management, security, site lighting);
Process piping and pigging system;
Hazardous area classification;
Hot oil system;
Steam distribution system modifications;
HAZOP review participation;

Plant wide electrical distribution upgrade (relocation of overhead power lines to underground) w/ increased capacity;

Layouts, structural support and utilities for robotics and material handling systems at a video tube manufacturing plant.

Investigation, report, and detailed design modifications to solve IAQ problems and exhaust-related issues occurring within material science laboratories at a major university.

Upgrade of laboratory ventilation and fume hood exhaust to resolve IAQ and humidity issues at an adhesives manufacturing facility based on an earlier investigation, report and recommendations.
HVAC upgrades to improve laboratory and classroom ventilation and temperature/humidity control at numerous facilities for a major university (open-end agreement).

Replacement of a wastewater clarifier at a major pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.

Addition of security cameras and site lighting at a video tube manufacturing facility.

Structural access platforms for numerous equipment access requirements at several manufacturing facilities.

Control system and HAZOP review for pollution abatement (scrubber and thermal oxidizer) at a chemical production facility.

Emergency shutdown system and HAZOP review for hot oil distribution system in the event of a system leak.

Design of flammable storage warehouse for storage and out-gassing of highly flammable virgin polystyrene foam rolls that are later thermoformed into food containers.

Skid-mounted process temperature control unit w/heat exchangers, valves, steam pressure regulators.

Design of a temporary 300-staff communications center for a major cable company.

Design of miscellaneous fire, security, HVAC, central utility system upgrades for a host of regional clients.

1989-1998
The Sear-Brown Group – Rochester, New York
Industrial Group Manager

Responsible for the formation and management of a team of process, mechanical, electrical and automation engineers for advanced technology applications.  The average years of technical experience for the team was nineteen years.  Responsible for developing the team from the ground up (recruiting, organizing, scheduling) and performing numerous engineering studies, recommendations, conceptual, detailed design (P&IDs, panel fabrication drawings, loop wiring diagrams, piping & equipment plans and elevations, specifications) and commissioning of a wide range of mechanical, electrical and process applications as a working manager.  Applications included:

Cleanroom design (Class 100 through Class 10,000)

Facility additions (loading docks, vent walls, warehousing)

Flammable storage warehousing (liquid and solid materials)

Bulk chemical storage (tank farms and loading/unloading stations)

Industrial ventilation and exhaust

Pollution abatement systems (packed column and spray scrubbers; dust collectors and baghouses; regenerative, catalytic, and thermal oxidizers)

Batch reactor systems

Wastewater treatment

Pneumatic conveying systems

Plant and instrument-grade compressed air systems

Nitrogen systems (high purity gas and cryogenic)

High purity water systems (RO/DI)

High purity inert gases

Vacuum systems (house and process)

Steam generation (fire tube and water tube boilers) and distribution

High temperature hot water systems

Hot oil systems

Refrigeration and chilled water systems (chillers, towers)

Intrinsically safe instrumentation & control system applications

PLC, DCS and standalone control systems (incl. Allen-Bradley, ABB/Bailey, Emerson w/Foundation Fieldbus)

Pneumatic controls

Combustion control systems

Security systems

Fire suppression and alarm systems

Electrical and mechanical systems inspections at several commercial (retail) facilities

1985-1989
Galson Engineers & Architects – Syracuse, New York
Sr. Instrumentation & Controls Engineer/Project Manager

Responsible for the development of I&C design standards and specifications.  Also served as lead controls engineer for numerous industrial and institutional applications.  Applications included:

HVAC system applications

Cleanroom and laboratory pressurization and temperature/humidity control

Industrial ventilation and exhaust control

Distributed control systems (Fisher Provox, Bailey Network 90, Rosemount Diogenese) for combustion control (steam plant) applications

Power plant instrumentation

Conversion of several 80,000 pph coal-fired, field-erected, water tube boilers to #2 and #6 fuel oil and natural gas at a NY state facility.  Included new refractory, new burners, variable speed induced draft controls, and new instrumentation and combustion control system

Wastewater treatment system instrumentation

Deculator overflow controls and flowmeters for a 152-inch photographic paper machine

Freeness detection in multiple pulp pipelines for a major photographic paper and film manufacturer

Steam distribution studies for several NY state operated institutional facilities (campuses)

Asbestos abatement – NY state certified Building Inspector and Management Planner

Groundwater monitoring wells and soil permeability testing for secondary containment at an above ground JP-4 jet fuel storage tank at a Strategic Air Command (SAC) Base

1983-1985, Carrier Corporation – Indianapolis, Ind.  &  Syracuse, New York

District Engineer  & Sr. Systems Engineer

As a District Engineer – responsible for the technical support of district offices in Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, Cincinnati and Charleston (WVA) on refrigeration and control system applications.  Provided assistance on unusual problems encountered during start-up or servicing of chiller and HVAC systems, process refrigeration, and DDC systems.  Special test equipment used for diagnosing system problems included vibration analyzers, oscilloscopes, volt-ohm-milliameters, and tachometers.  Also responsible for the commissioning of new DDC systems at a railroad engineering facility and residential/commercial air conditioning manufacturer.

As a Sr. Systems Engineer – assisted in development of new product integrated controls for existing line of commercial applied equipment (chillers and central station air handling units).  Also worked on the development of an adaptive and predictive automation system to control the burn-off rate of ice in a mass thermal storage system being developed.

1974-1983, Johnson Controls, Inc. – Indianapolis, Indiana
Applications Engineer & Building Automation Engineer

Responsible for detailed design of electric, electronic and pneumatic HVAC control systems and fire detection and alarm systems in commercial and industrial facilities. Responsibilities also included installation supervision, start-up and commissioning, programming, and customer training.  Applications included controls in:

Major bank buildings

Medical centers (including critical humidity/temperature control in operating rooms)

Telephone exchange buildings

Automotive manufacturing facilities

Air national guard facility

Telephone manufacturing facility

A monastery

Churches

Several college campus-wide monitoring and control systems

Pharmaceutical facilities

Research facilities

An automotive tech center

A major domed stadium

Public schools

Gas & electric utilities

Wastewater treatment facilities

Solar-powered heating and cooling system

Also involved in troubleshooting unusual system problems, providing technical support by phone to field technicians, and assistance with commissioning and troubleshooting fire alarm and security systems.

Education

Undergraduate

1995, Bachelor Of Science In Business Management & Economics
State University Of New York
Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, New York

1971, Associate in Applied Science in Electrical Engineering Technology

Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan

Post Graduate

Master of Arts degree in Business & Policy Studies

14 credit hours completed

State University of New York, Saratoga Springs, New York

Courses:

National Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigation Training Program (NAFI sponsored CFEI and advanced CVFI Certification)

Law School for Experts (sponsored by SEAK, Inc.)

English XL Certification Course

Affiliations

Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society (ISA) – Sr. Member (20 years) and  Past CNY Section President

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International)  – Member

Member – ASTM Subcommittee E50.06 on Forensic Environmental Investigations

Sigma Xi – The Scientific Research Society – Member

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) – Member

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) – Member

National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI) – Member

American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFI) – Member

National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) – Correspondent

Licenses & Certifications

PE, North Carolina
PE, Virginia
PE, Georgia
PE, Pennsylvania
PE, New York
PE, Indiana
PE, Maine
PE, New Hampshire
PE, Wisconsin
PE, Delaware
CFEI – Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (NAFI /NFPA)
CVFI – Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (NAFI)
CXLT – Certified Xl Tribometrist (English XL Slipmeter per ASTM F1679)
CBA – Certified Vibration Analyst (IRD Mechanalysis, Chicago, Ill)

Publications & Presentations

Available upon request.

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