Chad’s journey towards leading his own structural engineering firm was like a roller coaster. He started as a mechanical engineer and on his first day, the owner of the firm handed him a stack of books and directed him to learn architecture and every discipline of engineering they offered. He did, and if it wasn’t for that moment, Chad would have never found his passion for structural engineering. He would have never received his masters in structural engineering or passed the SE exam.
Additional “ah-ha” moments came when he stood in awe, seeing his vision of a roller coaster leap from the blueprint into reality. He marveled at seeing his buildings stand tall and trucks driving along his bridge designs. He was hooked!
Over the last two decades, Chad has led every aspect of structural engineering assignments. His knowledge of other design disciplines has helped him form mutually beneficial partnerships with owners, architects, and builders in a team-centric atmosphere. He has the rare ability to see problems and solutions from multiple angles. As a result, he’s helped many people realize success on their projects.
Specifically, his experience includes structural design for:
- Residential and commercial buildings
- Single and multi-story buildings
- Accessory dwelling units (ADU’s)
- Fire rebuilds
- Renovation, retrofit, and tenant improvements
- Small bridges and abutments
- Custom wood and hybrid wood/steel roller coasters
- Seismic anchorage of equipment and non-building structures
- Foundations, retaining walls, and site improvements
Additional support services include:
- Coordination with geotechnical consultants
- Preparation of construction documents including calculations, specifications, foundation and framing plans, and details
- Construction field observations and preparation of field observation reports.
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Sustainable structural design
- Seismic evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings
- Finite element analysis
- Use of alternative and green building materials such as straw bale.
- Utilization of out of state and out of country building codes for unique projects.
Association Involvement:
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- Structural Engineering Association of Northern California (SEAONC)
- CA DSW Volunteer, Cal OES Safety Assessment Program
Education:
- M.S. Civil Engineering with Structural Emphasis, San Jose State University
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara
- B.S. Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Barbara