Rozbeh B. Moghaddam

Around the Globe, Dr. Rozbeh B. Moghaddam is Evaluating Deep Foundations

By Todd Fuqua

In spite of all his current success, it's fair to say that Dr. Rozbeh "Roz" B. Moghaddam (MBA 11) can define what it feels like to be an outsider.

Born in Portales just prior to the Iranian Revolution in1979, Roz and his parents, Mehdi B. Moghaddam (EDSP 79) and Akaram Sabbaghi (MED 79), lived with uncertainty before his father returned to Iran to take on a diplomatic position with the government.

Rozbeh B. Moghaddam evaluating foundation work completed for a bridge in Norway.

Roz's father, Mehdi, moved from assignment to assignment –Saudi Arabia, Iran, Spain, Mexico. Everywhere they went, Roz said he and his family were treated as outsiders.

“When we went back to Iran, my parents had a son that was born in the U.S. and was a U.S. citizen,” Roz said. “Even in Iran, we were considered foreigners. It was an interesting upbringing."

In Saudi Arabia, his family was looked on as Persian, in Spain they were called “Hussein,” during the First Gulf War in Iraq. They learned Castellano Spanish while there (Roz is fluent in Spanish, English and Farsi) but when they arrived in Mexico, they were referred to as “Conquistadors” or "Gallegos" because of their Castellano Spanish accent.

Rozbeh B. Mogaddam, left, with his father, Mehdi B. Mogaddam, in 2010.

All of these labels would be enough to frustrate most, but Roz has never let it affect him.

“I won’t complain about it. I won't let things that I don't have control of get in my head. I look at the bright side,” Roz said. “I’ve learned to adapt to the society or a situation rather than try to change people.”

His travels and exposure to various cultures across the globe are one of this Greyhound grad’s greatest assets. As president of RBMConsulting Group, Inc. and an exceptional geotechnical practitioner, Roz has participated in significant projects around the globe.

In his professional career, he has designed foundations, earth retention systems and tunnel sections in Mexico City’s complex soils, worked on foundation projects in Australia, participated in locks and vertical filter drain designs in Dallas, Texas, and performed numerical analyses for bridge constructions in Houston, Texas, and Cleveland, Ohio. His travels have taken him from Denmark to El Salvador to Malaysia, and just about everywhere in between.

Work on the lock at Chickamauga Dam near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

His specialty is underground construction, primarily deep foundations and tunnels for large scale projects.

Roz has also authored more than 30 technical publications, lectured at numerous universities and delivered short courses and seminars.

Inspection of Auger Cast Piles, a type of Deep Foundation. Rozbeh was fresh out of college.

“In my opinion, the first step in business is communication, both at a technical and non-technical level, meeting with and talking with clients and potential clients,” Roz said. “I am adaptable to various communities throughout the world. My background has created the ability to interact with different cultures and people.”

His communication skills have been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Roz to meet and converse with clients and potential clients online, instead of networking by attending conferences and meetings of professional organizations.

Deep Foundation evaluation and construction inspection, Residential Tower, Canary Wharf, London, U.K.

“Our client prospects come from professional conferences. I usually speak at these conferences throughout the year, and do podium presentations related to past projects, which attracts potential clients.” Roz said. “That resource is completely gone, at least for now.”

Because the projects his company works on are extensive, Roz hasn’t been worried about the short term. There are projects in the pipeline for now. It’s the start of 2021 that concerns him.

“Thankfully, work has not changed much. We have the same volume, and we are busy,” Roz said. “We’ve also been producing webinars on our website (rbmcgroup.com) to keep clients abreast of recent developments.”

Roz started his higher education while with his family in Mexico City. Upon graduating with his bachelor’s, he began working for a geotechnical engineering company in Miami, Florida. Later in 2005, he continued work on tunneling projects for a metro system in Mexico City.

Deep foundation base inspection and evaluation, Northfolk Southern Railroad bridge, Painesville, Ohio.

“Mexico has a unique subsurface condition. Highly plastic soils, regional subsidence and seismic activity create a truly challenging situation for the engineering community,” Roz said.

From there, Roz decided to continue his education and leave the business, opting instead to become a professor and do consulting work. An MBA was what would allow him to be a consultant, and he chose to come back “home” to ENMU.

Rozbeh B. Moghaddam at his graduation in 2011.

“The classes I took at Eastern were very influential,” Roz said. “The academic environment was not natural to me, but I worked hard and learned things that helped me eventually complete my Doctoral studies.”

He later earned that Ph.D. at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, but rather than go into the academia, Roz was offered a full-time consulting job with GRL Engineers in Cleveland, Ohio. He later started RBM Consulting Group Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, and built his reputation as an expert on deep foundation as his company has participated in major projects on five continents.

Roz in his mother’s arms at her 1979 graduation at ENMU.

While the size of these projects can be massive, Roz’s company is small. His primary goal today is to keep working hard and keep the company going through the economic downturn as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has changed everything,” Roz said. “We need to adapt personally and professionally to stay in business.”

The pandemic has also taken its toll on Roz personally, as his brother and two sisters are surgeons.

“We are very close, even though we live apart,” Roz said. “I am extremely proud of my siblings and certainly appreciate what they do every day during these unprecedented times.”