WINTER
2019
FEDERAL
BUILDING A CITY WITHIN A CITY
Michael Baker International upgrades Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base We Make a Difference
WINTER 2019
FEDERAL 02 Chairman & CEO Note
A message from our Chairman, Thomas J. Campbell, and our CEO, Brian A. Lutes
04 Thought Leadership
04 We Serve Those Who Serve
A column by David Boone, P.E., Chief Growth Officer
06 Federal Centers of Excellence
Our coast-to-coast network of offices that leverage our federal experience and credentials to deliver for clients
08 Impact
08 Building a City within a City
Michael Baker International upgrades Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base
14 Advancing America’s Nuclear Technologies
Michael Baker applies innovation to the challenge of safely disposing of nuclear waste
20 In the Works
20 Partnering for Success
Michael Baker’s nearly 80-year legacy of service to the U.S. federal government continues today
24 Our Experts
24 Leading with Excellence
Michael Baker’s industry-leading experts spearhead our federal work
30 Across the Continuum
30 Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers
Ten Michael Baker colleagues traveled to Bolivia to improve the lives of more than 650 residents
32 Latest ENR Rankings
Our investments in strategic growth areas are delivering results for our clients and advancing our Culture of Excellence
34 ENR Regional Best Projects Awards
Michael Baker was recently honored with multiple ENR Regional Best Projects Awards
36 Driving Regional and Practice-Wide Growth New leaders are making an impact
Signature is published by the Corporate Communications department of Michael Baker International to showcase our full continuum of people, places, projects, innovations — and how We Make a Difference in the communities we serve.
Chief Communications Officer: Leanna Anderson Corporate Communications Director: Brian Peiritsch Art Director: Brent Patrick Contributing Writers: Evan Pattak, Greg Faist, Dianne Stetzer, Claire Carrell, Julia Covelli, Rob Loveless, Adam Stout WINTER 2019 © 2019 Michael Baker International. All rights reserved.
Cover photo: Inside Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base, a $200 million project featuring a mix of new construction and renovation/expansion of existing facilities.
Chairman & CEO Note
CONTINUING A PROUD LEGACY OF FEDERAL SERVICE A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN, THOMAS J. CAMPBELL AND OUR CEO, BRIAN A. LUTES
Our relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers extends nearly 80 years, almost to the founding of our Company. It is not an understatement to think that without the tenacity of our founder, Michael Baker Jr., and his work as a subcontractor on a large survey project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1940, there would be no Michael Baker International today. That project — a topographic and boundary survey of more than 15,000 acres of a defense property near Paducah, Kentucky — established the firm as a major new player in the engineering industry. The success of that project, completed 15 days ahead of schedule, opened the door to more work with the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies and municipalities. Today, we work with dozens of federal agencies, from the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense to FEMA and NASA, among many others. Our work is conducted from coast to coast and through offices we have designated as Federal Centers of Excellence. These offices represent our most experienced and diverse expertise with
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federal projects and allow us to best serve those clients and continue the relationships forged over decades, while earning the trust of new agencies to help solve their complex challenges. As we prepare to celebrate our 80th anniversary in 2020, we dedicate this issue of Signature to the projects and people who demonstrate how We Make a Difference for the federal clients we serve.
Supporting Critical Mission Requirements David Boone, Chief Growth Officer, Head of our Federal Practice and a retired Navy Rear Admiral, outlines our approach to federal work and the trends we see for it in the years ahead. He addresses the broad range of expertise and services we offer to federal clients, including planning, construction and design-build, to disaster management and resiliency planning, among others, to ensure critical mission requirements are met.
Chairman & CEO Note
Leading the Modernization Effort for a Vital International Air Base When the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia turned to the U.S. Air Force to help upgrade King Khalid Airbase to a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate a fleet of F-15 aircraft, the Air Force turned to Michael Baker. We served as designer of record on a complex $200 million project that supports the fight against terrorism.
Designing a 500-Year Solution for the Department of Energy A byproduct of the work done by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory is low-level nuclear waste, which requires safe disposal. To conform with new regulations, the DOE asked Michael Baker to identify a solution that would allow for a more permanent disposal option, one that would last for 500 years.
Delivering Results Across the Federal Spectrum
relationships and work that contributes to our national safety and infrastructure, and we are proud to present a sample of recent initiatives that reflect the diversity of services we provide to federal clients.
An International Federal Markets Team Rich in Expertise, Experience and Service It takes a strong team of talented men and women to support our many federal clients and projects. Many of our colleagues have worn the uniform and bring that unique perspective to the projects and relationships they manage. Our work with federal agencies has endured and grown over the last 80 years, allowing us to contribute to vital government projects and infrastructure around the world, from Alaska to Saudi Arabia. We take great pride in our long relationship with the many federal agencies we have been fortunate to call clients and partners. It is an honor “to serve those who serve” our nation.
One of the privileges of working in the federal sector is the breadth of agencies with which we partner. We never stand still in the pursuit of new
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Thought Leadership / Federal
WE SERVE THOSE WHO SERVE David Boone, P.E., Chief Growth Officer and Retired Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Federal clients have been at the center of Michael Baker International’s work for nearly 80 years. Chief Growth Officer David Boone shares why they are such an important focal point and how our Company serves them — now and into the future.
How do you describe Michael Baker’s approach to federal work? We serve those who serve, meaning that we have a deep understanding and passion for supporting our federal clients to fulfill their mission. Many of us at Michael Baker who served in the military know what it is like when you are the person or part of a unit that is operating forward — in the military we call that the tip of the spear — and you are confronted with the enemy or a disaster or whatever the mission is. It is often very lonely out there because it is all on you to make it happen, and it is crucial to receive the right level of support. Having been out there at the tip of the spear, we recognize the importance of that support that enables mission accomplishment. I am very proud that our Company serves in that capacity and has done so for nearly 80 years.
What differentiates Michael Baker from others serving in the federal space? One of our differentiators is that we are an integrator. We can do it all for our clients. We have a very broad and deep spectrum of capabilities and skill sets. We are “cradle to grave” for anything that a client needs — planning, design, construction, design-build, environmental management, etc. Another distinction for Michael Baker is that we do a variety of work for clients in both public and private sectors, so we bring innovative ideas across
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public-private sector boundaries. We advance the best of breed in our solutions and approaches — for example, Connected and Automated Vehicles could become a new capability on military bases brought from the private sector — so we are able to capitalize on the best ideas across our enterprise, where many companies are siloed in either the federal or private sector.
What new areas of focus is Michael Baker concentrating on to serve more federal agencies? Our primary focus within the federal market is to pursue work that supports “critical mission requirements.” Every federal agency has functions that are critical to its mission and that is the work we want because that is what our federal clients value most and where the most resources will be dedicated. We have many examples where we have directly supported these kinds of missions, from the SEAL compound in San Diego, to new hangars for next-generation aircraft, to our disaster support work with FEMA. Another focus area is disaster management, including resiliency planning and disaster response and recovery. With military bases in particular, the first question after a disaster is “What is the base’s readiness to operate? Can the base launch planes? Can the base deploy ships?” The base has to immediately recover and still achieve its mission in the defense of our country. We at Michael Baker play a role in the recovery effort and we are seeing it play out in real time as we are involved in rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base, Camp Lejeune and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake after each was damaged during a natural disaster.
A third area of focus is something called “total ownership cost” — all the costs it takes to be an owner of infrastructure. Since our business is about engineering and construction, we are usually involved in a client’s capital investment accounts. However, a client not only thinks about the capital accounts, they also think about impacts of new construction to maintenance costs, operations costs, utility costs, and environmental and sustainability costs. Across the Company, not just in federal, part of our value proposition should be that we plan, design and construct thinking about optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of our client’s total ownership cost.
What trends in federal work will define the next 5-10 years? Department of Defense priorities, first and foremost, are always shaped by potential threats around the world, which are continuing to play out in the Pacific theater, where we are aggressively winning and pursuing work. Resiliency, disasters and climate change are areas that will shape our world and the federal market for the foreseeable future. An example of this impact that we are watching very closely is the melting of the Arctic Ice Cap, which enables sea travel over the Arctic Ocean but also creates a number of national security challenges. There is discussion in federal circles about building a military port facility on the west coast of Alaska to respond to this changing environment. We will also see more around our aging cities in the U.S. and work on rebuilding our infrastructure: roads, airports, bridges and utility infrastructure. No matter the situation, we will continue to be a strong partner with our federal clients and stand ready to serve those who serve.
About David Boone David Boone is the Chief Growth Officer of Michael Baker. He is responsible for leading the Company’s National Practices, Federal Markets and the Proposal Development Center. Boone’s distinguished career spans more than 36 years, including significant experience in military leadership positions. Most recently, he served as President of the Government Strategic Business Unit of APTIM, a firm that specializes in disaster response, environmental remediation and engineering and construction. Previously, his Navy service included three years as U.S. Navy Director of Shore Readiness, retiring with the rank of Rear Admiral – Civil Engineer Corps. In this role, he directed resourcing and policy for 70 Navy installations worldwide with $182 billion plant replacement value, 122 airfields, 410 piers, 58,000 employees and a $9 billion annual budget. His military career included a number of positions in command around the world and in expeditionary environments as varied as Djibouti, Africa, to the Arctic. A Seabee Combat Warfare officer, a government contracting officer and Navy Diving officer, Boone also provided engineer assessments for national emergent and crisis responses during Hurricane Mitch, Hurricane Katrina, the Fukushima earthquake/tidal wave and the Gulf War. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Director of Facilities at the White House and was responsible for the White House Shelter on 9/11.
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OUR FEDERAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
Idaho Falls, ID
Salt Lake City, UT
San Diego, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Federal Centers of Excellence
CAPABILITIES Architecture & Engineering
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Civil Engineering
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Cost Estimating
Construction Services
Engineering
Environmental
Federal / Thought Leadership An important tool that Michael Baker International leverages for delivering services is our coast-to-coast network of eight Federal Centers of Excellence (FCOE), offices that are characterized by our employees’ deep federal experience and credentials. Michael Baker’s FCOEs ensure that our people with proven federal experience and the strongest track records of past performance on federal projects are maximized to deliver the best results for clients.
Pittsburgh, PA
Alexandria, VA
Virginia Beach, VA
Dallas, TX
Fuel Leak Detection
GIT
Planning
Transportation
Value Engineering
Water
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BUILDING A CITY WITHIN A CITY Michael Baker International upgrades Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base
In the design, construction and construction management sectors, it goes without saying that all projects are complicated. Yet, when the client is the federal government, its allies or contractors, the degree of project complexity, sophistication and importance often takes a quantum leap upward. Federal initiatives usually require fast response and teams of talented, dedicated personnel flexible enough to respond to tight deadlines and changing conditions. Often, federal projects are international in scope, so that contractors may need to have boots on the ground abroad and work in a variety of languages. Such was the case with Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base (KKAB), which is located in the kingdom’s southwestern corner and has served the country for many years. But when Saudi Arabia acquired a fleet of F-15 aircraft from the United States as a bulwark in its defense against terrorism and wanted to base the planes at KKAB, it was clear that the existing facility could not house the fleet.
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“The base was being repurposed to accommodate the F-15s, and the infrastructure could not support the new weapons system,” says Frank Terak, Senior Vice President of Federal Markets for Michael Baker International. “It needed a significant upgrade.” For assistance, the kingdom turned to the U.S. Air Force, which engaged a design-build team including Gilbane Federal, Inc. and Michael Baker as designer of record. In 2014, the team was presented with a task of stunning scope and complexity. The KKAB project would cost about $200 million and would feature a mix of new construction and renovation/expansion of existing facilities. Providing an appropriate home for the F-15s and related maintenance structures was the principal mission, but the upgraded KKAB also would house a training center complete with dormitories, dining areas and a student center; a training complex; outdoor
Michael Baker’s principal mission was to provide an appropriate home for KKAB’s fleet of F-15 aircraft and the related facilities and structures.
Flexibility and Innovation
The new KKAB would be a state-ofthe-art city within a city — and all to be completed over three years. athletic fields and a mosque for worship. Other new construction would include a headquarters building; a maintenance training facility; sidewalks and parking and sunshades for protection in outdoor areas. Development of infrastructure — including design and construction of pavement and utility connections — was a key component of all project features.
Michael Baker has a rich and rewarding history with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reaching as far back as a 1951 initiative that involved development of a seaside complex that included a wharf, hospitals, airports, highways and a customs building. Michael Baker served as construction administrator for that project. The Company’s experience in the Middle East extends to the 21st century, as Michael Baker provided design services for a recent project in Qatar to create seven sites as part of missile defense infrastructure.
In effect, the new KKAB would be a state-of-theart city within a city — and all to be completed over three years.
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Impact / Federal
We understand the cultural necessities and impacts of working in a different country that you have to consider in design, and we bring that understanding to the table. That is where our expertise in working in the Middle East comes into play. — Frank Terak, SVP Federal Markets – Michael Baker “We understand the cultural necessities and impacts of working in a different country that you have to consider in design, and we bring that understanding to the table. That is where our expertise in working in the Middle East comes into play,” says Terak. “We bring real-world applications to the quality of designs. Our people stand apart in their understanding and knowledge of this arena.” Still, the KKAB modernization/expansion was of another order, so massive and multifaceted that Michael Baker assigned approximately three dozen staff to it, including team members to travel to Saudi Arabia for coordination with all stakeholders. The Company broke the project down into six different design packages: demolition; dormitory foundations/dormitories/pumphouse; renovations; training center; maintenance training facility/ student center/mosque and headquarters building/pedestrian bridge/sunshades. With so many components proceeding simultaneously, the team needed to be fast and flexible. “Scheduling was the biggest challenge. They were building almost as soon as they received the designs,” says Rebecca Schwartz, Michael Baker’s Department Manager – Architecture who served the KKAB project in a number of key ways. “Just trying to organize that in itself was a challenge, but we had great leadership.”
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Schwartz is the very embodiment of the team’s flexibility. Initially, she was assigned the role of lead for the dormitory foundations/dormitories/ pumphouse element. Midway through the project, however, she also stepped up to assist in the design of the mosque and headquarters facility. Based on the Company’s meticulous research of mosques, mosque design, local customs and traditions, Michael Baker applied a number of key innovations to meet expected challenges as well as emerging circumstances. For example, the Michael Baker team applied the Civil 3-D software program to assist in the massive grading design and balance the cutfill and provide profiles and cross sections of utilities and roadways. With that information in hand, the team devised a utility bypass plan to reroute existing utilities already supplying adjacent facilities. In addition, the design team was confronted by a lack of certain vital technical data, including curve numbers and soil information to perform the UPC preferred TR-55 method of calculating stormwater runoff, as well as the unavailability of local precast concrete structures. These issues were compounded by the discovery of a former on-site landfill — where the team excavated and removed an entire vehicle which had been dumped there. To overcome these obstacles, the Michael Baker team used an alternate approach, called a modified rational analysis, to determine peak volumes and discharges for storm events. In response to the shortage of existing precast concrete buildings, the team designed concrete structures as cast-in-place.
The Tow-Way Perhaps the most critical challenge was assuring safe, uneventful movement through tight corridors of the F-15s. Ordinarily, such aircraft would taxi to the runway under their own power. Yet because of KKAB’s structure density, aircraft engines could not be activated during the taxi due to the proximity of buildings and the potential damage to them.
Transforming Travel
The upgraded KKAB houses a training center with dormitories, dining areas and a student center.
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Impact / Federal
The solution? The Michael Baker team designed a unique tow-way as a route for tow trucks to maneuver the F-15s to and from hangars and runways, replacing aircraft engine power with towing power. The team located the tow-way over an existing drainage ditch that was analyzed for hydraulic capacity, and a double-box culvert system was installed to convey stormwater.
A Sense of Accomplishment, Patriotism As one might expect on such a multinational project, language issues sometimes arose, particularly where complex documents were involved. Often, Schwartz recalls, the workarounds were fairly fundamental. “The documents were in English,” she says, “but so there would be no misunderstandings, we sometimes provided a more graphic representation.” With all challenges overcome, the modernized King Khalid Air Base became fully operational in 2018 and was every bit the secure,
efficient, multifaceted facility the Royal Saudi Air Force envisioned. The experience reinforced Michael Baker’s leadership in large-scale, complex projects, as the Company successfully allocated teams talented in a diversity of disciplines — and deployed them quickly. For those teams, successful completion of the project brought a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment of a patriotic duty.
Michael Baker applied a number of key innovations to meet expected challenges as well as emerging circumstances. “Michael Baker is a leader in supporting the U.S. Department of Defense in its critical missions throughout the globe,” Terak says. “In this case, we supported our government in its fight against terrorism. I feel this makes us safer as a country.”
The project was so massive and multifaceted that the team broke the project down into six different design packages.
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The modernized air base became fully operational in 2018 and was every bit a Difference We Make the secure, efficient, multifaceted facility the Royal Saudi Air Force envisioned.
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ADVANCING AMERICA’S NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES Michael Baker International applies innovation to the challenge of safely disposing of nuclear waste
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The disposal site would need to maintain its integrity for at least 500 years.
Federal / Impact
For 70 years, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has served as a cornerstone in America’s development of peacetime uses of nuclear technology, a site where dozens of reactors have been studied, tested, assembled and ultimately decommissioned. Located across a sprawling 890 square miles in Butte County, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) INL site includes the Advanced Test Reactor Complex, the Materials and Fuels Complex, the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center and the Naval Reactors Facility. A byproduct of this work is low-level nuclear waste that must be disposed of in a safe, reliable, lasting manner. In the past, DOE and the facility’s primary operating contractors, Fluor Idaho and Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, (BEA) disposed of the waste in an on-site subsurface disposal area, and in later years shipped some of it off-site. As the thinking about nuclear waste evolved — and its regulations tightened — DOE sought a more permanent solution to disposal. In 2014, BEA and its design-build subcontractor, Orano (previously Areva) Federal Services, LLC, engaged Michael Baker International to design a remote-handled, low-level waste (RHLLW) disposal facility for permanent disposal of INL’s waste, and to provide all associated civil, mechanical, structural, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering services. The new $77.6 million complex would eliminate the need for radioactive material transports across public roadways while reducing disposal costs, and capitalize on an existing, experienced workforce for disposal operations. The project also would include an administration building and a maintenance facility, all with utilities provided through connections to existing services.
The new $77.6 million complex would eliminate the need for radioactive material transports across public roadways while reducing disposal costs, and capitalize on an existing, experienced workforce for disposal operations. It was a sensitive, complex task to be sure, and it became even more so when DOE specified that, to ensure long-term safety and security, the disposal site would need to maintain its integrity for at least 500 years.
Subsurface Disposal Vaults of Reinforced Concrete In a way, the term “low-level waste” is misleading, suggesting that this material is not particularly hazardous. The contaminated materials include irradiated metal components and ion exchange resins, as well as incidental debris such as rags, mops, filters, shoe covers, clothing, equipment and tools. The radioactivity of such detritus covers a wide range, from just above background levels to extreme radioactivity. In fact, the complex produces three types of waste — resins, activated metals and miscellaneous debris — much of it presenting an exposure risk to humans. David Stephens, P.E., Structural Engineer in Michael Baker’s Idaho Falls office who served in various lead roles on the project confirms: “Low-level does not necessarily mean low-level radiation,” he says. “Low-level is defined as a certain type of waste that includes items that have become contaminated with radioactive material or have become radioactive through exposure to neutron radiation.”
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A 150-ton, remotely operated crane lowers stainlesssteel canisters containing nuclear waste into vaults.
For burial of the waste, the Michael Baker team designed an entombment site encompassing 11 acres and including approximately 450 subsurface disposal vaults, of varying sizes, constructed of precast, reinforced concrete manhole-like sections. The waste, in most cases, has been previously placed or will be placed in protective stainless-steel canisters — up to 939 of them. A 150-ton, remotely operated crane lowers the stainless-steel canisters into the vaults, sometimes several to a vault. A primary project requirement was to minimize the land area required to dispose of the slated volume of waste. This drove the placement of cylindrical vaults such that each was in contact with six adjacent vaults. This created a hexagon shape to close off the space above and below each vault. This tight spacing naturally created the needed shape for both the vault base and plug. Identifying a mix for concrete that lasts 500 years was challenging but may not have been the project’s biggest hurdle. Stephens notes that the team was able to find the right concrete mix with only a few modifications to commonly used precast concrete mix designs. Fabricating the concrete vault sections, however, was a different story.
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“In the precast concrete fabrication process, anomalies can occur,” Stephens says. “Sometimes the concrete does not fully consolidate, leaving defects such as ‘honeycombing’ or ’bug holes.’” Other problems that can occur after curing are chipping, spalling and cracking. These imperfections can create potential pathways for water intrusion. All imperfections larger than a certain size had to be addressed. “We evaluated each piece and specified any necessary repairs,” says Stephens. Only one component of the more than 1,500 had to be discarded and a replacement recast.
No Water, No Salt, Please Just as important as perfecting the concrete fabrication process was creating the right underground environment for the disposal site.
The Michael Baker team designed an entombment site encompassing 11 acres and including approximately 450 subsurface disposal vaults, of varying sizes, constructed of precast, reinforced concrete manhole-like sections.
Federal / Impact
“If you want concrete to last 500-plus years, one main objective is to isolate it from the environment so ground water carrying certain dissolved substances from the soil cannot attack,” Stephens notes. Soils at the INL site can contain salts such as chlorides, sulfates, carbonates, sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium. “If you can keep concrete from getting wet in such an environment, properly mixed and formed concrete can last well over 500 years,” he says.
Brady J. Orchard, P.E., PMP, INL’s Project Director for the Materials and Fuels Complex, notes that the crane cannot be operated in the standard manner.
The site’s design creates a favorable environment in several ways. First, the team designed vertical and horizontal layers of free-draining rock to surround the buried vaults.
— David Stephens, P.E., Structural Engineer – Idaho Falls, Michael Baker
“Any water that might be flowing through the ground near the vault array will hit those layers of rock and flow downward instead of into the array,” Stephens adds. In addition, the design employs a similar technique for spaces between vaults, where freedraining pea gravel is used to keep the area from retaining moisture. Finally, the vaults are topped by five-foot-thick reinforced concrete plugs that provide radiological shielding, as well as security. Once the plugs are lifted and the waste is remotely inserted in the vaults, the plugs are replaced, helping to ensure the integrity of the vaults. The massive crane provided yet another challenge. When it is lowering canisters, the crane must straddle vault array sets, which introduces the possibility of soil disturbance and shifting. “The crane puts a heavy load on the soil adjacent to the vault array,” Stephens says. “We had to carefully evaluate the soil, and specify the types of soil to be used, so that crane operations would not displace any of the concrete components. This was critical to ensure that the top shielding plugs could be removed and replaced as needed during the disposal phase.”
The project went to great lengths to make sure that, once the waste was inserted in the vaults, it would be virtually impossible to retrieve.
“It is configured to support remote operation via a control pendant, minimizing potential worker radiation dose,” Orchard says. “The configuration of the crane is a critical component in helping ensure worker safety and enables operations to be conducted in a more efficient manner than would be capable utilizing a standard boom crane.” And what of the rigging used for lifting and lowering canisters? Because humans are not be permitted near the inserted waste, the design had to pay special attention to them as well. “Once inserted into the vault, by design, neither the canisters nor the rigging can be retrieved. You cannot have personnel near the opening of the vault array,” Stephens says. “The rigging, made from wire rope slings, is remotely disengaged and simply falls into the vault.” They, too, become part of the five-century package. “The project went to great lengths to make sure that, once the waste was inserted in the vaults, it would be virtually impossible to retrieve,” says Stephens. For example, once each vault has been filled and the shield plug has been placed on the vault for the last time, the lifting lugs for the plug will be grouted in, preventing use of the lugs in the future.
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Impact / Federal
At completion of the operational life of the disposal facility, a long-term protective soil cover will be placed over the waste disposal vaults. This final closure cover will be an evapotranspiration barrier that will cover the entire disposal facility and further protect the waste material from contact with infiltration water. This barrier will include a vegetated soil layer, an underlying coarse rock layer, a low-permeability layer and grading fill material. The barrier will be configured to divert all surface water away from the disposal vaults and extend beyond the boundary of the facility.
The RH-LLW disposal project earned two ENR Merit Awards for the Mountain States Region, a DOE Project Excellence Award and a Project Management Institute Project Excellence Award for the North America Region. Additional Capacity if Needed The project team delivered the RH-LLW project six months ahead of schedule and $4.7 million under the congressionally authorized budget.
Perhaps most importantly, the RH-LLW represents the culmination of a decade-long effort to provide permanent, environmentally responsible disposal capacity at the INL site, enabling the laboratory to continue its nuclear energy research mission. And it can do so secure in the knowledge that the waste disposed of will be harmless for at least the next 500 years. The vaults give DOE tremendous disposal capacity. Should more be needed, Michael Baker’s design incorporates expanded capacity. As Orchard puts it: “The completed facility is essential to the continuing mission activities of the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and DOE-Naval Reactors, underpinning development of carbon-free nuclear technologies and national defense. Without continued RH-LLW disposal capability, critical mission activities would be significantly hindered.” Today, the site is a model of solid science and sophisticated design that was recognized by Engineering News-Record when it presented the initiative with two Merit Awards — one for the Specialty Construction category and one for the Safety category — during its recent Mountain States Region 2019 Best Projects awards event. The project also received the DOE Project Excellence Award in April 2019 and Project Management Institute Project Excellence Award for North America Region.
The team delivered the project six months ahead of schedule and $4.7 million under the congressionally authorized budget.
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A primary project requirement was to minimize the land area required to dispose of the waste.
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PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS Michael Baker International’s nearly 80-year legacy of service to the U.S. federal government continues today Michael Baker’s federal experience encompasses all facets of planning, design and construction of the built environment. We partner with the Department of Defense and federal agencies to support the U.S. government to meet its various stateside and global missions. We provide expertise in the areas of cybersecurity, master planning, disaster relief
services, environmental compliance and restoration, military fuels, facilities and infrastructure design, water and wastewater engineering and geospatial information technology (GIT). We are a trusted partner, continually focused on delivering superior engineering design and innovative solutions for complex projects.
Dover Air Force Base
The project included Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection (AT/FP) standoff requirements, relocation of existing roadways and rigorous design efforts to avoid the flight line. New parking areas also were required. A majority of the building area is dedicated to the maintenance hangar bay space (approximately 68,000 square feet), which is supported by office spaces and support functions such as tools / parts storage, mechanical, electrical and telecommunications rooms.
Dover Air Force Base (AFB) is home to the U.S. Department of Defense's largest aerial port. Michael Baker recently provided the base with full design services — including civil, structural, architectural, interior design, mechanical, electrical, telecommunications and fire protection engineering — for a new $40 million single bay, 84,176-square-feet, fully enclosed fuel cell capable maintenance hangar for servicing and maintaining both C-5 and C-17 aircraft. Since much of the work is performed during adverse weather months, the new hangar, when constructed, will support aircraft maintenance, repair and inspection activities under complete cover.
Separately, Michael Baker is designing the addition and renovation of an Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) facility at Dover AFB to provide more functional and efficient warehouse space. AFMES provides the DoD and other federal agencies with comprehensive forensic investigative services for fallen service members.
Proposed design of the 84,176-square-foot hangar.
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Federal / In the Works
U.S. Department of Defense
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Michael Baker is providing planning, architecture, bridge and general engineering services under several indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts for projects at U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) installations within the North Atlantic division.
Michael Baker’s relationship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its predecessor agencies spans nearly 50 years. We provide outreach and risk communication expertise, program and project management, hazard mitigation, engineering and information technology services to support multiple contracts that help the agency fulfill its mission of helping people before, during and after disasters.
Over 50 projects have been awarded since 2007 at locations including U.S. Army Fort Drum and Tobyhanna Army Depot, which provides worldclass logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Systems across the DoD, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Dover Air Force Base, Joint-Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, and Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock. Michael Baker’s services address virtually every aspect of facility planning and design. Tasks include coordinating and implementing planning charrettes; conducting on-site investigations, antiterrorism and force protection analyses; performing programming, space planning and interior design; developing building systems designs — including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems — and construction cost estimates; reviewing construction submittals; responding to contractor requests for information and preparing as-built plans. Assignments include developing designs for building renovations as well as new construction.
Michael Baker is the managing partner of Resilience Action Partners, FEMA’s national Community Engagement and Risk Communication (CERC) provider for the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) program. CERC engages with communities and individuals to help them take steps to reduce their risk of disaster loss. As a member of the Resilience Action Partners team, Michael Baker helps communities understand their risks and take action to protect what is important to them. In addition to supporting FEMA Headquarters with national initiatives, we have teams co-located with each of FEMA’s 10 regions to help state, local and tribal communities across the United States become more resilient. Michael Baker has a long history of successful project delivery, combined with extensive FEMA program experience and a strong commitment to making our nation more resilient through better community preparation, more strategic long-term community planning decisions, and increased ability to bounce back after a disaster.
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In the Works / Federal Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest Michael Baker is providing civil engineering services for projects at various government installations located in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW) area of responsibility, which includes California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, with the possibility of supporting additional projects worldwide. NAVFAC is the systems command that delivers and maintains quality, sustainable facilities, acquires and manages capabilities for the Navy’s expeditionary combat forces, provides contingency engineering response and enables energy security and environmental stewardship. Michael Baker is supporting large projects under the Military Construction (MILCON) Program. “This contract builds on Michael Baker’s more than 25-year track record of delivering exceptional service to NAVFAC SW,” says Trudi Lim, P.E., Michael Baker’s San Diego Office Executive and NAVFAC SW Program Manager.
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Michael Baker’s Cost Management Practice provides cost estimating services and value engineering services for the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO), which provides safe, secure, functional and resilient facilities that represent the U.S. government and support federal staff outside the U.S. Over the years Michael Baker has worked on projects in 115 different countries. Michael Baker’s estimators and core group of teaming partners integrate DOS/ OBO requirements, local pricing, productivity challenges, security requirements and other factors into cost estimates, which are used as the basis for client cost estimates in the federal procurement process. “With our deep understanding of construction initiatives outside the continental U.S., we are often within two to three percent of the contractor’s bid price,” says Mark Childs, Vice President - Cost Management, Michael Baker. “We are involved from the beginning of the project through final design, so we assist in keeping projects on budget throughout design, which aid OBO in budgeting the project before the bidding process begins.”
U.S. Corps of Engineers, Europe District Michael Baker recently earned an indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) Master Planning contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Europe District. This contract prequalifies Michael Baker to compete for work that will help USACE Europe District deliver engineering, construction, stability operations, and environmental management products and services for the Army, Air Force, and other U.S. government agencies and foreign governments throughout the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility.
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Federal / In the Works General Services Administration Michael Baker International is providing architectural and engineering services for the existing General Services Administration (GSA)-owned, 465,000-square-foot, single-story Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Service Center building in Ogden, Utah. The scope of professional services requires: professional architectural, engineering, design development documents, construction documents, specifications, cost estimates, value engineering services, computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), building information modeling (BIM), and postconstruction contract services for the interior and exterior construction. The IRS Service Center is one of three mission critical facilities for the IRS and is operational 24 hours/day, seven days/week. The building also houses an American First Federal Credit Union branch, Cafeteria Services and a GSA Child Care Center. The project includes space for the approximately 1,800 year-round IRS employees, as well as the 1,000 to 1,700 seasonal employees.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Michael Baker recently completed nearly 24 months of work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fort Worth (Texas) District on three Transportation Security Administration (TSA) K-9 dog training facilities located on Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) in Texas. This work continues our 20-plus years of working with USACE Fort Worth District, their Engineering Construction and Support Office (ECSO) and the Regional Planning and Environmental Center (RPEC). On two of the projects, each an approximately 9,000-square-foot facility for training airport duty bomb smelling dogs, Michael Baker was the architectural engineering designer of record. On a third project, a K-9 dog training campus, we were the master planner, performing all of the initial concept planning activities as required by the TSA and JBSA installation facilities and planning guidelines. As a result of these new facilities, TSA will now be able to train more dogs and help train other military and law enforcement agencies that leverage the use of K-9s.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Michael Baker was recently selected as one of four firms for a Master Planning Services contract supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and has just recently completed our first task order — to analyze existing plans and identify potential gaps in siting personnel. After this initial successful task order, NASA is continuing to issue work to us. “One of the strengths we bring to our work with NASA is our data-driven approach,” says Rachael Richter, Department Manager – Planning. “We have been able to showcase how we use data to best use facilities and property.” Other potential services that Michael Baker could perform over the next five to eight years under this contract include working with NASA to identify and plan facilities that support the agency’s overall mission, developing special studies to assist with improving NASA’s facility management and creating websites to showcase NASA’s master plans to the public.
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Our Experts / Federal
LEADING WITH EXCELLENCE Michael Baker’s industry-leading experts spearhead our federal work
Frank Terak Senior Vice President – Federal Markets Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dale Gray Vice President and Director – FEMA Alexandria, Virginia
“The most exciting aspect of our work is that we truly help federal agencies meet their most important goals, from disaster planning and map modeling, to support in the global war on terror in the design of infrastructure for new mission-critical programs. We are actively improving the quality of life for service men and women via new facility systems, such as barracks, dormitories, training facilities and more. We are a one-stop for all facets of planning and design for the built environment. We have a global reach and are large enough to take on the most challenging, complex projects, while small enough to provide hands-on, personal service to our clients. Our people really make a difference.”
“We are partnering with FEMA in new and exciting ways, such as virtual reality, to give the public a better understanding of their risk related to natural disasters. Whenever and wherever we can help in making natural disasters less disastrous to the citizenry, we have done our part. We are proud to have supported FEMA since the agency’s inception and have helped shepherd innovations over that time that are now infused into the way FEMA supports the nation in the pre- and postdisaster environments. We will continue to bring forward the brilliance and dedication of our team every day in support of FEMA’s critical mission in making the nation more resilient against natural disasters.”
Years with Michael Baker: 32
Years with Michael Baker: 25
Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Terak is responsible for our federal strategy and directs our business development activities with our federal clients, both DoD and civilian agencies. We have a robust federal portfolio and provide comprehensive planning, design and construction oversight services to support mission-critical programs globally. This necessitates maintaining, managing and expanding key client relationships, as well as positioning Michael Baker for new programs and opportunities.
Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Gray is responsible for the execution, financials and development goals for Michael Baker’s FEMA portfolio. In this role he oversees engineering, mitigation, community engagement and postdisaster projects in all 10 FEMA regions.
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Federal / Our Experts
Brian May Senior Vice President and National Market Lead – Air Force Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lois Muller, P.E., PMP Vice President and Program Manager Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
“Given the recent string of natural disasters, increasingly dynamic geopolitics and the rapid pace of technological advancement, military engineers are currently facing a uniquely daunting set of challenges as they work to support a wide variety of critical missions. The work they do — and the work we do in support of it — is clearly important. We have the capabilities of a very large firm but are nimble enough to move quickly in support of client needs. These attributes and our long history of success supporting federal clients make us a strong partner and service provider for any federal client.”
“Michael Baker’s success in serving the mission of our clients is possible because of our experienced and dedicated engineers, architects, designers, surveyors and other professional staff who truly care about our clients and work diligently and effectively to engage clients so that we can find the best solution for each situation. Just as important is the strong support foundation we have to quickly mobilize staff and respond to client needs worldwide with the appropriate security and safety measures understood and incorporated into each project and maintained as security situations evolve.”
Years of military service: 25 (U.S. Air Force)
Years with Michael Baker: 32
Key role(s) during military service: May served 25 years in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer leading installation planning, capital investment decisionmaking and facility design and construction. He served as Director of Facility Engineering at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) in San Antonio, Texas, where he led a staff of 150 engineers and project managers in the oversight and on-time, within budget execution of a $10 billion worldwide design and construction portfolio. May also served in different leadership roles during his career with either direct involvement in or oversight responsibility for facility planning and management activities, both in the field and at headquarters levels. He retired at the rank of Colonel.
Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Muller has a broad range of diverse experience in environmental, civil, infrastructure, facility design, construction management and planning. She has extensive experience managing large, complex and diverse U.S. Department of Defense contracts for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Air Force, primarily overseas in contingency/ hostile environments.
Years with Michael Baker: 1 Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: May serves as our Company’s Air Force subject matter expert working with client service teams, local offices and practice leads to develop both tactical plans and strategic positioning for key opportunities.
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Our Experts / Federal
Robert Schlesinger, P.E., LEED AP BD+C Senior Vice President and Area Executive Santa Ana, California
“There is great synergy between the work I did in the military and what our Company provides to the federal government and to other clients. In the Navy, I became an expert in facilities design and construction, environmental compliance and remediation, public/private ventures, urban planning, construction management, contracting, asset management and GIS solutions. I gained a deep understanding and lots of experience in leadership, management, budgeting, resource management, talent management, employee and contractor safety and client relations. I use all of these in my current role.” Years of military service: 29 years (U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps) Key role(s) during military service: Schlesinger’s final tour was Commanding Officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)
Northwest, a 800-person engineering, contracting and construction management organization, where he supervised environmental compliance and restoration, facilities management, utilities management and distribution, real estate, public/ private ventures, planning, asset management, GIS and energy conservation for more than 1,000 Navy buildings and structures. His penultimate tour was Facilities and Environmental Director, Navy Installations Command, where he was in charge of facilities and environmental policy, budgeting and budget execution for 79 Navy installations worldwide. He orchestrated the $900 million facilities portion of the Hurricane Katrina emergency supplemental appropriations request to Congress and oversaw recovery efforts, including damage assessments, emergency operations, repair solutions and budget estimates. Years with Michael Baker: 10 Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Schlesinger oversees Michael Baker’s offices in Santa Ana, Long Beach, Camarillo and Los Angeles, managing operations and the growth of our business and providing leadership to mentor and develop our employees, expand our business and add new markets and new clients.
Years with Michael Baker: 12
Jacob Watson, P.E., S.E. Senior Vice President of Federal Operations Salt Lake City, Utah
“We understand federal challenges because we have lived them through nearly 80 years of prior projects and prior service with our veterans. We continue to find new solutions for our clients every day. The more unique the challenge, the more interesting the solution.”
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Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Watson works hand-in-hand with Michael Baker’s Growth Organization, Operations leadership and Federal Centers of Excellence (FCOE) across the Company to ensure that we leverage the best client strategy and our best talent to serve our federal clients.
Federal / Our Experts
James Koch, Ph.D., P.E. Senior Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Alexandria, Virginia
“We have many caring, talented, dedicated professionals at Michael Baker who deliver great value for our clients’ projects. They care about the clients and the people who, ultimately, are going to use the things we plan and design or where we oversee construction. This responsibility is intrinsic to our culture, which is one of many reasons why our federal clients value us. They know we care and that we have the systems in place to deliver a quality product on time and on budget.”
managerial principles, leadership theory and practice. Koch also commanded both a combat heavy engineer battalion and a Joint Task Force in Central America delivering educational facilities, medical facilities, roads, athletic fields, electrical distribution systems, water wells and athletic facilities. Koch also managed both horizontal and vertical construction projects ranging in size from $50,000 to $35 million in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Korea, Germany and Iraq.
Years of military service/branch: 21 years (U.S. Army)
Years with Michael Baker: 2 (plus six years leading a tri-venture including Michael Baker and partners)
Key role(s) during military service: Koch’s final assignment was Director of the Department of Tactics, Leadership and Engineering at the U.S. Army Engineer School, where he was responsible for training more than 1,200 resident and nonresident engineer officer students each year in all aspects of military engineering, construction and construction management, including demolitions training, combat engineering, construction engineering, military tactics,
Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Koch oversees all operations for Michael Baker in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia, including project quality, budgets and business development activities.
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Our Experts / Federal
John Alberghini, P.E., C.E.M. Senior Vice President and National Market Lead – Navy Virginia Beach, Virginia
“My daily life while in the military imparted a deep sense of purpose and focus on mission, which required dedication, transparency and collaboration — all very important aspects of my job today. Michael Baker is very experienced in many aspects of the federal space, providing an understanding in our solutions set that differentiates us and brings our federal clients value. I find it very rewarding and humbling to continue to support men and women who serve in the defense of our nation.” Years of military service: 20 (U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps) Key role(s) during military service: As an active duty Commander in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps, Alberghini led two of the Navy’s most demanding Integrated Product Teams challenged with planning, programming and executing unprecedented levels of military construction for the Marine Corps’ Grow-the-Force initiative and for numerous Navy clients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Under Alberghini’s leadership, the organization awarded $3 billion in military construction and large repair projects while guiding the teams through extraordinary construction market challenges, workforce shortfalls and corporate restructuring impacts. Years with Michael Baker: 2 Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: Alberghini serves as Michael Baker’s Navy subject matter expert working with client service teams, local offices and practice leads to develop both tactical plans and strategic positioning for key opportunities.
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Alfonso Riera Vice President and Army Regional Federal Lead, Gulf Coast and West Regions Dallas, Texas
“I chose to join Michael Baker for the great example of professionalism, teamwork and superb customer service that many of the employees exhibited while I interacted with them during several project executions involving work during my military assignment. We understand the mission of our federal partners and have a passion to serve our clients.” Years of military service: 26 (U.S. Army) Key role(s) during military service: Riera is a former career Army Engineer Officer who has managed numerous civil action and military construction projects throughout several regions of the world, including combat zones, and has received the U.S. Corps of Engineers de Fleury Medal and the Legion of Merit for his accomplishments. Years with Michael Baker: 11 Primary role/responsibilities with Michael Baker: As a Vice President and Army Regional Federal Lead in the Gulf Coast and West Regions, Riera applies his significant experience in leadership, organizational development, operational/strategic planning, training, multicultural communications, international affairs and homeland security to his role of coordinating and executing engineering support for our work with the Army.
For nearly 80 years, Michael Baker has served federal clients around the world with one goal: to provide the support they need to fulfill their mission.
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Across the Continuum / Federal
BUILDING BRIDGES AND BREAKING BARRIERS Ten Michael Baker colleagues traveled to Bolivia to improve the lives of more than 650 residents Since 2016, members of the Michael Baker International Wolf Pack have traveled the world to Make a Difference in the lives of those in need through a partnership with Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), a nonprofit organization
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dedicated to constructing footbridges in remote, underdeveloped areas of the world to connect communities to vital resources, including education and health care services as well as economic opportunities.
In 2019, Michael Baker’s 10-person team helped build a 246foot suspension bridge for the Mojocoya community in Bolivia.
Federal / Across the Continuum
This year, Michael Baker sponsored the construction of a 246-foot suspension bridge over the Rio Lajas river in the Mojocoya community of Bolivia to help students get to school and allow residents to reach critical resources year-round. The first day of construction presented a daunting challenge — pulling and setting four, one-ton bridge cables down a steep river cliff, through the river, and then back up another slope on the other side. This required support from the local community, bilingual communication and a tremendous amount of coordinated labor. The 10-person Michael Baker team, three B2P team members and members of the community overcame the initial communication barrier and worked together to move hundreds of rocks, set the sag of the bridge cables, manually bend steel bars, paint and place the cross beams and decking, pour concrete approach slabs and install protective fencing along both sides of the bridge. “The local engineers, foremen and laborers each had something new to teach us. We’re so grateful for the lessons in selflessness and dedication,” said Miguel Angel Avalos, the project’s construction manager. “With their unhindered commitment to the construction of the bridge, the locals inspired the team day after day.” Knowing that the community of Mojocoya had advocated for a safe and reliable crossing over the Rio Lajas for more than a decade, the team is grateful to have delivered the bridge that will ensure safety and access to economic opportunity and essential community resources for more than 650 residents all year long.
The team spent two weeks building the suspension bridge.
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Across the Continuum / Federal
CLIMBING THE ENR RANKINGS
Michael Baker International’s investments in strategic growth areas are delivering results for our clients and advancing our Culture of Excellence. In fact, our Company has moved up in the 2019 Engineering News-Record (ENR) industry rankings.
General Building Multi-Unit Residential #11
Environment: Transmission Lines & Aqueducts #10
Water Supply #10
Intermountain #8
(Up 16 places since 2015) (Up five since 2016)
(Up two since 2017)
(Up one since 2016)
Mass Transit & Rail #22
Construction Managementfor-Fee #22
(Up three since 2016)
(Up five since 2018)
Pipelines #23 New York Region #25
(Up seven since 2018)
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Federal / Across the Continuum
#29
Overall,
Our investments in strategic growth areas, as well as our efforts to advance our Culture of Excellence, are delivering positive results.
a Six-Place Climb Since 2016
Mid-Atlantic Region #2
Environment: Dams & Reservoirs #6
Bridges #5
Government Offices #8
(Five years in a row)
(Up one since 2018)
California Region #13 Southeast Region #19 Highways #21
Transportation #13
Airports #17 (Up one since 2018) (Up one since 2018)
(Up four since 2017) (Up two since 2017)
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Across the Continuum / Federal
MICHAEL BAKER TAKES HOME ENR REGIONAL BEST PROJECT AWARDS In September 2019, Michael Baker International was honored with multiple 2019 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Regional Best Projects Awards in the Highway/Bridge category across three regions: New York, Mountain States and California. The annual awards are determined by the publication’s regional editors and are judged
ENR New York, I-280/Route 21 Interchange Improvements The I-280/Route 21 Interchange Improvements project received the top prize in the Highway/ Bridge category. The project successfully addressed the safety and efficiency of the interchange, including correcting geometric
based on criteria that includes safety, innovation and teamwork. Each winning project represents unique challenges and highlights the expertise and innovation our employees apply to bridge and highway design work for our clients.
deficiencies, providing missing interchange movements between an interstate highway and a principal arterial, optimizing I-280 throughput without adding through-lane capacity and improving the condition and reliability of the corridor, which handles an average of 80,000 vehicles a day.
The I-280/Route 21 Interchange Improvements project rebuilt a network of ramps that were critical in moving people along one of the busiest highways in New Jersey.
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Federal / Across the Continuum
ENR California, I-10/Jefferson Street Interchange The I-10/Jefferson Street Interchange in Indio was recognized as the best Highway/Bridge project for Southern California. Located in the Coachella Valley, the interchange needed to be updated to
deal with heavy traffic from rapid growth and to accommodate travelers going to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The project includes two parallel 78-foot-wide by 440-foot long bridges, resulting in a six-lane overcrossing designed for traffic entering and exiting the I-10 freeway from both directions.
Michael Baker was the lead designer on the I-10/Jefferson Street Interchange that relieved heavy traffic entering and exiting the highway.
ENR Mountain States, Bangerter Four Interchanges Design-Build The Bangerter Four Interchanges Design-Build project earned the distinction of best Highway/ Bridge in the Mountain States. The Utah-based
project helped relieve congestion and meet the growing transportation needs of the western Salt Lake Valley by transforming four intersections into new freeway interchanges, while preserving and enhancing critical infrastructure in the region to optimize mobility and safety for residents.
Michael Baker designed four Bangerter Highway intersections that optimized mobility and safety in the western Salt Lake Valley.
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Across the Continuum / Federal
DRIVING GROWTH
New leaders across the Company are ready to serve our clients and grow our business
Dan Cessna, P.E. SVP and National Practice Lead – Transportation Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Michael Baker is accelerating growth within our Transportation Practice and has promoted Dan Cessna, P.E., to Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader for Transportation. This is an additional and newly created role within the Growth Organization to transform and further deepen our growth potential within our Transportation Practice, the bedrock of our Company’s nearly 80-year history. Cessna will focus on cultivating our relationship with PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, growing our business with toll authorities and seeding new work in Transportation in various regions along the eastern U.S. Prior to joining Michael Baker in 2017, Cessna worked for 24 years at PennDOT, an agency with the fifth-largest state-maintained roadway system and the third-largest state-maintained bridge inventory in our country and our Company’s largest client. He was District Executive, Engineering District 11, following an admirable climb through positions of increasing responsibility after beginning his career there.
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Michael H. Stengel, P.E. VP and Office Executive Dallas, Texas Michael H. Stengel, P.E., has been promoted to Dallas Office Executive in our Gulf Coast Region. Since 2014, Stengel has served as Office Executive of our Little Rock office, where he has applied his more than two decades of experience in Civil Engineering/Aviation Design to significantly grow Little Rock’s business, broaden connections to new clients and develop core talent. Under his leadership, the Arkansas team has provided airport, roadway, bridge, municipal design, survey and construction management services for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Military Department of Arkansas, City of Little Rock, Jonesboro Municipal Airport and numerous other clients across the state. As Office Executive in Dallas, Stengel will lead efforts to grow the business portfolio and provide operational and staff management and production/project oversight for the office.
Federal / Across the Continuum
Craig Wenger, P.E. VP and Office Executive Phoenix, Arizona Craig Wenger, P.E., has been promoted to the position of Office Executive in Michael Baker’s Phoenix office to oversee the growth of our portfolio of business in the area, broaden our outreach to create additional opportunities for new work and protect our core business. He also will provide operational management, staff management and production/project oversight for the office. Wenger has been a part of our Wolf Pack in Hamilton, New Jersey, for the last 10 years. He has been a valuable leader of water resources and highway engineering, resilience planning and design, hazard mitigation and green infrastructure projects for clients including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City Department of Design and Construction, FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others. As the previous Water lead in the Northeast, he quadrupled the size of the Regional Water Practice over the last five years.
Jacob Watson, P.E., S.E. SVP of Federal Operations Salt Lake City, Utah Jacob K. Watson, P.E., has been named Senior Vice President for Federal Operations. He brings 22 years of industry experience to this newly created position within Michael Baker’s Growth Organization and will work hand-in-hand with the Operations team and our Federal Centers of Excellence (FCOE) across the Company. In his new role, Watson will work with the FCOEs to pursue new federal IDIQ task orders and directly support our efforts to convert the substantial growth in IDIQ capacity into net revenue. Watson joined Michael Baker in 2007 and most recently served as Regional Practice Lead – Building Design in our Salt Lake City office. His career includes more than two decades of successfully delivering a variety of projects throughout the world for clients, including the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Naval Facilities Engineering Command, among others.
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Across the Continuum / Federal
Tanya Bilezikjian, P.E. VP and Office Executive Ontario, California Tanya Bilezikjian, P.E., has been promoted to Vice President and Office Executive for our Ontario office. Tanya has been with Michael Baker for nearly 15 years, most recently serving as Department Manager – Water, where she has proven to be an effective collaborator across the West Region and Company. Tanya has direct experience managing large programs, negotiating and preparing permits, developing and delivering trainings, authoring program guidance documents, planning and executing multimillion-dollar contracts and task orders, and identifying common sense solutions and improvements to both site-specific and program-level challenges. She has built a strong reputation as a trusted advisor with many of our clients, managing and delivering projects related to water quality and stormwater services, permitting and compliance. In 2018, she directly managed over 30 active projects with a total contract value of $6.5 million.
John Mentz VP and Office Executive Virginia Beach, Virginia John Mentz has been promoted to Office Executive in Virginia Beach. Mentz has nearly 40 years of industry experience, including 29 years with Michael Baker, most recently as Department Manager – Environmental Compliance & Restoration.
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Beth Drylie, P.E. SVP and Regional Practice Lead – Federal Virginia Beach, Virginia Beth Drylie, P.E., has transitioned to Regional Practice Lead – Federal in the Mid-Atlantic Region, where she aligns our technical capabilities and processes, supports our quality standards and grows the Federal practice in new markets and with new clients. Drylie has nearly 35 years of experience across infrastructure planning, design and construction management, including more than 22 years with Michael Baker, where she has helped lead our Federal work across the Mid-Atlantic Region with the U.S. Navy, Virginia Department of Transportation, City of Virginia Beach and many other water and transportation clients.
Mentz will provide leadership and direction to the Virginia Beach office, while growing and protecting its core business. He will further cultivate our business by adding new markets and clients to the office’s existing portfolio and broaden the capabilities of our team. He has an extensive background working on environmental issues with our Federal clients, including the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic, NAVFAC Southeast, U.S. Navy and U.S. Department of Defense.
Federal / Across the Continuum
Douglas Peterson, P.E. VP and Office Executive Boston, Massachusetts
David Reel VP and Regional Practice Lead – Planning Oakland, California
To oversee and manage the growth of our portfolio of business in the Boston office, Douglas Peterson, P.E., has joined Michael Baker as Office Executive. He is responsible for broadening our outreach, creating additional opportunities for new work and protecting our core business. He also will provide operational management, staff management and production/project oversight for the office.
David Reel has joined Michael Baker as Regional Practice Lead for Planning in our West Region. Based in our Oakland office, he will lead our regional efforts to grow our Planning practice by focusing on expanding existing and introducing new markets and clients, while making sure that our technical capabilities, quality standards and practices align.
Peterson joins Michael Baker with more than 26 years of experience as a structural engineer. Most recently, he served as Structural Group Manager at Kleinfelder (formerly Sea Consultants, Inc.), where his clients included MassDOT, Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), Harvard University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others. He also spent 14 years with URS Corporation (now AECOM), where he focused on transportation initiatives including highway, bridge, rail and aviation projects.
With more than 30 years of experience in design, planning and environmental analysis, Reel will add great value and help integrate the full range of services that we offer at Michael Baker. He has managed large-scale on-call contracts for clients including Caltrans, NASA, Chevron, PG&E, San Francisco and Oakland International Airports, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Department of Public Works and the Port of Oakland, among many others. His credentials as a contract and project manager include crucial experience in the private and public sector, and he has established working relationships with local, state and federal agencies. Reel joins Michael Baker after working at AECOM and its acquired companies since 1992. He most recently served as Principal/Vice President of Design Consulting Services and actively pursued environmental, planning and engineering projects in transportation and water infrastructure, aviation, ports, power, private mixed-use development and federal facilities, while overseeing 60+ staff.
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Beth Larkin, P.E. SVP and Office Executive Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Beth Larkin, P.E., has joined Michael Baker as Office Executive in our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, office. In her new role with our Company, she will be responsible for client care and overseeing the growth of our portfolio business in the Pittsburgh office. She will focus on protecting our core business while broadening our outreach to new markets and clients. Additionally, she will provide operational management, staff management and production/project oversight for the office. Larkin joins Michael Baker with more than 30 years of operations and leadership experience within the infrastructure and transportation industries. Most recently, she served as Assistant General Manager for Capital Delivery at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), where she was responsible for over $4 billion of programs and projects for commuter rail, rapid transit and bus and ferry systems. Prior to her tenure at MBTA, Beth spent 13 years with HNTB Corporation, where she was responsible for supporting the largest projects in the northeastern U.S. as Northeast Division Project Delivery Officer.
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Stephen Pouliot, P.E. VP and Office Executive Denver, Colorado Stephen Pouliot, P.E., has joined Michael Baker International as Vice President and Office Executive in Denver. In this role, he is charged with discovering new markets, managing the growth of a balanced office portfolio and broaden the capabilities of the Denver office, while leading the team with technical excellence as we work to better serve our clients and communities. Pouliot joins Michael Baker with more than 25 years of experience delivering innovative, sustainable solutions in transportation planning, traffic and highway design engineering across the western U.S. Prior to joining Michael Baker, he served as WSP’s Texas-Mountain Deputy Civil Regional Operations Manager. Most recently, he led the winning pursuit of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s $5 million I-70 Interchange Exit 203 and Eastbound Auxiliary Lane Design Services. He received the 2009 American Council of Engineering Companies Honor Award for Engineering Excellence.
Our Commitment to Excellence
OUR COMMITMENT TO
EXCELLENCE TO OUR CLIENTS…
We believe in building strong, long-term relationships that put your needs and aspirations first. We will move mountains to leverage our full continuum of expertise, experience and innovation — with respect and integrity — to help you solve your most complex problems. We will serve as your change agents and trusted advisers, guiding you and your communities through transformational change.
WE DELIVER PERFORMANCE.
TO OUR EMPLOYEES… We cultivate a culture of excellence that fosters collaboration, career development, diversity, creativity, differentiating innovation and an impassioned entrepreneurial spirit. We will invest in your education and training. We will seek opportunities for you to develop your careers. We will reward innovation, teamwork and leadership.
WE DELIVER CAREERS.
TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE… We care deeply about the communities we serve. We will give you our best as we deliver improved quality of life, peace of mind and a more prosperous future. We also are dedicated to giving back around the world with our time, talents and financial support to lift up those in need. You represent our families, neighbors and friends.
WE DELIVER A HELPING HAND.
We Make a Difference
We Make a Difference
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We Make a Difference
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We Make a Difference
MICHAEL BAKER INTERNATIONAL 500 Grant Street | Suite 5400 Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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MBAKERINTL.COM