Alvia Services, Inc. (Alvia) provides Engineering, Construction and related Forensic services including:

Civil Engineering: Comprehensive understanding of federal, state and municipal regulations. Develop timely and effective land-use, permitting, mitigation, and compliance strategies.

Geotechnical Engineering: All phases of construction, from feasibility and foundation studies through testing and construction management. Coordinate lab testing services with expert laboratories, certified by NIST and CCRL. Geotechnical studies and recommendations for site work, difficult excavation, slope instability, saturated ground conditions, and other adverse conditions.

Environmental Engineering: Compliance services to Public and private clients. Over 45+ collective years of experience between Engineering Geologists, Environmental Engineers, Environmental Assessors (REA I & REA II), and Environmental Technicians.

Structural Engineering: Value engineering solutions and multi-discipline team approach.

Construction Management: Project Management, Construction oversight, Cost Estimating, Scheduling and Claim Analysis and Preparation.

Forensic Services Residential and commercial site investigation of cause and origin of structural or mechanical failures or defects, fires and explosions, or mold. Environmental assessments. Damage assessment from defects, failures, or catastrophes such as windstorm damage, hail damage, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.

Types of Projects include: Buildings and civil construction, bridges, roads, hotels, storm and sanitary sewers, wastewater treatment plants, water treatment plants, single and multi-family housing, tunnels, mass transit, shoring, retaining walls, landslide stabilization, foundation upgrade, canals, levees, water conveyance and pipelines, shopping malls, governmental facilities, seismic retrofit, environmental restoration projects associated with wetlands, underground storage tanks (UST) and chemical contamination to soil and groundwater (RCRA and Superfund) in addition to asbestos abatement (TSCA).

View Expert Witness Profile.

David Ross Associates, LLC (DRA) is a Construction Management and Disputes Resolution Consulting Company in San Carlos, California. Our expert construction consultants specialize in the avoidance, analysis and resolution of construction claims.

David Ross Associates has provided expert construction consulting services on various projects throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the Far East, and the Middle East. We represent owners, engineers and architects, as well as contractors and subcontractors, on construction projects ranging in scale from small homeowner cases to multi-million dollar claims on both public and private projects.

David Ross Associates consultants are highly qualified experts who understand the technical, contractual, management, and financial issues involved in today's complex construction projects.

David Ross Associates has extensive experience providing expert construction consulting services in claim analysis, litigation support, alternative dispute resolution and a wide range of other Construction Claim-Related issues including:

• Construction Management
• Construction Defects
• Schedule Analysis
• Estimating and Cost Analysis
• Change Orders
• Delays
• Disruption
• Acceleration Analysis
• Safety Related Cases

David L. Ross has over thirty years of expertise in Residential, Commercial, Institutional, and Public Works Construction Projects. He has the knowledge and experience required to be particularly successful in construction claims management and resolution. Mr. Ross has testified as a designated construction expert on numerous occasions and has consulted for owners, contractors, insurance companies, design firms, construction industry specialists, and law firms in a wide range of construction-related claims.





Troy V. Sutton provides full time Construction Consulting Support services for DRA. Mr. Sutton's responsibilities include reviewing contract related documentation (e.g. contracts, drawings, specifications, PCOs, Cos, RFIs, CPM schedules, Pos, invoices, procurement records, bid sheets, Pay Apps, engineer reports, testing reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, etc.), preparing claims documents for mediation, arbitration or litigation, and draft Dispute Review Board (Arbitrator/Mediator panel) opinions & recommendations on multi-million dollar public works projects.

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Dexter Varnell is a Registered Professional Engineer who serves as an expert witness and arbitrator in Construction Related Disputes. Mr. Varnell prepares probable cause of damage reports for insurance companies and building condition surveys.

Mr. Varnell Performs Engineering Evaluations and Writes Reports on:

• Foundation - Failures, Drainage and Grading, Walls, Slabs, Porches, Patios, Decks, Driveways, Sidewalks
• Structural - Cracks, Integrity, Windows and Doors, Ceilings, Walls, Floors, Insulation and Ventilation, Electrical, Heating and Air-Conditioning System, Plumbing
• Roofing - Defects, Fascia Soffits and Eaves, Gutters and Downspouts
• Other Types of Building Defects - Landscaping, Fences and Exterior Walls, Smoke Alarms, Carports and Garages, Ceiling Fans, Bathrooms, Kitchen and Utility Connections, Attic, Basement, Chimney

His Services Include:

• Performing Drainage
• Waterproofing
• Roof Consultation
• Structural Design for Residential Renovation Projects

Donan Engineering Co., Inc., a family owned company founded in 1947, provides full-service Forensic Engineering and Fire Investigation Services. For over 60 years, Donan Engineering has been providing unbiased answers to their client’s complicated questions. Their team of licensed and experienced forensic experts provides investigative services in the fields of engineering investigations, fire and explosion origin & cause, roofing investigations, and component testing. The diversity of their multidisciplinary staff allows them to provide not only a complete service, but a complete service whose conclusions can be successfully and completely supported.

Donan Engineering has become a richly diverse, industry leader with over 190 employees operating from 36 offices in 19 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Throughout their growth, Donan Engineering has maintained their commitment to providing exceptional customer service, unparalleled quality, unmatched integrity, and timely reporting. Most importantly, they pride ourselves on delivering their clients quality services at an affordable price.

Services Include:

Engineering Investigations
Bridges Foundations and Basements Geotechnical / Sink Holes Lightning Low and High Voltage Mechanical Systems Retaining Walls	Steel Construction Trusses Vehicle Mechanical Studies Vibrations: Earthquakes and Blastings Water Infiltration / Mold Wood Frame Construction
Fire / Explosion Origin and Cause Commercial Fires Equipment Fires Vehicle / Residential Fires	Roofing Investigations Commercial Residential - Asphalt Shingle Residential - Slate, Tile, Etc.
Heavy Trucks Motorcycles	Passenger Vehicles

Dr. Barzegar is a registered Professional Engineer with 25 years of experience as a Civil/Structural Engineering & Forensic Consultant, Construction Project Manager and Educator. He has been retained by insurance companies, law firms, construction, high-tech, mining and manufacturing industries, governmental and educational institutions, engineering and architectural firms, and individuals. He provides services to insurance companies, defense counsel and plaintiff attorneys.

AREAS of EXPERTISE

• Expert Consulting & Witness; Insurance Claim, Legal Support, Peer Reviews

• Buildings, Structures & Materials: Residential, Commercial, Institutional & Historic; Bridges, Towers, Stacks/Chimneys, Containment Vessels, Grain Silos, Conduits & Pipelines, Retaining Walls, Foundations, Slabs & Pavements; Concrete, Steel, Composite, Wood, CMU, Brick Masonry & Adobe

• Design, Construction, Performance, Repair & Retrofit Issues

• Construction Defects & Accidents; Defective Concrete; OSHA Standards

• Code Compliance; Seismic Resistant Design; Errors & Omissions; Standards of Care

• Damage & Failure Investigation; Due Diligence; Non-Destructive Testing; Analysis/Report

• Vibration, Explosion, Impact, Earthquake, Wind, Fire, Hurricane & Flood Damage Investigations

• Pile Driving & Demolition Damage to Adjacent Facilities; Cracking & Settlement

• Dynamic, Stress & Thermal Analysis; Finite Element Method; Product Design; Failure Simulation/Reconstru

Ray Helmer is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio. He is available to perform Expert Witness Services in all 50 states.

At present, Mr. Helmer enjoys working in depth on Water & Wastewater cases such as: water supplies, toxic contamination, industrial pollution, water intrusion, and flooding.

Areas of Expertise:

Civil, Structural and Forensic engineering

Highway engineering, roadways, sight distance

Concrete and Asphalt Pavements

Highway / Street lighting

Traffic engineering, signals, signs, striping

Traffic noise studies

Accidents – automobile, train, motorcycle, pedestrian

Traffic accident testimony involving city / County / State DOTS

Hydraulics, hydrology, drainage, flooding

Sanitary engineering, sewers, overflows

Water treatment, distribution, pumping

Water disinfection byproducts (DBPs)

Wastewater treatment plants, lift stations

Soil expansion, contraction, settlement

Foundation failure, structural damage

Plumbing, leaks, water intrusion

Airports, FAA standards, runways, taxi ways, ramps

Bridges, buildings, corrosion, concrete cracking

Construction defects, fraud, accidents, delays, estimates

James I. Daniel, PE, REWC - Building Construction Consultant, Dispute Resolutions

Jim Daniel is Principal and Executive Vice President of Building & Environmental Consultants, a division of ITC Experts, Inc. With 33 years of experience, Mr. Daniel specializes in investigation, testing, evaluation and design of repairs for non-performing construction systems including exterior building facades, roofing systems, wall systems, foundations, windows and building fenestration, curtain walls, and interior gypsum drywall and plaster systems. Exterior facade expertise includes, among others, brick, concrete and limestone masonry; exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS); direct-applied exterior finish systems (DEFS); one-coat and three coat exterior portland cement plaster (traditional stucco); wood, metal, fiber-cement board, and vinyl sidings; thin brick, tile and exposed aggregate finish systems; glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC); glass curtain wall systems; joint sealants; flashing; and waterproof coating systems. Roofing expertise involves steep and low-sloped roofs including asphalt, wood, slate, and tile shingles; single ply membrane roofing; modified-bitumen roofing (MBR); built-up roofing (BUR); spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing; metal roofs; and associated expansion joints, scuppers, copings and flashing. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and Wisconsin and has NCEES certification. He also is a Registered Exterior Wall Consultant (REWC) through The Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing, & Building Envelope Professionals (RCI). View Curriculum Vitae.

Edward Malnar, FMP - Building Defects and Insurance Claims Investigations

Mr. Malnar is a Senior Consultant with Building & Environmental Consultants, a division of ITC Experts, Inc. He specializes in investigation, evaluation, testing and repair of non performing construction systems involving roofing, exterior walls, windows, building fenestration, foundations, and various other components of the exterior building envelope. Roofing expertise encompasses residential systems including asphalt composite shingles, wood shingles and shakes, natural stone (slate), and terra-cotta/clay tiles; commercial systems including poly-vinyl chloride (reinforced and unreinforced PVC), modified-bitumen roofing (MBR), built-up roofing (BUR), and metal roofs. Exterior cladding expertise includes brick, concrete, and limestone masonry; exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS); exterior Portland cement plaster (traditional stucco); wood, aluminum, and vinyl siding. While employed at HPZS Architects in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Malnar specialized in management of projects for exterior envelope restoration. He performed field exploration and produced reports for prescriptive remedial recommendations of problems related to roof, wall, and window systems. Mr. Malnar was a key team member for the time sensitive historic façade and roof restoration for Soldier Field in Chicago, in anticipation of the World Cup Soccer in 1994. He managed the construction phase of the historic copper roof restoration for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He was the primary investigator of all building facades and remedial repair supervision for Fulton House, 345 North Canal Street, Chicago, IL. View Curriculum Vitae.

John Fildes, PhD - Chemical, Materials, Product Development

Dr. Fildes has over 30 years of highly successful experience as a business leader, technology manager, researcher, and practicing scientist in dispute resolution and insurance investigation. His Ph.D is in Chemistry (Physical) from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and his B.S. is in Chemistry from Georgetown University. He has specialized throughout his career in the role that materials contribute to the limitations and failures of products and systems, and he is especially skilled at diagnosing the root cause of problems and problem solving, and determining the limitations of testing, analysis, and modeling. He often sees key issues and devises approaches that others have missed. He is a combination of statesman, educator, and scientist, and is able to successfully convey, with credibility and confidence, highly technical issues to laypeople. Dr. Fildes has a broad range of experience with materials that includes resins, composites, ceramics, and metals used in automotive, aerospace, electronic, and construction. He also has extensive experience with developing structure-property relationships for real world applications of materials, developing materials processing models including use of artificial intelligence, using electrochemical techniques for characterizing coatings and electronic materials as well as for measuring corrosion, sensors and measurement instrumentation, signal processing, statistics, data analysis, and friction and wear of materials including applying mechanisms of wear to actual situations and developing and applying test methods for real world applications. View Curriculum Vitae.

Michael Kravitz is a Consulting and Forensic Engineer with over 30 years of experience. He has been involved in over 1,200 cases with over 80 court appearances, depositions and arbitrations as an expert witness.

Specialties and Services Include:

Vehicular Accident Analysis Reconstruction

Highway and Street Safety / Defects

Building Codes

Slips, Trips and Falls

Construction Accidents

Design Construction and Maintenance

OSHA and NYS Code Rule 23

Vehicular 2D and 3D Computer Analysis

2D and 3D Video Presentations

Transportation / Traffic Engineering

Construction Accidents, Hazzards and Failures

Seat Belts

Excavation / Foundation Building Settlement

Headquartered in Houston with over 30 U.S. offices plus London, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. is a global leader in forensic investigations, forensic engineering, forensic sciences and forensic accounting. Rimkus offers the services of over 300 full-time seasoned professionals with expertise in virtually all technical and business fields. In business for over 25 years, clients include the Domestic and International Insurance Industry, Attorneys, Industrial and Commercial Health, Safety and Risk Managers, and others.

Rimkus takes pride in its professional approach to all assignments. Each assignment is performed under the assumption that litigation will ensue, and appropriate records and evidentiary chains of custody are maintained. Client communications are clear and explanatory to insure that opinions and conclusions are complete and well supported.

Many clients find Rimkus to be their one-stop shopping place for experts. Rimkus offers forensic expert witnesses and forensic consultants in most technical fields, including all areas of Engineering, Construction, Environmental Sciences, Fires and Explosions, Oil and Gas, Forensic Accounting, Business Interruption Claims, Surety, Business Valuations, Business Analysis, Safety and Industrial Hygiene, and Animation. In the forensic engineering arena alone, we offer virtually all disciplines including:

Forensic Mechanical Engineers

Forensic Electrical Engineers

Forensic Civil Engineers

Forensic Structural Engineers

Forensic Chemical Engineers

Forensic Metallurgical Engineers

Forensic Naval Engineers

Complex technical claims often require the use of experts in more than one field to find the right answer. Rimkus brings that to you. Our website features detailed information on our areas of expertise and short CVs of key Rimkus experts in those areas. Give us a try. You'll be glad you did.

Construction Practice at Robson Forensic

The Construction Practice at Robson Forensic consists of experts in architecture and civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Our experts have designed, built and maintained residential, industrial, institutional, municipal, heavy civil and commercial buildings and structures.

Our Construction Group consists of more than 50 experts across 17 locations. Please contact one of the practice group leaders below to discuss your case and determine which of our experts is most appropriate to assist with your matter.

Mark E. Williams, AIA, NCARB
Architectural / Professional Liability Expert

Mark is a broadly experienced architect with a diverse career that included new construction, adaptive-reuse, and renovation projects on a wide range of building types and occupancies. Through his 25 years of experience and his focus on problem solving, Mark provides technical investigations and expert analysis on construction contract disputes, large construction defect claims, and matters of architect professional liability including claims of bad faith. View Curriculum Vitae



Brent Leisenring, P.E.
Civil Engineering / Construction Safety Expert

Brent is a Civil Engineer with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in construction and engineering. He has experience in construction as a contractor, construction manager, engineer, subcontractor and material supplier on projects ranging from single-family dwellings to oil refineries. His unique background and experience qualify him to analyze the actions and responsibilities of all parties involved to determine liability for defective construction as well as unsafe conditions on construction sites. He is a Professional Engineer in five states and has testified in several states. View Curriculum Vitae



Dale Cagwin, P.E.
Building Systems Expert

Dale’s experience includes over 20 years as a mechanical engineer designing, testing and maintaining building systems including fire suppression, HVAC, plumbing, gas, water and sewage in a variety of commercial, industrial, institutional and municipal buildings. Dale has served on standards writing committees and worked with product approval agencies. He is a P.E. in seven states, a Certified Fire Investigator and has testified in a broad range of building systems cases. View Curriculum Vitae