Petroleum / Oil & Gas / Propane Pipelines Expert Witnesses: 7

Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell is a Chartered Engineer who practices as an Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Expert for Determination. Geoffrey is the former Senior Partner of Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers BHA Cromwell House.

A one time Chairman of the Expert Witness Society, Geoffrey Hartwell has experience giving evidence in court (in both civil and criminal matters) and in International Arbitration. He sometimes is retained as a Single Joint Expert or as a Tribunal Expert. His services are offered to both Plaintiff and Defense. Even when retained on behalf of a Client he, like all Experts, has an overriding responsibility to the Court or Tribunal.

After his early career in aerospace and nuclear energy, Geoffrey entered private practice in association with the late Leslie Heap and Gerald Lewis of Heap and Digby, Consulting Engineers, in 1969. While with them he designed water and sewage equipment and also the bascule moving machinery for the Lowestoft Bridge, in Suffolk. He practiced also as Beresford Hartwell and Associates and, in 1971 established a separate office in Wallington, South London.

In parallel with his design career, Geoffrey was first appointed as arbitrator in 1972 and his first foreign arbitration, an ICC appointment in Switzerland, took place later that year. He studied Law to Intermediate level and then transferred to the examinations of the Institute of Arbitrators (now Chartered) of which he became Chairman in 1996-1997 and for whom he taught in various countries on several courses, including the prestigious Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.

Technical Expertise:

Electrical Engineering and Design Mechanical Engineering and Design Instrumentation Automation and Computer Control Systems Maritime and Infrastructure Engineering Process Engineering Solid Waste Handling

Communications Manufacturing Computer Cartography Moving Bridges and Lock Gates Construction Project Management Nuclear Energy Water and Waste Water Treatment

Arbitration: Geoffrey Hartwell also acts as an arbitrator and adjudicator, as an expert mediator and conciliator, as an expert investigator and assessor for arbitral tribunals, and also as a Special Referee in the High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man. His services have been required in the UK and internationally.

Dispute Boards: Geoffrey Hartwell has experience both as Member and as Chairman of Dispute Boards?. He has been a member of Dispute Boards, retained from the beginning of a project or, alternatively, appointed on an ad hoc basis when a problem arises, Dispute Adjudication Boards to determine a binding decision, and on Dispute Review Boards to make decisions that are advisory but not binding.

Adjudication: Similar to arbitration, Mr. Hartwell adjudicates domestic and international disputes which are only temporarily binding unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties.

View Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell's Consulting Profile.

Robert F. Jalnos is currently a Managing Partner, CEO, and Responsible Master Plumber (RMP, 45 Years) for Dr J Plumbing Contractors, LLC. He has over 45 years of experience as a Licensed Master Plumber in the State of Texas. Mr. Jalnos also currently holds a Master Medical Gas Endorsement, and a Master Multipurpose Fire Sprinkler Endorsement with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. He is licensed and certified with the Texas Railroad Commission on the installation of LPG Gas Systems.

Qualifications:

• The installations of PEX, PROPRESS, Copper, Steel, Duriron, CPVC Piping. PVC and Cast Iron DWV below and above the foundation, Plumbing site preparation, Sewer, Septic Tanks, Potable Water, Natural and LPG Gas, Medical Gas, Multi-Purposed Fire Sprinkler systems and CSST systems. 
• All types of plumbing installations including Rough In, Slab Water Pulls, Top Outs, Fixture Setting, Sewer installation, Water Service installation, Underground and Above Ground Gas lines, Plumbing Service and Repair, as well as operating machinery for plumbing installations
• Expert Forensic Analysis of system failures
• U.S. Patent Laws pertaining to Plumbing Products
• Uniform and International Plumbing Codes 
• Certified Bathroom Designer (CBD) certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association
• Certified Green Plumber

Litigation Support - Mr. Jalnos has provided expert plumbing analysis and forensic investigations for the past 20 years. His cases include all aspects of plumbing, materials, installation, workmanship, and problem solving. Mr. Jalnos has been retained in over 75 cases and offers services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant.

Brian Silowash, PE, CEM is the Owner and Founder of Innovative Design Engineering of America, LLC, a multi-discipline design and consulting engineering firm serving Manufacturing and Heavy Industry. A Certified Energy Manager, he has over 35 years of practical experience in Engineering Design and Construction. Engineering disciplines include:

STRUCTURAL - MECHANICAL - PIPING - HVAC - ELECTRICAL - PROCESS CONTROL

Background Experience: Mr. Silowash's experience has included plant layout, machine design, infrastructure for large steel mills, air pollution control (baghouses, scrubbers), waste-water treatment, recovery boiler rebuilds, Greenfield and Brownfield Sites, and energy conservation strategies. Industries served include Food and Beverage, Pulp and Paper, Chemicals, Metals, Glass, Manufacturing, and Industrial Insurance Claims.

Mr. Silowash lectures at Point Park University’s MS in Engineering Management program, and has taught an Environmental Engineering course at Point Park as an Adjunct Professor. He is the author of Piping Systems Manual, published by McGraw-Hill in 2010, a practical guide offering comprehensive information on piping design, installation, repair, codes, and specifications.

Litigation Support: Mr. Silowash offers legal services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. His services include site review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. He is registered as a Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, California, New York, and Ohio.

Areas of Expertise:

Industrial Piping Facilities Engineering Industrial Infrastructure Mechanical Process Equipment Construction Documents Damage Assessments following Disasters Contract Disputes Piping Systems Fall Protection

Building Codes Piping Codes Steel Production Pulp & Paper Heavy Industry Chemical Plants Engineer Disputes Errors & Omissions OSHA

Florida Office:
Andrew Avalon, PE, PSP
Chairman & CEO
8633 Willow Kane Court
Orlando, FL 32835
aavalon@long-intl.com
T: (407) 445-0825     F: (407) 650-3399

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Long International provides expert engineering and construction claims analysis, expert testimony, project management consulting, and insurance claims analysis services. Our focus is on heavy industrial projects including oil and gas, petroleum refining, petrochemical, chemical, mining/mineral processing, power, cogeneration, and other industrial projects. We analyze claims, not limited to, disputed change orders, schedule delay, acceleration, time extensions, liquidated damages, loss of productivity, defective specifications, and deficient project management performance.

Richard J. Long, P.E., P.Eng., Founder of Long International, has over 50 years of U.S. and international consulting experience involving construction contract disputes analysis and resolution, arbitration/litigation support and expert testimony, project management, engineering/construction management, cost and schedule control, and process engineering. As an internationally recognized expert in the analysis and resolution of complex construction disputes for over 35 years, Mr. Long has served as the lead expert on over 300 projects having claims ranging in size from US$100,000 to over US$2 billion. He has presented and published numerous articles on claims analysis, entitlement issues, CPM schedule and damages analyses, cumulative impact claims, and claims prevention.

Rod C. Carter, CCP, PSP is President of Long International and has over 20 years of experience in construction project controls, contract disputes and resolution, negotiations, mediation, arbitration support, and expert testimony on scheduling, loss of productivity, and quantum issues.  He has experience in entitlement, schedule, and damages analyses on over 30 construction disputes ranging in value from US$100,000 to US$7 billion, related to oil and gas, oil refinery, LNG, heavy civil, nuclear, environmental, chemical, power, industrial, commercial, and residential construction projects.  Mr. Carter is proficient in the use of Primavera P6 and P3 software, and he has extensive experience in assessing the impact to engineering and construction works of RFIs, change orders and other events.  Mr. Carter specializes in loss of productivity, cumulative impact, and quantum calculations, and had a lead role in assessing damages on more than a dozen major disputes.  In addition, Mr. Carter has developed cost and schedule risk analysis models using Monte Carlo simulations to address the uncertainty of estimates and claims.

Michael J. Vallez, P.E., MBA, LEAN SIX SIGMA is a Senior Principal with Long International and has over 40 years of hands-on and leadership experience in project management, engineering/construction management, cost and schedule control, change management, claims, and dispute resolution.  He has served in executive management roles for both the owner and contractor working on world-class oil and gas, power, and international mining projects.   Mr. Vallez has a proven ability to organize, integrate and manage the work of multi-disciplined technical specialists and project construction teams to achieve corporate financial goals and objectives of return on investment, safety, operational performance, cost, and time.  In all, he has provided leadership on several billion dollars’ worth of projects in the chemical, heavy civil, mining, power, oil and gas, industrial, and commercial sectors.  Mr. Vallez has written several books on the subjects of construction management, safety, and effective project leadership.

Neil K. Earnest, PE, is the President & Chairman of the Board of Muse, Stancil & Co. with over 35 years of Energy Industry experience.  Mr. Earnest provides customized consulting services to the downstream energy industry, focusing on offering an integrated combination of technical and business expertise.  

As a consultant, Mr. Earnest has worked on a broad range of assignments in the downstream sector around the world.  His experience with the Canadian crude oil markets is extensive. Prior to joining Muse in 1991, Mr. Earnest was with Phillips Petroleum Company for 11 years in a variety of refinery and headquarters positions.  

Mr. Earnest holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. from University of Houston – Clearlake.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas.

Litigation Support -  In addition to his industry consulting engagements, Mr. Earnest has provided expert testimony in international and domestic arbitration, U.S. Federal court, U.S. state court, and the English High Court of Justice.  He has also provided extensive expert testimony in regulatory proceedings in front of the National Energy Board of Canada, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and U.S. state regulatory agencies.

Mr. Earnest has been deposed and/or testified in over 45 cases. His services are available to attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant and include thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed.  

Areas of Expertise:

Gas Processing Gas Plants Pipelines Midstream Operations Market Analysis Financial Analysis Contracts Gas Plant Auditing Valuation

Electric Power Energy Appraisals Global LNG Independent Engineering Market Analysis Natural Gas Petrochemical Petroleum Refining Pipeline and Terminal Renewable and Alternative Fuels

View Muse, Stancil & Co.'s Consulting Profile.

Greg Gerganoff, CSP, Esq., possesses extensive experience in safety compliance and practice involving OSHA and MSHA.  He obtained is law degree from Western Michigan University, Cooley Law School and practiced general civil law for approximately 12 years in Colorado prior to entering the safety profession. Mr. Gerganoff earned a Certified Safety Professional certification and has 18 years of field safety experience in mining, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, power plant outages, and light rail construction.

His professional safety experience includes OSHA / MSHA Safety field work and compliance with experience in the heavy construction, manufacturing, light rail construction, power plant outages, public schools, oil and gas, mining, pipeline, and trenching and excavation industries.

• Authorized Outreach Trainer for OSHA General Industry.
• PEC Safeland Basic and Core instructor (Oil and gas).
• MSHA Approved Instructor (Blue Card) for Surface, Metal/nonmetal.
• Member of the American Society of Safety Professionals.

Litigation Support: Mr. Gerganoff assists with discovery questions regarding safety matters. Safety opinions based upon statutory, administrative, judicial rulings and related industry association safety policies ancillary to OSHA and MSHA.  Mr. Gerganoff is retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defendant. Some of the subject matter litigation he has handled include:

Forklift Safety and Operation Lock Out Tag Out/Natural Gas Compressor Stations Oil and Gas Safety Manufacturing Safety Construction Safety Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety

Crane and Aerial Lift Safety Mining Safety Traffic Control Plans / MUTCD Working at Heights, Employee Safety Training Fall Protection, Ladders, Stairways

View Greg Gerganoff's Consulting Profile.

Bryan Melan, PE, has over 40 years of experience in Mechanical and Structural Engineering and Project Management in the upstream and midstream oil and gas industries, including 30 years specializing in Pipeline Integrity Management and Engineering with Sunoco Logistics, Marathon-Ashland Pipeline, and Marathon Oil Company. He is a holder of two patents for a Pipeline Integrity Management Process. He also worked as a project engineer/manager for Amoco Production Co. and McDermott International. Mr. Melan was most recently Pipeline Integrity Subject Matter Expert for Marathon Oil's worldwide assets. Just prior to that, he served as Pipeline Technical Authority for Marathon Oil UK ltd. and Marathon Ireland. He is the chairman of the NACE task group responsible for standard SP-0102 (In-Line Inspection of Pipelines), former vice-chairman of the NACE ILI committee for In Line Inspection technical information exchange, and current vice-chairman of the NACE task group responsible for Publication 35100, the “In-Line Inspection State-of-the-Art” document.

Mr. Melan was also past chairman of the API workgroup which developed the API 1163, “In-Line Inspection Systems Qualification” standard, and past chairman of an ad-hoc committee established at the request of the USDOT Office of Pipeline Safety (currently PHMSA) in creating the frameworks for API 1163, NACE SP0102, and ASNT ILI-PQ (In-line Inspection Personnel Qualification and Certification). While on assignment in the UK, he participated in the creation of Parts 4 and 5 of British Standard PD8010 (Code of Practice for Pipelines).

Litigation Support - As a Pipeline Construction, Operations, and Maintenance subject matter expert witness, Mr. Melan provides services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. His In-line Inspection evaluation services allow him to evaluate pipes and pipelines using non-destructive examination techniques to detect and size internal and external damage.  He has been retained domestically and internationally. Mr. Melan's services include on-site inspections, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony.  

Areas of Expertise:  

In-Line Pipe (ILI) / Pipeline Inspection New Pipeline Construction Siting Pipeline / Pressure Piping Accident Investigation Root Cause Analysis / Causal Negligence

Pipeline Patent Infringement Pipeline Easement Rights Pipeline Construction Safety Codes / Regulatory Obligations Pipeline Route Evaluation

View Tide Water Integrity, LLC's Consulting Profile.