BCI Engineers and Scientists

Lakeland, FL – April 15, 2010
BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. is pleased to announce that James Funderburk, PG, has been appointed by Governor Charlie Christ to the Florida Board of Professional Geologists. Mr. Funderburk joined BCI in July 2008 as the Geologic Hazards Manager and was promoted to the Director of Forensic Engineering & Science in November of 2008. James previously served on the Florida Board of Professional Geologists from February 2006 to December 2008 and was voted to chair in 2008. In addition, he currently is a Member at Large and Subject Matter Expert with the National Association of the State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) – the organization responsible for administering the PG exam for licensure in 36 states. Mr. Funderburk served as the Florida voting delegate for ASBOG in 2007 and 2008.

Mr. Funderburk specializes in engineering geology, shallow applied geophysics, soil mechanics, and geotechnical site exploration. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and is pursuing a Master of Science in Geology and a Master of Civil Engineering. He plans to complete these degrees in August 2010 and May 2011, respectively. James has also taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of Tampa. Lastly, Mr. Funderburk was certified as a Neutral Evaluator through the Division of Financial Services in 2009.

Lakeland, FL - April 15, 2010
BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. is pleased to congratulate Mr. Mark Sweatman, CPG for his 15 years of exceptional service to the company. Based in BCI’s Howell, Michigan office, Mr. Sweatman is the Vice President of the Midwest Region and oversees BCI’s GeoEnvironmental & Remediation department. Mr. Sweatman’s association with the consulting industry spans more than 25 years in which he has gained extensive experience in a broad spectrum of environmental and regulatory compliance issues. From 1995 to 2007, he provided hydrogeologic consulting services to municipal and industrial clients as President of Insight Environmental Services.

With the merger of BCI and Insight in 2007, Mr. Sweatman added his professionalism and expertise to the BCI team. Mr. Sweatman received his Masters of Science in environmental science from Eastern Michigan University as well as a Bachelor of Science in earth science from Fitchburg State College. He is a Certified Professional Geologist and a Certified Underground Storage Tank Professional.

Lakeland, FL – April 8, 2010
BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. announces that the American Geological Institute (AGI) selected BCI’s President and CEO, Richard M. Powers, PG, CPG as its new President. He was inducted at the 2009 Geological Society of America’s annual meeting in Portland, Oregon.  In addition to serving on AGI’s Executive Committee from 2005 to 2008, Powers has held leadership roles in several other professional societies. He has served as national president of the National American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and Florida Section President for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration and AIPG. In recognition of his professional accomplishments, Powers was awarded AIPG Florida Section Geologist of the Year in 1991 and the National AIPG Martin Van Couvering Memorial Award in 2006.

“2010 will be a dynamic year for AGI,” says Powers, “as we review the Institute’s strategic initiatives, strive to grow our membership, develop action plans to address geoscience workforce challenges, continue development of our programs in geoscience education and outreach, and most importantly, work to serve our member societies more effectively.”  The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 46 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

For more information on AGI please visit their website at: http://www.agiweb.org.

Lakeland, FL - March 25, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. announces that Stephanie B. Dasher has earned the designation of Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) from the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS).  Ms. Dasher is the Marketing Manager at the Lakeland-based engineering firm. The CPSM designation demonstrates a rigorous standard of experience and expertise in marketing professional services. In order to be eligible for this designation, individuals must demonstrate their knowledge of the practice and related disciplines through a thorough examination of marketing competency. The examination includes the six domains of marketing practice: marketing research, marketing planning, client and business development, SOQs/proposals, promotional activity, and information, resource, and organizational management.

Ms. Sherran Spurlock, BCI’s Director of Business Development, said “The CPSM designation is a sign of Stephanie’s commitment to professionalism in the practice of marketing professional services. All BCI team members will benefit from having a CSPM professional – one who understands how to market professional services - managing our marketing efforts.”

Lakeland, FL - February 25, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. is pleased to announce that Justin Chamberlain has passed the exam for Professional Geologist (PG) certification in the State of Florida. Justin joined BCI in June 2009. In his current capacity, Justin is a project manager involved with subsidence and sinkhole damage investigations of residential properties for the insurance industry. Justin has 11 years experience as a geologist with various companies throughout Florida, where his primary responsibilities were project management of hydrogeological and geotechnical investigations. Justin holds a Bachelors in Geology from the University of Florida, and holds membership in the American Institute for Professional Geologists, The Geological Society of America and the Everglades Geological Society.

Lakeland, FL - February 25, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. is proud to announce that one of its recent projects received an award from the Heart of Florida Planning Chapter for its planning excellence on Common Ground Park. The Heart of Florida Planning Chapter of the Florida American Planning Association presented the award for the City of Lakeland’s Common Ground Park. The City was presented with the award on January 27, 2010. BCI was in attendance with the City at the presentation.

BCI’s Timothy Kelly, PE, CPSWQ served as the project civil engineer and Gary Warner, RLA, ASLA, AICP was the project manager/landscape architect of the park. The City of Lakeland is a long-standing client for BCI, which serves as one of the City’s park planning consultants.Submissions were judged in the categories of innovative design, contribution to the community, and the impact on neighborhood revitalization.

Common Ground Park managed to be the stand-out among the competition due to its popularity with the citizens of Lakeland, its success in fulfilling the planning and design objectives, and the number of visitors from outside of Lakeland into the region. The original intent was a modification to an existing playground area. However, this slowly grew into a complete park redevelopment. The park is designed as a recreational area that can be easily enjoyed by everyone of every ability. Its purpose is to provide recreation opportunities for children with a disability to play alongside able-body children and adults. The success of the design removes some of the stigma of recreation for people with disabilities.  The work required thorough knowledge of inclusive play as well as the need to a provide stormwater management systems that fit the park’s landscaping and primary recreational uses.

Butterflies are a common fixture within the design of the park, so much that a portion of the playground area was designed in the shape of a butterfly.  “The butterfly theme seemed appropriate for a park designed for kids. Just like our kids, no two butterflies are exactly alike. We used this concept as a selling point to raise money, generate interest, and keep a story behind the park’s purpose,” Warner said. Aside from its aesthetically-pleasing design, the park is also innovative by its treatment of stormwater that is generated from the park area. The drainage of the stormwater is designed to keep the elements of the park safe and to maintain its aesthetically-pleasing appearance.

The stormwater is directed out of the park to the far corner of the property at the edge of an open playing field. Therefore, all but a corner of the playing field can still be used for recreation, except right after it rains and the stormwater filters into the ground. The design maximizes use of the park’s land while maintaining its aesthetics and function for recreation.  “The park was designed to accommodate the stormwater in a way to where it wasn’t an eyesore,” Kelly said. “BCI worked seamlessly with the architect, the City, and park patrons to ensure that we could provide the best facility possible.” Common Ground Park is accessible to anyone from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. The park’s location is 1000 East Edgewood Drive in Lakeland.

Lakeland, FL - February 25, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. extends its congratulations to Terry Dykehouse, PE, for five years service to the firm.  Ms. Dykehouse joined the Lakeland-based firm on January 31, 2005 as a senior civil engineer. She specializes in water resources engineering, roadways, and civil site design and has extensive experience in Florida.

Ms. Dykehouse has experience managing a variety of civil engineering projects. She has successfully designed and permitted dozens of stormwater management systems for residential, industrial, and municipal projects, and employs her extensive background in water resources and stormwater design for preparation of construction plans and specifications of designs with practical, easily maintained components.  Ms. Dykehouse has completed numerous site development projects within Lake County through construction and certification, and employs her understanding of local land development regulations to design for parking areas, access roads and driveways, utilities, and emergency access.

Her resume of projects includes Lake Saunders Flood Study in Lake County, Florida; Lake David Stormwater Improvement and Stormwater Master Plan in Groveland, Florida; Pratt Street Stormwater & Sanitary Sewer Improvements in Starke, Florida, and Halls River Road Intersection Improvements in Homosassa, Florida.  Ms. Dykehouse holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a concentration in water resources and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, both from the University of Florida. In addition, Ms. Dykehouse has three years experience teaching a civil engineering course at the University of Florida.  She is a Registered Professional Engineer in Florida and a member of the Florida Stormwater Association.

Lakeland, FL – February 15, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. welcomes Gary E. Warner, RLA, ASLA, AICP, to our Lakeland, Florida office. Mr. Warner is a registered landscape architect and certified planner with more than 18 years of professional experience creating resourceful master plans and design development documents.  Mr. Warner’s extensive knowledge ranges from urban design and streetscape plans to community parks, resource-based natural areas and trails. He is recognized as an expert in inclusive play with an understanding of the benefits of play and challenges for people with disabilities.

As a skilled designer on a wide variety of landscape architecture projects, Mr. Warner brings an understanding of the interaction between man and the environment and is able to develop designs that integrate architecture, engineering, planning and design aesthetics.

As an experienced project manager, having a full understanding of contract issues and man-hour estimates, he has continually demonstrated the ability to lead a successful multidiscipline design team, ensuring completion of projects on schedule and within budget. His focus is always on the implementation of the final design and the necessary construction documents required to ensure a successful project.  He has served as a landscape architect for award-winning projects such as Hollis Garden and Common Ground Park in Lakeland Florida; along with Sumica Natural Lands in Polk County, Florida; and Belmont Heights in Tampa, Florida.

During Mr. Warner’s career, he has been the author of numerous publications and presentations on a variety of design and planning issues. His dynamic presentation and public speaking skills are valuable assets during public meetings and workshops with the general public or agency officials.  Mr. Warner holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in horticulture, both from Virginia Tech. He is a Registered Landscape Architect in both Florida and Texas and is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards.

Lakeland, FL  –  February 12, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. extends its congratulations to Timothy Howard for five years service to the firm.  Mr. Howard joined the Lakeland-based firm on December 20, 2004 as construction inspector; he currently provides construction and administration oversight for BCI’s Civil and Water Resources departments.  He has a variety of construction administration project experience and specializes in site development, specifically drainage and stormwater projects.

Mr. Howard has served as construction inspector on projects for the Florida Department of Transportation District 7, Lake County Water Authority, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District. In addition, he has served as project manager for a neighborhood revitalization project in St. Cloud, Florida.  Mr. Howard has eight years with the U.S. Navy Seabees providing drafting and surveying services. He has also managed commercial and retail construction projects where his responsibilities included estimation, bidding, and project management.  Mr. Howard holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering (construction) and a Bachelor of Science in industrial technology management (building construction management), both from the University of Wisconsin. He is certified by the Mine Safety & Health Administration.

Lakeland, FL – January 21, 2010

BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc. announces that James Moore has passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to earn his Engineering Intern license. Mr. Moore is currently completing his last semester at the University of South Florida and is scheduled to graduate in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in engineering. He currently holds an Associate of Arts degree from Hillsborough Community College.

Mr. Moore joined the Lakeland, Florida-based consulting firm in April 2009 as a technical assistant to its Civil Engineering group. In his current capacity, he assists the engineering and CAD staff with project work ranging from construction drawings to work associated with stormwater design.

Mr. Moore has seven years experience as a senior technician with various companies, including Ricoh Business Systems and Southeast Office Equipment, where he was responsible for servicing and maintaining office products. Additionally, he has worked as a computer programmer at Fort Huachuca in Arizona for the United States Army. He has experience in computer programming with COBOL and C++ and is NET+ Certified.