While growing up in India, Abhinav had the opportunity to see a lot of infrastructure development. That exposure, coupled with traveling to places around the world with fascinating architecture and engineering, like Egypt, Dubai, and Singapore, helped plant the seed to be a part of the design industry. Hailing from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Abhinav earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from SRM University in his home country and received his master’s in Civil/Structural Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. Go AGGIES!!

Prior to joining PES, he worked for a structural engineering firm specializing in single-family residential design in Arizona. Abhinav's wife is pursuing her medical residency and received a fellowship with Emory University prompting their relocation to Atlanta. He is excited to learn from all the experienced staff at PES, which will enable him to enhance his technical abilities and grow as an engineer.

When he is not working, Abhinav enjoys watching movies and television shows and traveling with his wife. They have one on multiple road trips including one from Hartford, CT to NYC just to eat good Indian food. 😊

Fun Fact: “No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.” - Roger Ebert  Abhinav has written reviews for Indian movies, some of which have been published in the local newspaper.

Growing up, Alex was naturally drawn to creative things, be it through building, drawing, or painting.  He found a love for physics and science as he got older, and with its perfect mixture of mathematics and visual arts, engineering grabbed his interest.

Born and raised in Athens, Alex attended the University of Georgia where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. While attending UGA, Alex was named the 2019 Engineering Student of the Year by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers (GSPE) and was one of six recipients of the 2019 ASCE National Student Leadership Awards. He also served two terms as President of UGA’s ASCE Student Chapter, where he led the chapter to receive first place in UGA Engineer’s Week competitions two years in a row.

He began his career with PES in 2018 when he joined the team as an intern and segued into a full-time staff member in August 2020 as a Project Engineer, where his primary tasks include modeling, analyzing, and designing structural elements for building systems. He enjoys being able to visualize and see his designs be built through the structural model and collaborating with and learning from his team.

When he’s not working, Alex enjoys renovating his house with his wife in Athens, skateboarding, and cycling.

Fun Fact: Alex was the first person to ride a fixed-gear track bike from Athens to Savannah in two days. That’s 220 miles!

Alex began his career at PES as a Design Engineer in 2014 after graduating from Clemson University.

Since then, he has worked on a variety of projects including healthcare facilities, senior living facilities, industrial buildings, religious facilities, retail developments, hotels, and higher education facilities involving various structural systems including concrete, steel, and wood.

Alex currently serves as an Assistant Project Manager, responsible for not only doing the heavy engineering work on his projects and transferring that information into the drawings but also working with clients on various coordination issues.

While participating in an essay contest during eighth grade, Alexis was invited to a Princeton Colloquium for women in science and engineering, where she got involved with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and was exposed to potential future STEM career options and participated in various activities including building spaghetti and gumdrop towers.

Originally from New Jersey and now residing in Loudoun County, VA, Alexis attended The George Washington University, where she earned both a BS and MS in civil engineering.  The variety of unique projects and structures along with the great morale are the attributes that attracted her to join PES. Alexis has experience with large multi-family and mixed-use projects in the DC metro area, specializing in wood and concrete design. As a Project Engineer, she will design and detail structural systems and manage projects while collaborating with clients to ensure project success.

In the future, Alexis wants to obtain her SE licensure and further her career path in management. And when she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her husband, Mike, and their son Archer, finding new wineries in Virginia, and hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Fun Fact: Alexis loves LEGOs! She even has several LEGO Architecture sets displayed in various places in her home.

Amelia was first introduced to PES when she attended an American Society of Civil Engineers meeting at Georgia Tech in early 2016.  She then started an internship with PES that summer.

After completing her master’s degree in Civil Engineering in 2017, she made the decision to join PES full-time as a Project Engineer.  Amelia is excited about working with the various software programs PES utilizes for our many projects, as well as learning from our seasoned structural engineers.

Fun Fact:  Future HGTV Star!  Amelia would one day like to flip a house.

While looking for a summer internship ahead of starting her Master’s program, Amy found PES and joined us for some summer fun. 10 years later she’s a Project Manager with extensive experience in educational facilities as well as structural renovations and additions, athletic facilities, golf clubhouses, and student housing.

You can typically find Amy managing multiple projects – coordinating with other disciplines, managing project engineers, reviewing designs and drawings to check for accuracy and proper detailing. She’s very familiar with composite steel & CMU shear wall design and has designed structural systems utilizing concrete, steel, masonry, and wood systems as well.  She’s actively involved with the Georgia Chapter of the Association for Learning Environments.

Fun Fact: Was in attendance when the Florida Marlins won their first World Series.

Andrea is another one of our interns turned full-timers. She began her internship in May 2015 in our New England office and has been part of the grassroots effort to expand PES in that region.

She joined PES full-time upon the completion of her BS in Architectural Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and has been developing and designing concepts for a variety of projects ranging from automotive dealerships and industrial facilities to multifamily housing and retail developments ever since.

Fun Fact: And you thought it wasn’t real! While at WPI, Andrea was president of the Underwater Hockey club.

Originally from Lilburn in Gwinnett County, Ashley made the move back to the ATL after spending eight years in the DC metro area.

She knew PES was the fit for her when she found a company that not only works on really cool projects but is made up of really great people. With a love for math and science, Ashley attended Virginia Tech where she earned her BS and MS degrees in civil engineering with a concentration in structures.

As a Senior Project Manager, her primary responsibilities include managing and assisting with the design in the day-to-day operations of projects internally with engineering as well as externally with clients. Ashley is well-versed in mild and post-tensioned concrete, steel, masonry, and wood. When she’s not at the office, you can find Ashley spending time with her kids, Emma and Everett, biking, or running.

Fun Fact: Just keep running! Prior to having her daughter, Ashley was very into long-distance running and triathlons. She’s even completed a half Ironman distance triathlon!

Cari Gerrits, CPSM brings over 25 years of experience in business development and marketing experience to PES.

Whether she’s rolling up her sleeves and doing marketing research, working with our clients on a project pursuit, or building consensus for whatever she’s been tasked with, Cari’s primary focus is client service. Her mission is to connect clients to the solutions for the issues that keep them up at night. Or better yet, to find ways to make sure they aren’t kept up in the first place.

Fun Fact: Favorite book is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

What started out as a summer job building houses with his father’s residential construction company turned into a career for Chad. After building a home from the ground up off a set of drawings, he was hooked. As Chad puts it, “I applied to colleges as an architecture major but quickly realized my mathematical skills were much stronger than my artistic skills and structural engineering was where I belonged.”

He’s now a Senior Project Manager on a host of project types ranging from hotels, manufacturing and distribution facilities, office buildings, retail developments, educational facilities, to healthcare facilities and historic preservation projects. He’s well versed in working with structural systems involving concrete, masonry, and steel design.

Chad’s an active member of ACI Committee 360 – Guide to Design of Slabs-on-Ground and ACI Committee 302 – Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction. The diversity of project types is something that Chad likes about his project management role. It means there’s always something new to learn, a new challenge to solve.

Fun Fact: Outside of work, you can find him spending time with his wife, three girls, and golden retriever, riding his bike, hunting, fishing, golfing, woodworking, and the list goes on…

Chad serves as a Principal in the Atlanta office and is a 16 year veteran of the firm.  His structural design expertise includes a wide variety of projects ranging from assisted and senior living facilities, healthcare projects, religious facilities, multi-family housing, office buildings, hospitality projects, and industrial facilities utilizing various structural systems including concrete, masonry, steel, and wood.  He coordinates and oversees the work of Project Managers and Engineers within his team for all projects.  Chad is also responsible for the firm’s financials and IT Department. He’s actively involved with the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia and the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida, Chad lives in Peachtree Corners with his wife Lauren and their three children Grant, Ben, and Isabelle.  When he’s not busy at PES you can find him hiking, camping, enjoying Gator sports, or chasing his kids around.

Fun Fact: W-I-N-N-E-R. Chad won his elementary school spelling bee in 5^th grade.

Fun Fact: Earlier this spring Daniel was a co-author on a white paper about the Chicago Building Code changes that was published in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) journal (https://store.ctbuh.org/other-books/235-chicago-building-code-modernization-comparison-of-prototype-building-designs.html)

Daniel first became interested in engineering when he began working with his grandfather in the underground utility industry as a teenager. This experience drew him closer to Civil Engineering, so he attended Southern Polytechnic State University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in May 2015.

Daniel currently serves as an Assistant Project Manager, where he designs and models buildings related to the industrial sector among others.

Fun Fact: If you build it, they will come! Daniel participates in the National Student Steel Bridge Competition and aspires to one day become a judge for the competition.

David serves as a Principal and is a 15 year veteran of the firm.  As the leader of the New England office, he handles a wide variety of projects from new construction of mixed-use and multi-family residential to very complicated manufacturing and distribution warehousing projects requiring high levels of coordination, as well as renovation and adaptive reuse for community and commercial buildings.

He serves as Co-Chair of the Joint SEI-CASE Committee on Building Information Modeling and is active in the Connecticut & Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors.  David received his Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1998 and his Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2005.

He resides in West Hartford with his wife Marybeth and their three children, Anslea, Carter, and Hadley.  When David is not in the office, you can likely find him on the soccer field where he enjoys coaching various youth teams and even playing when possible.

Fun Fact: Has been hit by three cars – driven by three different people – and fortunately was left relatively unscathed by each encounter…at least he lived to talk about each of them.

Erik serves as a Senior Associate in the Atlanta office and is a 15 year veteran of the firm.

A 2000 graduate of the University of Florida, Erik has over 19 years of experience in the structural design of multi-family developments ranging from garden-style to podium to high-rise, mixed-use developments, golf, and country clubs, and educational facilities involving various structural systems including timber, concrete, steel, and masonry. He’s passionate about timber construction, including the innovations of mass timber and its use in building design. Currently serving as a Senior Associate, he coordinates and oversees the work of Project Managers and Engineers within his team for all projects. His responsibilities also include managing the design processes of various projects and working on a day-to-day basis with clients.

An avid learner, Erik frequently attends various industry events, like Bisnow, to gain knowledge on all the facets of development, not just engineering. Erik and his wife Amanda live in suburban Atlanta with their sons Jonah and Ethan who keep them busy with Cub Scouts, high school band, and the general wildness of two boys.

Fun Fact: The Force is strong in this one…he’s a big Star Wars enthusiast.

Jenni is an Assistant Project Manager here at PES. Over the course of her 15-year tenure, she has provided design services on projects both large and small for educational facilities, hospitality projects, retail developments, and religious facilities. Her most recent project experience includes Forsyth County’s Denmark High School and SkyVue Lansing, a mixed-use development in Michigan.

As an Assistant Project Manager, Jenni is a leader who gets the job done! She is responsible for the quality of work performed, client services, staff utilization as well as monitoring the project’s profitability and scope. She graduated with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and then made her way to Atlanta in 2005.

Fun Fact: Super Mom! Not only is Jenni one heck of an engineer, but she also has three beautiful kiddos. It’s worth noting that while she was 24 weeks pregnant with her first child, Jenni took and passed the PE exam. And on her first try too.

As a child, Ian enjoyed playing with building blocks. Now, as an adult, she designs building blocks in real life. She grew up in Luoyang, Henan, China, and attended Georgia Tech, where she earned both a bachelor’s and masters in civil engineering.

The diverse project types and opportunities for growth are two qualities that drew Ian to join PES. She has previous experience with mild and post-tensioned concrete design and is looking forward to using that experience to solve exciting design problems and get things to work.

In the future, she aspires to obtain her SE license and improve her skiing skills. When Ian is not working, she enjoys hiking, dancing, and spending time with her cats.

Fun Fact: Ian writes right-handed, but she uses her left hand when using chopsticks.

Whether wood, steel, concrete, moment frames, braced frames or other structural systems, Joe’s main focus is designing a structural system that complies with engineering principles and building code regulations while meeting the architects' or clients' needs.

As a Project Manager, he’s involved with his projects from design all the way through construction. From start to finish, Joe’s hands-on approach allows him to work collaboratively on a wide array of projects giving him a broad knowledge base to apply to your next engineering challenge.

Fun Fact: Big hockey player and fan whose favorite team is the Boston Bruins

Following an internship that began in 2017 in our New England office, Kelsey joined the firm’s full-time staff in Atlanta during the summer of 2019 following her graduation from Smith College. At Smith, she received her BS in Engineering Science and minor in Architecture & Urbanism.

Kelsey was first introduced to engineering at a young age by her uncle, a civil engineering professor, and knew structural engineering was the perfect fit because of her love for math and science. Her primary responsibilities at PES include creating three-dimensional building models and drawing sets as a Design Engineer. When she’s not at work, Kelsey enjoys traveling, taking ballet classes, and doing any type of craft project.

Fun Fact: She loves bubble tea (which she has tried in eight different countries, so far), and hopes to visit Iceland in the near future.

With a love for math, science, and creativity, Lauren felt that civil engineering would be the perfect career for her because it allowed her to use those skills to bring out her passion to help design safe, accessible, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure to meet the needs of real people in our communities. She realized her love for structures while working for a pre-engineered metal building general contractor in East Tennessee.

Originally from San Diego, California, Lauren attended Georgia Tech and received a BS in Civil Engineering in 2017. She joined PES in May 2022 as a Design Engineer after researching firms to work within the design arena upon her move back to Atlanta. In the future, she would like to pursue a Master’s in Structural Engineering, obtain professional licensure, and become a LEED Certified Professional.

When Lauren isn’t at work, she enjoys cooking and baking, spending time with family and friends, outdoor adventures, traveling, and spending time with her cat, Lady Lemur.

Fun Fact:  Ahoy, Matey! Lauren is a licensed boat captain in California and spent several summers driving houseboats and 70s, 80s, and 90s Ski Nautique boats.

Lindsay is PES’s Office Manager and her duties are varied and very important. From scheduling meetings, keeping track of the firm and staff licenses, maintaining the professional development hour logs, coordinating our internal lunch and learn program, and all the other things she’s called upon to do, she keeps us all up and running on a day to day basis. And she’s a whiz at Excel which comes in super handy too.

Fun Fact: She’s a member of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performance.

Lisa serves as the Manager of Finance for PES and has been with the firm since 1998. She oversees and manages all financial aspects of the firm and is responsible for accounts payable | receivable, payroll, billing, other accounting tasks, and human resources. She lives in Metro Atlanta with her husband, Earl, and enjoys gardening, traveling, and Alabama football. #ROLLTIDE

770-457-5923, ext. 230
lsmith@pesengineers.com

Mary Jo started her career at PES in 2006 as an Administrative Assistant and regularly volunteered to help with various Marketing events and client activities. Over time, she has used her proactive attitude and organizational knowledge to effectively shift into her role as Marketing Manager.

In addition to her heavy involvement in the many client-focused events at PES, Mary Jo is active in the Atlanta Chapter of SMPS. She has been involved with the Membership Committee, has served as the Director-at-Large of Sponsorship and Co-Director-at-Large of Communications, and is now President-Elect for the chapter. She also serves on the Shoot for Success Planning Committee and was previously a Co-Chair of Sponsorship for the SMPS Southeast Regional Conference (2018 and 2019).

Fun Fact: Once broke her ankle in two places during a competitive round of putt-putt golf.

As the Production Technology | Innovation Manager for PES, Matt has over 15 years of experience in structural engineering design and consulting for public and private clients on a wide array of project types ranging from education facilities to retail facilities. His experience includes design in concrete, steel, masonry, and wood structures.

Currently serving as PES’s BIM Program Manager, he has adopted Revit as the preferred project document and delivery tool. His focus is to provide BIM production support, internal Revit training, research and development of BIM strategies for future business services, and to support BIM marketing and business development initiatives.

Matt works with the A/E/C community to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions for projects while managing the changes in the processes that have to occur in order for the successful implementation of Revit.

Fun Fact: Has ridden his mountain bike offroad 350 miles across the North Georgia Mountains from South Carolina to Alabama in less than 2 ½ days.

As President of PES, Michael is responsible for the overall operations of the firm, ensuring that each project is staffed with the best professionals for the job.

Throughout the course of his 34-year career, Michael’s worked on just about every type of project out there and his expertise includes the design of structural systems requiring steel, masonry, timber, prestressed concrete, and reinforced concrete members. In addition to his design experience, he’s actively involved with both the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia and the Council of American Structural Engineers.

Fun Fact: Shares the same birthday with his idol – Thomas Alva Edison.

As a little girl growing up in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mikayla was always interested in building things. As she grew older, this love transferred over into designing structures that get built and that people utilize every day. Mikayla joined PES in June 2016 after receiving both her MS and BS degrees from Clemson University.

Her current responsibilities as an Assistant Project Manager revolve around the implementation of design concepts to be incorporated into the final product. When she’s not at the office, Mikayla enjoys cooking and being outdoors as much as possible.

Fun Fact: Once had the opportunity to hike the Swiss Alps. And did just that!

Lured to PES by a friendly workforce and an intriguing mix of projects in regard to both size and type, Neal serves as a Project Manager. In this role, he is responsible for managing projects under the guidance of the PIC and is heavily involved with the design and modeling of projects, as well as collaborating with the client during the preliminary design, construction drawing, and construction administration phases. His project experience runs the gamut from industrial to retail and all points in between. Neal’s real talent is that he’s always thinking – thinking of a new way to solve an old problem or a new way to solve a new problem.

Fun Fact: Is a half IRONMAN. He has completed 2 half-ironman races and will be racing his third in 2016.

Richard began his career at PES as a Design Engineer in 2006 after graduating from Southern Polytechnic State University, now Kennesaw State, with a BS in Civil Engineering.

His expertise includes the design of structural systems requiring steel, masonry, prestress concrete, and reinforced concrete members with an emphasis on industrial developments and tilt-up structures.

As a Project Manager, Richard’s responsibilities include maintaining the quality and accuracy of multiple projects and coordinating structural drawings with design/build, architectural drawings, and other disciplines. A former Machinist Mate Second Class in the United States Navy, Richard lives in Metro Atlanta with his wife, Elizabeth, and enjoys traveling to the beach and the mountains.

First interested in construction, and then through several internships, Ryan discovered that structural engineering was the best career for him. He attended Georgia Tech and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in May 2016. He is currently working on his master’s degree in Civil Engineering through NC State University’s Distance Learning program.

Upon graduating from GT, he moved to Miami, where he had the opportunity to learn about designing structures for wind in high-velocity hurricane zones. He’s excited about being able to work on projects that have a positive impact on the community and having the opportunity to make significant contributions to projects while also learning from accomplished engineers and project managers.

When he’s not working, Ryan enjoys playing ice hockey and tennis, traveling to the beach, and attending Braves games. Ryan can be reached at rkrusko@pesengineers.com

Fun Fact: While completing his undergrad while at GT, Ryan spent a semester in Europe and was able to visit 15 different countries.

Prior to joining PES, Sandy worked in the association management industry and was struck by the similarities it shares with the A/E/C industry. She enjoys working in a service-oriented environment, where building relationships with clients and industry professionals is of utmost importance.

A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Sandy graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Public Communication. When she’s not working, she enjoys traveling, a variety of outdoor activities from biking to hiking, and attending her daughter’s soccer games.

Fun Fact: “Sincerity knows no barriers of age or nationality. Words spoken out of genuine concern for others strike a powerful chord in people’s hearts.” Sandy belongs to an international peace organization.

Sarah started her career at PES as an intern and segued into a permanent position upon completion of her degree in 2012. She’s worked on projects ranging from car dealerships and hotels to assisted living facilities.

Sarah is an active member of Georgia’s chapter of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) and is the 2015-2016 Chair of the SEAOG Young Members Group. She’s also one of our instructors in PES’s popular Architect Registration Examination (ARE) review program that’s offered semiannually to our clients preparing for the structures portion of the ARE exam. Her role here at PES is varied, but as they say, variety is the spice of life.

Fun Fact: Runs half marathons. On purpose.

Stefan is a Principal with over 21 years of project experience. During that time, he’s worked on many types of projects but has taken a strong liking to industrial and manufacturing facilities. He has cultivated relationships with many industry leaders in the Design-Build community ranging from Architects and Contractors to Developers.

Stefan also serves as the sustainable voice of the firm; he’s is a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council. It’s safe to say, he wears many hats here at PES. But he wears them well, so it’s ok.

Fun Fact: Parle couramment le français. (Translation – Fluent in French)

Even though he’s always been interested in engineering, it wasn’t until he had the opportunity to go on a few site visits with the structural group during a Civil Design internship that he knew he wanted to work on the structural side of the business.

Steven is a graduate of the University of Georgia – and PES’s first engineering hire from UGA’s Engineering program – where he received his BS in Civil Engineering and his MS in Engineering with an emphasis in Civil Engineering. His research was focused on composite concrete mixtures utilizing waste tire products to improve impact resistance. He was born and raised in Savannah and when he’s not at work he likes to attend Atlanta United & Braves games as well as travel.

Fun Fact: He helped build and race a concrete canoe as part of UGA’s ASCE Student Chapter. Oh, and GO DAWGS!

Travis serves as a Principal of the firm with over 20 years of experience for various types of construction involving steel, concrete, masonry, and timber. His project experience includes the structural design of award-winning golf clubhouses, higher education, multifamily, government buildings, retail, office buildings, and religious facilities.

He has developed many long-lasting relationships with clients due to his commitment to quality work and personal service. In addition to his design work, Travis has always been heavily involved in his team’s projects and will always go the extra mile to make sure that his projects are successful.

Fun Fact: Grew up in the shadow of Florida State; but is a Florida Gator fan (and alum too)