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GENERAL OVERVIEW
Rick’s 35 years of experience in field construction and contract administration for heavy civil projects provides a unique combination for managing and analyzing construction problems and if necessary, leading to mediation and/or arbitration procedures. His experience in field construction was with the Bureau of Reclamation (Federal Government) beginning as a Construction Inspector and worked his way from the ground up as a Construction Representative, Contract Administrator, Resident Engineer and for the last 13 years as a Field Engineer for a variety of multiple complex and also relatively simple and simultaneous projects throughout Idaho, Utah, California, Nevada and Oregon via satellite offices.
Through his love for construction, Rick is a “self-motivated-hands-on” and a “get down and dirty” field person. He is also a people-caring person and believes in motivating personnel by utilizing their talents to solve problems through the involvement of the individuals directly involved with the particular situations, both at the project and corporate levels. He is also a stickler for doing things right through advanced planning during review of the specifications including the corporate, site construction and contract administration levels.
Rick believes that Dispute Review Boards (DRB) which meet on a regularly scheduled basis can anticipate and potentially ward off the necessity for mediation and/or arbitration. However, as a secondary solution to problems, Rick believes that mediation and/or arbitration procedures are the most expeditious, fair and mutually gratifying for all parties involved, versus costly and time consuming litigation which could be a no-win situation and could also develop long-lasting animosities between construction professionals. Rick will travel as necessary to assist through consultations, DRB’s, mediation and/or arbitration procedures to assure that the construction industry maintains a group of professional, amicable and satisfied organizations.
Rick has worked in heavy civil construction since 1971 (4 years in Navy construction and 31 years with the Bureau of Reclamation). He retired from the Bureau of Reclamation in February 2006.
During his 4 years in the Navy, Rick helped write the construction inspection manual for the Seabees and was the inspector for numerous concrete structures, runways, housing, docking piers and concrete and CMU batch plant operations. He also was a project scheduler, manpower and material estimator.
When honorably discharged from the Navy, Rick immediately went to work for the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation as a Construction Inspector at Teton Dam, Idaho, which failed during the first filling. He stayed there during the investigations of the failure and gained invaluable knowledge of the testing, construction and insight into the failure of the Dam.
Rick’s career with the Bureau of Reclamation began as a Construction Inspector and worked his way up to Field Engineer, thus being responsible for all aspects of field construction. He was also Chief of a division of Contract Administration for 2 years for heavy civil construction. Rick accepted this interim position to develop a more in-depth interaction between field construction and contract administration through understanding and preventative actions on both sides of the construction scenario.
Rick’s responsibilities grew as did his position. As Field Engineer for 13 years, he supervised up to15 people at multiple locations and was responsible for all Field Engineering activities which in part included safety assurance, assuring required construction methods resulting in satisfactory results and devising solutions to maintain and coordinate construction and scheduling to avoid contractor claims. He was also responsible for contractual issues which in part included the bidding process, analyzing bids, modifications, claims as well as continuous review of designs and specifications.
During Rick’s career with the Bureau of Reclamation, typical projects included responsibility for field construction of earthen dams (from excavation and through un-watering, foundation treatment, embankment and associated concrete structures); a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam; steel and RCP pipelines; concrete-lined canals; pumping plants; miscellaneous concrete structures; recreation areas; asphalt and AB roads; levees; dam foundation remediation; rehabilitation of fish hatcheries and small office buildings; coatings; construction at an EPA hazardous waste site; and reinforced concrete and shotcrete tunnel construction.
Rick has served on one DRB which was on the owner’s side of the Board
