WithersRavenel

Bios

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  Jim Canfield

  President & Chief Executive Officer

  Jim Canfield provides strategic leadership and decision-making for WithersRavenel. Working with the Board of Directors and the management team, he establishes long-range plans and policies for the firm. He also offers technical guidance and quality control review for civil design projects rooted in his experience as a civil engineer and his role as the former Director of the firm's Land Development & Planning Department. Jim is licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Consulting Engineers Council of North Carolina, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, North Carolina Section.

  Link: Jim Canfield

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  Tony Withers

  Executive Vice President

  Tony Withers co-founded WithersRavenel in 1983 with Sam Ravenel and served as Chief Executive Officer for 31 years. Since the firm's transition to an ESOP in 2014, he has remained active in the company as a part-time employee primarily working with the Land Development & Planning Department. An NC State University graduate, Tony is a licensed civil engineer with extensive experience in land planning, including site analysis, site planning, roadway design, water and wastewater design, alternative sewer treatment and disposal systems, landfill design, feasibility planning, and preliminary engineering analysis. Tony is the current president of the North Carolina Society of Engineers. He is a former board member of the North Carolina State University Engineering Foundation and the Centennial Authority as a NC Senate appointee; past Board President of the YMCA of the Triangle; past President of the Eastern Chapter of NC Multiple Sclerosis Society; and co-founder and past President of the Miracle League of the Triangle. He is also a 30+ year Rotarian and a deacon at Macedonia Baptist Church.

  Link: Tony Withers

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  Sam Ravenel

  Executive Vice President

  Sam Ravenel co-founded WithersRavenel in 1983 with Tony Withers and served as President for 31 years. Since the firm's transition to an ESOP in 2014, he has remained active in the company's Stormwater Department. He has a passion for stormwater management and has been instrumental in assembling a staff of water resources professionals that together provide comprehensive stormwater services. In addition to extensive experience in hydraulic and hydrologic analysis for flood studies, dams, and roadways, he is one of the earliest promoters of low impact development (LID) concepts in North Carolina. Prior to founding WithersRavenel, Sam served as an Assistant State Dam Safety Engineer for the State of North Carolina. In that capacity he performed hydraulic analyses for more than 20 high hazard potential dams under state contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of their National Phase I Dam Inspection Program. He also co-authored the rules and regulations for dam construction and repair.

  Link: Sam Ravenel

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  Chan Bryant

  Senior Vice President, Operations

  Chan Bryant works closely with Jim Canfield to execute the firm's strategic vision and ensures every department has the resources and personnel they need to meet their goals. He also regularly participates in contract review and negotiation. As the former Director of the Environmental Department, he played a key role in all of the firm’s contracts with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. His work has centered on assisting business owners, investors, developers, and state and local governments with strategies to investigate, remediate, and manage sites with contaminated soil, soil vapor, groundwater, and surface water. Chan is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Groundwater Association, and Groundwater Professionals of NC.

  Link: Chan Bryant

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  Loftee Smith

  Vice President, Land Development

  Loftee Smith has broad-based experience in design and construction management of commercial, industrial, institutional, residential, and recreational project sites along with related roadway and infrastructure improvements and extensions. He also remains active in many land development and planning projects as the Lead Designer. Loftee is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is also a member of the American Planning Association and the Wake County Planning Board.

  Link: Loftee Smith

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  Mike Dickerson

  Assistant Director, Surveying

  Mike Dickerson coordinates the day-to-day operations of the firm’s survey crews and office personnel and provides quality assurance for the firm's surveying and mapping projects. Mike is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the State of North Carolina and a Certified Floodplain Surveyor. He is also a member of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors and the National Society of Professional Surveyors.

  Link: Mike Dickerson

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  Jason Bertoncino

  Vice President, Principal Consultant, Land Development

  Jason Bertoncino orchestrates the work of designers, surveyors, and contractors to bring clients’ visions to life. He often oversees complex projects requiring frequent communication to address the concerns of the public in an easily understandable manner. He also routinely serves as Principal-in-Charge for public- and private-sector design projects, including civil site designs, roadways, water distribution, sewer collection, and yield analysis. He specializes in the entitlement, layout, and design aspects of sites and subdivisions. Jason is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

  Link: Jason Bertoncino

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  Jessica Martin-Lane

  Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer

  Jessica Martin-Lane is a leader, innovative thinker, and organizer in the realm of public- and private-sector management consulting. She serves as the trusted strategic advisor for governments of all sizes as well as numerous private businesses. She helps municipalities and organizations successfully execute complex financial, funding, economic development, and strategic planning projects. Her work produces exceptional results, helping clients achieve short- and long-term goals while realizing greater efficiencies. Jessica is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of North Carolina. She is also a Board Member with the North Carolina Economic Development Association and a member of the International City/County Management Association. Jessica was the President and CEO of Martin-McGill, a Western North Carolina management consulting firm. Martin-McGill became WR-Martin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WithersRavenel, in February 2018.

  Link: Jessica Martin-Lane

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  Seth Swaim

  Remote Sensing Manager

  Seth Swaim is a Vice President and the Manager of the Remote Sensing Group within the Geomatics department. He draws on his years of GIS, GPS, and surveying experience to manage the UAS, 3D Laser Scanning, and Hydrographic surveying efforts for the Geomatics department. These remote sensing methodologies are strongly based in technology and lead to high-quality and value-added deliverables for clients. One of the firm's newest technologies is the addition of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). Seth actively develops UAS-based solutions for WithersRavenel, including GIS, mapping, photogrammetry, aerial LiDAR, topographic survey, inspection, and many other applications where sUAS can excel. Seth is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor and certified GIS Professional in the State of North Carolina. He also holds a Part 107 Pilot license from the Federal Aviation Administration, which authorizes him to operate small UAS, commonly known as drones.

  Link: Seth Swaim

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  L. Edwin "Eddie" Staley

  Chief Experience and Innovation Officer

  Eddie Staley drives client experience initiatives at WithersRavenel. He brings to bear decades of service in the local government sector and award-winning GIS project experience to tackle the challenges associated with public projects. In addition, he has served on numerous committees and governing boards dealing with the activities of engineering, surveying, and technology. Eddie is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor and certified GIS Professional in the State of North Carolina. He also holds a Part 107 Pilot license from the Federal Aviation Administration, which authorizes him to operate small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones. He is the President of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Public Works Administration and a member of the American Water Works Association, North Carolina Rural Water Association, and multiple ESRI Arc user groups.

  Link: L. Edwin "Eddie" Staley

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  Lars Hagen

  Vice President, Director of Operations, Public, Director – Stormwater

  Lars Hagen joined WithersRavenel to develop the stormwater discipline from a small group of talented stormwater engineers within the Water Resources Department to a full-fledged Stormwater Department with a staff of dedicated stormwater project managers, engineers, and designers. He is responsible for staffing stormwater projects, providing technical guidance, and overseeing department activities. He also serves as senior project manager on critical projects, working directly on developing stormwater management plans, stormwater infrastructure and retrofits, and flood studies. Lars is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina and is certified in SCM Inspection and Maintenance by NC State University. He was also selected to serve on the WithersRavenel Project Management Committee.

  Link: Lars Hagen

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  R.S. "Butch" Lawter

  Vice President, Director – Environmental Services

  Butch Lawter oversees WithersRavenel's staff of geologists, engineers, and scientists in the delivery of environmental assessment and remediation services for state and local government entities throughout North Carolina. He has led the full spectrum of environmental assessment, UST closure, and remediation tasks, and he uses this experience to provide technical consulting and quality assurance/quality control on particularly challenging assignments. Butch is licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In addition, Butch has 13 years of experience as a Town Councilman in Clayton, NC. In this capacity, he reviews and approves annual budgets for the Town and is heavily involved in local infrastructure planning and maintenance projects. He is also Clayton’s representative to the Triangle J Council of Governments and alternate representative to the NC Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).

  Link: R.S. "Butch" Lawter

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  Brock Storrusten

  Vice President, Chief Growth Officer, Private Sector, Director – Land Development

  Brock Storrusten has broad-based engineering and management experience in small- and large-scale developments, including residential and commercial sites, recreational facilities, transportation, utilities, stormwater, and flooding and erosion control systems. He also has substantial experience providing planning, engineering, and governance assistance to local governments, including serving as an Assistant City Engineer for more than 10 years and preparing financing frameworks that involved public and non-profit grants, public bonding, private financing, and tax-increment financing. Brock is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is also a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, American Planning Association, American Public Works Association, and National Society of Professional Engineers. He serves as a representative of the Town of Cary on the Town's Economic Development Committee.

  Link: Brock Storrusten

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  Robbie Oldham

  Vice President, Principal Consultant

  Robbie Oldham’s role has grown from designing and managing site, subdivision, roadway, storm drainage, and utility projects to becoming the Chatham Park Principal Consultant for WithersRavenel. In this capacity, he oversees a diverse array of planning, permitting, and engineering efforts in Chatham Park, a 7,100-acre mixed-use development by Preston Development Company in Pittsboro, NC. His role also includes overall project entitlement and management for Chatham Park, which requires him to work closely with local citizens and officials as well as other Chatham Park consultants, developers, and stakeholders. Chatham Park is envisioned as a comprehensive live–work–play community, and it is approved for up to 22,000 residential dwelling units and 22 million SF of non-residential development. Robbie is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

  Link: Robbie Oldham

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  Dale Werenko

  Vice President, Director – Environmental Engineering

  Dale Werenko has diversified experience in civil engineering, including roadway and greenway trail design, water and wastewater design, hydraulic water modeling, commercial development design, single- and multi-family residential development design, and computer-enhanced 3D site modeling. Dale is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina and a Certified Floodplain Manager.

  Link: Dale Werenko

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  Kevin Eason

  Director of Utilities

  Kevin Eason is a former public servant with extensive experience on public utility design and rehabilitation projects, including water and sewer lines, sewer pump station and force mains, water booster stations, and the development of utility master plans. He has also coordinated large infrastructure projects, including water plant improvements, wastewater plant improvements, dam replacements, inter-system water connections, and elevated water tank construction and rehabilitation. He has managed municipal delegated permit programs and worked with various agencies in pursuing grant opportunities from the Golden Leaf Foundation and the North Carolina State Revolving Fund programs. His utility infrastructure management and local government experience serve to informtand guide the work of the Utilities Department. Seth is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. He is also certified by the National Association of National Association of Sewer Service Companies to perform sanitary sewer pipeline assessments, manhole assessments, and lateral assessments. He has been a member of the American Water Works Association since 1989.

  Link: Kevin Eason