The Becht Team
Below you will find brief biographies of key Becht personnel. Click on one of the functional areas to bring up persons engaged in that service area..
*** Please note that the listing below is representative of the quality of Becht’s staff and not an exhaustive listing of all personnel ***
Request Additional Team Member Info- All
- Advisor Resources
- Business Development
- Corrosion Materials
- Dimensional Technologies
- Due Diligence
- Heavy Lift
- Inst/Elec Controls
- Leadership
- Machinery
- Maintenance & Turnarounds
- Mechanical Eng
- Mechanical Integrity
- Nuclear
- Piping
- Process Eng
- Reliability
- Training
- Business Development
Charles (Chuck) Becht IV, PhD, PE
Dr. Becht, Fellow ASME, former Chairman of the ASME B31.3, Process Piping Code and 2014 J Hall Taylor Medal recipient, is a recognized authority in pressure vessels, piping, expansion joints, and elevated temperature design. He has more than 40 years of experience in design, design review, analysis, check-out, mechanical integrity, development, troubleshooting, and failure analysis. […]
Charles (Chuck) Becht V, PE
Mr. Becht is a mechanical and nuclear engineer with expertise in FEA and thermo-hydraulics modeling and analysis. His experience ranges from developing new designs meeting code requirements, failure investigation and repair, and FFS assessments. In the hydraulic area, his work includes the study of NRC issues related to entrapped gases in liquid lines, for which […]
Derek Becht, PE
Derek Becht is a chemical engineer with expertise in design, operation, and optimization of process equipment. He has supported every refinery process unit in either a process or operations support & management function. Derek has extensive experience supporting capital projects including two replacement FCC Reactors, new Crude Unit, and FCC Main Fractionator pump-around heat exchangers, […]
John Basil, PE
John Basil has over 30 years of experience in consulting engineering, design and construction management in a wide variety of heavy industries. As part of his management and leadership roles in engineering companies and the US Navy, he has organized technical and operations teams; developed project concepts and proposals; managed a wide variety of projects, […]
Matthew Wizeman, CPA
Matthew Wizeman, CPA Vice President – Administration Matthew Wizeman is a Certified Public Accountant with over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance. He received his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his BBA in accounting from Niagara University, where he graduated with honors. Matthew began his career in public […]
Rick Hoffman, PE, CMRP
Rick Hoffman joined Becht Engineering in June 2009 as a Senior Engineering Advisor. He has more than 39 years of experience in engineering, reliability management and maintenance in the refining, petrochemical and synthetic fuels industries. Before joining Becht Engineering he was the Director, Specialty Engineering for LyondellBasell Industries. In this role, he had worldwide responsibility […]
Bobby Wright, PE
Mr. Wright has 38 years experience in downstream plant engineering, reliability, maintenance, inspection and mechanical integrity. He comes to Becht from Stress Engineering Services (SES) where he served as Principal in the Plant Services Practice since 2013 (Engineering Manager) and on the Board of Directors. He was responsible for the Downstream Plant Engineering Practice that […]
Dave Dewees, PE
Nonlinear Stress Analysis, Elevated Temperature Mechanical Material Behavior Dave has worked in the petrochemical, nuclear and power industries over the last 16 years. Dave’s specialties include finite element analysis (FEA – heat transfer/thermal-stress, creep, fracture and shock and vibration), fatigue, fracture and creep modeling, as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multiphysics problems. He […]
Abby O. King
Mr. King has over 10 years of mechanical engineering experience in the Oil & Gas Industry. Mr. King’s areas of expertise include FCCU maintenance and turnarounds, pressure vessel design, and risk-based reliability work. He has built turnaround work scopes and packages utilizing risk-based work selection and developed equipment strategies for existing and grassroots units. His […]
Eileen E. Chant, PhD, PE
Dr. Eileen Chant has 25 years of experience in the areas of engineering project management, modeling and performance evaluation of mechanical and energy systems. She has managed a number of projects developing and applying risk-based inspection methodologies and software tools for use by the process and power industry in developing cost-effective inspection and maintenance programs […]
Bonnie Winkler
Becht Engineering has more than 800 specialists on our worldwide roster, most with over 25 years experience in their specific areas of expertise. Becht Engineering’s resources also include experienced and seasoned professionals (many with more than 30 years of experience in pace-setting owner organizations) who successfully manage, plan, review, and supervise process plant projects and […]
George Antaki, PE
Mr. Antaki, Fellow ASME, has over 40 years of experience in nuclear power plants and process facilities, in the areas of design, safety analysis, startup, operation support, inspection, fitness for services and integrity analysis, retrofits and repairs. George has held engineering and management positions at Westinghouse and Washington Group International, where he has performed work […]
Gerrit Buchheim, PE
Mr. Buchheim is a recognized industry expert in damage mechanisms, particularly, sulfidation, wet H2S cracking, creep, HTHA, and fire damage assessment. He is an expert in creating IOW’s and CCD’s, conducting corrosion reviews as part of RBI projects, and in FFS assessments. With his 40 years of metallurgical/corrosion/inspection experience, he has been involved in all aspects […]
Trevor Seipp, PEng
Mr. Seipp has over 15 years of experience in the design and analysis of process and power equipment, vessels, piping, and structures. He has extensive analytical experience including linear and non-linear finite element analysis using ANSYS and ABAQUS, buckling analyses, steady-state and transient heat transfer and thermal stress analysis of pressure vessels and piping, fitness-for-service […]
Frank Fronek
Frank Fronek has worked in the fossil power industry for 48 years engineering, designing, analyzing and supporting HE Piping systems in new coal, gas, oil, biomass, solar and other type power plants, as well as condition assessment and troubleshooting of operating facilities. In 1983, Frank founded a piping engineering company in NJ and a fabrication […]
Mariano Bertaina
Mariano J. Bertaina has 18 years of Technical, Operations and HSE experience in the Refining and Chemical industry. Mr. Bertaina’s Refining experience includes the role of Technical Manager at Axion (now Pan American Energy) Campana Refinery, leading a team of more than 50 engineers, specialists, and managers of Mechanical Integrity, Process Engineering, Reliability, Project Development, Process […]
Joe Collins
Joseph (Joe) Collins is the Heavy Lift Division Manager for Becht Engineering Co., Inc. He is providing Consulting and Design Services for Lifting and Transport of process equipment, machinery, chemical, refining, and nuclear vessels and components. His duties include consulting to clients using the world’s largest cranes and super heavy-lift projects. Mr. Collins has over […]
Greg Zoll, PE
Greg Zoll leads Becht’s Power Generation Plant Services group providing over 35 years of experience in utility and independent power generation including advanced technology combined cycle, cogeneration and simple cycle plant consulting, technical assessments, project development, feasibility and efficiency improvement studies and renewable generation. Greg is a subject matter expert in G, H and J […]
F. George Abatt, PhD, PE
Dr. Abatt, Fellow ASCE, has over 30 years of experience in engineering practice, education, and management of multi-disciplinary engineering teams. He has authored numerous technical reports and presentations in his professional career that highlight his technical expertise with linear and nonlinear structural analysis, seismic analysis, soil-structure interaction, fluid-structure interaction, and impact analyses. Dr. Abatt has […]
Donald R. Frikken, PE
Mr. Frikken is an internationally recognized authority in piping systems, valves, and the development of standards and specifications. His work with Becht includes designing new piping systems, analyzing existing piping systems, assisting manufacturers with respect to code compliance issues, and providing instruction on process piping and piping flexibility analysis courses. Don has received a number […]
J. Robert “Bob” Sims
Mr. Sims is a recognized authority in risk-based technologies for optimizing inspection and maintenance decisions; design and analysis of high pressure equipment, including high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) equipment for oil and gas exploration and
Eric Ye
Eric Ye is the Process Engineering and Process Safety Manager for Becht Engineering. Mr. Ye is responsible for ensuring that client’s needs are meet with the highest level of quality and that projects are properly coordinated, resourced, and delivered in a timely manner. Mr. Ye is also responsible for developing offerings and business development for […]
Mike Swymn
Involved with laser scanning since 1998, Mike cofounded Becht’s Laser Scanning Division in 2009. He began his career designing piping systems and working with 3-D models as an end-user of laser scan data. Mike’s extensive knowledge in all aspects of laser scanning has served him well. He has worked with all of the popular digital […]
Roger Parakin
Roger Parakin joined Becht Engineering in 2019 as the IEAC Division Manager. He has more than 35 years industry/facility experience in instrumentation, electrical system design, project management, construction management, DCS/PLC configuration and systems administration. This experience has included plant operations and capital projects in both the petrochemical and oil sands industries. Before joining Becht Engineering, […]
Fred Lea, Jr., PE
Frederick L Lea, Jr. has over 45 years of domestic and international mechanical engineering experience in the oil, petrochemical, power and mining industries. He formed and operated a small, privately held corporation that dealt with industrial training, equipment consulting, industrial sales, and real estate development. Mr. Lea has significant experience related to Capital Projects and […]
Marga Briggs
Marga is the Manager of Advisor Resources. She also works with other Becht Divisions, namely engineering, providing resources for various clients which include both remote and onsite support. She works closely with the accounting department for payroll review and client invoice review and setting up projects in the accounting system. Marga enjoys spending time with […]
Arcot “Radha” Radhakrishnan
Arcot “Radha” Radhakrishnan’s career has spanned over 45 years of worldwide involvement in the petroleum, chemicals and oil producing industries, including service with Shell Chemicals, Exxon Corporation and with ExxonMobil Corporation. At Exxon his R&D contributions included development of equipment technology for synthetic fuels (DOE) and the development/implementation of storage tank design and construction practices […]
Ted Princiotto
Ted Princiotto has 40 years experience in the petroleum refining business, 30 years with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company and 12 years with Becht Engineering where he is Vice President of Engineering. While with ExxonMobil, he held various technical, supervisory, staff and management positions. He supervised the mechanical engineering, applied mechanics and rotating equipment sections, […]
Clay White
Mr. White is a recognized industry expert in Fixed Equipment Mechanical Integrity (FEMI). During his years 36 years of experience, he has been involved with all aspects of FEMI in various roles from both owner/user site position and Corporate roles and consulting on Inspection, Equipment Engineering, Fitness-For-Service, Failure Analysis, Corrosion & Materials and Welding. While […]
Mark Fronek
Mark Fronek has over 20 years of experience in all facets of technology supporting Engineering and Services in the Energy sector. Mark is well versed in the intricacies of IT infrastructure administrating and managing Windows and Unix servers, networking, security, telecom, mobile, etc. He has administrated and customized several 3D plant design packages and most […]
Tracie Keeth
Tracie is the International Site Coordinator for Becht Engineering Advisor Resources. She provides project coordination for all International locations and Alaska. Tracie enjoys sailing. She lives on and sails a 43′ sailboat which she purchased, along with her husband, two years ago and has lived on for a year now. Tracie and her husband plan […]
David Troha
Mr. David Troha manages Becht Engineering’s Safety Culture Program, which includes ownership of the Safety Manual, monitoring industry consortiums, safety-related contract reviews, providing case management for safety incidents, hosting safety luncheons at client sites, and other safety-related efforts. David brings over 25 years of HSE experience to this role. He joined Becht eight years ago […]
Nataly Thompson
Nataly is the Nominations & Specialty Services Coordinator for Becht Engineering. She searches and contacts candidates for potential assignments. She also serves as Project Coordinator for the Machinery and I&C divisions. Nataly enjoys hanging out with family, reading, and playing sports.
Gordon Swett
With over 25 years of experience in manufacturing, production, maintenance, training, and strategic consulting, Mr. Swett leverages engineering principles to provide real business solutions for a diverse set of clients. Mr. Swett began his career with Dow as a Process Engineer contributing to unit optimization, reliability and training. Since then, he has honed his refining […]
Glinda Hawthorne
Glinda is the U.S. Site Coordinator for Advisor Resources. She works with Becht clients and Advisors to secure projects and follows each project to completion. She works closely with the accounting department to prepare monthly cost reports, QC, and setting up new projects in our system. In her free time, Glinda enjoys being creative with […]
David C. Anthony III, PE
David has worked in the power industry for 8 years with Fronek Power Systems. David’s experience includes pipe stress analysis of high energy piping systems, on-site field inspections of piping and pipe hangers, pipe support design, troubleshooting and implementing recommendations on piping that has been damaged from transient events, and developing outage plans for the […]
Robert Ohmes
Robert Ohmes, formerly Regional Operations Manager Americas at KBC Advanced Technologies, has joined the Becht team. With over 25 years of experience in refining and technical consulting working for KBC and Flint Hills Resources, Robert has extensive business planning and optimization expertise. He has broad experience consulting internationally including Korea, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India, […]
Maria Ellah D. Morvay, MSMfgE
Ellah was a College Dean for 15 years in the Philippines before moving to the United States in 2009. Her academic career started at an early age right after her graduation from college with a degree in Computer Engineering at the University of San Carlos, Cebu. During that time, she was the youngest Dean in […]
Melvin G. Larson
Mr. Larson has 40 years of domestic and international operations experience managing various projects and specialty consulting on Fluid Catalyst Cracking processes. His project management experience includes strategy analysis and due diligence of refinery and system wide modifications taking into account local and international market projections. His consulting services specialize in process troubleshooting and profit […]
Maureen Brody
Maureen Brody has over 10 years of experience in professional and technical writing, technical training program development, and project management. Her extensive research and writing experience spans a variety of fields, including market research, training program development, and the creation of knowledge transfer materials. As a former teacher, she brings superior skills in curriculum development, […]
Louis Beke
Louis Beke is a chemical engineer with over 30 years experience in research, capital projects, technical service, troubleshooting, and turnaround planning based on his long-term career with Mobil Research and Development Corporation. He has particular expertise in sulfur recovery, gas treating, treatment of petroleum products to meet marketing specifications, and compliance with applicable environmental regulations. […]
Richard Basile
Richard Basile has over 38 years domestic and international experience in the mechanical design, analysis, troubleshooting and technology development of process equipment in the petroleum refining industry, based on his long-term career with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. Mr. Basile’s experience includes pressure vessels, piping, fluid solids systems, and advanced mathematical analysis of vessels and […]
Blagoje Baljozovic
Blagoje is mechanical engineer with 36 years of power plant and piping engineering and design experience on coal fired and combined cycle power plant, solar power plant, offshore oil drilling platform, process plant and mining projects as design and project engineer, stress analyst and construction site engineer. Experience includes 28 years of use and implementation […]
Tim Shepperd
Tim Shepperd has over 30 years of experience in refining and technology licensing, working for ConocoPhillips and UOP, and most recently as VP Technology & Consulting for HF Alkylation Consultants. Mr. Shepperd has extensive knowledge of chemical and refining processes with much of his career devoted to HF alkylation units. As a licensing specialist for […]
Matthew Caserta, PE
Mr. Caserta is a registered professional engineer in the states of Ohio and Texas. He has over 18 years of a wide breadth of engineering experience in oil refining, chemical processing, and consulting. Mr. Caserta’s varied background provides unique insights into process interactions, equipment reliability, and corrosion and materials concerns. He currently manages Becht’s corrosion […]
Robert ‘Bob’ Brown, PE
Bob Brown has thirty years of mechanical engineering experience as both a consultant and an owner-user, providing engineering support to petrochemical, process and power plants worldwide. He is an industry expert in the development and practical use of advanced finite element analysis techniques to evaluate mechanical integrity and to optimize the life cycle of in-service […]
Sal Cubeta
Sal Cubeta has over 40 years of experience as an accomplished leader in the Downstream and Midstream sectors with extensive experience optimizing and leading refinery, pipeline, storage, and logistic projects. He has helped the world’s foremost companies to dramatically improve their operations and profits with millions in identified savings, investment and working capital reduction strategies. […]
Saul C. Blum
Saul C. Blum has over 40 years experience in process engineering, research, and development of petroleum processes, based on his long-term career with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and with Becht Engineering. His expertise includes the development and troubleshooting of analytical techniques for petroleum processes and products, crude corrosivity, catalyst characterization, crude assay, fluidized-bed iron ore […]
Steve Bolinger
Mr. Bolinger is a recognized industry expert in Mechanical Integrity, Inspection and Corrosion Engineering. During his 35 years of Mechanical Integrity experience he has been involved with all aspects of Mechanical Integrity including developing and implementing Inspection and Mechanical Integrity programs for several refineries and Mechanical Integrity site audits, materials selection, failure analysis, and Fitness-for-Service […]
Robert W. Bortz
Robert W. Bortz has extensive domestic and international experience in the design, improvement, and performance of processes for the manufacture of fuels, lubricants and transformer oils, during his 33 year career with Mobil. He led both research technical training and technical support groups for Mobil’s licensed lubes and fuels dewaxing technologies, was involved in their […]
Mary Buchheim
Mary Buchheim has 24 years of engineering consulting experience in the petroleum refining industry. Her activities range from managing the development of Corrosion Control Documents (CCD), participating in corrosion and damage mechanism reviews, providing project management of brittle fracture and HTHA studies, to project management of proprietary software products. Participated in the development of Corrosion […]
Zumao Chen, PhD
Zumao Chen has worked in the power industry for more than 11 years with Babcock & Wilcox and 4 years with Reaction Engineering International. He has over 15 years of experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of utility and industrial boilers, burners, over-fire air (OFA) ports and other boiler components. He also has more […]
Ranjan Chithranjan, PhD, PE
Nadarajah (“Ranjan”) Chithranjan’s career has spanned over 18 years of worldwide involvement in petrochemical industries for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. Prior to joining Becht Engineering, he worked as a fixed equipment specialist at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and he has worked in more than a dozen countries worldwide to solve complex mechanical plant problems as […]
Jack Cole, PE
Mr. Cole has 37 years of experience in design, analysis, construction and testing of nuclear power plant equipment, piping, vessels, and structures. Mr. Cole’s experience includes twenty seven years of operating nuclear power plant experience and twenty seven years as an ASME Codes and Standards committee volunteer. Prior to retiring from Energy Northwest, Mr. Cole […]
Tom Doolin
Tom Doolin has 40 years of domestic and international experience in refinery operations, process engineering, economics & planning and project development. During his time with operating companies, Tom has been assigned to 4 separate refineries and in headquarters roles has contributed to countless more. During the last 17 years the focus has been on front […]
Yaofeng Chen, PhD, PE
Mr. Chen has over 30 years of experience in mechanical engineering design and analysis. In the structural area, Yaofeng’s work ranges from the application of finite element mechanical and thermal stress analyses, and a wide variety of design and problem solving in the areas of pressure vessels and related mechanical equipment, to the analysis and […]
Mike Annon, PMP
Mr. Annon has over 45 years of engineering, managerial (including Nuclear Oversight), training and management consulting experience at approximately 50 nuclear and fossil fueled power plants, and several Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. He has authored multiple technical, project management and training related papers. Mike’s career has included employment with Stone & Webster, Gilbert Associates, […]
R. Peter Deubler, PE
Pete has 48 years’ experience in the power industry in the principal areas of piping, supports, mechanical engineering for various types of power plants including fossil, combined cycle and nuclear plants. He has designed critical systems for new plants, troubleshot during start up and operation, designed modifications to existing plants, and performed remaining life evaluations. […]
Del J. Forbes, PhD
Dr. Forbes is recognized in the petroleum & petrochemical industry as an expert in civil onshore and marine terminal structures with more than 40 years in active professional practice and consulting. His professional expertise includes blast resistant design; design criteria for earthquake, wind and other extreme loads; evaluation and upgrading of existing structures; design of […]
Brent St. Blanc
Brent St. Blanc has over 33 years of experience in the petrochemical industry as a technology focused mechanical engineer with The Dow Chemical Company. Work experience over his Dow career includes Maintenance/Reliability Engineer, Construction Engineer, Operations Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer and Plastics Technology Center Associate Global Technology Director. His experience includes significant expertise in new, […]
Harold Clem
Harold G. Clem, Jr. has over 30 years of experience in corrosion engineering and materials of construction based upon his long-term career with Union Carbide Corporation. As an Engineering Technologist, Mr. Clem was responsible for developing standards and specifications for External Painting and Coatings, Internal Coatings and Linings, Thermal Insulation, and Non-Metallic Materials of Construction. […]
Joseph T. Geiger
Mr. Geiger is a Rotating Equipment engineer who developed his specialty over 32 years working for ExxonMobil Corporation and prior to those worked 2 years with John Deere Research Company in their Gas and Diesel Engine Development Group. Joe has worked on a broad spectrum of machinery that is used in oil production, refining, chemical, […]
Jeremy Staats, PE
Mr. Staats is an experienced refining metallurgical and corrosion engineer. He’s knowledgeable on creep, HTHA, environmental cracking and sulfidic corrosion damage mechanisms and associated fitness-for-service methods. As a refinery based metallurgical and corrosion engineer, he’s proficient on materials selection, failure investigations, failure analysis, inspection planning, TA support, repair plans, RBI, IOW’s, and CCDs. He’s been […]
Walt Giesbrecht
Walt is an industry expert in the understanding of the impact of refining environments and how the damage mechanisms effect the many different materials utilized in a typical refinery. Walt has extensive experience in evaluations dealing with sulfidation, wet H2S cracking, HTHA, and the assessment of environment assisted cracking in the refining, chemical production and […]
Allen Feltzin
Allen Feltzin has over 30 years of experience in process engineering, maintenance, operations, and construction in large scale industrial plants based on his long career with BOC Gases, Murray Hill, New Jersey. He developed world class, state of the art cooling systems which were installed at over 80 sites in North America. He was responsible […]
Robert Goodrich, PE
Robert “Bob” Goodrich has over 32 years’ experience in evaluating and applying environmental control technology to operating plants and capital projects with Exxon Mobil’s engineering company. He now continues to specialize in evaluating industrial water pollution control processes as part of independent or cold eyes assessments and project cost reduction reviews. He was a member […]
Jon Heredia, M.Sc.
Jon has an experience of more than 11 years in the Power Industry. He has worked the last 7 years as Mechanical Engineer in Fronek Power Systems LLC. Responsible for the analysis work, piping and support design. Multiple visit and walkdowns to Construction sites to resolve installation and startup issues and operating plants to perform […]
Gersh Kogan
Gersh Kogan has 37 years’ experience in the power industry in the principal areas of piping, supports, mechanical engineering for various types of power plants including fossil, combined cycle and other types of plants. He has participated in design of critical piping systems for new plants, providing troubleshooting consultation during start up and operation, assisted […]
Magnus Gustafsson, PE
Mr. Gustafsson has over 10 years of experience in the design and analysis of mechanical components and systems in the Petrochemical and Railway industries. Prior to joining the Becht team he worked as Mechanical Engineer with ExxonMobil for 8 years. His experience includes Fitness-for-service assessments and design support of pressurized equipment including elastic-plastic Finite Element […]
Ernest “Woody” Harrison
Ernest Woodard “Woody” Harrison has over 50 years of domestic and international experience in engineering design in the petroleum refining industry, including a 32-year career with ExxonMobil and its predecessors. His experience includes Instrumentation and Control Systems (I&CS), Analyzers, Safety Systems, Computer Simulation and Training, project HAZOPS, and start-up assistance. While supervising I&E engineering at […]
Tracie H. Hoines
Tracie Henderson Hoines is a degreed Chemical Engineer who has spent many of her 25+ years working as a Process Engineer in several refineries where she has been responsible for the design, installation, and startup of various refinery processes. Ms. Hoines, prides herself on being a good steward of manpower, materials, and project funding. She […]
Greg Hollinger, PE
Mr. Hollinger has 37 years of professional engineering experience in nuclear power generation. He has been involved in design and fabrication of reactor vessels, steam generators and pressurizers, and piping for commercial and non-commercial nuclear systems since 1978, as well as, non-nuclear vessel design, fabrication and certification. Specialization includes stress classification, fatigue and elevated temperature […]
Arve Holt, PE
Arve Holt has an extensive background in refinery/petrochemical operations, process instrumentation and control systems, process safety management, and energy conservation. A long-term Sunoco employee, Mr. Holt also managed his own consulting business and has been a Becht Engineering Advisor for more than 10 years. Mr. Holt’s recent worked as included the evaluation of ship terminal […]
Jerry Horak, PE
Jerry R. Horak has 34 years of domestic and international experience in engineering risk assessment, equipment reliability, pipeline inspection, materials, and corrosion in the upstream and downstream petroleum, and petrochemical, industries based on his long-term career with ExxonMobil. He possesses in depth knowledge of API Inspection codes for pressure vessels, piping and tankage. Since joining […]
Scott Jernigan
Scott Jernigan has over 35 years experience in the petroleum refining industry with the last 20 of those years specializing in the FCC technology area. During those years, Mr. Jernigan worked for an operating company supporting multiple FCC units and provided licensor support to international clients. His experience includes FCC equipment design, unit troubleshooting, catalyst […]
Daniel C. Hunt
Daniel C. Hunt is a mechanical engineer experienced in specification, design, installation, operation, and maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of petroleum and petrochemical plant equipment, particularly rotating equipment. During his long career with ExxonMobil he has served at Exxon Central Engineering, Florham Park, NJ, and at ExxonMobil Core Engineering in Baytown, TX, and held leadership positions […]
Kyle Kourelakos
Kyle is a recent graduate from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and has worked in the power industry for over a year with Fronek Power Systems. Kyle’s experience includes pipe stress analysis of high energy piping systems, pipe support design, and on-site field inspections of piping and pipe hangers. In addition, he […]
Don Kurle, PE
Mr. Kurle has over 30 years of experience with mechanical design and analysis of pressure vessels and heat exchangers after a long career with Union Carbide. Don spent several years with Codeware, Inc. as a technical support engineer and developed and presented training classes in the use of COMPRESS vessel design software. Mr. Kurle holds […]
David Lindsay
David Lindsay has over 30 years’ experience in the petroleum refining industry. His experience includes training, process design, hydroprocessing, catalysis, and sales. Mr. Lindsay has worked for both an owner operator organization and licensor giving him a unique perspective for unit support. He has provided troubleshooting and unit performance support, catalyst monitoring, onsite sulfiding support, […]
Brian Larsen
Mr. Larsen has 15 years of engineering design and analysis experience. He has experience in static, dynamic, thermal, and fatigue analysis for both linear and non-linear problems. He specializes in Finite Element Analysis modeling and simulation of structures, vessels, and equipment that include seismic, external loading, and heat transfer using ANSYS. Code experience with ASME […]
Carlos Lopez
Carlos Lopez has over 35 years of chemical engineering experience in the petroleum refining industry based on his employment with ExxonMobil and Sun Oil Company. His experience includes hydro processing process design, unit commissioning and support, process analysis and optimization, research and development, budgeting, and supervision. Mr. Lopez additionally has plant unit based experience in […]
Gorka Millán, M.Sc.
Gorka has been working in Mechanical and Piping Engineering (mostly in Power projects) for more than 11 years. Gorka started his career in a multidisciplinary Engineering firm and has spent the last 7 years working as a part of Fronek Power Systems staff. Gorka’s experience is mostly based in Pipe Stress analysis for Critical Piping […]
Peter Marsh
Peter has more than 36 years experience in the oil refining and engineering contacting businesses in various technical, operational and leadership roles. The majority of his career has been spent with BP where he worked at 4 different refineries and in the technical centre. He has specialist knowledge in all types of naphtha isomerisation and […]
Manuel X. Lozano
Manuel X. Lozano joined Becht Engineering in January 2010 with over 40 years of experience in construction with specific focus on Critical Lift Planning and Execution. During his long-term career with Zachry Construction Corporation and other major EPC firms, Mr. Lozano planned and supervised Heavy Lifts on projects including petrochemical plants, power plants, cement plants […]
Vernon L. Maddox, Jr., PE
Vernon L. Maddox, Jr., P.E. is a Mechanical Engineer with over 47 years domestic and international experience in rotating machinery selection, installation, startup, maintenance, problem solving, and vibration analysis. His experience includes the machinery engineering, commissioning, startup and operation of a world-class ethylene plant and many smaller facilities. He has established, and supervised engineering groups […]
Glenn Osterwisch
Glenn Osterwisch has 38 years of experience with Shell Oil in the refining and petrochemical business. He has worked as a unit process engineer and a major projects process engineer for a multitude of refinery processes including fluid catalytic cracking, hydrotreating, HF alkylation, catalytic reforming, crude distillation, and gas processing. Mr. Osterwisch also has experience […]
Richard Lackey
Richard T. Lackey, Jr. has over 35 years’ experience as a mechanical engineer in the chemical industry, based on his long-term career with DuPont. His experience includes mechanical integrity and quality assurance (MIQA), quality control, compliance auditing to industry codes and standards, and Process Safety Management (OSHA Standard 29CFR 1910.119; PSM) with respect to hose […]
Philip R. Magaletta
Mr. Magaletta is an Instrument and Control Systems (I&CS) Engineer with 48 years of international experience with ExxonMobil and Becht Engineering. Throughout his career with ExxonMobil he served in key technical and management positions providing broad based direction, leadership, and supervision of I&CS R&D and capital projects that spanned five generations of I&CS technology. His […]
Todd Marut
Todd Marut has over 40 years of experience in fractionation, liquid-liquid extraction, and vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid, and vapor-liquid-liquid separations. He provided process engineering support to ExxonMobil’s global business clients in the areas of fractionation, extraction, and separation vessel and internals design, debottlenecking and troubleshooting. He was also responsible for assisting refining and petrochemical plant operations with […]
Richard Manner
Richard Manner has over 35 years experience in progressive consulting experience including technical expertise in Hydrocracking, Hydrotreating, Hydrogen Manufacturing, Reforming, and Isomerization, as well as various synthetic fuel processes such as Fischer-Tropsch, Coal Liquefaction and Shale Oil upgrading. He previously served as Vice President supporting over 100 profit improvement programs in his prior career. These […]
Glen Phillips
Glen Phillips has over 40 years of international and domestic experience in process engineering for the “bottom of the barrel”, ranging from direct use as heavy fuel oil through full upgrading. His experience spans all aspects from R&D and process development to project screening and execution to operating unit support and troubleshooting. Glen had worldwide […]
Pravin S. Sheth
Pravin S. Sheth is a consultant with over 30 years of experience in Refining industry in the areas of Refinery Operations, Technology Development, Asset Support, Technical training and Technical service. He worked for Gulf-Chevron, ExxonMobil, Conoco Phillips, Sunoco and Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES). Pravin was responsible for developing and supporting company’s technology development, providing technical […]
Howard Spencer
Howard Spencer has over 40 years of domestic and international experience in process technology support based on his extensive career with ExxonMobil and independent consulting. He is a global expert in lube oil processing technologies including Lube Oil and Wax Hydrofinishing & Hydrotreating, Solvent Extraction Processes, Solvent Dewaxing Processes, Catalytic Dewaxing Processes and Residual Oil […]
William ‘Bill’ Schrof
William ‘Bill’ E. Schrof has 28 years’ experience working for Shell, Motiva, Invista, and LyondellBasell in the refining and petrochemical business. At Shell, he was initially developed as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the design, operation and troubleshooting of fired heat transfer equipment (refinery heaters, crackers, incinerators) and un-fired heat transfer equipment (reboilers, condensers, […]
Jim McLaughlin
Jim McLaughlin has over 30 years experience in materials engineering in the petroleum industry working with Chevron, Exxon and ExxonMobil. He has been involved in all aspects of materials engineering including corrosion prevention, failure analysis, fire damage assessment and fitness-for-service assessments in the entire range of equipment in refineries, petrochemical units and upstream facilities. In […]
Frank Masiello, PE
Mr. Masiello is an Instrumentation and Control Systems (I&CS) Engineer with more than 40 years of international experience with ExxonMobil and Becht Engineering. He has been the Lead ExxonMobil I&CS Design Engineer, Project Engineer, and Engineering Manager for numerous multi-million dollar projects involving conceptual planning, basic design (FEED), detailed engineering, construction, and in-plant start-up. He […]
Steven A. Treese, PE
Steven Treese began his professional career with Union Oil Company of California in 1973 as a Research Engineer with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University. He remained with essentially the same company through several “heritages” before retiring from Phillips 66 in 2013 after over 40 years in industry. He continues to provide […]
Derrick Pease
Mr. Derrick Pease has over 15 years experience in mechanical engineering design and analysis. He is an expert in stress analysis of complex structures that include seismic, fatigue, creep, heat transfer, fluid-structure interaction, impact, and explosion responses. He is also an expert in fluid flow analysis of piping systems, root-cause failure analysis, and fitness-for-service assessments. […]
Lyman “Tony” Scribner
Mr. Lyman (Tony) Scribner is a recognized authority in Materials Engineering and Corrosion Control in the Chemical Process Industries. He has thirty-nine years of experience in failure analysis, materials selection, design of equipment to minimize corrosion, troubleshooting and process modifications to minimize corrosion. He has led and been the Technology Steward for the Materials Engineering […]
Mark Stonehouse, PEng
Mr. Stonehouse has over fifteen years of experience working in mechanical engineering design and analysis for the petroleum industry, primarily with pressure vessels and pressure vessel internals. His experience and expertise includes linear and non-linear stress analysis using the finite element method for design and fitness for service and includes a wide variety of FEA […]
Mark Carte
Mark has served industry for 45 years as a Non Destructive Examination (NDE) Practitioner and Consultant. His NDE experience spans Up, Mid and Downstream Petroleum and Petrochemical Industry. He also has extensive NDT experience in Aerospace, Military and Power Generation. Mark’s expertise includes design, fabrication and testing of NDE equipment along with mock-ups, calibration/performance demonstration […]
Fred Moody, PhD, PE
Dr. Frederick J. Moody, has spent more than four decades designing and analyzing boiling water nuclear reactors, containment, components, and fluid flow systems for the power industry. He has taught advanced engineering courses for General Electric and at San Jose State University. Dr. Moody received the George Westinghouse Gold Medal Award in 1980, the ASME […]
Andy Gysbers, PEng
Mr. Gysbers is a recognized industry expert in refining and petrochemical plant materials and corrosion mitigation. His expertise are recognized in HF Alkylation, Crude Corrosivity, Integrity Operating Windows, Corrosion Control Documents, Inspection Data Analysis among many others, With his 42 years of materials/corrosion/inspection experience, he has been involved in all aspects of materials engineering including […]
Abbey Wing
Mrs. Wing has 13 years of experience in the refining industry. She began her career at the FHR Corpus Christi refinery as a Plant Engineer managing projects and supporting the mechanical engineering needs of several operating units. She then spent 3.5 years working as the Corrosion and Materials Engineer at the same facility. As the […]
David Moore, PE
Mr. Moore is a recognized industry expert in refinery damage mechanisms. During his 41 years of metallurgical/corrosion/inspection experience, he has been involved in all aspects of materials engineering including corrosion prevention, failure analysis, damage mechanism review, and fitness-for-service assessment. He has focused primarily on refineries but has also worked with petrochemical and upstream facilities. Mr. […]
Gene Stangel
Mr. Stangel joined Becht Engineering in 2008 as a Senior Engineering Advisor following a 35 year career with Exxon and Valero Energy in a variety of operations, maintenance, and reliability areas. He retired in 2008 as the Maintenance Director at the Valero, Benicia Refinery. In that capacity he was responsible for the overall maintenance of […]
Sid Shah, PE
Mr. Shah recently retired from ExxonMobil as a Distinguished Engineering Associate with over 37 years of experience and has joined Becht Engineering to take a leadership role in the mechanical engineering (fixed equipment) consulting area. He has extensive experience in fixed equipment such as pressure vessels and tankage. His activities have included the following: Worldwide […]
Clayton Smith
Clayton Smith has over 30 years experience in refinery maintenance, turnarounds, engineering operations and site management; based on his long-term career with Shell/Motiva. His experience includes plant engineering, business development, operations and refinery maintenance/turnaround – both at a site and corporate level. Since joining Becht, Clayton has brought his knowledge of Turnaround and Maintenance, to […]
R. Stephen “Steve” Tiek
Steve Tiek has over 30 years of experience in refinery construction, maintenance, and turnarounds, based on his long-term career with Motiva. His experience includes project management, plant engineering, business development and refinery maintenance with an emphasis on areas of turnaround planning, management, and field execution. Since joining Becht, Steve has helped one client manage an […]
Kenneth Stoops
Mr. Stoops has over 11 years of experience in mechanical engineering design and analysis. He also has over 4 years experience in nuclear Quality Assurance (QA), and currently serves as Quality Assurance Manager for Becht Nuclear Services. In his role as an engineer, his fields of expertise include seismic analysis of vessels, piping, lifting beams, […]
Jim Wei
Jim T. Wei has over 30 years experience in the development, improvement, engineering, and operation of petroleum and petrochemical processes, based largely on his long-term career with Sunoco, Inc and independent consulting. As Senior Process Specialist for Refining, he has contributed to troubleshooting and optimization of sulfuric acid and HF acid alkylation, butane and hexane […]
David H. Vahlsing, PE
Mr. Vahlsing served in refinery tech service, central engineering, corporate headquarters and R&D during his career with Sunoco. During this period he developed and managed engineering and research for a wide range of new and revamped refining and petrochemical processes. He also marketed Sunoco engineering and research services when Sunoco sold man hours outside of […]
Torney Van Acker
Torney Van Acker has over 35 years of domestic and international experience with ExxonMobil planning and developing large complex control system replacement projects in the petroleum refining and chemical industry as well as developing the instrumentation, control and safety systems scope for large Upstream production projects at a number of onshore and offshore locations. His […]
Dan Giuliani
Dan Giuliani has joined the Becht team as Manager, Capital Project Services. Dan started his career as an Engineer Officer in the US Army and progressed through Mobil Torrance, ExxonMobil Joliet, BP Whiting, Brand Energy and Middough in a variety of Engineering, Turnaround and Capital Project roles. Dan will focus on growing our capital project […]
John S. Wang, Ph.D
Dr. John S. Wang is a technical specialist in the areas of noise control, engineering acoustics and flares. During his 30-years with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company he had resolved numerous plant noise and flare problems for ExxonMobil worldwide refining, chemical, and production facilities.After retiring from ExxonMobil, he has been retained as a consultant to […]
J.W. (Bill) Wilson
J.W. (Bill) Wilson has over 40 years experience in the design and operation of fluid catalytic cracking units. This includes 13 years in the process design department of a major licensor (Kellogg) and four years in the technical service department of a catalyst supplier (Albemare). He served as the primary FCC technical expert for both […]
Ralph Wolfe
Ralph G. Wolfe has over 40 years of experience in fractionation, distillation, and other separation processes used in the petroleum and chemical industries. His areas of expertise include separation sequence development, FCC flue gas scrubbing, modeling and simulation using commercial (PRO/II) and other proprietary simulators, troubleshooting, debottlenecking, operations support, and waste water stream treatment. Selected […]
Chris Zielewski
Chris Zielewski retired recently from ExxonMobil where he last worked as a Machinery Section Group Leader. He has over 35 years machinery engineering experience with pumps, compressors, turbines and other petrochemical equipment. Chris served on the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Advisory Panel, and currently is an executive committee member of the Gulf South Rotating Machinery Symposium. […]
Nathan Wilcoxson
Nathan Wilcoxson has worked in the petrochemical and refining industry for the past 8 years with Flint Hill Resources (FHR) and John Zink (JZ). At FHR Nathan was responsible for pressure vessel and piping reliability as well as Fitness-For-Service. At JZ Nathan was a structural design engineer for flare stacks, thermal oxidizers and derrick structures. […]
Jered Watt
Mr. Watt has 20 years of experience in corporate account management in the downstream, midstream and upstream industries where he has fostered relationships across operational, technical, and management structures both corporately and at the site level. During his 20 years refining / petrochemical / midstream / upstream experience, he has been involved in multiple aspects […]
Bruce Scott
Bruce Scott began his professional career in with Shell Canada for 10 years, then moved to Imperial Oil for 25 years and retired in 2010. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering and is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario. His experience is broad based including pipelines, marketing facilities, crude oil supply, facilities […]