Design Engineering Consultants: 24

Summit Associates of Bedford is a Materials and Manufacturing firm offering growth strategy, operations improvement, and international sourcing to commercial clients ranging in size from $3 to $150 million.

Summit Associates has a record of fixing troubled organizations and driving growth in complex technology based operations. Skilled at positioning small and middle market companies for sustained growth, they have commercial experience in ten countries, including creation and oversight of global partnerships in Europe and India and acquisition, sale, and licensing of fifteen technologies in seven countries.

Consulting Services:

Turnaround Leadership Organizational Change and Alignment Accelerated New Product / Market Development Product Launch

Lean Manufacturing Technology Acquisition Sale and Licensing International Partnerships Technology Valuation

Principal, Thomas W. Caldwell, PE, has over 40 years of experience in Materials Research and Development, Process and Product Development, and Manufacturing Operations in the Precision Cast and Machined Products industry.

Mr. Caldwell has designed and manufactured components for consumer and industrial products, including safety-critical applications such as aircraft landing gear brakes, seat belt lockup devices, windshield wiper, and window lift motor systems. He has experience creating and guiding technology development and manufacturing partnerships in Europe and Asia, licensing and selling intellectual property and creating supply chains in China.

Mr. Caldwell has lectured in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, and India on manufacturing premium quality metal products and manufacturing processes, and was a technical paper peer reviewer for 20 years for the Society of Automotive Engineers. A United States patent holder, he has published peer reviewed research in electrochemistry and materials processing, and has written and spoken numerous times on the subject of Materials Selection.

View Thomas A. Caldwell's Expert Witness Profile.

Mechanical Engineer - Turbomachinery Expert. Gas turbine engines, steam turbines, jet engines, compressors, pumps, expanders, generators, cogeneration, combustion equipment, diesel engines, and reciprocating compressors. 

Failure analysis, stress analysis, mechanical design, design analysis, troubleshooting, performance analysis, durability assessment. Access to metallurgical laboratory. Experienced Expert witness. 

Please see our Service List at https://sbkushnick.com/servicelist.pdf for a concise description.

Award winning, Oxford Educated scientist whose areas of expertise include medical imaging, electronics, semiconductors, medical devices, sensors, MEMS, signal processing and image processing. Dr Daft has deposition and trial testimony experience. Extensive Intellectual Property experience including patent development, analysis, licensing, and litigation. Serial inventor who holds 23 U.S. Patents with several pending. Completed more than 98 hours of SEAK Expert Witness Seminars, including patent-specific training. Diverse industry experience including multi-nationals such as GE, Medtronic, Fujifilm, Samsung and Siemens as well as several start-ups. Well published. Winner of grants from National Institute of Health. Extensive international consulting experience. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) Senior Member since 2004. Three years’ experience teaching electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. Holds BA and MA in Physics from Oxford University as well as Doctorate from Oxford in Materials Science.

View Dr. Christopher Daft's Expert Witness Profile.

Rieser Building Group is a leading builder, engineer, architect, and forensic team with over 25 years of experience in management, design, and construction of over 4,000 units. These units range from custom homes, commercial buildings, and developments, to public works like Caltrans and BART construction, and roadway improvements (over 500 miles). With a full breadth of professional development services, they manage all aspects of a project, from entitlements to design to warranty.

Building Services - Design in-house, or, as licensed engineering and construction professionals, Rieser Building Group can manage an outside team of architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, and landscape architects.

Engineering and Design Services - Spearheaded by a professional Engineering & Architectural team, Rieser provides innovative designs and timely approvals in custom homes, commercial buildings, apartments, large developments, structures, topo-mapping, hydraulics, traffic engineering, and transportation engineering.

Development Services - Developing single custom-built home or a multiphase project, Rieser will expedite the development process, establish a joint venture to share costs, or purchase the project. In addition to flexible management, they conduct property feasibility studies to calculate the right mix of homes and maximize ROI. 

Mark E. Rieser, II, MS, PE, AIA, GBC, GEC, has over 30 years of experience in the Construction and Building Design industry. He provides his clients with a comprehensive knowledge of Construction Technology and Construction Standards of Professional Practice. Background Experience - President of an active Design / Build company, Mr. Rieser has managed, designed, and constructed over 4,000 units to include high-rise, single family homes, condominiums, townhomes, podiums, apartments, and commercial buildings, His experience includes construction, management, and design of over 500 miles of asphalt and roadway improvements, tunnels, San Francisco Airport, Santa Clara Light Rail, Southern Pacific Railroad, Caltrain, and BART. Mr. Rieser has an insightful understanding of Civil / Structural Engineering, Soil Engineering, Transportation / Traffic Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Architectural Design, Asphalt Design, Cost Estimation, Public Works Design Bidding and Estimation, General Engineering, General Building, and an Accident Reconstruction expert.

NorCal Headquarters San Jose Office 2033 Gateway Pl Suite 500 San Jose, CA 95110	San Francisco Office 425 Market St Suite 2200 San Francisco, CA 94105	SoCal Headquarters Los Angeles Office 10100 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90067	Sacramento Office 777 Campus Commons Rd Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95825

View Mark Rieser's Expert Witness Profile.

Robert O. Peruzzi, PhD, PE is a Licensed Professional Electrical Engineer with particular expertise in Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits (MSICs). His subspecialty within this broad category is with Integrated Circuits (silicon chips) used for signal-processing. Dr. Peruzzi's recent clients include Quantenna Communications, Wavefront Research, LSI, Berkeley Design Automation, among others. Examples of Signal Processing Systems:

• Telephones, mobile phones, cell phones
• Data recording and retrieving systems for magnetic media such as disk drives
• Radio transmitters / receivers - low noise amplifiers, filters, automatic gain control and frequency mixers
• Audio amplifiers
• Audio recording / reproduction systems
• Heat, ventilation, air conditioning controllers
• Data transmitting / receiving systems

Areas of Expertise:

• Behavioral modeling of analog/mixed-signal circuits using Verilog-AMS, VHDL-AMS or MATLAB/Simulink
• Specific verification requirements
• High-speed verification using real-value modeling techniques
• System-level design exploration
• Executable design specs

View Expert Witness Profile.

R. Kevin Smith PE, BSME, MMAE, has been a specialist in Engineering Forensic Safety and Design for 35 years. He has consulted on over a 1,000 matters nationwide.

Mr. Smith is a registered professional engineer and holds a BSME and MMAE from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He specializes in Material Handling Equipment Safety, including lift trucks, dock safety, truck loading, conveyors, and aerial work platform safety.

Mr. has been actively involved as a member of the committee that writes the Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks (ASME/ANSI B56.1) for over 30 years. He also serves on the B56.6 committee (rough terrain lift trucks) and the ANSI A92.5 and A92.6 subcommittees (self-propelled elevating work platforms).

Litigation Support - Mr. Smith formerly worked for Triodyne, Inc. for over 15 years as a forensic engineer/principal engineer. As President of R. K. Smith Engineering Inc., he currently has a laboratory for examination and testing, and owns or has access to varied testing equipment and tools.

Kevin Smith has testified at depositions and trials on several hundred matters. He has performed hundreds of investigations into product failures involving injury and property damage, and has reconstructed numerous accidents. His expertise is available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Mr. Smith also is on the Adjunct Math faculty at Prairie State College.

Areas of Expertise:

Forklift Trucks Aerial Work Platform Lifts Product Testing Material Handling / Lifting / Rigging Equipment Accident Reconstruction Machine Guarding Safeguarding Warnings

Agricultural and Construction Equipment Skid Steer Loaders Stability Testing Loading Dock Safety Consumer Products / Testing OSHA Citations Codes & Standards Standard of Care in Design

View R. Kevin Smith's Expert Witness Profile.

Quality Forensic Engineering, LLC is a full-service forensic engineering firm, providing engineering support to clients in the areas of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, fire investigations, patent litigation analysis, premises liability, product liability, and tire failure analysis. We use the latest technology and industry proven techniques to provide thorough analysis and conclusions for the most difficult engineering questions. Our forensic engineers support clients throughout the U.S. Our locations include Tallahassee, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Tampa, FL; New Orleans, LA; San Diego, CA; and Tucson, AZ.

Dr. Brian Pfeifer, P.E. - Dr. Pfeifer is an Engineering Expert with over 25 years of experience investigating thousands of cases involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. He is a leading expert in accident reconstruction, roadside safety, maintenance of traffic, commercial vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and the analysis of mechanical systems and product failures. Dr. Pfeifer has a strong background in the design, development, and implementation of roadside safety hardware including guardrails, bridge rails, and crash cushions. Over 33 patents have been filed worldwide on behalf of Dr. Pfeifer and associated colleagues who invented safer guardrail systems, vehicle storage systems, shipping container handling systems, and material handling and storage methods. He has also utilized his technical knowledge and understanding of patents to assist in a number of matters involving patent litigation.

Dr. Pfeifer has published numerous papers to various organizations, covering topics such as new guardrail systems, energy absorbing guardrail terminals, breakaway sign mechanisms, and material handling technology. He has shared his expertise with many organizations on topics including vehicle collisions, bicycle accidents, roadway construction zones, and accident reconstruction expert witness utilization. Dr. Pfeifer is a registered Professional Engineer in nine states and he continues to refine his skills and knowledge of accident reconstruction and roadside safety by staying current with new technology and best practices. Dr. Pfeifer has extensive experience with providing deposition and trial testimony as an Engineering Expert.

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Automobile Collisions Tractor-Trailer Collisions Guardrails / Bridge Rails Construction Zones Bicycle Accidents Pedestrian Accidents Motorcycle Accidents Occupant Kinematics

Roadside Safety Airbag Control Module (ACM) Analysis Tractor Trailer Electronic Control Module (ECM) Analysis Product Failure Analysis Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Evaluation Restraint System Analysis Patent Litigation Technical Analysis

Dr. Ian M. Zeller, PhD, ACTAR, is an accomplished engineer with more than 10 years of experience in Biomechanics and Computational Dynamics fields. He has investigated hundreds of cases ranging from motor vehicle accidents, recreational incidents, medical device designs, as well as injuries from product liability all across the United States. 

Dr. Zeller has graduate level experience in computational dynamics and orthopedic biomechanics with a specific emphasis in dynamics, vibrations, joint contact mechanics, and muscle control during static and dynamic loading applications. Dr. Zeller’s past research includes clinical and computational analysis of the human body with respect to the design and implantation of orthopedic devices for the knee, hip, and spine. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented research at both technical and surgical conferences in North America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Zeller also worked with surgeons across the United States in the design and assessment of knee replacement devices, including personalized and prototype devices to optimize for efficacy and safety. 

Dr. Zeller is also accredited as a traffic accident reconstructionist and continues to conduct research as well as maintain a current knowledge of developing trends and best practices in the biomechanics and engineering fields. Dr. Zeller has published to various organizations on topics ranging from knee replacement design, forward solution modeling, joint mechanics, personalized joint replacements, material structures and properties as well as biological modeling of disease distributions. He also has an extensive testifying history including depositions, trials, and arbitrations. 

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Biomechanical Analysis Accident Reconstruction Injury Consistency Mechanism of Injury Analysis Vehicle Occupant Kinematics Falling Object Mechanics and Analysis Bicycle Accidents Pedestrian Accidents Amusement Park and Playground Accidents Crash Data Retrieval and Analysis

Product Failure Analysis Seat Belt Analysis Restraint System Occupant Position Determination Sequential Events Analysis Speed Analysis Vehicle Damage Consistency Collision Avoidance Material Fracture Analysis

 Michael R. Hill, PhD, PE, is a Biomechanical Engineer passionate about applying biomechanics techniques to solve diverse problems in forensics, medical research, engineering, biology, science, and mathematics. He is an expert in experimental, theoretical, and computational Tissue Biomechanics, with a focus on injury mechanisms, human tissue damage, and nonlinear soft tissue mechanics.

Dr. Hill’s core strengths are in orthopedic and cardiovascular biomechanics, vehicle accident reconstruction, injury consistency analysis, mechanical design, instrumentation,
experimental analysis, numerical methods, simulation, statistics, and image processing. Dr. Hill has lectured in the field of biomechanics and numerical methods, and his research has been published in 16 academic articles and presented at 40 international and national scientific conferences.

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Vehicle Accident Reconstruction Occupant Kinematics Orthopedic and Cardiovascular Biomechanics Human Tissue Damage Mechanics Slip, Trip, and Fall Analysis

Computational Mechanics  Experimental Biomechanics Image Analysis Computational Modeling Event Date Recorder (EDR) Data Retrieval and Analysis Automobile Restraint Analysis

View Quality Forensic Engineering Industrial Forensic Engineering Consulting Profile.

OrthoBioMech LLC provides Medical Device Development and Injury Biomechanics Analysis services to the orthopedic and legal fields. The founder, Mari S. Truman, PE, has more than 37 years of experience in Orthopedic Product Design and Development. As Principal Engineer, she acts as an R&D design and development consultant to the orthopaedic industry and an injury biomechanics and medical device forensic expert.

While working for and with the major US Orthopaedic companies, she designed numerous instruments and implants for repair of skeletal injury. Ms. Truman is named on 12 Orthopaedic Patents and frequently gives talks on implant design and injury biomechanics on topics such as: knee and thumb-based joint surfaces and kinematics, joint design, rapid prototyping, medical device design control, and injury biomechanics.

Ms. Truman founded and ran ArthroMotion (1993-1997) and Seabrook International LLC's Midwest Design Center (1999-2002). Her project experience (non-inclusive):

• Total and Hemi Joint Resurfacing Systems: Hip, Knee, Wrist, Ankle, Hand/Toe, CMC, PIP, DIP, Shoulder
  
• Trauma Systems: Plates, specialty screws, intramedullary nails, wires, cables, external fixation systems, spinal fusion systems
  
• Soft Tissue Reattachment Systems

Speaking Venues: ASME Congress, North American Spine Society, Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference, International Society of Biomechanics, National Manufacturing Week Conference, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, International Hand and Wrist Biomechanics Symposium, International Federation of the of the Societies for Surgery of the Hand, Vth International Symposium on Computer Simulation in Biomechanics, Indiana Medical Device Manufacturer’s Council, Ohio Bar Association and the Ohio Trial Lawyer’s Association.

View Mari S. Truman's Expert Witness Profile.

John L. Ryan, BSME, P.E. of Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE), is a Mechanical Engineer who provides general and specialized Mechanical and Structural, and Design Engineering Consultation Services. He is knowledgeable and dedicated to increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing process by reducing material costs and trimming unnecessary material while ensuring structural integrity. 

Mr. Ryan's Engineering services include the designing of pressure vessels, buildings, HVAC systems, and mechanical machine components. He is available to perform accident reconstruction, identify product defects, guard machine hazards, develop product warnings, do destructive and nondestructive testing, and design and construct factory automation robotic machines. 

John L. Ryan is a noted author in his field of expertise having published 8 books and written several Safety Engineering articles. MASE has branches in Arkansas and Michigan, and also provides engineering expertise to clients located around the country. 

Consulting Specialties:

• Finite Element Analysis
• Product Development
• Factory Automation
• Industrial Safety
• Alternative Energy Engineering
• Industrial safety
• Structural Engineering
• Safe Use Training for Personnel

View John Ryan's Expert Witness Profile.

Peter Howell, PE, CSP, CFEI, FAIChE, has almost 50 years of experience in the Design, Operation, Maintenance and Management of Chemical and Petrochemical Facilities with positions such as process engineer, project engineer, maintenance foreman, technical manager, engineering manager, plant manager and vice president and general manager.

Mr. Howell has investigated approximately 125 incidents that occurred in chemical plants, refineries, pulp and paper mills and similar industries for attorneys, insurance companies and regulatory agencies. He has determined the root causes using methodologies consistent with NFPA 921, Center for Chemical Process Safety, United Steel Workers, and the National Safety Council.  The root causes determined were based on the evidence, Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices and federal regulations.

Mr. Howell has extensive experience in developing, implementing and auditing the elements of OSHA's process safety management (PSM) regulation and EPA's risk management plan (RMP). He also has extensive experience in accident and incident investigations involving fire, explosion, and release of toxic and hazardous materials.  He frequently serves as an expert witness and provides litigation support.

Areas of Expertise:

OSHA Compliance Safety Performance Improvement Incident Investigation Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP) OSHA PSM Regulation

EPA RMP Regulation Process Hazards Analysis Design, Operation Maintenance and Management of Chemical and Refinery Equipment and Facilities

Isaak Technologies provides expert witness, consulting & training services in the areas of design, construction, procurement, implementation, commissioning and operations of information technology, telecommunications, network systems and critical data center facilities. Isaak Technologies provides clear solutions to complex challenges using best-practice forecasting, strategy & risk mitigation. 

Philip J. Isaak, PE, P.Eng., DCDC, RCDD, SMIEEE, has over 20 years of experience as a design & operations consultant & training provider, with a focus in the information technology, telecommunications & critical data center facility industries. 

In recognition of Mr. Isaak’s professional standing, the Officers & Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional association for advancement of technology, certified his election to the grade of Senior Member, a level only 9% of IEEE’s over 400,000 global members hold. 

Professional Services:

Litigation	IT & Telecommunications	Critical Facilities
IP, Trade Secrets, Contracts Design, Construction, Implementation Claims, Damages, Defects, Delays, Failure & Quality Control Analysis Failed System Analysis Unfulfilled SLAs Technical Investigations Claims Preparation & Analysis Expert Reports Settlement Opinions & Strategies Deposition & Trail Testimony	Needs Assessment, Gap Analysis & Audits Strategic Plans Design, Procurement & Implementation Management Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Planning Capacity Planning & Forecasting Operations Planning Enterprise Architecture, Network Systems, Services & Cabling Infrastructure Planning Outsourcing Analysis & Planning for Colocation, XaaS or Cloud Services	Design Consultant, Contractor & Commissioning Vendor Qualification & RFP Development Reliability Analysis Design Peer Review Site Assessments & Planning Facility Assessments & Audits Space, Power & Cooling Capacity & Redundancy Planning Commissioning Management Standard Operating, Maintenance & Emergency Response Procedures

View Philip Isaak's Expert Witness Profile.

Dennis E. Wilson has over forty years of experience in Land Planning, Civil Engineering, and Land Surveying. His company, Horizon Consulting Service, specializes in Entitlements, In-Fill Projects, Civil Engineering, and Land Planning and Design for commercial, industrial and residential properties. Mr. Wilson works on both private and governmental projects. As an Expert Witness, Mr. Wilson has participated in property line disputes, condemnation resolutions and land use issues. 

Professional Memberships:

• American Planning Association
• Past Chair of Land Use Committee, National Association of Home Builders
• Past Chair Land Use & Government Affairs, California Building Industry Association
• Past Chair of BIACC PAC
• Past Chair/Current Member on Land Use & Transportation Committee, Modesto Chamber of Commerce

John Hatcher is an industry leader in Building Systems Engineering including, Information Technology, Audio Visual, Security, Building Automation Systems, Fire Alarm Systems, Intelligent Building Concepts and Commissioning. He has worked on some of the most prestigious facilities in the world including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Russia, India and Southeast Asia. 

Harvey C. Voris is a Product Design Engineer with 35 years of proven experience in the Fitness Industry. Mr. Voris has designed and worked on approximately 200 fitness products and has been issued 7 U.S. utility patents. 

Consulting Services Include:

• Standards compliance evaluations of products, facilities and providers
• Design, analysis, and sourcing services for product concept through manufacturing
• Manual, warning, and documentation drafting
• Testing protocol design, testing apparatus design, and industry standard compliance verification

Mr. Voris has a Bachelors of Science in Engineering from UCLA with a specialization in Bio Structural Mechanics. His Masters in Engineering is from Cal State Long Beach where he specialized in Fatigue and Failure Analysis. Mr. Voris has spent 21 years devoted to the development and promotion of safety standards for the fitness industry. He has authored numerous standards and has chaired the ASTM committee devoted to fitness standards development since 1995. Mr. Voris has also delivered seminars on Fitness Safety Standards and Product Design topics both nationally and internationally. www.experts.com

View Harvey Voris' Expert Witness Profile.

Dr. Fari Barzegar is a Licensed Engineer with 37 years of experience in Civil and Structural Engineering & Construction Forensics, Construction Project Management, university teaching/research. He has been an Expert Consultant / Witness in over 100-cases.

Litigation Consulting Expert Witness with testimony and trial experience. Has been retained by insurance companies, law firms, construction, energy, mining, technology & manufacturing industries, governmental & educational institutions, engineering and architectural firms, property owners and individuals. Consultant in both plaintiff and defendant cases.

• Insurance Claims, Peer Reviews
• Buildings, Structures & Materials: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Historic Structures; Bridges, Towers, Stacks/Chimneys, Containment Vessels, Tanks, Grain Silos, Conduits & Pipelines, Retaining Walls, Foundations, Slabs & Pavements; Concrete, Steel, FRP Composites, Wood, CMU, Brick Masonry & Adobe
• Design / Construction / Integrity issues, Seismic Resistant Design; Errors & Omissions;Standards of Care; Repair & Retrofit Design Documents
• Construction Defects & Accidents; Defective Concrete; OSHA Standards, Excavations / Trenching / Scaffolds
• Slip/Trip/Fall, Code Compliance
• Damage & Failure Investigation; Due Diligence; Non-Destructive Testing 
• Explosion, Impact, Earthquake, Wind, Fire, Hurricane & Flood Damage Inspections / Analysis/Report
• Pile Driving & Demolition Damage to Adjacent Facilities: Vibrations, Cracking / Settlement
• Dynamic, Fracture, Thermal & Finite Element Stress Analysis; Product Design; Failure Simulation / Reconstruction
• Intellectual Property & Patent Infringement