Press Release: F&V Adds 11 New Staff

Fleis & VandenBrink (F&V) recently added 11 new staff to its full-service engineering and architectural firm.

“We’ve had a lot of great hires,” said Bob Wilcox, Principal and F&V’s Vice President of Operations. “We’ve added not just horsepower, but a lot of great talent to our team.

“The additional staff allows us to continue to grow, develop and implement systems to improve our efficiency and pursue new opportunities.”

Melonie Hart, P.E., joins the Development & Enhancement Group at the firm’s headquarters in Grand Rapids as a project manager. Other new hires in Grand Rapids include Eric Daly, controller; Stacey Hough, construction technician; and administrative assistants Melissa Grasman and Kayla McClean.

Kevin Hehir, senior engineering technician, and Timothy Bott and Levi Rowan, engineers-in-training (EITs), have joined the West Michigan Municipal Group at the Traverse City office.

Emma McDonald, EIT, and Karen Hicks, administrative assistant, joined the Kalamazoo office. Brad Danks, an engineering technician, joins the Grand Blanc office.

Hart brings more than a decade of experience in site development to F&V. She earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Purdue University with a focus on land development.

The certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) will manage site development projects that are sustainable and plan for the future, including commercial developments and parks and recreation projects.

Daly, who has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Grand Valley State University, joins F&V with 20 years of experience as controller and chief financial officer.

He will assist the finance team with daily accounting tasks, managing the month-end close process and assist in the preparation and review of the company’s financial reporting. His experiences will help support the ongoing strategic initiatives of F&V.

Hough and McClean join the Construction Services Group. Hough is a resident project representative (RPR) with years of previous experience in the agricultural industry. Her duties include project oversight, daily documentation, quantity tracking and materials testing. Hough’s work ethic and previous managerial position will help her working with contractors and clients.

McClean recently received her bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Built Elements from the University of Arizona. She also has an associate’s degree in General Studies from Yavapai College, Prescott, Ariz.

McClean, who grew up in Michigan, has previous general office experience with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). As a project assistant, she will help the Construction Services group with project delivery including construction administration on local and department of transportation funded projects.

Grasman’s previous office and legal experience and legal studies at Davenport University will benefit the Process Group. She will assist in meetings, proposals, service agreements, technical reports, correspondence, construction administration, project financial reporting, invoicing, and other accounting related tasks.

Hehir has more than 16 years of experience in road and underground utility construction. The Northern Michigan University physical geography graduate will work on municipal construction projects as a RPR.

Bott graduated from Hope College with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He also interned at F&V and the Grand Traverse County Road Commission.

Bott will assist with the design of municipal projects, preparation of project plans and specifications, and construction administration. He will also be doing design calculations, hydraulic modeling, and develop asset management and capital improvements plans.

Rowan, a 2021 Western Michigan University civil engineering graduate, joins F&V with MDOT and previous project engineering, including testing and commercial construction project supervision. He will be supporting the Traverse City office with a broad range of tasks including municipal road and utility design, site superintendent and resident project representative for clients.

McDonald joins the West Michigan Municipal Group as an EIT. The Michigan State University graduate has a bachelor’s degree in biosystems engineering. Her previous civil engineering experience on construction sites will help her working on projects in water, wastewater, and transportation, from concept to construction.

Hicks has a bachelor’s degree in parks and rec administration from Illinois State University. The Naperville, Ill., native has 15 years of administrative assistant experience. Her experience will help Kalamazoo project managers with correspondence, report preparation and specification development including bidding and construction phase engineering services.

Danks joins the East Michigan Municipal Group and brings more than 25-years of civil engineering and GIS experience and expertise to F&V. He will assist with design and drafting and provide GIS consulting services to clients. Danks, who has an Associate’s degree from ITT Technical Institute, started his engineering career as a CAD operator more than three decades ago.

In 2021, F&V was recognized as one of the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” in West Michigan, Metro Detroit, as well as in the nation. It was also recognized in 2021 as the 30th ranked “Hot Firm” in the United States and Canada by Zweig Group, a leading advisor for the architectural, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms.