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Principal
Gerald H. Williams, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Williams has been involved in the construction industry in Oregon since the 1970’s. Like most people in this industry Gerry started out working construction in the field as a teenager in high school, then in college worked as a draftsman for local mechanical engineering firms and as an engineering intern with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
After College, Dr. Williams worked for small consulting civil engineering firms in Portland before joining the staff of the Portland Development Commission, to oversee the public improvements for RiverPlace.
In 1989 Gerry joined the Donald M. Drake Company, as a project engineer and estimator. In his tenure at the Drake firm, he was personally responsible for more than $250 million of project estimates and participated in all of the more than $1.3 billion in building project bids that the firm bid during that time. In 1995 he left the Drake firm to become a full time Ph.D. student in the Engineering Management Program at Portland State University.
Since forming CEM Research, Inc. (now Construction Research) in 1996, Dr. Williams has worked on more than a hundred projects ranging from academic research, to construction defect claims, forensic engineering, and of course construction payment claims.
Email: gerry@cemresearch.com |
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Gerald H. Williams, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.
Principal |
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Principal
James F. Grady
James Grady joined the firm on a part time basis in 2011 and has steadily increased his presence on our projects, in particular those jobs that include complex construction schedule analysis. James holds a degree in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State University, and has worked in the construction business in Oregon for more than 35 years. James worked for the Donald M. Drake Company and JE Dunn Northwest for nearly thirty years, where he was the primary scheduler before taking over as the company’s IT chief. He has been intimately involved in scheduling and schedule updating of numerous projects including: Industrial Facilities, Hospitals, Prisons, Office Buildings, Schools, Housing Complexes, Freeways and Bridges.
Email: james@cemresearch.com
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James F. Grady
Principal |
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Associates
Construction Research strives to provide its clients with the highest level of analyses available. Dr. Williams has developed a long relationship with academics at Portland State University (where he taught for 13 years) and elsewhere. In recent years Construction Research has brought on a number of college professors for specific assignments in the areas of their expertise. These include: statistical, parametric and non-parametric analyses; structural engineering and failure analyses; geotechnical engineering analyses; discrete and continuous systems simulation modeling; and arctic regions (effects of ice and snow) engineering analyses.
But simply providing the analyses, or "egghead stuff" is not enough, analyses must be assembled and organized in such a manner that it can be clearly and concisely communicated to a mediator, arbitrator, court, or jury. |
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Jeff Shearer
Mr. Shearer has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry working as a union laborer, payroll/ front office administrator, estimator, project manager, corporate officer, President and sole owner of a 100-year plus family held corporation. The Portland, Oregon based Fred Shearer & Sons worked on every type of building from single family houses to high rise construction, tech facilities to nuclear power plants and all types of buildings in-between. Fred Shearer & Sons field construction crew size ranging from 25 to 350 tradespeople at one time. Areas of work included Lath & Plaster, Fireproofing, Ornamental Plaster, Gypsum Plaster, Drywall, Metal Studs, Sound and Thermal Insulation, Acoustical Tile Ceilings, Wood Ceilings, Demountable Partitions, Raised Access Flooring, Cement Plaster and EIFS systems.
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Jeff Shearer
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Franz Rad
Dr. Franz N. Rad, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., headed the Civil Engineering Department at Portland State University for nearly three decades and currently leads the Structural Engineering group at PSU. Dr. Rad has worked on a number of projects for the firm, most recently he has been involved in the analysis of the collapse of a warehouse roof in Gresham, Oregon, for the firm. Dr. Rad has also worked as a consultant to the firm on various retaining walls and other structural engineering issues and he has also consulted with other firms on major structural failures. Dr. Rad recruited Dr. Williams to teach at PSU in the 1990's and that relationship has endured since; he brings a wealth of experience and understanding of complex structural engineering issues and unmatched technical knowledge to every project he has worked on for the firm.
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Franz Rad |
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Karl Friesen, PE, LEED AP, GGP
Karl Friesen has been serving commercial, industrial and institutional building construction and operations clients for well over three decades. His experience designing, modeling, updating, and operating heating, cooling and ventilating facilities in states as diverse as Arizona, California to Oregon makes his approach to projects both insightful and unique. Dealing with systems needs from desert summer cooling with large tonnage central plants to thermal storage systems, to the cooling, heating and dehumidification of facilities in the more temperate CA and NW climates along with the high alpine/desert locations throughout the west covers many conditions and applications. Projects include large chiller/boiler central plants for large office, condo or hotel towers as well as college and business campuses, onto large and small semi-conductor, hospital and data center critical environments at some of the most well-known facilities in these regions. His experience also includes, many smaller to mid- sized offices, restaurants, clinics, shopping malls, hotels, homes and schools.
Early life experiences in the outdoors, including hiking, fishing, backpacking, river rafting and skiing, has helped him to understand the need to connect positive human needs and relationships and natural impacts with business results on order to develop the many successes in his life and career.
He is a professional Mechanical Engineer in Oregon and California and has a BS in Nuclear/Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University. He has held engineering, and management positions at some of the largest corporations in the region, and he has been managing and operating KFAA Engineering since 2005.
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Karl Friesen |
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Franz Rad
Dr. Franz N. Rad, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., headed the Civil Engineering Department at Portland State University for nearly three decades and currently leads the Structural Engineering group at PSU. Dr. Rad has worked on a number of projects for the firm, most recently he has been involved in the analysis of the collapse of a warehouse roof in Gresham, Oregon, for the firm. Dr. Rad has also worked as a consultant to the firm on various retaining walls and other structural engineering issues and he has also consulted with other firms on major structural failures. Dr. Rad recruited Dr. Williams to teach at PSU in the 1990's and that relationship has endured since; he brings a wealth of experience and understanding of complex structural engineering issues and unmatched technical knowledge to every project he has worked on for the firm.
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Tim Anderson |
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Abby Lambert
Abby is a graphic and web designer with more than 20 year’s experience in design and marketing.
Abby holds a bachelor degree in Organizational Communications from Marylhurst University. She works with the Construction Research team on communications and other projects as needed.
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Abby Lambert |
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