Working with our agency and industry partners, NCE is adapting to the current coronavirus outbreak by moving a full-day workshop scheduled for April 28 to an online format. Each of the four 1-hour webinars will be given on successive Tuesdays starting April 28, 2020, and will cover topics on cement and concrete properties as well as paving mixtures and construction adapted from information in Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement: A State-of- the-Practice Manual
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Mike Carlson, civil engineer, joins NCE after a 32-year tenure with the Contra Costa County (County) Public Works Department. Mike most recently served as a Deputy Director of Public Works and was responsible for the Flood Control Division, Clean Water Program, Transportation Engineering, Environmental Services, Engineering Services and the Real Estate Division. Prior to that, he was Division Manager for Flood Control, Transportation, Engineering and Construction, including the Materials and Testing Laboratory. Throughout his career, Mike has developed successful relationships with his peers throughout the state, the regulatory community, the environmental community, non-profit organizations, and local citizen groups, to ensure projects meet the needs of all stakeholders. He has also served as an active participant and leader in the stormwater and flood-prevention communities in the Bay Area and statewide. He chaired the County Engineers Association of California Flood Control Committee. As chair, he established goals to develop a reliable funding source for flood protection and stormwater by modifying State legislation to allow stormwater to become a utility similar to drinking water and sewer. Because of his broad experience, Mike is a valuable addition to the NCE Team and can provide broad support to many of our service lines.

NCE fostered its long-standing relationship with transportation professionals by chairing sessions and presenting research results at the Transportation Research Board’s 99th Annual Meeting, January 12–16 in Washington, D.C. Eight NCE staff participated in order to share their insights about pavement learned during the past year and to bring news about the latest developments back to local clients. NCE staff presented results and information on the following topics:

• Field Evaluation of Experimental Concrete Surface Wear Mitigation Treatments on I-80 in California
• Experimental Investigation of Pothole Patching Materials
• Assessment of California’s Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement Practice and Performance

More than 13,000 researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and other transportation professionals from around the world attended the meeting.

NCE is pleased to welcome John Welsh as a new Principal Engineer in our Reno office’s Infrastructure Group. He brings more than 40 years of expertise in roadway engineering, airport design, facility planning, and water resources management across the western U.S.

Mr. Welsh is a registered Professional Engineer in both Nevada and California, a registered Water Rights Surveyor in Nevada, and a Professional Land Surveyor in California. John has been recognized by his peers on many occasions, including being named the 2011 Civil Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Truckee Meadows branch. He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Mr. Welsh takes pride in finding creative design solutions for airports, streets, highways, utilities, storm drainage, sanitary sewer systems, flood control structures, mass grading, pavements, and development projects.

 “John’s extensive experience – particularly in the Truckee Meadows, Tahoe Basin, and eastern Sierra Nevada regions – will enhance our capabilities to serve these areas,” said NCE Regional Manager Kevin Senn. “He shares NCE’s commitment to providing high-quality products and excellent client service. He will also be a great mentor for younger staff.”

NCE is excited to announce the addition of Matthew S. Gaber, RLA, to lead NCE’s new Landscape Architecture service area. A licensed Landscape Architect in the state of California, Mr. Gaber brings a wealth of professional experience across the United States and beyond. Prior to joining NCE, Mr. Gaber worked at SWA (a large, international design firm) and led a Landscape Architecture studio in Berkeley, Calif. He specializes in providing creative design solutions at complex sites, typically working with diverse communities and satisfying extensive agency permitting requirements.

Over the course of 30 years designing and implementing projects, Mr. Gaber has gained a unique perspective on the practice of landscape architecture. Throughout his career, he has sought work that is environmentally and socially responsible, with a strong focus on client service and relationships. Under Mr. Gaber’s leadership, the Landscape Architecture Studio within NCE will focus on collaboration with NCE’s existing service areas, expanding the scale and scope of NCE’s built work while utilizing the deep technical expertise of NCE professionals. Mr. Gaber is currently leading the permitting, design and implementation of a variety of projects, including an extension of the Bay Trail in San Jose, Calif., which features overlooks and new watershed plantings along the Guadalupe River; the renovation of the streetscape and front gateway at UC Berkeley’s International House; and a new medical school campus with a teaching hospital in Elk Grove, Calif.

A life-long learner, Mr. Gaber earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design in 1987 and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design in 1995.

An avid gardener, he can be found most weekends exploring nurseries, walking throughout the East Bay studying the built landscape, or working in his constantly evolving garden with his wife and three children.

NCE is pleased to announce that Michael Leacox, PG, CEG, has assumed the role of Director of Marketing at NCE.

“Mike’s 32 years in the business and 17 years with NCE have given him a comprehensive knowledge of the firm’s capabilities in civil and pavement engineering, environmental sciences, and watershed science and planning. He has worked with our clients across multiple disciplines and thoroughly understands their needs. His new position will allow him to capitalize on that background and promote NCE’s unique skillset with cities and counties.” says CEO Margot Yapp.

Mr. Leacox joined NCE in 2003 as a Principal, working out of the company’s Sacramento office. As Director of Marketing, Mr. Leacox will lead NCE’s ongoing commitment to put clients first and to offer the company’s full range of services to meet client needs. He will collaborate with existing and potential clients to develop and propose solutions for large-scale and small-scale federal, public, and private projects.

“NCE is full of exceptional talent and resources. My goal is to support the staff as they deliver projects to clients, while at the same time helping the firm succeed,” Mr. Leacox says.

Mr. Leacox received his BS in Geology from UC Davis in 1984. He is a member of the Civil Engineers Association of California, American Public Works Association, and Groundwater Resources Association.