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KEY PERSONNEL

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Husam Ahmad, P.E., Chairman and Co-Founder

Mr. Ahmad is Chairman and Co-Founder of HAKS who established the firm as a partnership in 1991 and incorporated it in 1994. HAKS has grown steadily from the start, to the point where now it is a leading, mid-sized consultant in the New York Metropolitan area with a multi-disciplined staff of over 450 employees. Under his leadership, the firm has established a reputation for providing all of its clients with the highest quality of engineering, architectural and construction management services, and completing all assignments on schedule, within budget and without compromising quality or function. Mr. Ahmad is responsible for planning, directing and evaluating the operations of HAKS' 14 offices, including an international office in Chennai, India. He has served as the Principal-In-Charge of the company's major projects in construction management, engineering, architecture, land surveying and material testing. Mr. Ahmad has over 28 years of diversified experience in design and construction supervision for bridges, roads and various facilities. Mr. Ahmad plays a lead role as a Board Member in numerous professional societies, e.g., the Concrete Industry board, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the New York Building Foundation among others. Mr. Ahmad is an expert in QA/QC and Safety and oversees all corporate-wide initiatives. He is also responsible for developing and directing HAKS' Strategic plan.
 

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Elliot G. Sander, President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Sander has over 30 years experience successfully delivering world-class infrastructure programs and projects, particularly in the field of transportation.  He is responsible for directing HAKS' national and international offices as well as  daily operations.  Mr. Sander will focus on achieving the firm's business development objectives including expanding our global operations.
 
Mr. Sander previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transporation Authority of New York, the largest public transportation and toll network in the Western Hemisphere.  He was also Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), the largest municipal transportation agency in the United States, as well as Senior Transportation Advisor to the Mayor of the City of New York.
 
Before joining HAKS, Mr. Sander was Group Chief Executive for a large, global architecture and engineering firm where he successfully led that company's global transportation practice.  Previously, he led that company's New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Latin American practice.  He also served in other senior level public sector positions, including Director of Transit for the New York State Department of Transportation; General Manager (Manhattan Division), Department of Buses, New York City Transit; Deputy Commissioner, New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal; and Executive Director of Traffic Operational Services and Director of Parking, New York City Department of Transportation.
 
Mr. Sander is Chairman of the Regional Plan Association, a nationally renowned, independent planning organization that has played a critical role in developing the infrastructure and economy of the New York Metropolitan Area.  He also serves on the Board of the National Express Group, a large, publicly-traded, UK based corporation providing bus, rail, paratransit and school bus services in Europe, North America and Africa; the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; and the Board of Trustees of the Leo Baeck Institute.  Previous affiliations include: Commissioner, National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Commission (appointed by the Congress of the United States); Founder of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management; Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Administration, New York University; Chair APTA 2050, American Public Transportation Association; Founding Chair, National Association of City Transportation Officials; Founding Co-Chair, Empire State Transportation Alliance; Founding Chair, Transportation Research Board Committee on Large Cities; and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's Transportation Advisory Committee where, at the request of Governor George Pataki, he successfully led the development of the transportation plan for the post 9-11 recovery of Lower Manhattan, including the reconstruction of the South Ferry Terminal Station and the creation of the Fulton Street Transit Center.  Mr. Sander also chaired the transportation transition team for Governor Eliot Spitzer.
 

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Fawzi M. Faraj, Executive Vice President Mid-Atlantic Region

Mr. Faraj is an Executive Vice President and currently serves as Regional Director for the Mid-Atlantic Region, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Mr. Faraj has more than 25 years of project management experience with Environmental, Civil, and Structural projects. Mr. Faraj has managed the Northeast Environmental Division for a major national consulting firm (1988-1998).  Mr. Faraj has also served on many industry committees with federal, state, and quasi government organizations in the NY metro area within the environmental field where he has managed over $7 Billion of environmental/construction work. He has managed the structural evaluation division for HAKS since 1998, which  has performed inspections of over 5,000 simple and long span - complex bridges in the New York Tri-State region. Mr. Faraj served on state and federal task forces in both of Engineering and environmental sectors.
 

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Franco Balassone, P.E., Executive Vice President New England Region

Mr. Balassone is the  Executive Vice President, New England Region, and Branch Manager of our Middletown, Connecticut office.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York and has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and managing construction services for high-profile and complex transportation projects.

Mr. Balassone's prior experience includes the review of federally funded design and construction of major highway and bridge projects for the FHWA, the management of consulting projects for ConnDOT such as the safety improvement on the Merritt Parkway in the Towns of Fairfield and Trumbull, two sequential projects for the Reconstruction of I-95 in Bridgeport, CT with a combined value of nearly $250 million, and reconstruction of the western approaches to the Charter Oak Bridge in Hartford, CT. He has also managed projects for MTA Metro-North Railroad and the NYC Dept. of Sanitation.

Email: fbalassone@haks.net

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Alberto Villaman, P.E., Senior Vice President, Head of Construction Inspection

Mr. Villaman has over 20 years of experience in heavy construction.  He is in charge of all ongoing infrastructure construction management and inspection projects for HAKS, for agencies that include NYSDOT, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, MTA NYCT, NYCDOT, NYS Thruway Authority, PANYNJ, NYCDDC, ConnDOT, NYCDEP, NYCEDC, NYCDPR, NJDOT and the NJTA.  Types of projects within the scope of his department include highways, bridges, tunnels, dams, water and sewer lines and utility infrastructure.

Before assuming his current position as Construction Manager, Mr. Villaman served as Project Manager, Project Executive and Resident Engineer for many HAKS' infrastructure construction projects.  He was Resident Engineer for the $152 million Phase I of the Gowanus Expressway emergency repairs and interim deck replacement which earned an Honorable Mention Award from the Concrete Industry Board of New York.

Among the many infrastructure projects that Mr. Villaman is currently responsible for are the $600 million Gilboa Dam Reconstruction, the $92 million Croton Aqueduct Rehabilitation and Site Restoration, the $176 million activation of the Third Water Tunnel and the $70 million Interconnection of the Catskill-Delaware Aqueducts at Shaft 4, all for NYCDEP.  Mr. Villaman is Project Executive of the $213 million Phase II of the Gowanus Expressway deck replacement project.  He is leading the $55 million I-287 reconstruction between Harrison and White Plains, NY, and the $68 million Northern State Parkway-Route 110 Interchange reconstruction in Melville, NY.  Mr. Villaman is also managing the $80 million Catenary Replacement on the New Haven Main Line for ConnDOT, the $28 million South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Infrastructure Rehabilitation for NYCEDC, and the $10 million Fulton Street Improvements project for NYCDDC.

 

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Jeffrey Terzakis, Senior Vice President, Construction Management

Mr. Terzakis has more than 23 years of construction management experience gleaned from  years of providing senior management level oversight on major construction projects.  For HAKS he oversees construction management contract and operations for the greater New York Region during design and construction phases as well as CM/Build.  He also assists with contract negotiation and compliance, project staffing, policies and procedures and quality assurance.  His diversified background includes serving as a Senior Director in the Office of Facilities Development for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, as well as a Corporate Real Estate Project Manager for Continental Airlines where he was responsible for the $100 million renovation of Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport.
 
Currently, Mr. Terzakis is serving as Principal-In-Charge for the $70 million new construction of the Bus Maintenance, Storage and Administration Facility located in Hamden, CT for ConnDOT; he is also leading HAKS CM/Build teams for $50 million in roof and facade replacement/repair at several NYCHA developments in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island and a $21 million boiler replacement project at Queensbridge Houses.  Other assignments currently under his management include the 121st Precinct in Staten Island, a new EMS station in the Bronx, the $300 million Harmon Shop Replacement - Phase III for MetroNorth Railroad, the $120 million Charleston Bus Annex for the MTA, multiple on-call assignments for NYCDEP including the Alley Park Environmental Restoration and Oakland Lake Park Improvement in Queens.  He recently completed an ACEC award winning project for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the New Jersey State Police, the Troop E Barracks and Headquarters in Holmdel, NJ, a $9 million state-of-the-art 30,000 square foot facility.
 

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Robert Gizzi, Senior Vice President, Design Services

Mr. Gizzi is a Senior Vice President for Engineering Design.  He has over 29 years of experience in project management, contract administration and all phases of bridge design and structural engineering.  He has managed the engineering and design of multiple projects ($1 billion in construction) that ranged from buildings to complex bridges throughout the Tri-State Region.

His major infrastructure/transportation projects include a variety of large, complex bridge rehabilitation projects.  He was the Project Manager for the recently completed final design, including in-depth inspection, of 16 multi-span steel stringer bridges in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.  He was the Design Project Manager for the $100 million 21st Avenue Bridge replacement over NYC Transit as well as the 15th, 17th, 18th and 20th Avenue Bridges all over the South Beach Line in Brooklyn, NY.  In addition, Mr. Gizzi was Project Manager for the LaGuardia Airport Bridges; the John F. Kennedy International Airport Green Quadrant Variable Message Signs; Bayville Bridge Rehabilitation Design, Bayville, NY; Roosevelt Island Bridge over the East River, New York City and many others.  Mr. Gizzi also has extensive experience with Intelligent Transportation System design.

In association with these and many other structural projects, Mr. Gizzi has been directly involved in surveying and mapping, including 3D laser scanning, and the coordination and design of required utility work.  His clients have included Nassau and Suffolk Counties Departments of Public Works, NYCDOT, NYCDDC, NYCDEP, NYSDOT, PANYNJ, NJDOT, ConEd, National Grid, Verizon and others. 

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Kamal Kishore, P.E., Chief Engineer, Design Group

Mr. Kishore is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey and has over 40 years of experience in planning, design and construction of major projects in New York City and the Tri-State area; and is a licensed   Before joining HAKS, Mr. Kishore worked over 22 years in the New York City department of Transportation (NYCDOT), as Deputy Chief Engineer, Engineering Review and Support Bureau in his last assignment.  As Deputy Chief Engineer he was responsible for four groups comprising of In-House Design, Engineering Review, Engineering Supports and Construction Quality Assurance.  he was responsible for review of design, preparation of bid documents and quality assurance of all NYCDOT bridge projects.  He was also responsible for bridge projects undertaken by private identities in New York City.  Mr. Kishore managed a technical staff of 100 engineers and an annual bridge program averaging $500 million.

Major NYCDOT bridges designed in-house under his direction include Belt Parkway over Paerdegat Basin, Brooklyn, $200 million and 145th Street over Harlem River between Bronx and Manhattan, $80 million.  Mr. Kishore initiated special engineering studies for movable bridge rehabilitation, marine borer infestation related to the FDR Drive rehabilitation, retaining wall inventories and seismic design criteria development for New York City bridges.

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Francisco A. Ruela, RA, LEED, AP, Senior Vice President, Chief Architect

Mr. Ruela is a Registered Architect in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Virginia, Nevada and Washington, DC., with over 22 years of experience in all phases of architectural design including new building design, space planning, building rehabilitation and renovation, inspection and the preparation of contract documents.

He has been responsible for project management and architectural design of many award winning, multi-disciplinary projects involving major public, transit and educational facilities, totaling over $2 billion in construction cost including the design of 21 new passenger stations for New Jersey Transit's 20.6-mile Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System; Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station, PANY&NJ; design of the NY Thruway maintenance complex at Interchange 17, Newburgh, NY; design of the new pedestrian structure that will connect Park Row to the existing overpass at One Police Plaza, NYC; and design of the award winning La Casa de Don Pedro early childhood center.  In addition, Mr. Ruela has completed over 50 school rehabilitation projects, ranging from small repairs to large complex rehabilitations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Richard T. Hallahan, P.E., Senior Vice President, Special Inspections and Material Testing

Mr. Hallahan is Principal-in-Charge of Special Inspections and Material Testing, serving clients that include the New York City Housing Authority, New York City School Construction Authority, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and others.  He is responsible for endorsing Technical Reports for Special and Progress Inspections for the New York City Department of Buildings (NYCDOB).  Additionally, he is Principal-in-Charge of the HAKS Material Testing Laboratories which are located in Long Island City, NY and in Bridgeport, CT.  The labs conduct asphalt, concrete and steel testing; and the Queens lab is a licensed NYCDOB concrete testing lab.  The labs provide testing for public agencies and the private sector in New York City, New York State, Connecticut and New Jersey, for clients that include transportation, port, environmental, park, school and housing agencies/authorities.  Mr. Hallahan has more than 35 years of experience in construction, materials inspection, special and controlled inspections, monitoring inspections, progress inspections, building assessments, professional engineering services for facilities and quality control.  He has served as Project/Construction Manager, Civil and Structural Engineer on numerous multi-million dollar projects.
 

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Alfred D. Barcenilla, Sr., P.E., P.L.S., Senior Vice President, Land Surveying and Mapping Services

Mr. Barcenilla has more than 38 years of land surveying experience including more than 12 years as Director and Licensed Surveyor for the New York City Bureau of Site Engineering. While at the Department of Design and Construction, Al  managed and coordinated the Ground Zero survey monitoring and mapping during the 9/11 rescue, recovery, and demolition phases. At HAKS, Al oversees the Land Survey Department. Some of his key projects at HAKS are the NYCEDC East River Promenade, NYCDEP GIS Sewer Mapping Program, TBTA Queens Midtown Tunnel Facility, NY State Thruway Authority Noise Barrier Program, NYC Police Department Tow Pound, NYSDOT Van Wyck Expressway & Rt. 347, DEP/EDC/DDC Verrazano Harbor Water Siphon, and NY/NJ Port Authority JFK / Newark facilities. Al also led our effort for Surveying and Mapping for the $3.1 Billion Proposed Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel for NYCEDC which won the ACEC Diamond award for excellence.
 

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Lawrence S. King, P.E., Senior Vice President, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Health & Safety

Mr. King is a licensed Professional Engineer and has over 38 years in planning, maintenance, repair, construction and reconstruction of transportation structures and brings a depth of experience that gives even greater strength to the award winning HAKS Management Team.

Before joining HAKS he served as Deputy Chief Engineer of Roadway Bridges in the Division of Bridges, New York City Department of Transportation, where he directed all activities related to consultant and contract supervision and management of design, construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.  He was responsible for major construction of more than $2.8 billion in the past 12 years.

Previous to this, Mr. King was Director of Bridge Construction and Director of Quality Assurance in the NYCDOT Division of Bridges.  In his capacity as QA Director , he developed the Division's Quality Assurance Program which received both FHWA and NYSDOT approvals and continues in effect to date.  He held other positions in the Department that included Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Parking and Deputy Chief of Parking Operations in the Bureau of Traffic Operations and several others in the Bureau of Highway Operations.

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Jerome Liebowitz, P.E., Senior Vice President, Special Projects

Mr. Liebowitz has more than 42 years of construction experience including more than 31 years with New York City Department of Transportation where he rose to become an Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer of roadways. Mr. Liebowitz is currently HAKS Project Manager for NYCDOT's $175 Million Design - Build Rehabilitation of the Staten Island Ferry Ramps project which will expand the capacity of the St. George Ferry Terminal.
 
He is also HAKS Project Manager for NYCDOT's Resident Engineering Inspection Service project for the $37 Million Emergency Reconstruction of the Borden Avenue Bridge over Dutch Kills in Long Island City in Queens.
 

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Yusuf Poonawala, P.E., Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development

Mr. Poonawala has over 21 years of engineering and architectural firm management experience.  At HAKS, he manages all of the firm's business development and marketing operations.  He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Connecticut with a background in geotechnical and structural engineering.

Currently, Mr. Poonawala is managing all India operations and serves as HAKS' Project Manager for the Safety Consultancy Services during the development and construction phases of 15 highway projects for the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

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Paul Cavota, P.E., Senior Vice President and Branch Manager, Florida Office

Mr. Cavota has more than 45 years of experience including 32 years with NYSDOT.  Mr. Cavota is in charge of all on-going construction infrastructure inspection projects, including NYSDOT, NYS Thruway Authority, NYCDOT, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, PANY&NJ, NYCDDC, ConnDOT, NYCDEP, NYCEDC, NYCDPR, NJDOT and the NJTA.  The scope of practice of his department includes, highways, bridges, tunnels, dams and utility infrastructure.
 
Currently, Mr. Cavota is the Construction Manager/Project Manager on all infrastructure projects including the $600 million Gilboa Dam Reconstruction and the $92 million Croton Aqueduct Rehabilitation and Site Restoration and the $176 million activation of the Third Water Tunnel, all for NYCDEP.  He managed HAKS' JV partnership for the $152 million Phase I of the Gowanus Expressway repairs and interim deck replacement, which an Honorable Mention Award from the Concrete Industry Board of New York and is Project Executive for HAKS' JV partnership for Phase II of the project, with a cost of $244 million.  He is also managing the $80 million Catenary Replacement project on the New Haven Main Line for ConnDOT and the $150 million Park Avenue and Nassau Concord Viaducts project on the BQE for NYSDOT.  Mr. Cavota is leading the $28 million South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Infrastructure Rehabilitation for NYCEDC and the $10 million Fulton Street Improvements projects for NYCDDC.  Finally, he was Construction Manager for the award-winning rehabilitation of the Cross Bronx Expressway/Bruckner Interchange, which had a final cost of $204 million and was completed one year ahead of schedule with no contractor claims.
 
 

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John Schweppenheiser, III, P.E., C.M.E., Vice President and Branch Manager, Mount Laurel, NJ Office

Mr. Schweppenheiser has over 25 years of diversified experience in site development, engineering, surveying, construction management, soil erosion and sediment controls, as well as design of highways/roadways, dams and various commercial, residential and industrial projects. He also has performed many municipal planning and zoning reviews.

He has worked on numerous dam restoration projects including design services and construction management/inspection (CM/I) services for Ballingers Lake Dam, Medford Lakes, NJ; for Giampietro Dam and Burnt Mill Dam, Vineland, NJ; for Lake Stockwell Dam, Medford Township, NJ; and for Verona Lake Dam, Essex County, NJ. Services have included feasibility studies, hydraulic/hydraulics studies, hazard classification analysis, complete design and permitting services, bidding and specification preparation.

Mr. Schweppenheiser has performed many complete designs for residential development projects such as the Creekside affordable housing complex and other projects ranging from 15 units to 1,500 multi-phase units. He is a registered Professional Engineer in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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John H. Smith, IV, P.E., Vice President and Branch Manager, Pennsylvania Office

Mr. Smith manages HAKS' full range of engineering, architecture and construction management/inspection services in Pennsylvania and Delaware. He has more than 34 years of experience in civil/structural engineering including the design and construction management of highway, bridge and other transportation facilities, site development for residential, commercial/industrial buildings, steel plants and power generation stations. Mr. Smith also has expertise in geometric design, utility relocation, staging, signage design, r-o-w acquisition plans, earthwork and drainage, design cost estimation, specification writing and permitting.

His significant projects include the replacement and widening of the Swatara Creek Bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike; replacement of the Linden Street Bridge in Allentown, PA; and the Center Bridge-Stockton Bridge rehabilitation for DRJTBC, PA/NJ. His clients include the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, PennDOT, NJDOT, DelDOT, DRJTBC, DRPA, SEPTA, and the Cities of Bethlehem and Philadelphia.  He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the states of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

Email: jsmith@haks.net

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