Steve M. Sylvest, PE

Career Summary

Over 34 years (since 1982) with the New Orleans office of AECOM (formerly Walk, Haydel & Associates, Dames & Moore, and URS). Civil/Structural (C/S) experience working over 150 projects for a wide variety of clients of all sizes from very small to very large. Lead C/S engineer for the majority of those projects. Prepared calculations, drawings, specifications, and reports (both personally and through supervising and directing others). In addition to the technical role, performed other project roles including cost and scheduling controls, bid support, construction support, inspection, etc.

Experience factors:

  • Remained up-to-date with codes and design standards.
  • Experience included a vast number of industrial structures, buildings (mostly steel and concrete but some masonry, and timber), foundations (shallow and pile foundations), slabs, and structural mats.
  • Associated civil engineering design elements included gravity storm drainage, paving, and earthwork.
  • Utilized manual and computer design methods.
  • Some unique or advanced engineering tasks have included high-seismic and high-wind loading, finite element analysis, composite (FRP) structures, vibration analysis, gravity and pressure hydraulics including surge analysis, slope stability analysis, and landfills.
  • Consistently maintained technical quality while completing projects on schedule and budget though in a competitive market.

Education & Credentials

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Civil Engineering, 1982
Louisiana State University

Master of Science (MS) in Engineering, 2004
University of New Orleans

Licensed Professional Engineer
 Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, Alabama
*previously licensed in other states and can be again as needed

Sylvest Engineering, LLC is registered in Louisiana: License No. EF 6130

References

Each of the following have recent, in-depth knowledge of my work experience. In addition, any former coworker or client information can be provided as further references.  Contact information can be provided upon request.

Alan Guenther PE

Jose Simosa PE

David Glynn PE

Brian Heath PE

Mike Folse, PhD PE SE

Recent Projects Worked as Sylvest Engineering

  • Engineering wood products design and selection for beams and columns using products from Boise Cascade, Weyerhaeuser, Simpson Strong-Tie, USP, and others.
  • Conventional wood framing design in accordance with IRC and IBC codes plus referenced code documents.
  • Concrete foundations, both pile-supported and slab-on-grade, for commercial and residential buildings.
  • Commercial building designs incorporating reinforced concrete masonry unit (CMU), cold-formed steel, steel bar joists, metal decks, and reinforced concrete structures.
  • Bridge rehabilitation engineering design.
  • Storm drainage plan.
  • Permitting assistance.

For clients including the following:

Select Projects

TVA Paradise Power Plant Gypsum Dewatering and Dry Fly Ash, 2016

  • Lead C/S Engineer for project planning and early-stage design of dewatering building, silo and tank foundations, miscellaneous equipment and pipe supports, and civil site work.

Folgers Roaster addition to the Chef Facility, 2016

  • structural engineer checker and consultant. Scope of project was to alter several floors of an existing building (including addition of new levels) to add additional roasting equipment

FirstEnergy, Bruce Mansfield Plant, Dewatering Plant, 2012–2016

  • Lead Civil/Structural Engineer responsible for design of major equipment foundations and the multi-story dewatering building (and silo supports) in addition to several smaller buildings. Other design elements included conveyor foundations, river terminal load-out facility, retaining walls, heavy-duty paving, plus ancillary civil and structural facilities for Bruce Mansfield Station coal combustion products processing and transportation. Duties included coordination of a team for a fast-tracked design of multiple packages plus providing field support (bid support, RFIs, and submittal reviews). Responsibilities included technical and lead discipline duties.

Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Hurricane Flood Protection Barrier, 2011—2012

  • Lead C/S Engineer. Conceptual development phases and detailed design through construction support to implement hurricane protection around perimeter of refinery. Design components included earthen levees, structural walls, sheet piling, and flood gates. Ancillary elements included roadways, drainage improvements, and erosion protection. Initiated conceptual design for future phases to higher levels of protection.

First Energy Bruce Mansfield Plant, Conveyor 53 Replacement in Crusher House

  • Lead C/S engineer performing calculations and directing drawings for the alterations of the upper levels of an existing multi-story industrial building to hold a nominal 425 ton coal bin. Engineering included detail design of the bin as well as building structural steel. Associated duties included working out geometry to suit material flow and coordinate with conveyors and other equipment

ConocoPhillips Alliance Refinery, Acid Settler Vessel Replacement

  • Lead C/S Engineer for conceptual and detailed design to move a 300 ton 30’ wide vessel module from the river into place through the refinery, including design of various support structures and civil features. Detailed design elements included: earth embankments, base and subbase design with geogrid for heavy loads on soft soils, tank dike storage volumes, levee slope stability checks and remediation, USACE permitting, bearing capacity determination, proof loading of bearing areas, pile capacities, pile PDA testing, underground pipes loaded from heavy equipment, surcharges, critical lifts with cranes for heavy equipment, lifting lugs, and ancillary.

Southern Companies, Alabama Power, Gorgas FGD (2005-2006), and Georgia Power Plant, Hammond FGD system, 2006

  • Lead engineer for new design of FGD system including design of multi-level structure with plate-steel ducting, at-grade pipe supports, and other steel structures including a mill building with bridge crane. Specific design components included the following: FRP structural design of internal beams, design with alloys, Finite Element Analysis of hood and interaction with concrete Stebbins vessel, design of concrete embeds to vessel, coordination of load supports, temperature gradient and transient analysis, slide bearing elements, interaction of structural piperack with recycle pipe stress for reactions and supports. Engineering consultation on the Hammond FGD hoods overlapped with hood designs noted for Gorgas.

TVA, Widows Creek Unit 8 Flue Gas Scrubber                       

  • Lead structural engineer for fast-track design of modifications to heavy industrial steel structure and large-size plate steel ducts. Included foundations and sensitive pipe supports for large- diameter FRP pipes.

FirstEnergy, Bruce Mansfield Plant, SBS Storage and Self-Production Projects

  • Lead Civil/Structural engineer for design of tank foundations, alterations to existing building, pipe racks, collection and containment sump, overhead steel platforms, outside truck unloading area pavement, blending silo tank, containment, and drainage.

Simplified Client Summary

Gasoline Refineries / Gas Plants / Chemical Plants / Pulp and Paper Mills / Power Plants

  • Enterprise (Eprod)
  • ConocoPhillips (P66)
  • Marathon St. Paul Park
  • OxyChem
  • Chevron Oak Point
  • Cytec
  • Valero
  • Calumet Lubricants
  • ExxonMobil
  • Murphy Refinery
  • Citgo
  • TransAmerica
  • Sun Oil
  • DOE/SPR

Heavy Mining / Mills (pulp, paper, steel) / Power Plants

Projects included heavy-duty foundations, building, industrial structures plus some ancillary site work.

  • Freeport Indonesia (multiple year-long assignments on mill-site structure)
  • Bayou Steel Corporation
  • International Paper (Moss Point and Vicksburg)
  • Boise Cascade, CrownVantage (Tembec)
  • Texas Utilities (Martin Lake)

Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Buildings

  • Ciba-Geigy (highly-finished, negative-pressure building)
  • US Post Office (foundation)
  • UCC (industrial building)
  • Mobil (pump house)
  • Superdome (structural analysis, renovations, additional mezzanine, and remediation to parking buildings)
  • Whitney Bank (assessment of historic building)
  • US Navy Home Port (Maintenance Buildings)
  • Navy Missile Maintenance Facility
  • Xavier
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons
  • IP Vicksburg (modifications to Boiler Building)
  • LG&E (new Lime Preparation Building)
  • USACE/Air Force (Fire and Fuels Training School buildings and campus)
  • NATCO (structural inspection of settlement-distressed building

Environmental Projects

  • Chem-Waste Management (hazardous waste storage facility)
  • AVOCA (conservation dike)
  • USACE Holloman AFB (collection system to recover spilled gasoline plume off shallow groundwater)
  • LA Pigment Co. (sludge stabilization and landfill modifications)
  • CH2M (field work at a superfund site)
  • Vorelco (removal of underground oil tanks)

Marine Terminal and Port Facilities

  • Delta Terminals (storage tank settlement)
  • Poydras Street Wharf (damage protection from ships)
  • Port St. Joe (C/S portions of a master plan study)
  • Sun Marcus Hook (marine vapor modifications)
  • International Marine Terminals (coal storage pad)
  • Pioneer Chlor-Alkali (addressing tanks with excessive settlement)
  • Union Carbide dock inspections

Civil Sitework

  • First Baptist Church Mandeville paving, parking, and drainage (1995 expansion project)
  • ADVO (repair of asphalt parking lots)
  • Sempra Energy Resources (hydraulics and stability of large-diameter buried pipes)
  • Incidental drainage, roads, and paving with most of the structural projects noted above

Electrical Transmission / Midstream Gas

  • Entergy (substation foundations and transmission tower modification)
  • Eprod (multiple gas stations)
  • Gulf South Pipeline