MINNEAPOLIS–Officials at Minneapolis-based Barr Engineering Co. announced several new hires and more new openings at its Michigan offices, created by its acquisition of Canton Township-based King & MacGregor Environmental Inc., a provider of natural resource consulting and environmental services.
As a result of the October 2020 acquisition, Barr has added 10 new staff members at its Michigan offices, with plans to fill nearly 40 open positions in Michigan and other locations.
The Ann Arbor office recently welcomed:
- Greg Perry, senior electrical designer, who returned to Barr with 22 years of experience in systems integration, control system design, and shop fabrication. He is skilled in human machine interface (HMI) design and programming, electrical schematic design, bill of materials preparation, and wire list and field termination documentation.
- Liam Duffy, chemical engineer, who joined Barr with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toledo. At Barr, he provides environmental support to fuels, mining, manufacturing and power clients, helping them develop solutions for meeting their water, waste and air regulatory program requirements.
- Dean Kuharevicz, mechanical engineer, who joined Barr with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. At Barr, he designs mechanical systems, such as bulk materials handling equipment, process piping and pumping, industrial ventilation, industrial machinery and equipment, and building systems.
- Colin Hunt, senior project manager, who brings nearly 20 years of experience as an electrical engineer and project manager creating successful engineering designs for a broad range of industrial and commercial systems. He is adept at using his comprehensive knowledge of national, industry and client-specific standards, regulations and codes to identify the proper application to system designs.
- Randy Christensen, senior civil engineer, who has nearly 30 years of experience providing environmental and civil engineering consulting services. His experience includes the management of large and complex industrial projects, specifically in the manufacturing and chemical sectors.
- Sierra Samie, environmental engineer, who joined Barr with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Barr, she works on projects related to the investigation, evaluation and remediation of contaminated sites.
“We’re seeing a greater demand for engineers across fields such as electrical, civil, geotechnical, instrumentation and controls in our region,” said Matt Comben, senior GIS specialist and office coordinator at Barr Ann Arbor. “These new team members will support the growing need for engineering solutions in the manufacturing, power and chemical sectors.”
The Grand Rapids office recently welcomed:
- Paula Sumrall, air quality scientist, who joined Barr with a master’s degree in atmospheric science from the University of Missouri—Columbia. At Barr, she provides air-dispersion modeling and environmental compliance support to industrial clients.
- Laura Pinter, project accounting administrator, who comes to Barr with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Western University in London, Ontario. She has over 12 years of experience in project billing and product support within the healthcare and technology industries.
- Matthew Billette, chemical engineer, who joined Barr as a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.
- Michael Spenle, electrical engineer, who joined Barr as a graduate of Michigan Technological University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
“Growing our talent and investing in new jobs in Michigan will allow us to continue our timely and crucial work here. We’re constantly focused on how to better the communities where we live and work,” said Chris Miron, vice president, senior chemical engineer and office coordinator at Barr Grand Rapids.
“We see ample opportunities ahead for job seekers across a range of experience levels who are looking for growth and longevity in a career,” said Miron.
In addition to the recent hires, Barr has nearly 40 open positions in Michigan, some of which have the option to work remotely.
“We’ve always had a lot of flexibility in our remote work options, but of course this last year has really highlighted that talent is more important than location,” said Comben. “We have highly specialized and technical needs, so it’s important we connect with pockets of talent throughout the state who are passionate about and experienced in the same engineering solutions we are.”
Priority open positions in the Ann Arbor office include:
- Environmental scientist or engineer, senior level (water permitting focus). The person in this position will lead or work with highly collaborative project teams assisting clients with water-quality permitting, regulatory compliance and related technical assignments for varying industries.
- Air quality consultant, senior level. The person in this position will undertake challenging work coordinating air-program compliance projects associated with development, construction and operations across varying industries throughout the United States.
- Environmental engineer or geologist, mid-level (remediation focus). The person in this position will undertake challenging and progressive work on projects related to the investigation, evaluation and remediation of contaminated sites.
- Environmental information management specialist, entry level. The person in this position will provide state and federal environmental permitting and compliance support to clients by managing and building environmental software databases. This person will work to support clients in multiple industries with a heavy focus on oil and gas.
- Engineering technician, entry level. The person in this position will work on multidisciplinary project teams, providing computer-aided drafting expertise on Microstation.
Priority open positions in the Grand Rapids office include:
- NEPA specialist or consultant, senior level. This person will work with Barr’s clients to identify, scope and manage environmental review, permitting, and compliance projects while providing technical advice and support.
- Environmental information management specialist, senior/mid-level. The person in this position will provide state and federal environmental permitting and compliance support to clients by managing and building environmental software databases.
- Instrumentation and controls engineer, senior and mid-level. The person in this position will provide instrumentation and control engineering as a member of multidisciplinary teams working on projects for industrial processing facilities, fuels facilities, power plants and mining facilities.
- Environmental engineer or geologist, mid-level (remediation focus). The person in this position will undertake challenging and progressive work on projects related to the investigation, evaluation and remediation of contaminated sites.
- Environmental scientist or engineer, mid-level (air permitting and compliance focus). The person selected for this position will undertake diverse and challenging work focused on providing air permitting and compliance support to fast-paced industrial clients.
- Geotechnical engineer, mid-level. The person selected for this position will work on geotechnical engineering projects for hydroelectric dams, mine tailings storage facilities, coal combustion residual storage facilities and other large-scale industrial facilities.
- Project accounting/billing administrator. This person will serve as a key member of our Finance business support group, providing accounting support directly to project teams in one of our four business units.
- Environmental information management specialist, entry level. The person in this position will provide state and federal environmental permitting and compliance support to clients by managing and building environmental software databases.
Barr Engineering is an employee-owned engineering and environmental consulting firm incorporated in 1966, with 900 employees and offices in Minneapolis, Duluth and Hibbing, Minn.; Calgary, Alberta; Denver, Colo.; Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, Mich. Jefferson City, Mo.; Bismarck, N.D.; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
To learn more about Barr and to view open positions, visit www.barr.com/Careers/Open-positions.