Don Porter, PE has been named Group Manager of Utilities and Nicole Knox, PE has been promoted to Group Manager of Site Development at R&M CONSULTANTS, INC. (R&M).
Don has been with R&M for 27 years and was formerly Group Manager of Site Development. Due to retirement of the former Group Manager of Utilities, R&M had a vacancy in that position.
“We preferred to fill that position internally, and through Don’s years of experience on site design and transportation projects, he has developed an extensive array of project experience specific to utilities. We felt his experience would be a good fit for utilities and he was up for the new challenge.”
Len Story, PLS – Chief Executive Officer
As R&M’s Utilities Group Manager, Don is responsible for utility systems design and coordination, including underground water/sewer plan and profiles, trench and piping details, arctic pipe protection and rehabilitation design for existing pipe systems. His experience includes serving as project manager and/or project engineer for a variety of utility, site development, airport and road improvement projects for public and private clients throughout Alaska. Don recently completed civil engineering design for the Kipnuk K-12 School Renovation and Valdez Harbor Uplands. The Kipnuk project consisted of site improvements with arctic water and sewer piping extension to the village washeteria, and remote bulk fuel tank storage with pipeline. Valdez included extension of water and sewer mains into the harbor uplands to support future area development. In addition to numerous private development, public facility and Alaska Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU) projects within the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA), he has led utility design and permitting for projects in rural villages around the state, as well as projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility projects at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base. Don was also responsible for design of the AWWU water main relocation for the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport C Concourse and assisted with site and utility design engineering for the AWWU Ship Creek Water Treatment Facility Heat Exchanger project.
Don is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University and is a professional civil engineer registered in Alaska. Don volunteers his time to the MOA Platting Board and UAA Engineering students during round table class discussions. As often as possible, he enjoys getting outdoors on snowmachines and ATVs in Alaska’s backcountry.
Nicole has worked in R&M’s Site Development Group since 2005 and was ready to advance into the Group Manager position.
“Nicole is an exceptional engineer and has a broad range of site, roadway, utility and airport design experience. With Don’s change of position, it was a natural fit to promote Nicole to Group Manager of Site Development.”
Len Story, PLS – Chief Executive Officer
As Group Manager of Site Development, Nicole is responsible for site planning, design and construction administration services for a variety of sites in urban and rural locations. This includes vehicle and pedestrian access and circulation, traffic safety and emergency vehicle access, site parking, utility service design, ADA improvements, multi-use pathways, play areas, and athletic fields and facilities. Over the past 11 years, Nicole’s focus has been working on large and small site development projects throughout the state. She was the Senior Project Engineer for site and drainage design for the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) campus. She is currently leading civil design for the Anchorage Museum Expansion, as well as two new facilities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Eielson Air Force Base. Nicole has also provided existing condition assessments and civil site design for many schools, parks and public facilities in Anchorage and around the state. She enjoys working on energized teams to enhance her community and communities across Alaska.
Nicole is an active member of ITE, SAME, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE, formerly CEFPI). She is highly involved in engineering and STEM outreach and sits on the UAA College of Engineering Advisory Board. Nicole holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UAA and is a professional civil engineer registered in Alaska. She enjoys playing volleyball, skiing and traveling. She is racking up the hiking miles across Alaska and doing her best to learn Greek between trips to various Greek islands.
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