ALBUS & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Technical Services Manager
Chris Wright, Technical Services Manager - Chris is responsible for many of Albus & Associates' field responsibilities. He schedules inspections with clients and technicians, as well as… Read More
Chris is responsible for many of Albus & Associates' field responsibilities. He schedules inspections with clients and technicians, as well as with geologist/engineering and special inspectors and deputies. Daily, Chris reviews reports, plans, timecards, and test data, and is the Assistant Radiation Officer at AAI. You can also find Chris performing fieldwork, such as density testing of soil, aggregate base and asphalt, footing inspections, and sampling of field materials.
Chris studied natural sciences and math at Lake Tahoe Community College and has taken additional classes at various Cal State campuses. He maintains Hazardous Operations and ACI certifications. In a previous life, Chris taught skiing and snowboarding and was in the ski patrol at Heavenly Valley Resort in Lake Tahoe; additionally, he was involved in wildland firefighting as an EMT. He previously served as the caretaker of a lakeside estate, performing a variety of tasks and fulfilling odd requests for an eccentric, wealthy individual.
The pleasant environment and working closely with the AAI staff is what Chris likes most about his job, as well as the recognition of hard work done well by upper management.
In his spare time, Chris travels to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Panama, Bahamas for surfing and scuba diving, and pursues skiing and snowboarding trips to resorts in Utah, California, and Colorado. Though sushi is his go-to favorite, Mexican food is a must have staple!
Job Titles:
- Project Engineer
- Project Manager
Daniel Albus, Project Engineer - Danny is a Project Engineer with AAI and serves in a variety of roles at the company including Project Manager, Lab… Read More
Job Titles:
- Founder
- President
- Principal Engineer
Dave is a founder of Albus & Associates and has over 38 years of experience in a variety of geotechnical investigations and earthwork construction projects that have included large-scale mass grading, water/waste water facilities and conveyance, mid-rise structures, residential and commercial structures, transportation corridors, golf courses and entertainment facilities, distress investigations, and small earth dams.
He has dealt with complex geotechnical conditions such as extensive peat beds, hydraulic fills, tie-back and cantilever shoring systems, surcharge and sand drain systems, landslides, liquefaction mitigation, and slope stabilization.
Dave regularly provides guidance on geotechnical parameters for design of shallow and deep foundations, retaining walls, shoring, pavements, trenched and bored underground utilities, and remedial and general earthwork construction. He is regularly sought after for his opinions related to causes of distress, methods of mitigation and repair, and offers expert testimony for litigation matters. Dave's also been very active in the testing and evaluation of infiltration systems for storm water quality management since 2006 and has overseen hundreds of investigations for design of WQMP throughout southern California. He has given numerous presentations to civil and geotechnical engineers regarding the proper methods to perform infiltration testing and data analysis for design. He has set the gold standard for design of drywells and drywell systems.
Dave earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering, with a major in Geotechnical Engineering from The Ohio State University. He has also taken a variety of short courses in the areas of slope design fundamentals and in the evaluation and mitigation of seismic hazards from universities around the U.S.
Value engineering is often paid lip service by firms in our industry. We take this effort seriously by examining every element of a project and applying this concept to improve performance, reliability, quality, safety, and life-cycle costs, from the start and through to the finish, not as an afterthought! This saves time and effort up front, minimizing and typically eliminating the need to "re-do" proposals and contracts to meet your budget constraints.
Our combination of commitment and unvarnished persistence to ensure the best solutions - based on supported, dependable engineering principles - is the heart of the Albus difference.
David E. Albus President, Principal Engineer - Dave is a founder of Albus & Associates and has over 38 years of experience in a variety of geotechnical investigations… Read More
Hai is an Associate Engineer at Albus & Associates and has responsibility for geotechnical engineering services. His experience includes hospitals, residential, commercial, industrial, public works, transportation, and federal projects. His areas of expertise include seismicity and ground motions, shallow and deep foundations, slope stability, ground improvement, and retaining/shoring systems.
Hai earned his B.S. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. He previously served in the US Navy Seabee, officially called the Naval Construction Force (NCF), and was deployed to Iceland, Okinawa, Thailand, and Iraq.
What Hai enjoys about working at AAI is the ability to work on innovative solutions for multi-industry projects. He enjoys mentoring junior staff and streamlining workflows to meet project deliverables. When not at work, Hai enjoys traveling with his family to scenic spots with surf or snow. He enjoys a good game of chess and a delicious sushi or seafood meal.
Hai D. Nguyen, Associate Engineer - Hai is an Associate Engineer at Albus & Associates and has responsibility for geotechnical engineering services. His experience includes... Read More
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Office Manager
Kimberly Keller, Administrative Assistant/Office Manager - Kim is Albus & Associates' part-time Administrative Assistant and Office Manager and is responsible for a variety of duties, including office… Read More
Kim is Albus & Associates' part-time Administrative Assistant and Office Manager and is responsible for a variety of duties, including office operations, accounts payable, event planning, and human resource functions.
Her career includes positions in a host of work environments including Capital Group, Avery Dennison, Squaresoft and the Norton Simon Museum. Her favorite part of her work at AAI is planning events from start to finish.
Kim holds multiple degrees, including an MA in psychology from Philips Graduate Institute, an MBA in finance from Cal Poly Pomona, and a BS in finance, real estate & law, also from Cal Poly Pomona.
When she's not running the office like a well-oiled machine, Kim spends her time reading, enjoying ballet, and taking care of her two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Chief Engineering
- Chief Engineering Geologist
Mark Houser, Chief Engineering Geologist - Mark's primary role at Albus & Associates is overseeing the geology team and reviewing their work. Additionally, Mark performs.... Read More
Mark's primary role at Albus & Associates is overseeing the geology team and reviewing their work. Additionally, Mark performs site reconnaissance, subsurface exploration, geologic mapping, and fault rupture investigations for the preparation of geologic and soils engineering reports, particularly for site flat land and hillside development and/or improvement. He also conducts forensic investigations of building foundation distress from ground movement, including natural soil processes and landslides. Mark also can be found performing site observations during construction, including soil removals and bottom excavations, shallow and deepened foundation excavations, and both temporary and permanent cut slopes.
Mark earned his BS in Geology at California State University of Los Angeles; however, he began studying geology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where he lived for two years. Prior to becoming Chief Geologist for Albus and Associates, Mark was the owner of Houser Geologic, LLC, which specialized in hillside residential projects performing similar tasks as described above.
In addition to the wonderful staff at Albus and Associates, Mark enjoys working with and developing respectful relationships with our clients. Working on a wide variety of projects, including those that are challenging and complex, is one of his favorite parts of his job.
Mark is married to his wonderful wife Christina; their daughter, Helene, is 13 years old and will begin high school in the fall of 2024. His family enjoys skiing, camping and spending time with their extended family. Mark's father's work as an environmental engineer has also allowed him to travel to many countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
In his spare time, Mark is an avid golfer and fisherman.
Monica Moore, Accountant - Monica is AAI's Accountant and handles the company's financial reporting, accounting, HR generalist duties, insurance, and... Read More
Monica is AAI's Accountant and handles the company's financial reporting, accounting, HR generalist duties, insurance, and more. She is instrumental in making sure that t's are crossed, and i's are dotted when it comes to bringing on new staff, customers, and vendors and making sure all licenses are in place for AAI's work to proceed without a hitch.
Monica attained her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at California State University, Northridge. She particularly enjoys working in AAI's family-run environment and finds the management and staff great to work with.
An avid UCLA sports fan, Monica loves to travel and considers herself a foodie. In her off-hours, she spends time going to the movies and reading suspense thrillers and mystery novels.
Ron DeRuiter, Associate Engineer - Ron has had a variety of responsibilities at Albus & Associates (AAI), including lab testing, field investigations involving drill and sampling,… Read More
Ron has had a variety of responsibilities at Albus & Associates (AAI), including lab testing, field investigations involving drill and sampling, onsite investigations of distressed structures, preparing construction plan sets for segmental retaining walls, preparing most AutoCAD exhibits and plans for our projects, and preparing final reports for rough and post grading construction services.
He has been AAI's radiation safety officer since acquiring our radioactive materials license to possess and maintain nuclear soil testing gauges.
Ron studied math, geology, oceanography, landscape architecture and IT at several universities, and has been with Albus & Associates since day one, 25 years ago. Prior to AAI, he held engineering roles in geotechnical companies Leighton and Associates, Schafer Dixon/Huntingdon International and Petra Geotechnical.
Ron grew up working on dairy farms in the California Central Valley, then joined the Navy, serving as a sonar technician. What he enjoys most about working at AAI is the variety of projects and working in close contact with our diverse in-house talent to create unique solutions to benefit our customers. He's also a fan of the company's generous supplies of snacks, beverages, and allowances for personal time off.
When not working, Ron enjoys rockhounding, mostly in the Mojave Desert, and is very active in his church. He has been married for over 41 years and has two daughters and 3 grandchildren, whom he adores.