Mike B.

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln Sometimes, people inexperienced in construction may see structural engineering as just one more hurdle the building department is making them jump. But an experienced contractor knows how much a *good* set of structural drawings saves time and materials. As a structural engineer, I build your entire building--virtually, in my mind and on my screen--several times over before the contractor ever shows up on site. I identify the pitfalls and iron out the kinks so when the contractor finally builds the real building everything goes just smoothly. I am a trailblazer. I am also a licensed Structural Engineer (SE) in Illinois and Professional Engineer (PE) in California and Wisconsin. I have extensive experience designing both residential and commercial buildings, and I am proficient in building code requirements for steel, concrete, masonry, and wood construction. I hold a master's degree in structural engineering from Stanford University. I was *the* project engineer on a $600 million expansion of Sears Tower, Chicago's tallest skyscraper. But I have also worked on many many small, one-off projects; for example, I once designed an opening in a bearing wall to allow wheelchair access to a client's living room. What that means is that I have the expertise to manage very large projects, but that I also know how to work efficiently to meet the budget constraints of very small projects.