Phoenix - PMA Consultants - Claims Experts

Established in 1990, the PMA Phoenix office is located in close proximity to the downtown area, as well as to nearby hiking trails, landmark mountains, and desert flora and fauna. Staff in this busy “Valley of the Sun” office maintain strong working relationships with agencies large and small and are well known for providing claims management and analysis; project controls (cost and schedule); scheduling; and risk services on projects locally, regionally, and nationally. With an impressive portfolio of long-term clients, the PMA Phoenix office provides services in the water infrastructure; airport; transportation (road and highway); and oil and gas industries, as well as for hospitality and government contracts, comprising a great blend for engineering professionals who enjoy a diverse and fast-paced work environment.

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Don Fredlund

Chief Operations Officer

Leadership

•Don Fredlund

•Bruce Stephan

•Dina Keirouz

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Vivek Puri

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Don Fredlund

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David Weber

Q&A WITH DAVID PMA PEOPLE

Shannon Katt

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Bruce Stephan

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Dina Keirouz

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ADOT Adjoining Highway Projects

Phoenix, AZ

ADOT Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway)

Phoenix, AZ

Tempe Town Lake Dam Replacement

Tempe, AZ

ADOT I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement I-17 to SR 202L

Phoenix, AZ

ADOT SR 101L I-17 to Pima Road

Phoenix, AZ

Don Fredlund

Chief Operations Officer, Phoenix

What current project(s) are you working on?
Expert Assignments:
• Claims on 3 separate construction contracts associated with the $2.6B Toronto Spadina Subway Extension Project located in Toronto, CN
• Claim on the $140M JW McCormack Post Office/Courthouse Repair and Alternations Project located in Boston, MA
• Claim on the BP-432 (Pods C and D) Baggage Handling System Expansion Project located in Orlando, FL
• Insurance Claims on the $1B East End Crossing Project located in Indiana/Kentucky
Contract Specifications Upgrade:
• Santa Clara Valley Water District

What is your career highlight so far?
Becoming part of PMA leadership when I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to start our “west coast presence”; I also got involved with corporate matters. That met one of my key career goals and reasons I came to PMA after spending many years working for large contracting firms (i.e., being one of thousands). It gave me much more opportunity to grow professionally in all aspects of management and have a say/control over my career while I helped a small company at the time to grow to what PMA is today.

It’s all about the people one works with and it’s rarely the result of one person’s efforts. That said, I have numerous highlights as an expert where a team of PMA professionals’ technical excellence resulted in a “win” via a ruling by a judge or jury that went the way we saw it, and our client was extremely happy with the result. Perhaps the most notable on a personal note was our firm’s expert work in South Carolina for a major pharmaceutical client that involved over a 2-3 year period and as many as 25 PMA employees flying back and forth to South Carolina from many offices. Testifying in a 100-year-old courthouse in the “south” (velvet curtains and all) was surreal! Plus, we got the ruling we and our client hoped for…can’t beat that. It was a complete and total team effort by many PMA employees who sacrificed a lot personally, a shining moment for PMA, and an opportunity to work with one of the country’s premier construction law firms.

What is something new or innovative happening in your industry?
While this is not so new or innovative relatively speaking in PMA standards, there is a continued trend toward the use of project delivery systems that allow for public and private clients to pick contractors on a qualifications basis or not strictly on price. Being the relationship firm we are and what we have to offer our clients technically, that trend is right up our alley. Throw increased use of and appreciation by some large players in the industry of NetPoint® and GPM® (PMA’s proprietary scheduling software) into that mix and we (meaning PMA, the consultants, contractors, and owners) will all benefit from that in the future.

What university or college did you graduate from?
Michigan Technical University located in Houghton, Michigan, where they only allow in and train technically smart and physically tough engineers as evidenced by PMA’s tendency to hire lots of people from there, including some of its best leaders.

What is your favorite local establishment/feature (restaurant, museum, stadium, etc.)?
I have eaten at so, so many restaurants in the U.S. and a few international spots (e.g., Mexico City and Shanghai, China) over the last 30 years and have flown into/out of every major airport in the U.S. it seems. Impossible to pick a favorite. Now if the question was the most unusual food eaten, that is an easy one. In a nice, quaint, and upscale restaurant just outside of San Francisco, one time I had “pigeon legs.” Yes, we were with a client. The things one does for client relationships. Guess what? It tasted like…wait for it…chicken.”

Fun Fact!
Now that is a good question. My wife of almost 44 years says we really have only been married 22 years because I am gone half of the time. That is technically not true, but one reason I have been married that long is because I have learned not to argue technicalities.

Looking back to the major pharmaceutical client assignment described above, after testifying on the witness stand and in response to some question from the judge, I actually said, “This was fun.” He laughed and gave me a strange look. Go figure.

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David Weber

Senior Associate, Phoenix

What current project(s) are you working on?

I’m currently performing schedule oversight on several ADOT projects. I’m also doing claims and delay analysis on the Central 70 Freeway project in Denver, Colorado, and I’m beginning to get involved with oversight on transportation projects for the FTA.

Do you get to do something at work every day that you love? If so, what is it?

It doesn’t happen every day, but I do like figuring out issues and helping parties arrive at reasonable settlements.

What is your career highlight so far? (at PMA?)

I like being involved in large, interesting projects. The highlights are achieving unexpected negotiated settlements for clients. In particular, I helped my client achieve its desired outcome for delays to work at Luke Air Force Base. This occurred during a meeting that was not intended to be a negotiation. I turned it into one and was able to settle the dispute. I achieved similar unexpected favorable results for my client on a project at Squaw Peak Water Treatment Plant and at the Grand Canyon Airport.

What is something new or innovative happening in your industry that makes you excited about the future?

The creation of schedule software other than Primavera is innovative. The advancement of NetPoint is an example.

What was a transformative project or challenge that you did at PMA?

Being involved in a subway project in Toronto, Canada, introduced me to that type of project, which I can now apply on other transportation projects.

Who/what inspires you to push yourself? (Personal heroes, family members, ideas)

My two sons.

What university or college did you graduate from?

I earned my bachelor’s degree in engineering from Arizona State University.

What is your favorite local establishment/feature (restaurant, museum, stadium, etc.)?

The Phoenix and Scottsdale areas have many nice restaurants that I enjoy.

Provide a fun fact about yourself?

I’m a pretty good cook, and my smoked salmon is better than I have ever had elsewhere.

Do you have any secret talents?

I’m a wannabe photographer and I’m fairly proud of my Instagram account that I use as my photography platform.

I’m also a bit of an outdoorsman and spend a lot of time in northern Arizona hiking, climbing, exploring, four-wheeling, kayaking, boating, fishing, etc. I also do a lot of hiking on the local trails in the Phoenix area. I used to climb Squaw Peak in Phoenix twice a week during the cooler months. I’m down to once a week now with more moderate hikes in between.

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Shannon Katt

Director, Phoenix

What challenges exist for women in the construction and engineering industry? Any path you’ve taken to overcome these?

The construction industry has changed significantly since I first started on jobsites. The construction arena used to be a very tough place to work. There were constant challenges from men to a woman’s knowledge and authority, both in the field and in the trailer. To overcome these challenges, you had to do your job well and know everything there was to know about your work. You also had to have very thick skin and be able to ignore a lot of negativity and misogyny. That posture doesn’t happen much anymore. Enough women have joined the industry, such that we aren’t an anomaly, and we aren’t assumed to be unqualified.

What current projects are you working on?

A claim for the Toronto Transit Commission, scheduling support for a Brewery in Mexicali, Mexico, scheduling support for a hospital in New York, helping a contractor with some change order issues in Edmonton, a schedule risk analysis in an undisclosed location in Asia, and a schedule risk analysis for a mega-project in Texas.

What is your career highlight so far? (at PMA?)

There’s not really a single highlight. I’m very lucky to get to travel all over the world doing scheduling and schedule risk analysis work in the oil and gas industry. It’s challenging work in interesting locations.

What are the most positive aspects of working at PMA? Or Share your impressions of PMA’s culture.

I enjoy working with the level of autonomy that PMA allows. There is an expectation that I’ll do my job, and do it well, but there is not a feeling of being monitored for how I make it happen. That provides opportunity to improve things rather than just plodding along with how they’ve always been done. There is opportunity to try new roles if you want to, but not an expectation that you must take every assignment offered. The result is that you have agency in your own career development.

What is something new or innovative happening in your industry?

We are seeing more use of NetPoint from our clients, which is fun to see since I’ve been part of the testing team since the very beginning of the software.

What university or college did you graduate from?

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. My degree is in Aeronautical Engineering.

What is your favorite local establishment/feature (restaurant, museum, stadium, etc.)?

The Wrigley Mansion. The mansion was built by the Wrigley family (think chewing gum). It’s a historic landmark in Phoenix with a really interesting history. After ownership passed from the Wrigley family, the mansion went through a series of owners and bankruptcies and was finally saved by Geordie Hormel (think canned foods). He remembered spending time there as a child and couldn’t allow the mansion to be demolished. His family wanted local residents to be able to enjoy it, so it’s been turned into a club that includes a bar and restaurant. The mansion has the best view of Phoenix in the city.

Provide a Fun Fact?

I’m on the board of a local charity called SniffAZ that raises money to fund spay/neuter services to low income residents. Did you know that every two s/n surgeries saves one animal from the euthanasia list (at least in Phoenix)?

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Dina Keirouz

Executive Director, Greater Los Angeles Area

What challenges exist for women in the construction and engineering industry? Any path you’ve taken to overcome these?
Although the number of women in engineering and construction has greatly improved, it’s still far too low. In construction, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women make up less than 9% of people working in construction. There are still those in the education system and in math- and science-related industries that believe boys are more capable than girls in these areas.

I grew up with four brothers and my father always used me as an example when he lectured them about achieving good grades. I typically made excellent grades so I never had an inferiority complex about my capabilities. Professionally, I didn’t really pay any attention to it until I started going up the corporate ladder. I did have to assume a posture and communicate differently on-site for superintendents and foremen to take me seriously. But I didn’t let it impact me and throughout my career, I’ve always made sure that my ideas and needs were voiced and heard.

I also realized in talking to my female friends—who often sought advice from me when they were negotiating new positions—that women, “in general,” don’t usually “ask” for things like a raise, better treatment, or a promotion. Women need to do a better job asking for things that we know we deserve as much as our male counterparts. But you better be good because qualifications matter as well as diversity of thought.

What current projects are you working on?
I’m currently working on the POLB project controls and Unifier rollout, and I just copresented our achievement with the client at an AACE conference. I was also working in a support function with PMO/project controls for ComEd in Chicago.

My day-to-day job includes addressing client concerns, pursuing the next project(s), mentoring and managing my staff, and preparing responses to proposals and interviews. I also believe that the good relationships I’ve developed with previous clients throughout my career should be maintained and can play a role in supporting my counterparts outside of my region (SoCal). I continue to reach out and present PMA to them no matter where they are in coordination with my colleagues in other regions.

What is your career highlight so far? (at PMA?)
I don’t know if I have only one highlight, but I always enjoy inspiring people to step up and improve professionally and personally. Breaking the mold is important.

What is something new or innovative happening in your industry?
3D printing. I mean, this is some real sci-fi happening! The structures that they can build with a 3D printer is something that I saw once in a sci-fi cartoon back in the 1980s. And now we’re seeing that technology in use today.

What university or college did you graduate from?
University of Washington. Loved going to college! It was great fun.

What is your favorite local establishment/feature (restaurant, museum, stadium, etc.)?
I’m a foody and there are many restaurants that my husband and I like to frequent; no specific one comes to mind. He’s in the business and I accompany him when he does secret shopper trips and when he writes reviews for restaurants. I love the beach but New York City is in my soul. There’s just so much to do there.

Provide a Fun Fact?
I’m a dance maniac. Provide some good soulful music and I‘ll dance for hours; I also belly dance and kick box.

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