Leading Building Foundations Engineer Clyde Baker Joins GEI Consultants

BOSTON, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GEI Consultants, Inc., one of the nation's leading geotechnical, environmental, water resources, and ecological science and engineering firms, announced today that Clyde N. Baker, Jr., P.E., S.E., respected international figure in tall and super tall building foundation design and engineering, has joined the company.  Baker was formerly CEO and Chairman of Chicago-based geotechnical firm STS Consultants.

Clyde Baker has served as lead geotechnical engineer on most of the tallest buildings constructed in Chicago over the past 50 years. He has served as geotechnical engineer or consultant on many of the tallest buildings in the world, including Chicago's iconic Sears (Willis Tower), Trump Tower, John Hancock, and Amoco buildings; the Petronas Towers (Kuala Lumpur); 101 Financial Center  (Taipei); Burj (Dubai), Doha Convention Center and Tower (Qatar), and Incheon 151 (Korea). As a result of these experiences, he has developed an international reputation in the design and construction of deep foundations, and has been a leader in using in-situ testing techniques correlated with past building performance to develop more efficient foundation designs.

At GEI, Baker joins Bill Walton, P.E., S.E., his protege and former Illinois Civil Engineer of the Year (2010), and Chia Tan, Ph.D., P.E. both former STS colleagues and collaborators as consulting engineers and foundation designers on iconic structures including many of the buildings named above. These gentlemen collaborate with numerous other GEI experts in foundation design and deep foundations.

"We are pleased to welcome Clyde to GEI," said Ron Palmieri, P.E., chief operating officer of GEI. "He will be working with our clients while collaborating with some of the world's leading geotechnical and geostructural engineers. Clyde's addition to GEI reinforces our commitment to solving complex geotechnical engineering issues for our clients in Chicago, across the United States and internationally."

In addition to providing foundation engineering and deep foundation design for tall buildings - often in dense urban environments with complex ground conditions – GEI's geotechnical engineers work on large horizontal projects including corporate campuses, dams, levee systems, energy transmission, pipelines, canals, as well as coastal engineering, hydroelectric and wind power, and more. The company's understanding of soil and rock behavior combined with its expertise in environmental science and engineering enables integrated geoenvironmental solutions for owners. GEI's integrated skills and approach help clients pro-actively manage the many risks and uncertainties related to the underground conditions at project sites, enabling construction to proceed with fewer surprises and delays.

Mr. Baker is member and past chairman of the American Concrete Institute Committee 336, Footings, Mats, and Piers; ASTM; ASCE honorable member; Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings; Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; Deep Foundation Institute; International Association of Foundation Drilling; Highway Research Board; Illinois Society of Professional Engineers; National Society of Professional Engineers; Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, and the National Academy of Engineering.

He has authored or co-authored over fifty papers and presentations, and is recipient of more than twenty five awards, including the Washington Award; ASCE's Opal Design,  Ralph Beck, and Martin S. Kapp awards; Moles Award; ASDC Outstanding Service Award, and Deep Foundations Institute Distinguished Service Award.

Baker received his B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also received a B.S. in physics from College of William and Mary.

GEI's multi-disciplined team of engineers and scientists deliver integrated water resources, environmental, ecological, and geotechnical engineering solutions to diverse clientele nationwide. The firm has provided a broad range of consulting and engineering services on over 35,000 projects in 50 states and 22 countries. For more information, please visit the firm's web site at www.geiconsultants.com.

SOURCE GEI Consultants, Inc.