Team | Roaring Fork Engineering

Richard Goulding, P.E., M.B.A.

President, Owner and Principal

Richard Goulding has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for over 18 years and founded RFE in 2012. In addition to a broad base of engineering knowledge and expertise, Richard brings with him a solid reputation in the area and established relationships within the Aspen development community. Richard earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at University Cork College and has been a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado since 2005. Richard also completed his Masters of Business Administration through the University of Wyoming.

In his role as the Founder and a Principal at RFE he has led the design of multiple infrastructure projects for the City of Aspen Engineering & Water Departments, Pitkin County, the Town of Carbondale, Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District and the Aspen Skiing Company. He oversaw the construction of many of these projects and provided inspection oversight on a number of projects designed by other engineers.

In addition to his RFE work, Richard has five years of experience with the City of Aspen Engineering Department and seven years at one of the largest engineering firms on the Western Slope. Richard gained considerable experience in municipal work during those years and represented several municipalities within the Western Slope. While at the City of Aspen, Richard’s primary focus was on capital improvement projects and right-of-way management. During his time at another engineering firm, Richard was the deputy Town Engineer for Palisade, Snowmass and Starwood. He undertook and completed several important design projects for the Mid Valley Metro District, the City of Glenwood Springs, and historic Redstone.

During his career in the Roaring Fork Valley, Richard has formed excellent professional and personal relationships with colleagues at municipal and state government agencies. He also maintains strong working relationships with local utility providers. Richard’s areas of expertise include water, utility, storm water design, and construction administration.

Civil and Environmental Engineering, University College Cork (1999)
Master of Business Administration, University of Wyoming (2013)
Professional Engineer, Colorado (2005)

Adam Racette, P.E.

Vice President, Owner and Principal

adamr@rfeng.biz

Adam has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for over 11 years and has over 15 years of experience. His diverse background includes planning, engineering design, and construction management. Adam earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Michigan State University and has been a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado since 2009.

His projects include lift stations, water distribution systems, collection system design, rehabilitation projects, pump stations, water treatment systems, irrigation systems, wastewater treatment plants, storm water, utility infrastructure, grading, hydraulics and development projects. Adam excels at problem-solving and providing innovative designs for unique engineering challenges. Adam’s experience as a consultant and city engineer provides him with a well-rounded perspective.

Adam gained considerable design experience working on projects for the City of Aspen, City of Rifle, Town of Silt, Town of New Castle, City of Glenwood Springs, Roaring Fork Water and Sanitation District, Mid Valley Metropolitan District, Town of Carbondale, City of Grand Junction, Town of Salida and many more. Adam’s main focus is water and wastewater distribution, conveyance and treatment. Adam also has an extensive background in construction administration and observation.

Adam’s time at the City of Aspen and City of East Lansing gave him a greater understanding of the competing municipal challenges that face client’s today. Not only are there shrinking budgets and constantly changing political climates, but also the need to balance the responsibility of maintaining existing infrastructure and effectively planning for the future. Adam’s focus is meeting the current and future needs of a community within their budget.

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Michigan State University (2002)
Professional Engineer, Colorado (2009)

Danny Stewart, P.E.

Vice President, Owner and Principal

dannys@rfeng.biz

Danny is a lifelong Western Colorado Native and has practiced as a consulting engineer in the Roaring Fork Valley for over a decade. Danny and his family live the culture of the community every day and value the opportunities it provides both in business and recreation. When Danny joined RFE in early 2017, he saw a great opportunity to work more efficiently and creatively on projects. “The relationships with my clients and the quality of my designs are what I value most about my career.” Danny strives to build a successful business and use his knowledge in civil engineering to better the communities of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Danny has designed and managed a variety of projects for municipalities, districts, private developers, and state and county governments. His expertise covers a wide range of civil engineering from streets and highways to utility infrastructure to hydraulics and flood routing. Project management training and years of project management experience has given him the skills needed to keep his projects on budget and on schedule. Danny has served as a field engineering inspector and provided construction support and inspection for many projects. Danny’s past construction experience prior to his engineering career provides unique knowledge he uses in constructability reviews and material selections in his designs.

“The relationships with my clients and the quality of my designs are what I value most about my career.”

Bachelor’s of Science Civil Engineering, University of Wyoming (2007)
Professional Engineer, Colorado (2012)

Leslie Fischbeck

Chief Operations Officer

leslief@rfeng.biz

With over 15 years’ experience with national and international energy and development projects and over a decade in operations management, Leslie joined the RFE team in 2017 as the Chief Operations Officer. She leads the operations and organizational aspects of RFE, ensuring proper resource allocation for the successful and timely completion of RFE’s engineering projects in water resources, environmental, development, and construction management & inspection. Under her leadership, she coordinates with the company principals to establish systems and processes, identify efficiencies, ensure quality control, and develop strategic plans to support the growth of RFE as one of the premier and most experienced civil engineering firms in the Valley. In addition, Leslie’s financial management of RFE’s operations ensures accurate and timely invoicing as well as the preparation of monthly reports and oversight of project budgeting.

Leslie oversees the RFE office in Carbondale, including a full suite of P.E.s and E.I.T.s. to ensure that clients’ projects are properly staffed. With prior operations and project management experience in her previous consulting job for an international environmental consulting firm, Leslie completed dozens of projects on time and within budget, managing staff to assemble the best teams and resources available to meet project-specific needs; coordinating directly with clients, their attorneys, and local, state, and federal agencies, including designated lead and cooperating agencies. She develops project schedules; tracks permitting efforts; and ensures QA/QC reviews for various documents. Her contract management experience, ranging from small to large complex projects, allows her to work directly with the RFE project managers and staff to ensure that budgets, schedules, reporting, and any other contractual obligations are adhered to. As needed to successfully complete task assignments, Leslie secures specialty or local subcontractors through a competitive bid process and manages/oversees their work to ensure timely and cost-effective performance. By providing hands-on subcontractor management and efficient team coordination, she ensures that each client receives the “best value” project team with minimal scheduling and task concerns.

Leslie has over 15 years’ of project management experience providing consulting support for domestic and international projects, including utility and energy projects (pipelines, electric transmission, and solar), stormwater and wastewater projects, hazardous waste assessments, and remedial investigations. Her experience encompasses federal and state certification, permitting, natural resource evaluation, field surveys, contamination assessments, environmental compliance monitoring during construction, agency coordination and consultation, and public/stakeholder involvement.

Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies in Geology, Washington & Lee University (2002)

Jay Engstrom, P.E.

Project Engineer

jaye@rfeng.biz

Jay Engstrom has worked with RFE as a project engineer since June of 2014. He graduated from Fort Lewis College with a degree in General Engineering and is a Professional Engineer in Colorado. Prior to his engineering career, Jay gained experience and knowledge in building, landscaping, and site design working with his family’s local construction and home maintenance business. While at RFE, Jay has worked on a large variety of projects in the Roaring Fork Valley. From residential projects to public projects, his meticulousness and attention to detail is apparent in his designs. He has concentrated on drainage and low impact design in his projects and is a thoughtful problem solver on difficult drainage issues. Using a high level of coordination in all of his projects, Jay finds solutions to drainage and grading issues that are effective while being visually appealing.

Multiple projects emphasize Jay’s experience in the Valley with site development and drainage design. He has worked on countless residential projects and has become well versed in site development. His designs of multiple large ranch developments demonstrate his water resource skills, including irrigation headgates and diversions, storage ponds, detention ponds, ditch and stormwater channels. Jay was involved with several stormwater and infrastructure designs for the City of Aspen, including the completed Rio Grande Stormwater System. He was the project engineer for the Oklahoma Flats Trail in Aspen, and has been involved in the design of sidewalks, ADA compliant access, emergency access studies, utility infrastructure, and road design.

Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Engineering, Fort Lewis College (2012)
Professional Engineer, Colorado

Sean Walmsley, P.E.

Design Engineer

seanw@rfeng.biz

Sean joined the RFE team in 2016 as a design engineer. He is a Professional Engineer and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, receiving a degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Water Resources. Sean has worked on public and private development projects within the Roaring Fork Valley designing both at grade and below grade infrastructure, for notable projects such as the Pitkin County Ambulance Facility, the Aspen County Inn affordable housing, and the American Lane road realignment and water system. Sean assumed the role of the design engineer on these projects and was responsible for the production of both Permit /Construction Documents and Engineering reports. He also liaises with both clients and agencies and has a thorough knowledge of municipal codes.

Prior to RFE, Sean worked for a mid-sized Denver based company that provides civil engineering and surveying services for the Oil and Gas industry throughout the Western United States. While in this position, he prepared drainage reports and Storm Water Management Plans for large facilities throughout multiple jurisdictions in Colorado. Through this work, Sean became highly familiar with typical drainage designs and erosion control best practices used within the Rocky Mountain region.

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder with a concentration in Water Resources (2014).
Professional Engineer, Colorado

Tyler Stevens, P.E.

Project Engineer

tylers@rfeng.biz

Tyler grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley and joined RFE in 2013. He graduated from Colorado University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, specializing in Water Resources. Tyler is a Professional Engineer has designed residential, commercial and government developments within the City of Aspen. Tyler has worked on designs for the City of Aspen replacing, relocating and upgrading their water infrastructure.

Tyler has designed and inspected water line installations per the request of the City of Aspen. Tyler spent a significant number of hours designing, inspecting, observing, and documenting water main installations for Roaring Fork Road, American Lane, Main Street, South Aspen Street and Aspen Club developments. Some highlights include the relocation of a 20-inch water feed line for the City and numerous pressure tests and disinfection procedures. The Main Street water line installation for the new Police Department took place within the Highway 82 CDOT Right of Way, adding more scrutiny to the accuracy of the design and installation.

Prior to joining RFE, Tyler worked as a Project Coordinator and is very familiar with modern contracting and construction techniques. He spent time in the field laboring and operating, experiencing civil development first hand. He is also highly skilled in the use of engineering software including Excel, VBA, MatLab, EPANET, ArugusOne and AutoCad.

Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering Specializing in Water Resource Management and Treatment, University of Colorado, Boulder (2012)
Professional Engineer, Colorado
CDOT Storm Water Inspector

Vince Tomczak, P.E.

Design Engineer

vincentt@rfeng.biz

Vince joined RFE in 2016 as a design engineer and is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. As a Professional Engineer his expertise in the Roaring Fork Valley lies in private development projects (residential and recreational sites), and includes roadway, extensive irrigation, drainage, and all associated utility design. Implementing the Aspen URMP, Vince has coordinated with Architects, Landscape Architects, and Contractors to apply low impact designs from conceptual through construction level drawings.

Prior to joining RFE, Vince worked for a large international design firm focusing his design work on public transit, roadway, and drainage for many state DOT projects (including California, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, Utah, and Washington). Vince designed horizontal alignments, vertical profiles, and other cross-sectional improvements along these roadways following the strict rules, regulations, and standards set by each state DOT and has familiarity with AASHTO standards for highway and street design. Additionally, Vince specialized in bus rapid transit design (BRT) for growing urban areas of the country for projects that included implementation of “complete streets” in order to provide a safe method of transportation for pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, and public transit services.

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Michigan State University (2014)
Professional Engineer, Utah

Drew Wharton, E.I.T.

Design Engineer

dreww@rfeng.biz

Drew joined RFE in 2017 and is registered in Colorado as an Engineer in Training (E.I.T.). Drew’s work focuses on large scale commercial, industrial, and residential projects within the Roaring Fork Valley for Habitat for Humanity, the City of Aspen, and the Town of Carbondale.

Since joining RFE, Drew has been the design engineer for the Basalt Vista Housing with Habitat for Humanity, Aspen Affordable Housing, Rio Grande Place Utilities and City Hall, including roadway and utility design, with construction commencing in the summer of 2018. Within the City of Aspen, Drew has designed improvements for major sanitary sewer lines within the city as well as three separate housing projects ranging from eight to sixteen units, each involving roadway and utility design to accommodate the new construction. Drew has conducted hydraulic studies for each site and designed drainage systems to accommodate the new development while meeting city standards.

Prior to joining the RFE team, Drew spent two years working for a large civil engineering and surveying firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. Working with state and local governing bodies, Drew designed new development and redevelopment projects across the Southeast for large scale commercial, industrial, and residential sites. He coordinated with private developers and architects to create functional and cost-effective designs.

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Kennesaw State University (2015) (formerly Southern Polytechnic State University)
Engineer-in-Training

Josh Juron, E.I.T.

Design Engineer

joshj@rfeng.biz

Josh Juron is a graduate of Ohio University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Josh joined RFE in 2017 and has been practicing as an engineer in Colorado for four years specializing in drainage, waterline inspection, construction management, open channel hydraulics, and grading.

Highlighted experience includes two years working on the Platte to Park Hill Stormwater Systems Project for the City of Denver. Josh served as the design engineer of the $70 million Globeville Landing Outfall Project to mitigate the damage of the 100-year storm event from the urbanized area of Denver. Since 2017, waterline inspection and construction management services on behalf of the City of Aspen and the Town of Carbondale have been the main focus for Josh in the Roaring Fork Valley. In this capacity he is able to bridge the gap between the contractor and the municipality he represents.

Josh contributes to the RFE team with his experience working on design of large capital improvement projects for municipalities, waterline inspection and construction management practices, earthwork grading, along with his extensive knowledge in applied software tools.

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Ohio University (2013)
Fundamentals of Engineering, CO
Engineer-in-Training

Robert Garza, E.I.T.

Design Engineer

robertg@rfeng.biz

Robert Garza joined RFE as a design engineer in June of 2019. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in Civil Engineering and is registered as an Engineer in Training (E.I.T.). Robert is an experienced design engineer with a demonstrated history of pavement and infrastructure design, stormwater management, and project estimation. His responsibilities include many tasks for a variety of public and private projects ranging from H&H analysis, pavement design, infrastructure analysis and design, and compliance to city ordinances for all construction documents. These responsibilities create a knowledge of Autocad Civil 3D through the process of corridor creation, lot grading using grading tools, and gravity and pressure pipe networks. Robert collaborates with clients and contractors as well as local departments where regulatory coordination is required.

Prior to joining RFE, Robert spent three years with a civil engineering firm in Texas supporting projects for city, county, and private clients. He performed field construction observations, prepared drainage and stormwater pollution prevention plan reports, analyzed and designed public and private infrastructure development projects, organized cost estimates, and identified compliance with plans and specifications for contractor product submittals.

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Texas (2015)
Engineer-in-Training

Kona

Office Pup and Treats-E-O

Kona has enjoyed roaming the Valley for over a decade, seeking adventures in the snow each winter and relaxing in the rivers during the summer. She’s on clean-up crew at the office, sure to find any stray crumb or snack that was forgotten. She enjoys lounging in the sun by the door, ready to greet any RFE visitor with a wagging tail.