Garth Cressman

As CEO of WalterFedy, Garth leads a diverse group of professionals toward achieving the corporate ambition of challenging the status quo with bold ideas that will enhance the world around us. He is focused on amplifying WalterFedy’s value in the marketplace, building strong client relationships, and earning the lasting confidence of our community.

Kyle Roffey

As WalterFedy’s CFO, Kyle’s mandate is to provide the organization with the resources to support its plans for sustainable growth. Kyle is passionate about working across the organization and with the leadership team to develop strategies that bring WalterFedy’s vision and mission to life. Leveraging his experience in financial management, data analysis and raising capital, Kyle views his role as a navigator to ensure stakeholders have the insights for effective decision making to remain ahead in the marketplace. He is a progressive leader and constant learner, seeking new and innovative opportunities to drive continuous improvements for the organization.

Mark Christensen

As a Senior Project Manager for WalterFedy/AEC, Mark has a direct and immediate influence on all of our company’s operations and is a key player in driving the firm’s mission and vision forward. He is also a member of WalterFedy’s Board of Directors, which is responsible for overseeing the management and business affairs of the company. Mark also continues to work with select clients on special projects.  

His past work as the Business Unit Leader for Civil Engineering includes urban and rural site planning, subdivision development, road reconstructions, class environmental assessments, and watercourse naturalization. Mark’s experience spans multiple industries including school boards, municipalities, post-secondary, commercial, and healthcare. 

Terri Robinson

As WalterFedy’s Director of Business Development, Terri leads the marketing and BD strategy to communicate the value of WalterFedy to the market. She thrives on driving growth initiatives and engaging clients, partners, and employees to build integrated solutions to meet market potential.  Her insight into industry trends helps define resilient brand strategies that are relevant, generate revenue, and improve performance.

Victoria Campbell

As WalterFedy’s Director of HR, Victoria is the leader of the firm’s People Strategy and uses her innate ability to understand the needs of employees to create People First policies for the firm. She is passionate about building relationships, asking questions that dig deep, and navigating change and conflict management. Her drive to make positive change at WalterFedy has made her a respected leader known for delivering practical results-driven solutions.

Dave Thompson

Dave has over 30 years of mechanical engineering experience and has successfully completed the mechanical design for numerous commercial, educational, healthcare, and recreation projects. Throughout his career, Dave has been responsible for the management of mechanical and electrical engineering divisions for multiple firms; the design, implementation and coordination of heating, ventilating, air conditioning, plumbing and drainage, fire protection and DDC controls; and project management of diverse teams on a wide range of projects. 

Dave possesses extensive healthcare project experience, including work for McMaster University Medical Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, and St. Peter’s Hospital. In addition to healthcare projects, Dave has broad project experience working for McMaster University. His past projects with McMaster include the Innovation Park warehouse renewal, renovations to the General Science Building, Health Sciences Library, Thode Library renovations, Computer Sciences Lab, and Central Animal Facility, among others. 

Aaron Engel

Aaron Engel is a trusted team leader and talented project manager with nearly 15 years of experience delivering projects of varying scope and scale. His extensive background in the industrial sector makes him well-equipped to support projects from automotive manufacturing, to pharmaceuticals, to food processing facilities.  

Aaron’s project management style is transparent and client focused. His commitment to seamless coordination and quality results has earned him the respect of his colleagues, industry partners, and the multi-national organizations he supports. Aaron’s leadership has been instrumental on projects for food and beverage clients, including Greenhouse Juice, Sucrocan, and ARYZTA. 

Patrick Darby

Patrick’s career has contributed to the development of sustainable practices within the building industry. Patrick has gained a wealth of practical knowledge from both a design and construction perspective as well as building energy performance and sustainable practices. Patrick has designed and performed many high-profile buildings, including the University of Waterloo’s Environment 3 Building, which obtained LEED® Platinum certification. 

As Team Manager of our Energy and Carbon Solutions group, Patrick meshes his mechanical design expertise with his knowledge of current, and emerging, sustainable practices and design. He leads his team in developing Energy Audits, Engineering Studies, Energy and GHG planning, thermal and electrical metering, conceptual and schematic engineering design, and measurement and verification services across a diverse customer sector, and project base. Patrick’s technical skillset and leadership capabilities allow him to understand client needs and support their short- and long-term initiatives. 

Steven Hales

Over his career, Steve has been involved in many major design projects in a variety of market sectors. He has accumulated a considerable background of design throughout his career, ranging from various public and industrial projects to commercial, recreational, and residential facilities, and has established experience working with both public and private-sector customers.  

Steve’s experience with GM makes him an ideal choice to serve as Project Manager for any Industrial job as he is very cognizant of policies and procedures, understands the constraints under which this client subsector operates, and knows how to work well with industrial staff. He has applied these skills to successfully handle the demands of fast-paced and technical projects, coordinating design and construction activities, managing the project team, and working closely with the site manager. 

Michael Kuebler

Michael brings over a decade of experience in consulting and construction to WalterFedy’s structural engineering team. Throughout his career, Michael has provided engineering support and solutions to a variety of projects over multiple sectors. Drawing on his construction experience, Michael has also provided engineering solutions for temporary shoring/structures and for concrete and steel restoration projects. 

Michael’s experience includes a tunnel condition survey and multiple tunnel restoration projects at the University of Guelph, the North Campus expansion for Conestoga College, several projects for York University, and many other structural assessment and design projects for clients in the healthcare, industrial, and commercial sectors. 

Bob Currie

A career spanning over 20 years designing public-facing buildings has given Bob a deep understanding of the needs of clients and building users. He has worked on AFP pursuits as a Clinical Planner and Project Leader across Canada and internationally. Bob has a passion for user-centred design and creating accessible spaces. He specializes in the planning of technically complex spaces while designing to meet the spatial needs of all stakeholders and their varying needs within a facility. 

Bob has served as Project Manager or Team Lead on many projects, guiding teams through the entire project’s entire life cycle. He is known for leveraging his understanding of the link between project phases to improve outcomes. He has served on the PDC team for the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre project and has been the Project Manager and Lead Architect for numerous P3 projects at hospitals across Ontario.  

James Johnson

James is a seasoned mechanical engineer with an impressive portfolio of projects with a focus on commercial office and light industrial projects. His design experience is vast and varied, from institutional research laboratories and pharmaceuticals to office buildings and district energy. Backed by a solid technical foundation, James excels at finding creative solutions to complex design challenges and has a natural ability to navigate adversity. In his design work, James continues to pursue a wide range of interests, especially sustainable design, energy efficiency, and life cycle analysis. He is proficient in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing design; building energy modelling; building energy and carbon efficiency; and HVAC Controls. 

Mark Campbell

Mark Campbell has over 16 years of structural design and project management experience for a variety of structures including multi-tenant residential developments, emergency service buildings, community centres, arenas, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and aviation facilities. He enjoys the challenge of finding innovative solutions for building design to meet the client’s overall vision while working with the entire project team to create a safe and efficient structural design. 

Mark has experience leading both structural delivery and multi-disciplinary projects of various scope and size with construction costs ranging from $1 million up to $600 million. He has experience in the design of structural steel, reinforced concrete, post-tensioned concrete, masonry, and timber structures. 

Chris Powell

Chris has been a vital member of WalterFedy’s Civil Engineering department for over ten years. Focused in the municipal sector, Chris started his career at WalterFedy as an Inspector/Designer and became Team Lead of the Contract Administration/Field Services Group in 2016. Chris has significant experience in all aspects of municipal design, construction, contract law, contract administration, and public relations.  He takes full ownership of his construction projects and prides himself on ensuring that the client receives outstanding service by proactively managing contractor/construction issues, completing all required documentation in a thorough, accurate, and timely manner, and ensuring that sound public relations are maintained at all times. He has assembled, mentored and developed an outstanding field team and has instilled the same values, sense of ownership, and responsibility within his team. Chris has established an outstanding reputation for effectively managing all aspects of construction projects on behalf of clients, and he will bring the same level of service and commitment to every future project.    

Brian Verspagen

Brian is a registered professional engineer progressing from fundamentals, including detailed calculations and preparation of drawing sets using AutoCAD and MicroStation, to project management, to inception and development of a professional stormwater management team. He has worked on projects ranging from small site plans and floodplain delineations, to integrated environmental assessments, watershed management plans, and watershed studies. 

Brian’s healthcare experience includes management of the design, permitting, and construction oversight of the West York Memorial Hospital and Groves Memorial Community Hospital as Public Private Partnership models in 2011. Brian also managed the design, permitting, and construction activities associated with the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital valued at $2 billion and completed in 2015, and on the Providence Care Hospital project in Kingston, completed in 2016. 

Rushin Khakharia

Rushin Khakharia is an experienced and passionate Civil Engineer. He is adept in site planning, including generating and evaluating multiple alternatives to meet clients’ needs while satisfying competing site criteria. He is well-versed in development projects of varying sizes and focuses on grading, servicing, stormwater management, master planning, and accessibility. Rushin is skilled in planning and executing projects and has strong leadership and time management skills that contribute to the effective and efficient completion of his projects.  

Rushin is currently involved in a wide range of projects ranging from residential to healthcare to industrial. Of note, Rushin is providing design services for the redevelopment of Michael Garron Hospital in East Toronto as part of the Design-Build-Finance Engineering team with EllisDon Infrastructure. The design includes strategic, phased servicing alternatives to keep the existing hospital fully functional and operational during the new construction. His technical acumen, breadth of knowledge, and leadership make him an asset to every project team. 

Elena Wiersma

Elena has distinguished herself on projects in the commercial, educational, and healthcare sectors, while guiding the development of our sustainable design team. Her recent work includes renovations at Alexandra Marine General Hospital and Clinton Public Hospital, two new Operations Facilities for Union Gas, tenant improvement work in downtown Kitchener, Minto Rural Health Centre in Palmerston, and a new daycare on the North Campus of the University of Waterloo, south of the CSE building site. She has completed master planning and initial design for an expansion project at St. Jerome’s University and an expansion project at John McGivney Children’s Centre. She is the Project Architect for ongoing upgrade work at Grand River Hospital, St. Mary’s General Hospital, Brantford General Hospital and Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich.  

Elena excels at complex user group meetings to source and then provide the optimal architectural solution. Her extensive project experience and long-standing application of sustainable design principles drives her to provide quality service, exceptional value, and architectural excellence for the customer and the community. 

Jamie Van Dyk

As a member of WalterFedy’s Architecture team and a Partner of our firm, Jamie has been heavily involved in the design and production of many of our firm’s recent high-profile projects. Jamie has built relationships and achieved considerable success for WalterFedy through his project management methodology which focuses on serving his client’s needs through stages of design, construction, and occupancy. Jamie understands the interaction of program needs and the relationship of services for police and emergency response clients and will use his knowledge to oversee our team throughout this project.  

Jamie’s approach to architecture includes both function and form. He focuses on ensuring constructability is considered throughout the process and often engages in multiple stakeholders throughout the design process to keep this concept front of mind. This will be important for any multi-use facility, so that the needs of all stakeholders are considered, and are met in space uses.

Tricia Smith

Since joining WalterFedy, Tricia has provided design and project management expertise on a number of high-profile projects in the educational and commercial building sectors, including the warehouse renovation project currently underway at McMaster Innovation Park, the Waterloo Campus Expansion and new Cambridge Campus for Conestoga College, and the Waterloo Region History Museum, among many others.  

Tricia is experienced in project management of interdisciplinary projects with accelerated schedules. She has demonstrated her ability to accelerate design schedules through projects such as the Conestoga College Waterloo Campus expansion, a $45 million project where the design phase was successfully completed in 5 months with an early works phase and pre-tender in advance of the main bid package. Her commitment to WalterFedy enables our firm to provide customers with high-quality services both now and in the future. 

Tyler Bowman

Tyler Bowman is the Director of Engineering Services at WalterFedy. As head of a large, multi-discipline complement of engineering professionals, Tyler drives innovation efforts and offers steady mentorship in support of his team’s growth. Backed by an extensive portfolio of complex projects in the public and private sector, Tyler’s strengths include project leadership, identifying design and construction efficiencies, relationship management, budget and schedule control, and quality assurance.

Shelley Forwell

Shelley Forwell has experience in both the private and public sector, specializing in site development. Her extensive project experience includes grading, storm, sanitary, and watermain designs as well as detailed stormwater management design and reports for residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and condominium site development. Every project Shelley takes on is enhanced by her comprehensive understanding of the site development process, site design technical elements, and the integration of civil, architectural, structural, landscape, mechanical, and electrical disciplines. As a Practice Lead of Site Development, Shelley oversees every project for quality assurance and technical compliance.

Dan Ferguson

Dan Ferguson is an experienced professional with a unique blend of academic training in business and engineering. This foundation allows him to provide technical expertise and a keen understanding of project management to effectively lead the WalterFedy Civil Engineering team.

Through his extensive career, Dan has taken on the challenge of steering large-scale projects in private and municipal sectors. He has experience driving large-scale projects involving critical infrastructure systems, providing public and stakeholder consultation expertise, and coordinating complex assignments with large consultant teams. Dan has established an outstanding reputation for managing all aspects of a project lifecycle, including design, construction, contract administration, and commissioning.

Michael Winters

Michael Winters is an architect and project manager with over 13 years of extensive experience in the industry. He has a background in construction, graphic design, editorial design, branding and wayfinding that compliments all areas of his architectural work. The majority of his experience has been gained on complex, accelerated projects. He uses this experience, combined with a focus on organization and efficiency, and applies it to all challenges that he encounters.

Michael’s unique position as an Architect and Project Manager allows him to see projects through to completion with confidence. He thoroughly enjoys the construction phase as much as the design or contract documents phase and finds himself very well equipped to engage in this area of all projects. His experience and understanding of construction logistics and phasing has given him many tools for overcoming challenges efficiently on site as well as executing strong design as a member of the design team. He has managed BIM design and production teams and therefore can engage directly in BIM modelling, clash detection, and drafting through the intensive documentation stages of projects.

Farima Vahid

Braden Kurczak

Braden works closely with project stakeholders to create and develop sustainable strategies that complement their objectives. He leads project teams through the integrated design process; educating and informing their decisions to create projects that deliver energy and resource savings, are great places for people and are cost effective to operate and maintain. He brings wide ranging expertise in energy and water efficiency, business management, procurement processes, strategic planning, business development and LEED Certification. Braden was a member of the CaGBC LEED Faculty and has delivered numerous training sessions pertaining to LEED and sustainability. He is one of the industry’s sought after speakers on achieving sustainable objectives.

Jy Hamilton

Jy Hamilton is a seasoned BIM Manager with over 15 years of industry experience helping design and construction firms produce quality documentation and streamlined processes. As “the keeper of the keys” for our firm’s design standards, Jy ensures deliverable documents are exciting for clients and workflows are effective and collaborative within the studio.

Jy actively tracks the latest advancements in modelling and builds strategies to weave them into our design standards. He also leads training initiatives for our teams to grow their confidence and proficiency in BIM best practices.

Ben Gregory

Ben Gregory is passionate about environmental design, reflected by his certification as a LEED® Accredited Professional and has applied his knowledge of sustainable design to many projects, notably the design and construction of an 800 SF home completely powered by solar energy for the 2007 Solar Decathalon. Benjamin is knowledgeable in and familiar with industry software such as Revit 2015, AutoCAD 2015, SketchUp, Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, and Studio MAX.

Ben has provided design expertise on many of WalterFedy’s high profile, residential projects including the eight storey mixed-use development at 99 Columbia Street in Waterloo that caters to both young professionals and students, offering a more high-end accommodation option in the area, 460 Columbia, and One Young.

Melissa Fishman

Melissa is a knowledgeable Engineer and Project Manager with a proven track record of successfully delivering projects in a variety of sectors, including commercial, community/municipal, healthcare, education, and multi-residential. Driven by a philosophy of holistic design and client satisfaction, Melissa excels in revitalizing, building, and developing projects to achieve a high level of success for all stakeholders. She’s known to clients for her exceptional management of multidisciplinary projects in the municipal sector, including mechanical/electrical renovations, lighting retrofits, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and net carbon zero buildings. A strategic and respected leader, Melissa inspires collaboration within her project teams through communication, commitment, teamwork, and mentorship.

Donna Evans

Donna is an architect with proven design and communication skills. She brings nearly two decades of experience to our team on all phases of design through construction. Donna’s background in a variety of sectors including commercial, education, and multi-residential makes her a strong asset to any project team.

Donna has played a crucial role in many of our commercial projects, ranging from lead architect to interior designer and project manager.

Clay Cope

Clay Cope has a wide depth experience in mechanical engineering and project management, recently focusing on healthcare projects across Ontario. Clay managed our former Florida office until 2010, working as project manager for various healthcare related, school board, and commercial projects. Since transferring to our Kitchener office, Clay’s healthcare experience has grown to include work with Grey Bruce Health Services, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, Grand River Hospital, St. Mary’s General Hospital, Brant Community Healthcare Systems, and North Wellington Health Care. As a skilled and efficient project manager, Clay’s presence on each project provides facility and redevelopment supervisors the confidence that their goals will be achieved.

For the past six years, Clay has served as Primary Contact and Mechanical Engineering Project Manager on Grand River Hospital’s Engineering Master Services Agreement.

Jason Chang

Jason is a registered Architect and certified Project Management Professional with over 25 years of experience delivering complex projects for a wide range of clients in both public and private sector organizations. He is detail oriented, highly organized, and capable of working on multiple projects simultaneously. As a team player with strong leadership skills, Jason is adept at leading construction teams and representing property owners to deliver exceptional service and achieve outstanding results.

As a Project Manager, Jason’s focus is on meshing his clients’ needs with project requirements and fostering open and comprehensive communication between stakeholders and the construction team. He achieves this high degree of collaboration by focusing on stakeholder consultation and open communication throughout his projects’ life spans, developing a thorough understanding of his client’s, users’, and community’s needs and wishes, meshing those into a safe, comfortable, compliant, and functional project.

Fei Wei

With over three decades of architectural and project management experience, Fei has considerable expertise in the design and renovation of facilities ranging from municipal and educational institutions including both post-secondary and school boards, and healthcare facilities to industrial buildings and commercial offices. As Senior Project Director, Fei coordinates our in-house architectural design team to maintain effective control over project schedules and budgets and ensures that we meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.

Fei’s experience with heritage facilities spans from municipal to educational buildings. Most prominent is his current work with Massey Hall at the University of Guelph. WalterFedy is completing renovations and accessibility upgrades at what was once the campus library, built in 1903, now a series of performing arts spaces, meeting rooms for students, and offices for the English and theatre studies department. The project includes the implementation of much-needed accessibility upgrades while being sensitive to the heritage façade.

JP Thornton

Nigel Thompson

Nigel Thompson has over 30 years of structural engineering expertise, spanning projects in both Europe and North America. His role as project manager on multi-million dollar projects in industrial, commercial, and municipal projects gives him expertise in the use of steel, concrete, masonry and timber construction. His experience in a variety of different projects enables him to be a strong leader of the design team.

Nigel has served as the lead structural design engineer on many of WalterFedy’s industrial projects, including various work for Conestoga Cold Storage, Taro Pharmaceuticals, General Motors Canada, Janssen Inc., among others.

Candice Simpson

Andrew Portengen

Andrew possesses proficient knowledge of the mechanical applications of the Ontario Building Code, ASHRAE 90.1, ASHRAE 62, and is experienced with AutoCAD and Revit MEP software. He has extensive experience in plumbing, fire protection, and HVAC design His experience includes mechanical design for buildings in the municipal, education, healthcare, institutional, residential, and industrial sectors.

Andrew lent his mechanical expertise to a number of WalterFedy’s high profile projects, including work for Conestoga College, the University of Guelph, and Fanshawe College. His experience also includes the new energy centre for Enbridge Gas, which included a new combined heat and power plant along with extensive mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

Russ Parnell

Russ has over a decade of structural design and project management experience with multi-use facilities, residential developments, parking structures, post-secondary institutions, and healthcare facilities. He has experience in the design of reinforced concrete, structural steel, precast concrete, masonry, and timber structures and brings a combination of advanced technical skills, sound engineering judgment, and a practical approach to design and construction.

Russ is known to clients for his commitment to delivering successful project outcomes, and he takes pride in providing sound and efficient structural solutions to complex design challenges. He understands that it takes an effective team to do great work, and actively supports collaboration, teamwork, and common goals across the design and construction team. He has successfully led teams in the structural design of large, complex, multi-phased projects; met accelerated schedules; and provided value through both practical and innovative design approaches.

Matt Ninomiya

Matt Ninomiya is the Land Development Practice Lead within WalterFedy’s civil team, and has over 16 years of direct municipal and private development engineering experience. He is involved with all aspects of conceptual design and feasibility studies, preliminary and detailed design, contract preparation and construction management, as well as technical advisory services for a variety of residential, industrial, and commercial developments.

Matt is both experienced and active in the design and management of civil engineering and renewable energy projects, which include storm, sanitary, and water systems analysis and design; grading design; roadway engineering; subdivision and site servicing design; and construction. He has experienced these projects as a Designer, Project Coordinator, and a Project Manager. He also has experience as a technical liaison between clients, regulatory agencies, and public stakeholders. As Land Development Practice Lead and trusted advisor, he is responsible for all project deliverables, financial management, and project communications. His overall exposure to all facets of engineering is a valuable asset to any project.