Simpson Gumpertz & Heger announces L.A. pomotions

LOS ANGELES — Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) has announced several promotions in its L.A. office.

These promotions include:

Gregory Hardy has been promoted to senior principal. Hardy heads SGH’s Los Angeles Structural Mechanics division and has more than 30 years of experience in engineering mechanics. His responsibilities have included natural hazards probabilistic risk assessments, earthquake experience-based studies, aircraft impact analyses, stress analyses, seismic margin studies, and shock and vibration environmental testing for hardware qualification.

Hardy has specific expertise in highly protected industries such as nuclear, defense, and energy and has consulted with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). He has also conducted seismic tasks associated with the earthquake at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Japan and a seismic risk assessment for the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Toronto, Canada;

Philip Hashimoto has been promoted to senior principal. Hashimoto has 30 years of experience in civil/structural and earthquake engineering with specific expertise in the nuclear industry. His project work spans a diverse range of technical areas, including structural/seismic analysis and design, construction support and management, equipment seismic qualification, risk assessment, and computer software development.

Hashimoto has performed work for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), commercial nuclear utilities, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). His projects include the seismic fragility evaluation and structure response analysis for the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant in Mühleberg, Switzerland; a seismic evaluation of the Device Assembly Facility at the Nevada Test Site in Mercury, Nevada; and an experience-based seismic qualification of equipment at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho.; and

David Kuivanen has been promoted to principal. Kuivanen has more than 25 years of architectural experience, with a focus on investigating building failures and designing solutions to construction problems for commercial and residential buildings. His work includes investigating building enclosure systems and designing and administering the construction of repairs to waterproofing, roofing, and exterior flashing and cladding systems.

Kuivanen has provided expert testimony on more than 30 projects that have involved litigation. Currently, he is working on a water intrusion and building investigation project at a major Arizona timeshare resort. He is also consulting on a concrete and envelope investigation at high-rise condominiums in Las Vegas, Nevada, and providing forensic investigation services at numerous low-rise residential and commercial buildings in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

For more information about Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., please visit www.sgh.com.