New Shareholder Announced at Cole & Associates

Cole & Associates announced the addition of Tom Reynolds as its newest shareholder of the company.

Reynolds began working at Cole in 2006, where he worked as an Instrument Man, an entry level position in our survey department. He soon identified a career path and took the opportunities available to advance his knowledge of the field by completing his degree and licensure, while continuing to work at Cole. As a valuable member of the company, Reynolds now serves as the Survey Manager in our St. Louis office and has completed survey projects across the country in conjunction with Cole’s other offices.

“Tom is a perfect example of the character and work ethic that embodies Cole. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Tom and welcome him to the shareholder’s circle,” said Kevin Riggs, President/CEO.

Since the late 1990s when the company’s founder Mel Cole put the firm’s shareholder agreement in place, Cole has seen many of its company leaders take part in this incredible opportunity. This speaks volumes for the success and integrity of the firm, its shareholders and its employees, Riggs said.

Current shareholders include Riggs; Lisa Baker, CFO; Jeremy Roach, Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture; Terry Westerman, Survey Manager; and the Cole’s three Vice Presidents of Regional Operations – Jim Roth in Phoenix; John Harshbarger in St. Charles and St. Louis; and Sandy Stephens in Dallas.

Announcing Cole’s Vice President of Engineering for Accessibility

Cole is pleased to announce that Melissa Anderson has joined our staff as the Vice President of Engineering for Accessibility.

Prior to joining Cole, Melissa worked at the US Access Board, serving as their Transportation Engineer, developing accessibility guidelines and assisting Federal, State and Local Agencies in meeting their obligations to provide accessible facilities for people who have disabilities. Her work involved refining the proposed Public Right of Way Accessibility Guidelines, updating the Transportation Vehicle Accessibility Guidelines and leading the Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee. Melissa also continues to participate as a subject matter expert on several research panels and remains a member of two committees for the Transportation Research Board.

Prior to her work for the Access Board, she was employed for 10 years with the Missouri Department of Transportation, where she was involved in traffic and safety data collection and analysis, research, standards development, and professional services procurement. Melissa became the statewide non-motorized transportation engineer, where she was responsible for developing pedestrian and bicycle policy, training staff and local agencies, and reviewing plans for accessibility.

Previously, Melissa also worked for two small local agencies on a wide variety of projects including water and waste water design, managing street and sidewalk programs, review of residential and commercial developments, and long range planning and zoning updates.

Cole is excited to have Melissa lead our ADA Team, providing expert guidance and working with our clients to understand their obligation to provide accessible facilities. We look forward to sharing her skills with our partners in the evaluation of their existing infrastructure and development of State and community transition and prioritization plans and accessible pedestrian networks.

Cole Presenting at the Arizona Chapter 2014 APWA Statewide Conference

Cole will be presenting at the Arizona Chapter American Public Works Association’s 2014 Statewide Conference being held in Tucson, AZ, next week July 28-29th. We are speaking on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards and Regulations for Public Rights of Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). Our presentation is meant to help attendees gain a better understanding of the ADA legislation, the necessity of a transition plan, and the benefits of a cost-effective, proven technology. Cole is utilizing this exclusive technology in public agencies throughout the country, including the current Chandler, AZ, ADA Transition Plan.

Mike Vonderheide, PE, Senior Project Manager, and Belinda Banger, Vice President / Chief Strategist will co-present. Both Mike and Belinda are very familiar with U.S. Access Board design guidelines, standards, and technical requirements of providing accessible routes in the public right-of-way. This is one of many occasions they have presented “ADA Transition Planning using ULIP-ADA™ Technology”.

The conference welcomes around 700 Public Works professionals and representatives from municipalities and agencies in the state of Arizona. As a member of APWA and leading ADA Transition Planning consultant, Cole is looking forward to networking with existing colleagues and making new connections. If you’re planning to attend, don’t miss us Tuesday morning at 10:30am.