NEW ORLEANS, LA Hayward Baker Inc. announces the opening of a new office location in New Orleans, Louisiana. The new office will support customers and projects along the Gulf Coast. As an extension of the Houston, Texas, office, the New Orleans office is spearheaded by recent hire Christopher Rogers, PE, Project Manager with oversight from Tyson Deklavs, Area Manager.

Christopher Rogers, PE, is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is a registered engineer in Mississippi and Louisiana. Rogers has more than ten years of diverse experience in quality control, design-build, and project management. Prior to joining Hayward Baker, Rogers worked for a general contractor in Louisiana as the Senior Quality Control Manager as well as a Field Project Manager. He also has spent part of his career as a Geotechnical Consultant.

According to Deklavs, the opening of the New Orleans office represents a commitment to closer collaboration with their public, commercial, and industrial Gulf Coast clients. This market includes a diverse group of general contractors, geotechnical consultants, developers, and industrial owners. 

"The Gulf Coast is an exciting market for Hayward Baker," said Deklavs. "The soils are well-suited for our ground engineering techniques. By combining our experience and existing client base with Chris' local presence and expertise, we are now situated to capitalize on the strong growth potential in this market. We are excited to welcome Chris to the Hayward Baker team." 

Recent local projects illustrate the wide range of foundation design-build services Hayward Baker already performs in the region. These include numerous deep soil mixing and jet grouting projects for the United States Army Corps of Engineers and industrial clients. 

Hayward Baker used several ground modification techniques at the New Orleans Veterans Affairs Hospital. Prefabricated vertical wick drains were used to expedite consolidation settlement, reducing the down drag on foundation piles. The project also included three deep excavations using sheet piles and jet grouting. Micropiles were used to support a new pile cap and column inside the historic Dixie Brewery Building, which is now the Veterans Affairs New Orleans Dixie Research Facility.