ANN ARBOR, MI GEI Consultants of Michigan, P.C., one of the nation's leading geotechnical, environmental, water resources, and ecological science and engineering firms, announces the firm has opened a new office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as it continues to expand its services throughout Michigan, the upper Great Lakes region, and across the Midwest.

Located in the heart of the city, GEI's Ann Arbor office is situated in close proximity to the University of Michigan and less than an hour away from downtown Detroit, Michigan. Scott B. Dierks, P.E., a 23-year consulting engineering veteran with expertise in hydrology and ecological engineering, leads the new Ann Arbor office as Branch Manager.

The Ann Arbor office is GEI's sixth in Michigan; the firm also has locations in Grand Rapids, Iron Mountain, Iron River, Lansing, and Marquette, Michigan. Since 2010, GEI has established 11 offices throughout the Midwest providing public and private clients with integrated civil, geotechnical, water resources, environmental, and ecological services. The company works on a variety of project types in the region, including municipal infrastructure; flood control; energy and mining; transportation including freight rail; property transaction due diligence; private development and brownfields redevelopment; institutional facilities construction and rehabilitation projects; underground engineering; construction oversight; and more.

"GEI has worked with many clients across the Midwest in the past year," said Michael Gatzow, Senior Vice President and GEI's Central Region Manager. "We expect our Ann Arbor office to compliment our significant presence in Michigan and around Midwest, as we continue our growth and expansion in the region." 

The following key employees will be responsible for shaping the development of the Ann Arbor office:

Scott B. Dierks, P.E., has spent more than twenty years applying the lessons of natural systems to urban and landscape design. This work includes hydrologic, water quality and sediment transport monitoring and modeling on the East Coast and Midwest. His design work has included treatment wetlands for sanitary and leachate wastewaters; urban and rural BMPs, and stream, wetland and shoreline restoration. Dierks has facilitated and written watershed management plans and is known, locally at least, as an avid collaborator with public agencies, non-profits and other design firms. Scott regularly presents his work at regional and national venues. Dierks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University in Psychology, a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida.

Michael C. Gentner, P.E., is a Senior Engineer/Manager with 23 years of senior leadership and demonstrated ability to manage technical and support staff, and apply practical, cost-effective engineering solutions. His core technical strengths are in Geotechnical Engineering, Earth Retention Design, Geotechnical Instrumentation and, Construction QA/QC. Gentner has project experience in 15 States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Gentner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Scott T. Isenberg, E.I.T., is a Hydraulic Engineer with experience with the development of hydrologic/hydraulic modeling programs such as HEC-RAS and Stormwater Management Model. His involvement with the modeling process spans from preliminary field data collection/analysis to integration with design plans. Primarily focused on riparian systems, Isenberg has been responsible for baseline geomorphic field surveys, preliminary habitat assessment, the production of stage/discharge relationships, along with model construction and calibration. Additionally, he has experience analyzing stream geometries using RIVERMorph as part of the natural stream channel design process. Isenberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University.

Heidi E. Pence is an Engineer-in-training who specializes in Geotechnical Engineering. She has experience in Industrial and Domestic Engineering for urban, oil and gas/energy sectors. Pence has experienced in shallow, deep, and storage tank foundations, and has a strong knowledge of pavement design, slab-on-grade structures and retaining walls. She earned both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Samuel H. Prentice is an Engineer-in-training who specializes in Beneficial Water Resource Services. He has expertise in river restoration, stream bank stabilization, stream crossing improvement, and dam removal. His responsibilities have included hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, landscape analysis using GIS software, contract administration, proposal development, conceptual plan preparation, field team oversight, and project management. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Albion College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University.