CHARLOTTE, NC — Freese and Nichols, Inc., continues its North Carolina growth with the hiring of John Fishburne, PE, a former top engineer for the City of Charlotte. With his experience and knowledge of the region, Fishburne will assist clients with all of their water and wastewater needs.

Fishburne spent 13 years with Charlotte Water. After four years as a Pipeline Rehabilitation and Replacement Project Manager, he spent almost a decade as the principal engineering, construction and analytical resource on the leadership team for the Field Operations Division, a 250-person department responsible for an 8,000-mile drinking water distribution and wastewater collection system. He handled high-priority field operations, worked with infrastructure owners, other city departments and environmental regulators and led the Critical Asset Team overseeing high-priority and vulnerable collection and distribution system pipeline assets.

He has almost 20 years of hands-on experience through both the city and his own firm in managing a variety of pipeline rehabilitation and replacement projects.

Since 2007, Fishburne has taken leading roles with the global pipeline and pipe rehabilitation standards committees at American Water Works Association (AWWA), ASTM, International Organization for Standardization and American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He chairs the AWWA Standards Committee on polyolefin pressure pipe and fittings and is leading the revision of AWWA Manual of Practice M55, “PE Pipe Design and Installation.” 

Fishburne has been a frequent instructor for NCAWWA-WEA and SCRWA classes on pipe design and repair, unidirectional flushing, emergency response, SSES strategies and operator certification. He also is well-known for pre-commercial developmental work leading to the SL-RAT device and condition-based sewer cleaning.

He received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from North Carolina State University.

“John is a seasoned manager and a problem-solver who understands both the conceptual and construction phases of projects,” said Mike Wayts, Freese and Nichols’ North Carolina Division Manager. “With his expertise and long-standing relationships, he’ll help us continue our strategic growth in North Carolina and beyond.”

Freese and Nichols celebrated its fifth year in North Carolina in 2018 and opened the Charlotte office in June with the addition of Ed Dickson, a Water Resources and Stormwater Engineer who is nationally recognized for his floodplain modeling and mapping work.