About

As an Entrepreneur, Husband, Stepfather, Engineer and Founder, Tom Barghausen wears many hats. Tom founded the firm in 1982. Several years later he started his own land development firm and followed that up by starting a heavy construction company to build subdivisions for his development firm. Both companies helped Tom bring a lot more business and prominent builder/developer clients to the engineering firm due to Tom’s comprehensive successful experience in land development and is one of the primary reasons the firm has retained some of the largest residential homebuilders as clients for decades.

Tom’s success has been driven by his passion for providing high quality service and representation to his clients. His experience includes every aspect of feasibility, planning, design, permitting, construction and financing. He is well versed in virtually every aspect of private land development and construction with an emphasis on single-family residential subdivisions.

“I'm most proud of how our firm has turned out since I founded it in 1982. We have the most amazing staff of professionals and support people that work hard every day to do the best they can for our clients. We also have wonderful long-term clients that trust our work and rely on us to help them be successful. No one does it better than we do!”

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - University of Colorado - Boulder, CO

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington

Life Outside the Office

Tom lives in a floating home in Seattle on Lake Union with his spouse and their cat, he also has two stepchildren. Outside of work, Tom enjoys being on the water. He and his wife take shorter boating excursions in their Zodiac, and frequently take longer trips up to the San Juans in their larger boat, the Match Maker.

Playlist Favorites

“The Who. Hands down. Close second is the legendary Led Zeppelin.”

Dream Destinations

"New Zealand. I've been to Australia and now want to see what their neighbor has to offer."

Top of the Bucket List

"If I had to choose, it would be to get a ride on either the Blue Origin or SpaceX rockets when they offer commercial travel. Either that or get to ride in a Blue Angel FA-18."

Since 1986, Dan Balmelli has been involved in all areas of the company's growth and expansion. He has experience in all phases of the land development process, including consulting civil engineering design, project management, land use planning, environmental permit and entitlement processing, strategic development planning and negotiations, and contract document implementation. He has worked with all types of development teams and has established strong professional relationships with clients and government officials throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - Saint Martin's University - Lacey, WA

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington

Since 1986, Jay Grubb has played a role in a wide variety of construction/land development projects including municipal, commercial and residential developments. Many of these projects involve extensive civil engineering design of public roadways, utility improvements, storm drainage systems, and erosion control facilities. As a principal and Vice President of the firm, Jay is an accomplished and personally involved leader in the organization.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - Oregon State University - Corvallis, OR

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington, Hawaii, Arizona

Chris Jensen is the Vice President and a Principal Engineer in the Kent, WA office. He started in the industry through an interest in structural engineering and high-rise buildings. Once he had experience in both structural and civil engineering, he changed his career path and never looked back. Since 2007, Chris and his team have played a vital role in a variety of commercial, residential and mixed-use projects. Chris specializes in multi-site, multi-state projects and leads a large team of skilled engineers who excel in producing results for extensive, fast-paced commercial development programs. Chris enjoys the relationship building aspect of his role at Barghausen and seeks to create long-lasting partnerships with his clients.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - Oregon Institute of Technology - Klamath Falls, OR

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington & Oregon

Life Outside the Office

Chris lives in Enumclaw with his wife, their 8 year old twin daughters, and their black lab. In his free time he enjoys fishing at his property on the Cowlitz River, hunting, golfing, traveling and watching his daughters play sports.

Playlist Favorites

Chris Stapleton

Dream Destinations

Moose hunting in Alaska

Top of the Bucket List

“There isn't really anything I've got to do besides being there to see my kids grow up and if I'm lucky, to see their kids grow up.”

Jen Sullivan is the Controller in Barghausen’s Kent, WA office. Her interest in accounting started at Starbucks, where she ended up in a cost accounting role and fell in love with it. This experience influenced her to earn a BS in accounting and continue to pursue a career in the field. Jen joined Barghausen in 2021 with 14 years of experience in construction, fabrication, service, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, job costing, profitability analysis, inventory management and accounting information systems. On top of her accounting degree, she also holds a BA in Psychology. Her previous career path included time as a registered counselor for the State of WA and volunteer work for the Phinney Neighborhood Association and the Seattle Crisis Clinic (now Crisis Connections).

“Finance has a broad sphere of influence in an organization and I value the ability to make positive, lasting improvements that advance the way we operate and communicate as a company. Accounting and related systems are often puzzles, keeping daily activities running smoothly, researching the best path forward, and planning for future growth.”

Education

BS, Accounting - Central Washington University - Ellensburg, WA

BA, Psychology - Seattle Pacific University - Seattle, WA

Life Outside the Office

Jen lives in Greenlake with the light of her life, her dachshund Riley. Her spare time is filled with reading, hiking, cooking and volunteering.

Dream Destinations

"New Zealand, because it is absolutely beautiful with both beaches and mountains. Then I would love to pop over to Australia and see the Great Barrier Reef. "

Chris is the Director of Planning Services in the Kent, WA office. He joined Barghausen in 1998 and has extensive experience in the commercial, industrial, residential, energy, and telecommunication sectors. He provides program management for the company’s regional and national clients and his proficiencies include design development, project management, land use entitlements, environmental review, and construction permitting. He enjoys building long-lasting client relationships and facilitating employee development.

Education

BA, Design & Planning Studies - University of Washington - Seattle, WA

Licenses & Registrations

American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

Life Outside the Office

When he’s not in the office you’ll find Chris outdoors playing sports, kayaking, camping, and skiing. He also enjoys listening to podcasts, attending sporting events, and binge watching TV shows and movies.

Playlist Favorites

80’s music, podcasts

Dream Destinations

France to tour medieval cathedrals, hike the Alps, and explore the Riviera

Dan Goalwin is the Director of Architectural Services at Barghausen. Since 1980, he has overseen thousands of projects throughout the US. Dan manages the architecture department, fueling systems design team, and the technical support personnel. Dan is an expert at providing site planning, space planning and problem solving. Providing cost and time-saving solutions that help our team and clients succeed.

“I derive joy applying my, experience, creativity and technical abilities to find the best possible solution for my customers and being told job well done!"

Education

BA, Architecture - University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

Professional Registration & Affiliations

Registered Architect - Washington, California

Playlist Favorites

“Led Zeppelin by far! However, I have many favorites that are second such as the Heart, the Who, U2, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, pretty much all along the harder rock line. I can be caught hearing the Beatles, Springsteen and David Bowie too!”

Dream Destinations

“I would go anywhere there is a beach looking out over clear blue ocean water where I have a drink in my hand and toes in the sand and enjoy the culture and the night life.”

Alicia Aravena is Barghausen's Marketing Manager. She oversees the firm's branding, production of business development materials, social media, web content, proposals, advertising, internal marketing and more. Alicia’s drive to become a marketing professional started with her fascination of successful branding and storytelling through graphics, imagery and writing. This interest led her to study communications at the University of Washington, where she became further invested in social media and new-age marketing strategies. Alicia joined Barghausen in 2019 and enjoys transforming creative ideas into tangible results. She recently earned her MBA and is constantly learning more about how marketing can influence successful business operations. 

Education

BA, Communications, 2018 - University of Washington - Tacoma, WA

MBA, Western Governors University, 2021 - Washington

Life Outside the Office

Alicia lives in Tacoma with her Husband, their Goldendoodle, Bear, and their orange tabby, Charlie. When she’s not working, she's traveling, playing softball, golfing, or spending time with family.

Playlist Favorites

Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones, Florence + the Machine, Palace

Dream Destinations

African Safari or Greece

As the Director of Engineering Services, Hal manages a variety of commercial and residential development projects at Barghausen. Hal’s decision to pursue a career in the industry was influenced by his father, who was a licensed civil engineer and surveyor. During high school, Hal was exposed to drafting work for a municipal street improvement project, this experience furthered his drive to become a civil engineer. Throughout his 40+ years of experience, he has gained public and private sector project knowledge, which allows him to take a proactive approach to problem-solving and decision-making. Hal is a licensed civil engineer across multiple US states and continuously goes through education and training to oversee projects in these different locations. Hal enjoys problem-solving with other engineers and seeing designs come to life through the finished product.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - Oregon Institute of Technology - Klamath Falls, OR

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming. 

Life Outside the Office

Hal lives in Des Moines, WA and is a father to two grown children and a grandfather to two grandchildren. When he’s not working, Hal enjoys fishing, boating, camping and any related outdoor activities.

Playlist Favorites

Steele Dan, The Beatles, Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson and Boston.

Dream Destinations

Italy, to try out the great food and wine

Bryan Schwartz is one of Barghausen’s talented Principal Engineers who also oversees operations at the Tumwater office location. Bryan’s upbringing on his family farm is what sparked his curiosity for design and construction, leading him to study Civil Engineering at Saint Martin’s University. He has over 20 years of experience in the industry and specializes in residential and commercial development projects. He consistently works through roadways, grading, storm drainage and utility designs while also managing project timelines and permitting processes. During the development process, Bryan looks forward to the reward of creating new communities that are both effective for developers and attractive for future homeowners.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - Saint Martin's University - Lacey, WA

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington

Life Outside the Office

Bryan enjoys spending time with his friends and family. He has been happily married for 17 years and has two kids (ages 10 and 12). He also enjoys the outdoors and spends his free time hunting, jeeping and riding quads.

Patty Stubenrauch has been with Barghausen since 1990. As the Documents Manager, Patty oversees the documents team and works closely with all departments to assist with internal and external communication efforts. Her favorite part of her role is working with her team and continuously refining reports.

Life Outside the Office

Patty resides in Iowa with her goldendoodle GemmaSue. In her free time she looks after her 92 year old mother, reads, crafts, travels and of course plays with GemmaSue.

Playlist Favorites

Elton John

Dream Destinations

Germany - family history; then I'd hop over to England to see where the Beatles came from.

Top of the Bucket List

Staying at the Plaza Hotel in New York City

Barry is a Principal Engineer in the Kent, WA office. He has been designing and managing an array of development projects since 1999. He has been with Barghausen since 2000, working within the single-family residential industry on projects ranging in size from 2 to 350+ lots. Barry and his team work closely with developers to understand their goals and provide design solutions that create effective results. Barry enjoys figuring out how to best utilize a unique piece of property to fit the end product for the client.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering - University of Washington - Seattle, WA

Licenses & Registrations

Professional Engineer - Washington

Life Outside the Office

Barry has a daughter and a dog named Moose. When he’s not working, you can find him golfing or supporting his daughter at her volleyball games.

Playlist Favorites

Eric Church

Dream Destinations

Italy, for the food alone!

Top of the Bucket List

Attend the Masters Golf Tournament

Since 2008, Kelli Bush has played a role in human resource management functions. She joined Barghausen in 2019, bringing valuable recruiting, employee relations and compliance skills to the team. A people-person at heart, Kelli knew early on in her career that she wanted to be in a field where she could help people. Kelli holds a degree in Business & Human Resource Management, as well as professional certifications from SHRM and HRCI. Determined to build engaging and positive employee experiences, Kelli is focused on what really matters, the human element.

“I truly love being in this role at Barghausen because I have the opportunity to enhance our employee's experience. HR is constantly changing to make things better, whether it's creating programs to incentivize employees, creating necessary policies, finding new HR technologies and tools, and partnering with owners to find ways of improving processes to make sure everything is well aligned and running smoothly. I'm determined to build an engaging and positive employee experience. And of course, I love the boat parties and planning the annual party!”

Education

BS, Business/Human Resource Management - Capella University

Professional in Human Resources Certification (PHR)

SHRM-Certified Professional

Life Outside the Office

Kelli lives in Renton with her husband, their two daughters and their dog. In her free time she enjoys traveling, live music, gardening and wine tasting.

Playlist Favorites

“Live music is part of my soul, and will drop just about anything to go to a show! Favorite artist? I've seen a handful of bands 3+ times: Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, and Florida Georgia Line. Favorite artist of all time? Aerosmith. Best performance? Gaga, hands down.”

Dream Destinations

Tahiti, Bora Bora, anywhere with blue water, sandy beaches, hot weather, and umbrella drinks.

Omar is Barghausen’s Fuel Division Manager and a Principal at the Long Beach office, where he leads the fueling systems design division. Omar started his career in the fueling design industry in 1998, at just 18 years old, gaining hands-on experience through his first design position. Omar specializes in retail and commercial fueling facilities with both underground and aboveground systems. Throughout his career he has found enjoyment through the endless opportunities to problem solve and come up with innovative design solutions.

Education

AA - ITT Technical Institute - Carson & Sacramento, CA

Life Outside the Office

In his free time you can find Omar cruising around Long Beach or spending time with his wife, two sons and his daughter.

Playlist Favorites

Stick Figure

Dream Destinations

“My dream is to travel to the countryside of Italy. I feel that it would be very relaxing and the food would be exceptional”

Josh Harlan oversees the Klamath Falls, OR office location and is one of the firm's Principal Engineers. Josh knew he would pursue a career in the AEC industry from an early age. His plans to study architecture after high school quickly changed to engineering after realizing how much he enjoyed the convergence of design and mathematics. Josh manages a growing team of talented engineers specializing in commercial site design and permitting. He’s been in the industry since 2006 and has a proven track record of providing top-tier service to his clients.

“I enjoy troubleshooting and solving the unique challenges that are presented on a daily basis in our line of work. Whether these challenges lie with unique site characteristics, difficult development hurdles, or demanding deadlines. Overcoming these obstacles and seeing a project through to successful completion on the behalf of our client's and our internal team, brings no greater satisfaction.”

Education:

BS, Civil Engineering - Oregon Institute of Technology - Klamath Falls, Oregon

Professional Registrations & Affiliations:

Professional Engineer - Oregon

Life Outside the Office

Josh resides in Merrill, OR with his wife Katrina, one-year old daughter Madelyn and their two dogs Porter and Georgie. His favorite thing is watching Madelyn grow up! In his free time he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, golfing, traveling, exploring the outdoors and woodworking.

Playlist Favorites

"George Strait. To me, there is nothing better than the song Amarillo by Morning."

Top of the Bucket List

Shooting par or better on an 18-hole, regulation golf course.

Alexia Inigues is the Permitting and Compliance Manager at the Kent, WA office. Her career started shortly after graduating from Eastern Washington University in 1994 where she studied Urban and Regional Planning. Through hands-on training she gained construction permitting and compliance management skills. She manages Barghausen’s ongoing nationwide fueling compliance program. Alexia’s favorite aspect of her role is delivering a unique, high level of service that is valuable to our clients.

Education

BA, Urban & Regional Planning - Eastern Washington University - Cheney, WA

As manager of the Survey Department, Dave Williams ensures our high quality standards and deadlines are met. He provides clear communication and organizational skills while handling the scheduling, assigning projects to project managers and providing guidance to field crews. He has extensive experience with boundary surveys, ALTA surveys and construction staking including field work and calculations. Dave joined Barghausen in 1998 and has played a vital role in the expansion of the survey department. His favorite part of his job is the comradery of working with the team to get the job done.

Education

Field Survey Technician - Renton Technical College

Life Outside the Office

Dave enjoys spending time with his wife of 23 years, Tiffany, and his two daughters, Grace and Abby, and their pug Charlotte. During the summer months he and his family like to go camping and enjoy the outdoors.

Playlist Favorites

Pearl Jam and the Dave Matthews Band

Nick Wecker is one of our talented senior planners who is responsible for managing client accounts, team management, planning, designing, and permitting commercial projects. He specializes in permit expediting, management of multi-site development programs, obtaining land use entitlements / discretionary approvals, and client representation at public hearings. Nick received his Bachelor’s in Urban & Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University. His technical training and knowledge of regulatory requirements are a huge asset to our team. 

“I love the mentorship and integration of young new employees and providing those employees the same opportunities that I was provided coming to Barghausen straight out of college. I also enjoy building teams within our multi-site programs and establishing a trusting relationship with clients to allow for a sustained, high-volume workload."

Education

B.S. Environmental Planning - Eastern Washington University - Cheney, WA

Life Outside the Office

“I moved to Boise, Idaho in May of 2021. I took a chance to go somewhere completely new and it's turned out to be the best decision and opportunity for building the next chapter of my life. I'm excited for the future!”

Hobbies

When he’s not working, you’ll likely find Nick on the tennis court!

Jason Hubbell is one of the firm’s Senior Project Engineers who holds licenses in Washington and Oregon. Jason knew he was going to pursue a career in engineering after taking the aptitude test in high school. He then went on to study engineering at the University of Washington, where he received his Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering. Jason joined the AEC industry in 1998, specializing in project feasibility and project management. He has extensive experience in road improvement, industrial, commercial and mixed-use projects. Jason enjoys the day-to-day challenge of his role and learning the ins and outs of project management. He oversees a team of talented engineers and has a proven track record of providing top notch service to our clients and team.

Life Outside the Office

Jason resides in Olalla, Washington where he lives with his wife Jennifer and their youngest son Kellen. His oldest son Nolan attends WSU where he is studying to become a civil engineer. In his free time he enjoys golfing, Seahawks games and attending his sons sporting events.

Playlist Favorites

Luke Combs

Top of the Bucket List

Attend the Masters golf tournament in person

Giselle Santamaria serves as Barghausen's IT Manager and Systems Engineer, overseeing internal IT projects. She pursued studies in telecommunications and electronics engineering at the Technological University of Havana "José Antonio Echeverría." With 8 years of experience in IT roles, a CCNA license, and working towards an MS in Information Technology, Giselle embraces each day as an opportunity to learn and tackle challenges creatively. Continuously seeking areas for growth and enhancement in her work, she appreciates her team and the supportive work environment provided by the company. Giselle takes pride in assisting all Barghausen employees.

Education

BS, Telecommunications and Electronics Engineering - University of Havana "José Antonio Echeverría”

Pursuing an MS in Information Technology

Life outside the office

Outside the office, Giselle enjoys spending time with her husband, and their white lab named Ace. They are excited for their baby boy who is on the way! She enjoys hiking, photography, and spending time on the beach with her family in Florida. 

Playlist Favorites

“Sia - because of her powerful voice and inspirational songs.”

A Quote from Giselle

“Migrating to a new country is always a challenge, and sometimes scary. You can prepare yourself physically, mentally, and intellectually as much as possible, but sometimes it is not in your hands. That's why I thank God every day for allowing me to work at Barghausen. Here, I have grown professionally and met many wonderful people who have supported me and made me feel included, and part of something bigger than myself. Thank you.”