Our Staff

Steven W. Ray

P.E., R.S., President | sray@ray-engineering.com

Steven is a graduate of Memphis State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and has over 30 years experience in the fields of civil, structural and construction engineering. Mr. Ray is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. His professional experience includes building design and evaluation, forensic engineering, Property Condition Assessments and preparation of Capital Reserve Analyses for community associations. His experience with Reserve Analyses dates back to the early 1990’s and he has earned the designation of Reserve Specialist (RS) as designated by the Community Association Institute (CAI). He has also authored several articles and has lectured on the subject of Capital Reserves. Mr. Ray serves as an expert witness in many state and federal court cases regarding construction defects. The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and The American Concrete Institute (ACI) are some of the professional organizations where Mr. Ray is an active member. His comprehensive experience enables him to provide consulting services for engineering and construction related projects throughout the United Sates.

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Robert "Nicko" Romeo

R.S., Engineering Manager | rnromeo@ray-engineering.com

Nicko graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Kennesaw State University (f/k/a Southern Polytechnic State University). Mr. Romeo completed his internship with Ray Engineering from 2015 through 2017. Upon graduating with his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering, he obtained employment as a Project Engineer at Ray Engineering and became Engineering Manager in 2020. Mr. Romeo provides consulting services for civil/structural and construction related problems for various condominium, apartment, single-family, residential, and commercial properties, as well as utilizes AutoCAD for design and specifications for restoration of deficiencies and new construction. Mr. Romeo has five years of experience in the conducting inspections, Property Condition Assessments and Capital Reserve Analyses and is a Reserve Specialist.

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Carter A. Nelson

E.I.T., R.S., Senior Engineer | cnelson@ray-engineering.com

Carter received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Florida in May 2017. He has multiple certifications from the International Code Council and American Concrete Institute. Mr. Nelson provides consulting services for civil/structural and construction related problems for various condominium, apartment, single-family, residential, and commercial properties, as well as utilizes AutoCAD for design and specifications for restoration of deficiencies. Mr. Nelson also performs Property Condition Assessments and Capital Reserve Analyses and is a Reserve Specialist.

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Rafael Perez

E.I.T., R.S., Senior Engineer | rperez@ray-engineering.com

Rafael graduated from Kennesaw State University (f/k/a Southern Polytechnic State University) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 2013. He has over 7 years of experience in the fields of civil, structural and construction engineering. Mr. Perez provides consulting services for civil/structural and construction related problems for various condominium, apartment, single-family, residential, and commercial properties, as well as utilizing AutoCAD for design and specifications for restoration of deficiencies. Mr. Perez also performs Property Condition Assessments and Capital Reserve Analyses and is a Capital Reserve Specialist.

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Jackson Beck

Engineering Technician | jbeck@ray-engineering.com

Jackson graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sustainable Biomaterials in 2015. Mr. Beck spent the first half of a decade of his career in Project Management for multiple residential builders in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. He is currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Kennesaw State University’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering. Mr. Beck provides support to our Project Engineers for civil/structural and construction related problems for various condominium, apartment, single-family, residential, and commercial properties. In addition, he conducts Property Condition Assessments, Capital Reserve Analyses, code compliance inspections as well as utilizes AutoCAD for design and specifications for restoration of deficiencies and new construction.

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Michael W. Morey

R.S. Project Engineer |michaelwmorey@hotmail.com

Mike provides engineering consulting services generally encompassing the acquisition, construction, maintenance and restoration of commercial, multi-family and residential properties.

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Darko Kolar

Project Architect | dkolar@ray-engineering.com

Darko is responsible for architectural design and drawings for building remodeling, alterations, and additions suitable for obtaining building permits.

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Janet Duckett

Steve Ray's Assistant / Office Manager | JDuckett@ray-engineering.com

Brittney E. Romeo

Accounts Receivable / Administrative Assistant | BERomeo@ray-engineering.com

Amanda Anderson

Administrative Assistant | AAnderson@Ray-Engineering.com

Ray Engineering, Inc. designed our Property Condition Assessment to determine the present physical condition of the project and its improvements. We help determine any future anticipated issues, which may result in a financial risk or liability.

The PCA process includes:

A visual walk-through to observe the existing conditions.
Review of the available construction documentation, public records and current budgets.
Deciphering the information gathered and presenting it with intelligence for repair or further detailed review if the issues cannot be determined through visual observation alone.

Property Condition Reports contain a property description (site, buildings, history and maintenance) and a review of the following building components:

Site Improvements (Access, Parking, Paving/Drainage, Walks/Curbs, Utilities, Lighting, Landscaping/Irrigation, Fences/Walls, Signage and Disabled Accessibility/ADA).
Building Improvements (Foundation, Structure, Floor Construction, Exterior Wall Construction, Roof and Canopy Construction, Windows, Doors, Balconies/Terraces, Stairs, Interior Floors & Walls and Appliances/Cabinets, Disabled Accessibility/ADA)
Building Mechanical, Plumbing & Electrical Systems (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Vertical Transportation, Fire Protection/Life Safety Systems)
Tenant Spaces (Interior Finishes, Kitchen Appliances, HVAC, Plumbing/Fixtures, Electrical, Fire Protection/Life Safety Systems)
Other Issues (e.g., Fixtures, Furnishings and Equipment (FF&E) for hotels, more detailed mechanical studies, more detailed ADA surveys, etc.) — these issues can be included in a property condition report, but must be discussed prior to being proposed.

Department of Community Affairs Projects are ones in which we perform various duties which may include Pre-Construction Analysis, Construction Monitoring, and/or Final Inspections.

Forensic Engineering is essentially the investigation of materials, products or structures that fail or do not operate or function as intended causing personal injury or property damage. The field also deals with retracing the process and procedures leading to accidents or structural failures.

Ray Engineering has performed forensic evaluations for over 30 years in the civil and structural engineering field. We also provide expert testimony in dispute resolution including settlement discussions, mediation arbitration and trial in court.

Typical services include:

Review of plans and specifications to ensure completeness and conformance with current codes and standards.
Cost analysis to ensure construction budgets are sufficient to construct the projects as defined by the contract documents.
Conduct periodic site inspections to monitor construction progress and ensure conformance with plans and specifications.
Monitor construction progress for compliance to plans and specifications and provide a letter of acceptance upon completion of work.
Prepare detailed written reports for all services noted above.

Preparation of design plans and specifications for structural restoration.
Monitoring of the restoration work.
Certification of restoration work.
Review and analyze structural concerns including settlement problems, exterior deck, handrail or walkway problems, roof leaks or problems that could impact the structural integrity of a building.
Evaluate drainage issues and suggest corrective measures.

Commercial/Residential/Office Buildings

The purpose of the Physical Needs Assessment is to identify and provide cost estimates for the following key items:

Immediate Physical Needs – repairs, replacements and significant maintenance items which should be done immediately.
Physical Needs Over the Term – repairs, replacements and significant maintenance items which will be needed over the term of the mortgage and two years beyond.

As part of the process, instances of deferred maintenance are also identified.

The assessment is based on the evaluator’s judgment of the actual condition of the improvements and the expected useful life of those improvements. It is understood that the conclusions presented are based upon the evaluator’s professional judgment and that the actual performance of individual components may vary from a reasonably expected standard and will be affected by circumstances which occur after the date of the evaluation.

A Transition Study or Developer Turn-Over Report is prepared when your community is being turned over to the Home Owner’s Association by the developer. These studies are often performed in conjunction with a Capital Reserve Analysis. The study consists of a thorough inspection of the common elements of the community. The study documents any design, construction, building codes or condition defects. This study, which is conducted by a professional engineer, provides an independent expert opinion on the recommended remediation of the defects along with the estimated costs to remediate the defects.

The goal of the Transition Study is to assist the community in avoiding costly defect litigation by having the defective items corrected by the developer or reach a fair settlement.

The Transition Study includes:

A review of each of the common elements of the community
The condition of each of the common elements and a list of all of the elements that exhibit effects and require remediation, modification or replacement
Cost estimates, including labor and material for the repair or replacement
A detailed narrative report, including photographic documentation, which describes the defect or code violation and recommendations for remediation

Our engineers have the Community Associations Institute designation of Reserve Specialists.

Many associations are putting together budgets for future repairs and replacements of all common elements and this helps assist with that process. The Capital Reserve Analysis includes a review of the property with input from Board Members, Property Manager and Maintenance Supervisor

The Capital Reserve Analysis includes:

Objective
Procedures and Limitations
Property Description and Condition
Estimate of Repairs
Budget
Photographs
Review with Board Members and Property Manager