Colorado Springs, Colorado – February 6, 2009 – Ruben D. Cruz, PhD, PE, of Merrick & Company (www.merrick.com), was the recipient of the 2008 Pikes Peak Post Goethals Medal awarded by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), the firm announced. The award, named in honor of U.S. Army Col. George W. Goethals, is given, annually, to an individual for eminent and notable contributions in engineering, design or construction in the past five years.
The medal was awarded to Dr. Cruz because of his work on a multi-year, extremely complex investigation into the causes of structural distress in a one million-square-foot, multi-story major military and academic building. As a result of his investigation, the facility will continue to be in use for the foreseeable future and the alternative concepts for repairs he developed will save the U.S. Air Force an estimated $30 million as compared to the previously considered repair options.
During the investigation, Dr. Cruz developed and implemented a research program consisting of very precise time-dependent building movement monitoring, time-dependent topographic surveys, invasive and non-destructive field and laboratory testing, and analytical modeling. By researching the actual and anticipated dynamic characteristics of the building and the present-time quality of construction materials, Dr. Cruz’ investigation revealed the relative safety of the building as well as its design and construction quality.
Merrick & Company has been involved in the planning and design of a considerable number of military projects including their current work on a $750 million U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training Complex to be located at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The firm is also contracted with the U.S. Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment for a five-year, international indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity 4PAE contract to provide professional services to the U.S. government for environmental, military construction, military family housing, and facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects worldwide. Additional information about Merrick’s military and government work is located at www.merrick.com/index.php/markets/military-government-facilities/
About Merrick & Company
Merrick & Company, a $75 million engineering, architecture, construction management, and geospatial solutions firm, serves domestic and international clients in the government, energy, life sciences, infrastructure, and geospatial/mapping markets. Merrick’s work is concentrated on highly technical projects in the fields of renewable energy, nuclear power, government facilities, research laboratories, water resources, public works, and high precision mapping. Headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, the employee-owned company maintains seven offices in the U.S. as well as offices in Canada and Mexico.