Strong Leadership

Jonathan Bell is an Associate Principal and Business Development Officer at Allana Buick & Bers. He manages all business development and outreach initiatives across our national accounts, as well as the Southern and Northern California markets. With over two decades of extensive experience in architecture, engineering, and technology, Mr. Bell has honed a comprehensive skill set. His coordination has led to the successful delivery of more than 500 projects, generating nearly $100 million in revenue, and establishing enduring multi-year client partnerships. His professional background spans various industries, allowing him to foster relationships with stakeholders ranging from owners and developers to architects, contractors, and engineering firms. Mr. Bell’s specialties lie in prospecting, executive introductions, lead generation, opportunity identification, contract negotiation, closing deals, course correction, and offering invaluable insights in management and strategic consulting.

Jason Blinkhorn is the Hawaii Division Manager and Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He brings over 20 years of experience in the fire and life safety industry, specializing in fire sprinklers, fire suppression, and fire alarm systems. His focus has spanned the western United States, throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Guam concentrating on all aspects of fire protection, including consulting services, design-build contracting, inspections, testing, and maintenance. Under his supervision, the discipline of work consisted of government, commercial, industrial, hospitality, and residential projects.

Mr. Blinkhorn’s responsibilities at ABB include management and oversight of the fire and life safety program which includes consulting, installation, system inspections, and project management of all disciplines of fire protection systems.

Edward Breeze brings over 35 years of experience in the areas of analysis of existing facilities including Exterior Wall Systems, Materials Analysis, Condition Assessment and Structural Engineering. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Breeze worked as a Project Engineer at Heitmann and Associates in St. Louis, Missouri. Subsequently, he held the position of Project Engineer at the Houston office of Law Engineering before joining Engineering Diagnostics (a division of Building Diagnostics, Inc.) in 1995. This division merged with Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. in 2022. Over the course of his career, Mr. Breeze has been involved in a multitude of projects focusing on the structural systems and exterior walls of buildings, including high-rise ventures in both the United States and Asia.

Mr. Daniel Buck brings over 20 years of experience in construction, building envelope consulting, and building science. Daniel started his career in construction working as a tradesperson on single family homes. He has worked for over ten years in the building envelope and building science fields as a Technician, Consultant, and Project Manager.

Mr. Buck joined ABB in 2019 as a Consultant specializing in Air Barrier Design and Testing. He was one of the first Certified Air Barrier Specialists (CABS) in the nation and a Level II Advanced Building Science Thermographer, with extensive experience in the detection of air leakage and moisture in building envelopes utilizing thermography. He also has extensive experience analyzing hygrothermal performance of building envelopes with WUFI analysis.

Darin Clifton is an architect with over two decades of experience in the architecture, construction, and technology sectors. Known for his leadership, problem-solving skills, and technical expertise, Mr. Clifton brings a wealth of knowledge to project teams. His experience spans building design, component specification, and constructability, with a special emphasis on unitized curtain wall systems. He excels in developing work scopes, creating schedules, estimating project costs, and maintaining quality control standards throughout construction phases. His multifaceted skills, commitment to excellence, and passion for technology significantly contribute to the success and efficiency of every project.

David Clifton is an exterior envelope system specialist with more than 40 years of experience in various aspects of the building enclosure and construction industries.  Mr. Clifton is an expert in building glass and glazing systems and has an extensive background in exterior wall systems design, project development, materials testing, compliance certification, and property condition assessments in all phases of building design and construction.

Mr. Clifton also excels in building systems coordination and the integration of critical building systems interfaces.  Mr. Clifton routinely collaborates with forensic investigation teams, including all phases of investigation activities and report preparation. Mr. Clifton has served on many construction defect teams with a heavy emphasis on matters relating to building envelopes.  He has been retained as a designated building / construction expert in both plaintiff and defense litigation.

Bill Conley has more than 37 years of experience in all phases of building enclosure design, renovation, and repair as a principal, consultant, and project manager. He has worked for multiple major roofing and waterproofing projects worldwide, including many Fortune 500 companies. He has performed condition assessments, forensic testing, and design on more than 90M square feet of roof systems. Along with this, he has successfully planned, designed, managed, and delivered more than 450 projects totaling over $350M in construction value in 31 states and 19 countries.

Bill previously founded and owned Conley Group before merging with Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. in 2019. He has developed and managed Roof Asset Management Programs involving more than 1600 facilities, 90M square feet of existing roof systems, with more than $1.1B in asset value since 1987. He has been an active member of the RCI since 1988, having served on the RWC Exam Development Committee. He has served as a member of the General Motors Corporate Roofing Program Advisory Committee and the Firestone and Johns Manville Consultant Advisory Councils. He is knowledgeable in the design and maintenance of roofing, exterior walls, and building waterproofing systems focused on resilience and long-term use of all types of structures and facilities.

Bill earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech University in Atlanta Georgia. He holds certifications from the Roof Consultants Institute, IIBEC and Construction Specifications Institute.

Mr. Dutrow is a Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). Mr. Dutrow has 38 years of experience uncovering and repairing the causes of glazing, sealant, waterproofing, and building envelope leaks. He applies this expertise to determine the sources of leak problems and recommend cost effective solutions to the client.

His background includes investigation and installation expertise in all types of waterproofing – podium, below grade, coatings, curtain wall systems, glazing, and building cladding systems. He specializes in glazing systems, high-rise repairs, rehabilitation of steel framed buildings, cast-in place concrete buildings, historic buildings, and masonry buildings. Additional specialties include curtain wall framing, stone cladding (Granite, Marble, and Terracotta), prefabricated assemblies (GFRC, pre-cast, and aluminum panel systems), and field fabricated assemblies (EIFS, Stucco, and Siding).

Mr. Engler is a Principal and the Building Envelope Manager at Allana Buick & Bers’ (ABB) Hawaii office. He manages and oversees all projects and staff management within the Building Envelope Division. Mr. Engler has over 39 years of experience in building envelope design, construction, and analysis. Additionally, he has expertise in the project administration process, including improving construction documents and specifications. Mr. Engler has provided project management and quality assurance services on all types of building envelope projects in Hawaii, California, and Washington state.

Mr. Engler develops drawings and specifications, provides in-house plan check, schedules and staff budgets. He has extensive experience in construction phase services such as, design oversight, value engineering, submittals, and project closeout.

Mr. Fagan is a Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He heads ABB’s Mexico office and has almost 25 years of experience in the architectural engineering and construction industry. Mr. Fagan specializes in the analysis and repair of existing facilities, with emphasis in exterior façade systems, roofing, structural engineering, building aesthetics, and window/glazing systems.

Mr. Fagan joined Building Diagnostics, Inc. (BDI) in 1999. ABB acquired BDI in 2022. He began as a Staff Engineer, and quickly advanced to Project Engineer, Senior Engineer, and finally to Principal Engineer. In 2019 Mr. Fagan launched BDI’s Mexico City office and is credited with taking BDI international on an operational level.

Mr. Hernandez is a Forensic Services Manager & Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He is responsible for forensic investigations and field monitoring of various building envelope components. Mr. Hernandez’s forensic investigation duties include the development of destructive testing protocols, scheduling, and maps. He is responsible for running leak and water testing investigations, performing site surveys, and gathering data. Mr. Hernandez’s project related experience also includes creating defect reports, roof surveys, quality assurance observations and construction administration services.

Mr. Hernandez has performed project management and construction related services on both new construction and renovation projects.

Mr. Higgins is a Mechanical Engineer, Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He has over 35 years of experience with the engineering, installation, and service of building mechanical systems.

Mr. Higgins is the lead mechanical engineer responsible for managing construction projects. He conducts project investigations, performs sampling and testing analysis, provides quality assurance monitoring, and prepares construction documents. Mr. Higgins has expertise in the replacement and upgrade of building HVAC systems, Plumbing and Piping Systems, Energy Management Systems, Solar Thermal and Solar PV systems, and Energy Audits.

Mr. Jeffers is a Principal and the Design Services Manager at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He is responsible for the development of design solutions and the manager of ABB’s design staff. Mr. Jeffers oversees contract document preparation, quality assurance programs, and other design-associated management duties. Mr. Jeffers is a leader in the development of standard operating procedures for design projects that incorporate the communication, documentation, quality assurance, and quality control required to meet the firm’s expectations for client service and design excellence.

Mr. Jeffers has over 40 years of experience in design services for the building industry. His waterproofing experience encompasses a wide variety of projects including below-grade, split slab, pedestrian, mechanical room, vehicular deck, and exterior wall. His building envelope experience includes design for renovations to exterior wall systems such as siding, stucco, cement plaster, pre-cast concrete, and masonry. Mr. Jeffers provides solutions to building weatherization issues and deterioration to building structures including stairs, landings, and balconies. Mr. Jeffers has earned the Registered Building Envelope Consultant (RBEC) certification, the most prestigious certification for the roofing, waterproofing, and building envelope consultant practice.

Mr. Johns is a Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB). He provides overall leadership for on-site field administration, supervision, and technical management for all construction operations including direct supervision of assistants, foremen, and other construction related personnel. Mr. Johns directs them in planning, coordination, and execution of work on time.

Mr. Johns also assists in pre-construction efforts by developing and maintaining site logistics and safety programs. He participates and leads post bid buyout, maintains project quality programs, and assists project reporting.

Mr. Johns interfaces with subcontractors and all levels of project personnel. He analyzes and processes shop drawings and submittals, reviews blueprints and specifications to ensure knowledge of the proposed project, negotiates change orders, and prepares all project schedules, requisitions, and documentation.

Mr. Kelleher works for Allana Buick & Bers (ABB) as the Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, Mr. Kelleher manages ABB’s accounting staff and oversees the A/R, A/P, collections and reporting functions to ensure accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and adherence to generally accepted accounting principles. Mr. Kelleher’s responsibilities are to develop an annual budget for profitability, review cash flows, prepare financial reports, manage CPAs, bank relationships, and other external financials.

Mr. Kelleher works hand-in-hand with ABB’s three principals to manage firm profitability, align staff with anticipated revenue, and finance firm growth.

Previously, he was an Executive Director of Finance at JP Morgan’s New York office. Mr. Kelleher has over 30 years of experience in a range of Fortune 500 companies including PriceWaterhouseCooper, Charles Schwab, Washington Mutual, and Visa. He has extensive experience in financial control systems, pricing strategy, and managing finance teams through all phases of a business cycle.

Khatidja Khalfan is a seasoned marketing professional who has an unwavering passion for design and architecture. In her role as Marketing Director at Allana Buick & Bers, she brings forth a distinctive blend of creativity, strategic acumen, and industry expertise that has consistently propelled the firm’s marketing initiatives to new heights.

With more than 15 years of dedicated experience in the marketing realm, Khatidja has masterfully crafted and executed comprehensive marketing strategies strategically tailored to the architectural and design industries. Her profound understanding of the industry’s intricacies serves as a driving force behind the firm’s continuous growth and heightened visibility.

Khatidja’s responsibilities encompass a wide spectrum, including the oversight of the marketing and business development teams as well as the direction of the firm’s creative vision. She plays a pivotal role in the implementation of systems such as CRM and contract tracking software, ensuring seamless operations across diverse verticals encompassing developers, residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, GCs, and government sectors.

Her scope extends to all facets of marketing, from the generation of proposals and RFP responses to client presentations and collateral development. Ms. Khalfan also leads the charge in public relations, event marketing, and direct-mail campaigns. In the digital sphere, she leads website development and email marketing while spearheading new market expansion strategies.

Khatidja plays an essential role in the strategic decision-making process. She collaborates closely with the CEO, COO, and CFO to formulate annual marketing plans and to orchestrate advertising efforts, skillfully negotiating with media representatives. She collaborates with management and marketing teams to analyze and evaluate sales efforts, conduct strategic reviews, and propose forthcoming promotional plans.

Khatidja actively engages with the architectural and design community, participating in industry events and fostering valuable relationships. She also plays a pivotal role in leadership, setting divisional goals, leading staffing, and nurturing team members’ growth.

Khatidja Khalfan’s dedication to the architectural and design industry is exemplified not only through her professional achievements but also through her active involvement in shaping and enriching the community she serves.

Mr. Mitchell is a Pacific Northwest Division Manager at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB) with 11 years of experience in the construction industry. He specializes in managing and overseeing the design and construction of remedial projects and construction defect-related services. His expertise includes conducting forensic evaluations of building envelope conditions, supporting litigation through detailed data gathering, and providing consultation on new construction projects.

His key responsibilities include conducting investigations and testing, making decisions on repair and construction methods, assembling scopes of repair, reviewing bid and construction documents, and writing technical reports and specifications.

Mr. Mitchell excels in code compliance analysis, ensuring projects meet all relevant building codes and standards. He oversees construction processes and administrative tasks, while effectively managing client relationships. His expertise includes building envelope science and functions, installation of low and steep slope roofing, advanced flashings and air barriers, rain screen assemblies and compressed fluid-applied membrane systems, door and window installations, material compatibilities and various cladding assemblies.

He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Architecture from the University of Idaho.

Mr. John Moellenhoff has over 35 years of experience in the construction field and specializes in new construction consulting with emphasis in design/document review and field review.

Mr. Moellenhoff’s experience includes high, mid, and low-rise buildings, data centers, civic, education, health care and senior living, featuring a variety of horizontal waterproofing membranes, roofing, claddings, and fenestrations.

Mr. Moellenhoff has a well-rounded knowledge of practical construction means and methods, scheduling, requisite trade sequencing, contractor/sub trade dynamics, estimating, and budgets. His career encompasses quality assurance, quality control, tenant improvement, remediation, condition assessments, water penetration resistance testing and whole building air barrier testing.

Mr. Nassibian is a Principal for ABB. He is involved with the peer review of architectural drawings and specifications, building enclosure quality assurance inspections, and testing on construction projects all over the nation. Mr. Nassibian’s responsibilities include the analysis of sales processes and operations to improve efficiency, the review of condition assessment reports and testing procedures, providing recommendations for waterproofing solutions, and to give direction on technical issues that arise during construction.

Mr. Nicastro founded Engineering Diagnostics, Inc. in 1994, which grew to be an Inc. 500 firm by 2000. He also founded Building Diagnostics, Inc. (BDI), which was the parent company until merging in 2022 with Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. Before starting these firms, Mr. Nicastro was a Principal Design Engineer for Law Engineering and national leader of its forensic services group.

Mr. Nicastro is an expert in causation theory, with an emphasis on failure mechanisms of building materials and systems. He analyzes existing buildings and designs remedies.

Mr. Nicastro is also an expert in durability, and created The Durability Lab, a testing center in Austin, Texas. With local professors, students, and colleagues from BDI, he studies the durability of building components, identifying factors causing premature failure.

Kenneth Paar is a Senior Principal at Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. (ABB) with 44 years of industry experience. His experience is founded in the assessment, design, installation, and testing of building enclosure systems, with considerable expertise related to the design and maintenance of watertight integrity.

As a Registered Architect, he provides a one-stop program/project management capability for multi-disciplined projects involving exteriors, interiors, structural, MEP, and environmental issues. He has developed special expertise in preparing restoration master plans and historic preservation design—successfully coordinating with regulatory agencies.

Kenneth earned a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas. He holds certifications for LEED AP (BD+C), Building Enclosure Commissioning Process Provider (BECxP) and Accredited Commissioning Authority + Building Enclosure (CxA+BE).

Mr. Rapacz is an Associate Principal for ABB. He has successfully provided leadership for the development of projects including management, design, documentation, coordination, and construction administration. His expertise in design management and value engineering allows him to realize excellent design while achieving the best value for our clients. Previously, Mr. Rapacz served as a senior project manager for Conley Group before merging with ABB in 2019. Mr. Rapacz’s responsibilities include design, engineering, construction, procurement, roof and wall database development and management, new build, and renovations. His abilities to marshal resources and streamline processes to consistently complete projects on time and within budget are critical to a project’s success.

Mr. Cesar Rios is a licensed Architect in Mexico with 18+ years in Mexican retail and excels in construction administration, peer review, and collaboration. Formerly the founder of Engineering Diagnostics, Inc.’s Mexico branch, which merged with ABB in 2022, he oversees remedial and new construction projects, showcasing expertise in budgeting, organization, and scheduling for commercial and industrial endeavors.

Mr. Rios’s detailed approach extends to reviewing project documents, reports, and elements like schedule, cost, pay apps, risk, and change orders. Specializing in aesthetic and weatherproofing performance, especially in roofing, window, and wall systems, Cesar is a leader in advancing capabilities.

Mr. Sledge is a Mechanical Engineer and Associate Principal for the engineering department at Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. He has 19 years of experience, 10 of which are in hospitality, working directly with clients developing project scopes and designs, including project management; cost benefit analysis; asset conditions assessments; and due diligence studies.

Mr. Sledge has a broad area of engineering expertise, including analysis and design of new construction and existing building HVAC; central heating, cooling, process steam, and domestic water energy plants; HVAC life safety systems; indoor environment and air quality; building energy and system life cycle analysis; building automation and sequence of operations development; equipment specifications; commissioning; and HVAC, natural gas, and domestic water system design and compliance peer review.

Doris Vales graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Master’s Degree in Construction Engineering and Project Management, and joined Building Diagnostics, Inc. (BDI) in June 2000, which was merging with Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. in 2022. After working as Project Engineer and Project Manager, Ms. Vales was promoted to Principal in 2013.

Ms. Vales specializes in the analysis and repair of existing facilities. In the course of her work, Ms. Vales has completed condition assessments and remedial design services for various types of exterior cladding systems, including precast concrete, masonry, and stucco. She also participates in research conducted at the Durability Lab, a testing center established by BDI at The University of Texas at Austin to study the durability of building components and identify factors causing premature failure.

Mr. Vowell is an Associate Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB) for the Construction Management team. He brings over 25 years of experience and his area of expertise includes HVAC emergency replacement, HVAC energy efficiency, and HVAC solutions.

Mr. Vowell’s responsibilities include construction and management oversight of multiple trades of contractors, review of submittals and RFI’s (request for information), preparation of owner payment applications, review and approval of sub-contractor invoicing, and coordination of construction design with design professionals and relevant sub-contractors.

Danny Westerfield is a Principal at Allana, Buick, & Bers (ABB) with over 30 years of experience in the architectural and construction fields. He has extensive knowledge in roofing material, technical support, and the roofing and waterproofing consulting industry.

Mr. Westerfield’s duties include roof and building surveys, construction document design and review, pre-bid and pre-construction meetings, leak investigation and water testing, and project management. He is also experienced in providing in-progress job monitoring, quality control, project close-out, final inspections, field personnel oversight and training.

Mr. Williams is a Division Manager and Principal at Allana Buick & Bers (ABB), responsible for the operations and oversight of all the North Carolina Division’s projects. He oversees project planning, production, team and client management. ABB’s projects focus on property condition assessments, due diligence investigations, peer review, construction administration, mechanical capital planning and replacement programs, assessments of building mechanical system operations, and energy projects.

Mr. Williams has over 27 years of experience in construction, facility engineering management, and building operations. Mr. Williams has a proven record in successful project management in multi-million dollar capital expansions and national capital equipment replacement programs. He has focused on building mechanical engineering consulting for the past twelve years and has overseen the execution of over 2,000 projects.

Barbara Wong serves as a vital link between ABB management and the lifecycle of Human Resources. This includes the recruitment process (aligning strategies with departmental and divisional requirements); candidate identification; interview coordination; and offer coordination. Ms. Wong oversees the design and execution of onboarding programs for new team members and conducts orientation meetings to ensure an effective introduction to ABB.
Ms. Wong offers valuable insights and recommendations to performance management, employee development, and employee benefits. She oversees the annual review process and guides management in implementing performance management initiatives. She plays a pivotal role in employee relations, providing counseling and addressing concerns, offering insightful evaluations, and furnishing experienced guidance.
Ensuring compliance and accuracy, Ms. Wong conducts internal audits, meticulously reviewing records, files, and reports. She actively supports the Senior Principals and Principals with ongoing projects and programs, contributing to the overall success of our organization.