Our People

A 25-year employee of S. W. Cole, Paul Kohler is a native of Pittsfield, Maine, where he attended Maine Central Institute and gained construction experience working for Cianbro Corporation. He attended the University of Maine and earned associate degrees in Plant and Soil Technology and Civil Engineering as well as a bachelor’s of science degree in Civil Engineering.

Paul joined the Bangor office of S.W. Cole Engineering in 1985 as a Geotechnical Engineer. Several years (and several promotions) later, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in 2009. His responsibilities include office and firm management, management of geotechnical engineering projects, coordination of subsurface investigations, technical analysis, and design of shallow and deep foundation systems and earth slopes. He also has experience with specialized investigations and foundation work in heavy industry, including piling, rock anchors, and underpinning.

A native of Orrington, Maine, Bruce has more than 30 years of experience in the geotechnical consulting field. He attended the University of Maine, where he graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in Civil Engineering. After graduating, Bruce worked as a geotechnical engineer in the Bangor office of Jordan Gorrill Associates. When Jordan Gorrill closed the Bangor office in 1979, Bruce moved to the company’s Portland office, then relocated to the Bangor area to join S.W. Cole Engineering in 1980.

Bruce served as Vice President of S. W. Cole from 1980 until his appointment to Senior Vice President in 1999, and served as President of the firm from 2002 until 2009. He now serves as the Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President. His responsibilities include corporate and project management duties, technical analysis, and design of shallow and deep foundations and earth slopes. Bruce has provided geotechnical engineering for a wide variety of projects and has substantial experience with compressible soil sites.

Bob Chaput is a native of Winthrop, Maine who has been an integral part of the growth of S.W. Cole. Bob attended the University of Maine, where he earned an associate’s degree in Civil Engineering, a bachelor’s in Construction Management Technology, and a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering. During college, he worked as an engineering technician for S. W. Cole in Bangor. In 1990, Bob rejoined S.W. Cole as an Engineering Technician and helped start our new office in Gray, Maine. The firm later promoted him to the position of Geotechnical Engineer, and in 1999, after S. W. Cole acquired the former operation of Morrison Geotechnical Engineering, Bob moved to our new Winslow, Maine office and oversaw its eventual move to Augusta, Maine. Bob's responsibilities at S. W. Cole include day-to-day activities of the corporation, office management and project management of geotechnical engineering projects, coordination of subsurface investigations, technical analysis, and design of shallow and deep foundations and earth slopes.

Dave was born in Bangor, Maine and grew up in Southern New England and upstate New York. He attended Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Environmental Technology. He joined S. W. Cole in 1986 as a Laboratory Technician and worked as an Engineering Technician after graduating from Cornell in 1987, becoming a Project Manager for the environmental services department shortly afterwards. Dave has more than 20 years of experience in the environmental consulting field including managing and providing Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, Maine VRAP and EPA Brownfields projects, hazardous waste closure studies, and remediation of contaminated sites.

Dave was the firm’s Marketing Director from 1995 until 2009 when he was appointed Vice President of Marketing & Human Resources. He also serves as the Secretary / Treasurer of S. W. Cole Engineering, Inc.

Roger was born in Bangor, Maine, but as an Air Force brat, his childhood included time in Frankfort, Germany; Greensborough, North Carolina; Okinawa, Japan; and Marquette, Michigan. As a teen, his family returned to Brewer, Maine, where he graduated from Brewer High School and was an Eagle Scout. He attended the University of Maine, earning an associate’s of science in Civil Engineering.

Roger joined the firm in 1992, bringing nine years of prior experience in construction materials testing to the firm. He is Co-Director of Construction Services providing support for our construction services managers, personnel, training and management of daily operations for our southern offices in Gray, Maine and Keene and Somersworth, New Hampshire. Roger has over 27 years experience with a variety of projects such as large mass concrete placement, concrete slab construction, landfill cover materials and road construction. His technical experience is complemented by quality control and management experience.

Gary was raised in Durham, Maine. He attended the University of Southern Maine, earning a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science, His interest in geology took the form of a hobby before a career. Gary has been a rock-hound, collecting rock specimens and gems in the hills and mountains of western Maine, for many years. He joined S. W. Cole Engineering, Inc. as an Engineering Technician in 1990. He was reassigned to the position of Environmental Scientist in 1993 and Senior Geologist in 2001. He is also a Maine Certified Geologist. His experience includes gravel pit permitting; Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments; underground storage tank site assessments; groundwater monitoring; and soil sampling.

Gary's environmental experience includes a CERCLIS manufactured gas plant site, waste processing facilities, industrial facilities, large tract timberlands and UST sites, with projects in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. He has worked on projects in the MDEP VRAP program and served as the Project Manager for Brownfields projects and third-party erosion control projects in Maine.

As Director of Science Services, Gary works with our team of scientists specializing in geology, hydrogeology, wetlands, vernal pools, soil science, site evaluation, wildlife, marine biology, botany and GIS services.

Chad grew up in Millinocket, Maine and attended the University of Maine. Chad attributes his interest in the construction and geotechnical fields to his early childhood activities of literally playing in the “dirt” and tagging along with his father when he worked as an equipment operator.

Chad joined S. W. Cole Engineering, Inc. in Bangor, Maine in 1999 as a Geotechnical Engineer. In 2001, Chad transferred to our Somersworth, New Hampshire office, which he now manages. His responsibilities with the firm include managing projects, providing contract development, coordinating subcontractors and subconsultants, coordinating subsurface investigations, and providing geotechnical design and specifications.

Chad has experience providing soils engineering services on a variety of projects including roadways, airports, wastewater treatment facilities and lagoons, gas pipelines, municipal buildings, towers, large retail facilities, schools and industrial structures in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He has significant experience providing geotechnical evaluation and global stability analyses for segmental mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls.

Jason has been with S. W. Cole for over 13 years. He received a bachelor’s in English from the University of Maine before entering the Maine Business School at the University of Maine. There he earned both a certificate of Post Graduate Studies in Business Administration. As CFO at S. W. Cole, Jason is responsible for the firm's treasury functions (cash management, corporate budgeting, banking, risk management, and financial analysis, forecasting and reporting), accounting, audit and project financial management. In addition, Jason is involved in many of the firm's administrative functions including corporate filings, contract administration, risk management, and asset management. Jason also serves on the firm's Investment Committee.

Russ was born in Waterville, Maine and was raised in Winslow. He attended Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vermont, where he earned a associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Russ worked for Morrison Geotechnical Engineering from 1983 until 1997, when Jacques Whitford Associates acquired the firm. He joined S. W. Cole in 1999 when Jacques Whitford closed the Winslow office. Russ has over 27 years of experience in construction materials testing and currently serves as the Co-Director of Construction Services providing support and training for our construction services managers and personnel as well as management of daily operations. His experience includes quality control; laboratory testing ranging from concrete mix designs to gradations; field testing (including structural steel observation, bolt and visual weld observation, soil compaction control and concrete testing); blast monitoring verification testing of rock anchors; pile load tests; concrete batch plant observations; well monitoring; drafting; and report writing.