GeoEngineers is opening a new office in Nashville, Tennessee to better serve clients in this rapidly growing region. Newly hired Principal Rick Heckel PE, D.GE , a seasoned local geotechnical engineer and former owner of Ardent Geotechnical Consultants, will lead the office.
Mr. Heckel’s technical experience has focused on land development—including large-scale projects like airports and hospitals. His work includes deep foundation design, retaining structures, subgrade stabilization, and karst assessments. Mr. Heckel’s marquee projects include the Music City Center in Nashville (a 1.2 million-square-foot convention center), a state-of-the-art research facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and $500 million automotive plant expansions in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Over his career, Mr. Heckel worked in senior positions for several Tennessee-based geotechnical firms before launching his own independent consulting practice. He joins GeoEngineers with an eye on supporting the remarkable growth in the Central Tennessee region.
“There is a big opportunity for GeoEngineers in the greater Nashville market and beyond,” Heckel says. “The firm brings top-tier technical skills and a deep bench of experts, and I am excited to be a part of building something great here.”
In addition to mentoring staff at GeoEngineers, Mr. Heckel supports his profession in a variety of ways. He serves as the chair of the Geotechnical Business Committee of the Geoprofessional Business Association (GBA) where he has been a primary editor and author for several national practice guides. He is also the current president of TNSAVE, a volunteer organization dedicated to training architects, engineers and other building professionals to evaluate structures after earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Principal Geotechnical Engineer Rick Heckel and all of GeoEngineers’ staff look forward to serving our clients in Nashville, Tennessee and across the country.
