GeoEngineers, Inc. is pleased to announce Blake E. Cotton, PE, LEED® AP has joined the company as a Principal Geotechnical Engineer in its Baton Rouge, Louisiana office. Prior to joining GeoEngineers, Cotton spent more than 21 years with Fugro Consultants, Inc., where he was a Principal and Vice President of Louisiana Operations.
Cotton’s extensive experience and relationships add depth to GeoEngineers’ already well-established geotechnical engineering team and will help grow the company’s reach across the South.
David P. Sauls, PE, Chairman of the Board, commented, “Blake’s experience and relationships boost our South Business Unit’s already excellent track record of delivering geotechnical engineering that positively impacts our client’s ultimate construction success. His knowledge of the client’s built environment and how geotechnical solutions provide positive consequences will contribute to our clients’ successful project completion.”
Cotton’s Qualifications
Cotton has extensive experience in planning, executing and supervising geotechnical and construction-materials engineering projects. Prior to managing Fugro’s Louisiana operations, Cotton was the Engineering Manager for the firm’s Houston, Texas office. In 2004, Cotton became a LEED© Accredited Professional with the US Green Building Council, and he is a licensed professional engineer in nine states.
Cotton also served as the Program Director for FFEB JV, a joint venture led by Fugro and created in 2007 to service the New Orleans District Corps of Engineers following Hurricane Katrina through a $100 million IDIQ contract and additional $50 million IDIQ contract. His project experience includes assignments throughout the United States, with emphasis in the Gulf Coast regions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on commercial, municipal, federal and industrial projects.
Cotton has extensive experience in evaluating and analyzing pavements, foundations for single and multi‐story buildings and structures, and the stability of slopes, dikes, wharves and docks, and mechanically stabilized earth walls. In addition, he has directed numerous geotechnical projects involving bank erosion stabilization and shoreline reclamation using bulkheads, geofabrics and geogrids, and gabions. Cotton also specializes in the use of cone penetration testing (standard and seismic) for geotechnical applications.
“I look forward to collaborating with the staff at GeoEngineers on projects in the South and across the United States,” said Cotton. “GeoEngineers has an outstanding reputation for technical excellence. In addition, my decision to join the company was heavily influenced by its emphasis on its people and core values, both of which are among the most impressive in my experience.”
GeoEngineers is a national earth science engineering and technology company ranked 220 in 2013 among top engineering design firms nationally by Engineering News-Record magazine. The company’s core values focus on safety, unparalleled service, absolute integrity, technical excellence, teamwork, caring and respect, internal ownership, profitability for stockholders and employees, and embracing opportunity.