ORGANIZATIONS – August 2015

The Construction Materials group of RJ Lee Group in Monroeville, Pa., has been accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for demonstrated testing proficiency. Accredited laboratories must have a quality management system that meets AASHTO criteria and guidelines for “establishing and implementing a quality management system for use by a construction materials laboratory.”

RJ Lee Group successfully completed AASHTO’s Laboratory Assessment, which included a full and thorough check of all equipment required to perform the tests, full demonstration of the specified scope standard methods, and an in-depth check of the laboratory’s quality system including record review. According to Construction Materials Lab Manager April Snyder, “Our scope for this round of accreditation was standard methods for aggregate testing. We plan to add ASTM methods for concrete in the near future.”

The AASHTO Accreditation Program was established in 1988 as a means of formally recognizing the competence of testing laboratories to perform specific tests on construction materials and is the largest accrediting body of construction materials testing laboratories. Accredited laboratories must demonstrate their testing services conform to specific national and international standards. Based outside Pittsburgh, RJ Lee Group is an industrial forensics laboratory and scientific consulting firm providing innovative solutions to challenges in materials characterization, forensic engineering and information management.


To expand its role as a full service consulting firm, West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Wantman Group is combining forces with industry partner Bridge Design Associates, Inc. The deal closed last month and, notes WGI President David Wantman, P.E., will see BDA founder Brian Rheault, P.E., and all the firm’s key professionals continue in their current roles—ensuring a smooth transition.

BDA is regarded throughout Florida for engineering expertise with buildings, bridges, ocean piers, marinas, docks, seawalls, pump stations, and hurricane hardening of existing facilities. It was established in 1988 to provide structural engineering services to government agencies, architects, engineers, developers, and private owners.

“Our two businesses are complementary, and our corporate cultures very compatible,” affirms Wantman. “Both firms hold commitment to clients in the highest regard, and to dedicating all the necessary resources to complete a job on time, on budget, and in the safest environment possible. By combining our strengths, we create new benefits for our clients through our ability to provide more comprehensive services under one roof, and to deliver a fully integrated range of expertise throughout the entire project life cycle.”


ASTM International Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings has honored Jeffrey Erdly, CEO of Masonry Preservation Services, Bloomsburg, Pa., with the E. George Stern Award of Excellence. Erdly works on several E06 subcommittees; contributes to E06 symposia on building facades and resulting technical publications; and, received an E06 Award of Appreciation in 2007.

An expert on masonry preservation technology, Erdly studied engineering drafting at Pennsylvania College of Technology, co-founding Masonry Preservation Services in 1985.