Schmalz to head engineering design division at LiRo Group

According to The LiRo Group, a multi-disciplinary design and construction management firm, Richard Schmalz, P.E., has joined the company as vice president, and will head its engineering design division. "I am excited that Richard Schmalz will be leading our Engineering Design division," said Luis Tormenta, vice chairman and CEO of The LiRo Group. "The LiRo Group has enjoyed solid growth in recent years, and Rich's experience directing major, complex design and construction projects in New York City and Long Island will help us to continue and build on this positive momentum." Schmalz' primary responsibility will be to direct all of The LiRo Group's design engineering activities, including civil, structural, transportation, traffic engineering and landscape architecture projects. He will also be involved in identifying new design opportunities, both directly with various state, county and municipal agencies, and through partnership arrangements. Schmalz has extensive transportation engineering experience, and is expert at the planning, design and construction of highways, streets, bridges, multi-modal, and rail facilities. He served as Project Director for the Route 9A (West Street) Reconstruction Project in Lower Manhattan, responsible for planning and designing its reconstruction, and of nearby streets, that were damaged due to the World Trade Center clean-up efforts. He coordinated with numerous federal, state and city agencies on concepts for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, and of Lower Manhattan. He also served as Project Manager for the Atlantic Yards Rail Yard Replacement project, which allowed for the construction of the 18,000-seat Barclays Arena in Brooklyn; and managed the design of civil elements for the JFK AirTrain project in New York. Mr. Schmalz has won numerous accolades over the course of his 41-year career, including the 2006 Government Engineer of the Year Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (Metro New York Chapter), and the 2005 Commissioners Award of Excellence from the New York State Department of Transportation. He holds a B.E. degree in Civil Engineering from Cooper Union, and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from SUNY Stony Brook. Background on The LiRo Group The LiRo Group is a professional engineering, architecture, construction management, and environmental firm with expertise in transportation, infrastructure, institutional and commercial facilities. The firm serves a broad range of public and private sector clients, from villages and developers to major state and federal agencies. LiRo is headquartered in Long Island, and has offices in New York City, Western New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles.