Adam C. Rouse, CCA/CCP 

Adam Rouse is a Senior Director at Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC. Mr. Rouse has extensive experience providing construction advisory services and strategic planning to Owner / Operators. He also has experience providing technology advisory and project controls support, with the goal of recovering money as well as developing more proactive processes and procedures to promote transparency.

Mr. Rouse has established and evaluated project controls and audit services for projects ranging from $5 million to over $10 billion in a variety of industries worldwide. He continually works to develop a jobsite of the future leveraging leading edge technologies to create a digital jobsite, designed to capture data, analyze, and predict a variety of outcomes used in what-if planning.

Mr. Rouse is a board member for the National Associate of Construction Auditors and frequently speaks on construction risks and auditing worldwide.  Mr. Rouse also has experience leading a construction audit practice focused on projects across many industry sectors. Solution offerings of this practice included evaluating change orders, invoices, as well as providing management consulting services to clients. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Construction Auditor (CCA) and Construction Control Professional (CCP).

Edward P Travers II, – CCA/CCP, CFS, CICA

Edward is the Manager of the Internal Audit Department at BXP (formerly Boston Properties) headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. BXP is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) and is one of the largest owners, managers, and developers of first-class office properties in the United States, with significant presence in six markets located in Boston; New York; Washington, DC; Seattle; San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In addition to Ed managing the corporate Internal Audit functional activity for BXP, Ed is also a Certified Construction Auditor (CCA), Certified Construction Professional (CCP), Certified Fraud Specialist (CFS) and a Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA). Upon receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Roger Williams University and post graduate Master of Business Administration studies with Providence College, he transitioned his career to internal audit early in his career.  With over 30 years of audit experience, Edward industry knowledge expands greatly in construction, internal controls, fraud, mitigation, contract resolution and reaching both domestic and international experience as he headed up the due diligent audit activity for European acquisitions while resided in Paris, France for a global multi-industry Fortune 50 company.

Edward has invested his career and audit-craft for the past 20 years with BXP.   At BXP Ed manages the corporate internal audit function, which in part has included performing the annual risk assessment, development of the annual audit plan, department operations, companywide audits, major development construction projects, investigations, mitigating issues and BOD presentations.  He has left his name, by means of involvement with and contributing to, major development projects such as Salesforce Tower (San Francisco); 250 W 55th (New York); Hub on Causeway (Boston Garden); Brooklyn Navy Yard; Times Square Tower; and MacArthur Transit (Oakland) to name a few.  Overall Edward’s audit responsibility spans across BXP’s 200+ high rise, class A skyscraper properties nationwide.

Generally speaking, Edward’s focus has been in real estate development, high-rise/vertical construction projects, property management, retail properties, residential properties, health lavatory properties,  corporate policies/procedures compliance and SOX regulatory requirements.

When Edward is not traveling 75% of the year, he enjoys residing in the “Ocean State” of Rhode Island with his husband John, family, including fury family members.  Together they enjoy spending personal time by the ocean with family and friends, contributing to charitable organizations, collecting art, outdoor health/recreation, skiing/marathoning and when possible global travel, particularly Italy.

John L. Wisz  CCA

John is the founder and principal of WiszCo, LLC., a firm that specializes in providing financial consulting services to the construction industry. On January 1, 2008, WiszCo was “spun off” from R. L. Townsend & Associates, Inc. where John served as a Senior Consultant/Senior Project Manager for over 21 years.

Since 1986, Mr. Wisz has managed, directed and performed a wide variety contract compliance audits relating to design and construction contracts. Such projects have encompassed virtually all types of commercial construction including high rise office buildings, interior renovations, corporate headquarter buildings, university buildings, hospitals, office complexes, hotels, convention centers, manufacturing facilities, airport facilities and land development projects. This includes audits of contractors, construction managers, consultants, architects and engineers.

Through his wide range of experience, John has gained a thorough understanding of the entire construction and contracting processes and his expertise has been instrumental in identifying and developing overcharges, overcharge exposures and other weaknesses throughout the entire process. He has provided practical recommendations to clients on all aspects of the construction and contracting process. Mr. Wisz has also been actively involved in developing processes and controls designed to prevent overcharges and minimize overcharge exposures. Such recommendations include contract language enhancements, contracting strategies and methodologies, change order management, cost control and contract administration.

Mr. Wisz also possesses an excellent working knowledge of federal contracting laws, regulations and guidelines including those prescribed by the Department of Defense (DoD). Such knowledge includes a thorough understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), U.S. Statutes, Public Laws and other federal policies, procedures and guidelines. Consequently, John understands the differences, similarities and subtleties of contracting in both the public and private sectors.

John also has extensive experience in public speaking and professional development relating to construction. He has served as a seminar instructor and conference presenter for construction audit related topics that have been taught nationwide through The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc. Mr. Wisz has also presented these seminars on an in-house basis for various organizations. Additionally, John has presented construction related topics at national conferences for the National Retail Merchants Associates, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc.

Prior to forming his own consulting firm and the 21+ years he spent with R. L. Townsend & Associates, Inc., Mr. Wisz spent four and one-half years with a large oil and gas firm, Atlantic Richfield Company. During that time, he gained valuable experience in contract compliance while working as a project cost control staff accountant on a major construction project. He also spent two and one-half years working as a land administrative analyst gaining additional experience in contracts, leases and various other legal documents.

Mr. Wisz is a 1981 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in accounting. Though John does not practice public accounting, he has passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination.

Paul Pettit CCA/CCP, PMP, CIA, CRMA, CPEA

Paul is a management consultant with over 30 years of progressive roles within industry and professional services where he has managed and delivered successful audit and consulting projects to clients across a multitude of industries. At Revenew, Paul leads the Performance Improvement practice and oversees business development and account management for clients seeking cost recovery, cost containment and performance improvements both with their vendors, suppliers and contactors as well as within their operations.

Since 1999, Paul has been involved in providing consulting and internal audit services within technical areas of organizations including engineering, procurement and construction. Prior to providing those professional services, he worked for over nine years in the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) industry with KBR. Paul holds Master degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Management as well as a Bachelor degree in Civil/Mechanical Engineering Technology from the University of Houston. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), Construction Controls Professional (CCP), Construction Auditor (CCA), Internal Auditor (CIA), Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) and Professional EH&S Auditor (CPEA). Paul is an accomplished speaker and has been designated the highest professional speaking designation by Toastmasters International in 2006, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).

Vinson A. Chapman CCA

Vinson Chapman is VP and Managing Principal of the Audit and Contract Services division of HPM, LLC. Vince began his career in the construction and real estate industry in 1981.  From 1981 to 1987 Vince was Treasurer and Controller of one of Dallas’ largest electrical contractors.  Vince was responsible for all accounting functions, negotiating GMP contracts with Owners and contractors, and for preparing claim documentation to be used in requests for additional reimbursement from contractors.

Beginning in 1988, Vince was hired as Director of Construction Services for the Trammell Crow Co.  At Crow, Vince was responsible for managing the construction audits of the $ 1 billion per year TCC managed construction projects.  These projects included both Trammell Crow development as well as many third party contracts.

Vinson jointly formed CCM Consulting Group in 1992 with the sole purpose to provide construction audits to Owners and Developers.  From 1992 till 2015 CCM has grew to provide 100 construction audits a year for such industry leaders as Google, FedEx, General Motors, Exxon, Caesars Entertainment, Universal Healthcare, Southwest Airlines, and the Texas Rangers, to name just a few.  Vince joined HPM, LLC in 2015.  HPM currently provides these services to virtually all private industry segments such as Healthcare, Hospitality, Gaming, Airlines, Pharmaceuticals, Higher Education, Oil and Gas, and High-rise Residential and Office/ Retail Development.  Vince has personally managed construction audits from Canada to Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and in virtually every major city in the continental USA.

Vince has an MBA from SMU, a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas, was a founding member of the North Texas chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association, a Certified Construction Auditor and a member of the  National Association of Construction Auditors.

Kenneth J. Brzozowski CCA/CCP 

Kenneth is a Certified Construction Auditor (CCA) and Construction Control Professional (CCP) with over 30 years of experience in design, construction and quality auditing, contract compliance reviews, project risk analysis, construction management, and real estate acquisition, feasibility analysis, and site engineering and development.

Mr. Brzozowski has managed domestic and international construction audits, risk assessments, procedure reviews, and project readiness reviews for projects in education, healthcare, transportation, highway infrastructure, and commercial development industries that have resulted in process improvements, mitigated project risks, and realistic cost recovery opportunities. Mr. Brzozowski also provides oversight of Talson’s workforce diversity monitoring and M/W/DSBE contract participation reporting engagement activities.

Previously he was Vice President of Land Entitlements and Development for a national home builder. He is a member of the National Association of Construction Auditors and serves on the Institute of Internal Auditors Philadelphia Chapter Board of Governors. He also volunteers time to the Philadelphia Habitat for Humanity Planning and Construction Committee and has accredited training from the National Transit Institute for the areas of Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Risk Assessments of Transit Capital Projects. Mr. Brzozowski holds a B.A. in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland. He has presented construction audit related topics and facilitated round table discussions for industry associations such as ALGA, AHIA, AAIA, ACUA, IIA and NACA.

Patrick Reiser CCP 

A graduate of James Madison University with a degree in Integrated Science and Technology, Patrick leans on a wide-ranging background that includes designer, estimator, and construction manager having worked with a building products manufacturer, general contractor, and developer before joining Axias in 2020.

In his current role, he supports owners, developers, and contractors by implementing proactive cost control measures via review of change orders, labor rates, and payment applications which allows for concerns to be addressed in real-time. Given the nature of this work, it allows the approach to be applied across many sectors with current projects ranging from $90M to $300M across sectors such as multi-family, institutional, hospitality, life science, commercial, and retail.

Patrick is certified by the National Association of Construction Auditors as a construction control professional, hence the “CCP” after his name. In addition to being a member of the National Association of Construction Auditors, Patrick is also involved with the Construction Audit and Cost Control Institute and often presents at their Annual Best Practices Workshops.

Richard L. Townsend, CCA 

Rich Townsend is the President of R. L. Townsend & Associates, Inc., which has been in continuous operation since July 1984.  Mr. Townsend’s experience includes conducting contract compliance audits and construction cost control consulting services in connection with construction and design contracts for multi-million dollar manufacturing, university, and school district facilities; regional shopping centers; apartment complexes; office buildings; hotels; convention centers; airports; banks; hospitals; warehouse distribution facilities; retail stores; office interior finish work; theme parks; and land development projects.

Rich is affiliated with Courtenay Thompson & Associates for the purpose of providing professional development training seminars on construction auditing and construction cost control.  Since 1978, he has been active as an instructor for several of the professional development programs sponsored nationwide by The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc. (IIA). He also conducts many in-house training seminars related to controlling and auditing construction costs.  Rich is the co-developer and instructor of the construction audit related seminar entitled “Effective Auditing of Construction Activity,” which he taught for the IIA from 1985 through 2008.  He is also the co-developer and instructor for the course entitled “Controlling Construction Costs,” which is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin’s School Of Business Management Institute.

Prior to establishing his consulting firm, Rich served 13 years in several staff and audit management positions for J C Penney, specializing in real estate and construction audit activities. Mr. Townsend is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Public Accountant.  He is a 1971 graduate of Waynesburg (PA) College where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in accounting.

He is a recognized leader in the profession of internal auditing and a member in the Dallas Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors.  In 1984, the Dallas Chapter of the IIA presented him with their “Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Internal Auditing” award.  In 1983, he received a best subject matter award for a technical session entitled “Performance of Construction Audits’ which he presented to the North American Conference for the IIA.  In 1978, Rich was named “Outstanding Member of the Year” by the Dallas Chapter of the IIA.

John Sier, JD, CCP 

John Sier concentrates his practice in dispute avoidance and resolution of commercial, healthcare and construction contract issues as head of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook’s construction and commercial litigation group.  In the construction industry, he has experience in analyzing legal  aspects of various project delivery methods including drafting construction contracts as well as assisting in dispute resolution and project completion.

John has published articles and presented seminars on construction, healthcare and commercial issues across the country.  Following his graduation from Drake University Law School and Graduate School in 1986, he established his practice in Detroit, Michigan, from where he continues to serve clients in various parts of North America.

In addition to being a Certified Mediator and serving on the AAA Panel of Construction Neutrals, he is active with several organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, Iowa Bar Association, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, Catholic Lawyers Society, Associated general Contractors, Construction Association of Michigan, Construction Specifications Institute, Building Owners and Managers Association of Metropolitan Detroit, Construction Owners Association of America, and the Engineering Society of Detroit.

Brian Perlberg, Esq. CM-Lean

Executive Director and Senior Counsel for ConsensusDocs; Senior Counsel to AGC of America Brian Perlberg serves as the Executive Director & Senior Counsel for the ConsensusDocs Coalition, which includes over 40 leading construction organizations. He also serves as Associated General Contractors’ (AGC’s) Senior Counsel for construction law and contracts. He was recently recognized as a top legal voice by ENR magazine and recognized by Whose Who Legal for Construction. Brian is the only construction attorney in the United States certified as a CM-Lean for lean construction.

Mr. Perlberg serves on the ABA Forum on the Construction Law, Steering Committee for the Contract Documents; Executive Committee for the Arbitration Association of America (AAA) and is on the Board for Construction SuperConference. Previously, he served as General Counsel at the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Jake Ortego, CCA/CCP 

Mr. Ortego is  Principle at HPM Audit and Contract Services based in Dallas, TX.  Jake has over 28 years of experience with nearly every aspect of capital improvement processes from inception through design, construction, and closeout for projects that range into the billions of dollars.  He leads the practice in providing consulting to Owner organizations engaged in the planning and execution of capital programs with a focus on risk identification, avoidance, and mitigation.  Over his career, he has provided project controls, scheduling, project management and engineering management for nearly every sector of Owner, including institutional, public sector, industrial, and commercial.  Beyond his auditing and consulting work, Mr. Ortego has been requested to provide expert opinions for construction litigation as well as neutral third party opinions as part of settlement between parties.

Prior to HPM, some of Jake’s career highlights included founding JA Cost Engineers and Advisors, being a primary team member of Deloitte’s North Central Construction Advisory Group, and leading EPCM efforts as well as running an engineering office in Manilla for Eichleay Engineers.

Jake has been heavily involved with NACA including being a Certified Construction Auditor and Cost Professional, serving on the National Advisory Board, and being the MC to many of the conferences.  He is also a Licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Cost Engineer. He is a graduate of Boston University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Mechanical Engineering. He has been published by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) as many other industry publications.

Robert Hardy CCA/CCP 

With expertise in construction management and corporate construction projects, Bob helps clients with construction audits. He performs onsite assessments and assurance reviews regarding physical construction, compliance with organizational policies and procedures and the effectiveness of controls. By conducting root cause analysis, Bob develops proactive recommendations for clients.

Bob attains increased savings for clients through his strong knowledge of construction delivery methods, procurement, contracting, management processes, contract types, incentive strategies, labor rates and vehicle allowances, as well as cost buildup techniques and equipment pricing.

He negotiates developer agreements, lease language, construction contracts and service agreements and is well-versed in guaranteed maximum price (GMP), lump sum, design-build and cost-plus contracts.

Prior to joining Armanino, Bob was a member of Brown Smith Wallace’s Advisory practice. He previously serves as the senior director of construction at Centene. Over the course of his career, Bob successfully managed more than 70 capital projects, overseeing delivery methods, contracts, developer agreement negotiations, change order due-diligence, lease language oversight, labor rate reviews and equipment pricing. Bob earned his B.S. in construction management with a minor in business administration from Bradley University.

Laura Fox CCA/CCP

Laura works at the firm’s St. Charles office serving Risk Assurance & Advisory Services clients and has more than 12 years of experience in public sector auditing, construction auditing, implementation of construction management software, and project cost control. She has five years of experience in assisting with government-funded ADA compliance projects nationwide and has also worked with hospitals, pharmaceuticals and universities. Laura has assisted with projects of various sizes, from $50 million to multibillion dollar projects.

Marvin Johnson CCA/CCP 

Marvin has amassed 37 years of construction management experience. His Sr. Project Management, Operations and Construction Audit expertise has contributed to the placement of over $5 Billion of construction throughout the US. Marvin currently serves as Managing Director for the Construction Cost Review practice at CBIZ Risk Advisory Services (NYSE: CBZ) and Senior Member of Construction Management Partners, LLC (CMP). CMP is a professional consulting practice specializing in the areas of Project Management (Incl. Owner’s Representative), and Diversity Program Management services.

Marvin offers his award-winning services in several key specialty markets including Healthcare, Higher Education, Corporate Facilities and Major League Sports. Other Owner support services include project controls, risk management strategies when considering a project delivery model, and preconstruction-speed-to-market activities. Marvin’s core competencies include:

· Recognized project management performer and advisor to the construction industry.

· Skilled industry speaker, presenter and closer

· Demonstrated market intelligence and relationship development.

· Strategies for building a successful project team to achieve optimum project results.

· Team leader – Responsible for effective allocation and use of staff resources for client results-driven programs.

· Highly technical skilled writer, and communicator – Proposals, project scope development and organizational

documents.

· Proficient and demonstrated project management skills that include all phases of design management, preconstruction, construction phase services and post construction. Management of schedule development processes, logic review, project delivery strategy, cost review and validation, scope crepe management, contract management, claims/dispute, management controls, Pre-GMP, final GMP and implementation management.

Marvin’s education includes – California Coast University, (Studied: Business Management), Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth (Studied: Business Management), Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University (Studied: Business Management), John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University (Studied: Supply Chain Management) and Meramec Community College, St. Louis, Missouri (Major: Architecture)

Professional Organizations, Recognitions and Affiliations NACA National Association of Construction Auditors, $Billion Dollar Impact Program – Inaugural Year 2012, MOSHE – Missouri Society for Healthcare Engineering, ASHE – America Society for Healthcare Engineering, Missouri Hospital Association,National Society of Black Engineers, St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers

Signature projects include: IU Health Campus Project., Grady Hospital West Tower Rebuild, BJC HealthCare Campus Renewal Project – Phase 1, 2, 3 & 4, St. Louis (Rams) Riverfront Stadium Complex – St. Louis, MO, Miami Dolphins Renovations and Retrofit – Miami, FL, St. Louis Cardinal New Ballpark – St. Louis, MO, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Missouri Botanical Gardens – New Jack C. Taylor Visitors Center

Melissa Goddard Shelfer CCA

Ms. Goddard is the founder and principal of FACT Financial Investigations, LLC, a multi-faceted firm providing financial investigation services to the construction industry. Ms. Goddard’s services include construction auditing, forensic accounting, fraud investigation, litigation support services, and expert witness services with significant expertise in the construction industry.

FACT Financial Investigations also provides proactive services such as fraud risk assessments, due diligence investigations, contract review, and internal control review, design and implementation for the construction industry and also provides specialized training to contractors in accounting and fraud.

Richard Vermeulen, CPA, CFE, CRFAC, CCA 

Mr. Vermeulen is the Partner in charge of the Government Sector Advisory Services practice of YIP ASSOCIATES out of their New York and New Jersey offices.  Rich has over 30 years of experience providing accounting and auditing services to a wide range of public and private clients. Specialties include forensic accounting, investigative auditing, integrity oversight monitoring, construction auditing, monitoring of government grant and financial assistance programs, litigation support, construction claims, fraud risk mitigation, internal controls, and regulatory and compliance services. Rich has lectured on many topics related to forensic accounting, auditing, integrity monitoring and the development of corruption prevention programs. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Forensic Accountant, and Certified Construction Auditor.

Christopher Cropley, CPA 

Mr. Cropley is a Director within the Government Sector Advisory Services practice of YIP ASSOCIATES. He is a Certified Public Accountant with over 15 years of professional experience. Specialties include forensic accounting, investigative auditing, integrity oversight monitoring, construction auditing, litigation support, construction claims, fraud risk mitigation, internal controls, disaster recovery, and regulatory and compliance services. His audit experience includes working with public and private companies in the construction industry. His integrity monitoring experience includes reconstructing and monitoring all financial activities associated with major capital construction projects and programs. Mr. Cropley has several years of experience developing audit risk assessments and implementing work plans designed to identify, mitigate and monitor potential risks.