Leadership

W. Michael Paris, P.E.

Principal/Vice President

Michael has several decades of engineering and design experience working with a wide variety of structures and materials. He thinks on his feet and works with the project team to quickly evaluate and develop concepts and design solutions. Clients appreciate his open dialogue approach that allows him to be creative in providing economical and innovation solutions for their projects. Michael also audits fabrication facilities for various certification programs and audits plants and teaches for the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute.

Steven E. Qualls, P.E.

Principal/President

Steve knows the best way to consistently meet a client’s needs from project conception to completion. An experienced structural design engineer, he can conceptualize design options for unique situations like adding a supplemental structure in unobtrusive ways to a building not originally designed for vertical expansion. Financial institutions trust Steve for construction monitoring and plan/budget review. He teaches personnel and audits plants for the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s certification programs. Steve also shares his knowledge with students as an adjunct professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Tennessee Tech University.

Brent A. Thornton, P.E.

Principal/Vice President

Brent draws on his strong work ethic, varied experience, and critical-thinking skills to help determine the most cost-effective solutions to keep projects on schedule while meeting client and owner needs. He is a good problem solver, organized and experienced with different project types and materials. That is why Brent is responsible for contract document preparation and construction administration of projects. He also provides investigative and auditing services and conducts audit training for new engineers.

Daniel R. Sykes

Director of Operations

Daniel implements the firm’s projects and schedules personnel to make sure the product we provide our clients is concise and complete. He has collaborated with other consultants to incorporate all project documents and models into a blended deliverable package, assuring required submittals stay current and visibly correct and document quality is consistently achieved. Recognizing each project is different, Daniel looks for new ways to continually improve the product we provide.

Kurt A. Boyd, P.E.

Principal

Client satisfaction is paramount Kurt, he is always thinking outside the box to come up with new solutions. He does that when he is preparing contract documents and specs for design of structures, reviewing shop drawings, and investigating failed or distressed buildings. While each project has its own challenges due to scheduling or design issues, Kurt knows the RBA team is a library of knowledge and ideas and is prepared to address any challenge.