OUR TEAM

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Kevin Cunningham

Kevin Cunningham is a seasoned crane industry entrepreneur and has successfully founded and operated four separate risk management-based insurance underwriting companies over the past 25 years specializing in the crane and heavy equipment operator industry segments. Cunningham is a highly recognized speaker and author of risk control and litigation containment techniques for crane & construction trade groups and industry publications.

He was one of the founding commissioners of the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (“NCCCO”) and is a former faculty member of the Construction Safety Council (“CSC”). Cunningham also developed the original Crane Industry Risk Management Support System (“RMSS”) for the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (“SCRA”).
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Dr. Christine D. Standohar-Alfano, P.E., CCM

Principal Engineer and Forensic Meteorologist

calfano@iccforensics.com

  • PhD in Civil Engineering from Colorado State
  • Master of Science in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the University of Miami
  • Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Valparaiso University

Dr. Alfano has been performing forensic evaluations for over ten years starting with her doctoral research when she analyzed damage and researched mitigation techniques for wood-frame construction subjected to tornado loading. Upon graduation, she researched full-scale building performance under wind loads and wildfire/ember exposure in a large-scale wind tunnel. She also worked at Haag Global for seven years and has inspected and assessed damage to hundreds of properties including residential and commercial structures. Dr. Alfano remains involved in research and code committees and is an associate member and secretary of the SEI/ASCE/AMS Wind Speed Estimation Standards Committee. This standard is in development as a joint collaboration between engineering and meteorology communities and will provide a consensus document on the estimation of wind speeds in tornadoes and other windstorms by direct measurements (in situ and radar) or by indirect techniques (the Enhanced Fujita Scale, tree fall, etc.). She has written and published many articles on tornadoes and resultant damage in peer-reviewed literature and she has presented her results at numerous national and international conferences. Additionally, she has participated in several large-scale post-disaster surveys for tornadoes and hurricanes.

Dr. Alfano joined ICC Forensics in 2024 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. However, she performs work across the country and is currently a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in ten states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. She also received the Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) designation in 2021, making her the only person in the country who is a PE and CCM.  Dr. Alfano’s primary areas of consulting are structural evaluations, general damage assessment, and forensic meteorology.

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Jim Wiethorn

Jim Wiethorn,
PH.D., P.E.

Engineering Specialist

jwiethorn@iccforensics.com

Jim Wiethorn has been involved in the design, construction, and evaluation of residential, commercial and industrial buildings since 1973. His experience has included evaluation and assessment of damage and failure of all construction types and systems, in particular, crane accidents and operations. His construction background includes involvement as a third-generation general contractor in the family business, as well as Certificate of Competency as a General Contractor in Florida, by exam.

Dr. Wiethorn has owned and operated cranes while working in the construction industry and has evaluated over 1,100 crane and rigging failures throughout the United States and abroad. Currently, he serves on the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (“NCCCO”), Tower Crane Committee, and Rigger Task Force Committee dealing with the testing and certification of crane operators and rigging. Additionally, Dr. Wiethorn is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME”) B30 Main Committee; and, B30.3, Tower Cranes, and B30.29, Self-Erecting Tower Cranes sub-committees.

In 2018, Dr. Wiethorn received a patent for Securement for Crawler Cranes and System and Method for Use of Same to address large cranes working in heavily congested area. He currently has non-provisional patents pending for Crane Risk Logic; Overhead Power Hazard Identification and Non-Accident Data (Evaluator).. Dr. Wiethorn is a founder of International Crane & Construction Safety Solutions, LLC,. and is currently licensed as a professional engineer in 35 states. He has testified in over 130 trials and 320 depositions and has been named as one of Engineering News Record’s Top 25 News Makers in 2015.​

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David Palo

Senior CAD & Field Technician

dpalo@iccforensics.com

  • Associate Degree Mechanical Drafting/Design, Lake Area Technical Institute

Dave Palo joined the ICC Forensics team when the company started in November, 2020. Dave is a veteran CAD & field technician familiar with forensic engineering, specializing in cranes & heavy equipment. Dave got into the heavy equipment industry in 1997, working for Skyjack, where for 3 years he worked in research & development, designing telescopic self-propelled manlifts. Then he got an opportunity with Elliott Equipment, where for 10 years he worked in research & development, designing truck mounted cranes, manlifts, concrete pumpers & other custom equipment. For the last 11 years, Dave worked for Haag Engineering, where he was a CAD & field technician. During this time, some of his duties in the office included creating 3D models, 2D layouts, animations & physical scale models to assist engineers with reports & court exhibits. At the same time, he was involved with field inspections, photo documentation, acquiring/documenting evidence, 3D scanning & general accident scene/equipment documentation.

 

Dave has a 2-year technical degree in mechanical design from Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, SD, as well as significant experience in architectural, civil & concrete technology. He is highly proficient in 2D layouts/3D modeling & also has experience with animations & finite element analysis.

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Ben Taylor, P.E.

Senior Engineer

btaylor@iccforensics.com

  • Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.Master’s Degree from UT Austin

Ben Taylor has over fourteen years of structural engineering experience. He worked eight years in Stress Analysis groups at two aviation subcontractors where he examined newly designed secondary structure, typically aluminum, steel, fiberglass, or honeycomb composite members secured with combinations of bolts, screws, rivets, and welds. Mr. Taylor also performed static, fatigue, and damage tolerance analyses of fuselage skin, stringers, and frames (primary structure). Some calculations included finite element analysis models. He reviewed detail, assembly, and installation drawings of aircraft components for structural integrity and signed the drawings as the structural lead. Mr. Taylor also assembled test fixtures for structural validation and flexure testing of aluminum and fiberglass composite coupons for ASTM standard testing.

Mr. Taylor worked six years at Haag Engineering Company and completed over 700 assignments in eleven states and Puerto Rico. Evaluated structures comprised residential, commercial, and industrial properties. He examined many buildings for the extent of damage to roofing and wall cladding from hailstone impacts, wind effects, and source of moisture intrusion. He assessed building foundation systems for causes of movement. Collapsed structures were examined to determine failure origins. He inspected several structures for the extent of damage following vehicle and tree impacts, fires, and above ground explosions. Since joining ICC Forensics, Mr. Taylor has investigated numerous crane, rigging, heavy equipment, fall protection, and other construction and industrial incidents.

Mr. Taylor is currently a licensed Professional Engineer in eleven states and Puerto Rico. He earned a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

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Matt Gardiner

Matt Gardiner, P.E.

Founder

mgardiner@iccforensics.com

Bachelors of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio University Licensed Professional Engineer, Participating committee member, ASME B30 NCCCO Rigger/Lift Director Certification Committees Matt began his work in the construction industry in 1997, working on a variety of construction projects including residential, industrial, commercial, high rise, road, and bridge construction projects. After 8 years in the construction industry, Matt began his work as a forensic engineer with Haag Engineering Co., where he provided forensic consulting services related to crane, rigging, demolition, and construction accidents, as well as a wide variety of structural failures and collapses. Since 2005, he has provided expert consulting services on approximately 600 crane and construction related incidents, providing expert reports, deposition, arbitration & trial testimony, and consultations during mediations. In addition to providing forensic consulting services, Matt has worked with crane and rigging companies, mine owners, petrochemical facility owners, and contractors to create safety policies related to cranes and rigging. Matt also provides third-party lift plan review services for critical lifts. Matt has been a licensed professional engineer since 2005, and is licensed in 24 states. He volunteers with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) to create and maintain both the Rigger and Lift Director certification programs. Matt is also a member of the ASME B30.5 sub-committee that creates and maintains the national consensus standard for mobile cranes, and he is also a member of the ASME B30 Main Committee that approves and maintains all of the ASME B30 lifting standards.  Matt and Jim Wiethorn joined forces to form ICC Forensics in the fall of 2020.  Matt has served as Owner and President since. ​

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