Larry Hightower, P. E.

Experience

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  Mustang Tampa/Pegasis TSI, Inc

  Mar 2003 - Aug 2008

  Mechanical Engineer/Project manager

  - Managed major industrial projects utilizing proactive leadership and problem solving skills. Represented clients in Bid meetings, Project meetings with contractors to ensure all project requirements were met. - Managed design and construction efforts and set high standards to achieve safe conduct of onsite activities, involving both engineers, contractors, and subcontractors to ensure a zero-accident project while meeting the clients design requirements, budget, and schedule.- Managed engineering teams through design process of capital projects for clients including process pumping, piping, cooling towers, heat exchangers, high volume manufacturing and assembly processes, mechanical and pneumatic conveying, and effluent water treatment processes.- Managed projects from inception through start-up and including commissioning and troubleshooting, documented performance testing, and operator training.- Clients included various industries in Savannah, GA and the surrounding area including: mineral processors, pulp and paper producers, petrochemicals, textiles, food and non-food consumer products, and building materials manufacturers. Show less

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  Hargrove & Associates, Inc.

  Aug 2008 - Nov 2009

  Mechanical Engineer/Project Manager/Mechanical Group Leader

  - Managed major industrial projects utilizing proactive leadership and problem solving skills. Represented clients in Bid meetings, Project meetings with contractors to ensure all project requirements were met. - Managed design and construction efforts and set high standards to achieve safe conduct of onsite activities, involving both engineers, contractors, and subcontractors to ensure a zero-accident project while meeting the clients design requirements, budget, and schedule.- Managed engineering teams through design process of capital projects for clients including process pumping, piping, cooling towers, heat exchangers, high volume manufacturing and assembly processes, mechanical and pneumatic conveying, and effluent water treatment processes.- Managed projects from inception through start-up and including commissioning and troubleshooting, documented performance testing, and operator training.- Clients included various industries in Savannah, GA and the surrounding area including: mineral processors, pulp and paper producers, petrochemicals, textiles, food and non-food consumer products, and building materials manufacturers. Show less

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  Chicken of the Sea, International; Georgia Canning

  Nov 2009 - May 2016

  Plant Engineering Manager

  - Responsible for all plant engineering functions, facilities maintenance, and capital projects covering production improvements and facility improvements from inception to operational start-up including budgeting, planning, and construction. Maintained plans of all current and proposed-potential projects and presented each request to corporate executive level for funding approval.- Established preventative maintenance program from the ground up (plant was on complete reactive style maintenance) and implemented the use of an asset management software to accommodate needs of the maintenance department record keeping, stockroom inventory, and parts/materials purchasing to optimize machine uptime.- Established new engineering Standard Operating Procedures to meet regulatory requirements at the State and Federal level, as well as private auditing entities used in the food industry.- Developed Sustainability program and set long term energy/utility goals for the company to meet by 2020 including electricity reduction 20%, Natural Gas 20%, Water 15%, and Waste 30%. Through design changes, procedural changes and operational changes, each of these goals were met and water reduction and waste reduction have exceeded their goals by an additional 50%.- Advanced company safety standards and training requirements for all maintenance personnel and other operations personnel including new Lockout/Tag Out procedures, Confined Space Entry procedures, and Foreign Object Debris training and awareness.- Responsible for promoting a culture of safety, teamwork, and service to the customer (production, QC, QA), for all employees in maintenance. - Provide technical support for production issues using problem solving skills and root-cause analysis methods. The “go-to” person for all technical issues and potential projects; coordinating efforts between other departments. Show less

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  Hightower Engineering Inc.

  Apr 2016 - Dec 2019

  Principal Engineer

  - Manage Capital Projects including engineering design of process pumping and piping, cooling towers, heat exchangers, high-volume manufacturing and assembly processes, mechanical conveying equipment, machine components, effluent water treatment pumping and piping systems.- Experience includes green-field construction, retrofits, and plant expansions in the chemical industry, food processing including vegetable oil products, paper and paper products, building products manufacturers, and the petroleum industry. - Capital Project Evaluation and Cost Estimating, Project Management, and Construction Management. - Issued RFQ’s and Bid requests to contractors, performed pre-bid meetings and walk-through’s.- Received Bids and developed Bid-Tabs to select the winning contractor, then issued PO to contractor; and/or advised client on contractor recommendations. - Some Clients: FUJI Vegetable Oil, Savannah, GA; Chicken of the Sea, Lyons, GA; Kraton Chemical, Savannah, GA; International Paper, Savannah, GA; GAF Building Products, Savannah, GA; Colonial Oil, Savannah, GA. Show less

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  AZZ | WSI LLC

  Mar 2020 - Apr 2020

  Senior Project Manager

  - Manage the overall delivery of multiple complex projects. Provide guidance for lower-level project managers. - Lead project planning, resourcing, staffing, progress reporting, people management, profit & loss management and reporting, and troubleshooting for automated field repair welding projects.- Ensure project results meet requirements regarding technical quality, reliability, schedule and cost.- Solves complex problems; Identifies, develops, and gathers necessary resources to complete projects.- Prepares designs and work specifications, develops schedules, budgets, and forecasts, and selects materials, equipment, project staff, and contractors.- Liaises with other departments to secure specialized resources required for projects.- Interfaces with customers to verify design input, discuss optimal solutions, report progress, and follow-up on deliverables. Show less