MEET OUR TEAM
Westrek’s team is made up of professional engineers and geoscientists who bring a wealth of experience to our clients on a daily basis
Tim has been a practicing geoscientist for thirty years and founded Westrek in 1998, growing the firm from a sole proprietor to a vibrant team. A respected professional and leader in the field of landslide hazard and risk analysis, he aspires to be a mentor to others and to improve practice in the professions of engineering and geoscience.
A specialist in terrain stability analysis, hydrogeomorphic hazards and GIS, Pete has worked in the resource industry for over 18 years, joining Westrek in 2011. He loves fieldwork in remote areas and has a passion for creating GIS based solutions and statistical models to aid in slope stability analysis. Pete hopes to develop his skillset to help Westrek further integrate innovative technology and processes….
Brandon has been an integral part of the Westrek team since 2010, specializing in resource based terrain stability work. A lover of the outdoors, fieldwork is Brandon’s favourite part of the job. Brandon studied earth sciences at Thompson Rivers University, Simon Fraser University and Gavle in Sweden, and is currently finishing his PGeo accreditation.
Megan joined Westrek in 2018 after graduating with a BSc in Engineering Geology from Simon Fraser University. She is excited to be expanding on her education with practical fieldwork, especially landslide investigations and prevention, and learning about the triggers and mechanisms for slope movement. and applied quaternary geology.
A specialist in rock mechanics, analysis and mitigation, along with natural hazard assessment and risk analysis, Wes joined Westrek in 2019 and founded the Squamish office. He loves the diversity of natural hazards, how unique every site and problem can be and truly enjoys the forensic nature of this work.
Andy joined the Westrek team in 2019 from Sydney, Australia, where he graduated from the University of Sydney with a BEng and worked for the first 4 years of his career. Now settled in Kamloops, Andy is using his expertise in multi-disciplinary site investigations and data analysis on numerous Westrek projects.
Heidi joined Westrek in 2020, bringing over six years of professional experience in geotechnical consulting, environmental engineering and project management. Her areas of expertise include geotechnical instrumentation and automated data acquisition systems. Heidi took the scenic route to engineering, completing an MA in German Literature before obtaining her BSc in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2014.
Viv joined Westrek in 2018 at the Kamloops office and quickly became an indispensable coordinator for the team. A graduate of the Business Administration program at Thompson Rivers University, she brings her skills, honed from 25 years in administration, to all aspects of the business, helping make the team cohesive and efficient.
Tim joined Westrek in 2021 after a lengthy career with the provincial government. Tim brings over 30 years experience and expertise in quaternary geoscience, sedimentology and fluvial geomorphology to our team. Born in London, England, Tim grew up in Dunmury, Northern Ireland and Brandon, Manitoba. He completed his BSc at Brandon University and his MSc at the University of Alberta. He moved to Kamloops in 1995 and joined the research branch of the Ministry of Forests.
Jesse joined Westrek in 2021 and is a GIS Analyst based in our Kamloops office. He completed his BSc at the University of the Fraser Valley and then earned his Master of Geographic Information Systems from Vancouver Island University. Jesse has 3 years experience working in GIS analysis and geomorphology and loves the variety that his career path offers, from flying drones to capture images for mapping, to assessing landslides.
Dr. Lucian Rinke-Hardekopf joined Westrek’s Squamish office in 2022. Lucian has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, a master’s degree in Applied Geosciences and he completed his PhD at SFU in 2021. His areas of expertise include stratigraphy, sedimentology and geochemistry and he has authored and co-authored several technical articles.
Geotechnical Engineer-in-Training, Dan Alphonso joined Westrek’s Kamloops office in August 2022. Dan was born in India and immigrated to Vancouver at the age of six. He completed his Bachelor of Geological Engineering degree at UBC, also gaining experience in tailings management, earth dam design and inspection, and installation, maintenance and monitoring of instrumentation.
Nina joined the Westrek team in 2022 as our Resource Coordinator. She will be working to streamline our project management process to help ensure that every stage of each project is completed efficiently and in accordance with our professional practice management program. Nina has her Bachelor of Business Administration; Business Management degree from Langara College and has built a career around administration in various companies.
Bryan joined us in 2022 and established our newest office in Comox, where he is helping grow Westrek’s team and services on Vancouver Island. He has over 20 years of experience working on geoscience projects in BC, Alberta, and Ontario. He worked for over a decade managing the national remediation program and advising on various environmental risks for one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies and is now jumping back into geotechnical project management and geohazards consulting.