About the Company
EarthCentric Engineering was founded in 2004 by Professional Engineer Phil Koch. While employed with other firms, Mr. Koch saw a need to revise the organizational and design approaches common in land development today. By emphasizing early cooperation between the Owner, Engineer, Architect and regulatory agencies involved in the design process, Mr. Koch realized that it was often possible to provide civil engineering designs that balanced the needs of the Owner with the needs of the environment and the regulatory requirements that often hinder development of difficult sites.
About the Staff
Phil Koch - Professional Engineer, President
Mr. Koch is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He began his career as a Construction Engineer for Hubbard Construction in Winter Park, Florida. In 1995 he relocated to North Carolina and began work at Civil Consultants in Durham. A licensed Professional Civil Engineer in the State of North Carolina since 1997, Mr. Koch specializes in grading, stormwater management and erosion management/sediment control issues. In 2004, Mr. Koch left Civil Consultants to pursue his own business and civil design visions by opening EarthCentric Engineering in Mebane, North Carolina. Mr. Koch also maintains Professional Engineer's licenses in Virginia and South Carolina.
Tim McAvinney - Civil Designer, CAD/IT Manager
Mr. McAvinney is a graduate of the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. After being laid-off in the 2001 recession and ready to accept a career shift, his longtime friend Mr. Koch mentioned that Civil Consultants was looking for a draftsman and also needed someone to improve the office's computer network. Mr. McAvinney's CAD background and Engineering education allowed him to transition quickly from Mechanical to Civil Design plus act as an educational resource and system administrator for the company's AutoCAD users. In 2005 Mr. McAvinney joined EarthCentric Engineering looking for more opportunities to design, interact with clients and to help build a company from the ground up. Mr. McAvinney is an experienced user of Autodesk's AutoCAD and Civil3D products, the administrator of the company's IT systems and handles much of EarthCentric's residential, roadway and utility design.
Shawn Sidener - Office Manager
Mr. Sidener is a licensed Real Estate Broker and a Notary Public. He joined EarthCentric in 2006 to fill the need for someone to manage the office and handle client communications while Mr. Koch and Mr. McAvinney focused on design. Mr. Sidener's real estate background has been an assett when it comes to handling permit applications, easement and encroachment agreements and organizing data on new or prospective development sites.