Gunnar; Brian Burby; Lane Mehringer; Vlad Kruz; Roger Whitaker; Erich Barthelmes; Augie Tobish; and Karl Kishpaugh
Roger Whitaker, P.E., Owner & President
Email: roger@soleramep.com | Cell: 541-640-0146
Professional Licenses/Certifications: Mechanical, Electrical, Fire Protection, and Acoustical Engineering
Education: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington; J.D., Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College; and MBA, Finance, Concordia University
Roger has over 30 years of engineering experience delivering a wide range of MEP designs and solutions. He started Solera in 2019 as a sole proprietor engineering firm that has now grown to a staff of 5 with plans to double by 2025. Under Roger’s leadership, Solera’s clientele has expanded to include a broad spectrum of public and private sector markets in Central Oregon including construction, commercial building, residential building, energy, medical, manufacturing, and government. He’s passionate about Solera achieving a high level of regulatory agency, contractor and subcontractor, and customer satisfaction on every project delivered. He credits much of his expertise and Solera’s success to the plans examiners and contractors and subcontractors who have shared their wisdom with him over the past 30 years. Roger oversees Solera’s design process, focusing his team on meeting customer performance expectations at the lowest cost.
Vlad Kruz, MEP Designer
Email: vlad@soleramep.com
Education: B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Portland State University & A.S., Mount Hood Community College
Vlad has been using his mechanical engineering degree to good purpose as a Solera MEP Designer since joining the firm in December 2022. He’s already made tremendous growth in learning Revit (the current standard for Building Information Modeling) and understanding the process of design under Roger’s mentorship. This knowledge provides Vlad the ability to optimize Solera client MEP designs for maximum cost effectiveness. Away from work, Vlad enjoys custom automotive work (e.g., repair, welding, machining).
Lane Mehringer, Plumbing Designer
Email: lane@soleramep.com
Education: Associate of General Studies, Central Oregon Community College, Bend, Oregon
Lane was Solera’s first hire in late 2019. He quickly picked up Revit and has developed into Solera’s plumbing design specialist. Growing up in Idaho, he was positively influenced by his father who is a journeyman plumber and has been in the industry for over 30 years. That mentorship prepared him to become Solera’s lead plumbing designer and he has excelled in this role. For fun, Lane’s interests include history, strength training, and snowboarding.
Erich Barthelmes, MEP Designer
Email: erich@soleramep.com
Education: Bachelor of Science in Energy Systems Engineering, Oregon State University-Cascades
A six-year veteran of the United States Navy as a Nuclear Attack Submarine Machinist, Erich has extensive experience in performing detailed technical work. He joined Solera in April 2023 as our first engineering intern. Erich received his Energy Systems Engineering degree a month later from the Oregon State University-Cascades engineering school and joined Solera full time in July 2023. Erich’s work currently focused on mastering Revit and supporting the project delivery team in meeting Solera client MEP design needs. In his spare time, Erich enjoys skiing, hiking, and camping.
Augustus Tobish, MEP Designer
Email: augie@soleramep.com
Education: Bachelor of Science in Energy Systems Engineering, Oregon State University-Cascades
Augustus (Augie) joined us full time in July 2023 and has already helped our clients optimize their MEP designs. A June 2023 Oregon State University, Cascades engineering school graduate, Augie currently focused on expanding his Revit expertise and experience. He has a passion for net zero and energy efficient designs and looks forward to direct involvement adding value to those cutting-edge client projects. In his off time, Augie likes to disc golf, rock climb, snowboard, and backpack.
Karlyle Kishpaugh, MEP Design Intern
Email: karl@soleramep.com
Education: Bachelor of Science in Energy Systems Engineering (Expected: March ‘25), Oregon State University
Karlyle discovered his passion for engineering during his three years in the US Army Corps of Engineers serving our nation as a Combat Engineer. He joined Solera in May 2023 as an intern. Karlyle will receive his Energy Systems Engineering degree in March 2025 from Oregon State University-Cascades. Karlyle’s Solera work focuses on electrical design, and he plans to obtain his engineering PE after graduation. In his spare time Karlyle enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and videogames.
Brian Burby, Senior Vice President
Email: brian@soleramep.com | Cell: 503-887-7185
Education: M.S., The Ohio State University; and B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University
Brian joined Solera in June 2022 and leads the firm’s business development efforts. In that role, he heads up recruiting, marketing, sales, and employee ownership. He had a 25-year career at CH2M HILL where he succeeded in a variety of project management, program management, client relations, business development roles. Brian also served as Vice President & Director of Business Development at Otak and Sales Manager for Johnson Controls Oregon, SW Washington, and Northern California HVAC Business Technology Unit. In his spare time, Brian enjoys fishing and pheasant hunting with his bird dog Gunnar.