Our Story
Our core legacy company was established over 30 years ago. In 2018, we added personnel in key areas and now operate as “Wolf Trail Engineering, PLLC” (WTE). We now provide many services that a facility department needs: building enclosure, mechanical & plumbing engineering, structural engineering, civil engineering, and project management services. We can be your one stop shop.
Meet the Team
Doug Buchanan, PE, LEED-AP
President
Doug Buchanan served Mecklenburg County as a Project Manager and Designer for 31 years and was responsible for many different projects, including roof replacement, waterproofing, and parking lots. Mr. Buchanan also performed complete analysis/feasibility studies for future projects within the County, cost estimating, and requesting funding for projects. He served as the project manager from concept to completion – funding; hiring consultants; and overseeing the design, bidding, construction, post construction, and troubleshooting any problems. Mr. Buchanan is considered an expert in project management and construction administration.
While working for Mecklenburg County, Doug developed a process for tracking and approving changes in the amount of the contract during projects. This process has been a success and has been adopted by other counties and contractors.
Nelson Hall, FRCI, RRC
COO
Nelson Hall has 40+ years of experience in the roofing industry, providing consulting and expert witness services on a nationwide basis to customers in various industries. Mr. Hall is recognized nationally as an expert in the field of roof consulting. Beyond inspecting and analyzing existing roof structures, he has provided consulting services in hundreds of millions of dollars of roof replacement projects.
Mr. Hall has published articles and lectured for national and international audiences on roof-related subjects. He has served as International President of RCI (now IIBEC), on the Board of Directors, on the Executive Committee, and on the committees and task forces that established the first legally defensible RRC, RRO, and RWC exams. He was instrumental in the formation of the Carolinas Chapter of IIBEC. By his many contributions to IIBEC and the industry, Mr. Hall attained the honorable recognition as a Fellow of RCI (FRCI) in 2004. His reputation in the industry is marked by voluntary efforts to “raise the bar” for professionals serving the roofing industry internationally.
Mr. Hall holds and has held active memberships in other local and national roofing associations and has participated in numerous national and international roofing symposiums and conferences. He has served on the advisory councils of several major manufacturers to provide input about product and system performance in the roofing industry.
M. Michael Schon, PE, LEED-AP
Director, Mechanical Engineering
Mr. Schon has over 40 years of experience in the design and construction of private and public projects. He works with the client from project conception thru construction completion, monitoring the design integrity, budget, scheduling, and construction quality. Mr. Schon’s experience includes chilled water/hot water, water source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, packaged and split system d/x systems, dedicated outside air systems, heat recovery systems, variable refrigerant systems, dehumidification systems and computer room HVAC design. Mr. Schon has plumbing design experience including domestic water systems, sanitary sewer systems, medical gas and natural gas systems. Project types include offices (high rise/low rise), commercial, retail, universities and colleges, secondary education, industrial, medical, and Energy Star Analysis.
Jerel Burris, RRC, LEED-AP
VP, Building Envelope
Jerel Burris joined our team after serving Fieldcrest Cannon Mills, (Kannapolis, NC) for 30+ years in their engineering department. His responsibilities included designing and managing construction projects. Mr. Burris was exposed to a wide range of projects from machining parts to entire building design and construction. He has managed projects including large air compressor installations, large HVAC and chiller installations, new building construction, building renovations, structural design and analysis, and power distribution systems. On many of these projects Mr. Burris was the senior project manager. Mr. Burris has extensive knowledge in maintaining the proper conditions in the high humidity textile field. Using his varied background, he is able to anticipate and resolve potential construction conflicts.
Mr. Burris has designed and managed many building envelope projects, including: low-slope and steep slope roofs, windows, walls, and skylights. Mr. Burris is also a Certified Asbestos Inspector in NC and SC.
Chris Tucker
Project Manager
Chris Tucker has more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry. Mr. Tucker managed many projects in the Charlotte Metro and surrounding areas requiring hands-on participation to ensure a quality result. Chris has had a direct influence on the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of luxury staircases throughout North and South Carolina on both a commercial and residential platform. Chris has years of experience in reading/interpreting construction documents/drawings, quality assurance, scheduling, meeting deadlines, and maintaining project budgets.
Rick Benton, RRO
Quality Assurance
Rick Benton joined Wolf Trail Engineering in February, 2019. Mr. Benton retired from Union County Public Schools, where he was a project manager overseeing numerous project renovation/repair projects that included paving and reroofing. He has decades of experience in prioritizing facility projects, reading/interpreting construction documents/drawings, quality assurance, meeting deadlines, and maintaining facilities with a tight budget.