Dr. Stephen Kleps holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering, an M.S. in Structural Engineering, and a Ph.D. of Philosophy in Civil Engineering with a Construction Management focus.  He is a registered professional engineer in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  He has extensive industry experience in the residential construction industry as a general contractor as well as in commercial construction management and civil/structural design and evaluations.  Dr. Kleps also has extensive experience in the field of construction safety, ranging from hands-on experience in hazard recognition to extensive OSHA and other safety-related training and coursework.  Combining this knowledge base, he has evaluated safety issues on dozens of construction projects to opine on the responsibilities of the parties on multi-employer worksites following accidents.

As a carpenter and project manager, Dr. Kleps has hands-on experience with wood framing, concrete footings and piers, assembling and setting reinforced steel bar (rebar) cages, structural steel erection, bolting and welding structural steel, and installing roofing and siding.

His experience and industry knowledge cover over 25 years in areas of civil/structural engineering on both building and infrastructure projects such as bridge construction, roadway construction, sewer and water main construction, residential and commercial construction, laboratory testing of civil engineering materials, bridge evaluations, bridge rehabilitations, value engineering for infrastructure projects, and also construction management areas including safety, scheduling, cost estimating and budget control, implementing quality and control procedures, and contract management of residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects.

Dr. Kleps has considerable experience in evaluating residential and commercial buildings and the design of building repairs and rehabilitations.

Dr. Kleps has experience testifying in deposition, arbitration, and trial.

• Civil Engineering, Ph.D.: Illinois Institute of Technology (2013)

• Structural Engineering, M.A.S.: Illinois Institute of Technology (2003)

• Civil Engineering, B.S.: Illinois Institute of Technology (2002)

• Licensed Professional Engineer: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin

• Competent Person Training: City of Chicago Scaffolding Card (OSHA Card #80544)

• Authorized Construction Trainer (for 10-hour and 30-hour Cards): Authorized Construction Trainer (for 10-hour and 30-hour Cards): OSHA (#24-0105640)