Black & Veatch, Inc

• Black & Veatch has offices all over the world; they are headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, and can be contacted at (913) 458-2000. They are employee-owned and showed $3.5 B in revenue in 2018.
• One of Black & Veatch’s industries-of-focus is telecommunications, and they are considered a “global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services.” The company “designs, builds, and connects communication networks and digital infrastructure to evolve energy, transportation, community, and business capabilities.” They provide turn-key services, including “wireless, wireline, and IP networks,” and provide IT and OT (operational tech) systems “for secure information sharing, monitoring and control, and data analytics.”
• The telecommunications sector of Black & Veatch’s business was “ranked No. 1 by Engineering News-Record for the eighth year” in a row in 2018.
• One example of a recent telecom project is the company’s partnership with Atonix Digital to “bring smart city technologies to underserved areas of” San Diego. They also publish a detailed annual report on creating stable infrastructure power grids for data centers.

 Parsons Corp

• Parsons has offices worldwide; they are headquartered in Centreville, Virginia, and can be contacted at (703) 988-8500.
• Critical infrastructure for intelligence and cybersecurity are key sectors of Parsons’ business. They offer process analysis and strategic consulting solutions, as well as design and life-cycle planning for network infrastructures. According to their website, they “are uniquely qualified to deliver cyber/converged security, technology-based intellectual property, and other innovative services to federal, regional, and local government agencies, as well as to private industrial customers worldwide.”
• In 2017, Parsons was recognized as a “CIO 100 Honoree” for the company’s “Dubai Design District (d3) Smart City Information Communications Technology (ICT) solution.” For the last 10 years, they’ve been “named to the Ethisphere Institute’s list of World’s Most Ethical Companies.”
• One of their most recent notable achievements was winning a “prime position on the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) $7.5 billion, multiple award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) contract.”

 HBK Engineering, LLC

• HBK Engineering has 13 offices across the US; they are headquartered in Chicago, IL, and can be contacted at (312) 432-0076.
• HBK’s services span a wide range of sectors, including electrical engineering, security infrastructure design, and telecommunications design. According to their website, “HBK Engineering has extensive experience in fiber optic and electric transmission route development and feasibility studies in urban, suburban and rural areas.”
• The company states they’ve worked on telecommunications system infrastructure projects with “numerous telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Verizon Business and Level3 Communications.”
• Current and recent notable telecommunications projects in the electrical utility infrastructure design sector include a utility relocation management project in Oak Brook, Illinois; two notable projects in the telecommunications systems infrastructure design sector are the Iowa Communications Network and the Iowa City Melrose Fiber Improvements.
• In 2018, the firm was named to the #24 spot in the “Regional Midwest Ranking,” and to the #98 in the “Regional MidAtlantic Ranking.” In 2019, they were named to the #21 spot for the “Trenchless Technology Top 50 Design Firms” and to the #235 spot on “ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms”.

 Electric Lightwave (Allstream/Zayo)

• Electric Lightwave is now part of Zayo, which is part of Allstream, “a leader in business telecommunications working with customers throughout the United States and Canada.” They are headquartered in Vancouver, Washington and can be reached via email at UScustomerservice@allstream.com or by phone at (888)288-2273.
• According to LinkedIn, the company’s specialties are “Networking Infrastructure, Telecom Communications, BCDR, Connectivity Solutions, Fiber Network, Cloud Connectivity, Dark Fiber, Wholesale Networking, Metro Fiber, Fiber Optic Networking, Unified Communications, Cyber Security, UC Cloud Voice, and Data Centers.” To-date, the company has laid “8100+ route miles of long haul fiber, 4000 route miles of metro network on our fiber, and 100+ data centers on our fibers,” that includes 3200+ buildings. According to their website, they are the “leading independent communications infrastructure provider with broad geographic reach throughout North America and Western Europe.”
• Their Fiber Network Map explores the depth and range of their fiber network, as well as detailing projects on which they’ve worked in different states.
• Electric Lightwave and Zayo do not have Better Business Bureau ratings, but Allstream does, though the issues center mainly around telephone business (or billing/collection) issues rather than telecom cable/connectivity issues. For these, they’ve address six customer complaints through the BBB.

 Affiliated Engineers, Inc  

• Affiliated Engineers has 18 offices around the globe; they are headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and can be contacted at (608) 238-2616.
• Affiliated Engineers’ areas of expertise span “16 integrated areas of expertise,” including electrical engineering and projects, and technology consulting and design.
• This firm has won numerous awards, including five in 2019 and eleven in 2018.
• Featured electrical engineering projects include Stanford University energy system innovations and the US Department of Energy energy systems integration facility. Within their technology services sector, one featured project was at the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology.

Research Strategy

1. STEVEN M.

• Steven M. is a mechanical engineering professional with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of "product design, complex engineering simulation, and solving various engineering issues."
• He also has skills in electrical engineering and has worked for several small and large organizations, including "major aerospace companies, high-power laser manufacturers, defense contractors, and government laboratories."
• Steven has a Master's degree in mechanical & aerospace engineering, which he obtained from the University of Southern California.
• Upwork listed Steven M. as one of its best electrical engineers for hire in 2020.
• He charges $99 per hour on Upwork.
• Steven has experience in fiber optics and laser packaging engineering and carried out optics design for LiDAR in 2017.

2. DMITRY KOVALENKOV

• Dimitry is a Field Applications Engineer with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts.
• He has several years of experience in "full system hardware design encompassing power supply design, signal chain, sensors, interface and wireless," and has completed projects in power distribution systems, among others.
• Dmitry was listed among Upwork's best electrical and electronics engineers.
• He worked as a systems application engineer (high power solutions) for Texas Instruments from 2013 to 2014 and worked on server blades and high power CPU designs.
• Dmitry charges $30 per hour on Upwork and is also available for probono consulting and volunteering.

3. GEORGE GODBY

• George G. has two Associate of Science degrees in electronics (RF communications and digital systems) from Lansing Community College. He also has a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
• He offers design and engineering services for "fiber optic riser schematic and cabling maps."
• George currently works at Michigan State University as an electrical engineer. There, he "plans, designs, and engineers systems normally associated with the telecommunications industry, including fiber optic cabling (outside plant and interior riser design), and RF systems such as the bi-directional amplifier."
• He is also the owner of Broadband Engineering.
• George is considered as a top electrical engineer because he has over 22 years of experience in RF communications and engineering.
• He charges $25 per hour on Upwork.

4. DANIEL O.

• Daniel O. is an optical engineer and research scientist. He obtained a B.A.Sc. degree in optical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he also received a minor electrical engineering degree.
• Daniel also has a Ph.D. in optics from the University of Central Florida.
• His dissertation from the latter degree "dealt with the design and manufacturing of complex optical elements and their use as high-power laser beam shaping elements."
• Daniel worked as an optical manufacturing engineer for InPhase Technologies.
• Daniel was listed by Upwork as one of its best fiber optics specialists.
• A review from one of his clients read, "Daniel was great to talk to, knowledgeable about his field and effective in his communications. We ended up changing our design spec for this project so that we are not doing optics development for the moment, but if we return to that area of R&D, I would reach out to Daniel before any other resource."
• He charges $50 per hour on Upwork.

5. AMI H.

• Ami H. has a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, as well as a Master's in electronics from Montana Tech University. He worked at Montana Power Company as a manager in the consumer department.
• At Sat Con Technology Corporation, he was the solar designer for eight years. Ami has been self-employed since 2012.
• He has over 20 years of experience in providing mechanical, engineer, and plumbing (MEP) services, including "power-distribution design system layouts, power single line diagram, and electrical calculations," among others.
• Ami is among Upwork's top-rated freelancers.
• He charges $40 per hour on Upwork, has a 94% job success rate, and has earned over $10,000 on the platform.
• He successfully designed an electrical riser diagram with the necessary calculations.

• Ali Globazi is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of New Haven, and is an expert in fiber optics. He had published research on fiber optic design, and teach two courses on fiber optic communications. His email and phone number can be found on his faculty bio page.

• Prem Kumar is a professor of electrical engineering at Northwestern University, and is an expert in fiber optics. His group conducts research on optic design. His email and phone number can be found on his faculty bio page.
• Paul Daniel Dapkus is a distinguished professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California, and is an expert in fiber optics. His research has informed the technology of fiber optic design. Dapkus's email and phone number can be found on his faculty bio page.
• Govind Agrawal is a professor of optics at Rochester University; he has authored at least one textbook used in graduate level courses on fiber optic communications. His research group is currently conducting fiber optic design research. His email and phone number can be found on the faculty bio index.
• Thomas G. Brown is a professor of optics at Rochester University. Before embarking on an academic career, he worked as a optical fiber system designer. His email and phone number can be found on his faculty bio profile.
• John Marciante is a professor of optics at Rochester University. He is currently conducting researching on fiber optic design. His email and phone number can be found on his faculty bio profile.
• Jie Li is the director of research and development at OFS Labs, which bills itself as "is one of the world’s leading optical research and product development institutions." He holds an undergraduate degree in optical materials, and a graduate and doctoral degree in engineering; fiber optics are one of his specialties. The company does not publish his direct contact information, nor is it publicly available through LinkedIn or through third-party information profiles. Hunter.io suggests jli@ofs.com as the most likely email address for this individual.
• Keren Bergman is the principal investigator at the Lightwave Research Laboratory at Columbia University, where she is also a professor of electrical engineering. Phys.org profiled her work on optic fiber design in 2011. Her email address and phone number can be found on her faculty bio profile.