Staff Profile
Mr. Thom A. Fischer, P.E.
President & Director
Mr. Fischer founded Whitewater Engineering in 1980 and has directed the company through continued growth to the current Tollhouse Energy Company corporate structure of today. Thom brings a high level of dynamic energy and resolve to the corporation. This has been demonstrated many times over by the company's record of difficult projects made successful. Mr. Fischer is a true team leader through alternative thinking, exemplary motivation, and positive mind set.
Mr. Fischer has over 25 years experience as a project engineer/project manager and has guided the Company to become a preeminent leader in hydroelectric design and construction. Thom earned his Bachelor of Science in Transportation Engineering/Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and also studied Arctic Engineering at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. He is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Alaska, California, and Washington.
Mr. Steven C. Marmon
Vice President
Mr. Marmon joined Whitewater Engineering in 1992, and he continues to provide construction and project management for design-build hydroelectric projects and civil projects. Project management responsibilities include: estimating, scheduling, quality control, sub-contract buyout, equipment and material procurement, state and federal agency permit and license coordination, and environmental compliance. Steve brings tremendous logistical and planning experience in constructing difficult projects in remote areas of Alaska including the Black Bear Lake, Goat Lake and Power Creek hydroelectric projects, and the Tyee transmission line improvement project.
Mr. Christian D. Spens, A.I.C.P.
Environmental Manager
Mr. Spens has over 20 years of land use and environmental planning experience. He has worked for municipal and tribal governments. For ten years, he served as SEPA Official for the City of Bellingham. As a Senior Planner, Chris managed the day to day land use permitting activities for development within the city for over 6 years. He was the project manager for development of clearing, grading, wetland, stream, watershed protection, and power generating facilities ordinances. Chris has overseen the completion of wetland, wildlife, and geologic resource inventories. He has been involved in many aspects of natural resource management ranging from forestry and watershed protection to restoration of contaminated waste sites. Chris graduated from Western Washington University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Freshwater Sciences. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and also holds a 50 ton Coast Guard Master License. As Environmental Manager, Mr. Spens is responsible for all project permitting and coordination with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies.
Mr. Robert Polak
Project Engineer
Mr. Polak joined Whitewater Engineering in 2008 and provides engineering design and drafting services for the development of hydroelectric projects, civil projects, and other commercial development projects. Bob has worked on large scale commercial projects in the mining industry over the last 39 years, providing engineering, construction management, project management, and corporate level development services for both domestic and word-wide projects. Bob is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with degrees Mineral Processing Engineering and Mining.
Ms. Megan Smeall
Executive & Project Administrator
Ms. Smeall graduated from Washington State University Honors College with a B.A. in Digital Technology and Culture with minors in Business and Art. Megan’s responsibilities include research, writing and editing, managing web sites, designing publications, and administrative support.
Dr. C. Mike Prewit, Ph.D.
FERC Licensing Consultant
Dr. Prewitt has over 29 years of experience in water resources planning and assessment with an emphasis on hydroelectric project licensing. His experience includes management of the Environmental Support Services Contract under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in which he oversaw the entire environmental process for several of FERC's most complex and controversial hydroelectric projects. Under this FERC contract, Dr. Prewitt routinely assisted in formulating licensing policy in the period just prior to passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1993. Under his supervision, contract specialists prepared seven major hydroelectric project Environmental Impact Statements (EIS's), over 20 hydro project Environmental Assessments (EA's) for both licensing and relicensing, and the official FERC Licensing, Relicensing, and License Amendment handbooks.
Dr. Prewitt has managed either licensing or relicensing studies for over 45 projects throughout the US. Dr. Prewitt has also supervised the licensing process for 41 small hydroelectric proposals in the Washington Cascades and has managed major in-stream flow and aquatic habitat simulation studies on large rivers in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Washington. Dr. Prewitt has numerous publications and has served as supervisor on numerous FERC contracts.
Mr. Thomas J. Fischetti, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Mr. Fischetti has over 23 years experience in civil and structural engineering and project management. His professional experience encompasses strategic, operational, and technical support roles with major emphasis leading structural engineering and design services. Thomas has a broad range of project experience throughout design, project scheduling, management, and controls concerning projects like buildings, oil platforms, tanks, equipment supports, treatment plants, pipelines, piers, wharfs and harbors, and levees. His engineering expertise encompasses onsite investigations, modeling and analysis of structures, and preparation of construction documents for public works and private improvements. Mr. Fischetti is a licensed professional engineer in Alaska, California, and Washington.
Mr. Henry T. Goldbach
Consulting Engineer
Mr. Goldbach has over 32 years experience in industrial and power generating facility design and construction. Mr. Goldbach joined Whitewater Engineering in 1992 and has been responsible for mechanical and hydraulic design for various hydroelectric projects for the company. Mr. Goldbach has also completed various contract work on a project-to-project basis for professional engineers, manufacturers, and owners where he performed start-up services and trouble-shooting. Duties performed by Mr. Goldbach have included selection of machinery, design of hydraulic and piping schematics, planning, inspection, supervision of construction and plant start-up for over a dozen hydroelectric facilities.
Mr. Steve Barrish
Consulting Engineer
Mr. Barrish has over 35 years of design experience and has been the chief design engineer on more than 30 hydroelectric projects throughout the western US where he has provided the preliminary and final design. Steve's areas of responsibility have included the civil site work for project intake structures, penstocks, powerhouses, fish ladders, fish screens, and tailrace structures. In addition, Mr. Barrish has provided construction management and inspection on several of the projects.