RACE Partnership Expands

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February 11, 2022

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RACE Coastal Engineering, Inc. is pleased to announce that Project Managers    Matt Rakowski, PE and Steve Sternberg, PE have been elected to shareholders of the firm.  Matt and Steve join current owners Azure Dee Sleicher and Devin Santa. 

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“We are thrilled to welcome Matt and Steve to the RACE Ownership Team” says RACE President Devin Santa. “Matt and Steve are dedicated professionals, both with more than a decade of successful collaboration with their clients, vendors and colleagues to achieve engineering excellence.  This record of success with RACE and continued commitment to the RACE mission, vision and values make them ideal shareholders. They will be valuable partners and mentors as RACE continues to navigate the exciting, challenging, and dynamic world of waterfront projects.”

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Both Matt and Steve have Civil (Structural) Engineering Degrees (University of Rhode Island and Manhattan College, respectively) and advanced Coastal Engineering Certificates from Old Dominion University.

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Matt Rakowski has 15 years of experience in structural engineering of waterfront structures, foundations and buildings.   His vast design experience includes the engineering of reinforced concrete, steel, timber, aluminum, and masonry structures in the marine environment.

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Matt has designed and permitted numerous waterfront structures for municipalities, commercial terminals, yacht clubs, marinas, and residential properties. Working closely with owners, contractors and regulators, Matt has superb experience leading teams through construction to completion.

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One of Matt’s more significant projects has been managing the waterfront design, permitting and construction oversight of the Steelpointe Harbor Development (Bridgeport, CT) – a complex and critical part of Bridgeport Harbor’s revitalization. For the innovative bulkhead design, RACE was presented a national Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies. 

 

Another significant project under Matt’s management - from concept to completion - was the City of Norwalk’s Veteran’s Memorial Park boat ramp and floating docks project. The reconstruction has greatly improved the community’s recreational access to Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound. Matt is currently leading a new phase of the project with the City to further improve recreational boating facilities in other portions of the park.

 

Steve Sternberg has 12 years of experience leading a multitude of marine projects launched by performing coastal property inspections in the Tri-State area due to the destruction from Storms Irene and Sandy. With extensive experience seeing first-hand the types of facility failures due to storm events, Steve’s engineering career progressed to designing and permitting numerous waterfront piers, marinas, boat ramps and shoreline protection structures.

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Steve’s involvement in hundreds of hydrographic surveys set the foundation for Steve’s deep knowledge in permitting, designing and managing dredging projects.  Steve led the South Benson Channel Dredging and Beach Nourishment Project for the Town of Fairfield, CT.  The repurposing of dredged material on-site was valuable to the municipality - saving the community money, protecting environmental habitats, reducing air pollution, and enhancing recreational space while mitigating the impacts of coastal erosion. The project was awarded a winner of the America’s 2020 Best Restored Beaches Award by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association and a 2020 Achievement in Civil Engineering Award from the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers.

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“Matt and Steve will no doubt bring the energy, excitement, and skill to their new role as shareholders that they have always done in their work to date,” says Devin. “With our broadening ownership base, combined with our 22 year track record of specialized coastal and waterfront engineering services, we are excited for the future of RACE.”

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