Expert Knowledge. Driven Leadership.

Randy Hinton 

President & CEO

Randy Hinton brings over 22 years of consulting engineering experience, 14 years of engineering business leadership and over 4 years of experience as President. He brings expertise in corporate leadership for technically run engineering firms, where he has acted as CEO, Vice President of Technical Operations, Mechanical Engineering Discipline Manager and Business Operations Manager. As a mechanical engineer, Randy got his start as a drafter/designer, obtaining his degree from University of Washington and is a licensed professional engineer in over 10 states.

Prior to joining Harris Group, Randy was the President of Rice Group Inc. Consulting Engineering, where he spent 19 years as a mechanical engineer and part owner of the firm before assuming the role of President. In 2016 Rice Group Inc. merged with Harris Group Inc. opening the door to a great opportunity for Randy to grow his abilities as an engineer and leader. Randy also spent 6 years in the United States Navy, where he acted as a Naval Nuclear Machinist’s Mate and spent 4 of his 6 years on a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, the USS Arkansas.

“There are few companies that have the amount of engineering experience in a company our size. Our engineering reputation, diverse offerings and regional locations is what sets Harris Group apart. Having a full-service engineering solution team like Harris Group is a great opportunity for our clients and future clients to have a single provider on their projects.”

Shara Pradere 

Human Resources Director

Shara Pradere brings over 20 years of Human Resources expertise. With a focus on reinforcing strong company culture, creating and leading employee engagement and development programs, Shara has extensive experience in implementing reward and talent management strategies that support the achievement of business objectives. 

"I'm thrilled to be on the Harris Group team. I'm passionate about connecting people in meaningful ways and finding systemic and creative approaches to grow our employee owned business." 

Durwin Ritter 

Chief Information Officer

Durwin Ritter brings over 35 years of computer technology experience and has been an Information Systems Manager for over 31 years. As a licensed Civil Engineer, he has the ability to work with engineers and understands their needs to implement information technology systems that allow them to do their jobs more efficiently. Durwin has experienced the evolution of computer technology, beginning his career working with large VAX/VMS mainframe systems and UNIX based workstations, moving to PC's with Novell and Window based file servers, to the current cloud-based technology. He knows that the only consistent part of information technology is that it is always changing. 

Prior to joining Harris Group, Durwin was the Corporate Computer Operations Manager for ENTRANCO. During his time there, he oversaw all computer operations involving 13 different offices in 8 different states. Before becoming the Operations Manager, Durwin was the Network Administrator / Civil Engineer where he was responsible for managing networks, computers, software, etc. and performed engineering design and assistance on a wide variety of projects. 

"Being involved in IT, I get the benefit of working with all users, in all departments in all offices. I enjoy the interaction and it gives me the chance to get to know our employees better. Also, being a multidiscipline engineering firm, I get exposure to a wide a variety of engineering applications and software. There is never a dull moment and I have a great group of people to work with." 

Ron Thirtyacre 

Regional Director - Washington

Ron Thirtyacre has 35+ years of leadership experience in management, project management, and business development where he was responsible for P&L, budgeting, and operations. As an Electrical Engineer with an MBA, Ron managed teams of engineers, programmers, technicians and field service personnel in all aspects of project execution including scoping, estimating, engineering, installation, commissioning, and post-project services. His industry experience started in Pulp and Paper and expanded to all industrial sectors. Most recently, Ron served as Aerospace and Industrial Facilities Sector Manager for Harris Group. 

Prior to joining Harris Group, Ron was Director of Engineering Services for PCE Pacific Inc. where he managed a team of engineers and technicians building, engineering, and configuring controls systems for industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest. 

“Harris Group appealed to me as an employee-owned business that had an entrepreneurial spirit. With our multi-discipline teams, we produce quality one stop engineered solutions. Our diverse project experience and depth of knowledge helps set us apart, and the quality of our solutions is evidenced by our many long-term customers.”

Bryan Wood  

Regional Director - Southeast

Bryan Wood has over 37 years of engineering experience, and over 30 years of experience in leading team at the discipline, office, sector, and company levels in engineering consulting business serving the Industrial Process and Manufacturing markets. As the Director of Business Operations, he is responsible for project delivery throughout the company. Bryan brings extensive experience in business planning and operations, team building, business development and proposal development, contracts, project management, construction administration and management.

Prior to joining Harris Group, Bryan worked for O’Neal, Inc. where he worked as a Civil engineer, project manager, civil discipline lead, as well as VP of Charleston Operations.

“I enjoy working with our talented multidiscipline teams at Harris Group across the country to deliver design and construction projects that make our clients’ successful. Our philosophy of developing long term relationships with our clients has always been on of my core business values.”

Jeff Ryan

Regional Director - Rocky Mountain

Jeff Ryan brings over 28 years of experience in project management and leadership. His experience includes machine design, system optimization, oversight of civil, structural, mechanical, geotechnical, and electric disciplines for both design and design build projects, as well as air quality compliance. As a seasoned project manager, Jeff has managed all aspects of the project life cycle and believes in planning career development for engineers.

Prior to joining Harris Group, Jeff worked for Kleinfelder, Inc. where he was a client account, project and program manager. Jeff also managed their engineering services group in Colorado. As a project engineer and then a project and program manager, he was responsible for both small and large capital projects, providing increased safety, efficiency, and profitability across multiple industries.

“Harris Group has afforded me the opportunity to lead meaningful projects that provide benefits to both our clients and society. I am excited to contribute to the firm’s legacy of providing quality services.”

Tony Garbarino

Regional Director - California

Tony has over 23 years of diverse experience in the biotechnology, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In his 10 years with Harris Group, Tony has been a technical lead and department manager, all while also managing multiple projects. including technical lead, project and department management. As a Mechanical Engineer, he has specialized experience with GMP and specialized process design. He is recognized as a leader in the design and construction of life science facilities, as well as complex modular process systems.

Prior to joining Harris Group, Tony was the Process Engineering Manager at BioKinetics, where he managed all critical aspects of a team of Bioprocess Engineers. He was responsible for developing capital budgets, recruiting, hiring, and coaching and mentoring junior engineers. Tony also provided project management and supervision of construction projects.

“I enjoy the autonomy that the work culture provides, the team environment and the diverse project experience that Harris Group is known for.”

Gabe Shones

Regional Director - Oregon

Gabe Shones has over 18 years of engineering experience in automation and controls for solid waste, municipal water, wastewater treatment, power plant, chemical process, and industrial manufacturing. As a seasoned project manager, Gabe has experience in master planning activities for citywide SCADA control systems, chemical plant control system evaluations, scope & estimate development for SCADA replacement and electrical infrastructure evaluation projects. His project manager experience also extends to the coordination all design activities and interacting with our clients on select projects.

Prior to joining Harris Group, Gabe worked for Taurus Power & Controls where he provided automation design, configuration, installation, and commissioning to water, wastewater, chemical process, and pulp & paper projects.  As project engineer, Gabe led the retrofit and startup of PLC replacement projects with limited impact to production and no unplanned outages through strong planning and design.

“We work with great clients and a great staff; it’s exciting and fun to provide unique solutions to process control and electrical engineering challenges. It brings great satisfaction to work with this team because of the depth of knowledge and experience they offer.”