Founder
Douglas Vallee
P.Eng., OAA, 1937-2017
The late Mr. G. Douglas Vallee, P.Eng., graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston in 1959 with a degree in Applied Science (Civil Engineering) and immediately went to work for the Ontario Hydro design department in Toronto. In this capacity, he was involved in the design of well-known power plants in southern Ontario.
Doug later founded G. Douglas Vallee Limited in the early 1960s. At that time, the firm was solely an engineering practice and focused on bridge design and street construction. Over time, the practice grew and Doug also became a fully licensed Architect with the Ontario Architects Association.
With over 50 years of experience in the Engineering and Architectural consulting fields, Doug had an extremely rare level of expertise. His involvement in land development, sewer water and road design, structural engineering, and architecture provided a powerful review and advisory resource to the firm's staff. Our clients benefited greatly by his involvement on their projects.
Mr. Vallee passed away on July 29, 2017. He is fondly missed by our clients and staff members who had the privilege of working with him.
Management
John Vallee
President, P.Eng.
John D. Vallee, P.Eng., graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston with an honours degree in Applied Science (Civil Engineering) in 1988; he was later licensed as a Professional Engineer and a Consulting Engineer by Professional Engineers Ontario. John worked for many years under the guidance of his father, Doug, prior to being elevated to his current role.
John’s background and expertise lie in land development and servicing design. John has been the project engineer for many large subdivision and site servicing projects and his design work has included sewer and water design, stormwater management, water main modeling and overall project co-ordination.
As President of the firm, John maintains a key level of contact with the majority of our clients and our subconsultants. By staying in touch with the firm’s projects, John is able to provide technical advice and support to the project teams as required. This hands-on approach provides our clients with an extra level of review and consultation through the design development process.
John is also the face of the firm, appearing before municipal Council on a variety of topics, and meetings with key players in the development of the firm’s many projects.
Greg Smith
Director of Municipal Engineering, P.Eng.
Greg Smith, P.Eng., is a corporate shareholder and our Director of Municipal Engineering and Land Development. Greg has a long history with G. Douglas Vallee Limited, working for the firm as a student while attending Queen’s University and returning here for a permanent position after gaining varied experience with other engineering consultants and project management firms.
Greg graduated from Queen's University in 1993 and has nearly 30 years of engineering and design experience behind him.
Greg is a hands-on director and usually takes on the role of Project Engineer for our larger civil projects. Greg and his team have successfully completed the majority of urban road reconstruction projects for Norfolk County over the past 10 years, while also being very active as the "engineering consultant of choice" for most of the local subdivision and condominium developers.
Greg's personal expertise of servicing design, stormwater management, computer modelling of municipal water systems, and storm water management systems is a true asset to our clients.
Ryan Elliott
Director of Structural Engineering, Consulting Engineer, BDS, P.Eng.
Ryan Elliott, P.Eng., BDS, is a corporate shareholder and the Director of Structural Engineering at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, a Professional Engineer and a Building Design Specialist licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario. Ryan has also been designated by PEO as a Consulting Engineer. This PEO designation recognizes professional engineers that have achieved a significant and varied sum of experience providing professional engineering services directly to the public. Only a member who has been designated as a consulting engineer by PEO can legally use the restricted title.
In addition to Ryan’s education and credentials, his experience spans structural, civil, and geotechnical engineering, providing him with practical design knowledge acquired since his first job on the construction of a new section of Highway 403 in 1996.
In his time at Vallee, Ryan has overseen hundreds of bridge and culvert rehabilitations and replacements, and building projects of several types, shapes, and sizes. Ryan’s wide range of structural engineering knowledge and experience helps him lead the entire Structural Engineering department in their design work and project management.
Architectural
Melissa (Stickl) Stewart
Director of Architecture, OAA, MRAIC
Melissa Stickl, BAS, M.Arch., OAA, MRAIC, is a named Associate and Architect in the Architectural department at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. Melissa obtained her Master of Architecture from Carleton University in 2009 and joined the Vallee team in 2017.
Melissa has over 10 years of experience managing and coordinating cultural heritage and municipal building projects. She has an array of experience working with public sector clients on projects including courthouses, probation and parole offices, provincial legislatures, town halls, schools, libraries and art centres. Melissa’s recent experience includes work with private sector clients for residential, commercial and cultural projects.
She is a cultural heritage specialist who maintains currency with the requirements, processes, materials and details for heritage conservation and adaptive re-use projects. She is also involved with the preparation of building condition assessments, heritage records, heritage conservation plans, and heritage interpretation plans.
Michael Thier
Project Architect, OAA
Michael Thier, OAA, M.Arch., B.A., is a Project Architect in the Architectural department at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. Michael obtained his Master of Architecture from State University of New York in Buffalo in 1997 and joined the Vallee team in 2021.
Michael has over 24 years of experience in the practice of Architecture. He has successfully managed small and large architectural consultant teams on a diverse range of projects, including large mixed-use community centres, LEED Gold high-rise office buildings, six-storey wood condominiums, and mixed-scale residential sites. His experience extends to small-scale, detail-oriented work, such as washroom renovations, elevator installations and window replacements. This extensive range of architectural experience is balanced with on-site construction experience working as a tradesman as well as a general contractor. This experience gives him a unique perspective, which becomes a key asset in his coordination and ability to overcome challenges. He has effectively taken many projects through SPA and permitting in many municipalities across Southern Ontario.
Civil
Greg Smith
Director of Municipal Engineering, P.Eng.
Greg Smith, P.Eng., is a corporate shareholder and our Director of Municipal Engineering and Land Development. Greg has a long history with G. Douglas Vallee Limited, working for the firm as a student while attending Queen’s University and returning here for a permanent position after gaining varied experience with other engineering consultants and project management firms.
Greg graduated from Queen's University in 1993 and has nearly 30 years of engineering and design experience behind him.
Greg is a hands-on director and usually takes on the role of Project Engineer for our larger civil projects. Greg and his team have successfully completed the majority of urban road reconstruction projects for Norfolk County over the past 10 years, while also being very active as the "engineering consultant of choice" for most of the local subdivision and condominium developers.
Greg's personal expertise of servicing design, stormwater management, computer modelling of municipal water systems, and storm water management systems is a true asset to our clients.
John Iezzi
Manager of Land Development, P.Eng.
John Iezzi, P.Eng., the Manager of Land Development in the Civil Engineering department at Vallee. He is a graduate of Western University, and his career has focused on civil engineering infrastructure design.
John leads our team for private land development projects including site plan approval applications, condominium developments, plans of subdivision, stormwater management facilities, and all other forms of development. He manages these projects from concept development through design, approvals, tendering, and construction contract administration.
Jamie Smith
P.Eng.
Jamie Smith, P.Eng., is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Civil Engineering department at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering at McMaster University in 2005, and his Masters of Science at McMaster University in 2007.
Jamie has 10 years of engineering consulting and project management experience, and has been a member of the Vallee team since 2016. Within the Land Development team, Jamie is responsible for project management, site design, servicing, stormwater management design, tender and specifications, as well as occasional construction inspection
Structural
Ryan Elliott
Director of Structural Engineering, Consulting Engineer, BDS, P.Eng.
Ryan Elliott, P.Eng., BDS, is a corporate shareholder and the Director of Structural Engineering at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, a Professional Engineer and a Building Design Specialist licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario. Ryan has also been designated by PEO as a Consulting Engineer. This PEO designation recognizes professional engineers that have achieved a significant and varied sum of experience providing professional engineering services directly to the public. Only a member who has been designated as a consulting engineer by PEO can legally use the restricted title.
In addition to Ryan’s education and credentials, his experience spans structural, civil, and geotechnical engineering, providing him with practical design knowledge acquired since his first job on the construction of a new section of Highway 403 in 1996.
In his time at Vallee, Ryan has overseen hundreds of bridge and culvert rehabilitations and replacements, and building projects of several types, shapes, and sizes. Ryan’s wide range of structural engineering knowledge and experience helps him lead the entire Structural Engineering department in their design work and project management.
Michael Rapai
Associate, P.Eng.
Michael Rapai, P.Eng., is a named Associate at G. Douglas Vallee Limited, and is a key member of the Structural Engineering department. Michael graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2008 and joined the Vallee team in 2009.
Michael is the manager of bridge engineering projects within the Structural department. He takes the lead role in our bridge and culvert rehabilitation and replacement projects, as well as our asset management and OSIM projects. Utilizing his understanding of the processes involved in the rehabilitation of deteriorating structures, Mike has successfully restored dozens of bridges to extend the lifespan of the structures.
Ben Buchwald
Project Engineer, P.Eng., M,Eng.
Ben Buchwald, P.Eng., M.Eng., is a licensed Engineer in the Structural Engineering Department at G. Douglas Vallee Limited. Ben completed his Bachelor of Engineering at McMaster University in 2013 and his Master of Engineering at McMaster University in 2016.
Ben joined the Vallee staff in 2015, and now leads our building structures group as Project Engineer for the structural engineering component of all of our building projects. Ben's experience spans residential work, fire and EMS station projects, school board developments, and several unique projects.
