Garver welcomes Rick Forehand as WI-MAP Technical Practice Lead

Garver’s Water Team continues to grow with the addition of Rick Forehand as Wastewater Modeling & Planning Technical Practice Leader.

Based in Garver’s Franklin, Tennessee, office, Forehand will work on high-level master plans for communities, evaluating systems, highlighting key challenges, and making long-term plans to address them.

“It’s an exciting time for the WI-MAP Team, and for Garver as a whole. Even more so now that Rick is on board,” said WI-MAP Practice Area Leader Ian Toohey. “He’s a great fit in every way. His extensive experience in wastewater modeling and master planning throughout the Southeast — combined with his approach to analytics, his ability to present data in a clear, actionable, manner — are invaluable assets.”

At his previous firm, Forehand conducted wastewater modeling master planning for several different types of systems throughout the Southeast. He is now looking forward to taking on a larger role at Garver with its unique, dedicated team of WI-MAP specialists.

Forehand attended Lipscomb University where he earned a BS in mechanical engineering applied mathematics with the idea of becoming civil structural engineer. Participating in several student-lead projects in Honduras and Guatemala focused on clean drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and infrastructure development changed that.

“It broadened my worldview and offered opportunities to solve real-world problems,” said Forehand. “No matter where you are, everybody needs water. It’s a great industry to be in.”

He went on to earn an MS in civil engineering from the University of Alabama. After working a major consent order program in Dothan, things clicked, and Forehand found his flow in modeling and master planning. He started working on master plans and consent programs throughout the region which exposed to a lot of different kinds of plans.

Forehand realized what a significant role computing played, not just as a tool to crunch numbers, but as a critical part of organizing data, and he’s since built a lot of different kinds of custom tools to support that effort.

“How do we work with data sets that are this big? What kind of insights can we grab from them? How do we talk about them? How do we show them? These were the questions that interested me,” said Forehand. So, he went back to school and earned his MS in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Forehand took a job with a civil engineering firm where he remained for 12 years until joining Garver.

Why Garver? WI-MAP.

“There are a lot of exciting things going on at Garver, and the WI-MAP Team is one of them. There's incredible opportunity there.”

Forehand believes that the organizational structure of the WI-MAP group is ideal for someone like him, who straddles the line between engineering and computing, and he’s excited about the significant role analytics plays in WI-MAP's operations.

“Garver’s specialized focus allows us to tackle more complex and forward-looking projects,” he said. “With a diverse skill set, strong technical team, and the right resources all in one place, this group is well-positioned for success. I’m excited about the direction we’re heading, and I really believe in the vision. The decision to join Garver was clear.”

He also feels that the WI-MAP Team is well positioned to evolve with upcoming challenges in the field and future changes in the industry, like quantum computing models that can run within seconds rather than hours or days.

With his hybrid skill set as a civil engineer, designer, and developer, along with his passion for advancing Garver’s capabilities, Forehand will play a pivotal role in driving Garver’s projects forward.