Applied Earth Sciences

Caro Minas founded AES in 1985 after working with a number of major national and international engineering firms for 12 years. He received his BS (’75) and MS (’76) degrees in civil and geotechnical engineering, respectively, from California State University, Los Angeles. In addition to his extensive experience in California and Nevada, he has conducted major investigations for nuclear power plants, harbors, industrial complexes, and gas distribution projects in the Persian Gulf area. Today he is one of the foremost geotechnical engineers in the LA area and oversees all engineering operations at AES. In his spare time Caro likes to travel, and play tennis.

Shant Minas is the principal engineering geologist and managing director of AES. As part of his tasks, he oversees all field exploration, conducts detailed geologic investigations, and prepares reports and geologic maps. From the time he joined AES in 2003 he has been largely responsible for continued innovation and augmentation of AES’s growing list of services offered, including methane testing and mitigation design, percolation testing, feasibility studies and design for septic systems, water quality testing, fault studies, deputy inspection, and environmental investigations. He is licensed as a Professional Geologist, Certified Engineering Geologist, and a Project Management Professional. In addition to his primary expertise as an engineering geologist, Shant also has a broad academic as well as an experiential background in environmental hydrogeology and holds degrees in economics and financial mathematics from USC. He served honorably in the US Army with an overseas tour in Korea, was the Chair of the Association of Engineering Geologists’ SoCal section from 2015-2017, and is also a part-time professor of Engineering Geology at CSULA. Shant is also a licensed engineering contractor (ArroyoGeo.com) specializing in Environmental Mitigation systems. His hobbies include mountain biking, writing, and guitar.

Christopher earned his M.S. in Applied Geoscience from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 2016 after completing a B.S. in Geology at Portland State University in 2014. He joined AES in the summer of 2018 as a project geologist with nearly 10 years of experience in environmental and engineering geology. Christopher’s responsibilities include conducting Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, hillside geotechnical investigations, and fault studies. He is an active member of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. In his off time, you will find Christopher exploring the many mountains and beaches of southern California.

Fereidoun “Fred” joined AES in October 2019. He writes soils reports. He graduated with a PhD degree in environmental Engineering from USC. He has worked at LA County Department of Public Works’ various divisions such as Geotechnical and Materials Division performing windshield survey, roadway inspection, pavement design, review of geotechnical reports; Design Division bridge retrofitting projects; Traffic and Lighting geometric design; Watershed Management Division participated in total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation, participated in stormwater best management practices (BMPs) implementation, compared BMPs removal effectiveness using stormwater quality sampling and analysis,

Lilian has been the office manager at AES since 2012. She is a TUV certified ISO 9002 (International Standard Organization for Management) auditor, and a Landmark Education graduate in the “Team Management & Leadership” program and the “Communication” courses. She has earned her B.A. degree in Language Art & German-Farsi Translation from Azad University in Tehran – Iran.  She is also a musician, music educator, and the choir conductor at Homenetmen’s Ararat chapter since 2014.

Mr. Hayrikian has more than 10 years of experience in the field of geotechnical engineering. He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2012. Marshall joined the AES team in the summer of 2014 as a staff/field engineer. Prior to joining AES, Marshall has had several years of experience working with different sized engineering companies in both the public and private sector, including a stint at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and private firms in Los Angeles, Orange County and Austin, Texas. He has worked on the design & construction of a variety of infrastructure projects ranging from buildings, dams/reservoirs, roadways, bridges, tunnels, wind turbines and nuclear power plant assessments. At AES, Marshall’s responsibilities include engineering analysis, project management, inspections/observations and writing technical reports. Marshall is a licensed professional engineer in the State of California and a Deputy Grading Inspector for the City of Los Angeles. In his spare time, Marshall enjoys playing and watching sports, hiking/mountaineering, as well as traveling.

Reza has been employed as a staff engineer for AES since 1994. He received his BS degree in civil engineering from Fresno State University and holds certificates in environmental engineering. Reza is a seasoned veteran in field inspections, including grading, shoring, and deputy work. He also holds certificates in wastewater treatment, hazardous materials, and environmental biology. Reza provides consultation and advice and mentorship to younger field engineers, and routinely oversees all AES field observation and testing programs during course of construction. Reza is a Registered Deputy Grading Inspector and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Sevada joined the AES team in June of 2017 after graduating with a Master of Science degree in Civil & Geotechnical Engineering from California State University, Los Angeles. He migrated to Los Angeles from Tehran, Iran in 2000 and opened an Italian Restaurant called Georgie’s Cucina with his father, and helped manage the restaurant during his college years. Sevada’s responsibilities within the company include field observations, compaction testing, running percolation tests, drilling, logging, and sampling. He is currently working on obtaining his ICC & Deputy Grading Inspector licenses. In his free time, Sevada enjoys watching & making movies, camping, and hiking.