The LiRo Group

Al oversees and is responsible for all of LiRo’s legal, corporate/regulatory compliance, insurance and risk management matters. This includes providing advice and counsel in reviewing and negotiating engineering, construction and design project agreements as well as joint venture and asset and stock acquisition agreements. He also is responsible for labor and employment, state and local regulatory compliance, and real estate matters.

Al possesses a broad legal background, having worked in a variety of increasingly responsible positions at Long Island Lighting Company, KeySpan Corporation and, most recently, as vice president and deputy general counsel for National Grid, USA, an international electric and gas company and one of the world’s largest investor-owned energy companies. Al also has extensive experience with construction and consultant contracts, engineering services and environmental issues, and construction claims and personal injury/commercial litigation matters.

Al received his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Hofstra University and a Juris Doctorate from Saint John’s University School of Law. He is licensed to practice in New York.

Andrea is responsible for all the day to day financial activity and accounting operations for the company. Her duties include management of the Accounting Department, payroll, cash management, cash budgeting, general ledger, month/year end close, financial audits, project financial analysis, and reporting. Andrea has direct oversight of accounts receivable, accounts payable and project billing. She handles the development and maintenance of accounting procedures and internal controls. Andrea is also the Administrator for Deltek Vision and handles all the standard report development and enhancement for the Financial side.

Andrea has maintained an active role in LiRo’s Accounting Department for over 25 years. Throughout her tenure, she has contributed and had financial oversight of numerous company acquisitions and mergers, as well as multiple Deltek Vision conversions and enhancements.

Andrea holds an Applied Associates Degree in Accounting from Nassau Community College.

Brant has nearly 40 years of experience in safety and quality assurance and is a recognized leader in the New York City construction management community. At LiRo, he manages large-scale programs including providing procurement management and oversight. He is currently serving as project manager for the Times Square streetscape program, including the installation of pedestrian plazas, security perimeter and integrated power and telecommunications system.

Career highlights include: assisting the New York City Department of Design & Construction in infrastructure recovery and reconstruction efforts for two years following 9/11. Based upon his performance working for DDC, Brant was asked to serve as the program manager to provide infrastructure coordination support for the $15 billion World Trade Center reconstruction effort for the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center until 2014.

Brant received both his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering from Cornell University. He is a Certified Construction Manager and Professional Engineer (registered in both New York and New Jersey).

At LiRo, Brian is responsible for all New England business operations—including service lines and market sectors as well as sales, marketing, business development, and strategy/growth efforts. Brian has nearly 30 years of leadership experience in the region, spanning professional engineering consulting, design, construction, alternative project delivery, QA/QC, PM/CM, sales, marketing, business and client development/management; finance; compliance, risk/liability; safety control; new business launch, start-up, turnaround, expansion, and mergers/acquisitions.

During his career, Brian has successfully managed and expanded business units for engineering consulting firms in the ENR Top 500—including three firms in the Top 20 and two firms in the Top 150. Brian has led multi-disciplined horizontal and vertical design and construction projects, working for federal, state, regional, and municipal public agencies, as well as the private sector. Project types include infrastructure, utilities, roadways, and bridges; mass transit; telecommunications; power and energy; commercial/office; institutional; higher-ed; medical and healthcare; biotech/biomed/lab/health sciences; K-12 schools; single- and multi-family housing; and mixed-use developments ranging in project and construction value from less than $100,000 to $14+ billion.

He is a registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Other certifications and licenses include: Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (CSL Unrestricted); Project Manager Certification Program (PMCP); and Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) – Designer/OPM. In 2017, Brian was named Executive Employee of the Year – ENR Top 150 Firm. Brian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Joe has more than 25 years of technical and managerial experience in building design, production documentation, code analysis, contract administration, and marketing. At LiRo, he directs all architecture activities including design services, program management, interiors planning, and construction administration.

Career highlights include his role as managing architect for the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum as well as Columbia University’s Manhattanville Campus Phase I Projects with Davis Brody Bond. Joe received the AIA Presidential Citation and Delta Recognition for his work on the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Prior to joining LiRo, Joe was the architectural consulting senior manager at Lend Lease, associate partner at Davis Brody Bond, and senior associate at Urbahn Architects.

Joe received his Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Technology from New York Institute of Technology. He is a Registered Architect in eight states, including: New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. He also earned certifications in OSHA 10 and NCARB.

Senior management oversight is key to LiRo’s success, and Larry leads the way with his management style and his involvement with staff on projects and client relations. Larry’s leadership has directly impacted LiRo’s award-winning Program and Construction Management division, which has steadily grown over the last 15 years and achieved a high rate of repeat business from public sector clients.

As head of LiRo’s Program and Construction Management Division, Larry is directly responsible for more than $3 billion in public sector construction projects. Ranked #11 among the nation’s Top Construction Managers, Larry has been instrumental in building LiRo’s reputation as a successful construction management and program management provider for: higher education, healthcare, parks, housing, judicial/correctional facilities, schools, maintenance/parking garages, fire/police stations, treatment plants, and cultural institutions.

During his career, Larry has managed numerous projects that won awards with prestigious organizations such as Engineering News-Record and Construction Management Association of America. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rutgers University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York.

Mike is a recognized industry leader with more than 30 years of experience. At LiRo, Mike spearheads the efforts for national expansion and new market opportunities – playing a critical role in extending LiRo’s reach to California, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean. He also serves as project executive for numerous significant projects including national disaster recovery and resiliency programs and the Northeast’s largest higher education and healthcare/research projects. Other noteworthy programs include the recent multibillion-dollar Hurricane Sandy responses in New York and New Jersey, and Mike’s leadership for the historic responses to the 9/11 World Trade Center recovery in New York and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Mike has garnered prestigious industry awards, including: Award of Excellence, Engineering News-Record; George A. Fox Award for Public Service, New York Building Congress; President’s Award, American Council of Engineering Companies; and Construction Management Award, American Society of Civil Engineers. He has served in many volunteer leadership roles for the New York Building Congress and New York Mayor Bloomberg’s Construction Cost Panel.

Before joining LiRo, Mike held executive roles with URS Corporation and the NYC Department of Design and Construction overseeing capital program portfolios with values exceeding $50 billion. He received his MBA from Fordham University and his Bachelor’s Degree from Manhattan College. Mike is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Mike oversees LiRo’s MEP, Telecom, Civil/ Structural Engineering divisions, which typically have a portfolio of 250-300 active projects. He has helped manage more than 200 projects in the last five years, totaling more than $200 million in construction costs.

When Mike first joined LiRo, he managed a team of seven employees who mostly designed healthcare spaces for a single client. Since Mike took on his leadership role, MEP staff increased by more than 500 percent to 36 people and gross revenue increased by an average of 30 percent per year. Mike diversified the MEP project portfolio to include public sector projects, energy sector projects, and K-12 projects in addition to healthcare projects. Under Mike’s leadership, LiRo established a heavy MEP presence in Buffalo, N.Y., and New York City, and LiRo acquired a new telecommunications division.

Mike fostered growth in the MEP design division by ensuring LiRo design documents are technically sound and high quality. He starts by identifying, interviewing, and hiring talented staff. He creates, communicates, and enforces quality control procedures for all calculations and design drawings and specifications. He standardizes management tools and procedures that keep projects moving on schedule and within budget. Mike maintains high employee morale by encouraging social employee events and by creating an open forum for employee input during monthly meetings. He identifies projects that LiRo is well suited for and writes up compelling proposals that win LiRo the work. Mike’s success as a leader directly results from the skills he brings to the position. His carefully developed project management tools and procedures that minimize inefficiency. His unique ability to anticipate and identify problems in both project management and design minimizes risk. And his dedication to producing high quality, technically sound products has earned LiRo a spot on the MEP Giants Ranking.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hofstra University and earned his Certificate in Building Electrical Systems Design from NYU. He is a Professional Engineer (NY, NJ, CT, LA, GA, NC, FL, TX, KY, MA, MO, NV), CEM, CEA, HFDP, DBIA, and a licensed contractor in Louisiana.

Mike has more than 35 years of extensive design and construction experience, managing infrastructure and building projects. At LiRo, he leads the Resident/ Construction Engineering and Inspection Group, responsible for all of the company’s roadway, bridge, rail and utility projects. Mike has developed LiRo’s on-call construction management group to become one of the most successful in the region and manages construction projects valued as much as $4 billion.

In addition, he is responsible for proposal preparation and resource allocation for LiRo’s Resident/ Construction Engineering and Inspection Division. In the past 14 years, Mike has generated a high volume of repeat contracts. He has always stressed client relations as a primary job responsibility, and takes pride in maintaining constant client contact to assure that specific requirements of a contract are being fulfilled. His clients include: New York City Department of Design and Construction, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Department of Transportation, New York State Thruway Authority, and all Metropolitan Transportation Authority agencies as well as numerous local and county authorities.

Mike received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York.

Pete joined The LiRo Group in April 2021, in the newly created position of Senior Vice President and Director, National Resilience Response and Recovery Programs. In leading LiRo’s national disaster response, Pete oversees recovery programs that help clients prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters by delivering outcome-based innovative practical solutions. He is an accomplished professional emergency manager who has led a wide variety of challenging disasters at the local, state and federal levels during his long career. Most recently, Pete served as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, FEMA Administrator and Deputy FEMA Administrator. During his time at FEMA, he led the agency’s response to more than 300 presidentially declared emergencies and major disasters. During 2020, he oversaw FEMA’s first-ever operational response to a nationwide pandemic while simultaneously responding to a record number of historic natural disasters.

Pete is a Certified Emergency Manager and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Rhode Island College and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, RI. He is also a graduate of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program. Prior to his experience as an emergency manager, Pete served for 26 years as an enlisted Marine and Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

At LiRo, Peter leads the Environmental Business Unit and is responsible for all of LiRo’s environmental business activities. Peter has more than 30 years of extensive civil and environmental engineering experience, and is an expert in environmental project and program management with a particular focus on addressing Hazardous Materials, petroleum-related work and addressing Brownfields. He is also skilled at staff development, budget control, and improving operational performance.

Prior to joining LiRo in 2007, Peter worked as a contractor on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (REM II Superfund) Program and state superfund programs in the Northeast, providing environmental engineering and remediation services on many sites. He also worked to investigate and clean up major oil/petroleum/chemical spills for Northville Industries, Exxon Mobil, Pfizer and other major industrial clients. Peter’s experience also includes serving as a consultant to, and also in, municipal government, where he was responsible for billions of dollars in infrastructure and a capital plan of more than $500 million. Previous positions include: President of Remedial Engineering P.C.; Nassau County Commissioner of Public Works; Nassau County Deputy County Executive for Parks, Public Works and Partnerships; and Chairman of the Nassau County Bridge Authority.

Peter received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and his Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering both from Manhattan College. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (NY and VA), Asbestos Designer (NY), OSHA 10/OSHA 30, and HAZWOPER.

Having served in distinguished leadership positions within the industry throughout his 38-year career, Rich will be applying his skills and experience to continue to provide LiRo’s team with the leadership necessary to enhance the award-winning Integrated construction, design, and technology solutions its customers have come to expect.

Rich has led teams that earned national and industry recognition for successfully executing multi-billion-dollar Public Private Partnerships, complex technology driven infrastructure projects and transportation projects including landmark projects in the road, rail, and aviation sectors.

Rich also has developed the skilled workforce that will be critical to LiRo as it competes to provide services to build and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. He has focused on the personal and professional growth of his staff, and is known for having mentored the up-and-coming leadership of each business unit where he had responsibility.

An active member in the industry, Cavallaro previously held positions as Vice President of the New York General Contractors Association (GCA), Chairman of the New York Building Congress (NYBC), and is currently a Board Member of Family and Children’s Association, Member of the Construction Industry Round Table, National Academy of Construction and Moles & Beavers Member. He has been active for 15 years in the Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Rich has more than 30 years of experience as a geospatial professional in the NYC metropolitan area, with a wide range of competencies in geospatial information and location services as well as advanced technology solutions and architecture. At LiRo, he is division leader for LiRo’s GIS and Survey Group, instrumental in developing LiRo’s public safety, land records, and asset management practices. Richard also is involved in ground-breaking work with LiRo’s Virtual Design and Construction Operations (VDCO) in the integration of Building Information Modelling and GIS.

Throughout his career, Rich has played a major role in significant public and private GIS projects. He worked at Bowne Management Systems for 30 years – most recently serving as chief operating officer prior to the acquisition by LiRo – and in previous roles was responsible for the management of projects and design for the digital data that supports the emergency services computer-aided dispatch operations in New York City.

Rich received both his Master’s Degree in Geographic Information Systems and his Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of Connecticut. He is GISP certified.

Bob is LiRo’s Western New York manager and serves as project principal on a diverse range of projects throughout the Northeast. He has more than 30 years of experience providing comprehensive environmental and hazardous waste consulting, brownfield site redevelopment and industrial decommissioning and demolition.

Bob has played a significant role in LiRo’s successful growth and expansion of services. Under his leadership, LiRo’s presence in Western New York has grown steadily. The outstanding staff of skilled professionals that he has assembled provides comprehensive environmental services, professional engineering, resident engineering inspection, and construction management services to a wide range of public and private clients.

Bob is a licensed NYS Professional Geologist who received his Bachelor’s Degree in Geological Science from the State University of New York College at Buffalo.

Since co-founding The LiRo Group in 1984, Rocco has molded the firm from a small group specializing in construction administration, to one of the top construction management and full-service engineering firms in the nation.

From the beginning, Rocco has applied a simple, yet highly effective business philosophy: hire the best people, cross train them in various disciplines, and continuously support their professional development. Following this blueprint has resulted in a motivated, loyal and versatile staff that provide technical excellence and personal service – the hallmarks of LiRo’s success.

Rocco’s leadership and contribution to the engineering profession have been recognized repeatedly by numerous organizations, highlighted by his being named as Engineer of the Year by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers. He has also been honored numerous times by the community and local organizations. As LiRo’s owner and chairman, he remains actively engaged in directing the firm.

Steve has more than 40 years of experience in human resources. At LiRo, he is responsible for overseeing all activities of the Human Resources Department, and has established a strong Human Resources organization and staff that has improved the recruitment function, expanded the benefits programs and provided responsive HR support to the entire LiRo organization.

Steve’s background spans numerous industries, including construction management, technology, and consumer packaging.

Steve received his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

In more than 16 years with LiRo, Joe has managed major programs for New York State, New York City, and the federal government. He was the program director for the NY State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery for the NY Rising Housing and Small Business Recovery Programs, and executive for major capital improvement programs at several New York City Agencies, including the New York City Housing Authority and NYC Parks and Recreation.

Joe oversees the day-to-day administrative and operational functions while ensuring that LiRo continues to provide the highest level of service to our client base, which consists of almost every Public Agency, Authority, and Corporation in the New York area, as well as developing clients in New England. Joe will continue to report to the Chief Executive Officer.

With the responsibility for our integration with GISI, Joe will lead the operation of LiRo while continuing to monitor and assist the Operating Business Units. He is a Certified Construction Manager and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Long Island University.

Lee has more than 20 years of experience in the AEC industry, having worked on a wide variety of projects, including commercial, health care, interiors, aviation, justice, and urban design. Most recently, he has been responsible for proactively identifying and strategically driving the implementation of current and emerging design technology/ BIM initiatives and developing standardized processes within a multi-disciplined organization to ensure efficient, progressive, and consistent project delivery.

From a strategic level, Lee has experience driving BIM transformation, optimizing design process, developing interoperable and integrated procedures, and customizing applications to make the most efficient use of technology for design, delivery and construction. His interests reside in the intersection of design, business and technology, and he lectures and presents at various local and international institutions and events about these topics as well as emerging best practices.

Lee received his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the State University of New York at Albany and his Master’s in Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

At LiRo, Nancy leads the Marketing Group, providing support to all business development activities as well as creating and directing the implementation of strategic initiatives to market the organization. Nancy is directly responsible for the preparation and oversight of business proposals and presentations – totaling more than 900 submissions each year. She also oversees LiRo’s website, social media activities, advertising, public relations – including news releases and articles for industry publications – as well as Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises compliance.

During her tenure, Nancy has developed and currently manages a successful team of 15 proposal managers and graphic designers who prepare proposals and presentations for high-profile projects. As the marketing group leader, Nancy is responsible for employee training, development and advancement.

Nancy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Adelphi University. She is an active member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services.

As LiRo’s Chief Financial Officer, Larry is responsible for all financial activity at the company. His specific functions include management and oversight of banking relationships and credit arrangements; cash management and budgeting; accounting policy, procedures and internal controls; internal and external financial reporting; financial analysis; project accounting; and external audits.

He also contributes to decision making concerning administrative and HR policies, as well as all corporate financial matters, including office facilities, retirement and group insurance plans and general business insurance programs.

Larry’s experience in finance and administration in the consulting/professional services field covers a span of 41 years, 27 of which are specific to the engineering and construction industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from SUNY Albany, and obtained his C.P.A. in 1975.