Ben Cockrill, P.E.

Director of Operations - Griffith 

As Director of Major Projects, Ben is responsible for the oversight of larger more complex capital projects and projects teams.  He works closely with our Business Development team to ensure that our clients' needs are being met and quality work is being provided and performed on each and every project.  Additionally, as the Manager of QA/QC, Ben leads Valdes' in the continuous improvement of the projects and/or services being delivered to our clients.

Prior to his current position, Ben served within Valdes as the Director of Project Operations, Manager of Engineering Operations at our Griffith, Indiana office and Manager of Mechanical Engineering in our Lombard, Illinois office. 

During his time as Director of Project Operations, the Projects Group was organized into functional sectors that were directly connected with our business development structure.  As Manager of Engineering Operations, Ben was instrumental in setting up and growing the staff from startup to more than sixty people.  His past management experience includes the position of Mechanical Department Manager, Engineering and Maintenance Manager and Project Engineering Manager.  He has more than thirty years of project management and engineering experience, specifically in the areas of process and mechanical engineering, working on industrial and commercial projects.  These projects include Greenfield and renovation projects with emphasis on plant and process capital projects, HVAC, plumbing and fire protection as well as the design, specification, purchase and installation of production equipment and associated infrastructure.

His expertise includes root cause troubleshooting and all phases of capital project management and engineering.  He is responsible for incorporating our service offerings which include piping design, mechanical, chemical/process, civil/structural, electrical instrumentation & controls, into projects of different sizes and complexity, while managing and maintaining the quality control on all projects.

Ben has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of Chicago.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Illinois, Maryland, Washington and Virginia.