EXPERT WITNESS & FORENSIC ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE

Mr. Joel E. Breuer, PE is a construction expert witness and forensic engineer. Mr. Breuer, a founding Managing Partner of the firm, works nationwide and has consulted on some of the most technically challenging and complicated construction, design, accident, and real estate related insurance claims and litigation. These have involved catastrophic property damage, major construction defects, building-products defects, architect and engineer design errors and omissions, onsite worker injury, and personal injury matters.

Mr. Breuer has provided expert witness opinions and oral testimony on a wide variety of issues involving building design, construction defects, building code issues, catastrophic insurance claims, personal injury matters and more and has proven to be extremely resolute under rigorous cross-examination. Whether on the witness stand or in a deposition, his exceptional communication skills, ability to simplify complex issues and aptitude for reading others well each make Mr. Breuer highly effective when providing oral testimony.

His extensive 30+ years of hands-on experience as a practicing civil engineer and former general building contractor make him an invaluable, highly effective, and well-sought-after national construction expert witness. Part of what makes Mr. Breuer a formidable expert witness is the fact that he is proficient in many of the construction trades and knows exactly what to look for during a forensic site investigation. His combined engineering design knowledge and well-seasoned construction skills give him the ultimate blend of “book smarts” and “street smarts.” These are some of the key reasons his clients truly appreciate him.

Mr. Breuer thrives when working on large-dollar, technically-complex litigation with seemingly no resolution in sight. He has consistently brought to light ingenious, yet logical, answers for his clients that lead to amicable case resolutions through his innovative approaches to technical strategy, claims analysis, specialized research, evidence procurement and testing, and adherence to the central theme of the case.

Mr. Breuer has directly helped clients resolve cases valued in the tens of millions of dollars range and lasting for a number of years. He has also been successful in helping clients reach favorable resolutions concerning litigation where physical evidence no longer existed, lay witnesses were scarce, and only documents numbering in the tens of thousands of pages were available for examination. The litigation that Mr. Breuer has consulted on includes commercial buildings, high-rise condominiums, restaurants, multifamily apartment complexes, senior housing communities, single-family housing developments, office buildings, fitness centers, spas, warehouses, medical buildings, prisons, municipal buildings, public schools and more.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Mr. Breuer began his construction career during the mid 1980’s in downtown Boston, Massachusetts where he was responsible for the foundation monitoring of high-rise office towers during the up-down construction process, along with the construction monitoring of other critical commercial, condominium, and engineering projects. During the 1980s and 1990s, he continued working as a consulting civil engineer in Massachusetts, California, and nationwide where he was responsible for both the design and construction oversight of a variety of projects ranging from environmental cleanups, to geotechnical issues, to commercial and residential building construction projects, to civil engineering works.

From 1999 to 2012, Mr. Breuer was the principal owner of a general contracting firm in Southern California, where he specialized in extensive, corrective projects for existing multifamily complexes and commercial buildings. His projects included large-scale structural repairs, seismic retrofits and geotechnical improvements designed to save buildings from eminent failure or collapse, and capital improvement projects designed to increase cash flow and asset value.

Mr. Breuer is highly experienced in solving challenging design and construction-related issues under tight budgets and time constraints. He has provided invaluable design and construction advise to legal counsel, real estate owners, developers, REITs, investors and asset managers.

Mr. Breuer assists both in-house and outside legal counsel for insurers, construction-related bond holders, building products manufacturers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, developers, building owners, business owners, and injured parties. He provides key engineering assessments, precise forensic engineering investigations, compelling expert witness testimony and highly effective engineering reports.

Mr. Breuer excels far beyond his peers in his capacity to simplify the technical aspects of legal matter, quickly and efficiently establish cause, support his findings and communicate his findings in a direct, easy-to-understand manner. Mr. Breuer also excels far beyond his peers in his capacity as a forensic engineer with his unique abilities and his unparalleled, innovative approaches to the examination and testing of evidence and the evaluation of the cause of failure, or alleged failure, associated with construction materials, building products, mechanical and plumbing equipment, and other building components. Bottom line: Mr. Breuer delivers results.

Mr. Breuer works closely with legal counsel to establish the theme and precise scope of each legal matter in order to proceed in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. His winning approach involves well-researched, fact-based solutions and he has the track record to prove it.

Mr. Breuer’s Specialties Include:

Civil Engineering ❖ Environmental Engineering ❖ Construction Expert Witness ❖ Forensic Engineering ❖ Building Code Compliance ❖ Construction Defects Evaluation ❖ Construction Project Management ❖ Troubled Construction Project Advisory ❖ Real Estate Transaction Due Diligence ❖ Real Estate Advisory & Owner Representative ❖ Litigation Support ❖ Dispute Resolution ❖ Income Property Evaluation ❖ Real Estate Acquisitions/Dispositions ❖ Real Estate Development & Redevelopment ❖ Pre-Construction Planning ❖ Permitting & Entitlements ❖ Brownfields Assessment & Cleanup

Ms. Joann Gannaway-Breuer is Managing Principal at HG Cornerstone, LLC. Ms. Gannaway-Breuer has over 20 years combined experience in real estate investment, real estate market data research and analytics, property management, construction operations supervision, and business strategy development. Ms. Gannaway-Breuer is responsible for setting the vision, tone, and direction of the firm and its general business practices. She is also responsible for cultivating and maintaining client relations.

An effective communicator, visionary, and innovative problem solver, Ms. Gannaway-Breuer brings people together to accomplish results and meet objectives as she truly inspires and motivates everyone she meets with her exuberant can-do mindset.

Ms. Gannaway-Breuer’s Specialties Include:

❖ Construction Operations Supervision ❖ Commercial Real Estate Investment ❖ Real Estate Valuation ❖ Real Estate Transactions ❖ Real Estate Economics ❖ Location Intelligence ❖ Property Management ❖ Business Strategy Development ❖ Business Development ❖ Client & Investor Relations ❖ Interior Environments

(866) 204-3440

[email protected]