David Files Email & Phone Number

Batavia, Illinois, United States

Helping maintain Fermilab as a premier international research & development facility.

Batavia, Illinois, United States

-Designed and constructed a beer microbrewery in Batavia, Illinois, with recognition as “Best New Brewer in Illinois” in 2019 and one of the “Hottest Breweries in America Right Now” in 2021.-Created a groundbreaking and distinctive business model, achieving profitability within the first year.

Rochelle, Illinois, United States

-Provided complete task management of multimillion-dollar capital projects to improve performance, simplify operations, reduce costs, comply with changes in codes and regulations, and improve environmental sustainability.-Performed independent research, reviews, studies and analyses for new concepts and techniques including the feasibility of underground sequestration of carbon dioxide for ethanol facilities in Illinois.-Provided engineering expertise to facilities in CHS including the scale-up risk evaluation and technical readiness level of a first-of-a-kind bio-diesel plant implementing supercritical fluid extraction.-Responsible for fire safety and specialty engineering systems, including hazard detection systems, fire suppression systems, alarms, equipment hazard classification ratings and arc flash analysis.

Rochelle, Illinois, United States

-Hired, trained, supported, motivated and mentored a results-oriented team of 16 operators and 5 supervisors.-Coordinated plant-wide shutdowns including contractor procurement, 24/7 scheduling and safe work plans. -Accountable for the accuracy and timeliness of production reports to the Board of Directors.-Led public outreach events at schools to promote engineering, agriculture and renewable fuels

Rochelle, Illinois, United States

-Provided in-depth technical expertise to develop, manage and implement engineering analysis, activities and programs, assuring that standard design criteria, practices, procedures and codes were used in preparation of plans and specifications.-Provided technical expertise and consultation through direct involvement to identify and resolve equipment and system problems with the application of engineering principles.-Developed a CHEMCAD mass & energy balance for the ethanol plant and created modeling scenarios to identify bottlenecks in the process.-Staff engineer for the design and installation of a 2.5-megawatt steam-driven turbine to generate one third of the facility’s electricity.-Designed, constructed and optimized treatment systems for boiler water and cooling tower water.-Oversaw the design, installation and retrofit of fire suppression systems including wet-pipe systems, dry-pipe systems, hydrofluorocarbon systems, foam systems, steam systems, heat and smoke detection, strobes, horns, loudspeakers, hazardous gas detectors and alarm annunciators. -Managed insurance loss-prevention audits regarding National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.-Managed inspection of flammable liquid storage tanks including fusible link fire safety valves.-Managed pipe integrity testing including visual inspections and ultrasonic wall thickness measurement.-Evaluated second generation (2G) biofuels production strategies and collaborated to implement an EPA-approved enzymatic process to digest cellulose for fermentation to ethanol.-Developed detailed experimental plans, conducted full-scale experiments and analyzed the results comparing catalytic substrates for removal of toxic chemicals from waste vapor streams.

Rochelle, Illinois, United States

-Managed environmental, health and safety programs with employee responsibility to inspect, report and perform corrective tasks daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually according to applicable regulations.-Managed annual fit testing for respirators and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) equipment. -Managed local, state and federal permitting for a $100 million expansion of the facility. -Managed on-site training with local fire departments including using fire protection water cannons for suppression of highly hazardous leaks of anhydrous ammonia.-Managed the Alcohol-Resistant Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AR-AFFF) suppression system including annual practice with local fire departments to use the foam-educting water cannons.-Coordinated and managed testing of fire suppression systems including electric and diesel fire pumps, battery backups, hydrant flow testing, alarms, flow switches, tamper switches and annunciation devices for wet-pipe systems, dry-pipe systems and hydrofluorocarbon systems.-Directed Process Safety Management compliance including Employee Participation, Process Safety Information (PSI), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Operating Procedures, Training, Contractors, Pre-startup Safety Review (PSSR), Mechanical Integrity (MI), Hot Work Permit, Management of Change (MOC), Incident Investigation, Emergency Planning and Response, Compliance Audits and Trade Secrets. -Responsibilities included documentation, reporting and audits for OSHA Process Safety Management, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Federal Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards, Federal Aviation Administration, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plan (SPCCP), Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Fire Marshal, and company liability insurance.

Aurora, Illinois, United States

-Designed and managed construction of municipal water wells, well houses, elevated tanks, water and sewer pipelines, chemical feed systems, pump stations and treatment plants.-Managed permitting and construction coordination with local municipalities, ComEd, Nicor, EPA and Illinois Department of Transportation for water, sewer and roadway infrastructure projects. -Created a WaterCAD computer model of the Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory cooling water system and domestic water system and coordinated on-site fire hydrant flow testing to calibrate the model. Used the hydraulic model to design the water pipeline that now connects Fermilab to Warrenville IL.-Managed the City of Aurora IL WaterCAD model for compliance, maintenance and planning purposes.-Developed a GIS model in ArcView and WaterCAD for the City of Wauconda IL water system.-Designed a reverse osmosis water treatment system for the City of Litchfield IL, including a technology appraisal study, life cycle assessment, economic analysis, and detailed design.

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Leading member of the research & development team for the Homespring residential water treatment system, recognized by Popular Science magazine as one of the top 100 innovations of 2004.

Master Of Engineering - Meng, Chemical Engineering

Bachelor Of Engineering - Be, Biochemical Engineering