Meet Our Team

Teams:

George Retschle, PE

President

George’s engineering career began in the early 1990’s in Upstate NY and he joined Ballentine Associates as a Civil Designer in 1997.  George was quickly promoted to Project Manager and then to Engineering Team Leader and Vice President. In 2015 he was proudly named as the firm’s President.  George’s experience spans a wide range of project sizes and types and includes working with some of the most talented developers, engineers, surveyors, architects, planners, landscape architects, and real estate attorneys in NC and beyond.  George’s experience, many years of mentorship from company founder Bruce Ballentine, and his career-long commitment to providing clients with the highest quality service possible, have translated to a culture at BA where integrity, hard work, and results matter - and client satisfaction is paramount. 

George is actively involved with several of the firm’s larger projects and provides support and mentorship to the firm’s team leaders and department heads, always looking for ways to improve BA’s services to our clients and enhance the working environment for BA’s outstanding team.

When not working, George enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with his family.

Dillon Smith, PE

Director of Engineering

Dillon Smith grew up in Asheville and moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2010. Following graduation, he worked for a small surveying/engineering firm where he was able to take an active role in all aspects of company projects from concept to completion and quickly worked his way from an Intern to a Surveying & Construction Manager and was named the office employee of the year in 2013. Dillon joined Ballentine Associates in 2014 as an Engineering Intern. Dillon is a self-motivated individual, an enthusiastic team player, has strong communication and design skills, and with his attention to detail, incredible work ethic, and knack for problem solving, he was quickly promoted to Project Manager and then to Engineering Team Leader. On Jan 1, 2023, Dillon was promoted to Director of Engineering. He has project experience in a wide variety of fields including renewable energy, commercial, residential, institutional and public sectors.

Outside of the office, Dillon spends his time with his family. He also enjoys spending time with friends, watching football, playing basketball, fishing, snowboarding during the winter and white-water rafting during the summer.

David Bowers, PLS

Director of Surveying

David grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Creedmoor in 2007. He began his career in surveying in 1997 and has accumulated over twenty-five years in the survey project management arena. David possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in the disciplines of commercial, residential, and heavy civil construction highway projects, having worked on these types of projects throughout North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In addition to the above-mentioned disciplines, he has accumulated over twelve years of boundary, ALTA, as- built, topographic, control network surveying and GIS mapping database knowledge. David is well versed in workflows that include 3D surface model generation, civil site calibrations and machine guidance file management.

Over the last seven years, David has specialized in utilizing the latest high-definition terrestrial LiDAR scanning, 3D point cloud registration/indexing and 3D model generation techniques to deliver high quality 2D/3D deliverables to North Carolina clientele. He has attained and provided over six years of Trimble certified technical training and support on survey and machine grade control GNSS, laser and robotic platforms.

Ballentine Associates welcomed David in 2021 as the Director of Surveying. David says the thing he enjoys most about what he does is researching the past and tracing the footsteps of previous surveyors on a daily basis. David is a proud member of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors.

In his free time, David likes to attend and participate in local Track Day and Autocross events.

Aiden Bowers

Survey Field Tech

Perry Davis, CST I

Survey Crew Chief

Frank Emery, EI

Engineering Intern II

Frank was born into this business. He grew up in southern Maine and worked summers for his family’s civil engineering and land surveying company and after high school, attended Wentworth Institute of Technology where he received his B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology in 2005. Their careers brought Frank and his wife to this area in 2014, and Frank joined Ballentine Associates in 2015.  Frank is currently an Engineering Intern II in our firm and works closely with each member of the design team in developing projects from conception through closeout. Through his work at Ballentine Associates, Frank has improved his design skills and has developed strong client, consultant, and contractor relationships.

When Frank is not in the office, you can find him at home with his wife and two small boys, rooting for their favorite Boston sports teams or in the woods at his local golf course trying to find his golf ball.

David Guthrie, CST I

Survey Field Technician

Justin Hattaway, CST I

Survey Project Manager I

Justin is originally from Orlando, Florida and has over 20 years of experience in survey. Justin joined Ballentine Associates in 2019 as a crew chief and says being able to enjoy the great outdoors is one of his favorite things about survey work.

Justin currently lives in Bynum, and in his spare time works as a DJ and enjoys being a Dad.

Drew Howe, PE

Engineering Project Manager I

Drew grew up in Chattanooga, TN, and attended college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. After completing his undergraduate degree, Drew worked in construction management in Sacramento, CA, and Knoxville, TN. Drew’s interest in engineering was sparked by a great physics teacher in high school, combined with his natural abilities and interest in math and science. Drew joined Ballentine Associates in 2022. Two things come to mind for Drew when asked what he enjoys most about engineering – problem-solving, and the fact that there is almost always a physical outcome to the work. Drew finds satisfaction in seeing a newly completed project and knowing that he and the BA Team played a role in making that happen.

In his free time, Drew enjoys hiking, camping, playing with his dog Ginger, and traveling.

Will Milholen, EI

Engineering Intern II

Will grew up in Siler City, NC, and attended college at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. After completing his undergraduate degree, Will worked for a summer as a transportation intern at an engineering firm in Raleigh, and prior to that worked on a field crew doing land survey work. When Will was a freshman in high school, he started a camp with the Boys and Girls Club in Siler City called Roving Robotics. He says he learned just as much as the kids did when he was teaching them at camp. Will is also an Eagle Scout and for his Eagle Scout project in 2016, he designed a hunting blind for handicapped individuals. Will’s passion for engineering was always obvious!

Ballentine Associates happily welcomed Will to the team in August 2022. Will has always enjoyed the process of learning new things and applying different strategies to solve complex problems. Will specifically enjoys civil engineering because he can work on many different projects and see the ways in which his work makes a difference.

Will recently moved to Wake Forest. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing in the yard with his dog. He also enjoys going to the gym and spending time with his family and friends. Will and his wife have set a goal to visit all the different wineries in NC! We think this sounds like a great idea - have fun Will & Morgan!

Matt Pajak, EI

Engineering Intern II

Originally from Poland, Matt lived in Chicago and ran a successful construction business there for 14 years before moving to North Carolina in 2012.  Matt graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, having chosen the field due to its versatility, broad range of career paths, and interesting opportunities. Matt is proud to be part of Ballentine’s work designing new solar farms across the region, supporting the transition to green energy while delivering profitable and sustainable projects to our firm’s clients.  Matt enjoys conducting site visits and increasing his hydrology and CAD design knowledge and skills.

Matt lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and two children.  When not working, Matt enjoys playing soccer and traveling abroad with his family exploring new, interesting places and cultures.

Thomas “Lee” Price III, PE

Engineering Project Manager II

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from North Carolina State University, Lee Price joined Ballentine Associates in June of 2016. Ballentine Associates has allowed Lee to broaden his knowledge of engineering and design through the range of projects he has been involved with, including solar, commercial, and residential. Lee enjoys working with engineers, architects, and project managers as they share their expertise and experience both at the office and in the field.

When he is not in the office, Lee enjoys spending time with his dog, family and friends. His favorite activities include spending time at the beach on his boat fishing with family and friends.

Elizabeth Madrid Shivers

Office Manager

Being the daughter of a military family, Beth has lived in several different states, but primarily grew up in Durham. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Beth returned to the area and worked in hospitality management for several years, planning events and managing restaurants and bars. Beth then spent two years working as a paralegal in real estate and family law.

Beth joined Ballentine Associates in early 2021 and she keeps our office operating smoothly with her professionalism, her organizational skills, and her sense of humor! Beth says her favorite part of the job is being a regular point of contact for our clients and being part of a team that contributes to the communities around us. 

When not at work, Beth enjoys both indoor and outdoor activities such as reading and writing, re-finishing furniture, exercising, hiking, camping, kayaking, and exploring the many trails and rivers of our beautiful state.

Elisabeth Smith

Survey CAD Tech II

Julian Smith, PLS

Survey Project Manager

Julian Smith grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and earned his A.A.S. in Civil Engineering Technology at Wake Tech in 2020. He worked previously as a certified automotive technician for Hyundai, and Construction Materials Inspector.  Julian joined Ballentine Associates in November of 2018 as a CAD Tech. In his time at Ballentine, Julian has further developed his understanding of CAD, surveying techniques, and relationships with clients and is now a Survey Project Manager.

Julian is a huge fan of the Carolina Hurricanes and goes to a few games per year. He also is a car enthusiast and enjoys playing video games in his free time.

Brendan Turlington, sUAS, CST I

Survey Crew Chief

Erik Velna

Survey Field Tech

Bennie Ward III, CST I

Survey Crew Chief

Bennie is originally from Rocky Mount, NC and has previously worked in residential roofing and farm work.  Bennie joined Ballentine Associates in 2018 as a survey Instrument Operator and has worked his way up to Crew Chief.   Learning new skills, being outside and enjoying nature are among the things Bennie likes most about survey work.

Bennie currently lives in Oxford and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, riding four wheelers, and working on his house and yard.

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