3127 Seltice way
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho 83814
Tel: (208) 665-0509 * Fax: (208) 246-7633
(January 2012)
Richard Diven, operating as R. J. Diven Consulting, LLC, provides expert witness and consulting services related to the industrial and commercial demolition industries. Clients include: law firms, insurance companies, property owners, appraisers, government agencies, architects, and engineers. Mr. Diven was co-founder and a member of the management team of a major demolition firm founded in 1964 and has extensive experience in the preparation and implementation of Demolition Work Plans/Cost Estimates,
Risk Management, and Specification/Project Management Consultation. Explosive demolition is NOT included in Mr. Diven’s fields of expertise.
Mr. Diven has a wide range of experience that includes numerous major projects throughout the United
States involving the following types of demolition:
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Litigation services: Mr. Diven provides expert witness services for both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation related to demolition of buildings and structures. See pages 3 and 4.
University of Washington: BS Ceramic Engineering - 1963
EPA HazMat 40-Hr. Training (not current)
1962-1964: Engineer for Owens Illinois Glass Co. in Oakland, CA
1964-1980: President of ICONCO: Responsibilities included estimating, project supervision and project management. During this period, ICONCO grew steadily to become one of the major demolition companies in the United States.
1980-1991: President of R. J. Diven, Inc., a demolition consulting firm. Projects included estimating, project management, development of project specific work plans, safety plans, environmental plans and waste management/recycling plans.
1991-June 2000: Returned to ICONCO as Vice-President. Duties included managing estimators and project managers for all ICONCO operations. Mr. Diven provided oversight for project document submittals (i.e. safety and health plans, environmental plans and demolition work plans) and was extensively involved in the turn-key closure and liquidation of several major industrial facilities.
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June, 2000 - Present: Manager of R. J. Diven Consulting, LLC. Provides expert witness services and consultation on demolition projects in the United States and foreign countries.
The following projects represent an outline of the type and scope of Mr. Diven’s overall experience in the demolition industry. Note: Although Mr. Diven’s field of expertise does not include the use of explosives, he has extensive experience working with explosives subcontractors on a wide variety of projects.
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Total liquidation and demolition of four large pulp mill complexes in Washington and Alaska. Duties included management and oversight of estimating, equipment valuation, submittal documents, scheduling, and liaison with owners’ representatives. These contracts were turn-key type of projects whereby ICONCO was responsible for all or most of the following activities for each of the mills:
 Planning assistance to the owner in the form of budgets, work safety plans and asset recovery
 Asbestos abatement services either as contractor or managing subcontractors
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Hazardous materials removals: heavy metals, chemicals, and petroleum products
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Set-up and maintenance of storm water control system
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Salvage and crating of machinery designated for re-use by the owner
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Marketing and sale of useable salvaged equipment
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Utility terminations and relocation
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Separating portions of structures designated to remain from those to be demolished
 Demolition of above grade factory facilities such as large buildings and vessels and process systems
 Demolition of sub-grade structures such as concrete foundations and piling
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Crushing and re-cycling concrete from the demolished structures
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Preparation and marketing of large quantities of scrap metals
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Grading and final site restoration
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experience includes the following major structures:
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Removal of the exterior walls of two Pacific Bell Telephone buildings for earthquake repairs. Over
4,000 tons of concrete and terra cotta were removed from the 30-story structures.
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Demolition of two hospitals buildings for the Cabrini Hospital in Seattle, WA. Work required separation of portions of the building from structures that remained and work in the vicinity of an eye surgery area.
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Demolition of the Landmark Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Work included interior demolition and preparations for explosive demolition by a subcontractor.
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Extensive interior demolition of Los Angeles City Hall for earthquake repairs, separated into three projects. These projects included the salvaging of historic items, removal of interior construction and demolition of concrete walls, and foundations for new construction and installation of base isolators.
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experience with many types of structures and construction materials. The following list is representative of Mr. Diven’s bridge and marine demolition experience:
 Demolition of a two-track railroad bridge over the Spokane River, Spokane, WA.
 Demolition of a bascule type railroad bridge at the Ballard Locks in Seattle, WA.
 Subcontractor for a portion of the work required for the removal and replacement of the deck structure of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA.
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 Demolition of a lift-span railroad bridge across the Illinois River.
 Demolition of a bascule type highway bridge over the Blair Waterway in Tacoma, WA.
 Removal of the Pacific Ocean Amusement Park at Santa Monica, CA.
 Demolition of the warehouses and piers at Pier 47 at the Port of Seattle.
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experience includes the following contracts for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and U.S. Navy:
 Demolition of abandoned structures at the U.S. Coast Guard Base at Kodiak, AK.
 Demolition of the U.S. Navy Fueling Pier at Point Molate, CA.
 Demolition of Nike Missile facilities at several locations near Fairbanks, AK.
 Demolition of two aircraft hangers at the Ford Island facilities at Pearl Harbor, HI.
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Demolition of an obsolete boiler plant and power house at Ft. Wainwright, AK.
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experience includes the following:
 Dismantling and preparing for shipment of a 250-ton overhead bridge crane from the former U.S.
Navy Big Gun Shop at Pocatello, ID.
 Dismantling a Missile Launch Umbilical Tower at Vandenberg AFB, CA for future re-erection.
 Salvaging and crating for shipment of over 5,000 tons of pulp mill equipment.
 Removal, disassembly and shipping of a 12’-dia x 450’-long cement kiln.
 Dismantling of a pulp recovery boiler for shipment to Mexico.
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Litigation
Provided expert witness services for the defense of a third party defendant in an employee injury matter involving the demolition of machinery.
Consulting service provided to an amusement park contractor for defense of an employee injury claim involving removal of a feature at the park.
Deposed and provided expert witness services for the defense of a large power company regarding a suit by a third tier subcontractor employee that was injured.
Employed by the plaintiff in the settlement of a property damage claim caused by an unplanned building collapse during the demolition of an adjacent building.
Retained as a consultant to an insurance company to evaluate the damage done by a demolition contractor during the retrofit of a major sports stadium.
Demolition Engineering Studies
Retained to provide a comprehensive demolition survey of the old Port of Aqaba, Jordan for eventual redevelopment into a major business and residential area.
Retained by a major environmental firm to assist in the preparation of a proposal to dismantle and move an oil refinery from the USA to the Middle
East.
Contracted to prepare an extensive cost estimate for the future demolition and site restoration of three large coal fired power plants located in
Nevada.
Retained over a four year period to provide ongoing cost estimates and specification review for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Int'l Airport Runway
17-35 Expansion.
Retained as a consultant to the architects for the demolition of the Jackson Visitors Center at Mt.
Rainier National Park for the National Park Service
- a four year project.
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Provided defense consultation resulting in the settlement of a fire insurance claim against a demolition contractor that was demolishing an adjacent building.
Provided estimating and technical proposal support for the demolition of the Trojan Nuclear
Reactor Containment Structure located near
Rainier, OR.
Retained by plaintiff attorneys for expert witness service involving the serious injury of their client while employed on a bridge demolition project.
Provided project management services to ICONCO for the treaty destruction of GB Production and
Fill Facilities at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in
Denver, CO.
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(As of June 2011)
 Consulting for the US Army Corps of Engineers for their Facilities
Reduction Program (FRP), which includes the demolition of many types of structures owned by the Army, such as chemical plants, power/heating plants, family housing buildings, etc.
 Consulting for NASA for the dismantling and removal of rocket engine test facilities. (Note: this project is being managed by the
Corps of Engineers, who have employed Frankie Friend and
Associates, Inc. and R. J. Diven Consulting, LLC as primary consultants).
 Consulting for the United States Air Force on several large demolition projects (Note: these projects are being managed by the Corps of Engineers, who have employed Frankie Friend and
Associates, Inc. and R. J. Diven Consulting, LLC as primary consultants).
 Three active expert witness services in progress (as of 01/03/12)
 Presentation of a demolition estimating seminar for the National
Demolition Association (NDA). (Sept. 2011)
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
Co-
Authors, Richard J. Diven and Mark Shaurette, Ph.D., released by Materials Technology Institute ,
2011
 A textbook – “Demolition: Practices, Technology and Management” – Co-Authors, Richard J.
Diven and Mark Shaurette, Ph.D. Released August 2010 by Purdue University Press.
 The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice, Update 2006 Edition: “Demolition Planning” –
Co-Authors, Richard Diven and Michael R. Taylor, CAE pp 143 – 153. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
 TAPPI International Environmental Conference Volume 3: “The Safe, Cost Effective and
Environmentally Responsible Disposition of Pulp/Paper Mills” - Co-Authors: Dennis Knutz and
Richard J. Diven / 863. TAPPI Press, 1999.
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 Guest lecturer at the School of Construction Management, Purdue University: “Demolition
Estimating”(two lectures per year - ongoing since 2008).
 Guest lecturer at Arizona State University, School of Construction Management: “OSHA Demolition
Regulations,” April 2010.
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