March/April 2022 - 71

Harry W. Schnabel Continues an
Impressive Industry Leadership Line
The Path Forward
While Hank Schnabel inherited the
family name, he did not immediately
dive into the Schnabel waters. However,
he tells us, " I think that I always knew
that I was going to be involved in
engineering, as I loved to figure out how
things worked. At Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI), I started out as an
electrical engineer/computer science
major. I got bored with building 'little
things' and liked what I was doing in my
summer jobs working at Schnabel
Foundation, so I switched to civil
engineering. "
H received a bachelor
ank
Harry W. Schnabel Jr., P.E, is the vice
president of engineering at Schnabel
Geostructural Design and Construction,
formerly known as Schnabel Foundation
Company. He works out of the
company headquarters in Sterling,
Virginia. Better known as " Hank, " he is
the second generation of Schnabel
family members in the firm. With six
offices, it is widely considered an industry
leader in earth retention, micropile
design and construction, jet grouting,
deep soil mixing, and related deep
foundation and geo-support systems.
What was to become Schnabel
Foundation began operations in 1956
with a different name, and to some
degree, focus. The original entity was
founded by brothers Harry V. Jr. and Jim
and known as Foundat ion Test
Services. In 1959, Harry Jr. and Jim
went in different directions. Harry
started Schnabel Foundation Company,
while Jim stayed with Foundation Test
Services, which eventually became
Schnabel Engineering, an industryleading
geotechnical engineering firm.
AUTHOR S. Scot Litke, Hon. D.GE
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * MAR/APR 2022 * 71
of science and master's degree in civil
engineering from RPI in 1982 and 1984,
respectively. Soon after, he went to work
for GZA GeoEnvironmental, (formally
known as Goldberg-Zoino and Associates),
Newton, Massachusetts. He
worked there as a geotechnical engineer
and performed and evaluated borings,
observed construction sites, and prepared
geotechnical reports. His early
experiences were an excellent training
ground on the engineering side of the
geo-support business and served him
well when, in 1988, he joined Schnabel
Foundation, which he had known
intimately since childhood.
Since coming on board at Schnabel,
Hank has served in many capacities
with diverse responsibilities. The titles
he has held chronicle his history. He
started off as a construction manager,
became the New England and New
York regional manager, transitioned
into being the director of business
development, and ultimately took his
current role as vice president of
engineering.
MEMBER PROF I LE
Throughout his career, his peers
have appreciated and admired his
technical and managerial skills,
especially his concern for fellow
colleagues and company personnel in
general. Schnabel President Kevin
Cargill puts it this way, " If there is a
construction technique or a design
method that I am thinking about, odds
are that Hank has some experience
with it. " Cargill points out that Hank
has designed and constructed earth
retention and specialty foundation
projects all over the U.S. This includes
projects in Boston, Honolulu, San Francisco
and Washington D.C., demonstrating
his expertise in dealing with
diverse regions whose geologic conditions
present a wide range of challenges.
For example, Hank notes that
the First Hawaiian Center in Honolulu
was one of his most challenging
projects due to difficult soil conditions,
poor quality rock, groundwater, and a
complex foundation and anchored
retention system.
Schnabel Foundation, like many
civil engineering contractors, has
historically designed and built many of
their projects, thus he and the firm have
had considerable experience in the
design-build project delivery system
before it became a " thing. "
Providing Support in Several
Spheres
When it comes to how Hank is thought
of as a colleague, Cargill notes, " His
passion for the work remains apparent.
He looks for opportunities to work with
young engineer-managers. He helps
teach a week-long design course
designed especially for them, and
pitches in whenever there is a need. "
March/April 2022

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