August 7, 2024

MLA Engineering

Palekha

Avellandeda

Bearden

MLA Engineering, a structural engineering firm based in Seattle, recently hired three professionals.

Joining MLA as a senior associate is John Bearden. Bearden brings structural engineering leadership to community-based projects. His advanced knowledge and experience gained over the past 25 years include a list of high-profile clients: NBC/Universal, National Gallery of Art, Boeing, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Air force, Seattle Mariners (T-Mobile Park), Sound Transit, and Port of Seattle.

Bearden specializes in constructability reviews and cost estimating. He is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

Raul Avellandeda has joined as a project designer. Avellandeda is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech where he earned a master's degree in civil engineering with a structural engineering focus. His research involved testing flooring systems for seismic loading —updating equations in code to account for more capacity with less material. His investigations are continuing remotely and will culminate in a PhD while he also gains valuable hands-on experience at MLA.

Sophia Palekha has joined as a revit technician. Palekha comes to MLA with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Washington State University. She has expertise in Revit, combined with a background in CAD and SketchUp.