EKHO Research & Development (R&D) Team

Boris Karanfilovski, MBA, P.Eng., PMP, has a 25-year background in planning, design, and construction management of civil and structural engineering projects. His extensive design experience in soil mechanics, reinforced concrete, and structural steel for road infrastructure, municipal, mining, and residential/commercial development is an asset to the group. His understanding and ability to analyze geotechnical reporting, ground conditions and knowledge of structural design for a variety of applications has served him well through the development of various ground and structure-mounted precast noise walls and crash barrier walls, with cantilevered and mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls.

As a Senior Research Engineer on the EKHO R&D team, his role centers on developing and improving retaining and noise wall systems within the portfolio.

Boris is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta and a Certified Project Manager Professional (PMP). He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the University of St. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje – Macedonia and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Fredericton.

A registered professional engineer in the State of Texas, Dr. Dean C. Alberson obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering Structures at Texas A&M University and has served most of his career at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Since beginning his tenure in 1992, Dean has been actively involved in over 2000 crash tests. His passion for developing new research areas and new products is contagious and his invaluable experience within highway safety and physical security serves communities across North America who benefit from safer, crashworthy structures.

In his role on the EKHO R&D team, Dean will be involved in the development and testing of concrete products used in physical security (anti-ram and anti-ballistic) applications. He will also be coordinating with partner organizations for applications in roadside safety applications.

Gary’s passion for noise wall and retaining wall products started nearly 40 years ago, working for industry leaders on the development of precast and alternative noise barrier types, with a special focus on ballistic resistance, fire-rated walls and perimeter security.

Gary has played a key role in pioneering absorptive noise walls into the US market. As an acoustics expert, he has worked alongside some of the world’s best acoustic engineers providing education and many forms of noise control across industries. Gary has also participated with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sub-committee on Transportation Related Noise and Vibration for decades.

As a product manager for EKHO, Gary provides support to his team and the businesses through his technical guidance and market intelligence to ensure a products viability, competitiveness, and satisfies a particular gap or client need. EKHO greatly benefits from his extensive experience and understanding of acoustics, as he currently applies it to the testing and exploration of porous concrete.

Kurt Lindemann is the Manufacturing Technology Manager for the EKHO Group, where his commitment to technological advancement and his deep understanding of precast concrete quality control and plant performance ensures safe, efficient, sustainable operations.

His expertise in manufacturing lends itself to our facilities and licensing partnerships, where he sets a leading standard for all our products produced. Kurt’s experience upholding the Durisol brand legacy of quality is where his contributions have distinguished our construction solutions for the last 25 years in an evolving, competitive marketplace.

Kurt is currently working with the EKHO R&D team on the development and advancement of our portfolio of noise barrier, crash barrier systems and security products, and is excited to see the progress made with Durisol 20-foot double-sided noise barrier panel now available in both Canada and the US. His passion for experimenting with various types of sustainably sourced raw materials to improve upon our high performing capabilities and broaden our range of product offerings.

Mac Readhead has a background in Precast Concrete, Steel Fabrication, Roadside Safety Products and Noise Attenuation design following 10 years developing products to combine advancements in both Roadside Safety and Noise Mitigation industries. Mac has over 12 years of experience working with SolidWorks to develop conceptual prototypes, functional 3D printed models and finite element analysis simulations to validate structures. Working with industry leaders in both roadside safety and noise barrier sectors, Mac has designed products that have been successfully crash tested to MASH TL-4 standards and are in use across North America. Mac is also a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing committee on Transportation-Related Noise and Vibration (AEP80) where he will support the direction of noise mitigation solutions and standards. Mac continues to apply his knowledge of various materials and manufacturing methods on innovative Noise Attenuation products within the EKHO Research and Development Team.

Jordan joined Durisol as a Senior Draftsperson in 2015 and then was promoted to Senior Designer/Group Supervisor in 2021 until 2022. He has a diploma from Mohawk College in Architectural Technology.

In his role on the R&D team, Jordan will be responsible for managing new product development ideas from concept to production, supporting, evaluating, and resolving technical feasibility, design optimization, production issues, supporting improvement opportunities in areas of efficiency, and collaborating both internally and externally to transfer ideas or concepts into robust products providing customer solutions and building strong relationships with customers, vendors, and partners.

Jordan’s goals are to create and implement policies and procedures within the business and the manufacturing plants that increase productivity and reduce risk of errors. He is also eager to identify new technologies and markets to support long-term business growth – creating new innovations to serve them with welcomed acceptance and adoption.

Ben is a licensed Professional Engineer throughout Canada and a graduate from the University of Waterloo in Civil – Structural Engineering. A founding member of Safe Roads Engineering and lead on the EKHO Research and Development team, Ben is an advocate for the improvement of infrastructure safety, with more than 20 years of experience in road side safety design and construction, noise barrier design and construction, and crash testing.

“I am enthusiastic about pushing boundaries with the formation of this team and eager to witness the possibilities it holds for noise barrier and infrastructure solutions. The formation of the EKHO R&D team is just the start of our journey for the Group.”

Ben is an active participant with committees such as Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists (CATAIR), American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), and the Global Security Exchange (GSX).