Professional Ropeway Consultants for Aerial Gondolas, Urban Cable Cars and Aerial Tramways:

ROGER GARDNER  Principal of ECO-Transit. Roger provides expert aerial cableway planning, project management and feasibility study services, specializing in technical and economic cableway studies, specifications development and cost estimating. Roger founded Eco-Transit and has over 40 years experience as a ropeway operator, planning and study specialist, constructor and project manager in urban and attraction gondolas, cable cars, telefericos and funiculars. He had primary responsibility for setting up the first engineering and manufacturing facilities in North America for two prominent European ropeway manufacturers. He has a wealth of experience in both urban oriented and recreation aerial cableway consulting, operations, planning, environmental integration and studies. He also has extensive experience in station oriented development for urban gondola systems. Roger started his career at Telluride Ski Resort in the lift operations and lift construction departments. He then moved into the aerial ropeway manufacturing sector, holding management positions with U.S. subsidiaries of major international cable car manufacturers. Subsequently, he became the North American President of another worldwide aerial cableway manufacturer before founding Eco-Transit as an independent specialist consultancy for urban and recreational lift systems in 2004. Mr. Gardner has authored numerous technical and economic feasibility studies for urban development that focus on aerial cable cars and urban gondolas as public transit systems and tourism attractions. In his professional carreer, Roger has been directly involved with the study, planning, construction and management of over 100 ropeway systems and aerial cableways worldwide.

ANDREA MAROCCHI, P.E. / PhD  Ropeway Professional Engineer / Consultant. Andrea provides ropeway structural and mechanical engineering and planning consulting for aerial cableways with a variety of public and private clients and has 40 years experience in feasibility studies, design engineering, safety standards and project management for aerial cable systems, funiculars and gondolas. Mr. Marocchi is an acknowledged expert for resort, industrial and urban transit ropeways. Marocchi has many tramway industry project references in Europe, North America, Japan and Korea. He has assisted regional governments in planning and programming of cable car public transportation systems; and he was special consultant to the 2006 Winter Olympics for their ropeway and gondola transportation systems. For five years he was a registered engineering consultant responsible for assessment of the European Ropeway Safety Standards by appointment of the European CEN Codes Organization. He has been a technical adviser and consultant to several European ski resorts and the manufacturers Doppelmayr, Garaventa, Leitner Lifts, and CCM Lifts. Andrea is a frequent speaker and technical paper presenter to international standards organizations, such as OITAF, concerning International Codes' conformance to recognized tramway and gondola safety standards.

BOBBY FARRELL, PE   Ropeway Professional Engineer / Consultant -Bobby has 12 years of professional experience in mechanical engineering with an emphasis on the design, project management, inspection, and certification under the ANSI B77.1 safety standard of aerial passenger tramways and gondolas for recreation and as people movers in the urban environment. Farrell has also used his mechanical engineering skills for the design, modification, and repair of structural and electro-mechanical equipment for ski lifts, chairlifts, conveyors, and other ropeways. Farrell is a Certified Tramway Inspector in multiple states in the U.S. and is active providing inspection, load testing and certification services for new and modified chairlifts, gondolas, and tramways. He is an expert in engineering design and testing of structural mechanical components for ropeway modifications and replacement parts for existing lift systems.

Professional skills involve expertise with 3D modeling, Revit model shapes, structures, and systems in 3D with parametric accuracy, Solid Works, finite element analysis, CNC and multi- axis milling, 3D printing, ground penetrating radar, data acquisition, motion control, materials testing, classical lamination theory. Proficiency with Ansys, Arduino, Python, Matlab, RealTerm, and Galil platforms. Farrell is co-founder of Elevation Engineering in Vermont.

RYAN LIVINGSTON, PE   Ropeway Professional Engineer / Consultant - Ryan has a Masters Degree and a wealth of professional experience in mechanical engineering with aerial tramway projects in 10 states around the country. Livingston's emphasis is on the design, implementation and certification under ANSI B77.1 safety standards for aerial passenger tramways and gondolas for recreational venues as well as in the urban environment. Livingston utilizes his mechanical engineering skills for the engineering design of structural and electro-mechanical equipment for ski lifts, chairlifts, conveyors, and other ropeways. He is an expert in engineering design and testing of structural and mechanical components for lift modifications and replacement parts for existing cableway lisystems.

His professional skills involve expertise with Onshape, Inventor, UG NX, Ansys Workbench, Trello, Team Gantt, Microsoft Project, Flow EFD, Tableau, Confluence, Pro-E, SolidWork, and Excel software. Ryan is co-founder of Elevation Engineering in Vermont.

JOSE DEYA, P.E. Ropeway Professional Engineer / Consultant. Jose provides specialized electrical planning and engineering, and as a native of Puerto Rico, is fluent in English and Spanish. Mr. Deya received his professional training and engineering degrees at Tulane University in the United States and has over 25 years of experience in teleferico aerial ropeway systems engineering, funicular installation, and vertical elevator design. He is an expert in the system design, planning, construction, and maintenance of aerial ropeways and elevators. Mr. Deya has extensive knowledge in project management, budget planning and system's operations and maintenance. In 2011 Jose founded the company, Caribbean Ropeway Advisors, and served as project manager for the installation of a Doppelmayr 8 passenger teleferico system in La Marquesa Regional Park, PR. In 2012 to 2015, Deya teamed with ECO-Transit for the design and feasibility study of a 12 passenger teleferico to service Olde Towne San Juan, and a system to service the municipality, sports stadium and beaches of Aguadilla, PR. In 2019 / 2020 Deya was the project manager and certifying engineer for a large incline ropeway system being installed in Puerto Rico at Conquistador Resort for transportation between the three levels of the hotel, condominium and marina complex. Jose has also been active in planning and proposal efforts in El Salvador, Panama, and in Santo Domingo, DR for the inspection services for Linea Uno of the MetroCable teleferico, and construction and inspection services proposals for the future Linea Dos.

MICHAEL ACIERNO Business Development / Financial Specialist. Michael provides financial analysis and business planning consulting for urban aerial ropeways and has 30 years of experience with startup and emerging growth companies in the transportation, infrastructure, and financial sectors. Michael was a founding director of First American Railways, the parent company of the groundbreaking Florida Fun-Train and has provided ongoing financial consulting services for the Durango & Silverton Railroad in Colorado. He held the position of VP of Corporate Development with North American Mag-Lev / Transrapid, which was recognized by the State of Florida for the intrastate High Speed Rail program. Transrapid developed and operated the first commercially viable MagLev transportation system in the world in Shanghai, China. Mr. Acierno has worked on various P3 structured, public / private partnerships for transit / infrastructure development and has worked extensively with government transportation agencies including the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, the City and County of Denver, and others in North America.

DAVID WILSON Ropeway Construction / Maintenance Specialist. Dave provides analysis and planning for aerial ropeways as a highly regarded expert for inspections, construction, operations and maintenance for resort cableways and aerial transit gondolas with over 35 years of experience constructing, operating and maintaining ropeways for resorts, lift manufacturers and public agencies. While working at Alyeska Resort, AK, Dave had the responsibility for bringing all the company’s lifts up to Code as well as the construction of several new high speed detachable chairlifts and a modern 110-passenger aerial tramway. Most recently, Dave was Lift Manager for Vail Resort for 10 years with full responsibility for the operations and maintenance of 30 chairlifts and 2 gondolas at Vail. Dave provides real world / real time, knowledge to feasibility study clients and the resort and urban gondola industry. Dave is a certified Tramway Inspector, a member of the ANSI B77 Standards Committee, a member of the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, and former President of OITAF-NACS International Ropeways Organization.