Laura Weber is the Vice President of Human Resources at Farnsworth Group where she provides strategic leadership and guidance across all areas of HR. With nearly 20 years of HR experience, Laura is passionate about creating a workplace where employees feel valued, engaged, and empowered. She is a firm believer that cultivating a strong, people-first culture is essential to driving both individual and organizational success. From talent acquisition and onboarding to development, engagement and retention, Laura focuses on building strategies that foster an inclusive, high-performing workplace.
Outside of work, Laura can be found cheering on her three children at their various sporting events. When she’s not on the sidelines, Laura loves traveling with her family or curling up with a good book and her two doodles.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology from Illinois State University.
Amanda is a Farnsworth Group Principal and Professional Electrical Engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in the design and construction of healthcare, municipal, federal, educational, and advanced manufacturing facilities. She serves as Section Leader for Farnsworth Group’s Electrical West group, bringing a wealth of lighting, power, and systems design experience. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, Building Design and Construction and is passionate about energy efficiency in conjunction with the principles of good design. In her free time, Amanda loves to run, hike, camp, ski and snowboard, and hang out with family and friends.
Jeff Chermely is the Architecture Group Leader and a Principal at Farnsworth Group. He is a licensed architect with over 20 years of experience. Jeff has delivered award-winning projects in a wide variety of markets including corporate office, K12 education, healthcare, sports and recreation, and life science. This wide range of experience, complemented with advanced degrees in business and construction, allow Jeff to manage complicated projects from concept to construction closeout.
Bob is a Farnsworth Group Principal and brings more than 35 years of experience to his role as Principal in Charge, providing leadership, oversight, and quality assurance across all aspects of architectural design. He serves as a primary point of contact for clients and project teams, guiding projects from early planning through completion. Bob works closely with clients and team members to coordinate schedules, manage in‑house resources, and ensure project goals are clearly understood and met. He has successfully partnered with organizations such as the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Iowa correctional facilities, and the Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office, completing a wide range of projects for both new and existing buildings. Known for his hands‑on approach, Bob is involved throughout the entire project lifecycle, tailoring each design to meet the specific needs of the client and community.
Ryan Uebinger’s true passion lies in working with team members to ensure Clients’ visions come to life and projects reach their fullest potential.
Ryan is a well-established professional and a Principal at Farnsworth Group with over 20 years of experience in transportation engineering, with wide ranging design and construction experience on urban roads and streets, interstate highways, rural highways, and bike trail projects. His experience includes project management for utility-scale wind energy projects, working with renewable energy companies and local road authorities, and providing civil and transportation design solutions.
Outside of the professional sphere, Ryan and his family enjoy spending time together outdoors whether it’s vacationing, hiking, hunting, or spending time on the family farm.
Growing up in a family of engineers, Ryan Riess always has known the complex world of math and science. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2006.
Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys. Ryan’s children found a love for baseball and roller-hockey, and he and his wife are always cheering them on at their games. The boys also are roller coaster fanatics, putting the Riesses constantly on the hunt for new amusement parks. Some of their recent favorites include Disney World, Dollywood, and Six Flags St. Louis.
Ryan previously worked for a large corporation and says he appreciates the family atmosphere at Farnsworth Group. He also points to our culture of teamwork, demonstrated during a recent dock-line replacement project consisting of a series of above-ground pipe racks spanning roads, railroads, and an Army Corps of Engineers levee. The project required more than 4 years of team effort and gave Ryan valuable insight into managing complex, multi-disciplinary projects.
Ted Barela is a Civil Engineer with over 30 years of experience in land development, design, and construction. He helped start Farnsworth Group’s Fort Collins office in 2007 and currently serves as the office’s Center Manager, while also overseeing the company’s Colorado Land Assembly team. Ted has extensive experience working on both private- and public-sector projects throughout Colorado and Wyoming. He enjoys working on multi-discipline projects and seeing them come to fruition on the construction side.
Ted takes pride in providing responsive and quality service to his long-standing clients. This includes the United States Air Force Academy, a client he has served since 1993. He has designed hundreds of civil sitework, utility, and drainage projects for the Academy during his career. Unique projects have included airfields, dams, reservoirs, utility distribution, and stormwater management.
While not in the office completing projects, Ted can be found spending time with his wife and two daughters on road trips, summer boating, and watching his youngest daughter play soccer for the University of Wyoming!
Paul Wheeler joined Farnsworth Group in early 2020 with the acquisition of FWAI Architects, Inc., and manages architectural services for our Springfield, IL office. He has served as project manager and design architect on a multitude of projects in both the public and private sectors. His 30+ years of experience as a registered architect have honed his design sense and given him a wealth of experience to draw from for each new project he takes on.
His focus is on total client satisfaction, and the volume of repeat clients confirms the success of his approach. Numerous satisfied clients in the healthcare, higher education, commercial, and recreation sectors followed Paul and his team from FWAI to Farnsworth Group. As an architectural principal with Farnsworth Group, he continues to create solid relationships with all his clients, cultivating a firm sense of trustworthiness and dependability and assembling the best teams for all their needs.
Paul is active in his community with his local Catholic diocese, and in his free time he enjoys traveling, biking, kayaking, cooking, and spending time with his family.
Paige Hefner began her career with Farnsworth Group in 1996 – as a student intern! Throughout her career, Paige has progressively taken on responsibilities in engineering, project management, client management, and quality control.
Paige oversees Farnsworth Group’s Building Structural Engineering services, a nationwide team of nearly 20 professionals that assists clients with structural assessments, modifications, and design for a wide variety of project types. Paige enjoys working at Farnsworth Group because of the great people and the diverse projects.
During her spare time, Paige can be found spending time with family, at her son’s sporting events, traveling, or enjoying the great outdoors.
