Nick Smith

Biography

Nick Smith is a Civil/Structural Consultant based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with plans to relocate to Charleston, South Carolina, to continue supporting clients across the Southeast. Nick is a valued member of the Civil/Structural Consulting team at YA Group and has over three years of experience in the civil and structural forensics industry.

Nick provides consultation related to structural damage assessment for commercial and residential properties, including steel building damage, storm damage evaluation, concrete roof deck assessments, steel roof systems, foundation cracking, long-term deterioration, and construction defects.

Prior to joining YA Group, Nick worked extensively in civil and structural forensics, where he gained experience with depositions and the evaluation of large commercial properties involving multiple parties. He has designed and analyzed structural repair systems using wood, concrete, steel, and masonry materials, as well as conducted both destructive and non-destructive investigations of existing structures. Nick has also performed structural analysis to determine adequacy under as-is conditions and developed reinforcement solutions for previously modified members and complex systems.

In addition to his consulting expertise, Nick is a licensed remote pilot of small unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and has applied this technology for commercial inspection purposes.

Outside of work, Nick enjoys hiking, camping, canoeing, and exercising. He frequently takes extended camping trips to the lakes of Maine and enjoys exploring National Parks across the country. While attending North Carolina State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with a focus in Structural Analysis, Nick was an active member of the ASCE student chapter and participated in the design and construction of a competitive concrete canoe.

Credentials

• P.E.
• CFEI

Representative Consulting Assignments

• Precast Concrete Building | Roof Collapse | Evaluate collapsed precast double tee concrete beam that had fallen from the ceiling to determine cause of displacement and provided guidance regarding repairs.
• Steel Warehouse Building | Fire Investigation | Evaluate the structural elements at the interior of a steel warehouse building following a fire and provided guidance regarding cleanup and repairs.
• Steel Warehouse Building | Water Intrusion | Evaluated water intrusion at the roof of a building that occurred during efforts to install a new roof as well as reviewed and provided guidance regarding repairs proposed by others.
• Masonry Reinforced Building | Fire Investigation | Evaluated structural elements at interior of a masonry building following a fire and provided guidance regarding cleanup and repairs.
• Wooden Dock | Storm Damage Assessment | Evaluated nine wooden docks to determine if reported displacements were related to wind or wind generated waves and provided guidance regarding repairs.
• Greenhouse Building | Storm Damage Assessment | Evaluated large greenhouse property with several fractured moving glass panels spread throughout to determine if loss was related to reported wind event or the construction/installation.

Professional Experience

• 2025 - Current | Senior Project Manager | YA Group
• 2022 - 2025 | Consulting Engineer | Engineering Design & Testing Corp./EDT Engineers, P.C.
• 2019 - 2022 | Project Engineer | Network Building + Consulting
• 2015 - 2019 | Consulting Engineer | Tower Engineering Professionals, Inc.

Area of Practice

• ADA Compliance Assessment
• Building Code Upgrade Review
• Building Envelope
• Communications Engineering
• Builder's Risk 
• Condition Assessment
• Construction Defect Reviews 
• Damage Assessment
• Failure Analysis
• Roofing
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Structural Analysis

Education

• North Carolina State University - Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering - Raleigh - North Carolina

Training Courses

• Structural Design Topics in Wood Construction” - seminar sponsored by Virginia Polytechnic and State University - 2024
• Sinkholes and Structural Damage: An Insurance Industry Perspective - Engineering Design and Testing Conference - 2023
• Commercial Roof Information, Evaluations, Repairs and Reporting - Engineering Design and Testing Conference
• Assessing Risk of Structure Damage Over Abandoned Coal Mines - webinar sponsored by ASCE
• 22nd Annual Paul Zia Distinguished Lecture - Design & Construction of the Rainier Square Redevelopment Projec - webinar sponsored by North Carolina State University
• ASCE 7-22 & IBC 2024 Update - webinar sponsored by ASCE 2022
• 21st Annual Paul Zia Distinguished Lecture - Design & Construction of the Rainier Square Redevelopment Project - webinar sponsored by North Carolina State University
• SEI Standards Series – ASCE 7-22 Overview & Changes - webinar sponsored by ASCE
• Network Building and Consulting – Water Tank Analysis Best Standard Practices - Online Seminar
• 2021 EZ-PDH Design of Commercial Buildings to Mitigate Terrorist Attacks - Online Seminar
• Transforming the Rail in Virginia - webinar sponsored by ASCE
• EZ-PDH Innovative Building Technology - Online Seminar
• EZ-PDH Rock Excavations Blasting Design - Online Seminar

Affiliations

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Structural Engineering Institute (SEI)

Licenses

• 95304 - Florida - Professional Engineer
• 052760 - Georgia - Professional Engineer
• 050468 - North Carolina - North Carolina - Professional Engineer -
• 40745 - South Carolina - Professional Engineer
• 127270 - Tennessee - Professional Engineer
• 065725 - Virginia - Professional Engineer