Contact Us

Meet the PICA Team

Dave Russell

Dave Russell

President and founder of the PICA Group of Companies

Dave Russell is President, CEO and Founder of the PICA Group of companies. Dave is also a Fellow of the Canadian Society of NDT and has spent the past 56 years of his career in the NDT business. He holds several patents on the PICA Tools and has developed a new "TT" technique (a corrosion detection device that works from outside the pipe). Dave is also President of Russell NDE Systems Inc., the developer of the technology and builder of the PICA Tools. Contact through info@picacorp.com or call +1 (800) 661-0127

 

Edward Brain

Edward Brain

For service in the eastern seaboard of Canada, U.S.A, and France

Ed has spent a long and distinguished career in NDT instrumentation design, manufacturing and sales. He is based in Montreal and manages the eastern seaboard of Canada and the U.S.A.. Ed is fluent in both French and English. Contact through info@picacorp.com or call +1 (800) 661-0127

 

Vincent Shen

 

Vincent Shen

For service in Asia and North America

As an NDT professional, Vincent takes care of sales and technical support in western Canada and Asia. Vincent is fluent in both Mandarin and English. He is based in the Vancouver, BC Canada office.

Contact through info@picacorp.com or call +1 (800) 661-0127 

 

  James Hawthorne

For services inthe Eastern and mid west USA

Located in the Charlotte metropolitan area, James brings nearly 16 years of experience coming from a public utility company where he oversaw designs, specifications, and plan approvals for water and wastewater infrastructure. James’ experience in new pipeline construction, system operations, permitting requirements, and attention to operation and maintenance planning, allows him to bring a utility’s personnel viewpoint to PICA’s team of experts.

James graduated from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology and later received a master’s degree in Business Administration from Winthrop University. James is an active member of AWWA, Water Environmental Association of South Carolina (WEASC), and the South Carolina Rural Water Association (SCRWA). James has a Utility Management Certification from the National Rural Water’s Water University, and is a licensed water distribution operator and wastewater collection operator.

To connect with James email info@picacorp.com or call 1 (800) 661-0127

 

 

 

 

 

Kris Embry

V.P. Client Services

For service in the USA- East and West Coast

Kris has over 12 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry.  He specializes in facilitating solutions for condition assessment of pipelines.  He is involved from the front end of a project through the execution of condition assessment projects from budgeting and scope planning, to the final report.  Kris is a member and active participant of the Norcal Pipe User Group, AWWA Water Main Condition Assessment Committee as well as the NASSCO Pressure Pipe Committee. 

Past experience includes infrastructure inspection, construction and consulting including high resolution electromagnetic scanning, HD video, laser and sonar dimensioning, 3D mapping, photogrammetry, pipe and tunnel dredging/debris removal, leak detection and remote repair.   Kris has successfully estimated and contracted projects with values between $10,000 and $5,000,000 for customers such as the U.S. Air Force, Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

To contact Kris, please email him at info@picacorp.com or call 1-800-661-0127

 

  Andi Corrao

V.P. Client Solutions

For inspection and condition assessment solutions focused on your utility’s specific needs and the goals of your overall asset management programAndi is a water industry leader with more than 35 years of experience in water and wastewater engineering – planning, design, asset management, and condition assessment.  Having served as a consultant for the majority of her career, she brings a consultant’s view to each pipeline inspection project and strives to help PICA’s clients select and deploy the most appropriate inspection method(s) for their particular pipelines, which at times may be provided by PICA’s industry partners.  She strives to educate the water industry on best practices for conducting all steps of a pipeline condition assessment project or program and routinely gives educational workshops on this topic to utilities across the country.  Ms. Corrao is an active member and immediate Past Chair of the AWWA Water Main Condition Assessment Committee and is a contributing author to the M77 Manual of Practice – Condition Assessment of Water Mains, which is prepared and authored by this Committee. 

To contact Andi, please write info@picacorp.com or call 1-800-661-0127  

PICA Canada
(Head Office)

4909-75 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, T6B-2S3
tel: +1 780-469-4463
info@picacorp.com