Sewall Hires Christen Wilber as New Vice President of Geospatial Services
James W. Sewall Company (Sewall) announces today that it has hired Christen (Chris) Wilber, PLS, as its new Vice President of Geospatial Services (GS). He will oversee all aspects of the geospatial division, including geospatial asset management, geospatial forestry, and geospatial services that enhance and expand Sewall’s civil engineering offerings.
Chris comes to Sewall from his most recent work as a consultant with Attar Engineering’s survey group, managing crews and reviewing plans and proposals. Immediately prior, he served as president of SGC Engineering LLC, the US based engineering, survey and GIS division of Lloyd’s Register, London, UK. In that capacity, he led a 175-person engineering company specializing in both oil and gas and renewables, reporting to the global parent company under its renewable energy lead as vice president. While there, he worked with Lloyd’s Register Foundation to identify and develop technologies to make pipelines and energy projects safer.
Previously, Mr. Wilber garnered executive leadership experience as VP Pipeline Services at Lloyd’s Register in Houston, TX, and London, UK, and as Director of Pipeline Services for SGC Engineering LLC in Portland, Maine. Chris gained significant natural gas pipeline experience, both in operations and project development, as the supervisor and interim manager of the land department at the El Paso Corporation in Houston, TX. During that time, he worked with task forces that assessed damages from hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Additionally, his degree in Forest Technology from the University of New Hampshire served him well as the Right-of-Way and GIS Manager of Portland Natural Gas Transmission System, where he successfully led the acquisition of over 350 miles of pipeline right-of-way through the heavily forested northern New England landscape.
Chris began his successful entrepreneurial career as the co-founder of a land surveying firm in 1987, and later managed a regional survey and title office out of Portsmouth, NH. Throughout his work life, he has promoted new ways of looking at problems, processes, and teams to maximize productivity that results in successful projects. Currently, he is professionally licensed as a land surveyor in both Maine and New Hampshire and is also an FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot.
Charles Nadeau, President of Sewall, said, “Chris brings significant executive-level leadership experience to the Sewall team, having 35 years of progressively responsible experience in business management, large project management, and energy projects in the growing clean energy space. He brings a curious, thoughtful, inventive approach to his work in GS. I am thrilled to add his talents to our already outstanding GS team.”
Chris works out of the Sewall/TFIC office at 14 York Street, Suite 102, in Portland, Maine, and travels regularly to Sewall’s headquarters at 77 Exchange Street, Suite 401, in Bangor, Maine. He may be reached at (207) 817-5410 | chris.wilber@sewall.com.