Leadership Team

It is my honor to serve as president of AES.  This year, 2024, marks 5 years that I have had the privilege to lead and work with such talented and dedicated professionals. AES was founded by Paul Small in 1980 as a small firm providing engineering services for local developers and James City County.  Over the years our company has benefited from planned leadership transitions from Paul Small, P.E., to Richard Costello, P.E., to Arch Marston, P.E.  Each of these leaders left an indelible mark on AES, instilling their core values including outstanding teamwork, dedication to quality, and creation of wealth.

I am proud to continue such leadership, guided by the principal of commitment to our employees.  I believe that by taking care of our employees, they pass along this same high level of care to our many clients. We do this by fostering a culture and an environment that ensures our project managers and their teams are motivated, well-compensated, and receive the best mentorship and training.  This concept of taking care of our clients by taking care of our employees is our core value at AES.  The two key groups at the center of our business are our clients and employees.

As Chief Executives, both my father and grandfather owned businesses, managed companies, and invested in ventures ranging from real estate to arena management.  The two subjects that were always discussed over coffee or at the family dinner table were sports and business.  Over time, I realized the key to success in both these areas hinged on putting together the absolute best team.  As for sports, I took a shot at my dream of playing the PGA tour by grinding on the mini tours for a few years.  As that dream faded, I refocused on business pursuits, again guided by my father and grandfather.

Remembering the importance of a top-notch leadership team, I am fortunate to have the experienced and dedicated professionals of our senior management team, guiding AES each day.  With more than 20 years of experience with AES, Jason Grimes, P.E., Vice President, guides the Williamsburg Office, leveraging experience in engineering design and entitlement support.  He also has a unique talent for understanding our company financials and the importance of reinvestment in AES to benefit clients and employees equally.  Sam Bikkers, L.S., Director of Surveying, provides clients with a dedication to responsiveness and quality, based on his over 40 years of experience.  He is integral to helping us transfer workload among offices and team to ensure the most expedient submittals and service.  Ed Blackwell, P.E. leads our Harrisonburg office, leaning on his over 40 years of experience, including running his family’s civil engineering business.  Mark Ricketts, P.E., L.S., Office Manager, continues to grow our Chesapeake team, providing Hampton Roads clients with 30 years of experience, most recently for healthcare and residential developments.  John Bennett, P.E., LEED A.P., Office Manager, provides Central Virginia clients with more than 20 years of development design experience, especially for retail and commercial centers, and now solar developments across Virginia.  Ryan Stephenson, P.E., Director of Project Management continues the tradition of Senior Project Manager by joining the management team.  He demonstrates a consistent dedication to the fundamentals of project management and client service to which any successful management team must adhere.  

We embrace the challenge of attracting the best talent to join such a dedicated and experienced team in the work of serving our clients. We are fortunate to lead this group of talented and dedicated professionals, providing exceptional client service to our client base of property owners, developers, real estate attorneys, architects, commercial real estate brokers, general contractors, municipalities, home builders, property managers, and many others.

Jason Noah, President
2024