Founder

Joel Dickerson, P.E.
President

Joel has successfully completed and assisted with the Napa County permitting of more than 300 residential projects, 25 winery projects, 8 hospitality projects, and multiple projects for churches and other non-profit groups.  He has been a practicing engineer for 16 years, and obtained registration as a California professional engineer (75989) in 2010. He is also a registered P.E. in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. His education includes a B.A. in Music from Walla Walla University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California - Berkeley.

Before founding Madrone Engineering, Joel enjoyed three years of Napa County project experience at Delta Consulting & Engineering of St. Helena. Prior to joining Delta, he worked on highway and transit design projects throughout the Bay Area (including with the agencies of Caltrans, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, Marin County, City of Oakland, BART, SMART, MTC, & BATA) during five years at URS Corporation (now AECOM). 

Joel and his wife Hilary have recently traded one wine country for another and relocated to the Walla Walla Valley in Washington State, and outside of work they can be found kayaking, camping, or, most of the time, chasing their two sons (ages 11 and 9).

Xander Culver, E.I.T.
Project Engineer

Although Xander was born and raised in California, he now calls the Pacific Northwest home. He recently graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Walla Walla University and has earned his EIT certificate (21024629). He has previously worked as a Forest Engineering Intern at the Washington DNR in Omak and volunteered for several months with Beehive Global, Inc. in Haiti.

He also enjoys working as a rock climbing and outdoor guide and volunteering with Engineers Without Borders. In his free time, Xander can be found at rock climbing cliffs, deep in the PNW backcountry, or playing guitar.

Associates

Michael Grimes, P.E.
Principal Engineer

A seasoned professional with more than 23 years of experience, Michael believes that providing clients excellent service is paramount. He has expertise preparing design plans, hydrology, wastewater, and stormwater reports, and specifications and cost estimates.

Michael has previously worked at Primas & Associates and CMX Inc. (Phoenix, AZ), Green Valley Consulting Engineers (Santa Rosa, CA), and Bartelt Engineering (Napa, CA).  He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University, and has been licensed in CA (73400) since 2008. Michael and his family reside in St. Helena, and are proud to call the Napa Valley home.

Gregory Brownworth
Operations Manager

Gregory has lived in the Napa Valley since 2004 and worked for 10 years in the wine industry as a wine chemist/enologist.  He also has nearly 10 years of experience as a wildlife and fisheries biologist working in Montana.  Interestingly, he also apprenticed as an assistant pastry chef!  His background suits him well to help facilitate the success of diverse projects.

Gregory enjoys the outdoors and though California is not Montana, he loves living in the area and spending his free time fishing, golfing, and gardening.  He is married to Aimee, a California native and the love of his life.