Celebrating 25 years this fall, RACE Coastal Engineering (RACE), headquartered in Stratford, CT, has a long history of working with shoreline communities to improve their coastlines and waterways.
“Our focused experience working on waterfront infrastructure improvements and shoreline protection has enabled us to design innovative, cost effective and resilient solutions for the coastal environment,” said RACE President Devin Santa.
RACE was founded in Guilford, CT in 1999 by John Roberge, P.E. (“JR”), a Coastal and Oceanographic Engineer on the leading edge of dredging science. In the early 2000s, Santa, also a Professional Engineer who spent his life on the water, joined forces with JR and expanded RACE’s marine services and capabilities. The purpose then – and today – is to provide specialized engineering and dredging solutions to coastal communities.
“RACE has worked with thousands of clients from every property type that the tidal waters influence, including marinas, yacht clubs, port facilities, municipalities, and private residences,” said Devin. The RACE team combines their passion for the water, skills and education with business success. “We work on the water, we play on the water, and we understand the challenges of working on the coast from both an end-user and professional standpoint.”
With a focus on resilient design, projects completed by the RACE Team have mitigated costly storm damage to shoreline properties around the region.
In addition to JR and Devin, the RACE partnership has grown over the years. Azure Dee Sleicher, P.E., WEDG, CFM, Vice President of Coastal Engineering and Partner, joined the team in 2016, bringing extensive experience in coastal erosion protection and storm damage mitigation. In 2022, Project Managers Matt Rakowski, P.E. and Steve Sternberg, P.E. joined the ownership team with advanced Coastal Engineering certifications and a strong history of leading successful engineering projects and business initiatives.
RACE’s dedicated sixteen-person team is ready to journey into the next 25 years working with communities to recover, protect, rehabilitate, utilize and enjoy our waterfronts. “It’s an honor to reach this milestone – we haven’t done it alone,” Devin continued. “The entire RACE Team is deeply grateful for wonderful relationships with clients, colleagues, vendors, and the community. Our promise is to always act responsively to our clients’ needs with integrity and respect for the coastal environment.”
RACE Coastal Engineering is celebrating 25 years of providing coastal, structural, geotechnical and regulatory consultation and design for residential, yacht club, marina, municipal, and commercial clients throughout the Northeast and beyond.
RACE Coastal Engineering provides coastal, structural, geotechnical and regulatory consultation and design to residential, yacht club, marina, municipal, and commercial properties and facilities throughout the Northeast and beyond. RACE’s award-winning projects have included design of piers, bulkheads, dredging, seawalls, breakwaters, marinas, waterfront parks, erosion control and shoreline restoration solutions. To learn more about RACE, call 203-377-0663 or visit racecoastal.com. ■
