REDWOOD CITY, CA – January 31, 2019 – BKF Engineers today announced an expansion of its corporate leadership positions. Principal/Vice President Jaysen Long has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, a new position within BKF. Director of Accounting/Controller Jean Chen has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer.
“We need to continually adapt to our fast-paced industry. This investment in operations and finance will strengthen BKF’s design and delivery of hallmark projects,” said Dave Richwood, Principal and Chairman, BKF. “The promotions of Long and Chen provide the necessary corporate leadership to strengthen our technology and innovation, enhance our culture, and perpetuate our reputation as an elite engineering firm.”
“BKF has always sought to be a trusted advisor to our clients and to provide an enjoyable place to work for our employees,” said Long. “To those ends, I am excited to work with our staff and leadership on operational improvements that will ensure our continued growth and success into the future.”
“Not only is BKF’s leadership team committed to developing our staff into great designers, it is also committed to making sure they understand the business side of engineering,” said Chen. “I believe this aspect of our culture is the secret to our success and look forward to partnering with our leadership team to achieve all our strategic objectives.”
“Jaysen and Jean are great additions to our executive team, given their track record of successful leadership. They both fully support BKF’s focus on achieving our clients’ goals through high-quality, sustainable design.” David LaVelle, CEO/President
Jaysen Long, PE, Principal & COO
Long graduated from UC Davis in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He joined BKF in 1997 as a staff engineer in its Walnut Creek office. In 2006, Long was asked to lead BKF’s newly-opened office in Sacramento, the company’s first location outside of the San Francisco Bay area. The Sacramento office’s success led to Long’s invitation to join BKF’s partnership group as a principal shareholder in 2013. Long joined the Board of Directors in 2018 and has been Principal-in-Charge of business units in BKF’s Sacramento and Walnut Creek locations. In his new role as Chief Operating Officer, Long will assume firmwide responsibility for facilities & operations, technology & innovation, design & delivery, and human resources.
Jean Chen, CFO
A senior finance professional with over 20 years of industry experience, Chen holds a Master of Business Administration from San Francisco State University and is an active member of the Bay Area Financial Officer Group and the American Council of Engineering Companies. Chen’s extensive leadership experience includes fiscal planning, analysis, financial reporting, accounting, compliance, internal controls, M&A, and system implementations. Since joining BKF in 2017, Chen has developed a team focused on client service that partners with technical staff to provide timely and accurate financial information to inform daily business decisions and has reviewed all aspects of BKF’s financial systems, implementing improvements that have directly increased efficiencies and lowered costs.