CHUCK ELWYN

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GENERAL OVERVIEW

Charles (Chuck) Elwyn was born in New Jersey in 1948 and was raised in a family-owned construction business with his father (C.A. Elwyn & Son). He was considered a journeyman in construction at the age of 17. Since moving to San Diego in 1976, he has continued to work in the construction industry not only as a foreman and superintendent, but as a hands-on licensed contractor completing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new and remodeling commercial and residential projects. He worked on projects ranging from mid-rise office buildings (including subterranean parking) to design and construction of custom homes in Lake Tahoe.

Accumulating over 30 years of professional experience in general construction he has acquired knowledge in estimating both design and conceptual projects, expert contract negotiation and management (both with clients and subcontractors) and effective pre-construction management including marketing, project proposals, and project development. Commercial experience includes new banks, shopping malls, mid-rise office buildings, parking structures (both above ground and subterranean), manufacturing plants, churches, restaurants, tenant improvements, Cal State Opera House, and 18 Vons supermarket remodels and additions. Residential projects include: design and construction of numerous new custom homes, mid-rise condominiums and remodels. He has also developed expertise in alpine construction and vertical terrain projects.

Operating as an independent Forensic Construction Consultant for the major insurance companies Chuck Elwyn has provided a wide range of damage assessment/construction consulting/expert witness services for commercial and residential properties involving claims for all perils, catastrophe losses and construction defects since 1994. Damage assessment experience includes (but is not limited to) claims resulting from fire, water, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes, mold, earthquake, construction defects and vehicle-related property damage.

He has also completed well over a thousand insurance claims as a licensed adjuster for insurance companies nationwide over the past 14 years. Technical support regarding construction-related issues has been available to regional and national insurance adjusters throughout the adjustment process. This analysis occasionally included business interruption, co-insurance and construction management.

Most recently, Chuck has used his construction knowledge, forensic abilities and reporting methodologies to recover several million dollars worth of denied damages for New Orleans Hurricane Katrina policyholders.
Mr. Elwyn has been successfully mediating between insurance companies and the policy holders, general contractors and sub-contractors, contractors and homeowners throughout his career as a construction professional, contractor, construction consultant and as an adjuster.

Additionally, as an ambassador for the plaintiff, Mr. Elwyn has also provided, (through his company CSI) consulting and analysis services to obtain fair and equitable compensation for the insured.

As a neutral independent party with extensive construction adjusting and consulting knowledge and experience, Chuck Elwyn can perform litigation support for replacement cost evaluations, construction defects, and bad faith lawsuits by providing accurate, reliable and dependable services nationwide.

Whether representing the plaintiffs or the defendants, the insurance company or the policy holder, he has a reputation of knowledge, honesty, and integrity throughout the construction, insurance and consulting industries.

“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor;
defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
Isaiah 1:17 NKJV


EXPERIENCE AND WORK HISTORY

1. Forensic Construction Consulting

For the insurance company:

As an independent senior commercial consultant for ACS Inc. Mr. Elwyn (Elwyn Consulting) provided construction cost consulting and analysis services including insurance damage assessment, business interruption and co-insurance evaluations to claims adjusters for major insurance carriers, nationwide. Beginning with the Northridge earthquake and continuing to 2006, various commercial large loss damages throughout the United States were evaluated.

For the policyholder:

• Hurricane damages to three supermarkets - New Orleans, LA
• Hurricane/Tornado damage to a 5 building apartment complex - New Orleans, LA
• Evaluation of water and mold damages throughout a large multi-story apartment building (determining causation) due to construction defects - Los Angeles, CA
• Hurricane/tornado damage to 5 buildings of a commercial food packaging complex - New Orleans, LA.
• Hurricane/Tornado damages to 3 restaurants - New Orleans, LA
• Hurricane/Tornado damages to 25+ residences - New Orleans, LA

2. Independent Construction Consultin
        For the following companies:
Aetna Cal Farm
Chubb CNA
Farmers Insurance Group FEMA
Fireman’s Fund Guide One Mutual
Prudential Insurance Safeco
State Farm St. Paul
Travelers 21st Century
Universal Underwriters USF&G
Zurich  

Some of the larger insurance claims:

• Water damages to a 12 story Art Deco Building - Los Angeles, CA
• Water and mold damages to fitness center - San Diego, CA
• Fire and water-related damage: 200,000sf office building - Phoenix, AZ
• Total Fire damage: multi-million dollar residence - Seattle, WA
• Fallen Sequoia tree damage: large lake-front residence - Lake Tahoe, CA
• Total fire damages: commercial retail building - Lake Tahoe, CA
• Wind and hail damage: 13 banks - New Orleans, LA
• Wind, hail and water damage: 42 private school structures - Metairie, LA
• Wind, water, hail damage: 35 city-owned buildings - Crowley, LA
• Tornado damages: large multi-story office building - New Orleans, LA
• Total fire damage: large bank - Mississippi
• Severe structural damage (due to “Poria” mold): large multi-million dollar residences - Santa Monica, CA
• Total fire damage: large Mexican restaurant - Houston, TX
• Water, wind, flood and mold damage: 300,000sf shopping mall - Houston, TX
• Flood and mold damage: 12-story office building - Houston, TX
• Total fire damage: “Texas Land and Cattle” restaurant - Dallas, TX
• Total fire damage: tire manufacturing plant - Tyler, TX
• Water and mold damage (broken 30” water line servicing cooling towers): 49-story building - Dallas, TX
• Total fire damage: Jewish Holocaust Museum - El Paso, TX
• Collision damage: concrete bridge - Marin County, CA
• Total fire damage: 3 story 48 unit condo - Albuquerque, NM
• Mold damage: 40-story condo building due to construction defects - Houston, TX
• Wind and rain damage: retirement home - Little Rock, Arkansas
• Water & mold damage: large fitness center - San Diego, CA
• Total fire damages: retail building - Encinitas, CA
• Fire and smoke damage: strip mall - Oceanside, CA
• Architectural and structural damage: numerous residences, apartment buildings and condo buildings - Los Angeles, due to Northridge Earthquake, CA
• Severe fire and smoke damage: large shopping mall - City of Commerce, CA.
• Wind, water and mold damage: numerous churches - Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, CA
• Collision damage: NTTA toll booths - TX
(Complete list provided upon request)
 
3. Construction Experience
    Hands-On Construction Experience:
Brick Masonry
Custom Trim Metal Frame
Cabinetry Monolithic Concrete
Concrete Forms Post and Beam Frame
Concrete Plumbing
Drywall Poured in Place Concrete
Electrical Painting
Excavations Slab on Grade Concrete
Foundations (Commercial and Residential) Steel Frame Constructions
Glazed Buildings Stucco Exteriors
Granite and Tile Structural/Retaining Wall
Heavy Equipment Lightweight Concrete
Suspended Radius Concrete Tilt up
Roofing: wood, tile, metal, composition Post tension concrete
Siding: wood, vinyl, metal, concrete Wood flooring
Wood framing  

        Diverse Commercial and Residential Construction Projects:

New banks Shopping malls
Mid-rise office building Multi story condo building
Manufacturing plant Cal State Opera House
Numerous new and remodel residences Church
Design and construct custom homes Restaurant
18 (Vons) supermarket remodels & additions Parking structures (both above ground & subterranean)
   
4. Insurance Adjuster Experience
    Catastrophe adjusting companies:
 
  • Claims Consultants
• Farmers Insurance
• IMS Catastrophe
• Liberty Mutual
• Mobil Homeowner Insurance
• Mason Claims
• Safeco Insurance
• Texas Farm Bureau
• Wardlaw Claims
• Zurich Insurance,

Description and Location of Claims:

  • Wind, hail and interior water damage - Phoenix, AZ
• Wind, water, and flooding damage (Hurricane Floyd) - MD, and VA
• Wind, hail and interior water damage: - Colorado Springs, Denver, CO
• Flood and wind claims - Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, CO
• Wind and Ice damages - IL, MI, and MN
• Wind and interior water claims - Coeur d’Alene, ID
• Wind and water claims – L.A., Riverside, San Diego, CA
• Wind, water and flood claims - Reno, NV
• Wind and water claims - Lake Tahoe, CA
• Flood claims - Grand Forks, ND
• Wind and hail claims - Minneapolis, MN
• Wind, hail and lightening claims - Wichita, KS
• Wind, water & flood claims - Reno, Carson City, Gardnerville, NV
• Hurricane Charley claims - Vero Beach area, FL
• Hurricane Fran claims - Vero Beach, Fl
• Hurricane Jean claims - Vero Beach, Fl
• Hurricane Rita claims - Beaumont, TX
• Hurricane Wilma claims - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Hurricane Katrina claims - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Hurricane Floyd claims - Maryland & Virginia

5. FEMA Damage Assessment Experience
        Wind, rain, flood – Virginia
        Wind, rain, flood – Chicago, Illinois
        Wind, rain, flood – Reno, Carson City, Gardnerville, NV

COMPANIES OWNED AND OPERATED
(descending order)

CSI - Construction Scene Investigation - Encinitas, CA
Expert Witness/Construction Consultant for insured
E-FIGHT (Elwyn - Forensic Investigations Get Honest Truth) - Encinitas, CA.
Nationwide Expert Witness/Construction Consultant for insured
Elwyn Consulting - Encinitas, CA
Expert Witness/Construction Consultant - numerous insurance companies
CAE Construction - Truckee, CA
Design and construct custom homes – Lake Tahoe Area
K Construction - San Diego & Homewood, CA
Commercial Tenant Improvements - SD
Design and construct custom homes -Lake Tahoe Area
CAE Designs - New York, NY
Commercial construction services
Freightways International Trucking Services – JFK International Airport, NY
Local air freight PU&D services

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSES

CA Department of Insurance: Insurance Adjuster #2C37477
CA Contractors State License Board: General “B” Contractors License #516844
CA Department of Real Estate: Salesperson #01438504
MI Department of Commerce: Insurance License #149363955
City of Encinitas Business License #19834
FEMA Certified Field Inspector

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Present CSI - Construction Scene Investigation - nationwide
2005 - 2006 Owner, E-FIGHT - Encinitas, CA
1994 - 2005 Independent consultant affiliated with ACS, Inc. - Temecula, CA
1998 - Present Owner, Elwyn Consulting - Encinitas, CA
1986 - 1987 Project Manager/Superintendent, Whitaker Construction - San Diego, CA
1981 - 1986 Construction Superintendent, Melhorn Construction - San Diego, CA
1978 - 1981 Foreman, E.W. Hahn - Southern California
1977 - 1978 Foreman, Bester Corporation - Riverside, CA
1968 - 1976 Owner, CAE Designs - New York, NY
1974 - 1976 National Trucking Advisor, Air Express International - JFK International Airport, NY
1968 - 1974 Air Freight Terminal Manager, Emery Air Freight –JFK, NY