Meet the Team

Welcome to our new Shareholders

Stephen Brewer

Senior Special Inspector

Stephen has over 20 years construction experience. A former Army Paratrooper having travelled and jumped into countries around the world, Stephen loves the travel aspect of the construction industry preferring to work on remote projects across the state. Strong in earthwork operations, he maintains numerous certifications from the International Code Council, Precast Concrete Institute, American Concrete Institute, Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction, CESCL, HAZWOPER and more. When not on a remote site, Stephen serves as ATL’s resident troubleshooter and maintenance man. In his off time, Stephen scuba dives around the world seeking out opportunities to interact with sharks.

Blake Aro

Field Supervisor

A second-generation inspector and lifelong Alaskan, Blake has nearly 20 years of experience in construction materials testing and inspection. Serving private and public sector projects across the state, Blake has extensive experience in all facets of horizontal and vertical construction. He maintains many certifications from the International Code Council, Precast Concrete Institute, American Concrete Institute, Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction, and more. Married with two children, Blake enjoys family time at home. A BBQ pit master, Blake can be found grilling and smoking meats in the backyard and supporting his kid’s extracurricular activities.

Brandon Ukena

Senior Special Inspector

With over 25 years of experience in construction materials testing and inspection, Brandon, a former mason, is an expert in all things concrete. His focus is in on girder construction for bridges, pre-cast elements, mix designs, and troubleshooting concrete issues in the field. He maintains many certifications from the International Code Council, Precast Concrete Institute, American Concrete Institute, Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction, and more. Married with a blended family of five children ranging in ages from 10 to 25, Brandon’s personal time is spent working on home remodel projects, cars, and the occasional well deserved vacation trip.

Ashley Kampsen

Operations Manager

A lifelong Alaskan she has nearly 10 years of experience in administration and operations. Ashley is responsible for the day-to-day management of the office and is an expert in multi-tasking, accommodating short notice projects, logistics, bookkeeping, and scheduling. A graduate of UAA and a Notary, Ashley’s level-headedness, common sense and demeanor keep the chaos at bay. Ashley loves her time outside of the office, disc golfing with her boyfriend, checking out local breweries, and playing with her stubborn but loveable dog, Monte. Ashley also enjoys snowboarding, hiking, scuba diving, yoga, and is an avid murder mystery podcaster.

Maria Kampsen, PE

Owner

Alaska Testlab is owned by Maria E. Kampsen, PE. A veteran of the Army, Maria has been in the civil/geotechnical engineering and construction fields for over 25 years. She has worked all over the state on thousands of geotechnical and construction projects of all types and sizes. Maria led the Construction Materials Testing and Inspection group under DOWL since 2009 before purchasing the group in 2018. A licensed civil engineer, Maria is also WAQTC certified, ACI certified in Concrete Aggregates, Concrete Strength Testing, and Laboratory Testing, Level 1, is International Code Council (ICC) approved special inspector for soils, and is approved by the Municipality of Anchorage to provide special inspections for soils, piles and anchors.

David Andersen, PE

Senior Material Engineer

David has been providing leadership and technical expertise in the materials lab since 1994. A civil engineer, Dave has been the Assistant Laboratory Manager, the Laboratory Manager and is now the Senior Materials Engineer. He develops mix designs, prepares bids, manages testing and inspection projects, reviews specifications, and troubleshoots issues that develop in the field. Dave is well respected in the construction industry and is often called by owners and contractors to assist with construction issues. Dave is involved in every project where Alaska Testlab provides special inspection and testing services, including numerous projects all over the state.

SPECIAL INSPECTORS

Alaska Testlab is proudly home to the best Special Inspectors in the state. Highly respected in the industry for their integrity and knowledge, these ICC-certified professionals work with contractors and owners to ensure projects are constructed in accordance with the International Building Code, plans, specifications, and local requirements.

Our inspectors are experienced and knowledgeable in regards to construction practices, codes, and Alaskan conditions; some have been providing these services in Alaska for over 20 years. An experienced Inspector can be an asset on construction project by helping to maintain the project schedule. Minor non-conformance issues can often be resolved immediately with little to no delay. For more significant issues, it may be beneficial to have the special inspector directly interact with the structural engineer and municipal inspector to determine the most efficient and simplest resolution to keep the project moving. Quality comes with investment in people and a desire to be the best.

Our inspectors practice continual improvement with certifications, continuing education, seminars, conferences, and in house training. All of them hold multiple certifications from ICC and are most are certified by one or more of the following; ACI, WAQTC, MSHA, and CESCL. At Alaska Testlab, our goal is to see projects completed on time, on budget, the public’s safety addressed, and constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications. We do this by working collaboratively with all parties; owners, contractors, building officials, and the design team. We are proactive in finding solutions to issues and working towards a common goal.

MATERIALS TECHNICIANS

Material technicians provide testing services both in the field and in the laboratory. Our technicians are trained in both arenas to ensure an understanding of materials, material behavior, and performance.

Technicians are involved in all facets of the construction process. In the field, they collect samples of materials before use, they perform density testing of soils and asphalt during construction, test concrete for air, slump, unit weight and conformance to the specifications. They make concrete cylinders to test for strength. They observe backfill operations for both proper materials and lift thicknesses. During paving, they work with the contractor to ensure the asphalt is placed properly and compacted to standards. In the laboratory, technicians verify material properties for comparison to standards. This is done on soils, aggregates, rock, concrete, masonry, grout, asphalt, and topsoil. To ensure quality our technicians are certified by ACI and WAQTC. Many of them are training to be inspectors and are licensed by the Municipality of Anchorage to provide inspections on at least one construction element.

For quality, dependability, knowledge, professionalism and experience, Alaska Testlab’s materials technicians are second to none.

DISPATCH/ADMINISTRATOR

Our dispatchers and administrators take care of all the behind the scenes operations. They are directing calls, scheduling technicians and inspectors, coordinating lab work, figuring out project logistics, handling accounts receivable and payable, and all other tasks that make ATL run like a well oiled machine.

They are available to take your calls with answers to any questions you may have.