beneficial staff
staff
Peter Axelson
Founder and Director of R&D, presents our work worldwide. He loves spending time with his daughter Ria and flying light aircraft.
Ria Axelson
Office Manager, enjoys welding, playing volleyball, spending time with her friends and working toward her nursing degree.
Bill Blythe
Facility Manager, enjoys spending time with his wife; likes to cook, play guitar, and work with computers; and is the IT manager at his church.
Maegan Elkaraki
Bookkeeper/Research Assistant, enjoys spending time with her husband and children, and enjoys a good book and playing the piano.
Colin Greening
Assessment Technician/ Assistant Technician, enjoys spending time with his wife and family, making music, working on cars, and making craft coffee.
Debbie Hester
GIS Coordinator, provides GIS expertise to our trail and sidewalk assessment projects, and enjoys traveling with her husband and son.
Ben Hubbard
Graphic Artist/ Project Manager enjoys time with his wife and children, painting, reading, learning, and hiking.
Annabeth Johnson
Office Assistant, enjoys spending time with her husband and children, reading, and road trips with her family.
Travis MacDonald
Assessment Technician/Assistant Technician enjoys backpacking, reading, puzzles, indoor rock climbing, running, ceramics, and music.
Jonathan Miller
Shop Assistant, enjoys mountain biking, fellowshipping at church and learning Greek.
Jackson Palmer
Shop Assistant/ Assistant Technician, loves to hang out with family and pets, watching shows, spending time with friends, and parkour.
Rob Palmer
Assessment Technician, assists in sidewalk and trail assessments; absolutely loves spending time with family; enjoys camping, hiking, and building play structures for his children; and also serves as a volunteer for the local Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.
Stephen Pieters
Testing Supervisor/Sidewalk Assessment Coordinator enjoys spending time with his wife and children, teaching, riding motorcycles, fishing, and hunting.
Paul Schnorbus
Machinist, likes Legos, machining, target shooting, camping, and a well-told story.
Stephanie Stephens
Research Assistant, lives in India with her husband, where she continues to work for Beneficial Designs, is learning to cook amazing food, and is attempting to drive in the city with the 10th worst traffic in the world.
Paola Vazquez
Office Assistant, attends WNC and enjoys being with family, jogging, and working with children.
Joshua Wetmore
Shop Assistant/ Assistant, loves to spend time with his family, play board games, and print structures with his 3D printer.
Wiu Wiu
Wiu is a senior this year a Douglas High school and will play soccer at Iowa on a scholarship. Go Wiu!
Julia Woodruff
Office Assistant, enjoys reading, writing, playing the piano, and spending time with family and friends.
consultants
Todd Ackerman
Trail and Sidewalk Assessment Coordinator, leads trail and sidewalk assessments and enjoys outdoor activities, traveling and teaching the trail assessment process.
Nathan Tolbert
Sidewalk Assessment Trainer and Project Coordinator, loves hiking, fishing, and camping with his wife and sons, and enjoys coaching a variety of sports.
Sharon Vazquez
Administrative Assistant, enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and living life.
Martin Clemons
Electrical Engineer, designed the HETAP 3 electronics and firmware and is the lead engineer for the new DORAP assessment process that uses mobile devices to assess outdoor recreation environments.
Chris Lynskey (Board Member)
Chris is experienced in the sidewalk assessment process and has a vast range of financial and management experiences. He loves golf and skiing, and gets exercise when he and his wife are walked by Micah, their golden retriever.
Kent Nelson (Board Member)
Kent is a UTAP trainer who also assists with designing amusement park ride recommendations. For BD as a whole, he offers valuable advice based on common sense and an ability to see to the heart of issues.
Tip Ray
Trail Assessment Coordinator, helps with trail trainings and assessments.