OUR FIRM
The mission the group is represented by a pawl. A pawl is a mechanical device that when applied to power transmission equipment, prevents the equipment from moving backwards. Familiar applications would include clock movements (only allowing the pendulum to push the gears forward), winches (to prevent dropping the load) and automotive transmissions (putting into park). The pawl represents this engineering group, as we advance our application of knowledge and technology forward to create new and better solutions.
The Pawl Group is a collaboration of engineering disciplines focused on assisting their client partners to achieve their business objectives through the effective use of capital. As consulting engineers, we apply our expertise and experience to all roles and aspects of project delivery.
From initial project concept to commissioning, we partner with you to maintain project goals, schedule requirements, budgetary constraints, and design standards. Our specialties reside in the cannabis extraction industry, yet we have experience in various markets such as dairy manufacturing, die casting, and food/ingredient processing.
Always Moving Forward
Our Engineers
With over 30 years in the industry, Mike’s passion for engineering innovation stems from his earlier experience developing robots and rocket motors for NASA and serving in the U.S. Army as a Cobra and Blackhawk pilot. He holds Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mike is a Wisconsin Registered Professional Engineer and is also a Certified Geothermal Designer.
Mike has extensive geothermal experience, including a patent-pending undersized geothermal pond system. He also holds the patent on an industry-leading cheese plant milk to whey heat recovery system. In addition to designing chillers and packaged refrigeration skids, Mike designed the country’s largest custom-built ammonia refrigeration and heat recovery system. Mike also has a wealth of ice storage experience, including the design of one of the largest shaved ice thermal storage systems.
As Partner of The Pawl Group, Mike leads the charge to implement heat recovery and refrigeration systems, as well as ammonia-based systems leading to large energy savings.
Todd brings to The PAWL Group over 35 years of food process engineering, project management and operations management experience. The first half of his career was spent in corn wet milling where he learned industrial separation and processing unit operations, such as, material handling (storage, conveying), centrifugal separation (hydroclone, disk centrifuge, decanter centrifuge), physical separation (screening, vacuum filter-aid, filtering), adsorption (carbon treatment, chromatography), reaction chemistry (thermal, enzymatic, fermentation), solvent extraction, dewatering (screw press, centrifuge, filtering), drying (rotary, flash), size reduction (milling, grinding, sifting), evaporation (heat exchange, multi-effect, MVR, TVR, distillation) and utilities (steam, water, compressed air, wastewater treatment, combustion, electrical co-generation). The second half of his career was spent in dairy processing (cheese and whey) where he expanded his knowledge base with; 3A dairy sanitary design, pasteurization (batch, HTST), membrane filtration, drying (fluid bed, spray drying), crystallization, CIP/COP, refrigeration, anaerobic digestion, biogas separation, thermal storage (ice generation), vision inspection systems and packaging. His projects have sized from small process improvements, to plant expansions to green field facility construction.
Todd holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University, a Six Sigma Gold Belt and is a Certified Energy Manager (Association of Energy Engineers).
Todd’s responsibilities at The PAWL Group include oversite of the Process Solutions Group, equipment development and project execution teams and developing sustainability/energy efficiency concepts.
Craig has more than 25 years of design, construction and engineering experience, working with complex mechanical and environmental systems. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate coursework at Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Craig is a registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager (Association of Energy Engineers), a LEED Accredited Professional (US Green Building Council), and a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Craig’s experience includes energy solutions for industrial and food processing customers in addition to extensive experience in a wide variety of projects from process heating and cooling to plant utilities to industrial heating and ventilation as well as water and wastewater treatment. In addition to new construction projects, Craig also has vast experience overseeing retrofits and operational improvements, with careful consideration of process operations to minimize downtime.
Craig, Principal Engineer for The Pawl Group, leads the business development efforts, including evaluation of new markets and business growth strategies. He also provides engineering support for process utility and energy efficiency/sustainability projects.
Craig has more than 25 years of design, construction and engineering experience, working with complex mechanical and environmental systems. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate coursework at Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Craig is a registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager (Association of Energy Engineers), a LEED Accredited Professional (US Green Building Council), and a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Craig’s experience includes energy solutions for industrial and food processing customers in addition to extensive experience in a wide variety of projects from process heating and cooling to plant utilities to industrial heating and ventilation as well as water and wastewater treatment. In addition to new construction projects, Craig also has vast experience overseeing retrofits and operational improvements, with careful consideration of process operations to minimize downtime.
Craig, Principal Engineer for The Pawl Group, leads the business development efforts, including evaluation of new markets and business growth strategies. He also provides engineering support for process utility and energy efficiency/sustainability projects.
Patrick Meicher, B.S.
Product Development Engineer
Project Manager
920.893.5905x143
Over the course of his career, Patrick has worked on several new product development projects, such as cold and hot well buffet units, countertop ice cream machines, refrigerated display cases and downdraft ventilation modules. With the main goal of increasing efficiency and lowering costs for his customers, Patrick has also designed many custom serving solutions, cost down projects and test protocols for benchmarking and life cycle testing. Patrick has worked within a variety of industries and customer types, including meeting regulations and agency standards for Underwriters Laboratory (UL), National Science Foundation (NSF) and California Air Resources Board (CARB).
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Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville. He also worked on a Senior Design Team that developed a low cost Raman Spectrometer using a modular 3D printed chassis.
As a Product Development Engineer and Project Manager for The Pawl Group, Patrick develops conceptual and detailed design, as well as playing a key role in project execution.
Craig has more than 25 years of design, construction and engineering experience, working with complex mechanical and environmental systems. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate coursework at Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Craig is a registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Energy Manager (Association of Energy Engineers), a LEED Accredited Professional (US Green Building Council), and a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Craig’s experience includes energy solutions for industrial and food processing customers in addition to extensive experience in a wide variety of projects from process heating and cooling to plant utilities to industrial heating and ventilation as well as water and wastewater treatment. In addition to new construction projects, Craig also has vast experience overseeing retrofits and operational improvements, with careful consideration of process operations to minimize downtime.
Craig, Principal Engineer for The Pawl Group, leads the business development efforts, including evaluation of new markets and business growth strategies. He also provides engineering support for process utility and energy efficiency/sustainability projects.
Rich has more than 25 years of design, construction and engineering experience, working with complex mechanical and environmental systems. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management and Business from Marian University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Architecture Design & Technology from Northcentral Technical College. Rich is a Six Sigma Gold Belt and is near completing the Master’s Certificate of Project Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently sits on a 3-A committee for Sanitary Design for Packaging Machines and Fillers.
Rich’s experience includes over 25 years of dairy experience and food processing. His expertise lies in developing, layout, and installing packaging equipment and other food processing equipment. His career has also entailed overseeing new construction and remodeling infrastructure projects, upgrading utility systems, including installing a plant-wide Nitrogen system, cooler, and dry storage pallet racking. In addition to the food-related construction projects, Rich also has experience in facility support areas such as the construction and remodeling of lab facilities and limited healthcare-related services facilities for companies having localized offerings for their labor force.
As a Project Manager/Project Engineer for The Pawl Group, Rich leads project installation efforts, manages the schedule, internal and external resources, budget, and system start-up for the client. He also provides engineering design support for projects, systems, and developmental opportunities.