What we do, and where we have done it.

Is the technology real, and will it work here? We evaluate zero-emission, near-zero, and emission-reduction technologies against the conditions they would actually operate in — the infrastructure they need, what changes for operations and maintenance, and the risk that comes with being early — and build the criteria that let an organization compare them consistently rather than case by case.

We assess the technology and make recommendations.

WhereFor the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, 3COTECH built the application process, the evaluation criteria — emissions reduction, cost-effectiveness, technology advancement — and CARB-based emissions calculation guidelines for roughly $5 million in technology demonstration grants.

Technologies assessed included barge-based systems that capture emissions from ocean-going vessels from AERAS, 4G Management, and STAX; battery-electric drayage trucks from BYD and THOR; Effenco active stop-start on yard tractors; inductively charged electric tractors; a battery-electric switcher locomotive with wayside storage from reused batteries; zero-emission top handlers; and charging hubs for trucks, including WattEv, which also provides electric trucks as a service.

Converting a fleet or a corridor is not a procurement exercise. It touches facilities and infrastructure, service requirements, lifecycle and technology configuration, material sourcing, equity, resilience, and end-of-life reuse — and the interfaces between them are where transitions stall.

Our part is the framework and the sequence.

WhereLA Metro’s Zero Emission Bus Master Plan: the framework, transition considerations from Buy America through end-of-life disposal, and the risk assessment for a ~2,200-bus system targeting 2030. Also the Specialized Truck Corridor Feasibility Study for Caltrans — zero-emission lanes and innovative solutions, and the stakeholder outreach strategy; the I-580 transit and multimodal strategy for the Alameda County Transportation Commission; and Pier B and Pier C zero-emission work at the Port of Long Beach.

A project begins as a set of open questions: is this the right location, what does the technology require, what does the regulation permit, and where would the money come from. We research them together, because the answer to one usually changes the answer to another.

On funding, we advise on what makes an application competitive — the approach, the scope, the budget review, and who to approach for letters of support. Funding rarely comes from one place. A modest grant can unlock private investment several times its size, and a project can be assembled from matched contributions and in-kind support that carries real monetary value. Which sources can be combined, and in what sequence, is rarely clear at the outset — working that out is part of the job.

We rarely write the grant itself, and we do not source capital.

WhereSite selection for a small-scale LNG distribution facility for Eagle LNG Partners — run using the RAAM method, so the owner could compare the two locations by their actual risk profiles, with Monte Carlo simulation behind each. The SCAG goods movement framework and regional strategies assessment — existing conditions, and the key challenges and opportunities across resiliency, economy, innovation, e-commerce, and environmental impact.

Before 3COTECHThe $80M environmental and location study for Poland’s first nuclear power plant — stakeholder engagement, contract negotiations, subcontractor management, quality assurance, and risk.

A sustainability commitment that isn’t measured is a press release. We have written the plans that say what a project will actually do, build the metrics that let an organization know whether it worked, and coordinate the tracking that shows it through construction — waste diversion, fuel use, energy performance, water, materials.

A plan only works if everyone in it contributes — owner, designers, contractors, and service providers as far out as the recycling facility. We build it with them.

WhereFor Metro, as prime contractor, the Countywide Sustainability Annual Report and Performance Metrics: fourteen agencies interviewed, more than four hundred metrics reviewed, ten parameters recommended. The sustainability plan and contractor-compliance coordination on the Airport Metro Connector — CALGreen Tier 2 and LEED Gold — and sustainability compliance on the Westside Purple Line Extension, Section 2. Translating a high-level climate risk screening into asset-specific risks and project-specific recommendations for LA Metro.

What holds up on paper and what holds up on site are different questions. Our experience spans the whole project lifecycle — planning, engineering design, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance — built up over different projects and different roles.

That range is why the risk work above is grounded: it comes from having been on the delivery side, not only the analysis side.

WherePort of Long Beach: Pier D Quay Wall and Wharf Repairs, Pier G Shiploader, Pier B railyard expansion, Middle Harbor Terminal Redevelopment, Pier S Container Support Facility. For Metro, construction-phase support on the Airport Metro Connector and the Westside Purple Line Extension, Section 2.

Before 3COTECHDownstream and midstream pipeline projects for Shell Supply & Distribution, Western Region — including marine terminals at the Port of Los Angeles. Led the US–India engineering team behind scalable master-plan design for commercial and residential solar pilots for SunPower.

Assembling a credible review panel is not a directory search. It depends on knowing which specialists are genuinely respected on a particular question, which of them will disagree with each other usefully, and whether they will take the call at all.

That last part is the work. Three decades of technical credibility across industry, government, labor, education, and community is why the phone gets answered.

WhereSubject-matter experts identified and engaged, and expert reviews compiled, for the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation’s Air Quality Mitigation Fund. Panels and review support on Caltrans and SCAG engagements.

For a technology company or an outside firm, the port and agency world can look like it has too many barriers. More often it is simply unfamiliar — how it is organized, how a decision actually gets made, what sequence things happen in, and who to talk to first. Getting traction takes the standing to be heard across all of it.

We explain the terrain, then make the introductions that make sense.

Standing, not access. We introduce; we do not lobby.

WhereUS market-entry strategy for foreign technology companies. Advice to innovators on commercialization and market positioning through PortTech Los Angeles and Cleantech Open — where the MSBAI relationship began. 3COTECH has advised MSBAI since 2018 on business strategy, partnerships, and funding; its GURU platform automates engineering simulation workflows and is now used across defense, aerospace, and energy. Support for companies applying to the Technology Advancement Program at the San Pedro Bay ports, and deployment strategy for LNG and hydrogen fuel cells in marine operations. Guidance to the Port of Gdynia on investment opportunities and West Coast port cooperation.

StandingBoards and affiliations ↗ · Speaking ↗

Risk work usually stops at legal, compliance, technical, and financial. The risks that actually drive delay, budget overruns, and loss of support are often non-technical — political, stakeholder, commercial, contractual.

RAAM produces what a decision actually needs: qualitative and quantitative analysis, risk registers, gap analysis, and risk-adjusted contingencies for budget and schedule — derived from the risks identified, not a flat ten or fifteen percent. It makes the trade-offs explicit, because seeing them is what lets someone choose.

Opportunities are assessed alongside the risks, and stakeholder input is gathered and categorized through structured workshops rather than collected in passing.

An assessment made without the people who carry the risk is itself a risk. The decision and the action stay with the risk owner.

WhereThe Port of Long Beach adopted RAAM as part of its standard project delivery process. 3COTECH worked across the program — Middle Harbor, Pier B, Pier G, Pier D, Pier S, Tesoro (now Marathon Petroleum) MOTEMS — and revised and redrafted the Port’s risk manual. 3COTECH also carried out an in-depth review and gap analysis of the Port’s quality management system, and supported the development of its risk and lessons-learned databases.