41 Jadewood Drive (PO Box 445), Shinnston, WV 26431 ● (304)672-1982 ● rjsnell82@gmail.com
Raphael J. Snell
I am a graduate of Fairmont State University with a BA Ed, 5-Adult Social Studies, and currently hold a Professional Teaching Certification with West Virginia. I am a U.S. Navy (Seabee) Veteran, serving as a Heavy Equipment Operator, reaching the rank of 2nd class Petty Officer before being Honorably Discharged December 19, 1985. I received several commendations and awards during my tour of duty, two of which came from WV Senators, Robert C. Byrd and John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV. I have over 25 years experience in heavy equipment operation and all aspects of the skills and expertise related to that field. I have over 6 years experience in the welding/ machinist work related field. I have over 4 years experience as a heavy highway construction technician / inspector. I developed the curriculum and taught two HEOP (heavy equipment operation) Classes for Pierpont CTC, Fairmont, WV. I currently hold a WV General Contractors License and WV Real Estate License. I served as an elected member of the Grant County School Board, Grant County, West Virginia and the RESA VIII Board.
● Field Experience ●
Military – Grade work, Equipment operation (dozers, loaders, forklifts, trucks, grade-alls, backhoes, pavers, and graders), Dispatching (motor pool), Paving, Combat engineering, and Supervision.
Installation- Asphalt, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and waterline
Site preparation small (houses, subdivisions) to large (shopping malls, poultry house pads)
Heavy Highway Equip Operator – (Dozers-D-3- D-10, Excavators- Mini- EX-1100, loader/ backhoes, Loaders- wheel and track, Grade-all, Rollers, Off-road trucks), mass excavation, cut and fill, bridge footings, erosion control, finish grade, CTA installation, rip-rap placement, MSE wall (footers, under drains, geogrid), gabion baskets, finish slope work (with an excavator 4:1 to 1.5:1. with a dozer up to a 2:1)
Construction Tech / Inspector – bridge experience – drilled caisson, pre-drilled piles, driven piles, concrete and steel. MSE retaining wall installation, abutment placement and finishing, bearing seat installation, structural steel beam erection, diaphragm installation (bolt torque), deck pan placement, rebar placement, class K concrete deck, parapet wall installation. Cut/fill operations – (WVDOH nuclear compaction certification), various concrete applications – wing walls / head walls, drainage structures, footings (WVDOH Portland cement concrete certification), rough grade / fine grade / sub-base ( partial aggregate inspector certification completed), drainage / erosion control / base asphalt / free draining base, seeding and mulching, clearing, sediment ponds / dams, working knowledge WVDOH required documentation – IDR, SDR, pipe culvert, aggregate worksheet, Portland cement concrete.
Welding – GMAW, SMAW, GTAW, flame welding, flame cutting, plasma cutting, air arc, certified WV, VA, PA, MD, bridge code SMAW Vertical/Horizontal/Overhead
Machinist - metal lathe, vertical milling machine, and hydraulic cylinder/valve/motor repair.
Concrete Installation – footers, pads, curb & gutter, sidewalk, bridge decking, retaining walls, end walls/ headwalls, inverts, anti-seep collars, basements, steps, and mud seals
Carpenter – various housing framing (wood/metal), and finish carpentry jobs
Management – Project Manager for light commercial and building projects; managing laborers and subcontractors. Worked with architects and engineers on the build design and potential build problems; assisted the estimator on project costing and developed the project schedule using MS Office Project Standard software.
● Employment History ●
Student Teaching: Social Studies 20/21 American History Robert C. Byrd High School (2013)
Student Teaching: Social Studies 8th grade WV History / 6th Grade Mannington Middle (2013)
Pierpont Community and Technical Center
1201 Locust Ave
Fairmont , WV 26554
Instructor, HEOP Program
Valley Renovators Incorporated
3909 Cavalry Lane. Penn Laird, VA 22846 (540) 801-0172
Project Manager for various housing and light commercial projects.
Designated General Contractors license holder for VRI WV Projects.
Employed from June 2005 – Aug 2010
Reason for leaving- Relocated residence
Greenhorne and O’mara
Corridor ‘H’ Moorefield WV
(304) 530-3761
Supervisor : Gary Fazalare (G&O) and Tommy Vance (WVDOH)
Employed September 2004 – May 2005
Michael Baker Jr. Incorporated
Corridor H (06) Baker WV (304) 897- 7059
Supervisors: Brooke Cassell ( WVDOH )and Will Kump (Michael Baker Jr. Inc.)
Employed July 2002 – September 2004
Sites Excavating
HC 59 Box Petersburg WV 26847 (304) 257-4457
Owner: Gerald Sites
Employed on many different jobs mainly on an as needed basis from October 1991 to February 1999. Reason for leaving – completed jobs
Heeter Construction Incorporated
550 Charleston Rd. Spencer WV 23276 (304) 927-3032
Supervisors: David Heeter/ David Heeter Jr./ Roy Tanner
Employed with this company twice and finished both projects.
Employment was from August 1993 to October 1993 on Dam Site #7 and
September 1996 to November 1996 (Smoke Hole Road rebuild)
VMS Parts Incorporated / Valley Welding and Machine Works
Petersburg WV 26847 (304) 257-4850
Supervisors: John Weaver / Robert Weaver
I have been involved in many different welding, machining, and mechanic projects. I also worked the front office, which involved taking care of customers, inventory control, and payment/ invoices
Employed with these companies- February 1994 to September 1996 and August 1999 to 2002
The Driggs Corporation
8700 Ashwood Drive Capitol Heights. MD 20743 (410) 499-1950
Supervisors: Al Ball/ Rick Sharpless/ Leon Roberts
Employed from Feb. 88 to Mar. 91 (during some of this time I worked for other companies that rented, myself and the machine, I was operating to the Driggs Corp.) April 1993 to August 1993
Reason for leaving - moved back to WV from D.C Metro area.
Old Dominion Realty: Mike Pugh, Broker; Real Estate Agent, Residential, Commercial
● Education●
Fairmont State University
Fairmont, West Virginia 304-367-4892
BA Ed Secondary Education Social Studies 5-Adult
GPA: 4.0
Eddie and Betty Barrett Scholarship Winner / William and Dorothea Barnes Prize in History
President's List 7 consecutive semesters
Graduated: Summa Cum Laude
Honor Societies: Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Alpha Theta, Pi Gamma Mu, and Psi Chi
Master's Student: Digital Media, New Literacy, and Learning
High School:
Petersburg High School
Petersburg, WV
GPA: 3.0
Graduate 1982:
US Navy:
Equipment Operator A School
Gulfport, MS
West Virginia General Contractor:
I’m the designated “general contractor” license holder for Valley Renovators Inc. as a General Contractor.
Eastern Community Technical College
Moorefield, West Virginia
6 credit hrs in Real Estate: law, appraisal, and ethics
GPA: 3.0.
Real Estate License: WV Realtor since 2007 (active and inactive)
● Personal References●
Dr. Denise Lindstrom
1201 Locust Ave
Fairmont, WV 26554
304-367-4824
Dr. Gerald Bacza
Dean: Business, Aviation and Technology
Professor: Drafting/Design/CAD Engineering Technology
Pierpont Community and Technical College
302a Engineering Technology Building
Fairmont, WV 26554
304.367.4632
Dr Gwen Jones
1201 Locust Ave
Fairmont, WV 26554
gwendolyn.jones@fairmontstate.edu
Dr. Sharon Smith
1201 Locust Ave
Fairmont, WV 2655
304-367-4665
Please wait...