In June of 1983, after graduating from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Alan began working for The Office Lee Kendrick located in Merrifield, Virginia.  In 1988, Lee Kendrick sold his business to Dewberry and Davis; he retired, and The Office of Lee Kendrick was renamed TOLK.   

With the retirement of his beloved mentor, Lee Kendrick, Alan joined CAD-CON, Incorporated, a young up and coming full-service engineering firm. 

In 1990, Alan left CAD-CON and joined Zeigler Mechanical/ Electrical, a design-build contractor headquartered in Hagerstown Maryland with a branch office in Winchester, Virginia.  At Zeigler, Alan was head of engineering for the Winchester branch office.  During this time, Alan became proficient in designing all trades (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and managed the construction of his own designs including ordering materials and scheduling labor.   The experience of managing the construction of his own designs gave Alan better insight into how to communicate with contractors through construction drawings.  This experience has made Alan a better consulting engineer in that he can design practical systems that are well coordinated with other trades and tailored to the needs and budget of the owner/users.

In 1995 Robert Zeigler retired and Zeigler Mechanical/Electrical was sold to a company that no longer supported design-build.  Alan rejoined the consulting engineering field at GHT Ltd. – one of the largest and most well-respected firms in the Northern Virginia area – where he spent the next ten years as an engineer, project manager and a senior associate. 

In 2004, Alan incorporated FHC Engineering, PC and in 2005 left GHT to operate and manage FHC on a full-time basis.