Our History

Founded on August 5, 2005

AEI Corporation was founded on August 5, 2005 by John L. Schumacher, Dennis E. Shelp, and John (Jay) M. Freeman in Denver, CO. The staff also included Zach Jason (now Partner), and Kristin Tittle.

John L. Schumacher – President & Founder

Mr. Schumacher has been a consulting and forensic engineer since 1992. He is a licensed chemical engineer and an IAAI Certified Fire Investigator who specializes in determining the origin and cause of fires, flash fires, and explosions; investigating accidents in the chemical process and oil & gas industries; analyzing flammable and combustible liquid, combustible dust, reactive chemical, self-heating, and chemical-related accidents; and investigating carbon monoxide incidents. Additionally, he is a NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist. Mr. Schumacher has provided expert testimony in a number of states and is the President of AEI Corporation.

Dennis E. Shelp Vice President & Founder

Mr. Shelp is a mechanical engineer, a certified fire and explosion investigator, and has performed forensic investigations since 1997. He specializes in the investigation of fires, explosions, and mechanical equipment related incidents. He has presented at local and national conferences and seminars and has provided expert testimony in numerous state courts. Mr. Shelp is the Vice President of AEI Corporation.

Zachary J. Jason, PE, CFI, CFEI

Mr. Jason is a Principal Engineer with AEI Corporation and has over 15 years of consulting experience providing mechanical engineering and forensic analysis for investigations throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. Throughout his career, Mr. Jason’s primary focus has been in fire origin and cause determination, explosion investigations, and various other combustion incidents and thermal sciences.

John (Jay) Freeman Founder Emeritus

One of AEI's original founders, Mr. Freeman brought over 48 years of forensic experience to the table and was nationally recognized for his specialization in gas appliances and natural gas and propane explosions.

Staff Photo 2006

AEI's staff in 2006 was comprised of, Jay Freeman, John Schumacher, Dennis Shelp, Zachary Jason, and Kristin Tittle.

Laboratory Facility at AEI’s Jasmine Location in Use

Forensic engineering laboratories play a critical role in uncovering the causes of failures in structures, systems, and materials. Testing at AEI's original labs located on Jasmine Street in Denver, is shown here.

AEI’s Staff Grows in 2007

AEI adds Robert Witter (Electrical), David Burnett (Civil/Structural), and Gary Oberg (Technician) to the team.  Shown in photo: Jay Freeman, John Schumacher, Dennis Shelp, Robert Witter, David Burnett, Zachary Jason, and Charlie Sullivan AEI's support staff include Kristin Tittle and Gary Oberg

2008 AEI Team

Business support is bolstered with the addition of Dina Schendzielos. Shown in the photo: Gary Oberg, Jay Freeman, Dina Schendzielos, Dave Burnett, Dennis Shelp, John Schumacher, Kristin Tittle, Zach Jason, Bob Witter

Charles (Charlie) Sullivan, ASCR2, CKH2

In 2009, Charles Sullivan joins AEI. Mr. Sullivan is an expert in the layout/design, installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, repair and operation of fire suppression systems and their components, and often addresses industry standard of care issues.

Carol Chavez Joins AEI

Carol Chavez joins the AEI family. Ms. Chavez brings a powerful blend of executive leadership, financial strategy, and operational excellence to the firm. Before joining AEI, Carol led iniatives in computer-aided dispatch, weather telemetry systems, and public sector services. Carol provides strateig planning and financial oversight to the firm, as well as marketing leadership, sales operations, contract negotiation, and executive management.

AEI Moves to New Facility in Littleton, CO

Following a full remodel and addition to AEI's new headquarters, AEI adds state-of-the-art laboratory capabilities and a two acre lot to allow for better ability to conduct outdoor, full-scale testing.

AEI’s 2011 Team

Shown here: Dan Sadler, Brent Fakuda, Carol Chavez, Gary Oberg, Charles Sullivan, Gary Oberg, David Burnett, Donna Sprinkle, Mike, Brown, John Schumacher, Jay Freeman, Dennis Shelp, and Zach Jason

Laboratory Facility at AEI’s Brandon Drive Location in Use

The move to Littleton, CO gave AEI the ability to facilitate and conduct large laboratory inspections. AEI has the right equipment to complete both demonstrative and non-destructive testing, including a Keyence microscope, FTIR, hood system, X-Ray, and much more.

AEI 2012 Charity Casino Night

In 2012, AEI hosted it's first Casino Charity night at their Littleton facility.  Proceeds from the event benefited the Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver whose mission is to decrease the incidence of teen suicide by removing financial & social barriers to treatment for at-risk youth.

Fire Alarm Control Panel Expertise

Charlie Sullivan discusses fire alarm control panels and safety at AEI's Hood Seminar in Summer of 2012.

AEI hosts Second Annual Charity

Casino Night and Silent Auction with all proceeds from the vent going to The Delores Project, a metro-Denver charity that provides shelter, hope, and direction to local homeless women.

AEI 2013 Team

Dan Sadler, Cameron Novak, Todd Hedglin, Zach Jason, Donna Sprink, Brenda Johnson, Gary Oberg, Charlie Sullivan, Carol Chavez, Brent Fakuda, Dave Burnett, John Schumacher, Jay Freeman, and Dennis Shelp

Flashover Friday’s Event at AEI – June 27, 2014

AEI Corporation conducted the inaugural Flashover Fridays event. Several attorneys, insurance industry professionals, and first responders attended to learn about fire behavior first-hand. The inaugural burn simulated a type of fire that occurs all too often, kitchen fires resulting unattended cooking oil left on a stove top.

AEI hosts 3rd Annual Charity

Casino Night and Silent Auction, raising $6,000 for the Angel Eys Child Loss Awareness Organization whose mission is to provide free, professional grief support to families facing the devastating loss of a pregnancy, infant, or young child.

Just in Time for Christmas

AEI's Flashover Friday's demonstration highlighted the dangers associated with Christmas trees if not properly maintained and allowed to dry out.  The demonstration separated a burn cell into two quadrants to also demonstrate the difference in the veracity and duration of the fire with and without a sprinkler system.

Jeff Berino Joins AEI

In 2015, AEI gained the incredible talent and insight of Jeff Bernio. Jeff is well known for his many years of experience in wildfire investigations for government agencies and utility companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He also has expertise in fire scene incident management and senior level instruction for leadership and fire science classes

Dr. Shawn Sapp

Shawn joins AEI as a Materials Scientist. Dr. Sapp has been a practicing materials scientist and analytical chemist since 2002. He is American Society of Metals (ASM) Certified in fracture mechanics, fractography, and failure analysis to determine the origin and cause of failures in metals, ceramics, plastics, and composites.

AEI Hosts Live Burn Flashover Friday Event

This burn simulated a gas grill fire on a patio and possible extension into a dwelling.  A scenario was created where the grill caught fire due to a defective seal on the valve on the propane cylinder.

AEI hosts fourth annual Charity

Casino Night and Silent Auction with all proceeds going to The Adoption Exchange, a not-for-profit organization working on behalf of children in the foster care system.

AEI hosts Flashover Friday event

at Littleton Facility - Understanding the Behavior of Energized and Arcing Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) presented by Dennis Shelp, Brent Fakuda, and Jennifer Poytner

On Friday, June 24, 2016

AEI Corporation hosted a Flashover Fridays, live burn event dealing with investigations and legal aspects of commercial cooking line fires. The overall objectives of the presentation were to provide information regarding ventilation control and fire protection for commercial cooking operations

AEI hosted its 5th Annual Charity Event

at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, raising $6,350 for the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center whose mission is to change the lives of people with disabilities by promoting their physical, psychological and social well being through equine assisted activites

Mr. Brown joined AEI after 20 years

in the propane industry and 11 years in the natural gas industry. He is an expert in code analysis, interpretation, implementation, compliance, standard of care, training, and safety as they relate to the propane and natural gas industries

Scott Raszeja begins working at AEI

as Senior Project Engineer. Mr. Raszeja is an electrical forensic expert with over 30 years of experience as an Electrician and Electrical Engineer. He is an expert in market certifications for products, including product safety and electromagnetic compatibility certification.

This fun and informative event

Will provided guests with an overview of the guidelines for testing the integrity of natural propane fuel systems. Our presenter, Charlie Brown, discussed code requirements related to new construction, changes to existing gas systems and appliances, and changse to an occupancy.

Roxy Blea joins the Business Team

at AEI as an Administrative Assistant. She brings with her 21 years of experience in office administration, customer support, and facilities and asset management. Roxy is now AEI's Office Administrator.

Dennis Shelp provides Gasoline Geysering

training during Flashover Friday event. This training provided attendees with an overview of possible safety concerns related to improper venting of gasoline fuel tanks associated with small engines such as those found on riding mowers.

Scott Raszeja

earns Certified Interconnect Designer (CID+) Certification. The CID+ is IPC’s highest certification for Printed Circuit Board Design and is a valuable professional credential recognized throughout the electronics industry. Fewer than 1000 people worldwide have attained this level of certification.

AEI hosts a Flashover Fridays

Live Burn Event. This Event focused on Printed Circuit Boards, electronics, and fires resulting from different failure models. The Internet of Things, as it relates to these types of failure modes, was also discussed.

Brian Strandjord joins the AEI team

as Senior Project Engineer. Mr. Strandjord is a licensed mechanical and electrical professional engineer with an extensive and diverse background. He investigates the origin and cause of fires and explosions, carbon monoxide incidents, and other mechanical and electrical matters.

Steve Foltz joins AEI

Mr. Foltz has an extensive background and experience as a forensic animator and architectural consultant. He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver and his LEED AP certification.

Matthew Strader begins at AEI

as full-time Fire Investigator at AEI. Mr. Strader is a fire origin and cause investigator specializing in residential, commercial, and wildland fire investigations, as well as large-loss, industrial, and oil & gas fire and explosion cases. He holds a bachelor's degree in Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigation from Eastern Kentucky University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Natural Resources with a focus on Fire Ecology and Management.

AEI announces Jay Freeman’s

transition into retirement. As part of AEI’s ownership succession plan, former AEI President and Founder Jay Freeman will remain with AEI as a senior project engineer, while John Schumacher will assume the responsibilities and leadership role of president.

After over 11 years of commitment to AEI

Donna Sprinkle retires from her role as Administrative Manager.

Scott Sollars joins AEI

as a Senior Project Engineer. Mr. Sollars is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Minnesota. Mr. Sollars has a background in mechanical systems, machine design analysis, safety and hazard evaluation, machine guarding, combustion mechanics, and fuel gas systems and components, including fire, explosion, and carbon monoxide incident investigations.

Taylor Wittwer begins at AEI

as Administrative Manager after Donna's retirement. As the Administrative Manager, Taylor oversees the administrative day-to-day operations of AEI and provides support for the firm to successfully conduct its business and fulfill its mission.

Zachary J. Jason becomes Partner/Principal Engineer

Ali Booth joins the AEI Business

Team as an Administrative Coordinator. Currently serving as AEI’s Technical Writer and Media Assistant, Ms. Booth plays a key role in reviewing AEI’s technical reports and protocols, ensuring that clients receive accurate and high-quality information. She is responsible for developing and maintaining standard operating procedures and serves as AEI’s main point of contact for public agency requests and Rule 26 documentation.

Frank Croshal joins AEI part-time

as a Project Engineer. Mr. Croshal is a graduate of the United States Military Academy West Point, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in Oklahoma and Colorado. Mr. Croshal has an extensive background in oil and gas production, operations, and facilities, holding positions from field foreman to facilities manager. He has worked in the oil and gas upstream sector for 40+ years.

Matt Dare, Scientist Joins AEI

Mr. Dare has a diverse background as a materials scientist, microscopy subject matter expert, materials characterization specialist, and surface chemistry analyst. He uses these skills to perform root cause analysis of defects in various materials, including metals, plastics, glasses, ceramics, thin films, and coatings.

AEI offers a state of the art, full size SEM.

The SEM can be scheduled along with the time of a trained, skilled technician in half or full business day increments. AEI is centrally located in Littleton, CO (Denver) providing easy access to a broad geographical area.

Derek Nolen joins AEI

as a Senior Project Engineer. Mr. Nolen is a mechanical forensic expert with over 38 years of experience as a Mechanical Engineer. His areas of expertise and trial experience include industrial and residential mechanical system and equipment failure analysis; explosion and fire analysis of LPG (propane and butane) and other flammable gas and liquid-related losses.

Adam Davis joins AEI

as a Project Engineer .Mr. Davis has a diverse background as a mechanical engineer, safety engineer, and industrial hazard analyst. He uses these skills to perform risk assessments and root cause and hazard analyses related to the investigation of fires and mechanical matters such as mechanical failures and machinery design.

We are proud to announce that AEI Scientist

Matt Dare, has completed his Ph.D. in Systems Engineering. The degree focuses on a multi-disciplinary approach to managing and solving complex problems across a variety of industries. It involves learning about control systems, operations research, reliability and performance engineering, risk analysis, software engineering, and networking and security. Congratulations, Matt, on all of your hard work!

Tony Ulaszek retires from Denver Fire

and begins working at AEI full time. Tony has been with us since 2017, we are excited to announce that he is now a full-time "AEI'er!" Tony brings extensive expertise in fire and explosion investigations, with a deep knowledge of NFPA 921 and NFPA 1033 standards. He is highly skilled at managing complex investigations, often working alongside government and private sector agencies.

Charlie Brown is appointed

to ANSI Z223 Committee. This committee works together with the NFPA 54 Committee to develop national fuel gas code. The code covers installation and operation of gas piping and appliances for fuel gases including natural gas and liquified petroleum (LP) gas.

Ms. Beverly joined the forensic engineering

and consulting firm, AEI Corporation, in 2024 and is a skilled electrical engineer with a robust background in multiple electrical engineering disciplines. She holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and brings valuable academic research and industry experience in semiconductor device fabrication, device physics analysis, and manufacturing processes. Her extensive skill set includes semiconductor device fabrication and analysis, programming, technical writing, and product testing. She is dedicated to excellence in the field and possesses the ability to communicate complex information effectively.

AEI would like to recognize and celebrate

Matt Strader for obtaining his IAAI-CFI certification. Becoming a Certified Fire Investigator requires an in-depth application, considerable field experience, training, and education, as well as a rigorous examination based on NFPA 1033. NFPA 1033 is the Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator, and the CFI examination covers every job performance requirement of the standard. Congratulations, Matt!

AEI Corporation’s President, John L

Schumacher, MChE, PE, CFI, CFPS, was selected to present his manuscript "Investigation of an Unintended Combustion Event During Transfilling of Compressed Oxygen Cylinders" at ASTM 16th International Symposium on Flammability and Sensitivity of Materials in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres in Prague, Czech Republic

AEI is proud to Announce Brian Strandjord’s

new role as Partner. Brian’s expertise in forensic engineering, coupled with his dedication to thorough and accurate investigations aligns perfectly with AEI’s mission of delivering reliable, high-quality forensic engineering services. AEI is confident that Mr. Strandjord will play a vital role in its continued growth and success.

As AEI’s Technician, Paul Molina

provides support for all of AEI’s laboratory facilities and manages the proper collection, tracking, and storage of evidence for AEI’s clients.  He also assists with labs being held at the AEI facility and keeps all lab and field equipment properly maintained and calibrated.  Paul earned his B.S. from the University of Houston in Mechanical Engineering.  His work background includes experience at Pico Technologies as a Senior Design Engineer and as an Engineering and Science Teacher for both Cypress Creek High School and the Energy Institute High School in Texas.

Adam Davis Earns PE

AEI's Adam Davis can now boast his Colorado Professional Engineering license.  Congratulations to Adam Davis, PE, EIT, CFEI.

Adam Davis Earns CFEI

The National Association of Fire Investigation grants the Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (CFEI) designation to professionals who are recognized as qualified in the field of fire and explosion investigations.