Our Staff
Gene Hinkle, PE
Co-Founder, Vice President
Gene Hinkle is a founding owner and Professional Engineer with CSS. Gene has almost 20 years of experience in the Civil Engineering industry since graduating from Clemson in 1993. A native of Pickens, South Carolina, Gene’s experience includes large retail developments, institutional, industrial and other various types of development. Gene gained recognition from retail developers by working on complex commercial projects where innovative approaches, short lead times and difficult coordination were significant to success of the project. Gene managed projects where his storm water BMP designs and solutions were utilized by regulatory agencies as examples for other developers and engineers. Gene continues to manage projects, design and provide conceptual drawings for CSS.
Outside of CSS, Gene enjoys spending time with his wife and two teenage boys, sporting events and other outdoor sports.
Michael Lukus, PE
Principal
Mike Lukus is a principal of CSS. and joined the company in 2007 shortly after its inception. He has over 15 years of experience in Site Development Engineering, Permitting and Entitlement work for various projects types. He started his career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc., in 1997. Mike moved to upstate South Carolina in 2001 to work as a project manager with local full service engineering and landscape architect provider. While there, Mike managed various types of commercial projects in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Mike is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and a 1996 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Environmental Engineering. Mike currently maintains his Professional Engineer License in Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the Carolinas.
Bryan Bearden, EI
Project Engineer
Bryan Bearden is a Project Engineer for CSS and joined the company in 2016. Bryan is a native of Pickens, South Carolina and has over 13 years of experience in the Civil Engineering industry. He began his career with a structural engineering firm in 2003 and has vast experience in performing construction site inspections pertaining to structural design. Just prior to joining CSS, Bryan was a Project Manager with a geotechnical and construction inspection engineering firm, which provided services for industrial, commercial and roadway projects. At CSS, he provides site development engineering and permitting services for commercial developments.
Bryan obtained his EI certification in 2014 and is currently working towards obtaining his PE licensure.
Jacob Patterson
Project Engineer
Jacob Patterson is a Project Engineer for CSS and joined the company in 2019. Jacob is from Liberty South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University in the Spring of 2019. Upon graduating from Clemson, Jacob began his career with CSS. Throughout his education he interned with a geotechnical and construction inspection engineering firm and the college’s industrial assessment department.
Jacob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and obtained his EI certification in 2019. He is now working to obtain his PE licensure.
Stephanie Bright
Office Manager
Stephanie joined CSS in January 2010 as Office Manager. In addition to the duties related to this role, Stephanie also manages the due diligence and permitting processes for projects, including: performing due diligence, completing due diligence reports, managing permit submittals and working with local and state jurisdictions to obtain necessary permits for projects. Before joining CSS, Stephanie managed due diligence and permitting for projects at another local engineering firm.
Stephanie is originally from Chattanooga, TN, and she graduated in 1999 from Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing Management.
Address: 402 East 1st Ave, Easley, SC 29640