Rowland Lamb is a licensed Professional Engineer and President of ColoneyBell, Tallahassee’s oldest forensic consulting firm. Rowland was born in Valley, Alabama, raised in East Point, Georgia, and graduated from Auburn University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. He is proud to say that Tallahassee has been his home since 1990.
After 16 years with the Florida Department of Transportation where Rowland began his career, he decided it was time for a change. Rowland met John Bell by happenstance shortly after leaving the FDOT. At that time, John had owned ColoneyBell for a few years and was looking for a seasoned engineer to come on board and help him grow the business. After a motorcycle trip across the country with his son, Rowland joined ColoneyBell full-time and will tell anyone that it has been one of the best decisions he has ever made.
As a forensic consulting firm, ColoneyBell provides support to the jurisprudence system. Rowland states that he “likes to look at our job as one of an investigator, then as an educator. When something goes wrong, we investigate it and analyze the evidence to determine why. After that, we educate our client on our findings. We frequently are called upon to educate the opposing side if the matter has progressed to litigation. If a settlement cannot be reached between the parties and the matter goes to trial, it is our job to educate the judge and jury.”
ColoneyBell has a broad and diverse staff that provides consultation on matters involving vehicular accidents, building construction, roadway design and construction, fires and explosions, flooding, and other system failures. Rowland’s case load primarily involves roadway design and construction matters as well as vehicular accident reconstruction.
Rowland considers himself very fortunate to have mentored under Wayne H. Coloney, founder of ColoneyBell, for 14 years before Wayne retired. After 18 years of working side-by-side with John and Kathy Bell, John asked Rowland to assume the role and responsibilities of President of ColoneyBell in 2018. Rowland will readily admit that he relies heavily on the input of his partners, John and Kathy. “Between the three of us, we have about 65 years of experience in this rather odd and interesting field where legal and engineering minds come together…or collide…depending on the situation. As engineers we are not advocates for our clients or their case, but we are advocates for the facts and the truth. We have a reputation for telling our clients what they need to know, which is not necessarily what they want to know. That lesson, learned long ago from Wayne, is the key to our longevity in this field.”
ColoneyBell has evolved and grown over the years, and Rowland is excited for the future. “I look forward to the next generation escorting me out the door…as long as they carry forward the values and principles that Wayne instilled in us and that we will continue instilling in them.”
