About Arrow

Meet Michael Howell

Arrow Engineering Owner

Growing up in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, Mike’s love of construction began at a young age. One summer, Mike helped his dad build a deck on the back of their house, and his passion for building structures grew. The young, aspiring engineer was active with construction mission trips throughout high school and worked with a residential contractor during summers in college. 

Mike earned a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Business Administration from West Virginia University. His career includes time with the following:

• American Bridge Company of Coraopolis, PA
• McKinney and Company of Ashland, Virginia
• Brockenbrough and Associates of Richmond, VA
• Allegheny Design Services of Morgantown, West Virginia

Mike is an active member and past branch President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a past chair of the Richmond Joint Engineers Council, a past delegate to the Emerging Leaders Alliance and a past President and current member of the BNI Mountaineer Chapter. 

He’s also a professional speaker and lecturer on various construction topics such as Lessons from the Great Builders: What History Teaches Us About Modern Construction’ or ‘Failure: When Engineers Make Mistakes,’ and ‘When Engineers Manage.’

Additionally, he’s an active and past board member of several local organizations such as Pace Enterprises, the Bartlett House, and the Spark Imagination and Science Center. He is a coach in local youth sports and he resides in Morgantown, West Virginia, with his two children.

Meet Phillip Bailey

Junior Structural Engineer

A native Mountaineer, Phillip was born and raised in the small town of Bridgeport, West Virginia. With a childhood dream to build roller coasters for the Walt Disney World Resort, Phillip is excited in his new role leading complex building and design projects for the Arrow Engineering team.

Phillip holds B.S. in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University, and has a background in construction management working for Yates Construction on the WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.

Phillip is a volunteer YoungLife Leader for Grafton High School (c. 2018), and previously held an official position for the West Virginia University’s Chi Epsilon Honorary Academic Fraternity. He is a licensed Engineering Intern (EI) in the state of West Virginia.

He is married to his lovely wife, Madison, and together they have one dog, Bruno. He enjoys cooking for his family, skiing at the Snowshoe Resort in Pocahontas County, and traveling to new and exciting places.

Meet Ashbee Sykes

Project Engineer

Originally from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Ashbee has a great appreciation of building construction and structures. Growing up working in a family construction business, he has experience in many facets of the industry from framing houses to planning and engineering on multimillion dollar infrastructure projects in his subsequent work. He understands the hard work that goes into building construction projects and the impact design decisions may have.

His work as a young carpenter inspired his appreciation for structural engineering and lead him to his life in West Virginia. He met his wife Ashley, a native of Morgantown, WV, while building a house for her aunt. Together they reside in Morgantown and have a young daughter and a dog.

Ashbee attended West Virginia University where he was awarded a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a M.S in Aerospace Engineering and is pursuing Structural Engineering studies at The Citadel. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 2019.

Meet Sydney Raeckelboom

Project Engineer

Originally from South Carolina, Sydney has roots in West Virginia. Her grandmother grew up in War and went to Big Creek High school, the historic home of the Rocket Boys, portrayed in the popular movie “October Sky”.

A Project Engineer, Sydney began her career working on pre-manufactured metal building systems. She soon moved onto working with various commercial projects for government bases around the world. As a junior engineer, she has over 5 years experience collectively.

Sydney attended Clemson University where she was awarded a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Sydney brings a fresh perspective and modern approach to Arrow’s projects.

Meet Zachary Howell

CAD Technician

Being Arrow’s only CAD Technician, Zachary plays an important role within the team. With his knowledge of engineering technology and design skills, he produces creative 2D and 3D designs. This enables Arrow to draft the highest quality plans and build the best possible structures.

In addition to designing and drafting, he participates in field work, measuring existing structures and FHA assessments. His expertise and attention to detail designing and building structures make him a vital part of the team.

Zachary attended Virtual Design Construction Institute where he was awarded an Auto Desk Certification.