CORNELIUS B. THERON

Senior Critical Facilities & Infrastructure Operations Specialist

Palm Beach County, FL | (561) 853-6892 | cornelius.theron@gmail.com | https://corneliustheron.com/resume/

U.S. Permanent Resident (ITAR Compliant / U.S. Person) | SADF Combat Veteran | Prior Adjudicated Top Secret Clearance (DoD / Federal Facilities)

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Multidisciplinary facilities engineer, industrial systems specialist, and military veteran with 35+ years of hands-on experience directing critical physical plants, high-reliability emergency power generation, commercial 3-phase electrical distribution, and municipal/industrial water pumping infrastructure. Proven background supporting high-security federal installations (State Department, U.S. Marshals, Martin Marietta, federal corrections) and executing live-in post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction under Category 5 conditions (Miami Metrozoo). Deep expertise in NFPA 72 and NEC 101 life-safety compliance, prime/standby diesel generator fabrication and maintenance, automatic transfer switches (ATS), motor controls, and civil earthmoving equipment. Disciplined, 100% sober, and available for 24/7 on-call base operations, GSA facility engineering, and prime defense contractor deployments.

CORE CAPABILITIES

• Critical Power & Generation: Prime and standby industrial diesel/LP generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS), 3-phase power distribution (480V/208V/120V), switchgear, load bank testing, battery backup arrays, microgrids, and motor control centers (MCC).

• Life Safety, Fire & Code Compliance: NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code), NEC 101 (Life Safety Code), relay logic, circuit breaker calibration, municipal code compliance, and integrated emergency shutdown systems.

• Industrial Mechanical, Water & Pumps: High-volume agricultural/industrial well pumps, pressure tanks, closed-loop atmospheric water extraction arrays, filtration systems, hydraulic equipment, and rough/finish commercial plumbing.

• Physical Plant & Security Infrastructure: High-security access control, biometric scanners, perimeter surveillance, fiber-optic distribution, FCC-licensed RF communication tower erection, structural timber framing, and hurricane hardening.

• Heavy Equipment & Field Logistics: Earthmoving machinery, heavy loaders, tractors, trenching, site grading, material transport, and independent field operations in hostile or post-disaster environments.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

THERON TECHNOLOGIES & INFRASTRUCTURE | Palm Beach County, FL

Principal Systems Engineer & Operations Lead | 2001 – Present

• Directed end-to-end design, mechanical assembly, wiring, and load testing for industrial prime-power generation units, utility transport chassis, and mobile power skids.

• Engineered closed-loop atmospheric water extraction systems, integrating high-pressure industrial pumping arrays, automated filtration, and environmental monitoring.

• Awarded U.S. Patent (USPTO Application No. 63/641,548) for permanent magnetic continuous power systems and energy management protocols.

• Managed 24/7 operational maintenance, electrical panels, high-draw auxiliary equipment, and site security across long-term Florida facilities.

THERON ENTERPRISES / COMMERCIAL RANCH OPERATIONS | Montana

Facilities & Physical Plant Operations Manager | 2014 – 2019

• Directed physical plant, civil maintenance, and daily operations for a large commercial agricultural facility under sub-zero winter and high-heat summer conditions.

• Maintained prime and standby backup generators, commercial freeze-protected plumbing loops, deep wellhead pumping systems, and automatic heating arrays.

• Operated heavy diesel equipment (loaders, tractors, graders) for road maintenance, snow removal, drainage grading, and perimeter security fencing.

• Maintained 100% operational uptime of all mechanical, life-support, and water distribution systems over a continuous 5-year period with zero regulatory or safety infractions.

TYCO INTERNATIONAL | South Florida

Senior Systems Specialist / Systems Engineer | Late 1990s – 2001

• Inspected, tested, and certified mission-critical commercial life safety, fire alarm, and electrical control networks in accordance with NFPA 72 and NEC 101 standards.

• Conducted advanced electrical diagnostics, high-voltage/low-voltage control wiring, relay logic troubleshooting, and municipal authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) sign-offs.

• Handled emergency physical plant dispatches for regional commercial complexes and industrial campuses.

ADT ELECTRONICS – GOVERNMENT & ENTERPRISE DIVISION | South Florida

Senior Systems Specialist (Held Adjudicated Top Secret Clearance) | Mid – Late 1990s

• Performed high-level security, access control, and life-safety installations across Tier-1 federal and defense installations, including the U.S. State Department, Martin Marietta, U.S. Marshals Service, federal courthouses, and maximum-security correctional facilities.

• Awarded the prestigious ADT Club Excellence Award for two consecutive years for technical service execution and rapid diagnostic turnaround.

• Installed and maintained fiber-optic communications, biometric access points, high-capacity uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and perimeter alarm networks.

SECURITY SYSTEMS (Acquired by Adelphia) / HONEYWELL / AMERICAN SECURITY | South Florida

Lead Systems & RF Infrastructure Specialist | Early – Mid 1990s

• Serviced commercial access networks, supervisory control lines, and alarm infrastructure for major regional banking institutions and corporate complexes.

• Erected, rigged, and wired FCC-licensed commercial radio communication towers and transmission feeds across Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, and Boca Raton.

MIAMI METROZOO (ZOO MIAMI) RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT | Miami, FL

Lead Infrastructure & Structural Specialist (Live-In) | 1992 – 1993

• Lived on-site inside the compound for six continuous months following the Category 5 destruction of Hurricane Andrew to direct physical plant recovery and structural rebuilding.

• Engineered, framed, and built commercial timber shade pavilions and large-scale structures engineered to extreme sustained wind loads (structures remain intact and code-compliant).

• Reconstructed heavy water distribution lines, drainage grading, high-pressure animal containment hydration stations, and secure perimeter pedestrian accessways.

SIEMENS (Circuit Breaker Division) | Johannesburg, South Africa

Industrial Electrical Specialist | Late 1980s

• Executed precision mechanical assembly, bench calibration, and high-current fault interruption testing on heavy commercial/industrial circuit breakers and high-voltage switchgear.

CHUBB ELECTRONICS | Pretoria & Regional Operations, South Africa

Regional Supervisor & Lead Systems Specialist | Mid – Late 1980s

• Promoted to Regional Supervisor to lead operational integration of acquired competitor (Andrews Alarms), directly supervising 30+ field technicians.

• Ranked as the company’s highest Time & Material (T&M) revenue-producing technician in the Pretoria metropolitan sector through rapid diagnostic problem-solving.

MILITARY SERVICE

SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE FORCE (SADF) – 7 SAI (Phalaborwa)

Infantry & Military Intelligence / Counter-Intelligence | 1982 – 1990

• Completed full two-year operational active duty deployment (1982–1984) followed by annual operational reserve call-ups through 1990.

• Experienced in tactical communications, perimeter defense, asset security, adverse-condition logistics, and field mechanical maintenance under remote operational conditions.

EDUCATION & ACCREDITATIONS

• University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) & UNISA: Foundational coursework in Electrical Engineering, Mechanics, and Physical Sciences.

• U.S. Foreign Credential Evaluations (Accredited via UM, UF, FAU): Formal evaluation confirming equivalent U.S. standing in Applied Physics, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, RF Communications, and Electromagnetics.

• Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies): Matriculation in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

• U.S. Patent: USPTO Patent Application No. 63/641,548 (Permanent Magnetic Energy Systems).

• Technical Licenses & Certifications:

  • NFPA 72 Certified (National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code)

  • NEC 101 Certified (Life Safety Code)

  • FAA Private Pilot License (PPL)

  • NAUI Dive Master / PADI Advanced Deep Diver