Established in 2008, Manta Ray Consulting (MRC) is a specialized EVMS firm that provides defense, energy and large construction clients with quality, customized project management consulting. Throughout the nation, MRC is quickly earning a reputation as the small firm that delivers big results.

Collectively, the MRC team has a vast amount of experience in project management within the following industries, companies and laboratories:

• Department of Energy (DOE)

• Department of Defense (DOD)

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• Boeing

• Raytheon

• Lockheed Martin

• TRW

• Fermilab

• Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• Brookhaven National Laboratory

• Argonne National Laboratory

• University of California, Berkeley

• CERN

Why should you want a front-runner working on your defense, energy or construction projects?

Because front-runners are "get it done" people with "do it right" ideas. Sure, we know how to implement, but we also know better than to accept the status quo. We'll ask questions, collaborate, think and inspire innovation in your workplace. We'll help you be better than you are today (even if you're already pretty great). We'll outfit your team with efficient, sustainable practices and we'll help you deploy technical tools to ensure the timely, quality completion of projects. You can count on us to think hard and work hard – and we'll demand the same of you.

What's in it for you? A sharper competitive edge.

It's hard not to take the lead when you have front-runners working on your team. Get to know a few of our EVMS project consultants below.

Manny Abela

Principal

Manny Abela is co-founder and president of Manta Ray Consulting and the creator of The Hammer Solution. A principal consultant with more than 30 years of project management experience in major government contracting, Manny provides insightful EVMS consulting services for large-scale defense, energy and construction projects across the United States. He also oversees the day-to-day management of MRC, where he and co-founder Jeff Chan have built a team of consultants who bring a full spectrum of talent and expertise to all client partnerships.

Most consultants have the mindset that they are going in on a job alone. We don't. Every time we work with a client, we bring the knowledge and experience of the entire team to the table. The quality of consultants we have working for us is remarkable. I have never met a better group of people.

Manny has a technical background in custom tool development and database management — an uncommon asset in consulting. He began his career at aerospace and defense contractor Hughes Aircraft Company, where he developed expertise in project controls and EVMS. He later worked as an engineer in the tech industry before founding Manta Ray Consulting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology from DeVry University and is fluent in multiple programming languages, including VB, VBA, VB.net, SQL and C/C++.

Manny is a natural leader who inspires collaborative teams and motivates people to perform at their highest level. Manny works from coast to coast but makes his home base in Portland, Oregon, with his wife of 33 years. He is an accomplished and passionate scuba diver; his experiences diving in the calming, serene presence of manta rays inspired the firm’s name.

Jeffrey Chan

Principal

Jeff Chan is principal and co-founder of Manta Ray Consulting, which he and Manny Abela have built into a firm widely respected in the defense, energy and government contracting industries. He has over 25 years of experience helping organizations across the country plan and manage their projects using earned value management.  He specializes in setting up the infrastructure for an earned value management system (EVMS) for large DOE and DOD projects, which includes Work Breakdown Structure development, Project Execution Plan development and more. 

Jeff began his career at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where he developed project resource models, including funding profiles and contingency analyses, for the cutting-edge research facility. He later moved into consulting and gained valuable experience developing, implementing and maintaining EVMS before co-founding Manta Ray Consulting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and production management from San Francisco State University.

It's not a one-way relationship — it's a partnership, and communication is key. There's a synergy that I like to develop to add value to the client experience.

Jeff is known for remaining calm and focused under pressure and his ability to lead teams and projects efficiently and effectively. He lives in San Francisco, California, and enjoys running, riding motorcycles, culinary activities, spending time with friends and family, and a good hockey game.