About Us
Peter Jacke - Lab Director
Peter Jacke has been in the geotechnical field since 1984. He is well-versed in geotechnical testing projects, including dams, levees, tunnels, nuclear power plants, bridges and other large scale infrastructure projects. From 2002 until 2015, he was Lab Director at Cooper Testing Labs in Palo Alto, and at their Northwest Regional Lab in Oregon. From April 2017 through July 2021, he owned and operated a successful independent testing lab, Benchmark Geolabs in McMinnville, Oregon. The lab closed permanently after Peter relocated to the East Coast, where a new company, Benchmark Geotechnical Labs was opened in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Peter continues to work as Lab Director and provides quality testing services to clients from coast-to-coast.
Peter's expertise in the field is widely known as a Senior Geotechnical and Environmental Engineer. He holds a BS Degree in Natural Resource Studies from UMass Amherst, and a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University (SJSU). He worked as an Adjunct Professor at SJSU teaching soil mechanics and environmental engineering laboratory classes, and is a long-standing Associate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and ASTM International. Peter has decades of soil testing expertise in the lab and out in the field, and enjoys working with clients or consulting on complex geotechnical problems. He is always available to discuss your testing needs and to answer any questions you may have regardless of how large or small a project might be.
Anna Jacke - Accounting and Contracts Manager
Anna Jacke has been an accounting professional since 1985. She is a graduate of Fairfield University and worked as a Senior Paralegal and full-charge bookkeeper for nearly twenty years. In 2017, she founded Benchmark Geolabs in McMinnville, Oregon, as Principal and Accounting Manager to establish a successful independent testing lab. In 2021, Anna was founding member of Benchmark Geotechnical Labs in Belchertown, Massachusetts, where she serves as Accounting and Contracts Manager. She also built this website!
In her spare time, she is a professional artist, historian, genealogist and author. Anna published her first major book in February 2025 - Josiah Perkins Creesy and Eleanor Prentiss Creesy, "Marblehead Legends, 1814-1900." She is an avid photographer, enjoys hiking and exploring National and State Parks, and the seashore whenever possible.