Robert Ridgel is a 20-year inspection and reliability professional and the founder of Mitigation Inspection Group (MIG). His career began as an Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) technician, progressing to Advanced NDE Specialist. Robert's experience includes time in the Chief Refinery Inspector role for an owner-user, RBI Facilitator for DMR/RBI Validation projects and lead for various high value/visibility inspection initiatives. Certified in API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspection), API 570 (Piping Inspection) and API 653 (Tank Inspection), with specialist certifications in API 571 (Damage Mechanisms), API 580 (Risk Based Inspection), and API 577 (Weld Inspection), his deep technical foundation and corrosion management experience allow him to translate real-world understanding of damage and it's detection into defensible, risk-driven inspection strategies. He has experience leading the development and maturation of an effective facility-wide RBI program, including IDMS-based RBI calculations, inspection planning, and risk prioritization strategies. The results of this work led to more effective allocation of inspection resources and a reduction in high-consequence events. Experienced as an owner-user Chief Inspector, Robert was regarded as a subject-matter expert in RBI methodologies and corrosion, leading inspection governance and strengthening mechanical integrity performance. Through MIG, he now partners with organizations to build sustainable, compliant, risk-focused RBI programs.