Master Grower Ron Mitchell Joins Clayco
Controlled Environment Agriculture expert joins design-build leader Clayco to help drive the company’s growth as a fully integrated design-build solution reshaping indoor agriculture.
To support its continuing expansion in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) space, national design-build and construction company Clayco has hired Ron Mitchell as Director of Controlled Environment Agriculture. Ron will be applying his vast horticultural expertise to all Clayco’s CEA projects. As part of Clayco’s Food and Beverage team, he will advise project teams and cultivate relationships with growers.
“I’m excited to support Clayco in its mission to organize the engineering and procurement process to adapt to each grower’s unique objectives. I will be the liaison between biology and engineering. My experience lends increased understanding of agriculture, plant health, and the growing process. This will further reduce project risk and offer truly integrated, comprehensive solutions for success at first yield,” said Ron Mitchell. “We have a talented and diverse team who will be leading the way as the industry evolves. What we are doing here goes beyond building buildings – we are a part of a food production revolution. It’s about cooperation, not competition, and Clayco is focused on helping talented growers reach their full potential.”
“We are thrilled to have Ron join our team,” said Anthony Johnson, President & Shareholder and Industrial Business Unit Leader. “Safety and speed are our specialties, and growers need to move quickly to solve the world’s food supply chain issues. Clayco’s integrated approach and ability to provide services across design, engineering, and construction is a game changer for this industry.”
Ron Jones, Senior Principal, Clayco also added, “Ron’s expertise in the industry will help ensure that our projects are in line with CEA specific standards, best practices, and technology, especially in an industry that is rapidly growing.. Ron embraces innovation and alternative project delivery methods, and his extensive industry knowledge enables him to provide valuable insights during all stages of a CAPEX project.”
Clayco is involved in CEA projects with a capex value over $2 Billion and has been involved with nearly 150 acres of CEA space over the past two years alone, including multiple national multi-site programs in the vertical grow and greenhouse space.
Ron started his indoor farming career working at the UC Berkeley field office greenhouse with Professor Paul Droll, the father of modern hydroponics. Throughout his career Ron has founded numerous vertical farms, in places as diverse as Hawaii and West Africa. He has worked as a respected consultant in the CEA industry. Most recently he was the Master Grower and Director of Grow Operations at OnePointOne, Inc, a vertical farm startup.
Clayco is a full-service, turnkey real estate development, master planning, architecture, engineering, and construction firm that safely and sustainably delivers the highest quality solutions to clients across North America on time, on budget, and above and beyond expectations. With $4.9 billion in revenue for 2021, Clayco specializes in the “art and science of building,” providing fast track, efficient solutions for industrial, commercial, institutional and residential-related building projects. For more information, visit www.claycorp.com.
New Lighting Designer Joins Dark Light Design’s St Louis Office
Jenny Rider has joined Dark Light Design as Lighting Designer in the St. Louis office. Jenny brings 5 years of experience in theatrical lighting design to the Dark Light team. As an architectural lighting designer, she will be working to support design efforts through production support, developing lighting calculations, and product research. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Design and Production with Lighting Design concentration from Purdue University.
Dark Light is a certified woman owned (WBE) lighting design firm with offices in Seattle and St. Louis. Established in 2008, Dark Light serves owners, developers, and the design community to enhance the built environment through the application of light. For more information, visit www.darklight-design.com.
Terracon Names Tim Cleary National Manager of In Situ Services
Terracon, a leading provider of environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, has named Tim Cleary national manager of in situ services. Cleary will lead the company’s in situ and direct push-site investigation services and lead a practice resource group to develop standards for advanced site characterization services.
“Terracon is making significant operational and financial commitments to be a national leader in in situ testing,” Cleary said. “Developing our people and giving them the best resources is critical to our success. I am excited to work with our exploration and engineering staff to lead innovation and serve our clients.”
Cleary has more than 30 years of experience leading exploration operations serving consulting engineers and geologists. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego and studied geotechnical engineering at North Carolina State University. He is based in Terracon’s Raleigh office.
Terracon is an employee-owned, multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 5,500 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 175 locations nationwide. Explore with us by visiting terracon.com.
September 23, 2022
IWR North America Adds Doug Hantak as Project Manager
IWR North America, one of the longest standing building enclosure contractors in the U.S., has added Doug Hantak as a project manager. In his role at IWR, Hantak will assist in managing projects from sale to completion and monitoring the supply chain in the architectural metal segment.
“Having an experienced project manager, like Doug, is essential for IWR,” said Todd Staley, president of IWR North America. “IWR wants to maintain its status as an industry leader in the building enclosure market and that would not be possible without dedicated and accomplished project managers.”
Hantak brings more than a decade of project management experience to IWR, working with the architectural metal panel and curtain wall industries. Before joining the team at IWR, Hantak worked as a project manager at Enclos. In his time as a project manager, he contributed to notable projects such as the Mall at Millenia in Florida, Bleu Ciel condominiums in Dallas, and the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas.
IWR North America is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., with a Southwest Division in the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., IWR North America is one of the longest-standing contractors in the nation, specializing in building enclosures since 1895. Today, IWR services its clients and communities from multiple locations. Through a strong focus on building façades, IWR has become an industry leader in high-performing glazing, cladding and screening systems. With design, fabrication and installation capabilities, IWR delivers value-added solutions as a single-source building enclosure partner. For more information, please visit www.iwr-na.com or call 314-633-4958.
Holland Construction Services Adds Two New Members to Growing Team
Holland Construction Services has announced the hiring of Senior Acquisition Specialist Susan Schultz and Marketing Director Neal Stewart to join its growing team. Holland has seen record growth and revenue in 2022, adding more than 25 team members so far, with an additional 15 expected to be added before next year.
“We feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to find such quality talent to join our team at Holland who understand our values and principles,” said Holland President Mike Marchal. “Culture has always been a founding principal at Holland so it’s been very important to us that while we are growing quickly, we are also adding team members that we know will succeed here. I feel very confident that both Neal and Susan will do an exceptional job in their roles as we move forward.”
Schultz has a background in higher education and has worked with universities in career development for the past 25 years. Her newly created position as a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist will include responsibilities such as working with Holland’s management team and industry leaders to attract quality talent, staffing open positions, and influencing the hiring process to pave a way for Holland’s success. Schultz said her goal is to continue developing Holland’s outreach with universities and increase employee recruitment efforts.
“My goal is to help with recruiting top talent to meet the needs of Holland’s continued growth,” said Schultz. “I have become familiar with Holland’s work and reputation in the community and believe that relationships are a hallmark of the success that they have created. I am excited to use my background to continue to attract top talent to Holland.”
Stewart, a Belleville Illinois native, comes to Holland with more than 25 years of marketing experience. He also serves as an adjunct professor at West Virginia University. His role includes overseeing Holland’s brand, leadership of all marketing efforts, reputation management, community outreach, and further development of video and photography assets for Holland.
“Holland’s brand has existed for 36 years and the fact that so much of their business is referrals and repeat clients is a testament to their success, “said Stewart. “The next frontier is to demonstrate their innovative and thought-leading culture to a new client audience and continue propelling that growth, especially in new sectors such as industrial. I’m excited to be part of their continued growth.”
Holland Construction Services is a full-service construction management, general contracting, and design/build firm guided by the principle of providing clients the best possible construction experience on every project. Holland has been providing quality construction services throughout Illinois and Missouri since 1986. Holland is led by President Mike Marchal and founder and CEO Bruce Holland.
Holland offers pre-construction, construction, and virtual design & construction services to commercial, education, healthcare, industrial, multi-family, municipal, recreation, and senior living clients. The St. Louis Business Journal ranks Holland as a “Best Places to Work” and one of the top 15 contractors in the St. Louis area by volume. For more information, visit Holland’s website at www.hollandcs.com.
PARIC Selects Will Douglas as Chief Financial Officer
PARIC Corp., one of the largest construction companies in the Midwest and recently named a “Top Workplace,” has appointed Will Douglas as chief financial officer.
Douglas most recently served as senior director of finance at Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives Inc., a publicly traded company specializing nationally in the construction of wind and solar farms as well as public and industrial infrastructure.
His previous experience was at Ingersoll Rand and Stanley Mechanical Solutions, both in Indianapolis. Douglas earned a master of business administration degree at Butler University and a bachelor’s degree at Indiana University.
PARIC is an innovative general contractor, construction manager and design-build firm. The team focuses on building excellence while also building answers to the special challenges impacting their customers’ operations. With teams in St. Louis, Kansas City and throughout the Midwest, PARIC manages construction projects for customers ranging from industrial facilities and hospitals to universities, banks and the renovation of historic buildings.
SLC3 Adds Finance & Administrative Associate
Amber Spence has joined the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers (SLC3) as Finance and Administrative Associate at their headquarters in Ballwin, MO. Amber will support financial needs and provide administrative support for the Council. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and Liberal Arts from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. She has over ten years’ experience in customer service and administrative support. Amber has three years of financial experience.
The St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers (SLC3) (501c3) is the Greater St. Louis Region’s AllInclusive AEC Community for Innovation, Continuing Education, Equity Empowerment and Collaboration. The “community” is a member association governed by local area owners or buyers of design and construction services such as Bayer, Boeing, Ameren and Washington University. The SLC3 is one of 34 local user’s council (LUC) in the U.S. St. Louis holds the title of the largest LUC and was the second to be formed. The full membership also includes designers, contractors, trades, associations, and business support companies and individuals. SLC3 was founded in 1971 as a voice for consumers of construction within the industry to address the challenges of the time such as labor agreements, best practices in design/construction, and diversity and inclusion.
Alberici Promotes John East to Lead National Water Market
East will lead Alberici’s continued growth in the water and wastewater market sectors.
Alberici Constructors, Inc. recently promoted John East to Market Leader for the firm’s water business unit. In this role, East is responsible for the overall leadership of preconstruction and construction of water and wastewater projects as well as maintaining strong client relationships. Alberici is one of the largest privately-held companies in St. Louis and the 12th largest water and wastewater contractor in the U.S. (Engineering News-Record, May 2021).
East has been a key contributor to many water and wastewater projects over the course of his six years with Alberici, including the award-winning $135 Million Crooked Creek Water Reclamation Facility Improvement in Gwinnett County, Ga., and the Wichita Northwest Water Treatment Facility, a new 120 MGD water treatment facility for the City of Wichita. At Wichita, East led the preconstruction efforts for the progressive design-build delivery and collaboration with the City, driving innovative design solutions that resulted in early cost-certainty and $14 million in cost savings. The project is currently under construction with an expected completion in early 2025.
“John brings an incredible technical expertise and in-depth knowledge of collaborative delivery methods to this role and will be an excellent resource for municipal, governmental and private clients who need to deliver cost-effective solutions to the communities they serve,” said Alberici Chief Operating Officer, Mike Burke.
Prior to assuming this role, East served as preconstruction director where he led estimating, design integration and procurement activities for Alberici’s water and wastewater projects. He has a bachelor’s degree in industrial construction management from Colorado State University. He is a member the Water Collaborative Delivery Association and serves on the Design Build Institute of America’s Water Wastewater subcommittee. He is also a graduate of the FMI Leadership Institute and a National Center for Construction Education and Research certified trainer.
Alberici’s water market currently has more than $1 Billion in active collaborative delivery water and wastewater projects for communities across the country including a joint venture to design and construct the $538 Million James River Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow Facility (SWIFT) and James River Treatment Plant Advanced Nutrient Reduction Improvements (ANRI) project located in Newport News, Va. These projects are part of a broader program that will recharge the Potomac Aquifer with up to 100 million gallons of water per day. This program will ensure a sustainable source of groundwater while addressing environmental challenges such as Chesapeake Bay restoration, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion.
Alberici is a leading North American construction company serving the civil, energy, institutional, commercial, heavy industrial, manufacturing, water/wastewater, and automotive markets. Founded in 1918 in St. Louis, Alberici is a recognized leader in the construction industry focused on providing clients with rock-solid reliability, the highest standards of quality and safety and innovative solutions for the most complex building needs. Alberici is ranked the 35th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2022) with annual revenues exceeding $2.6 billion. With approximately 3,500 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm is headquartered in St. Louis with offices throughout North America. More information about the company is available online at www.alberici.com or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
September 16, 2022
Hager Companies Promotes Ralph J. (Johnston) Hager, III to President and C.O.O.
Hager Companies, a leading U.S. manufacturer of commercial and residential door hardware products, is pleased to announce the promotion of Johnston Hager to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer. Ralph J. Hager, II retains the position of Chief Executive Officer while Rusty Hager also retains his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In his role as Senior Vice President of residential sales, national accounts, and customer support, Johnston was instrumental in driving customer relationships and reorganizing Hager’s customer support team. Under his leadership, Hager has expanded the technical services team and developed a customer support team that has been ranked #1 in surveys conducted by two of Hager’s most prominent customers. Johnston continued to lead Hager’s efforts within our residential products category and was able to increase market share during the post-pandemic supply chain struggles. Hager Companies looks forward to his continued leadership in his new role as President and Chief Operating Officer.
“I am pleased with the direction our company is going and expect continued success with Johnston leading our team as President and Chief Operating Officer”, said C.E.O. Ralph Hager. “On behalf of the board of directors and the entire Hager team, I want to congratulate Johnston on his promotion and wish him the best in his new role. I have complete faith in his abilities to lead our team to continued top and bottom-line growth going forward.”
Founded in 1849, St. Louis-based Hager Companies offers more than 6,000 full-line quality door hardware products under one brand name. With 13 product lines including access control, door controls, electrified hardware, exit devices, locks, commercial and residential hinges, two types of continuous hinges, sliding door hardware, trim, threshold and weatherstripping, and Euroline our European hardware line. Hager focuses on architectural door hardware that exceeds today’s building standards and that are built to last. For additional information, visit www.hagerco.com.
Lucien Lagrange Joining Clayco Subsidiary Lamar Johnson Collaborative
Clayco, a national full-service, turnkey real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build, and construction firm, and its subsidiary Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) are pleased to welcome distinguished Architect Lucien Lagrange and members of his team joining the Lamar Johnson Collaborative effective September 1, 2022.
Lucien Lagrange will join Lamar Johnson Collaborative as a principal and will act in the role of senior design consultant. Additionally, My-Nga Lam, Victor Krasnopolsky and Alfredo Marr will also join as principals. Together, this team will provide leadership to the residential and hospitality studios at Lamar Johnson Collaborative. With the addition of this new team, Lamar Johnson Collaborative will have a staff of over 250 and offices in Chicago, St Louis, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Kansas City and Atlanta.
“This is truly an enormous milestone for our firm,” Lamar Johnson, FAIA said. “Lucien is an icon in architecture with an incredible legacy of outstanding design. I look forward to learning from Lucien and to further establishing our capabilities for the benefit of our clients.”
Lucien Lagrange’s national body of work and industry reputation will strengthen LJC’s position and forge new opportunities.
“Over the course of his career since Lucien Lagrange went on his own, he has completed some of the most noteworthy and exclusive projects and properties in Chicago,” said Clayco Executive Chairman and Founder Bob Clark. “This includes the Park Hyatt on Michigan Avenue, the Waldorf and nine out of the top 20 most expensive high rise residential properties. He will add depth and breadth to our offerings. With him comes an amazing team that I am really looking forward to working with.”
Architecture is a part of who Lagrange is and something he has had the privilege of practicing for nearly 40 years.
“I am delighted to be teaming up with an extraordinary organization like LJC and Clayco.” Lucien Lagrange said. “This is the next step to elevate the elegance, quality and excellence of our architecture even further and an opportunity to build together into the future from our legacy of outstanding design.”
Clayco is a full-service, turnkey real estate development, master planning, architecture, engineering, and construction firm that safely and sustainably delivers the highest quality solutions to clients across North America on time, on budget, and above and beyond expectations. With $4.9 billion in revenue for 2021, Clayco specializes in the “art and science of building,” providing fast track, efficient solutions for industrial, commercial, institutional and residential-related building projects. For more information, visit www.claycorp.com.
LJC is a full-service design and architecture firm committed to enhancing the quality of the human experience and to improving how design and architecture can impact each individual’s emotional being. By harnessing the power of integrated design, including architecture, workplace strategy, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning and engineering, the company achieves its clients’ goals and aspirations. For more information, please visit www.theljc.com.
For over 50 years, Lucien Lagrange has designed iconic architecture and interiors in Chicago and around the world. In 1985, Lucien began his own practice, at Lucien Lagrange Studio LLC, which grew to include Managing Principal Alfredo Marr, and Design Principals My-Nga Lam and Victor Krasnopolsky, sharing ideals regarding quality design, hands-on work ethic, collaboration, and trust. Lucien Lagrange Studio LLC will complete certain pending projects and assign certain select projects to LJC with client consent. For more information, visit https://lucienlagrange.com/about.
September 9, 2022
S. M. Wilson Hires Administrative Manager and Client Development Manager
S. M. Wilson, a St. Louis-based construction manager and general contracting firm, has hired Joyce Glass as Administrative Manager and Taylor Tisoncik as Client Development Manager.
As an ambassador for S. M. Wilson, Glass provides administrative expertise and support firm-wide in her role as Administrative Manager. She is responsible for ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and adequate flow of information across the company’s support departments. Glass brings more than 20 years of experience to S. M. Wilson. She has an extensive background in strategic human resources management, staff development, recruiting, employee relations, procedure creation and legal compliance.
As a Client Development Manager, Tisoncik assists in evaluating business opportunities, acquiring new clients, maintaining existing relationships and promoting S. M. Wilson in identified markets as well as the local community. Tisoncik brings six years of experience in marketing and sales. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Lewis University.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis and offices in Edwardsville, IL and Cape Girardeau, MO. Founded in 1921, S. M. Wilson is dedicated to going above and beyond expectations for their clients by putting people first. The 100% employee-owned company is one of the leading construction management firms in the Midwest. Areas of expertise include K-12 education, commercial, healthcare and industrial projects. For more information, visit www.smwilson.com.
Josh Skeeters joins Wiegmann Associates as Mechanical Revit Designer
Josh Skeeters of St. Peters, MO has joined Wiegmann Associates as a Mechanical Revit Designer. He is responsible for building information modeling (BIM), creating and managing project data as well as assisting engineers in the design process. Skeeters started as an intern with Wiegmann Associates. He holds an associate’s degree in Building Systems Engineering Technology from Ranken Technical College.
Wiegmann Associates is a St. Louis-based mechanical contractor and a national leader in design/build HVAC projects. Since 1995, Wiegmann Associates has engineered and installed innovative, energy-saving and cost-efficient HVAC solutions, refrigeration systems and automation controls for clients in a wide range of industries, including senior living, food and beverage distribution, warehouse, healthcare, commercial and industrial. Wiegmann also provides 24-hour preventative maintenance programs and service in the St. Louis region. Wiegmann is ranked among the top 50 specialty contractors in the Midwest by Engineering News-Record and the largest mechanical contractors by the St. Louis Business Journal. For more information, visit www.wiegmannassoc.com or call (636) 940-1056.
