The latest People in the News highlighting new hires, promotions, honors & recognition of the men and women in the St. Louis building community.
S. M. Wilson Hires Kristyn Newbern as business development manager
S. M. Wilson & Co. has hired Kristyn Newbern as Business Development Manager.
Newbern will be the business development lead for S. M. Wilson’s healthcare and higher education market sectors. She will assist in acquiring new clients, maintaining existing relationships and elevating S. M. Wilson within the community.
Newbern holds an M.S. in Engineering Management and a B.S. in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science & Technology.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis.
Ivanov Rejoins Murphy Co. as Service Operations Manager
Aleksandr Ivanov has rejoined Murphy Company as service operations manager. The announcement was made by Chris Carter, vice president, service.
Ivanov holds a bachelor’s degree in management and leadership from Maryville University where he was on the dean’s list, graduating with a 3.8 GPA. He worked in Murphy’s service department from 2014 to March of 2017, providing computer and other technical support, including handling data and developing enhanced procedures for payroll, fleet management, and coordinating with the MIS team to implement new technologies. From 2007 to 2016, he served as an assistant general manager for Gulf Shores Restaurant and Grill.
Fluent in Russian, Ivanov provides translation services to elderly St. Louis residents, as needed. He also served as vice president of Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis from 2005 to 2006.
“We’re delighted to have Alex back with us,” said Carter. “Because of his prior work experience here at Murphy Company, he has in-depth knowledge of our service team personnel and the support systems that back up every service call we make.”
Murphy Company is one of the nation’s top mechanical contracting and engineering firms delivering innovative solutions to the commercial, industrial and institutional markets.
NewGround Appoints New Vice President, Business Development
NewGround, a St. Louis-based experiential design-build firm, announced the selection of Cody Kelly as Vice President, Business Development. He will be responsible for working on expanding the business ventures in growth and development in the Chicago and Upper Great Lakes territory.
November 3, 2017
GAWDA Installs Lane as 2017-2018 President
The president of St. Louis, Mo.- based Cee Kay Supply Co. has been installed as president of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA).
Ned Lane will serve as head of GAWDA for the rest of 2017 and through the annual convention in September of 2018, according to GAWDA Executive Director John Ospina. Lane was installed as president during the association’s annual meeting in New York October 1 – 4.
Lane has served on the GAWDA Board of Directors for the past several years and on the association’s executive committee for the past three years. He has been with Cee Kay Supply for 22 years, originally joining the company in 1995 as manager of gases. In 2000, he was named president of the company, a position he has held for the past 17 years.
Owner and chief executive officer of Cee Kay Supply, Tom Dunn, introduced Lane at the annual meeting. Dunn told the assembly that just as Lane has been a great leader for the Cee Kay business, he will be a great leader for GAWDA. Dunn described Lane as “a man of faith, who’s loyal, organized, and intelligent. He has exemplified class and professionalism in everything he has done at Cee Kay the past 22 years.”
Cee Kay Supply opened for business in 1948 as a gas distributor. The company has a 120,000- square-foot main facility in St. Louis and operates seven branches throughout Missouri and Illinois. Its operations include a specialty gas division, repair and service center, technical service center, CO2 division and a re-test division. The company also hosts an extensive training facility.
In his inaugural address to the audience of more than 900 GAWDA distributor and supplier members and their guests, Lane spoke of his plans leading GAWDA in the coming year, noting that his experience in both the distributor and supplier domains of the industry would be helpful in that role. He also said he intends to focus on three elements he believes are essential to successful operations: “people, process and plan.” His efforts as president will have a “back to basics” focus, he added. They will include ensuring that GAWDA staff members have the resources, tools and supportive environment that permits them to provide exemplary service to members; that the organization undertakes a process of continuous improvement; and that time is taken away from the daily grind of business to look at the big picture and plan for the future.
Also named as 2017-2018 officers for three newly open seats as vice presidents are: Evan Bennear, sales manager at Dale Oxygen Co. of Johnstown, Pa.; Melissa Perkins, director of marketing and finance at Electronic Fluorocarbons, of Hatfield, Pa.; and Bill Proctor, president of nexAir LLC, of Memphis, Tenn.
Abydee Butler Moore, executive vice president of Butler Gas Products, of Pittsburgh, Pa., was named as the association’s first vice president. She is slated to assume the organization’s presidency in 2019-2020. Brad Peterson, chairman and chief acquisition officer of Mississippi Welders Supply Co., Inc., of Winona, Minn., is in line to become GAWDA’s president for the 2018-2019 year.
The remaining members of the current Board of Directors are: Kelly Bladow, of Oxarc Inc., of Spokane, Wash.; Jay Brant, Indiana Oxygen Co., of Indianapolis, Ind.; Bob Ewing, of Red Ball Oxygen Co., of Shreveport, La.; Jeff Johnson, of Arc3 Gases, of Dunn, NC; and Jim O’Connor, of Norton Abrasives – St. Gobain, of Johns Creek, Ga.
Mark Raimy, of Welders Supply Corporation – A Raimy Corporation, of Erie, Pa., serves as first past president; and Bill Visintainer, of Atlas Welders Supply of Tuscaloosa, Ala., serves as second past president.
Founded in 1945, the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) is dedicated to promoting the safe operation and economic vitality of distributors of industrial gases and related welding equipment supplies.
Liberty Utilities Center has won Project of the Year, the highest honor awarded by the Design-Build Institute of America – Mid-America Region.
In addition to being the first publicly owned wastewater treatment plant in Missouri using the Design-Build approach, this new $75 million system diverts flow from aging, undersized neighboring facilities and allows the town of Liberty, Missouri, future growth and independence for decades to come.
Oretta Smith, Executive Director of DBIA – Mid-America Region, said, “We don’t always give this top award. It takes an extraordinary project, design-build process and team application to win. I am pleased to share that not only was the Liberty project most worthy, it won with a unanimous decision by a very selective panel of judges.”
The DBIA annual awards recognize projects and teams that best utilize design-build practices with emphasis on aesthetics, design, quality, functionality, life cycle value, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
In this project, the Goodwin Brothers Construction Co. design-build team implemented proactive, productive approaches to using an otherwise unusable site, paid extra attention to aesthetics, collaborated successfully with a large team, and found ways to consistently exceed the owner’s expectations.
Goodwin Brothers Construction is a three-generation family-owned business, celebrating 70 years of building this year.
Spellman Brady Promotes Jen Sheehan
Spellman Brady & Company is excited to announce the promotion of Jen Sheehan to the position of Project Manager/Senior Designer. In addition to managing multiple interior design and furniture procurement projects simultaneously, she is responsible for developing new business opportunities and maintaining long-lasting relationships with existing clients.
Ms. Sheehan brings 13 years of multi-faceted interior design experience to her new position. Since joining Spellman Brady & Company in 2016, she has successfully planned and completed a wide range of Senior Living projects. She is a certified interior designer by the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ®) with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from Maryville University.
Spellman Brady & Company is an award-winning St. Louis–based interior design firm specializing in senior living, healthcare, and higher education environments.
Teresa Bridges Returns to HOK’s St. Louis Practice to Lead Consulting Group
Teresa Bridges has returned to HOK as a workplace specialist for the St. Louis office. Bridges, who brings more than 14 years of experience in workplace strategy and design, previously worked with HOK from 2005-2015.
Most recently Bridges served as the workplace practice lead for CannonDesign, also in St. Louis, supporting projects in workplace strategy and planning throughout the United States.
Bridges rejoins HOK at a time of robust growth for the firm’s St. Louis practice, with the St. Louis Business Journal recently ranking it as both the region’s largest interior design firm and largest architecture studio. She will support the workplace team with projects for Rockwell Collins, Citi and Consumers Credit Union.
Bridges has a Bachelor of Science from Southeast Missouri State University earning a degree in interior design.
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Through a network of 23 offices worldwide.
Western Specialty Contractors Promotes Kevin Rogers to Branch Manager of its Chicago Facades Branch
Western Specialty Contractors has promoted Kevin Rogers of Deer Park, IL to Branch Manager of its Chicago Facades Branch. Rogers, who started with Western in 2013, previously held the position of Sales/Project Manager at the branch.
Rogers brings 37+ years of exterior building restoration experience and has a successful record of managing many multi-million dollar projects during his career.
“He has been involved in numerous, highly sophisticated masonry, waterproofing and concrete restoration repairs, working closely with owners and engineers on both design-build and specified work,” said Western Region Manager Justin Berndt. “His background provides him with the ability to collaborate effectively with all parties in a construction project, while maintaining strong client relationships and putting forth every effort to go above and beyond client expectations.”
In his new position, Rogers will be responsible for managing sales, daily operations and field personnel at the branch, plus developing facade restoration projects in the Chicago metropolitan area. Services offered by the branch, established in 1982, include masonry and concrete restoration, building cleaning, waterproofing, epoxy and chemical grout injection, expansion joint systems, and coating and sealant restoration on buildings ranging from high-rises to parking structures.
Rogers is a member of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and the Healthcare Engineers Society of Northern Illinois (HESNI). He is a past board member of the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI).
Family-owned and operated for over 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing.
October 20, 2017
New Hires at Murphy Company
Ben Moore has joined Murphy Company as an engineer, focusing on projects in the commercial group. The announcement was made by Mike Werdes, manager of engineering. Moore holds both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science, both in physics, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, graduating cum laude. His undergraduate studies concentrated on engineering while his graduate studies focused on applied physics, advanced mechanics and statistics coupled with programming applications.
Moore has work experience as a tenant finish specialist, estimating HVAC and fire protection systems, project management, sales and engineering. During his undergraduate years, he worked summers and part-time during the school year on acoustical panel installation. He also has CAD experience.
He was an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, a senior patrol leader, and Vigil Honor Member and Chapter Chief for the Order of the Arrow.
Murphy Company is one of the nation’s top mechanical contracting and engineering firms delivering innovative solutions to the commercial, industrial and institutional markets. Murphy offers process piping, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, design-build, piping fabrication, energy solutions and 24-hour service emanating from its five locations in St. Louis, Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder and Northern Colorado. Murphy is ranked No. 17 on Engineering News-Record’s list of largest mechanical contractors in the United States. Founded in 1907, the firm employs more than 1,000 people nationwide. For more information, visit www.murphynet.com.
Kevin Arehart has joined Murphy Company, a leading mechanical contracting and engineering firm, as an IT support analyst. The announcement was made by Tushar Shelar, chief information officer.
Arehart recently completed his computer studies with Launchcode. Prior to that he was a personal trainer and manager/instructor for Wellbridge Athletic Club.
Murphy Company is one of the nation’s top mechanical contracting and engineering firms delivering innovative solutions to the commercial, industrial and institutional markets.
Mary Rotter Joins G&S Architectural Products as St. Louis Area Sale Representative
St. Louis-based G&S Architectural Products has hired Mary Rotter as a sales representative for the St. Louis area. As the new go-to resource for acoustical and specialty products, Rotter will be building professional and customer relationships, estimating and providing project solutions.
Rotter joins G&S Architectural Products after 10 years as Commercial Sales Director for E.J. Welch Company, Inc., a flooring distributor. Rotter has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri, where she majored in psychology and minored in environmental design.
G&S Architectural Products is a leading provider and installer of architectural products such as acoustical products, visual display boards and operable wall systems that are primarily used for commercial, education and healthcare industries.
New Hires at HOK
Madeline Johnson, has joined HOK in St. Louis. She will support the HOK team as an intern in the Interiors Group. Johnson joins HOK as a sophomore at Maryville University pursuing her degree in Interior Design.
Kody Zedolek, has joined HOK in St. Louis. He will support the HOK team as an architecture intern. Zedolek joins HOK as a junior at Ranken Technical College pursuing a degree in Architectural Technology.
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.
Local Construction Company Adds Business Development Coordinator and Project Engineer
IMPACT Strategies, a Fairview Heights-based construction management firm, today announced the recent hiring of Stephanie Sullivan as business development coordinator and Travis Schwartz as project engineer.
In the newly formed business development coordinator position, Sullivan is responsible for all marketing coordination and oversight, as well as providing administrative support to company management. She previously worked for a local creative company as a managing director in charge of client relationships and assisting customers with developing new brand identities and strategies. Sullivan is a resident of Highland, Illinois.
Schwartz, a resident of Prairie du Rocher, graduated from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville in 2016 with a bachelor of science in construction management degree. His past industry experience includes work as an intern and project engineer.
Mark Hinrichs, president of IMPACT Strategies, said, “Stephanie and Travis have taken on fundamental positions within the company that will enable us to better meet the needs of our existing clients while also positioning us for future growth. Their talent, skill and experience will undoubtedly benefit our company.”
KAI Design & Build Hires Three New Employees
Tom Graff of Edwardsville, IL as Construction Inspector. Graff comes to KAI with 19 years of industry experience. He has a Bachelor of Science in GIS/Environmental Planning from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.
George Robin, PE, of O’Fallon, MO as Senior Electrical Engineer. Robin comes to KAI with 41 years of industry experience, with expertise in the hospital/medical center industries. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and is registered with the State of Missouri as a Professional Engineer. He is also an active member of the Public Works Advisory Committee for the City of O’Fallon, MO.
Scott Schmidt of St. Charles, MO as Electrical Designer/Revit Specialist. Schmidt comes to KAI with 15 years of industry experience. He has an Associate’s Degree from ITT Tech.
KAI Design & Build is a national 100+ person design and build firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. KAI provides design and build integrated project delivery solutions through client collaboration, the latest technology, proprietary processes and individual expertise.
October 13, 2017
S. M. Wilson Promotes Lisa Green to Assistant Controller
S. M. Wilson & Co. has promoted Lisa Green to Assistant Controller. She will be responsible for company payroll, daily bank reconciliations, tax filings and implementing new company software for accounting and human resources purposes. Green joined S. M. Wilson in 2007 as Payroll Manager.
“Every time we need someone to step up and fill a role or learn something new, Lisa is right there ready to help however she can, ready for any challenge,” said Mike Mangiore, Controller at S. M. Wilson.
Green holds an Associates Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Rock Valley College and has 26 years of experience processing payroll, 15 years of that acting as Payroll Manager.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis.
Spellman Brady Hires Samantha Golden
Spellman Brady and Company is pleased to announce that Samantha Golden has joined the firm as a Designer. In this role, she will utilize her talents in developing comprehensive interior design solutions for the senior living market sector.
Ms. Golden is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design and minor in Architectural Design. She brings five years of interior design experience from the hospitality industry, which is valuable in the changing environments she designs.
Spellman Brady & Company is an award-winning St. Louis–based interior design firm specializing in senior living, healthcare, and higher education environments
Midas Hospitality Hires New Regional Operations Leader
Deb Benhoff brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to the position
Midas Hospitality, a premier hotel management group, recently hired Deb Benhoff as Regional Operations Leader.
In this position, Benhoff will oversee multiple hotels and ensure each one is in accordance with the parent company’s vision. She will be responsible for providing a hands-on leadership approach with respect to top-line revenue, guest service, profitability, and associate satisfaction. Benhoff will be involved with each hotel’s operations, which includes ensuring brand compliance and setting department goals to achieve first-rate service.
Benhoff has more than 25 years of hospitality experience. Prior to joining Midas Hospitality, she worked as a regional manager at a multi-property management company located in Wisconsin. She also has worked as a general manager, as well as a rooms division director, for various national hotel and management organizations.
“Deb’s extensive experience makes her a tremendous asset for our growing company,” said Rob Willard, President and Principal. “She will play an integral role on our managerial team, and we look forward to her input and her supervision pertaining to our properties.”
Founded in 2006, Midas Hospitality has developed, opened and currently manages numerous properties including 40 hotels in 14 states.
Tony Correnti Earns FMP Designation
Tony Correnti, a facilities specialist with Spire (formerly The Laclede Group), has attained credentials as a Facility Management Professional (FMP).
Correnti took an extensive course and passed assessments in four focus areas to achieve the FMP designation. Professionals who earn the designation demonstrate a proven comprehension of the foundations of facility management and knowledge in the core facility management topics deemed critical by employers.
Correnti is entering his 10th year in facilities management. He worked for Patriot Coal before joining St. Louis-based Spire in May 2015. As a member of Spire’s facilities team, Correnti creates and maintains functional and sustainable spaces for the utility.
He joined IFMA (International Facility Management Association) St. Louis in January 2017.
IFMA St. Louis offers its members a learning and networking environment among its diverse membership, and supplies its members with the tools to achieve their professional goals. Started in 1985, IFMA St. Louis has more than 250 members representing small and Fortune 500 companies throughout the region.
Leah Behlmann Promoted To Director Of Membership Services At Site Improvement Association
The SITE Improvement Association has promoted Leah Behlmann to Director of Membership Services. In her new role she is responsible for managing all member recruitment activities, meetings, communications, conferences and social events, as well as SITE’s social media channels, website and the weekly EZ Bid program of new project listings for members. Leah has been with SITE for the past five years, starting as an Administrative Assistant and most recently as Coordinator of Member Activities. She holds Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Southeast Missouri State University.
“Leah has been an integral part of SITE’s continued growth over the past five years, and we are pleased to make her part of our leadership team,” said Terry Briggs, Executive Director of SITE Improvement Association.
SITE is an independent construction contractor group representing more than 180 contractors and businesses primarily in the concrete, earthmoving, landscaping, asphalt paving, highway/bridge, sewer/utility and specialty construction segments.