The latest People in the News highlighting new hires, promotions, honors & recognition of the men and women in the St. Louis building community.
Feeler S. Architects Promotes Cody Henderson
FSA, LLC is excited to announce the promotion of Cody Henderson to Director of Science and Education. Since joining our team more than 10 years ago, Cody has developed a detailed talent for laboratory and higher education design, taking the lead on over 150 laboratories and higher education projects. In his new position he will oversee all laboratory and education projects within the firm. Cody will continue to pursue new clients in these sectors, while enhancing existing relationships by always listening first and pushing for sustainable laboratory and education design that exceeds client expectations.
Outside of the office Cody remains highly involved in the community. He is the 2020 American Institute of Architects St. Louis Chapter President, a member of Ranken Technical College’s Architectural Advisory Board, a Habitat for Humanity Construction Leader, and a St. Louis Startup Ambassadors Board Member. In his “free time” he enjoys playing softball, attending Cardinals games and traveling.
Lindenwood University President Dr. John Porter Joins Midwest BankCentre St. Charles Advisory Board
Lindenwood University President Dr. John Porter has been elected to the Midwest BankCentre St. Charles Advisory Board. Lindenwood is a four-year institution founded in 1827 with its main residential campus in St. Charles and a network of extension centers offering evening classes and more than 35 online degree programs.
Porter, who earned his doctorate in education at Johns Hopkins University, worked at IBM for 33 years, the last 15 in senior management. Immediately prior to joining Lindenwood University in 2019, he was vice president of services for Gulf Business Machines, a premier IBM business partner, in Dubai. He has served as a member of the board of trustees at Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He graduated with an MBA degree from Washington University in 2011.
Porter serves on the Mercy East and Missouri Colleges Fund board of directors. He is a member of the NCAA-Great Lakes Valley Conference Council of Presidents.
Midwest BankCentre is St. Louis’ second-largest locally owned bank with assets exceeding $2 billion and deposits of $1.4 billion. A mainstay of St. Louis community banking since 1906, the bank employs a staff of about 280 working at 17 bank locations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis, Jefferson and St. Charles counties. It works to empower people, enable business and energize neighborhoods through the strength of its financial services, including personalized consumer and business banking, business cash management, mortgage lending, home equity loans, financial planning and investments, insurance and digital banking.
The bank is a local leader in the St. Louis Regional Financial Empowerment Coalition (formerly the St. Louis Regional Unbanked Task Force) and its Bank-On Save-Up St. Louis initiative. Since 2001, Midwest BankCentre has consecutively achieved the Bauer Financial 5-Star Superior financial rating each quarter. It has been recognized for its success in bringing mainstream financial services to unbanked and underbanked citizens in the region and other diversity and inclusion contributions with the 2019 Community Commitment Award from the American Bankers Association Foundation and the 2018 National Community Bank Service Award from the Independent Community Bankers of America.
Partney joins BELOMAN Team
Bel-O Sales and Service of Belleville is pleased to announce the hire of Dennis Partney as the newest Sheet Metal Manager to team BELOMAN. As of May 18th, 2020 Partney will be managing the sheet metal division, including estimating HVAC and architectural sheet metal. After receiving his B.S. in mechanical engineering, he has spent nearly 35 years in the design, estimating, sales and management of sheet metal projects of all types and sizes. Partney will be a great addition to an establish Metro East business.
BELOMAN is a second-generation family owned HVAC, plumbing, indoor air quality and sheet metal business providing quality sales and service to the Metro East for 60 years. Founded in 1959 by Paul and Leo Lugge with only four employees – today BELOMAN has grown to over 50 employees with a combined 1,249 years of experience.
Bill Smothers Joins Kwame Building Group as Chief Estimator
Bill Smothers has joined Kwame Building Group, Inc. as Chief Estimator. His responsibilities include compiling project estimates in support of KWAME’s role as an owner’s representative.
Smothers brings 30 years of industry experience, including with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and The United States Department of Veterans Affairs. He completed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Management Program and is a member of the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and the American Society of Cost Engineers (ASPCE). Smothers earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Tulane University.
Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME) is one of the nation’s top pure construction management firms, dedicating 100 percent of its resources to project management services. An employee-owned company, KWAME provides estimating, scheduling, project planning, value engineering and other project management services as an independent advocate for owners and developers. For more information, visit www.kwamebuildinggroup.com or call (314) 862-5344.
May 22, 2020
Daniela Grushevska Named New Interior Design Director at Oculus Inc.’s Dallas Office
Oculus Inc., a full-service architecture and interior design firm, has hired Daniela Grushevska as the interior design director for its Dallas office. In her role, Grushevska will oversee interior design services for clients that are served by the Dallas location. She will also support business development for the interior design teams in the St. Louis headquarters and Portland, Ore., office.
Grushevska brings more than 20 years of interior design experience to Oculus with expertise in the hospitality, education and nonprofit sectors. She has a skillset that includes strategic planning, thoughtful design, creative problem solving and building client relationships, among other areas. Prior to joining Oculus Inc., Grushevska most recently served as interior design for a St. Louis-based architecture firm. She has also worked for additional architecture and interior design firms in St. Louis and Dallas, where she worked on projects, such as St. Louis Union Station Midway and Pointe 400 in St. Louis and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Nashville and St. Louis. She has a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Maryville University in St. Louis.
Oculus Inc. delivers comprehensive architecture, interior design, planning and move management services with a driving aesthetic to Connect | Shape | Move people, experiences, sensibilities and spaces. Oculus creates high-performance design that supports change and promotes value for clients in the commercial, education, government, healthcare, hospitality, retail, restaurant and workplace industries. Oculus has offices in St. Louis, Dallas and Portland, Ore., is WBE-certified and is regularly cited in top industry rankings for architecture and design. Oculusinc.com.
May 15, 2020
KAI Announces New Hire Connie Northcutt as Project Controls Director
KAI proudly announces the hiring of Connie Northcutt as Project Controls Director.
As Project Controls Director, Northcutt will work with KAI’s Architecture and Engineering leadership to provide oversight, direction and assistance to KAI’s project managers regarding project financials. She will work to improve and standardize project controls processes and best practices to help project managers achieve financially successful projects.
She has over 26 years of experience in the Project Controls profession and has held numerous leadership roles throughout that time. Her experiences have included development of tools, standards and best practice documents for project financial management; development of curriculum and facilitation of training for project controls and project management professionals; analysis of challenged projects; consulting for the development and implementation of a global project controls system; and management of program controls for an international buildings client.
She has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Statistics from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois.
During her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at Baylor University Medical Center, ballroom dancing, taking walks, listening to audio books and spending time with her partner Barry, two daughters and grandson.
KAI Enterprises is a national design and build firm providing delivery-oriented building solutions with a diverse portfolio of experience, in-house multi-discipline professionals, and expertise in both design and construction delivery. To learn more about KAI, visit www.kai-db.com.
Ryan Bader Joins McCarthy as Quality Director in Central Region
Bader, who began his construction career at McCarthy 24 years ago, will oversee quality initiatives on projects across 28 states.
Ryan Bader has joined McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.as Quality Director in the company’s 28-state Central Region.
In this position, he guides project teams in the development and implementation of effective quality programs to ensure McCarthy delivers exceptional work to clients throughout all project phases—from preconstruction to closeout. He also collaborates with other McCarthy regional quality directors to share best practices and lessons learned that can be applied to future projects.
“Ryan’s extensive construction knowledge, years of experience as an owner managing projects and commitment to continuous improvement make him an ideal person to lead our quality initiatives across the Central Region,” said Brian Boeglin, McCarthy Vice President and leader of the Central Region’s quality group.
Prior to joining McCarthy, Bader served as Executive Director of the Facilities Planning, Design and Construction team at Mercy. In this role, he supervised feasibility, planning, design, construction and closeout of more than 200 projects in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas.
Bader began his construction career working for McCarthy as a laborer in 1996, and he spent the bulk of his early career working on McCarthy projects in St. Louis, Denver, Omaha and Oklahoma City. During his McCarthy tensure, he delivered a range of healthcare, education and mixed-use projects.
Bader earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering and construction management from Oklahoma State University. A LEED-accredited professional, he is active in the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Lean Construction Institute (LCI), Missouri Hospital Association and Oklahoma Hospital Association. He also serves on the advisory board for Oklahoma State University College of Engineering Technology and Construction Engineering.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Laura Haralson Joins Hastings+Chivetta
Laura Haralson joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as an Executive Assistant. As such, she provides administrative support to Erik Kocher, the firm’s Design Principal, and collaborates with President and CEO Christopher Chivetta and Executive Assistant Debra Derleth to keep the firm running smoothly. Laura discovered her love for administrative and clerical work at age 14 as a hospital volunteer exploring a potential future in nursing. Outside of work, Laura loves all styles of dance and is a Zumba and yoga instructor. She completed her coursework at St. Louis Community College, Meramec.