The latest People in the News highlighting new hires, promotions, honors & recognition of the men and women in the St. Louis building community.
Poettker Construction Announces Strategic Leadership Promotions
Multi-generation firm promotes talent from within to support growth
Poettker Construction, a second-generation family-owned construction company, announces two internal promotions to their leadership team. These promotions come from growth in the company, expansion and new operations within the business.
Among the promoted are Ryan Poettker, former vice president project management, and Jon Carroll, former director of project management.
“The Poettker team is proud to announce these promotions as proof of our dedication to finding and developing talent within our employees,” said Keith Poettker. “We commit ourselves to recognizing our talented team, with their rich history of experience and high precision results.”
Ryan Poettker is being promoted to executive vice president and chief operations officer. His responsibility will be to continue to grow the brand, attract and retain talent, and ensure business follows the core values and culture. Ryan brings more than 21 years of construction experience to this position alongside multiple certifications to continue bolstering the business development and preconstruction department and overseeing construction operations and risk management.
Jon Carroll is being promoted to vice president project management and will be supervising the project management department and overseeing construction efforts to ensure projects are constructed to exceed client’s expectations. Jon brings more than 15 years of construction management experience to this position alongside multiple certifications to continue streamlining project management processes and cultivating project relationships.
“Our company is strategically situated to support strong growth in the Midwest and Southeast because of the talent and strength of this team,” added Keith Poettker. “Ryan and Jon’s leadership will help to grow our business relationships and strengthen our company overall.”
In addition to Keith Poettker, Ryan Poettker and Jon Carroll, the following leaders comprise the Poettker management team: Charles (Chuck) Poettker, chairman and CEO; Kimberly Luitjohan, vice president finance; Thomas Albers, vice president field operations; and Kevin Poettker, director of business development.
Established in 1980, Poettker Construction is a second-generation, family-owned and veteran-owned construction company. For more information, visit poettkerconstruction.com.
July 19, 2019
Kwame Building Group Hires Zhijing (Candice) Yang as Scheduler
Zhijing (Candice) Yang, of University City, MO, has joined Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME) as scheduler. Yang’s responsibilities include creating and overseeing timetables for KWAME’s construction projects. She holds a master’s degree in Construction Management from Washington University in St. Louis. She also earned a certificate in Project Management.
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. KWAME is headquartered in St. Louis with division offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle. For more information, visit www.kwamebuildinggroup.com or call (314) 862-5344.
July 12, 2019
Chris Donovan Joins Kwame Building Group as Project Engineer
Chris Donovan, AC has joined Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME) as a project engineer. Donovan’s responsibilities include project budgeting and estimating, contractor and subcontractor communications, site management and responding to RFI’s and submittals for select projects in the Seattle, WA area.
Donovan holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville. He has previous industry experience as a carpentry subcontractor.
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. For more information, visit www.kwamebuildinggroup.com or call (314) 862-5344.
S. M. Wilson Promotes Maggie Farrell To Human Resources Manager
S. M. Wilson & Co. has promoted Maggie Farrell to Human Resources Manager. As HR Manager, she will continue expanding her leadership role around the company’s recruitment and professional development efforts.
Farrell joined S. M. Wilson in 2018 and has demonstrated leadership initiatives including bringing CPR/First Aid training in-house, facilitating S. M. Wilson’s onboarding process, implementing an online learning management system system, developing trainings including intern and mentor orientations, taking on a larger role in facilitating the company’s Collegiate Development Committee and its college recruitment efforts and facilitating our charitable giving efforts.
Along with the Collegiate Development Committee, Farrell sits on S. M. Wilson’s Employee Engagement Committee, Charitable Giving Committee and Golf Committee which supports the company’s annual charity golf tournament, Swinging Fore Dreams. She is also actively involved in the community, serving as a Steering Committee member for Alive & Well Communities, Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as well as volunteering with Ready Readers. Farrell is First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor certified and has her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from Saint Louis University.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.smwilson.com.
Lorraine Ward of H+C named one of the Most Influential Business Women in St. Louis
Lorraine Ward, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Associate and Director of Professional Services at Hastings+Chivetta, has been named as one of St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women. Lorraine is one of 25 leaders chosen from nearly 240 nominations for the Class of 2019. Part of a group of professionals who have positively impacted their industries and communities, Lorraine will be honored with the Class of 2019 on August 9 at the Award Program and luncheon at America’s Center.
Heather Indelicato Promoted to Senior Vice President – Deposit Operations at Midwest BankCentre
Heather Indelicato has been promoted to senior vice president-deposit operations at Midwest BankCentre. She was formerly assistant vice president-vendor management. She reports to Chief Operating Officer Marsha Benney.
Indelicato has successfully executed operational strategies and instilled service excellence within retail branches of the bank. While leading the bank’s vendor management function, she collaborated with leaders throughout the bank to define the optimal vendor management structure, set key priorities and manage critical vendor management initiatives. Indelicato is a 13-year veteran of the banking industry and previously led the bank’s South Grand branch.
“Heather has shown an immense capacity to drive optimal, customer-centric and innovative results in multiple roles at Midwest BankCentre. We look forward to her continued success,” said Midwest BankCentre CEO Orvin Kimbrough.
Indelicato has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in management from Missouri Baptist University and is currently pursuing a master of business administration degree at Missouri Baptist University. She serves on the board of the Carondelet Community Betterment Federation (CCBF).
Midwest BankCentre, a mainstay of St. Louis community banking since 1906, employs a staff of about 280 working at 18 bank locations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis, Jefferson and St. Charles counties.
July 05, 2019
Kwame Building Group Hires Casey Patterson as Civil Inspector
Casey Patterson, of Maplewood, MO, has joined Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME) as civil inspector. Patterson’s responsibilities include inspecting construction sites for KWAME’s infrastructure, transportation and commercial projects.
Patterson brings four years of engineering experience, including work on transportation and utility industry construction projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Tyler. He also has Engineer in Training (EIT) certification.
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.
Brian Meade Joins FGM Architects as Design Principal
Brian joins FGM Architects as the next step in a 25-year career where he has helped make communities stronger through thoughtful, efficient, and sustainable design solutions. As a Thought Leader with a passion for Civic and Public Safety architecture, Brian has led the design of many award-winning public projects. He is a frequently published author of articles that feature his public safety and resilient design expertise. Brian earned a bachelor’s (1993) and master’s (1995) degrees in architecture from the University of Illinois. FGM Architects looks forward to offering Brian’s design leadership to our staff, clients and the public good!
June 28, 2019
IFMA St. Louis Honors Members at National Day Celebration
Members of the St. Louis Chapter of IFMA (International Facility Management Association) gathered to recognize two industry members. Held on Wednesday, June 19, at Dave & Buster’s in suburban St. Louis, the awards were presented during the chapter’s celebration of National FM Day. Started in 2008, FM Day underscores the value and contributions of facility managers in St. Louis and around the nation who ensure that commercial buildings provide a safe, healthy and productive environment.
Award recipients were:
Professional Member of the Year: Dan Rayhawk, Senior Regional Facility Manager at Centene Corp.
Rayhawk earned his credentials as a Certified Facility Manager, considered the most prestigious and sought-after credential in facility management. He uses his experience to mentor other members who are working to gain the industry’s professional designations. Additionally, he serves on the organization’s education committee. Rayhawk oversees regional facilities for Centene, a multinational healthcare insurance and services provider.
Associate of the Year: Gary Wood, President and CEO, Stryker Construction
A member since 2011, Wood played a critical role as membership chair, increasing the ranks of IFMA St. Louis. He now chairs the programs committee, one of the chapter’s most important and time-consuming tasks. Wood also provides financial support as a sponsor for these programs. He launched his construction business in 2011. Today, Stryker Construction is one of region’s top firms in fast-paced interior renovations for a growing list of clients.
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. For more information, visit www.ifma.org
Andrew Ahlers, CM-BIM,A.C. Named St. Louis business Journal’s 30 Under 30
S. M. Wilson Project Manager, Andrew Ahlers, CM-BIM, A.C. has been named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 list.
The award recognizes future leaders of the region and local business community. This year’s class contains a diverse group of individuals representing a variety of industries, careers and ethnicities who have made an impact in their profession and the community. Honorees were selected by previous 30 Under 30 recipients as well as the Business Journal editorial board.
Ahlers joined S. M. Wilson in 2014 as a Project Engineer before being promoted to Project Manager in February 2019. He has worked on several highly-critical healthcare projects for Blessing Hospital, BJC HealthCare and Illini Community Health totaling more than $120 M in projects.
He holds his CM – BIM Certificate of Management in Building Information Modeling from the AGC of Missouri and has his AC (Associate Constructor) certification from the American Institute of Constructors and his ASHE – HCC (Health Care Construction Certificate). Ahlers has been instrumental in implementing S. M. Wilson’s latest healthcare construction technology on his projects which produce 3D virtual visualization for the Owner, end users and construction team to view the project and 4D schedule tie-in allowing the team to virtually build the project and monitor the schedule.
Ahlers is also a member of S. M. Wilson’s Collegiate Development Committee which is responsible for setting the company’s internship curriculum, going to career fairs and selecting candidates. As part of this program, he has mentored interns for the past three summers, all of which were hired full time by S. M. Wilson.
Ahlers is OSHA 30 Hour Construction Safety and Health for Construction Industry certified and earned his B.S. in Construction Management from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
30 Under 30 Honorees will be highlighted in the July 12 issue of the St. Louis Business Journal. For a complete list, visit: https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/06/06/announcing-the-2019-class-of-30-under-30-honorees.html
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.smwilson.com.
Winthrop B. Reed III Joins Midwest BankCentre’s Legal Board of Directors
Winthrop B. “Win” Reed, an attorney and management committee member at Lewis Rice LLC, has been elected to the Midwest BankCentre legal board of directors.
Reed’s primary practice areas including health care, information technology, technology licensing, cybersecurity and data privacy, antitrust, class action and commercial litigation. He serves on the e-discovery committee at Lewis Rice.
While earning his bachelor’s degree in history at Tufts University, Reed participated in Army ROTC, served as soccer team captain and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law. He served for eight years as an infantry officer in the Illinois Army National Guard and Reserves.
Reed’s extensive community involvement includes serving on the board of directors and quality committee for Mercy Health East Region. He chairs the board of directors at Mercy South (formerly St. Anthony’s Medical Center) and serves on its bylaws, executive, facilities, and finance and audit committees. He also is president and chairman of the board of the Boniface Foundation, which supports charitable and educational activities promoting individual and community health in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
In addition, Reed chairs the St. Louis Zoological Park Subdistrict Commission and serves on the board of directors and as co-chair of the membership committee at Old Warson Country Club. He is a member of the board of directors and the corporate sponsorship and governance committees for Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Reed also is an advisory board member for Saint Louis University School of Law.
Midwest BankCentre, a mainstay of St. Louis community banking since 1906, employs a staff of about 280 working at 18 bank locations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis, Jefferson and St. Charles counties. The bank 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. It ranks among St. Louis’ largest locally owned banks with assets exceeding $1.9 billion and deposits of $1.4 billion.
The bank is a local leader in 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 was the national winner of the 2018 National Community Bank Service Awards by the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) for its success in bringing mainstream financial services to unbanked and underbanked citizens in the region.
Giering Joins Cass Commercial Bank As Executive Vice President, Director of Commercial Banking
Eric Giering has joined Cass Commercial Bank as executive vice president and director of commercial banking. In that capacity, he will work to forge comprehensive financial relationships with existing and prospective clients and lead the commercial lending group in the conception and implementation of new growth strategies.
Consistently ranked among the top-performing banks in the U.S., Cass Commercial Bank is a subsidiary of Cass Information Systems, Inc., (NASDAQ: CASS), a leading national provider of transportation, energy, telecom and waste invoice payment and information services.
Giering brings more than 30 years of banking experience to Cass. Previously, he played a leadership role in various lending capacities including commercial, credit underwriting and management. Most recently, he spearheaded national business development and lending strategies in the franchise restaurant and gas/convenience store industries.
Locally, the St. Louis resident is active as co-chair of the Persons with Disabilities Allocation Panel and as a member of the Regional Investment Committee of the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
Giering earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University.
Founded in 1906 in St. Louis, Cass Commercial Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve. It focuses on fulfilling the financial needs of privately held businesses, faith-based institutions and other nonprofits. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cass Information Systems (NASDAQ: CASS), a public company with $1.6 billion in assets.
Cass Information Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated information and payment management solutions. Cass enables enterprises to achieve visibility, control and efficiency in their supply chains, communications networks, facilities and other operations. Disbursing over $60 billion annually on behalf of clients, and with total assets of $1.6 billion, Cass is uniquely supported by Cass Commercial Bank. Founded in 1906 and a wholly owned subsidiary, Cass Bank provides sophisticated financial exchange services to the parent organization and its clients. Cass is part of the Russell 2000®.
Melissa Finley Joins Geotechnology as Human Resources Coordinator
Geotechnology, Inc., has hired Melissa Finley as its Human Resources Coordinator. She will be based in Geotechnology’s St. Louis office.
Finley, who came to Geotechnology after most recently working with Post Holdings, has more than five years of benefit and payroll administration experience.
A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a BSBA in Human Resources Management, she holds a Fundamental Payroll (FPC) certification and recently received her Society of Human Resource Management, Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification.
“Melissa is committed to helping employees engage and succeed professionally and personally,” said Geotechnology Human Resources Manager Dan Drago. “She is an excellent addition to our team.”
Established more than 30 years ago, Geotechnology, Inc. is a professional corporation offering a comprehensive range of consulting services in applied earth and environmental sciences, including geophysics, water resource management, geotechnical and environmental engineering, materials testing and drilling. Geotechnology has provided expertise on thousands of major construction projects in the Midwest and Mid-South regions, and is ranked in ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms. The company is based in St. Louis, Mo., and has 10 offices in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. For more information, visitwww.geotechnology.com