People: Southwest
John Tran has joined the Phoenix office of SmithGroupJJR as design principal and part of the leadership team for the firm's practice in Arizona and the Southwest. Before joining SmithGroupJJR, Tran was vice president and project designer at HKS Architects in Phoenix.
Michael Malloy has been named Southwest regional director of transportation in the Albuquerque office of WHPacific. Malloy was recently president and CEO of Gannett Fleming West, having spent 40 years at the firm. He is also a member of the board of directors for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and previously served as president of the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers and the American Public Works Association of New Mexico. In 2011, he was selected as the member of the year by the American Council of Engineering Cos.
Tracy Lubbering has been hired as a project manager supporting projects for Jack B. Henderson Construction Co. in Albuquerque. Her focus will be on construction contract execution, including budget, scheduling and resource management. Lubbering has 15 years of experience in project management, estimating and field leadership and holds a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M.
Jack Moody has joined Slater Hanifan as director of water resources for the firm's Phoenix office. A Phoenix native and a graduate of the University of Arizona, he has more than 30 years of experience building drainage, flood control and section 403 projects in the Southwest. At different points in his career, he has served as a member of the Arizona Floodplain Management Association and the Arizona Dept. of Water Resources' State Standards Work Group.
Derek Wright, who started at Suntec Concrete as a carpenter in 1990, has been named president of the 700-employee construction firm. Wright became vice president in 1997. Jerry Barnier, former president and founder of Suntec Concrete, will remain in an executive role. Founded in 1984, the company specializes in structural, tilt panel, flatwork and foundation construction and performs all concrete placement and finish. Suntec was named ENR Southwest's 2013 Specialty Contractor of the Year.
Bruce Nevel has been named associate vice president for facilities development and management at Arizona State University. A career naval officer, Nevel is a registered professional engineer and certified energy manager. Nevel will join ASU in August from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in San Diego, where he is the chief operating officer.
Yashpal 'Yash' Mehta is the new director of preconstruction for the Southwest division of McCarthy Building Cos. He will focus on health care, higher education and new growth markets. Previously, Mehta owned and operated a practice in architecture and construction management in India. Before that, he was the operations manager and deputy program director for Parsons Corp. in Abu Dhabi and in Houston.
Michael R. Larson has joined Leo A Daly to serve as the gaming and hospitality market sector leader for the firm, tasked with client relations, planning and design. Larson has more than 10 years of architecture and planning experience specializing in gaming and hospitality projects. He previously served as project manager for Klai Juba Architects in Las Vegas.