ENR Southwest: People
Dustin Slack joined Opus Development as vice president of real estate development. Slack, a member of the National Multi-Housing Council and Urban Land Institute, will be responsible primarily for seeking out new development opportunities. Slack most recently served as vice president with Forestar Group and brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role.
Forté Specialty Contractors has appointed Greg Hellem as superintendent. The Las Vegas-based construction company has hired Hellem to lead on-site staff and ensure projects are completed on time and on budget. The Wynn’s nightclub, Intrigue, will be Hellem’s first project with Forté.
Mark Briggs has been promoted by Las Vegas-based contractor The PENTA Building Group to chief financial officer. Briggs brings more than two decades of experience to his new position and will be responsible for managing all accounting, finance and risk-management functions. Briggs has been with PENTA since 2014, when he started as director of corporate services after serving as controller and CFO at Summit Builders in Phoenix for more than a decade.
PENTA also hired superintendent David Bowers, project manager Geof Ulep, project engineer Chase Roberts and accounting assistant Tara Stearns to the firm’s Las Vegas office. Further, the company promoted Vince Bigay to superintendent. He joined the company 10 years ago. The new hires have brought the company’s total employee count to 192.
Marc Daniels is rejoining Johnson Carlier, Tempe, Ariz., as president and COO. Johnson Carlier also has acquired BEC Southwest, which Daniels founded in 1992. Chris Johnson will remain CEO of Johnson Carlier.
Jon Treen has been promoted to senior vice president of the global mining business line at Stantec. Treen previously served as the senior principal and technical leader at the firm, where he provided critical engineering and design management for more than 120 mining projects, sited at various domestic and international locations.
Stantec also added the leadership and staff of Phoenix-based Patrick Hayes Architecture to Stantec’s buildings practice. Patrick Hayes and his team have designed many noteworthy projects throughout the region, including the GoDaddy Global Technology Center in Tempe, Ariz., the CyrusOne Data Center in Chandler, Ariz., the Scheduling Institute Training Center in Phoenix and many more. Patrick Hayes Architecture has been designing in the state for more than 17 years.
Brian Norris also has joined Stantec in the company’s Las Vegas office as vice president and regional business leader for its transportation practice. Norris will spearhead Stantec’s transportation-practice teams in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Norris managed the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport CIP, including the Phoenix Sky Train, Las Vegas monorail project and the Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor.
Phoenix-based Kitchell promoted Brandon Potts to project director. He most recently oversaw construction of the UC San Diego Jacobs Central Utility Plant. Potts has been with Kitchell since 2003 and currently is overseeing a number of projects for the firm, including the El Centro Regional Medical Center, Sharp Memorial Metropolitan’s Kidney Pre & Post Transplant Services & Human Leukocyte Antigens Laboratory, and various remodels for Scripps Healthcare.
Further, Kitchell recently has promoted Dave McDermed and Steve Wilson to general superintendents. McDermed has worked with Kitchell for more than 14 years and has nearly 40 years of experience in the construction industry. Wilson has been with the company since 1980.
Dave Fleming, Sundt Construction’s vice president and corporate director of dispute resolution and corporate director of ethics and compliance, recently was awarded the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) 2016 Stephen P. Byrne Award for supporting, at a high level, the advancement of the construction industry and the AIC’s Constructor Certification. Fleming, who was at one time president of the AIC, joined Sundt in 1991 and, in total, has more than 40 years of experience in the industry.
Sundt also promoted 20-year company veteran Ian McDowell to vice president and southern Arizona regional director. McDowell previously served as preconstruction manager for Sundt’s Southwest Building District, overseeing its team of estimators and support personnel as well as handling the coordination of all preconstruction activities, such as estimating, procurement, contracting and subcontractor selection. In his new role, he is responsible for advancing the company’s strategic growth throughout southern Arizona.
The Phoenix office of JLL hired David Rosato as senior vice president and leader of its growing Phoenix project and development services group. Rosato will manage the firm’s active local jobs as well as perform strategy implementation, construction-team evaluation and selection, budget analysis and negotiations.
On the Move
Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman JON WELLINGHOFF is joining SolarCity as chief policy officer. He previously was involved with the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.