Abe Babcock has been promoted to project director by McCarthy Southwest, a division of McCarthy Building Cos. Babcock will develop and lead internal and external teams on solar construction projects. He is currently overseeing First Solar’s California Flats project, a 171-MW solar project located on approximately 1,300 acres in southeast Monterey County, Calif. Babcock previously served as project manager and has been with the firm for 13 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of Nebraska. He is also a member of the American Institute of Constructors.

Joe Chavez was recently named president of Nesbitt Contracting Co., a road and street construction firm in Phoenix. His appointment marks the first time the company has named an individual outside the Nesbitt family to lead the firm in its 60-year history. James Nesbitt will remain as CEO and will continue to be actively involved, but Chavez will oversee all operations and departments for the 150-person company. Chavez has been with Nesbitt for 27 years.

Kyle Walker has been named senior project manager for the Southwest division of Graycor Construction Co. Joining Graycor in 2013, Walker has been involved in the development of Red Hook Academy, Las Vegas, and Chandler Crossroads in Chandler, Ariz., among other projects. Graycor has also promoted Geovanni Villalta to the position of senior project manager. Villalta has worked for Graycor since 2011, most recently completing East Valley Commerce Center and the FedEx Ground distribution warehouse, both in Chandler, Ariz. Villalta is currently managing the development of Liberty Logistics Center II and the Bath and Body Works distribution center, both in Phoenix.

Stewart S. Vaghti has been named corporate sustainability officer for Gannett Fleming. Based in Phoenix, Vaghti will be tasked with advancing the firm’s sustainable initiatives and practices, including a goal of having 100 employees registered to take the Envision rating system training by the end of the year. In his dual role as senior project manager, Vaghti has worked on a number of dam, storm drainage, erosion and sediment control and water and sewer main and wastewater treatment facility assignments, including the Tempe Town Lake Dam in Tempe, Ariz. He was named to ENR Southwest’s Top 20 Under 40 list in 2014.

Teri Jones has been named senior vice president and building group manager for Sundt Construction, Tempe, Ariz. Jones previously served as vice president in charge of business development for Sundt’s Northern California district. A 37-year industry veteran, Jones joined Sundt 17 years ago, advancing through multiple positions, including business development, preconstruction and construction. She is LEED accredited, a guest lecturer at the University of California, Davis, and sits on the Construction Management Advisory Board at UC Berkeley.

David Burton, previously a regional executive at Kitchell, has been promoted to vice president of the Arizona region, responsible for all aspects of Kitchell Contractors’ business in the state. He has helped maintain Kitchell’s Arizona footprint while building its backlog of business. Burton obtained his degree in civil engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology.

Bryan Bernardo, previously regional and national operations manager of Kitchell, has also been promoted to vice president, overseeing the management of the firm’s project cost systems, processes, risk, safety, warranty, equipment, fleet services and quality assurance to ensure overall consistency and efficiency throughout all regional and national operations. Bernardo obtained his degree in building construction from the University of Florida.

Additionally, Russ Korcuska has been named vice president of national projects for Kitchell. He will be responsible for growing business in the health care, Native American and education markets. Korcuska obtained his degree in construction management from Arizona State University. He previously served as director of market development.

Derek Kirkland was recently promoted to business unit leader for DPR Construction. He joined DPR in 1997 and has more than 26 years of experience in the U.S. and U.K. His expertise is centered upon health care, higher education and life science projects, including manufacturing facilities and pilot plants. Kirkland has also led several “people practice” initiatives with the firm.

Ethan Boyle was recently promoted to project manager at Wood, Patel & Associates. Boyle’s 14 years of experience includes three years with Wood/Patel with a focus on design and analysis of complex land development projects. He also has experience with technical master planning, traffic analysis, transportation projects and infrastructure assessments. Boyle is a graduate of Virginia Tech.

Mike Russo has joined Wood/Patel as a survey project manager. He has more than 15 years of professional survey experience throughout Arizona. Russo will be tasked with coordinating with project managers, field staff and clients.
 

Jokake Construction has promoted John Parnell from team leader to director. Since joining the firm two years ago, Parnell has secured opportunities with new and existing clients in excess of $50 million. In his new role, he is responsible for implementing the company’s strategic plan, managing team resources and ensuring client satisfaction while also managing his own clients and project pursuits.

Jeff Spiller, who has more than 24 years in the construction industry, has joined A.R. Mays Construction as a project executive. He previously served as a senior project manager for Walsh Construction. Steve Zelasko and Timur Dilek have also joined the firm as estimators.