Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Houston, has promoted Eric Blankenship to senior vice president and Houston business unit leader. Blankenship fills the role of S&P veteran Ken Smith, who recently took on leadership of the company’s Central Texas business unit. Blankenship most recently served as vice president of operations for the Houston business unit.

 

Freese and Nichols Inc. has promoted Jeff Payne and Tricia Hatley to executive vice president posts as the company prepares for succession changes. Payne, based in Dallas, oversees south central operations, which covers Texas and Louisiana. Hatley, based in Oklahoma City, oversees the firm’s operations in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The firm also added new members to several technical groups. Wade Barnes joined the growing Lubbock office to lead stormwater projects across the West Texas region, and Sarah West joined the Corpus Christi, Texas, office as a stormwater project manager. Chuck Gilman, an experienced public works leader and former deputy city manager in College Station, Texas, will oversee large, multiyear water/wastewater infrastructure capital improvement programs. Lewis Bernard will lead stormwater pump station projects for clients along the Gulf Coast and Southeastern U.S. from New Orleans.

 

Hunt, Guillot & Associates, Ruston, La., recently announced numerous changes to its senior leadership team. Trotter Hunt has been named principal, overseeing the organization’s engineering, staffing and pipeline services operations. Wynn Rogers, currently operations manager based in Ruston, has been appointed vice president for the pipeline services business unit. Sam Costanza was appointed vice president of the engineering business unit. Frank Gay joins HGA as vice president for the owner’s representative business operations, based in the firm’s Houston office. Scott Sullivan, program manager for HGA’s Lanxess project in El Dorado, Ark., has been promoted to engineering manager in Ruston. John Robert Smith has been named project director within HGA’s engineering business unit in Ruston. David Hodgeson has been promoted to Baton Rouge operations manager. Ron Rowland has been named engineering manager in Baton Rouge.

 

Tom Ellis has joined Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN), Dallas, as vice president and director of its transportation business group. In Houston, LAN has hired Mario Chapa as a regional water/wastewater practice lead. 

 

Rudolph (Rudy) Tejeda Jr. has joined Structure Tone Southwest’s Houston team. As the new vice president of industrial construction, Tejeda will oversee the office’s expansion into the sector and manage Houston’s industrial construction operations.

 

PBK, Houston, has promoted Melissa Turnbaugh to partner. In her new role as the national education and innovation leader, Turnbaugh serves as a resource and advocate for research-based, student-centered and purpose-driven learning environments.

 

Donald Powell, partner and principal at BOKA Powell, Dallas, was recently elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. In his 45-year career, all with BOKA Powell, Powell has designed more than 50 million sq ft of architecture and interiors.

 

Method Architecture has promoted Jackie Rye to Houston market principal. In this new role, she will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company’s Houston office. Rye joined Method Architecture, previously Three Square Design Group, in 2011 as a project manager.

 

Hilary Kinder Bertsch will lead Perkins Eastman’s new studio in Austin. Bertsch has more than 25 years of experience on complex and transformative projects, including the District Wharf in Washington, D.C., Canalside in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Mayo Clinic Destination Medical Center in Rochester, Minn.

 

Terracon has promoted Peter E. Falletta to senior principal. Falletta serves as the regional materials manager for three offices in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Jeffrey A. Miller has been promoted to senior principal. Miller leads the national mechanical/energy/commissioning practices for Terracon’s facilities division from Houston.

 

The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance Inc. (GBRIA) has promoted Jessica Pranjic to senior manager of communications and workforce development.

 

AECOM, Houston, has promoted Lori Labrum to senior transit/rail division manager and Steve Lowry to senior program delivery director of transportation.

 

Kirksey Architecture has hired Janki DePalma as director of business development, based in the firm’s Austin office.

 

Leigh Thomas (Cerda) joined WGI as director of public infrastructure for water in the civil division out of its Austin office.
 

HITT Contracting has promoted B Barnett from assistant project manager to project manager, working primarily in Austin and its surrounding cities on corporate interiors projects.

 

KAI Engineering has hired Mike Tamagni as senior mechanical engineer in its Dallas-Fort Worth office.

 

Bridgefarmer & Associates Inc. has promoted five engineers to associate level: Shahriar Azad, a project manager and design engineer based in Dallas; Chase Myers, a project manager and design engineer based in Austin; Jim Langston, a project manager and design engineer based in Houston; Aaron Tainter, a project manager and design engineer based in Dallas; and John Nguyen, a project manager and design engineer based in Dallas.

 

Smith Seckman Reid Inc. recently made a series of new hires. In Dallas, Beverly Estes has joined the firm as MEQ project coordinator and Dani Ahern joined as an electrical intern. In Houston, Wyatt Oberg was hired as MEQ project coordinator, Amir Salarifard as retro commissioning project manager, Steve Stenacker as senior medical equipment planner and Bart Tate as building enclosure regional manager.