Thirty-Six Projects Named Region’s Best

Special awards given for achievements in safety and sustainability

The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs San Antonio Outpatient Clinic was one of three finalists for Project of the Year.
*Photo courtesy of Tubelite Inc.*

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Meet the Judges
Project List

Owners, contractors, design firms, specialty contractors and others from across the five-state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas entered 94 projects into ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2022 Best Projects competition. An independent group of judges selected 36 of those for recognition, with 19 named Best Projects and 20 receiving awards of merit. Some projects won more than one award.

This year’s team of judges, selected from all corners of the AEC community, spent a month reviewing entries for achievement in five areas: project challenges and solutions, safety programs, innovative design and construction solutions, contribution to the construction industry and the community as well as design quality and craftsmanship. Projects are ineligible for an award if they had a construction-related death.

ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 19 Best Project winners will now advance to the national level, competing with winners from nine other regions to be considered for ENR’s Best of the Best awards. Judging for the national contest will begin later this year, with results to be announced in early 2023.

Two special awards are also featured in this year’s contest: the Excellence in Safety Award, which is now in its tenth year as part of the competition, and for the second year, Excellence in Sustainability. Judges named three safety winners and two sustainability winners.

In addition to selecting category winners, judges also chose four projects for consideration as ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2022 Project of the Year, the regional contest’s highest honor. Finalists were the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Antonio Outpatient Clinic (Best Project-health care), the San Jacinto College - Anderson - Ball Classroom Building (Best Project-higher education/research) and the Grundfos Headquarters Office Building (Best Project-office/retail/mixed-use). Project of the Year honors went to the Four Seasons New Orleans Hotel and Residences (Best Project-renovation/restoration).

All winning project teams will be celebrated in Houston on Oct. 13 at the InterContinental Houston - Medical Center. Read on to learn more about this year’s 36 winning projects from across the region.

Meet the Judges

Three separate panels of judges selected the 36 winning projects in ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2022 Best Projects contest. Seven judges scored the main contest categories, from airport/transit to water/environment. Two more independent panels selected the winners of two special awards: Excellence in Safety and Excellence in Sustainability. Special thanks to all of this year’s judges for their help in making ENR Texas & Louisiana’s Best Projects contest possible.

Dana Birkes
Chief Mktg. Officer
SGA Design Group PC

Birkes has worked with firm owners for over 35 years to achieve their business development, marketing and public relations objectives. She is board adviser for the Society of Marketing Professionals.

Dedra Ecklund
Project Manager
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc.

Ecklund’s career has focused on the management and design of water and wastewater systems for public entities. She is a past ENR Top Young Professional.

David Helveston
President & CEO
ABC Pelican Chapter

Helveston leads a nonprofit trade association that advances the construction industry in Louisiana. He previously worked for LCTCS and the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Sarina Landers
BD + Operations
Corvus Construction

Landers spent five years in the legal field before entering construction in 2012. She serves on the board of the directors at ABC of Greater Houston. Landers was previously with Karsten Interior Services.

Natalie Pagano
Director of Marketing & Communication
Manhattan Construction Group

Pagano is a Certified Professional Services Marketer and a University of Maryland SMPS University Leadership Advancement program graduate.

Meloni Raney
President & CEO
TEXO, The Construction Assn.

Raney currently leads the largest commercial contractors association in Texas—and the U.S.—affiliated with both the national ABC and AGC. She has been with TEXO since 2013 and is a licensed architect in Texas.

Thomas Sofranko
Associate Dean
College of Art + Design, Louisiana State University

Sofranko is a professor of architecture at LSU, where he has worked for the past 30 years. He is a licensed architect in Ohio, Florida and Louisiana.

KIM-MARIE ESPINOSA
Director of Safety
TEXO, The Construction Assn.

Espinosa is an experienced EHS professional with a history in the higher education industry. In her role at TEXO, she leads safety education and training efforts.

KIM MASON
Senior Director - Safety Services
Associated General Contractors Houston Chapter

Mason began her career in safety in 1995 after nursing school. She advocates for removing roadblocks to safety professionals’ education and career advancement.

Sustainability

JENNIFER SNAPE
Managing Partner
Batture LLC, New Orleans

In almost 20 years as a civil engineer, Snape has spearheaded projects for a range of private, municipal and federal agencies. She is active with Groundwork New Orleans and the Society of American Military Engineers.

MIKEL WILKINS
Senior Associate, Director of Sustainability
TBG Partners

An environmental engineer with over 25 years of experience, Wilkins collaborates with teams to evaluate the sustainable performance of projects under design to identify opportunities to enhance the triple bottom line.