Fred Perpall, 38, has been elevated to CEO of The Beck Group, the Dallas building contractor and professional services firm. In that role, he replaces Henry C. "Peter" Beck III, who becomes executive chairman. Perpall had been Beck managing director and head of its eastern division operations, based in Atlanta. He now returns to Dallas.

 

PERPALL

The firm ranks at No. 130 on ENR's list of the Top 400 Contractors, with $448 million in 2011 revenue. Perpall said on Feb. 7 that the firm, which marked its centennial last year, saw its revenue rise 40% in 2012.

Steven Hunt has been named president of COWI North America Inc., a new Vancouver, British Columbia-based operating company of its Danish parent, COWI NA Holdings Inc., responsible for leading its North America transportation practices. Hunt remains president and managing director of Vancouver-based bridge engineer Buckland & Taylor Ltd., which COWI acquired in 1998. The firm also has named the following as new vice presidents: Don Bergman, major projects; Darryl Matson, operations; Peter Diett, finance and administration and chief financial officer; Jeannine Martin, business development and marketing; Hisham Ibrahim, technical director; Nedim Alca, project director; Rodger Welch, B.C. operations; Scott Roux, U.S. operations; and Dale Serink, Alberta operations.

Yonkers Contracting Co., Yonkers, N.Y., has hired Ali Catik as executive vice president. He is formerly executive vice president of Schiavone Construction, a spokeswoman tells ENR. The firm named James P. Strobel as vice president of construction for the New York City area.

Joseph M. Sanches will join D. Stephenson Construction Inc., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., construction management and design-build firm, as executive vice president, as of March 4. He is now chief of support operations for the Palm Beach County, Fla., school district, managing a staff of up to 3,000 employees, says the firm.

 

BÉJAR OCHOA

Juan Béjar Ochoa has been elevated to executive vice chairman and CEO of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), the Barcelona-based construction contractor. The change follows the resignation of Chairman and CEO Baldomero Falcones Jaquotot, who held those roles since 2008 and now is chairman of the FCC Foundation. Béjar Ochoa had been chairman and CEO of Cementos Portland Valderrivas, an FCC company cement unit.

Named as FCC chairman is Esther Alcocer Koplowitz. She is formerly its second vice chairwoman and a granddaughter of the firm's late founder, Ernesto Koplowitz. FCC is ranked at No. 17 on ENR's list of the Top 225 Global Contractors, reporting $16.3 billion in worldwide revenue in 2011.

Ames & Gough, a Washington, D.C.-based insurance broker and risk-management consultant, has appointed Eileen Garczynski and Rob Hughes as equity partners. Garczynski, who also was named a senior vice president, co-leads its law-firm practice in Washington, D.C. Hughes, already a senior vice president, established and leads the firm's Philadelphia office. Jared J. Maxwell has also joined the firm as a senior client executive in Boston. He is formerly a Marsh executive, says Ames & Gough.