Suntec Concrete Inc., a Phoenix concrete construction firm, has elevated Derek Wright to president. A 24-year veteran of the 700-employee contractor and formerly vice president, he started as a carpenter. Wright succeeds Suntec founder Jerry Barnier, who remains in an executive role. Suntec ranks at No. 140 on ENR’s list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors, with $125 million in 2012 revenue. The firm specializes in structural, tilt panel and foundation construction.
Wood
Sharon L. Wood will become dean of the University of Texas-Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering on Sept. 1. She has been interim dean since 2013, after heading the school’s civil, architectural and environmental engineering department for five years. Wood is a structural engineering professor, specializing in earthquake response of concrete structures. She is nationally recognized for her research on the earthquake response of reinforced concrete structures. Currently vice president of the American Concrete Institute, Wood was elected to the National Academy of Engineering last year. The Cockrell School, with more than 7,800 students, is set to open in 2017 the $310-million Engineering Education and Research Center, which will provide 430,000 sq feet of open and flexible space for interdisciplinary teaching, research and hands-on student projects. “It is an exciting time for the school," says Wood. "When completed, the center will transform how our students learn and will establish UT Austin as a leader in multidisciplinary engineering education and research.”
Thomas Quigley has joined Oolitic, Ind.-based Indiana Limestone Co., the largest U.S. limestone quarrier and fabricator, as CEO. He was a division general manager for fiberglass manufacturer Owens Corning Corp., Toledo. Indiana Limestone, which was acquired in May by private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital, was founded in 1926 and supplied cladding for the Empire State Building and 35 U.S. state capitol buildings, says the firm.