Michael Horman, associate professor of architectural engineering at Pennsylvania State University, State College, who also specialized in research on building efficiency and use of lean construction in green buildings, died Sept. 15 while teaching a graduate course, says the school. He was 38 and suffered a fatal heart attack, according to published reports. HORMAN Horman was director of the university's Lean and Green Research Initiative, a research effort focused on high-performance and sustainable building design and construction, and co-editor of its Journal of Green Building. He also served as assistant specialty editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers' Journal
Foster Wheeler AG, Zug, Switzerland, has elevated W. Troy Roder to be chairman and CEO of Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd., based in Reading, England, and the largest subsidiary in the corporation’s global engineering and construction group. Currently president and CEO of another corporate unit, Houston-based Foster Wheeler USA Corp., he will replace Michael Beaumont, who is set to retire. Roder, who joined Foster Wheeler in 1989, has been in his current role since 2004. Beaumont has been with the company since 1973. GALIOTO Carl Galioto, formerly partner-in-charge of the technical group at New York City-based architecture firm Skidmore Owings &
SCHMIDT Richard L. “Dick” Schmidt Sr., who rose from apprentice mason to third generation family leadership of CG Schmidt Inc., Milwaukee’s largest building contractor, died Sept. 10 in West Bend, Wis. at age 77. Cause of death was not disclosed. Schmidt was chairman of the contractor, which ranks 288th on ENR’s list of The Top 400 Contractors, with $256 million in 2008 revenue. He had previously served as its president and CEO, a post now held by his son, Richard L. “Rick” Schmidt Jr. CG Schmidt, founded in 1920, is noted for construction of projects that include an addition to
The Albert Kahn Family of Companies, a Detroit architect-engineer-planner, has named Charles T. Robinson as president. A 40-year firm veteran, he had been executive vice president. Khaled T. Husein has joined New York City-based engineer HAKS as vice president in its construction-management division. He had been deputy general manager at SBG/RPD, a Saudi Arabian general contractor, and, prior to that, an executive at URS Corp. for 22 years. The American Society of Civil Engineers has elected Blaine D. Leonard president. He is an ASCE fellow and a research program manager for the Utah Dept. of Transportation, Salt Lake City. The
Ralph R. Peterson, who was to retire next month at age 65 as chairman of CH2M Hill Cos. after building the former regional engineering firm into a $6.5-billion diversified global construction competitor, died Sept. 1 from stomach cancer. He had battled it for several years. Peterson with staff on Singapore job. “I will miss his intellect, his ability to deal with complex issues and his desire to help others succeed,” says Lee A. McIntire, a former Bechtel Corp. executive who succeeded Peterson this year as president and CEO. “He was an industry icon.” Peterson had been CEO since 1991. CH2M
Ralph R. Peterson, who was set to retire next month as chairman of global project manager CH2M Hill Cos. after building the firm into a $6.5-billion, 25,000-person industry force, died late on Sept. 1 from complications of cancer. He had battled the disease for several years. He was set to turn 65 on Oct. 12. Peterson spent 44 years at CH2M Hill. "I will miss his intellect, his ability to deal with complex issues and his desire to help others succeed," company CEO Lee A. McIntire told employees in an internal email. "He was an industry icon." The former Bechtel
HURLEY Larry Hurley has joined The Webber Group, a Houston-based construction and materials company, as president. He previously served as a senior vice president at CH2M Hill Constructors, a unit of CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd., He also had been director of design-build for the civil group of Zachary Construction Corp. Hurley replaces Charles Burnett, who has been president since 1979 and is retiring. Webber has been a unit of Madrid-based Grupo Ferrovial SA since 2005. Contractor W.W. Webber Inc. is part of The Webber Group. Sevenson Environmental Services Inc., a Niagara Falls, N.Y., environmental remediation contractor, has named P. Thomas
HANSON Daniel J. “Dan” Hanson Sr., former president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, Washington, D.C., died on Aug. 8 in that city at age 80. The cause of death was not disclosed. Hanson, who joined ARTBA in 1968 and retired in 1991, was one of its key advocates for federal surface transportation funding legislation. He previously served as deputy director of traffic engineering and operations in the city government and was also the first city traffic engineer in Peoria, Ill. Charles Gwathmey, the noted modernist architect and co-founder and principal of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates
Senior Transportation Editor Aileen Cho sat down recently with Stuart S. Chen, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Arun M. Shirolé, a senior vice president of bridge engineer Arora and Associates, P.C., New York City. They discussed the origins of Bridge Information Modeling, why they believe it’s needed to integrate design and operations management, the role of vendors and where it goes from here. View of a Portion of the Bridge Computer Model CHEN What is Bridge Information Modeling? AS: It came about back in the late '80s. I was
JOSAL RTKL Associates Inc., the Baltimore-based architect-engineer, has named Lance K. Josal president and CEO. Formerly director of the firm’s commercial practice group, he will succeed as of Sept. 1 the retiring David C. Hudson. Josal has been with RTKL since 1979. The firm is a unit of ARCADIS n.v., an engineering firm based in The Netherlands. Patrick L. Phillips has been named CEO of the Urban Land Institute, a Washington, D.C., research group that focuses on responsible land use. In September, he will replace Richard M. Rosan, who becomes president of the ULI Foundation, a philanthropic arm. Phillips joins
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