Arkansas

Matthew K. Cashion Jr., secretary/treasurer of The Cashion Co. Inc. of Little Rock, was elected the 55th president of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers during its 61st Annual Meeting last April in LaQuinta, Calif.

Craig E. Hansen, senior vice president of Holmes, Murphy & Associates Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa, was elected first vice president. Edward J. Heine, executive vice president of Payne Financial Group Inc. of Missoula, Mont., was elected second vice president. Stephen L. Cory, president of Cory, Tucker & Larrowe Inc. of Metairie, was elected third vice president.

Also serving on the board of directors as past president is Brian R. Driscoll, president of J. Barry Driscoll Insurance Agency Inc. of Norwell, Mass.

The National Association of Surety Bond Producers is the international organization of professional surety bond producers and brokers. NASBP represents more than 5,000 personnel who specialize in surety bonding.

William A. Harrison, president of Trane Arkansas of Little Rock, was recently elected as a vice president by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Officers were installed at the society's 2003 annual meeting.

The new ASHRAE president is Richard Rooley, principal of Rooley Consultants of England. He is the first person outside the United States and Canada to be elected president. Rooley will direct the society's Board of Directors and oversee the Executive Committee.

James T. Schnoes has been named president of Cannon Express Inc. of Springdale by the company's board of directors.

Schnoes has 20 years of experience in the transportation industry, primarily in financial management and operations. He is a seven-year veteran of J. B. Hunt Transport Services, where he served as senior vice president, finance and treasurer.

Coreslab Structures of Conway recently promoted Kenneth L. Miller of Solgohachia to vice president and general manager.

Prior to his promotion, Miller worked at the Oklahoma City, Okla., Coreslab plant. Other promotions include George Fowler of Barney, who was appointed plant manager; Brad Ratcliff, project consultant; Manford Dobson, quality control manager; Gerald Walters, assistant general manager; and Mark Turner, maintenance manager.

I.C.E. Inc. of Little Rock recently announced the appointment of Fred Hegi as principal/senior structural engineer. He has 37 years of structural design experience.
The company also hired Matthew Spond as structural engineer, Darlene Herndon as administrative assistant and Melba Shapley as senior structural designer.

The Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission of Little Rock recently appointed Mark White as administrative law judge.

White has worked for the governor's office for four years.

White has been an attorney with the governor's office since 1999.

The commission also announced the appointment of Mark Churchwell, who previously was a law clerk for several of the commission's chairmen.

Alabama

Ray Hollifield has been named director of business development for the BE&K-Suitt Construction office in Birmingham and is responsible for pursuing design-build, construction and construction management work in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and other states in the southeast.

Among the markets he will focus on are automotive, food, pharmaceutical, hospitality, general manufacturing and the public sector.

Hollifield is a 29-year veteran of business development work in the areas of construction, engineering and economic development. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Columbus College in Columbus, Ga.

Suitt, a BE&K subsidiary, provides construction services to a broad range of industries across the United Sates and in Mexico. Based in Greenville, S.C., it has offices in Atlanta, Ga.; Birmingham; Raleigh, N.C.; Providence, R.I.; and Orlando, Fla.

BE&K, through its global network of affiliate companies, provides engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services to the process, pulp and paper, automotive, manufacturing, industrial, power, and telecommunications industries. Forbes ranks BE&K among the "Top 500 Privately Held Companies in the U.S."

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) recently announced that BE&K Construction Co.'s Randy Evans of Birmingham is the recipient of the Crystal Vision Award. The award is presented to a nonmember of NAWIC.
The mission of the Crystal Vision Awards Program is to recognize individuals who promote, expand and encourage the role of women in the construction industry.

Evans is a vice president of BE&K Construction, which is one of the nation's largest engineering and construction firms. He received the award for his efforts to "push the envelope" on behalf of women in construction at BE&K and the industry in general.

Evans established a company task force to address diversity issues within his company. Programs coordinated through this task force include mentoring and training opportunities for young women and minority employees as well as construction outreach efforts with educating female high school students through BE&K's Construction Summer Day Camp.

He has also promoted numerous women throughout the company. In 2000, Evans promoted Betty Corbin to craft superintendent, who became BE&K's first salaried female superintendent.

In 2002, Evans nominated Mary Hodge, a journey level electrician, to represent BE&K as a candidate for Associated Builders and Contractors' first-ever Craft Professional of the Year. Hodge won the contest with Evans' support.

Evans is the third BE&K leader to win a Crystal Vision Award. BE&K Founder Ted C. Kennedy was awarded NAWIC's first Crystal Vision Award in 1995, and NAWIC member and BE&K Vice President Sue Steele was recognized with the Crystal Achievement Award in 1998.

Mississippi

Neil Magruder CPA has been named controller at Nucor Steel Jackson Inc. Magruder, a native of Indianola, started with Nucor at the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N. C., in 1983, and then spent 18 years as the controller at Nucor Steel's Darlington, S. C., division before joining Nucor in Jackson.

James H. Kopf, P. E., PLS, has been named operations manager of Michael Baker Jr. Inc.'s Jackson office.

Kopf recently joined Baker after spending more than 34 years with the Mississippi Dept. of Transportation. A registered professional engineer and land surveyor, Kopf holds a degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University.

Kenneth J. Collins P. E. has been promoted to engineering manager-transportation in the Jackson office. Collins has been employed with Baker as a structural engineer for 18 years.

He is a registered professional engineer and holds a degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University.

Tennessee

Billy L. Vance, District Five maintenance superintendent, was recently chosen the recipient of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) Outstanding Achievement Award, according to Transportation Commission Chairman Dick Hall.

"This is a prestigious honor for an employee to receive," Hall said. "This award represents the attitude, leadership, productivity, innovation and quality an employee possesses to perform his job above and beyond what is required."

Vance began his career with the Mississippi Department of Transportation in September 1967, as an equipment operator. He has worked in the maintenance field his entire career with MDOT. As maintenance superintendent, he is responsible for supervising 40 employees. His crew members are responsible for highway overlay, highway seal coat, and other specialized projects throughout District Five.
Vance resides in Sebastopol.

National

Glenn Patin, sales manager/vice president, Cormier Shoring & Equipment Co. Inc. of Breaux Bridge, La., recently named Denny Kennard as new outside sales representative for the south-central region, including Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. Kennard is a native of Louisiana and has eight years of outside sales experience throughout the south-central region.

Most recently he worked for a shoring equipment company in Ascension Parish. Cormier Shoring & Equipment Co., is a regional distributor for safety and underground shoring products serving the Gulf and south central U.S., with branches in Breaux Bridge, Beaumont, Texas, and Houston, Texas.