Alabama

Bill L. Harbert was presented with the Cornerstone Award on Nov. 2 at the Alabama Associated Builders and Contractors’ Annual Excellence in Construction Banquet. 

The Cornerstone Award, which is the highest honor given by ABC, "is presented to an individual who has made an exemplary lifelong commitment to Alabama construction and has brought favorable recognition to the industry as a result of his personal integrity, business ethics and community involvement." 

The 14th Annual Cornerstone Award, selected by the Alabama Construction News, was presented to Harbert in front of 800 of the construction industry’s leaders and is a testament to his accomplishments and lifelong commitment to the construction industry.  

Gary C. Wyatt General Contractor LLC of Birmingham, Ala., recently announced the hiring of Mike Davenport as director of operations and Lonnie Edmond as senior project manager.

Davenport, a 1983 graduate of the Auburn University building science program, has a 20-year career in large scale contracting and will be responsible for the construction operations of the company.

Edmond, with 23 years of experience in industrial, manufacturing, office and medical construction, will be responsible for project specific project management for the Birmingham-based contractor. He is a 1984 graduate of Auburn University in building science.

Louisiana

Lincoln Builders of Ruston, La., has announced corporate changes that will prepare the company for additional regional growth and allow management to continue its focus on meeting the needs of its clients in expanding market areas. 

The development of management centers in Ruston, Fort Worth, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La., will position the company for future growth while enhancing management’s ability to respond to local market demands.

Parent company Lincoln Builders Inc. will oversee the operations of Lincoln Builders of Ruston Inc., Lincoln Builders of Baton Rouge Inc., and Lincoln Builders of Texas Inc.

Corporate management of Lincoln Builders Inc. is headed by Ronnie Graham, chief executive officer; Danny Graham, president; Ken Henry, vice president; Clint Graham, vice president; Nat Mixon, vice president; Mark Graham, vice president; and Lynn Hutchinson, secretary-treasurer.

Lincoln Builders of Ruston Inc. is headed up by Clint Graham, president, and Mark Graham, vice president, and targets the construction market in north and central Louisiana north of Interstate 10.

Lincoln Builders of Texas Inc. President Greg Gammill and Vice President Wallace Rogan have managed the office located in Fort Worth since 1997 and will continue targeting that regional market.

Ronnie Myers, president, and Keith Keller, vice president, Lincoln Builders of Baton Rouge Inc., will continue their leadership of the south Louisiana office.

Lincoln Builders was established in 1962 and is a full-service general contracting, construction management and design-build firm headquartered in Ruston. Its diverse experience includes educational, health care, religious, institutional, commercial and industrial work.

John L. “Jack” Donahue Jr. has been elected to the Louisiana State Senate. He will represent District 11, which covers portions of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes.

Donahue began his involvement in the political process in 1972 when, as president of the Bayou Chapter and national board member of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), he fought for the right to work in Louisiana.

In addition to many years of leadership in ABC, Donahue continued his involvement as a board member and chairman of the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry (LABI), the Public Affairs Research Council, as chairman of the Causeway Commission and many other business and civic organizations.

DonahueFavret Contractors Inc. was founded in 1979 and today has a staff of more than 60 professionals. DonahueFavret Contractors Inc. specializes in retail, healthcare and hospitality construction and renovation and is licensed throughout the Gulf South.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and ASFE/The Best People on Earth (ASFE) have awarded the inaugural Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award to retired Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock P.E., former chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and project director of Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals’ Sabine Pass LNG Project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

The award recognizes an engineer practitioner’s incident-specific or career-long application of ethics in a leadership role. Strock received the award on Nov. 3 in Orlando, Fla. at the business meeting held during ASCE’s Annual Civil Engineering Conference.

The award honors Strock for his dedication to learning the truth about why the hurricane protection system in New Orleans failed during Hurricane Katrina, and his commitment to sharing all lessons learned with the profession, industry and public.

Before serving as USACE chief and commanding officer, Strock was the director of civil works at USACE headquarters in Washington, D.C. He also served a six-month tour of duty in Iraq as the deputy director of operations for the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003 and was previously assigned as the director of military programs.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society.

PSI announces the appointment of Steven Whitting CPG as a principal consultant for their Phase I ESA service line. Whitting is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in geology. He is a senior geologist in their Baton Rouge office and has been with PSI since 2006.

PSI is a leading independent engineering testing firm and one of the largest consulting engineering firms in North America, with approximately $200 million in annual revenues.

Mississippi

RSES recently announced the names of members who were awarded RSES certificate member and certificate member specialist status in October.

In order to become a CM, a RSES member must first pass a rigorous examination that tests the knowledge required to install and service refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. 

CM-level members are recognized industry-wide as having achieved a superior level of HVACR knowledge. The RSES CM exam is based heavily on theory and practical applications.

The following South Central RSES member passed the CM exam and were awarded CM status: Matthew A. Johnson, of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter, Gulfport, Miss.

To obtain CMS status, a RSES member must first pass the CM examination. CMS status is earned by passing one or more of the eight specialist examinations available.  Specialist exam categories include: Commercial Refrigeration, Commercial Air Conditioning, Heating, Controls, Domestic Service, HVACR Electrical, Heat Pumps and Dynamic Compression.

Tennessee

M. J. Harris Inc. recently promoted two people to the position of vice president. Tommy Yeager was promoted to vice president of operations - Nashville.

Syed Ali was promoted to vice president of operations - Orlando.  Yeager and Ali have both played integral roles in the growth of the company since joining the team in 2006. 

Regional

Roadtec recently announced the appointment of Jamie Winkler and Mark Smith to the positions of national sales manager-south and national sales manager-north. Jamie Winkler will cover the southeastern U.S. and Texas, and Mark Smith will handle sales activity in the remainder of the nation.

Both Winkler and Smith were promoted to the positions after having successfully covered their own territories as members of the Roadtec sales staff since 2005 and 2002, respectively. These assignments follow the retirement of Don Lamb, who had held the sales manager position since 2004.