Louisiana

Bill Petty, president of the New Orleans division of Walton Construction Co. LLC, recently announced the addition of three new employees:

• Brian Franklin has joined Walton as project executive. In his new role, Franklin will oversee various projects, including the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Marietta, Ga. and the C130 Squadron Operations Center in Little Rock, Ark. Previously employed by Versar Construction, Franklin has more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry.

He earned his master’s degree in ecology from the University of Tulsa and his doctorate in Biomed Sciences from the University of Oklahoma.

• Stanley Guess has joined Walton as project executive. In his new role, Guess will oversee several military projects, including the $59 million Package 1A project in Belle Chase, La. Previously employed by Ellis Construction, Guess has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry. 

• Ivan Baptista has joined Walton as estimator. In his new role, Baptista will be estimating and pricing all prospective projects for the New Orleans office. Previously employed by Integrated Door Systems, Baptista has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Los Andes.

Richard Kravet, an architect at New Orleans-based Billes Architecture LLC, has been named a principal and partner of the firm.  In his expanded role, Kravet will oversee the firm’s architectural design and production operations.
 
With more than 25 years of professional experience, Kravet’s extensive background includes urban design, planning, feasibility studies and building design and construction for private and public sector clients. Throughout his career, Kravet’s work has been focused in the areas of education, hospitality, institutional, entertainment and residential architecture. 

Gerald Billes, CEO of the firm, said “Richard’s multidimensional expertise has proven to be an invaluable asset to our firm. His ability to both conceptualize and execute plans has enabled him to provide strong leadership on major client projects, which has contributed greatly to the firm’s success. Richard’s talent is recognized by his professional peers and we’re glad that he’s a key player on our team.”

Client engagements in which Kravet is and has been involved include, among others: renovations and repairs to The Louisiana Superdome; revitalization of The French Market; New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan; Make It Right (initiative led by actor Brad Pitt to rebuild Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans); as well as projects with Harrah’s throughout Louisiana.  

“I’m extremely pleased to be taking this next step with Billes Architecture,” said Kravet. “This firm has a unique ability to fuse cultural, stylistic and aesthetic elements into designs that effectively satisfy the functional needs of our clients. I’m glad to assume this expanded role with such an outstanding firm.”

A graduate of the School of Architecture at Louisiana State University, Kravet is a member of professional organizations that include the American Institute of Architects and the Louisiana Architects Association. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Fourth Year Professional Practice at the School of Architecture at Southern University.

Roger Bourgeois, president of Bourgeois & Associates Inc. recently attended the Siemens Fire Safety Distributors’ Summit at Saddle Brook Resort near Tampa, Fla.  The meeting theme was “Power of Partnership.”  Bourgeois & Associates, a Siemens Advanced Partner, was recognized as a Platinum Level Distributor.

PSI’s Baton Rouge office recently hired Steve Gunter as the new Geotechnical Services Department manager in its Baton Rouge operations office. Gunter is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

Professional Service Industries Inc. is a leading independent engineering and testing firm and one of the largest consulting engineering firms in North America, with approximately $250 million in annual revenues.
 
PSI provides a wide range of environmental engineering and testing services, including environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and engineering, industrial hygiene services, facilities and roof consulting, and specialty engineering and testing services.
 
PSI, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., a Chicago suburb, operates from 125 offices in North America, with more than 2,500 employees.

Mississippi

Smith Seckman Reid Inc. (SSR), an engineering design and facility consulting firm, has hired John C. Modzelewski as office manager for the firm’s Hernando, Miss., office.

Modzelewski is responsible for the development of new clients and markets, maintaining existing client relationships, negotiating fees and overseeing day-to-day operations. Also, he will serve as a technical resource for transportation-related projects from conceptual design through construction. 
  
Prior to joining SSR, Modzelewski served as civil/site group leader for Tetra Tech Inc. in Memphis. He also has worked as a city engineer for the City of Germantown’s community development department.

Modzelewski earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., and is a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts, Washington and Tennessee. He is the vice president of the West Tennessee Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and in 2006 he received the ASCE Tennessee Section award for “Government Engineer of the Year.” 

Tennessee

The entire architect team at Street Dixon Rick Architecture PLC has achieved LEED accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council, the firm announced recently. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

“This is a landmark achievement and we’re very pleased with the dedication and commitment from our team to achieve 100 percent accreditation,” said Stephen Rick, firm principal.

“We continue to predict that LEED accreditation will become the new standard for all architects and we’re very pleased that our team decided to LEED the way, pun intended,” said Baird Dixon, firm principal.

Chip Jones and Sarah Dexheimer most recently earned accreditation, joining ranks with LEED-AP accredited firm members Stephen Rick, Baird Dixon, Beth Chappell, Steve Clendenin, Crispin Mathias+Fisher and Carly Wansing. Street Dixon Rick Architecture has long been a sponsor of the U.S. Green Building Council Middle Tennessee chapter. In addition, Rick serves on TennesseeGreen.com Advisors, a part of The Tennessean’s green website.

“Incorporating smart design principles, including LEED-related concepts, just makes sense,” Dixon said. “We have plans in the works for a LEED registered building in Franklin and a major LEED Silver design project underway in Huntingdon, Pa., for Juniata College,” Dixon said. The Franklin project is expected to become the first LEED registered building in Franklin, Tenn.

Smart architecture that works in tandem with nature is something Street Dixon Rick’s architects believe in wholeheartedly. The firm principals made a series of investments to make Street Dixon Rick’s 1970s-era offices more energy-efficient, including the installation of 72 massive solar panels to help fuel the office’s electricity and actually provide energy back to Nashville Electric Service (NES).

Rick and Dixon recently gave speeches and led panels about innovation in sustainable architecture for the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership Middle Tennessee and the Society for Marketing Professional Services.

Dixon is scheduled to lead a panel for an international meeting of university planners in Montreal in July. The topic, “The Commons: An Innovative First Year Living/Learning Community,” will cover LEED Silver certified projects recently completed at a major university.

Dixon led the design team for The Commons, which will house 1,600 first-year students, making it one of the largest green residential complexes in Tennessee.

Tennessee Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Paul Degges was recently selected as the 2007 Government Engineer of the Year by the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. Degges accepted the award at a ceremony at the annual Engineers Banquet at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel Feb. 22.
 
“Chief Engineer Degges is a tremendous asset to TDOT and I’m pleased to see him recognized for his achievements in the engineering field,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “We are proud of the work Paul does for this department and share the society’s gratitude for his service.”

The youngest individual to ever hold the position of chief engineer, Degges has overseen the awarding of more than 1,500 projects with a construction value of more than $2.6 billion.

With decreasing federal and state revenues and increasing construction costs, he has steered TDOT’s activities successfully over the past four years with the department’s roadways continuously rated in the top five nationally by Overdrive magazine.