Melissa Leslie is the new regional editor of The Daily Journal and Colorado Construction magazine. She joins McGraw-Hill Construction Publications after serving as managing editor for two years at Broker Associate magazine, a regional trade publication that serves residential real estate professionals and industry affiliates.

Before working with Broker Associate magazine, Leslie was a journalism student at Colorado State University. She graduated from the university in 2005. During her fourth year at CSU, she worked as the associate editor for Scene Magazine, a community magazine covering local bands and entertainment in Northern Colorado.

Leslie has a broad editing and reporting background. She has written features on top producing real estate professionals, new home construction, community projects and news, industry news and market information.

Stephanie Dammen has joined Shaffer-Baucom Engineering and Consulting as the director of marketing, where she will oversee the Strategic Marketing efforts of the company.

Design Workshop has hired three new members: Megan Higgans, Mariana Ravzar’s and Marcus Pulsipher.

The Weitz Co. of Denver recently announced the addition of architect Bruce Cousins, who will serve as senior manager of Weitz’s Virtual Design and Construction.

Darrin Haymond, a project manager and estimator with USA Masonry in Golden, has completed the two-year-long Masonry Certification program at the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute.

Greenfield Architects recently announced the hiring of two new project architects: Alex Liu and Bill Stow.

Drexel, Barrell & Co. announced the addition of David W. Peek as engineering manager for the Greeley office. Peek is currently managing Clearbrook Crossing, a residential development in Greeley, and the site design for several commercial businesses in the Crossroads Business Park in Loveland.

Professor Manuel Laguna has been named associate dean of faculty for the CU-Boulder's Leeds School of Business. Laguna is responsible for research and technology support, faculty recruiting and evaluation, the doctoral program, faculty retention and resolving faculty issues. He assumed the position Aug. 1, succeeding professor Ken Kozar.

Ed Nation was recently brought onto the FCI Constructors’ Longmont office team. Nation is a superintendent with 19 years of construction experience, including projects such as Broomfield Recreation Center, Dunstan Middle School in Jefferson County and Mountain Ridge Middle School in Douglas County. His first project with FCI will be the Boston Elementary School for Aurora Public Schools.

Denver’s Martin/Martin Inc. Consulting Engineers announced that the following engineers have recently received LEED accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council. Structural Department engineers include Paul Doak, principal; Greg Parent, engineer II; Nicholas Remington, engineer II; David Hall, engineer I and Erica Toren, engineer I. Civil Department engineers are Peter Rice, project engineer and Rob Frankenberger, engineer II.

Nuszer Kopatz Urban Design Associates recently announced several promotions and staff additions. Greg Lockridge has been promoted to senior associate within Nuszer Kopatz’s newly formed architecture studio. The architecture studio has also added Stacey Brady and Lisa Frahm as project managers; and Matthew Mullane, Rori Knudtson, Carissa Holstad and Zachary Bloomer as architectural interns. Andrew Harrah has been promoted to associate in the firm’s landscape architecture studio. Justin Clark, who heads the firm’s IT department, was also promoted to associate.

WorthGroup architects recently appointed Brian J. Fagerstrom as president.

Robert Dale “Bob” Elam, founder of Elam Construction in Grand Junction, died last month at the age of 88. Born in Poplar Bluff, Miss., to Roland and Katie Elam, Bob left his home town at the age of 16 and eventually ended up in Montrose, Colo., where he met and married Mildred, his wife of more than 50 years. He worked for Montrose County until the United States entered World War II, when he served in the Navy for four years.

After the war, Bob worked as a motor grader operator for the city of Grand Junction and Corn Construction, but in 1956 he and Mildred started Elam Construction. Bob is survived by his three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Chad Weldon of U.S. Engineering Co. in Loveland recently passed the professional engineering exam.

Fransen Pittman General Contractors of Englewood recently moved project engineer Brian Rethmeier into the preconstruction department. Project superintendent Pat Nieman has moved into the project management department as a new project engineer. The company also hired Jason Hampton as a new project engineer.

Forest City Stapleton Inc., master developer of the Stapleton redevelopment, recently appointed Walter Mathews, IV to assistant general counsel in the legal department. Mathews will focus his efforts on legal support for commercial sales and leasing, residential sales, financing of public infrastructure and performing legal work related to land acquisitions.

Carter & Burgess of Denver recently announced two staff additions. Kevin Gould has joined the engineering firm as group manager and architect with its building programs unit. Gary Meacham joined C & B as a senior project manager in the transportation division.

University of Colorado School of Engineering Dean Rober Davis announced the appointment of two new associate deans to the CU-Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science, effective Aug. 1. Professor Brian Argrow will serve as associate dean for education. Professor Christopher Bowman will serve as associate dean for research.

Dyan Humphries Baker has joined The Durrant Group as an associate and manager of business development. Baker will pursue new business opportunities in the areas of mixed-use/hospitality, justice, education and retail.

Matt Hirschbeck of Richard P. Arber Associates in Lakewood recently obtained his professional engineering license from the state of Colorado.

Bruce Dines has joined comCables, headquartered in Denver, as president and chief operating officer. He will oversee sales, marketing and operations for the low-voltage distribution company. Dines was previously EVP and GM of iSqFt/Construction Software Technologies Inc.

Ralph LoCascio has joined Nolte Associates Inc. of Colorado Springs as the director of the company’s public works group. He will be responsible for conducting business development, mentoring and managing the public works team of engineers, managing transportation, water resources and infrastructure design projects.

Don Chall has been hired as estimating manager for Jack B. Henderson Construction Co. Inc., headquartered in Albuquerque. He will be responsible for management and coordination of mechanical, architectural and general contracting estimates in support of JBHCC operations in Albuquerque, Los Alamos and Rio Rancho, N.M., Colorado Springs and Utah.

Engineering Economics Inc. has named the principals for its new enterprise, EEI Healthcare:

Pete Sabeff, president, will direct all EEI Healthcare activities. Lisa Doughty will serve as a mechanical project manager. Mark Abrahamson also serves as a mechanical project manager. Ross Hansen serves as the electrical project manager.

Tryba Architects welcomed three new interns: Terry Krieger and Kristina Nelson.

Tom Norman joined CTL/Thompson as principal engineer. Norman will serve as environmental department manager in the Fort Collins office and will also assist other branches within the company.

John Raycraft has been promoted to general superintendent at Heath Construction.

In his new role, Raycraft oversees all Heath superintendents and construction projects, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.

The Fourteenth Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for a Grand County court judgeship created by the appointment of the Hon. Mary Hoak to the district court bench. 

Nominees Terry Walker of Kremmling, and Ben McClelland and Ronald Servis, both of Granby, were selected in a meeting on Wednesday at the Grand County Courthouse in Hot Sulphur Springs.

Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has up to and including 15 days from August 2 within which to appoint one of the nominees as county court judge for Grand County.

Larisa LaBrant, executive director of Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute, has earned LEED accredited professional certification. LaBrant passed the LEED AP examination on the first attempt, putting her in an elite class of testers nationwide who pass on the first try. She is the third RMMI staff member to achieve LEED certification. RMMI Technical Assistant Shahnaz Jaffari earned LEED AP in November 2006 and RMMI Technical Director Diane Travis achieved LEED certification in February of this year.

Melanie Longi joins Terracon Inc. as a geotechnical staff engineer in the company’s Wheat Ridge office

Glenn Davis, manager of impaired driving programs within the Safety and Traffic Engineering Branch of the Colorado Department of Transportation, has been awarded the Drug Recognition Expert Emeritus Award by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Terracon Inc. has added new staff members to its Wheat Ridge office. James Kostal joins the office as a construction materials engineering and testing project manager. Mark Weritz joins the office as a geotechnical project engineer. In addition, Andrew Garner and David Harwood have been named senior associates.

Fentress Bradburn Architects has abbreviated its name to Fentress Architects and adopted a new logo. In conjunction with the new name and logo, the firm also changed its Web site address to www.fentressarchitects.com.

Bill Speck joins Denver’s MOA Architecture as a project manager. Speck holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Ohio State University. He is currently working on several new projects for Spectrum Retirement Communities.