James Butler of Richard Epstein Architects in Boulder recently became a registered architect.
Butler has eight years of experience in schools, multifamily and commercial projects. At REA, he is responsible for management of diverse project types.

Jon Brooks, Bill Larson, Matt Davidson and Tracy Dible, mechanical and electrical engineers with Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers Inc., have passed the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Professional Accreditation Exam.

Brooks joined BGCE in 2001 and is currently providing electrical design services for the Village at Northstar development in California. The Lake Tahoe LEED-registered project is seeking to become the first ever multi-building development in the world to be LEED certified.

Larson and Davidson joined BGCE in 2002 and are currently working on the Old Greenwood Pool, Tennis & Fitness Facility for a residential development at Tahoe Mountain Resort in California, which is also a LEED-registered project. Both are also beginning work on a remodel and 2800-sq-ft addition to the Sundeck Restaurant.

Dible joined the firm in 2002 and is providing mechanical design services for both the Village at Northstar and the Old Greenwood Facility.

This brings the count of BGCE's LEED-accredited professionals to eight. BGCE has made it a goal to have all of its technical staff LEED accredited.

Ronald Thorstad has joined DMJM+Harris as vice president and general manager of the firm's transit/rail business line in the central region. Working out of the company's Denver office, he will be responsible for strategic planning and implementation and oversee marketing and business development.

With more than 30 years of experience, Thorstad has held key management positions in both the public sector and in private consulting. He has extensive transportation planning and engineering experience with an emphasis on "new start" public rail transit project development.
Before joining DMJM+HARRIS, he served as the director of public transportation at Jacobs Civil Inc.

Stantec Consulting has announced the promotions of two engineers in the water resources department to associate project manager-in-training of the Denver office.

Vince Geronimo, PE, is a water resources engineer specializing in hydrology and hydraulics of open channels. He is a certified flood plain manager with experience in Federal Emergency Management Agency, Conditional Letter of Map Revision and Letter of Map Revision applications, master drainage studies, preliminary and final drainage studies, and riverine stabilization projects.

Kevin Ruswick, PE, is a certified flood plain manager with FEMA, CLOMR and LOMR experience. He focuses on large flood control and river restoration projects, wetland and stream restoration, stormwater management design and permitting in support of residential and commercial development.

Martin/Martin Inc. Consulting Engineers has announced four additions to its staff.

Eileen C. McEnroe joins the investigative team as an investigative engineer.

Karon S. Watkins joins as an administrative assistant for the investigative engineering team and the special projects group.

Eldon Hill joins as an administrative assistant to the accounting department.

Jason A. Thomas joins the survey department and is currently working on the Tablerock Residential Subdivision Project in Golden.

Martin/Martin's investigative engineering team specializes in the evaluation and repair of structures.

Land Architects Inc., a Colorado-based planning and landscape architectural firm, recently promoted Joseph L. Wilson IV to the position of project designer.

During his three-year tenure with Land Architects, Wilson has been involved in landscape design and irrigation for Bear Creek K-8 School; amending the master plan and securing final development plans for Oak Park at Cherry Creek; assisting in the master plan development for Heritage Todd Creek; and involved in the irrigation plans for Russell Boulevard, a streetscape project in Thornton.

Drexel, Barrell & Co. has announced the appointment of Michael D. Middleton, PE, to president for the year 2003. Middleton is one of the four owners of Drexel, Barrell & Co., which annually rotates the roles of officers. Clifford R. Brockman, PE, has moved into the role of vice president.
The remaining board of directors - Barbara N. Weiss, PE, and William K. Wright, PLS, will serve as secretary and treasurer, respectively.

Middleton has more than 30 years of progressive roadway and transportation engineering experience and has been with Drexel, Barrell & Co. since 1993.

Downing Thorpe & James has announced that Thomas W. Kopf is now a principal of the firm.

Kopf, with DTJ since 1999, is a planner and landscape architect with more than 20 years of experience in the profession. He is instrumental in the marketing, growth and development of DTJ's national design practice. Kopf is an active lecturer and speaker.

URS Corp. of Denver recently hired the following personnel: Karen Kronoveter, data validation specialist; Juan Rodriguez, construction engineer; Zdenko Novkovic, CAD/drafter; Art Hernandez, CADD technician; Marion McCleary, project assistant; Steven Dominic, civil engineer; Scott Gorman, survey technician; and Bradyn Podhajsky, architect.

Also, J. David Mohrbacher, PE, joined URS as the senior program manager responsible for turn-key remediation of a portfolio of sites for a major pipeline company. Mohrbacher has more than 27 years of experience in the petroleum industry.

Nuszer Kopatz Urban Design Associates has announced the promotion of Jamie Ramos to senior associate in the landscape architecture studio.

Christopher M. Hughes, an experienced project manager and engineer, has joined AMEC's earth and environmental office in Farmington, N.M., where he will direct the materials testing and inspection unit serving the Four Corners Region.

Hughes has consulting engineering expertise in soil, concrete and asphalt testing services for roadway and commercial construction projects. His technical and project management experience includes the investigation of foundation failures, construction defects, roadway geometry problems and deck failures for a leading forensic laboratory near Denver.

MNA Inc. has promoted Elie Hamamji, PE, to principal and Susan Nemec to vice president of operations.

Hamamji manages the structural engineering department, which specializes in residential and commercial projects. He has more than 15 years of experience working on commercial building, libraries, parking structures, large retail and single-family and multifamily homes.

Nemec oversees the day-to-day financial operations of the company. She is in charge of budget, payroll, accounts receivable and accounts payable, as well as supervising the administrative department.

The Denver office of Gensler has announced the promotion of two new associates.

Anggoro "Sonny" Putro has a wide variety of planning and design experience ranging from commercial office buildings to retail, entertainment and hospitality projects. A recipient of two Colorado AIA Young Architect Awards in 2002, Putro is a project team member for a number of projects currently under way in China, including the Pudong Development Bank and Chaoyang Plaza Business Center.

Brad VanArsdale, AIA, joined Gensler in 2000 and is currently serving as the project architect for Progressive Insurance's new campus in Colorado Springs. His previous experience with Gensler includes serving as a team member for Sun Microsystem's campus in Broomfield and Gallup's world headquarters in Omaha.

Swanson Rink Inc. has announced the successful completion of the LEEDTM accreditation examination by two of its staff, William R. Davis, PE, design principal and Timothy L. Chiddix, PE, senior mechanical engineer.

Also, two of the firm's mechanical project engineers passed the professional engineer license exams in 2002. James J. Nance, PE, and Michael J. Minear, PE, are now registered professional engineers in Colorado.

Pinkard Construction has announced that it has hired Robert McClory as a project engineer and James Nicholson as a project superintendent.

McClory has worked in the construction industry for 10 years. Before joining Pinkard, he worked for Robinson Mechanical. McClory's background includes project management, estimating, site development, site utilities, accounting as a controller, pre-construction management, design-build and mechanical system design.

Nicholson has worked in the construction industry for 12 years. He worked for many years before putting his construction career on hold to further his education and serve five years in the U.S. Army, where he specialized in logistics and was an instructor in charge of hazardous material and chemical warfare training in Desert Storm.

Quality Electric Inc. has announced that company President and CEO Rex Wiederspahn has been reappointed as chairman of the Construction Legal Rights Foundation for 2003. The foundation, based in Rosslyn, Va., is one of the largest legal foundations in the country and is affiliated with the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Also, Quality Electric CFO Chris Harris has been elected to the ABC board of directors for 2003-2005. Harris is a CPA and has more than 25 years of experience in construction, development and property management.

Moody Insurance Agency has hired Brian Fletcher as an employee benefits specialist and the newest member of its Group Benefits division. Fletcher, who has nearly a decade of experience in the insurance industry, previously worked for Great West Life and Annuity and State Farm Insurance.

Compass Bank has announced that Mark W. Heldt has joined the firm as senior vice president and manager of the Colorado business banking group, and Timothy W. Schultz has been added to its board of directors.

Heldt will have statewide responsibility for leading the business banking group's sales, retention and overall market share growth efforts.

Schultz is president and executive director of the Boettcher Foundation in Denver.

The Denver office of Trammell Crow Co. has announced several key executive promotions.

Ann Sperling has been named senior managing director of the Rocky Mountain region. She will continue to be responsible for all facets of brokerage, investment sales, corporate services, building management and construction management for Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Bob Hackett has been named a principal. He is responsible for institutional and corporate sales and service.

Bruce Backstrom has been named senior vice president. He is responsible for institutional property management for Colorado, which includes more than 50 clients and hundreds of tenants.