To submit items for "Names in the News," please send materials to Scott Judy, editor, Southeast Construction, 4901 Vineland Road, Suite 310, Orlando, FL 32811; FAX (407) 226-2207; or email scott_judy@mcgraw-hill.com.

Garry M. Higdem has resigned as senior vice president of Ashland Inc. and president of Ashland Paving and Construction (APAC) in order to attend to a serious family health matter. "Garry has been a strong leader and a positive force in changing APAC's business model, and we will miss his deep knowledge of the construction business," said James J. O'Brien, chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. "He has higher priorities at this time, and we understand and respect his desire to tend to those needs."

Ashland's board of directors has elected R. Kirk Randolph vice president of Ashland and president of APAC. Randolph was most recently vice president of APAC's Major Projects Group, where he managed large-scale transportation construction and design-build projects. He brings a 26-year history with APAC to the top position.

William R. Halter has joined HOK's Atlanta office as design director and managing principal. Halter joins HOK Atlanta after 25 years with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback, where he specialized in the design of commercial and corporate offices, mixed-use developments and convention centers.

Halter holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from The Ohio State University and a master's in architecture and urban design from The Georgia Institute of Technology.

Alan Brick-Turin has been promoted to vice president in charge of HNTB Corp.'s Miami and Fort Lauderdale offices. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in transportation planning and engineering. He moves to Miami from HNTB's Arlington, Va., office where he served as the chief transportation planner.

Brad Flom was named vice president in charge of the highway and structures groups for the firm's Orlando-area office. Flom has more than 21 years of experience in the planning and design of major highway improvement projects. He will serve as the vice president in charge of the highway and structure design groups in HNTB's Orlando-area office.

Also, Kevin Merritt has joined HNTB's Atlanta office as a project manager in the aviation department. Merritt has more than seven years of experience in civil engineering, construction management and aviation design.

William Seritt was named a project engineer in the Atlanta office aviation department. Seritt recently received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Also, Bibo Zhang has joined HNTB's Lake Mary, Fla., office as a structural engineer in the bridge department. She will be responsibile for the analysis and design tasks for several bridge projects the firm is designing throughout the state of Florida.

Kenneth A. Hartmann recently joined HDR's Tampa office as vice president and Florida transportation director. Immediately prior to joining HDR, Hartmann was the District Seven secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation in Tampa, where he managed an overall annual program of nearly $1 billion, with the most notable project the total reconstruction of Interstate 275 through Tampa.

James R. Hughes has been promoted to associate with C.T. Hsu + Associates of Orlando. Hughes currently serves as the senior project manager for architecture and planning. He has more than 28 years' experience in the development, master planning, design, and construction of public and private projects.

Wayne Burrus has joined the Atlanta office of Skanska USA Building as vice president of healthcare business development. He will be responsible for growing Skanska's hospital and healthcare construction business in Georgia. Burrus has 25 years of healthcare industry experience, and has assisted more than 70 hospitals nationwide in planning, design and construction of building projects.

C. Mitchell McDowell has joined PSI of Orlando as a senior environmental scientist. The firm's Orlando office also announced the promotion of Jeffrey Townsend to project environmental scientist.

Also, Craig Williams was appointed principal consultant for roof surveys and will service PSI's Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Diego offices.

Judith Del Viscio has joined The ADP Group, a Sarasota-based design firm as an interior design associate. Del Viscio has over 20 years experience in project management and interior design.

Also, Michael DiSapio has joined the firm as a senior associate. DiSapio has over 32 years of architectural experience.

Melanie Hamilton has been hired as executive assistant to the president/CEO of ACI Construction Services, Tampa. Hamilton previously worked in high-level administrative positions with Skanska USA and Kvaerner Construction.

Alex Montes has joined MGE Architects of Coral Gables, Fla., as a project architect. Montes previously was a project architect with Perkins + Will in Miami.

Also, Lucia Marmol and Victor Caban have joined the firm as junior architects. Both Marmol and Caban are recent graduates of the University of Miami.

Cesar Quinones has joined the firm as a CADD/Computer Animator. He is an architecture student at Florida International University.

Jeff Palombo has joined Robins & Morton Group of Birmingham, Ala., as corporate safety director.

Palombo is based at the company's Birmingham headquarters, but will serve division offices in Orlando, Nashville and Dallas. He is a thirteen-year veteran of commercial and industrial construction.

Mike Murray has joined specialty glazing contractor Harmon Inc. as a senior project manager in its Boynton Beach, Fla., offices. He brings 26 years of experience in construction to his position.

Bridget Trombley has joined Gates McVey of Naples, Fla., as project development manager. Previously manager of marketing services for Naples-based Kraft Construction, Trombley has seven years of marketing and project development experience in the construction industry.

Also, the firm named Matthew Corcoran as senior financial analyst for Gates McVey Capital Group. Corcoran will oversee the financial analysis for all development projects. He has more than eight years of experience in acquisitions and development, with an emphasis in multi-family housing throughout the Southeast.

Based in Naples, Gates McVey is a development, construction, real estate and hospitality company.

Michael Kahnle has been appointed associate at Foster Conant & Associates, a landscape architectural practice located in Orlando. Kahnle brings more than seven years of experience to his new position designing for the firm's resort projects.

Gregg Bundschuh and Dave Collings have been named equity partners and will establish an Atlanta office for Ames & Gough, a Washington, D.C.-based insurance broker and risk management consultant specializing in serving architects, engineers, lawyers and the managed care industry.

The Haskell Co. of Jacksonville recently promoted Jim Carlson to director of the company's commercial division. He previously was acting division leader of the general commercial division.

Also, Don Kartzmark was promoted to director of the newly formed parking solutions division. Previously, Kartzmark was acting director of project development for Haskell's San Marco Place condominium job. James Reed was promoted to director of project development within the parking solutions division. Previously, Reed was a senior project manager within the commercial group.

Bob Renaud has been promoted to director of business development and marketing within the commercial group. Renaud will also continue to serve as Haskell's director of public affairs.

Kim McWhorter has been named business development manager at MACTEC Engineering & Consulting's Orlando office. McWhorter has more than 10 years experience in business development.

Also, Phil Stevens has been named Florida transportation leader for MACTEC. Stevens is based in the firm's Tampa office. He previously served as director of transportation for a Fort Myers-based engineering and surveying company.

Denon Williams was named president of Crosland Inc.'s contracting division, which specializes in multi-family wood-frame construction. Currently vice president of construction in Crosland's Raleigh office, Williams will relocate to Charlotte.

Jeff Jackson recently joined Jacksonville, Fla.-based engineering services firm Ellis & Associates as manager of the firm's Titusville branch. He will be responsible for all aspects of branch operations inclusive of project management, geotechnical engineering and field and laboratory testing.

The company also announced the hiring of Sean McGouey and Phillip Denmark as technicians and Steven Weimer as a driller helper.

Forrest Ferqueron has been named senior project manager at Hennessy Construction Services, St. Petersburg. Ferqueron was previously senior construction manager at KDA Holdings, Marietta, Ga.

The company also announced the appointment of Joseph Butler and Randy Nobles as project managers.

Raymond Scott Crawford and Martiele Franklin have been appointed associates at Cannon Design's Jacksonville, Fla., office.

Crawford has been with the firm since 2001. Franklin heads up the firm's interior design efforts and has been with Cannon since 2003.

Jorge Urrea recently joined Christiano Construction Co. of Clearwater, Fla., as a project manager.

Kris Ness, an architect with McCree Inc. of Orlando, was promoted to director of conceptual design. Ness has 25 years of design experience.