To submit items for "Names in the News," please send materials to Scott Judy, editor, Southeast Construction, Po Box 730307, Ormond Beach, FL 32173-0307; FAX (386) 673-9756; or email scott_judy@mcgraw-hill.com.

Charles W. Cole Jr. has been promoted to the position of president and managing principal of HuntonBrady Architects, an Orlando-based architecture firm. The announcement follows the untimely death of Fred H. Pryor in December while on vacation in South Carolina.

Cole, previously vice president and principal of health-care design, will also continue in this role, his area of expertise. Partner Andy Sexton will continue as operations principal, while Maurizio Maso will continue as education and design principal. Associate principal Steve Belflower will expand his role as principal of commercial office projects.

Cole has been an employee of HuntonBrady since 1996. Pryor, an employee for 23 years, served as president for 10 years.

W. James Clemens has joined Kraft Construction Co. of Naples, Fla., as vice president and area manager. He will oversee the company's operations for its Sarasota office.

Clemens has more than 28 years of experience in the construction industry and previously served as senior vice president with Skanska USA Building.

Wayne Ballenger has joined the Charlotte, N.C., office of Skanska USA Building as a senior superintendent. Ballenger has more than 35 years of experience in construction. Prior to joining Skanska, Ballenger served as senior superintendent at FN Thompson Co.

PGAL of Boca Raton, Fla., recently announced the addition of Angela Ramirez, Juan Diego Giraldo, Anna Banachowicz and Alek Bilinski to its architectural staff here. Ramirez is a graduate architect with 10 years of design experience in the K-12 educational and aviation sectors. Giraldo is a graduate architect with 19 years of design experience, specializing in high-rise residential, resort and commercial sectors. Banachowicz is a graduate architect with four years of experience in the commercial, retail and residential sectors. Bilinski, also a graduate architect, has four years of design experience in the residential, resort and commercial sectors.

Chuck Johnson has been named associate vice president in HNTB's Raleigh, N.C., office. Johnson serves as director of operations for HNTB's North Carolina operations and traffic engineering department manager for the Raleigh office. He also assists the division operations officer in the North Carolina-South Carolina-Georgia region.

Also, in Lake Mary, Fla., HNTB named Lisa Poole as Florida district business manager, and Mike DeBacker as Florida operations officer. Poole has more than 16 years of experience in the accounting and finance management field. DeBacker has more than 15 years of experience in civil engineering and business operations.

The firm also appointed Chris Gould as office operations officer and Doug Newlon as sales officer in Lake Mary.

Gould has more than 15 years of civil engineering experience and previously served as office sales manager. He currently serves as a senior project manager in HNTB's highway department.

Yaomin Xue has been promoted to senior associate at Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates in Atlanta, in recognition of his efforts to build the firm's international business. Xue spearheads the firm's Asia-China business development initiatives. TVS is the architectural designer for the 4 million sq.-ft. China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, and recently won the design competition for the New Century Tower in Dalian, China.

Larry Gibel has been appointed the new president of the National Drilling Association, based in St. Petersburg, Fla. P. Don Ulses, who had served as president since 2004, had announced his retirement and resignation from the position, prompting the appointment. Gibel is owner of Ohio TestBor in Hinckley, Ohio.

NDA's directors recently appointed Peggy McGee, president of Ranger Consulting in Rome, Ga., to the board. She will fill out the remainder of the term, which expires in 2007.

Ron Garraffa has joined HDR's Tampa office as Florida construction services manager. He will serve as the department manager of HDR Construction Control Corp.'s Florida operations. Prior to joining HDR, Garraffa was transportation business unit leader/construction engineering and inspection manager at Mactec Engineering and Consulting.

Mark Smith has been hired as a senior development/construction administrator at architecture firm C.T. Hsu + Associates in Orlando. A licensed general contractor and real estate broker, he has more than 30 years of construction management and administrative experience throughout Florida.

Cody Seidler joined the firm as a construction administration coordinator. A graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., Seidler has more than five years experience in construction administration.

Pete Pace, 21-year Florida construction veteran, has joined Clancy & Theys Construction Co. as vice president and CEO of its Orlando-based Florida Division. In this new role, he is responsible for overseeing all statewide operations including executive management functions, contract negotiations, field production and quality control. The company's Florida division has been in operation since 1991.

Michael D. Rendina has joined Rendina Companies of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., as asset management director. He is responsible for corporate finance, project financing, accounting and financial reporting.

Also, John Heezen joined the firm as tenant construction director. He has more than 12 years of project management experience. Additionally, Christopher R. Smith was named associate leasing director.

Rendina Companies is a real estate development and management firm specializing in medical and commercial properties.

Jesse Balaity has joined The ADP Group, a Sarasota-based architecture firm, as project designer. Balaity previously worked as a project manager and project designer for Trapolin Architects in New Orleans.

Randy Cohen was recently promoted to Orlando office branch manager for AVID Engineering. He will direct a range of land development services for the firm's Central Florida clients.

Also, Kevin Songer was hired as director of environmental sciences. Songer specializes in the areas of state and federal listed species, environmental permitting and wetland jurisdictional issues. He was previously employed by BarcoDuval Construction of Jacksonville.

The Central Florida Builder's Exchange in Winter Park, Fla., announced its 2006 officers: chairman - Bill Ellis, Ellis Mechanical Corp.; vice chairman - Michael Wetzel, Deatrick Engineering Associates; secretary - Dick Klunk, Hubbard Construction Co.; treasurer - David Beasley, Palmer Electric Co.; and president - Trudi Larson, CFBE.

Directors for 2006 include: Mike Bruno, Williams Co.; Nathan Butler, C.T. Hsu + Associates; Robert High, H. J. High Construction; Vince Horton, Coastal Construction Products; Tom Johnson, Sr., Mader Southeast; Bill Mathews, J. B. Mathews Co.; Sandra Saft, Window Interiors; Tony Salvo, R.J. Griffin & Co.; Kenny Smyth, Stock Building Supply; and Tim Vickers, Vickers Metal Works.

CFBE provides its more than 600 members with project leads and other industry information.