Joseph N. Debs, senior vice president and director of transportation and public infrastructure at RS&H of Jacksonville, Fla., was recently honored by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers as the 2008 recipient of the “Ben Watts Partnership Award.” Named after former FDOT Secretary Ben Watts, the award honors individuals who have made “extraordinary contributions to the development of the effective partnership that now exists between FDOT and the consultant community.”

Debs has served as chairman of the FICE/FDOT Liaison Committee for the last four years, and worked as chairman for growth management committees on a statewide basis for the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

He currently leads the transportation and public infrastructure programs at RS&H in Jacksonville.

Also, RS&H hired Charles E. Tamblyn as its Jacksonville office leader for its transportation and public infrastructure programs.

William G. Caulder was named senior vice president for construction operations for Charlotte, N.C.-based Rodgers Builders. Caulder has been with Rodgers Builders for 11 years.

Ricky Harp of Richard Harp Excavation was elected 2008-2009 president of the Georgia Utility Contractors Association, based in Forest Park, Ga.

Other newly elected officers include: first vice president – Judy Turpin of Turpin Inc.; second vice president – Mitch Stephens, John D. Stephens Inc.; treasurer – Stephen Smith, Jan R. Smith Construction Co.; and secretary – Charlie Murren, C.A. Murren & Sons Co.

The St. Joe Co. of Jacksonville, Fla., announced an organizational change designed to respond to continuing difficult market conditions and reduced business operations” resulting from the restructuring plan it implemented in late 2007. As a result, the position of executive vice president and chief strategy officer was eliminated, and Chris Corr has left the company.

Corr, who served as JOE’s executive vice president since 2007, and chief strategy officer since 2006, was focused on business strategy, entitlements and infrastructure initiatives.

Hugo E. Soto has joined Nodarse & Associates of Orlando as principal geotechnical engineer and vice president. Soto has 27 years of experience in geotechnical engineering and consulting services.

Gwen MacArtan was promoted to assistant vice president of human resources for TBE Group in Clearwater, Fla. MacArtan has been with TBE since 2003 and has more than 20 years of HR experience in various industries.

Also, David O’Connor was promoted to assistant director. He has been with TBE since 2000 and is responsible for marketing and project management of TBE’s water and wastewater services.

Christopher Proulx also was promoted to director for TBE Group’s Orlando office. He will remain in his multiple roles as corporate safety director and director of three-dimensional underground imaging services.

Brad Harmsen has been promoted from president to chief executive officer of BRPH Cos. of Melbourne, Fla. Previous CEO Lawrence M. Shaw remains as chairman of the board of directors, focused on business development, customer relations and overall company growth. This announcement is the first step of a leadership transition plan.

BRPH also announced that Philip Robbie, previously the architectural group manager in the West Palm Beach, Fla., office, is now director of design for all of the firm’s offices, including Atlanta, Orlando, Melbourne, West Pam Beach and Fort Myers, Fla. He will be based in Melbourne.

Steven Vaughn has joined the Tampa office of GLE Associates as director of civil engineering services. He recently served as principal engineer for the land resources division of ARCADIS-US. Vaughn has more than 25 years of civil/structural design, land surveying, construction and real estate experience throughout Florida.

The firm also hired Deborah DeVars as an administrative clerk.

Natalia L. McGuckian was promoted to project manager of the traffic department at McMahon Associates’ Fort Lauderdale, Fla., office. McGuckian has six years of transportation engineering experience and is a graduate of Florida International University.

Also, J. David Hill was promoted to project manager of the design department at McMahon’s Palm Beach Gardens office. Hill has experience in survey, CADD and roadway design since 1987.

Kenneth M. Furtado has joined J.L. Wallace in Fort Myers, Fla., as a customer care technician. He will assist project superintendents and serve as a customer relations specialist for J.L. Wallace and sister company Royal Corinthian Homes. He has more than 19 years of construction industry experience.

Also, James Faulkner has joined the firm as a construction superintendent. He has more than 22 years of construction experience.

Matt Kiziah of Suffolk Construction, West Palm Beach, Fla., was promoted from assistant project manager to project manager. Also, Charlie Goodman was promoted from assistant superintendent to superintendent.

Michael D. Sufnarski was named MACTEC’s Charlotte, N.C., office manager. Sufnarski joined the Alpharetta, Ga.-based firm in 2003 and previously served as Charlotte operations manager and business unit leader of the firm’s Engineered Construction Group.

Richard Binning was named director of CAD technology for Wakefield Beasley & Associates, the Atlanta-based architectural firm. He has more than 18 years of experience in the AEC industry.

Design firm KlingStubbins announced that Timothy McAuliffe, project architect, and Eric Schreiner, an electrical engineer, have joined the firm’s Raleigh, N.C., staff.

Jeffery A. Maxwell has joined Calvin, Giordano & Associates of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as the director of traffic engineering and land development. Maxwell has more than 12 years experience in traffic, transportation and land development engineering.

Luis Roman was named design manager at Starmer Ranaldi Planning and Architecture, an Oviedo, Fla.-based architectural practice. He’ll be responsible for project design, master planning, facilities evaluations and project management.

Kevin C. McDearis has joined Newcomb & Boyd in Atlanta as a specialty engineer in the special technologies group. He is a recent graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University.

Also, Matthew M. Werner, Jonathan J. Willig, Elizabeth L. Bice, Elliot R. Gruber and Michael Valente joined the firm as co-ops. All are currently Georgia Tech undergraduates. Vincent D. Jones, currently attending Morehouse College, has joined the firm as an intern.

Randall-Paulson Architects in Roswell, Ga., has promoted Todd M. Barrett to project architect. Barrett has been with Randall-Paulson for eight years.

Jon Ahlschwede was named operations manager of Stanley Consultants’ Naples, Fla., office. He most recently worked as a senior project manager in the firm’s West Palm Beach office. He has 36 years of industry experience.

Lori Coates has joined design firm BJAC in Raleigh, N.C., as senior interior designer. Coates will lead interior design projects, mentor interior design staff and develop new interior design market segments.

Also, Mary Wiktorek has joined the Charlotte, N.C., office of BJAC as a marketing coordinator. She has 10 years of experienced in the architecture and engineering fields.

ABC Supply Co. promoted Robert Robinson, manager of its Florence, S.C., store, to managing partner. He’s worked as manager of the Florence branch since 2004. As a managing partner, he will continue to oversee the Florence branch and become a member of the company’s National Branch Advisory Board.

Kenneth A. Eggert was named residential division manager at Shaw Mechanical Services, a mechanical services company headquartered in Orlando. He has 18 years of industry experience.

Tommy Johnstone has joined Creative Builders in Greenville, S.C., as assistant project manager/estimator. He has eight years experience in the construction industry.

Stevens Construction of Fort Myers, Fla., has appointed Jodi Maher to manage the company’s marketing initiatives and assist in project development. Maher has 10 years of marketing experience.