Harold G. “Harry” Cushman, III was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer at Dargan Construction Co. in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Cushman joined the company in 1982 and most recently served as vice president of construction.

Bruce E. Holmes, executive vice president of WELBRO Building Corp. in Maitland, Fla., was appointed president and chief operating officer. Holmes has been with WELBRO for 21 years.

He has more than 40 years of experience in the industry, starting as an intern out of high school and continuing through college.

Cousins Properties of Atlanta promoted Steve Yenser to executive vice president. In this role, Yenser will lead the developer’s leasing and asset management functions. He succeeds Joel Murphy, whose retirement was announced in November. Yenser joined Cousins in 2002 and most recently served as senior vice president in the Leasing and Asset Management group.

Bruce Smith, long-time president of the firm’s Land Division and formerly senior vice president in its Development Group, retired from the company in December. Succeeding Smith as senior vice president in the development group is Dan Fields, a 19-year veteran of homebuilder John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods.

Steven Goraczkowski has joined Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based SIKON Construction Corp. as chief executive officer. Goraczkowski previously served as operations manager for a division of Bovis Lend Lease, Honolulu, where he led its design-build division. He has degrees in construction engineering technology and real estate and land use economics from the University of Nebraska.

Stan Bunch, a 30-year veteran of Orlando-based Terry’s Electric, was promoted to senior vice president of the firm’s commercial division. Bunch was the second employee hired at Terry’s Electric, and most recently served as vice president.

WilsonMiller’s Naples, Fla., office recently appointed David Hurst and Daniel Waters to senior associate positions.

In Tallahassee, Fla., Ted Aiken and Raymond Greer were appointed to senior associate positions. Also in Tallahassee, Danielle Marrero was promoted to associate.

Russell Devendorf was named senior vice president and chief financial officer of WCI Communities of Bonita Springs, Fla.

Kevin P. Donahue has joined designer Leo A. Daly’s Miami office as design principal. He has more than 32 years of architectural experience. 

Donahue was previously principal and director of design for HADP Architecture of Coral Gables, Fla.

Raymond Southern, division CEO for Balfour Beatty Construction in Florida, has been inducted into the University of Florida Construction Hall of Fame. Inductees are chosen on the basis of the esteem of their peers and their contributions to quality construction, to professional organizations and the community.

Southern recently celebrated his 35th anniversary with Balfour Beatty, where he began as a project engineer. He is a graduate of the University of Florida.

Hubbard Construction Co. of Winter Park, Fla., has named Sidney R. Florey vice president-business development. Florey will lead Hubbard’s initiatives concerning private-sector projects. He previously served as division manager.

Andy Locklair was named vice president of operations for Hendrick Construction in Charlotte, N.C.

Locklair joined the company in 2002 as a superintendent, and he was promoted to general superintendent and project manager before being named vice president.

Kay Lantrip has joined Skanska USA Building’s Durham, N.C., office as vice president. Lantrip has more than 25 years of operational management experience. She previously worked as an executive with Earth Tech.

The Durham office also hired Ronald G. Wagoner as a senior project manager. He previously was a project executive at Hunter Roberts Construction Group. Wagoner has 29 years of experience in the construction industry, and is a graduate of North Carolina State University.

The company also hired Alan Lambert as assistant superintendent. He previously worked as assistant superintendent for Robins and Morton.

Design firm Newcomb & Boyd of Atlanta hired Richard Long and Hugo Lastra as mechanical engineers. Also, Timothy Stratton and Brian Dillon joined the firm as commissioning engineers, and Igor Shvetz is now a communications engineer.

Additionally, Khamsay Boriboune joined the firm as CAD specialty technician.

Dr. Neven Kresic was named senior principal hydrogeologist at the Atlanta office of MACTEC Engineering and Consulting.

Kresic has more than 25 years of consulting, research and teaching experience related to groundwater and surface water.

Atlanta-based Hardin Construction Co. announced numerous promotions.
In Atlanta, the company announced the following: Stephen Watlington was promoted to construction manager; Josh Baxter was promoted to project manager; and Will Banfield and John Kelly were promoted to senior superintendent.

In Orlando, Hardin made the following appointments: Kenny Starling was promoted to project manager; and Mark Gardlik and Tito Rodriguez were promoted to project area superintendent.

Hardin made the following appointments in Tampa: Todd Fultz and Mike McCandless were each promoted to construction manager; and Andrew Black, Eric Meister and Matthew Ockerman were each promoted to project manager.

Ken Woods has joined the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based construction safety subcontracting firm Safety Guys as vice president. He has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, including 21 years working in South Florida.

Woods will be responsible for leading the firm’s sales, operations and estimating organizations.

Mike Ellenburg has joined Greenville, S.C.-based Carolina Safety Consultants as director of field operations and construction safety. He is responsible for developing and managing the firm’s client relationships throughout the Carolinas.

Manny García-Tuñón was named a director and shareholder for Miami-based Lemartec Engineering and Construction Corp., a design-build engineering and construction firm.  He also was promoted to vice president. He was previously vice president of sales and marketing.

García-Tuñón is part of three generations of family that operate Lemartec. He began working in the family business in 1988.

Auld & White Constructors, Jacksonville, Fla., promoted Gray Meredith from assistant project manager to project manager. Meredith joined Auld & White in 2005.

Orlando-based Keene Construction Co. announced several promotions and appointments.

Matt Minter, a 12-year Keene veteran, was promoted to senior project manager. Julie Youmans was promoted to accounting manager. Also, Susan Kendall was named executive assistant in the business development and marketing departments.

The company also hired Naomi Whitehill Cheshire as office manager.

Michael L. Blount, former commanding officer for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, has joined Balfour Beatty Construction as vice president of operations in the company’s Florida division, based in Plantation. 

In his new role, Blount will be responsible for helping the company identify and pursue targeted project opportunities within the federal sector, including military facilities and projects associated with BRAC realignment. He has more than 20 years experience leading engineering and facilities management entities and directing design and construction programs.

RLF, a Winter Park, Fla.-based design firm, has added five new employees: Donna-Lee Anderson, David Stone, Mark O’Neal, Simon Echeverry and Matt Lacopelli.

Anderson joins RLF as a project architect. Stone was hired as an architectural intern. O’Neal returns to the firm as a mechanical designer. Echeverry was hired as an electrical designer. Lacopelli joins RLF’s interior design team.

Brenda Smith has joined Atlanta-based design firm Perkins+Will as team leader for health-care interiors. Smith is a former nurse with expertise in health-care facilities planning and design.

Prior to joining Perkins+Will, Smith worked as project manager for interior design for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Bill Martin has joined SchenkelShultz Architecture of Orlando as architect. He has nine years of commercial design experience, and holds a master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Florida. He previously served as an architect with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates of Atlanta.

Robert M. Freda has joined QORE Property Sciences to head the firm’s Charlotte, N.C., operations. He has more than 16 years of engineering experience.

The Orlando chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction recently installed its new officers and directors for 2008/2009. Cindy Spiropoulos of Turner Construction Co., Orlando, will lead Chapter 73 as this year’s president.

Other officers include: president-elect – April Atkins, of Kirwin Norris, Orlando; vice president – Eleanor Davis, with the Walt Disney World Swan Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista; treasurer – Judy Kay Leece, RL Haines Construction, Altamonte Springs;  recording secretary – Linda Morello, PB Americas, Orlando; corresponding secretary – Rose Buchanan, Hardin Construction, Orlando; and immediate past president – Bettina Jackson, Tri-City Electrical Contractors, Altamonte Springs.

Directors include: Roxanne de l'Etoile, Adriane Esteban, Michelle Whitehead, Jean Cox, Linda Ortiz and Cheryl Mellin.

The Georgia Utility Contractors Association of Forest Park, Ga., recently awarded scholarships to six construction management students at four-year higher education institutions in Georgia.

Three recipients from Southern Polytechnic State University include: Jake Kelsoe, a junior majoring in construction management; and Drew Anderson and Marie Benavidez, both seniors majoring in construction management.

Three recipients from Georgia Southern University include: Jesse Bentley, Jeremy Daniel and Jacob Reichel, all seniors majoring in construction management.

The Construction Professionals Network of North Carolina, Greensboro, N.C., recently awarded three scholarships to students in North Carolina universities who are studying for careers in construction or related fields.

The scholarship winners were: Kyle Coble, a junior majoring in construction management at Western Carolina University; Joel Yow, a senior majoring in architecture at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte; and Daniel Mays, a senior majoring in civil engineering at North Carolina State University.