Jan 31, 2024

CAST architecture

Ramsay

Lloyd Ramsay recently joined CAST architecture's team as a project designer where he will focus on residential and public projects.

Ramsay holds a Master of Architecture from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. After gaining valuable experience at several firms in Australia, he transitioned into a sole practitioner role in 2017, focusing predominantly on residential and hospitality projects.

Landau Associates

Lee

Ben Lee has been named director of Landau Associates' Water Resources Technical Service Group. In his new role, Lee will set and implement vision and strategy for the Water Resources team, as well as mentor and grow his team members. He will also continue serving his clients as a technical expert in the hydrogeology, groundwater supply, and water rights arena.

Lee joined Landau in 2013. He is a licensed engineer and certified water rights examiner. Areas of expertise include water rights application processing and portfolio management, groundwater supply engineering, numerical groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling, and regional water resource planning.

Rice Fergus Miller

Parsons

Ritter-Lopatowski

Hatch

Haley

Gladics

Rice Fergus Miller has promoted four individuals to the position of principal and two team members to associate principal.

The firm's newest principals are Sarah Gladics, Inkyoung Haley, Erin Hatch, and Jason Ritter-Lopatowski. The new associate principals are Susie Parsons and Becky Wall.

Wall

Gladics joined the firm in 2015, and quickly discovered a love for fire service design. She is an NCIDQ-credentialed interior designer who co-leads the firm's fire and emergency services market. She provides planning and interior design services for fire stations, training centers, 911 call centers, public agency capital facilities plans, and other civic projects throughout the Pacific Northwest. Gladics also supports marketing efforts for the firm.

Haley is a talented architect with a diverse range of skills ranging from BIM management to graphic design. She joined the firm a decade ago and has worked on many project types including the brand-new Veterinary Life Saving Center for Kitsap Humane Society, and a range of multifamily housing, healthcare, and community impact projects. Haley has led firmwide volunteer days for Habitat for Humanity and mentored high school students through Bremerton School District's AVID program.

Hatch holds a degree in Interior Architecture and has worked in marketing since 2008. As director of marketing and now principal, Hatch will work alongside the other firm leaders to build and maintain strong relationships with clients, ensure positive community relations, and win work for the firm. She is a Certified Professional Services Marketer and has served in several positions for The Society for Marketing Professional Services Seattle and the Pacific Region. She is a member of the Downtown Bremerton Design Review Board and is a board member with Wayzgoose Kitsap.

Ritter-Lopatowski is a dedicated architect who has helped streamline processes at the firm including billing, invoicing, staffing and project delivery. He works primarily in the firm's hospitality and civic markets. A few notable projects include the 7 Cedars Hotel in Blyn and several fire stations for Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue. He is active in the Kitsap community and serves on the Greater Kitsap Chamber of Commerce board.

Parsons is an interior designer. She helps lead the firm's housing market and has been actively involved in business development efforts for the housing team. Parsons recently completed a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Washington and has dedicated her career to designing spaces that positively impact aging.

Wall is an interior designer who leads the firm's education market. She is a supporter of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) initiatives, community involvement, and introducing students to the design profession. She is actively engaged in a wide range of internal firm initiatives and external organizations. Wall is a board member of KidVantage, an Advancement Via Individual Determination mentorship program volunteer, and one of Leadership Kitsap's most recent 20 Under 40 honorees.

Jan 24, 2024

DCI Engineers

Holman

Pearson

DCI Engineers has promoted Erik Pearson and Kyle Holman to the role of principal in the firm's Seattle corporate office.

Pearson boasts a diverse portfolio of mixed-use, office, residential, commercial, hospitality and high-rise projects throughout the Puget Sound region. His projects have included The Avenue Bellevue, Providence Saint Mary Medical Center, the 303 Battery project in downtown Seattle and The Viejas Hotel and Casino Development east of San Diego.

In addition to his role on several internal technical committees, Pearson is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction, The Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineering, ACI, the Structural Engineers Association of Washington and the Design Build Institute of America. He earned both his Master's and Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from Washington State University.

Holman is known for his expertise in high-rise residential, hotel, and office tower design and management. While he is based in the firm's corporate headquarters in Seattle, he has also spent a significant amount of his tenure at the DCI San Francisco office, contributing to projects that include Miro Towers, San Jose's first performance based high-rise to exceed prescriptive codes and Tidal House, the first high-rise development on San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island.

Holman earned both his Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Washington State University.

Environmental Science Associates

Spano

Schlenger

Calantas

Environmental, consulting, and planning firm, Environmental Science Associates has promoted Barbra Calantas, Paul Schlenger, and Sarah Spano.

Calantas now leads the firm's national Biological Resources and Land Management (BRLM) practice. This group is the largest practice for the firm, accounting for over 30% of its professional consultants. Schlenger and Spano both take on new roles as regional business group directors; Schlenger is leading the Pacific Northwest BRLM group and Spano is leading the Southern California Water group.

Calantas previously led the BRLM group in Southern California and has more than two decades of experience as an environmental consultant and wildlife biologist. Her expertise includes preserve management guidance, Endangered Species Act consultation, wildlife field surveys, and the preparation of various environmental documents. In addition to her work in her subject matter expertise, Calantas is integrally involved in ESA's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives, including the firm's Internship Program that engages diverse students from underrepresented groups in the environmental field.

An experienced fisheries biologist and industry leader in restoration, Schlenger has spent his nearly 25-year career specializing in salmon biology, aquatic ecology, and habitat assessment. In addition to managing teams and leading the growth of the BRLM Practice in the Northwest, he will continue to apply his expertise in watersheds on projects involving restoration, fish passage, protection planning, and prioritizations, as well as habitat restoration design throughout the region. Schlenger also took a lead role in starting up a mentorship program in the Northwest region to help ESA's next generation realize their professional goals in partnership with seasoned consultants.

Spano has been with ESA for 12 years and specializes in preparing California Environmental Quality Act documentation and coordinating environmental reviews for complex water and wastewater projects. Currently serving as the contract manager for several major public water utilities, she is pivotal in managing ESA's technical and subconsultant teams. Spano also serves as a trustee for ESA's Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers

Hamilton

McCoy

Kern

Vincent

Lieberman

Zapata

Sidhu

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers announced three promotions and four new hires.

Aaron Lieberman and Taylor Vincent were promoted to project manager.

Lieberman joined SSF's Seattle office seven years ago as a staff engineer. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. Lieberman's current projects include multiple Bouldering Project locations and University Prep “U-Lab” with Mithun.

Vincent joined SSF's Tacoma office as a staff engineer five years ago. He holds an M.S. in Structural Engineering from Washington State University. Vincent is currently working on Tacoma Duke's Seafood and the Canon Beach Surfsand Resort.

Stephen Kern was promoted to senior CAD technician. Kern joined SSF's Seattle office as a CAD Technician four years ago. As a drafter, he works mostly on residential projects, new construction, remodels, and multi-family projects.

Joe McCoy joined SSF's Seattle office as a staff engineer in May. McCoy holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. His current projects include a multifamily project in North Bend with The Messa Group, structural engineering for folding and relocatable buildings throughout the country with Dogwood Industries, and single-family home projects in Bellevue.

Macky Hamilton joined SSF's Seattle office as a staff engineer in June. Hamilton holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Civil Engineering and a M.S. in Structural Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Washington. Current projects include the 4425 Fremont Ave. N. multifamily project with B9 Architects and single-family home projects in Marysville, Bainbridge Island, and Friday Harbor.

Sunny Sidhu joined SSF's Seattle office as a project engineer in September after working at another firm for four years. Sidhu holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University and is currently working on new and remodeled single-family homes in Port Angeles, Seattle, and Spokane.

Gilbert Zapata joined SSF as a full-time office coordinator based in the Seattle office. His responsibilities include administrative, customer service and reception, and general office support for the Seattle, Tacoma, and Ellensburg offices.

Jan 23, 2024

Hood River bridge project gets $200M

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority is set to receive $200 million in federal funds to replace an aging bridge over the Columbia River, about 50 miles upstream from Portland.

The $200 million Department of Transportation grant announced yesterday is expected to cover nearly 40% of the total $520 million project cost.

The project will replace the bridge and improve transportation between the city of Hood River in Oregon and the communities of White Salmon and Bingen in Washington.

The DJC reported in November that the existing 4,418-foot-long steel bridge is nearly 100 years old and carries two narrow lanes — each measuring 9 feet, 4.75 inches wide. It also has height and weight restrictions for vehicles, lacks sidewalks and bicycle lanes, poses a navigational hazard to watercraft, and was not built to modern seismic code.

The authority is currently seeking a design-build team for the replacement bridge. Proposals for that opportunity were due yesterday.

Project planners estimate cars will be able to travel twice as fast on the new bridge, with travel speeds increasing from 22 mph on the current bridge to 45 mph on the new one. It will have a 12-foot-wide shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians and is expected to reduce vehicle crashes, emissions, and overall travel time.

With the federal funds, the total raised for the project is now $318 million. This also includes $80 million from Washington state, $25 million from Oregon and $13.6 million in other federal funds.

If the bridge is not replaced, the authority says it would have to be closed to truck traffic in six years and closed to all traffic in 2040.