Apr 19, 2023

Best Practice Architecture

Katich

Best Practice Architecture has promoted Kip Katich to partner, marking the second employee in the firm's 12-year tenure to join founding partner Ian Butcher in an ownership position.

Katich has been an instrumental part of the Best Practice team since joining in 2017. Working on both residential and commercial projects, Katich has brought a depth of experience and expertise to the office and has helped to streamline internal processes. He has taught design and representation courses at Parsons The New School for its Design Associate Interior Design program, collaborated on urban planning charrettes in Ecuador and Romania, and has been a guest speaker at UNLV's Klai Juba lecture series.

DCI Engineers

Yang

Rice

DCI Engineers announced the promotion of the following staff to new roles. Patrick Rice, PE, has been promoted to associate in the Seattle office. With more than a decade of experience at DCI, Rice brings expertise in quality control and city codes. He has managed almost every type of project and material there is.

Robyn Yang, PE, has been promoted to associate in the Spokane office. Yang has been with DCI since she graduated college and has worked her way up from learning about construction administration and honing her design skills on components of projects to now managing entire projects. She specializes in projects involving core and shell elements and tenant improvements. She is co-chair of DCI's Tenant Improvement committee and aids her colleagues with her expertise in brand-specific built environments.

Parametrix

Clark

Rotramel

Charissa Rotramel has joined Parametrix as strategic growth and development director based in Portland. She has over 20 years of experience in the architectural, engineering, and construction industry specializing in business development, marketing, and growth strategies.

Rotramel comes to Parametrix from WSP where she served as vice president and Northwest Pacific District marketing director, overseeing strategic growth for multiple business lines across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska.

She joins the firm's Functional Integration Team, leading the development and execution of the firm's strategic initiatives, growth objectives, and new business and expansion opportunities.

Parametrix also announced the selection of Cindy Clark, PE to lead the firm's Greater Washington Transportation Division. Clark has been with Parametrix for over 25 years, serving as a project manager, group lead, and as a trustee for the firm's Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Clark is experienced in project management, public involvement, traffic engineering, and transportation design. She has been responsible for dozens of public agency projects, including on-call support work for local cities such as Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, SeaTac, Renton, and others.

The Greater Washington Transportation Division includes over 130 transportation professionals providing transportation planning, engineering, and design services from locations in Seattle, Puyallup, Bremerton, and Spokane, WA.

HNTB

Agers

Kristine Agers has been named HNTB Corporation's office leader for the firm's Seattle/Bellevue office. A vice president, Agers brings three decades of technical expertise and leadership experience in transportation infrastructure. Since joining the firm in 2018, she has served HNTB's clients as group director, office sales manager, office operations manager, client service leader and deputy office leader during a time of tremendous growth for the office.

During Agers' tenure, the office has doubled in size to a staff exceeding 300 people, delivering bridge, aviation, toll, highway, transit, rail, planning, program/construction management and other services to clients throughout the region.

Agers serves on the Boards of Directors for the American Council of Engineering Companies – Washington and the Council of Minority Transportation Officials – Washington. She also serves on the national COMTO City Intern committee. She was named Corporate Leader of the Year by COMTO – Washington in 2022.

Agers earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Utah State University before earning her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Agers is responsible for leading and growing HNTB's presence in the region.

Salas O'Brien

Rafferty

Morrison

Watson

Mackenzie

Story

Salas O'Brien's Seattle office announced the promotion of the following individuals.

David Story, PE, LEED AP, has been named principal for the mechanical division of the firm's Seattle-based operations. Story has 17 years of mechanical engineering and project and construction management experience, specializing in telecommunications, higher education, and research facilities.

Guy Mackenzie, PE, has also recently been promoted to principal of mechanical engineering. Specializing in HVAC design for telecommunications and data centers, he has more than 20 years of experience as a mechanical engineer and construction administrator. His work in Alaska and Montana has given him specialized expertise in mechanical and plumbing systems in extreme weather conditions.

Briana Watson, EIT, PMP, has been advanced to vice president. Since joining the company in 2007, Watson has gained experience in all aspects of design and construction administration for telecommunication and critical environments projects, working up from project coordinator to assistant project manager to project manager.

Arnold Morrison, AIA, NCARB, PMP, has been promoted to vice president. Morrison is a registered architect with more than 17 years of experience in the industry. He is a certified project manager and has delivered projects in a variety of different sectors over his career including in retail, financial, workplace, civic/public works, federal, and critical environments. Morrison is a graduate of Washington State University.

Shawn Rafferty, NCARB, joined Salas O'Brien in November 2022 as an associate vice president. Rafferty, a project manager with extensive experience in design and construction management of data center facilities nationwide, began his architecture career in 2006.

Department of Ecology

April is earth month, and the Washington Department of Ecology is marking the event with a campaign that places an emphasis on keeping Washington litter free. Roadside litter affects road safety, the environment and the wellbeing of local communities. More than 75% of Washington residents do not litter, but despite this, an estimated 26 million pounds of material still litter Washington's roads every year. Each year, the Washington State Department of Transportation and Ecology spend more than $12 million combined to fund cleanup efforts. Pickup crews and volunteers collected more than 1,641 tons of garbage off state highways in 2022 alone. Millions of pounds of litter are left behind. Ecology's “Simple As That” campaign is designed to reduce littering by changing the behaviors that cause it. The campaign gives people simple tips to avoid littering. It encourages Washingtonians to keep a litter bag in your car. Use a litter bag while traveling to keep your vehicle tidy and reduce the chances of littering accidentally when you open a door or window. When visiting parks and other recreation areas, bring a bag with you so it's easy to pack out what you packed in.

ESS Tech

ESS Tech, a manufacturer of long-duration energy storage systems for commercial and utility-scale applications, will deliver three Energy Warehouse systems to Coldwell Solar, a developer and builder of renewable energy projects for California's commercial, agricultural and utility sectors. The systems will be installed in a solar + storage microgrid at Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars and Domaine Anderson, California wineries in Mendocino County known for their sparkling and still wines. Coldwell Solar worked with the wineries to design a system that met their needs and the microgrid is expected to be operational in late 2023. The ESS solution will safeguard the wineries against the impacts of Public Safety Power Shutoff events and other grid interruptions to ensure winery operations 24/7, demonstrating the role that energy storage can play in rural agricultural applications and supporting the operations of a major employer in the region. In addition, the winery will avoid significant demand charges and realize energy savings by utilizing ESS technology to reduce grid electricity use during peak periods. ESS' long-duration energy storage technology is safe and non-toxic, making it ideal for wildfire prone regions. ESS Tech is based in Wilsonville, Oregon.

Fluke

Everett-based Fluke, a provider of industrial tools and integrated software, announced its designation as a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Registered Training Provider (RTP). As a NABCEP RTP, Fluke will provide educational resources to help solar professionals work safely, efficiently, and accurately in support of the growing industry. Fluke recently launched its new NABCEP-approved training course, Tools and Techniques for Commissioning and Maintaining PV Systems, led by Fluke's NABCEP certified solar application specialist and educator, Will White. Designed for professionals who want to expand their expertise on the tests and measurement tools used during PV array installation, commissioning, and maintenance, the course can be credited toward a professional's NABCEP certification. In some cases, it can help satisfy the hours required to take NABCEP's exam for PV Installation Professional Board Certification. Fluke will also be offering its new NABCEP registered training course online.