December 2024 Vol. 79 No. 12
Business
Business People
Xylem
Xylem Inc., a leading global water solutions company, named Meredith Emmerich as senior vice president and president, Applied Water, joining Xylem’s senior leadership team.
One of Xylem’s four reportable business segments, Applied Water provides advanced water management solutions for customers in the industrial and commercial buildings markets.
Emmerich succeeds Franz Cerwinka, who will serve as senior advisor until March 2025, to ensure a smooth and orderly transition.
Before joining Xylem, Emmerich was vice president of Carrier Global Corporation’s Global Enterprise Solutions. Since 2013, she has held several senior roles at Carrier, a leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions, including leadership of the Americas Commercial HVAC and Global Residential, Light Commercial and VRF HVAC business.
Prior to joining Carrier, Emmerich held engineering, sales, and product management roles in Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating, and in Mitsubishi Telecommunications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is also an alumna of executive leadership programs at Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company that empowers customers and communities to build a more water-secure world. Our 23,000 diverse employees delivered combined pro forma revenue of $8.1 billion in 2023, optimizing water and resource management with innovation and expertise.
Felling Trailers
Felling Trailers Inc., a leading manufacturer of industrial and commercial trailers, made two appointments to its outside sales team representing Felling Trailers in the Western US. These roles are responsible for all sales development, activity, and dealer support in their respective regions.
Kevin Maves now serves the Southwestern US region covering California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
His career in the equipment industry started in 2005, working as an inside salesperson for an equipment rental company in the Las Vegas area. He then transitioned into various roles in the pharma industry, and then back to the equipment industry and Felling Trailers.
During his career, he gained sales skills and developed a solid understanding of the equipment needs of various businesses. He also cultivated his customer handling and problem-solving skills and learned to build strong client relationships and deliver tailored solutions for his client’s rental needs.
Carl Thigpen now serves the Northwest US region, covering Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.
He brings a wealth of knowledge with over three decades of experience in the heavy equipment transportation sales and rental industries. Before joining Felling Trailers, Carl held key roles, where he gained a deep understanding. He achieved significant market growth, established solid relationships, and provided product demonstrations and training.
Felling Trailers is a family-owned and -operated full-line trailer manufacturer located in Central Minnesota. Felling has been providing innovative trailer solutions to the transportation industry for nearly 50 years.
LAN
Mackrena Ramos, P.E., vice president and business group director at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., received two awards.
As the 2024 Engineer of the Year by Houston Hispanic Architect and Engineers (HHAE), she is recognized for her outstanding leadership, technical expertise and commitment to advancing the engineering profession.
She was also selected as a 2024 Trailblazer by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
With over 25 years of experience, Ramos has advanced from an engineering intern to her current leadership role at LAN. She has played a critical role in shaping the future of Houston’s infrastructure. Her work on the City of Houston's Surface Water Transmission Program has been pivotal in ensuring reliable water service for the Greater Houston area.
Her contributions extend beyond her technical achievements as she is also a dedicated mentor, particularly to young female engineers, fostering the next generation of industry leaders.
Ramos’ leadership is also evident through her active participation in various industry organizations and her volunteer work, where she influences key decisions that impact water conservation and urban development in Houston. As a past president of HHAE and a member of numerous professional organizations, she continues to be a driving force in the engineering community.
LAN is a full-service consulting firm offering planning, engineering and program management services addressing the nation's heavy civil infrastructure needs.
Woolpert
Water industry leader Jim Schlaman joined Woolpert as market director for water and energy utility services, markets, and clients throughout the U.S.
He brings over two decades of water resource and planning experience. Prior to joining Woolpert, Schlaman worked for 24 years with Black & Veatch, most recently as director of water resources and community planning. There, he helped manage a range of water supply, groundwater, distribution and collection, stormwater, reuse, and water quality projects.
A One Water Council member for the U.S. Water Alliance, Schlaman commented that the water and energy markets are at a critical juncture.
Woolpert is a premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG), and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world.
GHD
GHD, a global professional services company operating in the markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation, welcomes Juan Zorrilla as its new Regional General Manager for the US Mid-Continent Region, based in Houston.
With over 20 years of experience in water engineering, infrastructure, and project management, he brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of leadership to this role. Having served in multiple regions and led diverse teams, he’s well-equipped to strengthen GHD’s presence and impact in the US.
HEI Civil
JP Morgan was promoted to chief operating officer at HEI Civil, a national heavy civil construction company. In this role, he will drive operational excellence, ensuring teams prioritize the company's six critical success factors and aligning the organization as one enterprise.
Morgan joined HEI Civil in 2004 as an estimator and project manager. As a project manager for HEI Civil's Colorado location, Morgan oversaw many vital projects, including the Grandview Tributary, Ravenna Road and infrastructure and Timber Point Road. He has held various leadership positions within the company, most recently serving as executive vice president of estimating and project management.
A graduate from the Construction Management program at Colorado State University combined with his 35+ years in the industry have equipped him with a proven track record in value engineering, construction management, contract negotiation, and fostering high-performing teams. Morgan’s contributions have been instrumental in the company's growth from a single location in Colorado to a thriving enterprise operating in three states.
Founded in 1973, HEI Civil is a privately owned, heavy civil construction general contractor headquartered in Castle Rock, Colo.
Exodigo
Exodigo, a leading provider of non-intrusive subsurface imaging solutions, made two new appointments to its leadership team. With these additions, Exodigo will be able to ensure cost and schedule certainty for its clients by providing innovative solutions to improve project safety and damage prevention associated with underground risks for infrastructure projects throughout North America.
Rod Lacy, P.E., brings over 30 years of leadership experience in the built world, both in the private and public sectors, to his new role as Vice President of U.S. Operations for Exodigo. He will be responsible for the company’s rapidly growing U.S. operations, meeting customer demand, building the U.S.-based team and cultivating relationships with key stakeholders.
Lacy earned his B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Kansas.
Anthony Bauer, P.E., assumes the role of vice president for Business Development and Exodigo’s Transportation Lead, where he will help grow the team to support effective planning, design, construction, and program management for complex transportation projects.
Prior to joining Exodigo, Bauer spent 15 years in the transportation infrastructure industry, primarily focused on tunneling and underground construction projects. He served in a variety of program management, planning, design, construction, and rehabilitation roles across the global transportation sector.
Most recently, he served as deputy program manager for HNTB, where he led the $500 million Ontario Connector project, and served as deputy project manager for the $3-billion tunnel and trackwork contract as part of Valley Transit Authority (VTA)’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Phase II project.
Bauer earned his B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Exodigo offers groundbreaking solutions for mapping the underground accurately and efficiently.
GTI Energy
The GTI Energy Board of Directors recently welcomed Jesus Soto Jr. as a new director and re-elected Dr. Michael Webber for another term as a director. Officers were also elected to new terms, including:
• Nickolas Stavropoulos, Chair of the Board of Directors
• John W. Somerhalder II, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
• Paula A. Gant, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Ronald Snedic, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development
• Quinton Ford, Senior Vice President, Technology Development, General Counsel, and Secretary
Soto serves as executive vice president of Quanta Services, Inc., Utility Performance Solutions division. He brings more than two decades of leadership in engineering and construction for natural gas and electric infrastructure, telecom, and pipeline integrity. Prior to joining Quanta, he served as Chief Operations Officer for Mears Group, a Quanta Services Company, and he led gas operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the second-largest natural gas system in the United States providing service to 16 million people across California.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.
GTI Energy is a technology development and training organization.
Quanta Services, Inc. is an industry leader in providing specialized infrastructure solutions to the utility, renewable energy, technology, communications, pipeline and energy industries.
In Memoriam
Richard (“Dick”) A. Zeller, of Joliet, Ill. died Nov. 12, 2024, at 83.
After serving in the United States Army as a proud member of the 101st Airborne Division, Zeller’s life’s work was in the construction industry. Founder of JoMar Telegrouting Inc., he had a profound impact on the industry and was widely respected by his peers.
He loved the outdoors and took several fishing trips across North America, most notably to Nunavut, Canada.
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