MOVER AND SHAKERS

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, announced Larry L. Melton, Jr., PMP, has been named vice chair of the Dewberry Board of Directors. Melton was appointed to the board in 2019 and has been serving as an independent member. In this new role, Melton will work with Executive Chairman Barry K. Dewberry in the administration of the board’s responsibilities to the firm’s stakeholders, including the owners, employees, clients and the communities the company serves. Melton will also be a member of the board’s executive committee.

In other company news, Dewberry announced Wycliffe Ogega, P.E., has joined the firm as a project manager in the Raleigh, North Carolina office. With nearly 10 years of experience, Ogega joins the firm’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing group to expand its power systems services. He serves healthcare, municipal, commercial, industrial and institutional clients by performing short-circuit, protective device coordination, arc flash and load-flow studies. In addition to his responsibilities as a power systems designer, Ogega is responsible for leading arc flash training and data collection exercises for clients and staff.

SEPI, a fully integrated engineering and design firm, announced the promotion of Nick Ellis to president. Ellis joined the firm in December 2019 as the senior vice president, business manager. He will lead the firm’s operations and finance teams. Founder and CEO Sepi Saidi will continue guiding the firm into its 20th year, and is committed to working toward a common goal of growing a profitable enterprise, building lasting relationships with clients as well as the internal team, while enhancing a commitment to a culture of belonging, the firm announced.

Fortune Brands Global Plumbing Group, a division of Fortune Brands Home & Security, announced the additions of Nicole Decker and Coty Franklin to its leadership team.

In her new role as senior vice president, global growth and development, Decker will have responsibility for developing, prioritizing and driving strategic initiatives critical to GPG’s performance and growth, including leading corporate development strategy and exploring innovative opportunities to support the business’s continued success. Prior to joining GPG, Decker spent 20 years at Tupperware Brands Corp.

Franklin comes to GPG to serve as senior vice president, global human resources and internal communications, where he will have responsibility for all aspects of human resources, including HR strategy and organizational design, culture initiatives, employee communications, leadership development and day-to-day HR operations. Before taking on his new role at GPG, Franklin worked as global HR director, aerospace-fuel and motion controls at the Eaton Corp.

Bradford White Corp. named Rich Simons senior vice president and general manager of Laars Heating Systems Co.

“I’ve often said that Rich is the epitome of a general manager, because he can bring insight and ideas to every facet of the Laars Heating System’s business,” said Bruce Carnevale, president and CEO of Bradford White Corp. “His broad knowledge base, tireless work ethic and industry experience have made him an invaluable part of our corporate leadership team.”

Simons, a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, joined Laars in 2016 as vice president and general manager. His responsibilities encompass the overall operation of the business, as well as its strategic direction and financial results. Simons has more than 30 years of experience in the boiler industry.

Danfoss, a manufacturer of high-efficiency electronic and mechanical components and controls for air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, industrial and water systems, appointed Robert Gillis as key account manager for its hydronic heating business in North America. Specifically, he will focus on supporting the growth of hydronic heating applications within the northeast United States and eastern Canada through Danfoss’ line of hydronic comfort controls, including valves, actuators, sensors and controllers, and AB-QM pressure independent control valves.

Lenexa, Kansas-based O’Connor Co. is the winner of the American Standard 2020 Pinnacle Award. The designation recognizes performance vs. plan in the business-critical areas of residential, commercial, parts and supply, new dealer business, residential new construction, multi-family and non-owner occupied. Awards are based on market share, sales, growth and customer satisfaction, and are the result of a successful relationship between distributor and dealer.

SmithGroup of Detroit, has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 54th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for its role in the design of a new research and development center for First Automotive Works (FAW) in Changchun, Jilin, China. FAW is a leading manufacturer of passenger cars, commercial trucks and buses. The company tapped SmithGroup’s extensive automotive design expertise for the 4.5-million-square-foot facility, which will consolidate activities, and improve safety and efficiency for FAW’s approximately 7,000 employees. Recognition of all award winners will take place during the 2021 Virtual EEA Gala, to be held Thursday, June 17.

Oatey Co. presented awards to its top-performing manufacturers representative agencies of 2020, E.A. Langenfeld, Jones Sales & Marketing Group and RKR, recognizing their exceptional partnerships, accomplishments and contributions throughout the business.

Each year, the company awards high-achieving sales partners to highlight individual successes and show appreciation for their outstanding support of Oatey’s retail and wholesale business units.

In 2020, E.A. Langenfeld and Jones Sales & Marketing Group both received the “Retail Representative of the Year” Award.

E.A. Langenfeld, whose partnership with Oatey spans 33 years, was recognized for not only achieving multiple sales goals throughout last year, but also for the team’s superior breadth of knowledge and professionalism. The agency’s hands-on approach to customer service continues to garner praise across markets, Oatey noted. Jones Sales and Marketing Group has represented Keeney, a part of the Oatey family of brands, for the past 10 years.

The Water Quality Association relocated its international headquarters and laboratory to a larger, state-of-the-art facility in suburban Chicago. The new site allows increased capacity, flexibility and efficiency for Gold Seal product certification, laboratory testing, education and training and membership services. Correspondence should be sent to: Water Quality Association, 2375 Cabot Drive, Lisle, IL 60532. The general WQA phone number is still 630-505-0160.

Terracon Consultants announced it has opened a Rochester office at 2625 Highway 14 West, Rochester, MN 55901. Terracon provides consulting for clients in the environmental, facilities, geotechnical and materials testing services. The company opened its first Minnesota office in 1988, and added a Minneapolis location in 2013. Terracon recently expanded its facility services group and now has more than 65 local professionals.