Names in the News
Promotions, hirings and awards among the building industry
Daniel Sicile-Kira, a senior project manager Gafcon's San Diego office, has earned the distinction of Certified Construction Manager by the Construction Management Association of America.
Sicile-Kira joins the ranks of about 1,200 CCMs worldwide. CCMs are individuals who have voluntarily met the prescribed criteria of the Certified Construction Manager Program with regard to formal education, field experience and demonstrated capability and understanding of the CM body of knowledge.
Gafcon Inc is a leading California-based construction management and consulting firm..
Sicile-Kira is responsible for $450 million in bond construction projects at Mesa College. With 30 years of design, construction and management experience, his background also includes serving as director of construction management for URS Corp. and senior project manager for Turner Construction. He lived and worked in England and France for 16 years, where he worked on the build/management teams for EuroDisney, Legoland England, Legoland California and Legoland Germany.
Sicile-Kira holds a degree in environmental and interior design from the University of California, Irvine. He is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers, Chartered Society of Designers U.K. and the Themed Entertainment Association. He is a Manhattan native who now resides in Carmel Valley with his wife, son and daughter.
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John Markel, a litigation expert with more than 37 years of construction experience, was recently hired by The Moote Group – a land management firm serving California, Nevada and Arizona. 
Prior to joining The Moote Group, Markel worked for Rancho Mission Viejo Realty, Inc. to oversee its construction and development operations within the ranch. For more than 10 years, he served as vice president in charge of all construction within the community such as the Arroyo Trabuco Water Quality Basin and Wetlands, the Sienna Botanica Riverine System, Cox Sports Park, Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course, the construction of Crown Valley and Antonio Parkways, Ortega Highway widening and other community support projects.
Throughout his career, Markel worked for some of the top construction companies such as SJG Construction, Inc./RSM Management (vice president of off-site construction); Clayton Engineering (project manager), Gillespie Construction Company (project manager/vice president), Ortega Rock/Crest Engineering, Inc. (general sales manager/project manager) and Jezowski and Markel Contractors, Inc. (vice president).
Markel is a 1967 graduate of California State University, Long Beach.
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RBF Consulting has promoted six new associates in the San Diego office during the civil engineering firm's recent quarterly corporate management meeting.
The new associates, specializing in all aspects of civil engineering, planning and survey/construction management, include John Bistowski, Kimberly Butts, Neva Cobian, John Prince, Sarp Sekeroglu and Matthew Vogel.
"These new associates are excellent examples of the high caliber leaders that RBF has actively engaged in our profession and in our communities," said Bob Kallenbaugh, co-president of RBF. "As RBF enters its 65th year of providing solutions for a better, more sustainable world, we are honored to promote these experts in four of our offices to the position of associate."
RBF provides consulting services for environmental engineering, planning, design and construction, contributing expertise for nearly 65 years to numerous projects throughout the western United States and internationally. The firm maintains 12 offices in California in Irvine, Carlsbad, Camarillo, Oakland, Ontario, Monterey Bay, Palm Desert, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Temecula and Walnut Creek; as well as offices in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.
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Pardee Homes has promoted Kevin Wilson to vice president of purchasing and national accounts. He replaces John Anglin, who was named senior vice president of construction and purchasing.
Wilson’s title reflects a dual role that continues his responsibilities for parent company Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company, where he has handled national accounts for the past six years. Kevin continues to provide direction and oversight with WRECO’s national accounts program, including continued participation in the WRECO Purchasing Council.
“Kevin exemplifies the dedication and professionalism that Pardee Homes considers key to its ongoing success,” said Pardee Homes President and CEO Michael McGee. “We appreciate his outstanding abilities and experience, and the contributions he makes to Pardee Homes.”
Prior to joining WRECO, Wilson held senior purchasing roles with Neumann Homes and David Weekley Homes. He earned a bachelor's degree in construction management and business from Brigham Young University and recently added an MBA from the University of Southern California.
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Gafcon Inc. has hired Gerard Rodrigues as business development manager, focusing on the company’s growth in the Los Angeles region. 
Rodrigues brings 10 years of experience with him to Gafcon’s marketing team. He is responsible for growing, managing and directing Gafcon’s business development efforts in new and existing markets, including expanding business partnerships that strategically enhance Gafcon’s growth in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Prior to joining Gafcon, he was business development manager for PCL Construction Services Inc. in San Diego and Syska Hennessey Group in Los Angeles.
Rodrigues holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego. He has achieved Certified Professional Services Marketer designation and has participated in the Leadership Los Angeles program. He served as president of the Society of Marketing Professional Services Los Angeles chapter and is a member of the Southern California Development Forum and Downtown San Diego Partnership.
Gafcon has also hired John Sherwood as senior project manager at the Great Park Design Studio in Irvine.
Sherwood will be responsible for Design Studio production management and development interface for the 1,400-acre urban park being developed on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.
Sherwood has more than 20 years of experience in urban land planning. He started his career as the economic development manager for the City of Dana Point and then moved to the role of senior project manager for Forma Design. He also was director of community development at The Irvine Co. with management responsibilities for the company’s Newport Coast communities. More recently, he served as project consultant for Sherwood Consulting, where his client list included the Orange County Great Park Corp.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning from the University of California, San Diego, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners. He is a member of the Building Industry Association of Orange County, where he has served on the government affairs committee.
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Waveguide Consulting has opened a Los Angeles office and appointed of David Gales as director of California operations. Gales joins Waveguide with more than 25 years experience in the architecture, construction and audiovisual/communications industries, including eight years as a founding partner and principal with Vantage Technology Consulting Group.
“David has a national reputation as a thought leader and project director on innovative, large-scale urban media projects such as Fashion Show in Las Vegas and Victory Park in Dallas,” said Scott Walker, president and CEO of Waveguide. “Additionally, he has a solid reputation with leading architects and owners in California where forward-thinking designs and green technology, both of which are central to Waveguide’s mission, are prominent.”
Gales has extensive technology design experience in higher education, civic, corporate office and urban media technology design.
“Waveguide has an outstanding reputation for working closely with architects to create environments that seamlessly merge technology and building designs,” said Gales. “I’m thrilled to bring my background and experience together with the strength and reputation of Waveguide to serve the design community here on the West Coast and our projects and clients across the country.”
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Ron Lack and Mark Wayne, two San Diego commercial real estate executives with more than 40 years of combined experience, have formed Cypress Realty Advisors.
The new real estate investment and advisory firm will pursue acquisitions of office properties with an emphasis on distressed assets in fundamentally strong submarkets throughout California and Arizona, with an initial focus in San Diego. Advisors also will provide owners and lenders with advisory services including strategic planning and asset management.
A key emphasis of the CYPRESS Realty Advisors' strategy will be to improve the sustainability of office assets through LEED certification.
Lack has 20 years of institutional experience in real estate acquisitions, asset management, development and dispositions in office, R&D, flex and retail product types. He has held senior management positions with several real estate investment companies. Lack received his degree in finance with an emphasis in real estate from California State University, Fullerton.
Wayne also brings 20 years of experience in the advising, marketing, leasing, sale and repositioning of over 6 million square feet of office properties throughout the San Diego County region. During his 20-year career with Burnham Real Estate, he guided local and institutional owners on existing product as well as ground-up development. Wayne is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in real estate finance and entrepreneurship.
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Sukut Construction Inc. has hired Tony Bagheri as senior project manager in Sukut’s expanding public works division.
Bagheri, a 27-year veteran of heavy civil and public works construction, will assist in the management of a $14 million project in Cathedral City to build the first sewer system in the Cove Improvement District. The project includes laying 78,000 feet of sewer and water pipe and storm drains, and reconstructing 28 acres of paved roadway. The completion date is set for early 2010.
Bagheri’s experience includes infrastructure development and reconstruction at Los Angeles International Airport, Chino Airport and the Port of Los Angeles, and highway construction for Caltrans. Most recently, Bagheri served six years as vice president and operations manager at Skanska USA Civil. Bagheri has also worked at Gueno Development, Sully-Miller Contracting and Griffith Company.
Bagheri is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He resides with his family in Upland.
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Professional Community Management of California, Inc. has promoted Laurisa Quella to director of community management. Quella has worked at PCM for 10 years, having advanced from PCM’s senior manager position at its Orange County corporate headquarters.
In her new role, Quella will train, develop and supervise new community managers. In addition to these corporate duties, she will also continue to oversee four community associations.
She will be responsible for preparation of board packages, agendas and meeting minutes; completion of action items and property inspections according to the management contract; and review and analysis of the financial status of the communities. She will also facilitate annual and monthly meetings, handle requests for assistance from residents, and help ensure the community is in compliance with the California Civil Code.
“Laurisa has demonstrated strong leadership and excellent customer service throughout her tenure here, and we are very happy to see her in this new role,” said COO Debbie Evans. “In her 10 years of service with PCM, she has continually shown an exceptional work ethic and commitment to the highest level of service for our clients. I am confident in her ability to deliver the PCM standard of excellence.”
PCM specializes in the management of Common Interest Developments of homeowners associations for high-rise condominiums, family-oriented master-planned developments, subdivisions of master-planned developments, active-adult master-planned communities and boutique communities throughout Southern California.
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Landscape Development's Richard De Palma and Tiffany Leo have achieved LEED accredidation.
De Palma is principal of Landscape Development's Northern Design Division, while Leo, CISEC is erosion control manager. Additional staff at the company is gearing up for the LEED exam.
Landscape Development, Inc. was founded in 1982 and has offices in Norco, Bakersfield and Valencia.