Olson Returns to Chong Partners

Chong Partners Architecture said that Douglas Olson, AIA, RIBA, has returned to San Francisco from the firm's London office to assume the responsibilities of practice leader for Healthcare.

Olson is an associate partner at Chong Partners and has been with the firm since 1996. He has provided project leadership on numerous major projects for healthcare providers and universities, including overseeing coordination of design and planning for the Templated Hospital Project for Kaiser Permanente.

Prior to becoming practice leader for Healthcare, Olson served as managing director for Chong Partners London. Olson worked in the United Kingdom for more than two years and was instrumental in establishing innovative design approaches for Private Finance Initiatives serving the National Health Service. Stephen Bailey, AIA, NCARB, replaces Olson as managing director of Chong Partners London.

Olson will direct healthcare efforts for Chong Partners' four locations in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and London. As the firm's newest practice leader, he joins Geoffrey Adams, AIA, (Municipal) and Edward Dean, AIA, LEED AP (Higher Education).

Olson holds a master of architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts from Valparaiso University. He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects, and is a registered architect in California.

Benton Named SCCA VP

The Southern California Contractors Association has appointed Donald Cash Benton as the organization's fourth executive vice president.

"We are happy to have someone as well-qualified and full of youthful exuberance as Cash to lead our association staff," said Doyle Powell, president of the SCCA. "He brings a high level of professionalism to the position as well as a well-rounded background in key areas of association management to our group."

A California native, Benton graduated from California State University, Bakersfield in 1997 with a bachelor of science in psychology. He completed a masters degree in business, specializing in organizational development management from the University of Phoenix in 1999.

Benton held numerous management positions and worked as a consultant in the human resources and organizational development areas. That work led to the position of director of organizational development of Children's Hospital of Orange County from 2000 to 2003.

He then became executive vice president of the Community Associations Institute, Orange County Regional Chapter, an association of homeowners associations, until accepting the position at SCCA.

Flory Promoted at Vanir

Vanir Construction has promoted Robert Flory to vice president/regional manager for the company's San Francisco Bay Area offices.

Flory joined Vanir in 1992 and has taken leadership roles in program, project, and construction management, as well as master planning and community interface.

He is a certified construction manager and holds a bachelor of science in construction management and a bachelor of architecture, both from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Flory has 20 years of experience in the industry.

In his new role, he will oversee the region as the company expands its services and project delivery methods for education, healthcare, justice, water/wastewater, transportation and public works projects.

W.C. Maloney Hires Gonsalves as Project Manager

W. C. Maloney, Inc. has hired Richard Gonsalves as project manager. Gonsalves will be based at the company's headquarters in Stockton and will be responsible for supervising the company's demolition projects as well as interfacing with general contractors, estimators and superintendents.

"Richard brings a wealth of experience to our operation," said W. Curtis Maloney, president of the company. "He has managed all aspects of demolition and construction. He is a hands-on supervisor who will keep our jobs running on-time and under budget."

With more than three decades in construction, Gonsalves joins Maloney from RM Construction in Fresno, which recently relocated out of the area.

He served as RM's Construction Manager for the past 16 years, prior to which he held positions as project manager and assistant superintendent. Gonsalves holds both a bachelor of science in construction management and master of business sdministration from the University of California, Fresno.

HMC Architects hires senior designer Levenfeld

Ontario-based HMC Architects has hired Arturo Levenfeld as senior designer for the company's Sacramento office.

Levenfeld works with teams of architects who are designing new facilities and modernizing existing facilities for school districts throughout the San Joaquin Valley, including a new performing arts center for Stockton Unified School District.

"Mr. Levenfeld brings with him a fresh and exciting approach to educational design," said Philip D. Nemeth, AIA, Managing Principal of HMC's Sacramento office. "His most recent work for Manteca Unified School District has delivered learning environments that enhance and promote education, while adding new dynamics to aged facilities."

A native of Spain, Levenfeld holds a bachelor of architecture from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and is a registered architect in both Spain and California. Levenfeld has more than 10 years of architectural design experience in both public and private sectors. In healthcare, he helped Kaiser Permanente complete an 85,000-sq.-ft. addition to its medical office building in Stockton, while his public sector experience includes working with a design team handling the 500,000-sq.-ft. Capitol East End Complex in Sacramento. He also designed the 50-acre South Placer County Justice Center in Roseville, which includes an 110,000-sq.-ft. courthouse.

Nordby Hires Three Managers

Santa Rosa-based Nordby Construction has increased its management team.

Jill Miller recently joined Nordby Construction as business development and marketing manager, responsible for managing the organization's marketing activities and maintaining client business relationships.

Miller's background includes more than 20 years of experience in technology, commercial and government construction industries. She has a bachelor of science from University of California, Davis, and a master in business administration from St. Mary's College. She is an active member of the Associated Builders and Contractors at both the national and local levels.

The company has also hired Justin Wights and Fritz Wisor as project engineers. Wights is a recent construction management graduate of California State University, Chico, and participated in a two-year internship at Nordby while attending school. Wisor has more than five years of construction experience as a carpenter, field supervisor and estimator. He received a bachelor of arts from Bucknell University. Their responsibilities include various contract administration duties, and working with field managers on safety, quality control and budgeting.

SCS Engineers Names Nawikas as Associate Professional

Joseph M. Nawikas has joined the San Diego office of SCS Engineers as associate professional.

In his position, Nawikas is responsible for conducting Phase I environmental site assessments and Phase II subsurface investigations, sampling groundwater and stormwater runoff, providing assistance with environmental services for remediation projects, and conducting health risk assessment studies.

His duties also include design and permitting for environmental investigations, as well as project and regulatory research.

Nawikas is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he earned his bachelor's degree in comprehensive geology. For the past year-and-a-half, he has worked in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology as a student/faculty researcher. He previously served one year as a field assistant for the Geologic Survey of Canada in the town of Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada. He has co-authored a number of published, geologic research papers.

Florkowski named assistant editor for California Construction

Joe Florkowski was hired as an assistant editor for California Construction Magazine.

Florkowski spent nearly six years working for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario. There he covered business, the environment and various other features.
He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, where he earned bachelor's degrees in history and journalism.

Florkowski will be based at McGraw-Hill Construction's Monrovia office. He can be reached at 626-932-6171 or joe_florkowski@mcgraw-hill.com.