Compiled by Roberta Boginis
HNTB Taps Former Army Corps Brass to Head Up West Division
HNTB Corp., an engineering and architectural services company, appointed retired Brig. Gen. Robert “Larry” Davis as president of its West division.
Davis will oversee planning for highway and bridge design and aviation services for the region, which covers Alaska, Hawaii, South Korea and the Pacific Islands.
He is set to work out of Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB’s Santa Ana office.
HNTB has about 60 workers in Orange County and 2,900 companywide.
Davis said he plans to go after more work with transportation agencies and push for jobs with the federal government.
Davis worked for 31 years with the Army Corps of Engineers. He joined the Army after completing his industrial engineering degree from Auburn University in Alabama.
As commander and division engineer of the Army Corps’ Pacific Ocean division, Davis oversaw design, construction and real estate management for the Army and the Air Force in Hawaii and Alaska, as well as for Defense Department agencies in Japan and South Korea.
Davis also served as the Army Corps’ South Pacific Division commander, where he was based in San Francisco and oversaw operations in Albuquerque, Los Angeles and Sacramento.
He went on to become chief of staff of the Army Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., and commander and district engineer of its L.A. district.
Davis’ experience with public agencies as an engineering consultant brought him to HNTB after retiring from the military, he said.
“Infrastructure is aging,” Davis said. “It’s a challenge nationwide. We’re fortunate that Congress recently passed the transportation bill and California was a large beneficiary.”
The difficulty is finding money for massive projects, he said.
“Lending our support to Measure M half-cent sales tax, and helping to explain the value of the measure will be one of our priorities,” Davis said.
Measure M, passed by voters 15 years ago, is expected to fund up to $4 billion worth of OC freeway improvements by the time it expires in 2011.
Transportation and other government officials are pushing for a renewal of Measure M with a two-thirds majority vote.
HNTB has worked on several local projects including at John Wayne Airport, the interchange of the San Joaquin Hills (73) Toll Road and the San Diego (I-405) Freeway and parking garage work at the Irvine Spectrum Center.
Davis, a New Jersey native, lives in Huntington Beach with wife Barbara and daughter Kim.
“I’ve always wanted to live near the ocean and a golf course,” he said. “I have gotten it halfway right.”
After moving to Huntington Beach, he’s enjoyed learning to scuba dive and surf.
,Purnima Mudnal
ACCOUNTING
Howard Chen was added as manager of the tax department at HMWC CPAs & Business Advisors in Tustin.
APPAREL
Rip Curl USA, a maker of surf clothes and wetsuits in Costa Mesa, added Bill Hamilton to its management team. He will manage merchandise planning for the company’s U.S. business. Hamilton formerly was manager of sales operations at Costa Mesa-based Hurley International, a unit of Nike Inc.
ARCHITECTURE
Steve Griego was added as project director at the Irvine office of MCG Architecture. Griego has more than 18 years of architectural experience.
AUTOMOTIVE
Irvine-based Toyota Material Handling USA Inc., a seller of forklifts and other industrial vehicles that’s part of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp., named Adam Hughes as national dealer sales manager, Eric Robinson as national IT manager, Larry Sanders as fleet services manager and Curt Rhoades as rental and remarketing manager.
BANKING
Brett Ackerman, manager at Wells Fargo & Co.’s State College store in Anaheim, was licensed as an investment consultant, joining the Wells Fargo Investment group. He now can offer mutual funds.
CONSULTING
Cathy McCarthy was named to president and chief operating officer at Newport Beach-based SM & A; Inc. She previously was executive vice president, chief financial officer and corporate secretary at the company. SM & A; is a consultancy that helps businesses mainly in the defense, homeland security, aerospace, information technology, architecture and engineering sectors win government and commercial contracts.
GOVERNMENT
The city of Aliso Viejo named Mark A. Pulone city manager.
HEALTHCARE
Larry Hobson was added as vice president of sales at the Mission Viejo office of Patient Care Technology Systems, a medical software company. Patient Care is a unit of Consulier Engineering Inc.
LAW
Minneapolis-based Dor-sey & Whitney LLP named Steven D. Allison partner at its Irvine office.
Elizabeth A. Brem, member of the securities litigation practice group, and Michele L. Maryott, member of the litigation practice group, were elected partners in the Irvine office of Los Angeles-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Costa Mesa-based McCormick Kidman & Behrens LLP named Bradley Pierce partner in the litigation department. Pierce is chairman of the California State Bar’s real property law and eminent domain subsection for Southern California.
MEDIA
Eric Rucker was added as Los Angeles advertising director working at the Irvine headquarters of Entrepreneur Media Inc., publisher of Entrepreneur magazine as well as books and Web sites. Rucker formerly was publisher of American Media Inc.
Times Community News, which runs eight community newspapers in Orange and Los Angeles counties and is part of the Los Angeles Times, promoted Gordon Tomaske to chief financial officer from senior manager of planning and project management.
NONPROFIT
Sharon Ellis was named executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County in Santa Ana. Ellis most recently was president of Newport-Mesa Unified School District Administrators Association.
The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County promoted Doris J. Flander to chief executive. Flander joined the group in 1998 and also is regional administrator of its Web site.
Gary Maggetti was named to the board at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Maggetti is director of food and beverage at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
REAL ESTATE
Cresa Partners LLC, a real estate brokerage representing tenants, added five people at its Newport Beach headquarters: Larry Lawrence as senior vice president, Mona Dube as vice president, Kenneth Dill as vice president, Wes Hunnicutt as senior associate and Barbara Cooper as associate.
Jim Suber was named partner at Real Tech, an Irvine-based provider of real estate services to tenants.
Orange-based R.C. Hobbs Co. named Mark D. Whalen senior vice president and chief financial officer. Whalen previously was senior vice president and regional manager at East West Bank.
Grant Williams was added as manager at Western National Realty Advisors, a unit of Irvine-based Western National Group.
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