WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell announced a pay increase for its 1,800 employee-owners in reward for sustained financial performance. The company is making an investment in its workforce with a 5% base salary increase for all employees as it celebrates its 75^th anniversary.

Since its 1947 founding, the environmental engineering and construction firm has maintained a commitment to having a positive impact on the communities and clients it serves in addition to its people. This includes talent investment, engagement, and development.

“What sets us apart is our flexibility to decide how we reinvest in ourselves and continue to make Brown and Caldwell the place where the brightest minds choose to work — and stay,” said Bob Chapman, chief people officer. “We are excited to share our success as we celebrate our 75^th year. Our longevity and success reflect the talent and dedication of every one of our employee-owners, who passionately deliver the most complex water-related and environmental projects to improve communities.”

WALTHAM, Mass. — Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s (SGH’s) engineering mechanics and infrastructure (EMI) group will make several organizational changes to elevate its services and support key growth opportunities. The EMI team in the firm’s Atlanta office offers specialized, risk-informed design expertise and advanced analytical engineering for energy-related and complex infrastructure systems, while the group’s fire engineering division is devoted to fire life safety consulting. A key part of SGH’s technical offerings since its founding, the EMI group provides innovative engineering approaches and sophisticated computational modeling techniques to evaluate a variety of nonbuilding and complex structures, including nuclear facilities; buried pipes, tanks, and tunnels; fire life safety systems; observatory precision structures; science and defense radar structures; and railway cars and transportation structures.

With these organizational changes, SGH announces new leadership across the group. SGH principal Benjamin Kosbab will lead EMI’s Atlanta division, while associate principal Frederic Grant takes over the EMI Southern California division; principal David Jacoby will lead the new fire engineering division, based out of SGH’s New York office with a national presence. Associate principal Robert MacNeill will take over the EMI Boston division, while principal Jesse Beaver becomes head of EMI.

WASHINGTON — Andrew Neely, a former deputy policy director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has been named senior director of federal government affairs at WSP USA, an engineering and professional services consultancy.

In his new role at WSP, Neely will be responsible for supporting and advancing the firm’s bipartisan federal government relations, political/civic engagement activities, strategy, and industry outreach. He will play a key role in establishing and maintaining relationships with the U.S. Congress, the administration, and federal agencies to support WSP’s strategic business goals.

“Andrew’s experience on Capitol Hill, working closely on transportation matters with some of our nation’s most influential leaders in the U.S. Senate, provides WSP with an extremely capable liaison at a critical juncture for our firm,” said Stuart Sunshine, national director of government affairs at WSP. “His understanding of key legislative issues from the perspective of top decision-makers in the capitol will help us shape the way we present our ideas and capabilities on forthcoming infrastructure projects.”

Neely arrives at WSP following more than five years with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. From 2017-2021, he was a professional staff member for the majority, where he served as the primary staffer on transportation- and infrastructure-related issues. Since February 2021, he served as the deputy policy director for the minority, where his responsibilities included serving as the lead drafter and negotiator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — now known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — on multimodal infrastructure, freight and passenger rail, safety, and research.

EAST WALPOLE, Mass. — Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V) has named longtime finance executive James Noonan to the role of CFO, effective May 23. A seasoned professional and a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Noonan brings more than 20 years of experience in financial management to the CFO role at H&V.

“We are incredibly excited and feel very fortunate to be able to bring someone who has James’ level of experience and expertise to H&V,” said Josh Ayer, CEO of H&V. “He has had an impressive career to date and has helped lead the financial management of several large companies with expanding global footprints. He’s the right fit for H&V at just the right time.”

Prior to joining H&V, Noonan served for three-and-a-half years as operations CFO for Suffolk Construction, one of the largest construction contractors in Massachusetts. From 2016-2018, he spent a year each as vice president of finance and CFO for CRH Americas Materials Inc. North Division, a global building materials group that employs more than 85,000 people at 3,600 locations worldwide. Noonan also worked for CRH Americas Materials Inc., CRH Americas Inc., and CRH Plc. from 2007-2016 in a range of roles, including group internal auditor, assistant audit manager, and corporate controller. Before CRH, he was an accounting manager for tech firm Avaya Inc. and an accountant for Kerry Group Plc., a global food and nutrition company based in Tralee, Ireland.

BALTIMORE — John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America since 2011, announced he will retire from Danfoss later this summer. Rick Sporrer, vice president of sales, America, Danfoss Power Solutions, has been appointed to succeed Galyen. Over the next several months, Galyen and Sporrer will work together to ensure a successful transition with Sporrer fully assuming the role on July 1.

Galyen joined Danfoss in 2001 and held various management-level positions prior to his current role. During his 21-plus-year career with Danfoss, he has been very instrumental in leading the company’s continued regional growth in North America — from $100 million in annual sales to $3 billion — and made significant contributions to the success of the business.  

With more than 40 years of overall industry experience, Galyen has been active in leadership capacities of various industry associations. In 2020, he was chairman of the board of directors of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and holds a seat on the board of governors at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). In addition, he has been an active thought leader and speaker on various influential panels addressing efficiency and sustainability topics.

“The past 21 years at Danfoss have been the most rewarding of my career,” said Galyen. “I’m proud of the strides we have made in growing our business and footprint in North America, which is now Danfoss’s largest region, and I’m especially proud of the industry leadership position we’ve taken — together with our customers — to meet the changing market requirements. Rick is well-positioned to help Danfoss North America continue its growth journey and innovation in sustainable solutions.”

MILWAUKEE — A. O. Smith Corp., a provider of water heating and water treatment solutions, announces Jim Stern, executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary, as the new president of the Water Quality Association (WQA). Stern will help the association grow through its new strategic plan, which includes advancing the knowledge and professionalism of industry participants, increasing advocacy, and driving public awareness and knowledge.

“I can think of no industry or membership more poised to have a major impact on public health and safety than the water treatment industry and WQA,” Stern said. “We can work together on public awareness, product standards, certifications, and policing bad practices to advance the cause of the industry. We all have a similar goal: We want to make water better for people.”

In 2010, Stern played a key role in helping A. O. Smith enter the water treatment industry. Since 2016, he led the acquisitions of six North American water treatment companies, including Aquasana, Water-Right, Hague Quality Water, and Master Water Conditioning Corp., all manufacturing and distributing point-of-use and point-of-entry water treatment products.

“Under Jim Stern’s leadership, these acquisitions have helped A. O. Smith evolve from a company focused primarily on water heating to a global water technology company,” said Kevin Wheeler, A. O. Smith chairman, president, and CEO. “Our involvement with WQA has given us the opportunity to influence and educate the industry and learn more about this constantly evolving market.”

Stern earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School and currently serves on the board of directors of Badger Meter Inc. Stern has served four years on the WQA board of directors, two of them on the board of governors.