Kohler Celebrates 150 Years

KOHLER, Wis. — Kohler Co., founded in 1873, has forged a legacy of creating innovations for kitchen and bath spaces, energy-resiliency products, luxury hospitality experiences, and major championship golf.

Kohler’s teams of creators around the world are the foundation of the Kohler brand, along with consumers and trade communities who bring the company’s products to life in creative and artistic ways. As Kohler embarks on its 150th anniversary, the global organization invites all associates, partners, and customers to participate in the celebration through a series of special events and activations around the world, including limited-edition product releases, commemorative apparel, and storytelling through digital content – all captured under the anniversary theme of “Come All Creators.”

“Bold moves and an entrepreneurial spirit are in our DNA and have deep meaning within our organization — starting with our founder, John Michael Kohler, who formed our company in Wisconsin together with an immigrant workforce creating new and better lives for their families,” said David Kohler, chair and CEO, Kohler, the fourth generation of Kohler family leadership, and only the ninth person to lead the company. “As we celebrate our 150 years of achievements, learnings, and growth, we encourage all passionate creators to join our pursuit of continuous improvement in providing gracious living for future generations through better design, innovation, wellness, and sustainability.”

“The ingenuity and passion of our associates and customers are the catalysts to creating new ideas, effective partnerships, and a better world for future generations,” said Laura Kohler, chief sustainability and DEI officer, Kohler. “Looking back on Kohler’s many pioneering milestones inspires us to look forward and create new avenues to improve our planet, lives, and communities — one idea, one product, one partnership, and one act of impact at a time.”

Throughout the yearlong celebration, Kohler will pay homage to its unique 150-year heritage while looking ahead to an innovative future joined by valued partners, talented artists, and explorers. To help bring the initiative to life, Kohler Co. partnered with American artist and innovator Daniel Arsham to conceive the commemorative 150th anniversary creative identity through logos and marks, typography, and lettering to meld the company’s storied heritage with its “leading boldly” approach to the future. Kohler previously collaborated with Arsham on Rock.01 an exclusive 3D-printed sink, and ‘Divided Layers’, a globally acclaimed installation featured in 2022 at Milan Design Week.

David Rinehart, Matt Velky Named Project Managers at Mueller Associates

BALTIMORE — Mueller Associates, a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm, promoted David Rinehart, P.E., and Matt Velky, P.E., to project managers. Both engineers have completed various challenging building systems projects within the cultural, institutional, and historic preservation markets.

Rinehart joined Mueller in August of 2022 with 15 years of experience as a mechanical engineer. He is currently the lead mechanical engineer on the renovation of Carrington Hall at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s nursing school. Before joining Mueller, Rinehart led the design of numerous projects at Leach Wallace Associates and Kovacs, Whitney & Associates.

Rinehart is a 2007 graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore county, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He has been a registered professional engineer since 2016 and is a member of the Baltimore chapter of ASHRAE.

Velky joined Mueller in 2013. He notably served as a lead mechanical engineer for the Torggler Fine Arts Center, which recently opened at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. Other key projects in Velky’s portfolio include George Mason University’s new Life Sciences and Engineering building, the renovation and expansion of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, and the design of a new museum and education center at the historic Josiah Jenson Park in Bethesda, Maryland.

Velky holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (2013) from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has been a registered professional engineer since 2017 and is a member of the Baltimore chapter of ASHRAE.

Henderson Companies Appoints Darrell Stein Chief Operations Officer

LENEXA, Kan. — Henderson Companies appointed Darrell Stein as chief operations officer (COO) for Henderson Engineers and Henderson Building Solutions. A Henderson veteran since 1999, Stein will spearhead strategic and day-to-day operations for the firm in collaboration with the executive team and other leadership.

Stein’s most recent role was business sector operations director, overseeing operations for the Henderson market sector that services core and shell, mission critical, mixed use, warehouse, and workplace projects nationwide. In addition to projects in a variety of markets, including higher education, K-12, and sports, his extensive resume includes serving as director of Henderson’s fire and life safety team for nearly two decades and growing it into one of the largest in-house fire protection engineering teams in the U.S.

“Congratulations to Darrell on this latest step in his accomplished career,” said Kevin Lewis, CEO and president of Henderson Engineers and president of Henderson Companies. “Darrell has a deep understanding of our company and our vision heading into the future given his long history at our firm. He is outcome-oriented and not afraid to dig into data to identify opportunities to drive outcomes that meet our goals. He is also an empathetic, thoughtful, and fantastic listener, which makes for a strong leader within our people-first culture.”

Stein succeeds Dave Haake, Henderson’s longtime COO, who will remain with the company as an operations executive to guide the transition before retiring. An architectural engineer by training, Haake joined the firm in 1993 as a project manager and held a variety of progressively responsible roles before becoming COO and joining the Henderson board of directors in 2013. His executive tenure has been the most successful period in Henderson history with the company more than doubling to 1,000 employees.

Qualus Acquires Tri Sage Consulting

ORLANDO, Fla. — Qualus Corp., a provider of power engineering, project management, and technical field services in support of the modernization of the electric power infrastructure and the broader energy transition, acquired Tri Sage Consulting, a provider of power engineering and project management services for renewable and power system development throughout the Western U.S.

“Tri Sage’s resources and deep expertise in power engineering and renewables are highly complementary to Qualus’s full range of service offerings and will contribute to our continued strong growth as we deliver quality service to our clients,” said Dr. Hisham Mahmoud, chairman and CEO, Qualus. “The cultures and values embraced by Tri Sage and Qualus are highly compatible, and the combination of our two firms will provide significant growth opportunities for our people.”

Tri Sage services complement Qualus’s existing planning and design services for substations and transmission lines and deepens the firm’s resources in renewables and high voltage grid interconnection projects. The combination of Tri Sage with Qualus will also expand Qualus’s client base and western US footprint and geographic reach.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share the incredible talent of the Tri Sage team with one of the leading power engineering and services firms in the nation,” said Karen Schlichting, founder and president of Tri Sage. “The depth of talent and experience of the Qualus and Tri Sage teams coming together, along with the dynamic employee and customer-focused cultures of both firms, will create fantastic opportunities for our people and significant value for our clients.”

Syska Hennessy Promotes Louis Curatolo to Chief Administrative Officer and Daniel Daragiu as CFO

NEW YORK — Syska Hennessy Group, an international engineering firm, promoted Louis Curatolo, CPA, from director of finance to chief administrative officer and appointed Daniel Daragiu, CPA, MBA, as CFO. Both executives are based in the firm’s headquarters in New York City.

In his new role, Curatolo will oversee human resources, information technology, information systems, real estate, and facilities and will collaborate with Daragiu. Curatolo has more than 20 years of accounting and finance experience within the architectural and engineering industry, nine of which have been at Syska.

“Louis did a great job as our director of finance,” said Gary Brennen, co-president, Syska. “He restructured and streamlined our project finance systems, budgeting process, and firm policies, all of which significantly improved our financial and commercial performance.”

Daragiu has nearly 20 years of experience as a CFO for real estate and construction companies, both in the U.S. and in his native Romania. Before joining Syska, he served as division CFO for Engel Burman Construction Group on Long Island. Previous experience includes 10 years as the CFO of Danya Cebus, a subsidiary of Africa Israel Investments Ltd. In that capacity he spent seven years in Bucharest and three in New York City.

“Daniel’s international expertise benefits us immensely,” said Cyrus Izzo, co-president, Syska. “In recent years, we have been expanding our geographic footprint, which now stretches across the U.S., the Middle East, and the Far East. Daniel’s comfort level with global business and global accounting standards is a big plus in serving our many international clients.”

Legence Acquires SC Engineers Inc., Trinity Process Solutions Inc., and KLOK Group

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Legence, a Blackstone company and an Energy Transition Accelerator™, announced three key acquisitions in the Western U.S. to provide deep and localized expertise in decarbonizing the built environment.

These strategic acquisitions include Shadpour Consulting Engineers Inc. (SC Engineers), a California-based MEP engineering firm focused on mission-critical customers; Trinity Process Solutions Inc. (Trinity), a design-build mechanical contracting firm in Los Angeles that specializes in high purity process piping; and KLOK Group, a full-service mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering solutions provider in Colorado.

In addition to building out Legence’s professional capabilities, the move provides the expanded team access to Legence’s ecosystem of engineering and implementation expertise. Furthermore, the acquisitions put Legence in a more robust position to deliver on its commitment to making the built environment healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable as building owners navigate decarbonization.

“When Legence is exploring potential partners to strengthen our end-to-end sustainability services in the built environment, we’re looking for firms that can seamlessly integrate into our legion of companies,” said Jeff Sprau, CEO, Legence, discussing the importance of finding the right fit. “This enables speed at scale for customers. Cultural alignment is a priority for Legence, and the difference shows in our industry-leading results.”

The new partnerships reflect the growing need for high-level sustainability consulting, MEP design, and construction execution services across a range of industries, and reaffirm Legence’s aggressive growth trajectory.