• Ware Malcomb, an international design firm, has elevated and hired several key leaders in its Irvine corporate headquarters. Sergio Valentini has been promoted to Southern California regional principal overseeing the Irvine, Los Angeles and Inland Empire offices. Luke Corsbie has been promoted to principal, civil engineering. Analisa Olson will transition from her role as director, strategic accounts to lead the Irvine Interior Architecture & Design Studio as director. Eric Namisniak has been promoted to studio manager, architecture. Andrew Capeluto has been hired as studio manager, branding. Additionally, Ware Malcomb has made further promotions among its enterprise teams. These include Ilyes Nouizi, principal, resource services; Jessica McInnis, associate principal, accounting; Donna Connole, director, marketing; and Remy Fukuda, director, human resources.  
  • Co-founder and CEO John Maddux of Sunstone Two Tree, a developer and operator of rental housing communities in high-growth markets, will transition to the role of executive chairman effective June 18, 2024 in order to fulfill a calling to serve as the mission president of the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will serve in that capacity for three years. Current president Scott Maddux will assume the role of CEO, based at the company’s Westlake Village headquarters. 
  • NewMark Merrill Companies, Inc., a Calabasas-based retail shopping center owner and development company, has promoted Chuck Moore to regional property manager. He will oversee the management of more than 1.5 million square feet of commercial real estate in San Diego County, including notable shopping centers like Piazza Carmel and Grand Plaza. 
  • Balfour Beatty hired Ryan Ouyang as the company’s VP, legal for U.S. Civils West operations, based in Culver City. This executive role is responsible for legal affairs of the company’s Civils operations in California, Oregon and Washington, working in coordination with the U.S. Civils general counsel. Before joining Balfour Beatty, Ouyang served seven years at a multinational infrastructure consulting firm as assistant general counsel. He also served as ethics/compliance officer and contracts manager at a heavy civil general contractor in the Los Angeles area. 
  • Westlake Village-based Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. and architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), have formed a global exclusive gravity energy storage partnership. SOM will be the exclusive architect and structural engineer for the next generation of fixed frames and deployable structures for all new Energy Vault gravity energy storage systems, including incorporating gravity energy storage technology into tall buildings in urban environments and deployable structures in natural environments, to maximize sustainability, accelerate carbon payback and lower the levelized cost of energy consumption. 

The post California People and Company News, Week of May 31, 2024 appeared first on Connect CRE.


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