Category: Engineering Leadership

Mobility Systems Vice President – Managing Principal, Megan Huff, PfMP, Accepted into Chief Women in Leadership Network, for Second Consecutive Year

Posted on by Shanna Evans

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re excited to congratulate Megan Huff, PfMP, Mobility Systems Vice President – Managing Principal, on her second year with Chief. 

Chief’s mission is to drive women to the top — and keep them there. As a private network for powerful women, it’s the only organization specifically designed for women at the highest levels of leadership. At a time when women’s participation in the workforce is at a 33-year low, supporting women in leadership is more vital than ever.

Through networking and collaboration, Chief provides its diverse members’ opportunities to advance their leadership, expand their influence, and pave the way for other up-and-coming women leaders.

As a member of Chief, Megan is in good company with executive leaders from Google, Square, IBM, and many other leading businesses. “We really are focused on building a community and resources specifically for executive women,” says Chief co-founder Carolyn Childers.

With more than 25 years of experience in the transportation industry, Megan has an extensive track record in end-to-end delivery of complex, high-priority projects on tight schedules within mission-critical service organizations and a history of delivering value to the bottom line through process improvements and technology modernization. 

She has expertise in leading and directing technology-related strategic planning, project development, and implementation across a variety of public transit agencies.

Her team’s AR technology-based train dispatch system, HoloRail, has been featured in Forbes, along with Meta and BMW. Her other notable projects include work for Amtrak, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). 

She has also recently authored: There’s a Problem With Technology Integration When It Comes to Public Transit in the U.S., and It’s Not the Tech.

Congratulations to Megan for her continued dedication to leadership development.

Medical Equipment Planning Leadership Promotions – February 2022

Posted on by Shanna Evans

Onward and upward! This month, we’re celebrating Pier Vettorazzi, Mischelle Keenan, Kelly Kirkpatrick, and Jennifer Lieb on their recent Medical Equipment Planning Leadership promotions:

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Pier Vettorazzi
Regional Director

Pier brings over two decades of architectural and project management experience to the multitude of projects he serves in Texas. Clients demand his presence on projects, and it’s no surprise we continue to call them all ‘repeat’ clients. 

Pier is also involved with the industry through his mentorship and speaking engagements. He recently took part in the annual AIA (American Institute of Architects) Houston Committee Healthcare SES (Symposium Exhibition & Social) event and received high praise for his inspiring messages geared towards students. He will also participate in the ASHE PDC in New Orleans as lead presenter for the AIA AAH Medical Equipment and Technology Forum next month.

Mischelle Keenan
Director of Production

During her 17 years with the firm, Mischelle has been a significant part of our success through our database standards, quality control process, and simply “getting stuff out the door on time”. We look forward to her continued success in mentoring the next generation of Equipment Coordinators and Planners.

In addition to these roles and responsibilities, Mischelle continues to drive the success of the MetroHealth project. We appreciate her relentless hard work and dedication to the firm and our clients.

Kelly Kirkpatrick
Director of Procurement

Kelly brings great experience and incredible work ethic to her new role as Director of Procurement. As an integral member of our procurement team within Medical Equipment Planning, her attention to detail and dedication reflect on all her projects. She is our go-to tech guru and is always willing to help her team. 

Jennifer Lieb
Regional Director

In nearly ten years with the firm, Jennifer continues to deliver many of the most successful and profitable projects within Medical Equipment Planning. Her ability to manage, plan, procure, and install projects is a key part of her ongoing success. We look forward to seeing Jennifer’s attention to detail serve her well as she leads the growth and development of the Western region.

Stay tuned for more Medical Equipment Planning promotions next week!

Ross & Baruzzini Director of Operations – Healthcare, Tori Gillespie, PE, Accepted into FOCUS St. Louis Spring 2022 Women In Leadership Cohort

Posted on by Shanna Evans

We are proud to recognize Tori Gillespie, PE, Director of Operations – Healthcare for her acceptance into the FOCUS St. Louis® Spring 2022 Women In Leadership (WIL) Cohort earlier this month.

FOCUS gives leaders the tools they need to make a difference in their workplaces and their communities through our civic leadership programs.

“For 40 years the Women In Leadership program has been bringing together a diverse mix of women from across sectors for growth, learning and connection,” says Shalia Ford, WIL Program Director. “This experience is designed to help participants gain the tools, resources and network to lead more confidently and effectively in all their spheres of influence.”

Tori is a licensed Mechanical Engineer for the State of Missouri as well as Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, and Illinois. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics from the University of Missouri – St. Louis’s joint engineering program with Washington University. She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University.

Tori has 14 years of healthcare and government facilities design and consulting experience as a Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager, and now Director of Operations. She is experienced in Revit and has designed heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in new and renovated hospitals and medical office buildings across the nation.

As a Director of Operations, she leads multi-discipline teams, managing scope, schedule, and budget to deliver high-performing building infrastructure systems that meet her client’s goals. Some of her notable project clients include Siteman Cancer Center, BJC HealthCare, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Despite her busy project schedule, Tori also serves as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, implementing and guiding DE&I programs within Ross & Baruzzini.

Congratulations to Tori for this outstanding achievement.

Ross & Baruzzini Security Vice President – Managing Principal Phil Santore Featured on FOX 2 News

Posted on by Shanna Evans

“We removed the aspect of ‘you must have a brick wall to be safe,’ and that’s not really true. There’s many, many ways to keep students safe even when there’s glass involved.”

Ross & Baruzzini Security Vice President – Managing Principal, Phil Santore, spoke with FOX 2 News about his team’s work on Lindbergh High School’s security-focused remodel:

Santore is working with Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, MO to add comprehensive high-tech security features. He explains all school security starts with three basic areas:

  1. Physical components (sidewalks door, frames, lighting)
  2. Technology (cameras, card readers, intercom)
  3. Human factor (properly-trained staff)

Lindbergh High School’s new design combines the school’s former five buildings into just one large building. It will have new open common areas, open classrooms and hallways, a new gym, and a new performance hall. Santore says, even though the building has glass throughout, he included safe spaces that hide students from intruders.

The school will also have security cameras and locks on all doors. Superintendent Dr. Lake says the biggest and most important feature is one large secure entryway, with bullet-resistant glass.

“Our wonderful kids and families are probably going to get to come to the building that’s one of the safest and most innovative places to learn, I’ll even say in the state of Missouri, maybe even the Midwest,” Lake said.

“It just makes everybody safer and just more comfortable coming in. When you’re comfortable, you can learn better,” said Freshman John Eckarich.

Santore says the best safety tool of all is to value mental health and counseling to students at all schools — to prevent any kind of tragic incident.

Visit our portfolio to learn more about Phil Santore’s work and our full suite of Security planning services.

Ross & Baruzzini and Integral Group Announce Merger

Posted on by Shanna Evans

Ross & Baruzzini, Inc. and Integral Group, LLC, announced an intent to merge. Expected to be finalized in late-2022, the new company will consist of more than 1,000 employees located in 31 offices in the USA, Canada, UK, Serbia, and Australia, creating one of the largest building engineering and consulting firms.

Ross & Baruzzini has demonstrated expertise across the transportation and buildings sectors through a well-diversified market approach, underpinned by delivering cutting-edge technology solutions. Integral Group has built a global business delivering deep green engineering solutions on some of the world’s most complex projects with an emphasis on decarbonization and resilience.

The future is at the intersection of technology and sustainability within the built environment — where buildings and infrastructure become living systems that address the complex challenges facing society and connecting communities. 

The name of the new company and the timing for the merger will be announced in the months ahead.

IES Illumination Awards Recognize Ross & Baruzzini Project for Sustainable Design

Posted on by Shanna Evans

International Awards Program Honored Renovation Project

Our 4340 Duncan Renovation project team received the Illuminating Engineering Society Illumination Award of Merit for Energy and Environmental Design earlier this fall.

As the top technical authority on lighting, this Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) award recognizes quality lighting installations in commercial and industrial buildings that incorporate advanced energy-saving strategies and environmentally responsible solutions into the overall design.

Ross & Baruzzini provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering services for the gut renovation of the historic Crescent Building (4340 Duncan Avenue) located in the Cortex Innovation Community (CIC).

The Cortex Innovation Community is a vibrant, 200-acre hub of business, innovation, and technology integrated into St. Louis’ historic Central West End and Forest Park Southeast neighborhoods, surrounded by nationally-ranked universities and medical centers and abundant cultural and recreational assets.

Modern Space for Offices, Labs, and Innovation Centers

As the latest renovation project within the CIC, the renovated building provides 88,000 sq ft. of “loft-like” shell and core facilities to accommodate multiple Biotech startup companies graduating from incubator spaces at the Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) and other regional organizations.

Core building systems are flexible enough to support and adapt to changing occupancies and varying lab-to-office ratios over time. The building also accommodates several types of collaboration areas such as event spaces, meeting rooms, and shared research equipment facilities.

Visit IES Illumination Awards for more information.

Ross & Baruzzini Engineering Wins ENR Midwest Best Project Cultural Award

Posted on by Shanna Evans

Recently featured on the Engineering News-Record Midwest Best Project Award List, Ross & Baruzzini provided MEP and Fire Protection engineering services for the St. Louis Zoo Primate Canopy Trails Expansion. 

Photo courtesy of Tarlton Corp.

Our services were used to renovate portions of the existing Primate House by adding a new vestibule that leads outside to a new primate exhibit. The exhibition will include multiple habitats for guest interaction and a new night quarters building for primates to travel through tubes from each exhibit. We provided Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection engineering for the facilities and habitats.

The new vestibule includes the latest in heating, lighting, and controls systems. The existing Primate House contained water, electric, and fiber optic utilities that served the existing Sea Lion Arena, demolished for the new Small Primate Exhibit. We re-used these utility connection points for the new Night Quarters Building.

The new Night Quarters Building has heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment located on the roof of the structure with ductwork in the building down the main corridor to serve the animal night quarters areas and the keeper’s area. The electrical systems connect service from the existing Primate House to a new 200-ampere panelboard which serves all receptacles, lighting, mechanical, and plumbing equipment. The plumbing systems feature a new water service from the existing Primate House, a tank-style water heater, a new stainless steel sink, hose bibbs, and trench drains in the animal areas for cleaning. The building also has fire suppression and fire alarm systems.

There are also “people tubes” that visitors can crawl through in the canopy of the exhibit to get a bird’s eye view of the animals. The clear acrylic tubes extend approximately 40 feet and utilize air conditioning.

Leverage our award-winning MEP and Fire Protection services for your next project: schedule an expert consultation here.

Veterans Day 2021: Recognizing Those Who Have Served

Posted on by Shanna Evans

Ross & Baruzzini honors those who have served their country and while recognizing their patriotism. Veterans Day began as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

We consider it a privilege to work alongside our military veteran staff every day:

Greg Liles
Technology Division
Systems Specialist

Mike Maselli
Technology Division
Principal

Oliver Smith
Technology Division
BIM Technician

David Liles
Aviation
Senior Systems Designer

Carolyn Hughes
Aviation
Project Manager

Victor Gianelloni
Medical Equipment Planning
Project Manager

Dale Palmer
Medical Equipment Planning
Regional Director – Clinical Specialist

Mark Crosby
Aviation
Principal Consultant

Terrance Lackey
Medical Equipment Planning
Director – Logistics

Walt Lawrence
Medical Equipment Planning
Regional Director

Kevin Johnson
Baggage Handling
Site Manager

Craig Toder
CEO & Chairman

Jeffrey Venter
Security
Senior Principal

Brian Lowry
Project Services Group
Senior Electrical Engineer

Vince Aragon
Security
Lead Security Consultant

Fred Viera
Baggage Handling
Technical Analyst

Kevin Fischer
Baggage Handling
Project Manager

Billie Brush
Medical Equipment Planning
Vice President – Business Development

Phil Zimmer
Project Services Group
Director – Plumbing Engineering

Ross & Baruzzini Senior Electrical Engineer, Warren Kohm, Inducted into S&T Academy of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Posted on by Shanna Evans


We are proud to recognize Warren Kohm, Senior Electrical Engineer – Government, for his recent induction into the Missouri S&T Academy of Electrical and Computer Engineering during the academy’s induction ceremony earlier this month.

Founded in 1980, the academy is a departmental advisory group composed of alumni and other electrical and computer engineers who have made outstanding contributions to their profession. The new inductees were recognized for their service and leadership in electrical and computer engineering.

Warren Kohm earned a bachelor of science and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1993 and 1997, respectively.

Kohm began his career in MEP plan review for the St. Louis County public works department. In 1998, he moved to A.P. O’Brien Engineering as a manager of electrical engineering, and a year later moved to Briner Electric, where he served as a design-build project director.

In 2004, Kohm moved to Ross & Baruzzini and now serves as a Senior Electrical Engineer for our Government team. He is a member of the Missouri and Illinois electrical board of directors and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, and Florida.

Congratulations to Warren for this outstanding achievement.

Congratulations! Celebrating This Month’s 5 Year Anniversaries.

Posted on by Shanna Evans

October is a busy month for employee anniversaries! This month, we’re celebrating a trio of 5-year anniversaries for:

Mitch Spillman, Project Services Group | Plumbing Designer

Help us congratulate Mitch Spillman on his 5th anniversary with Ross & Baruzzini. Mitch has become a valuable member of our team. He is willing to help out when needed and he has taken on many project tasks to improve his design knowledge and we truly appreciate his dedication to the firm and our clients.

Mitch is also the St. Louis ASPE (American Society of Plumbing Engineers) Young Professionals (AYP) Liaison. We’re looking forward to seeing all the great things he will accomplish in the upcoming years.

Gary Fischer, Project Services Group | Director of Electrical Engineering

Congratulations to Gary Fischer, P.E., on his 5th year with Ross & Baruzzini. During these past 5 years, he became the Electrical Department Manager for the Government group and now serves as the Director of Electrical Engineering for the Process Services Group. 

His technical and organizational skills are outstanding and well respected by clients and coworkers. He never fails to get the job done, doing whatever is necessary to keep multiple projects moving forward.

David Clark, Project Services Group | Senior Electrical Designer

Congratulations to David Clark on his 5 year anniversary! Always dependable, David was the cornerstone designer on successful projects for clients such as Lambert Airport and Saint Louis University. 

This year he has been managing 3 to 4 designers to develop the electrical contractors Revit L300 BIM model. When it comes to fitting a square peg in a round hole without a hammer, David is your man. David exemplifies precise coordination, problem-solving, and collaboration. Way to go!

Visit our careers page to learn more about our award-winning company culture and career opportunities.