People News: HNTB, HDR, Lochner

From Left to Right: Stephen Knobbe, Northwest Division President, HNTB; John Henderson, CEO, HDR; and Chris Sacks, Vice President of Corporate Development, Lochner.

HNTB names Stephen Knobbe as President of the company’s Northwest Division. Also, HDR appoints John Henderson as the new CEO; and Chris Sacks joins H.W. Lochner, Inc. (Lochner) as Vice President of Corporate Development.

HNTB

HNTB on Jan. 5 announced that Stephen Knobbe, PE, has been named President of the firm’s Northwest Division. From HNTB’s Denver office, Knobbe will oversee “vital and complex” infrastructure programs in growth markets, including highways, rail/transit, tolling and aviation.

“The Northwest Division is a critical contributor to HNTB’s ongoing success, and we are well positioned for continued growth,” said Michelle Dippel, HNTB Western Region President. “Steve is a client-focused leader, so I am confident he will quickly add value to the region’s clients and programs.”

As Northwest Division President, Knobbe is responsible for leading operations and strategic planning in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. He will lead more than 500 employees located in three offices and numerous field offices. Knobbe actively represents HNTB in civic- and industry-related associations, helps recruit top talent to the firm, and fosters relationships with clients and thought leaders.

For more than 35 years, Knobbe has served as a transportation professional and client-focused leader in several leadership roles where he led more than $10 billion of complex transportation programs in highways, tolls, transit and aviation. During his 16 years with HNTB, his client-focused approach assisted local clients to connect people and places by advancing successful infrastructure programs.

As office leader, Knobbe expanded HNTB’s office presence to Fort Worth, Texas, and Little Rock, Ark., growing the North Texas and Arkansas offices to more than 170 employees. He has promoted diversity at all levels of the organization and was recognized in 2019 by the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) with the Ray LaHood Man of the Year Award.

HDR

HDR has named President and COO John Henderson as the firm’s new CEO. He succeeds Chairman and CEO Eric Keen, who will continue as Chairman of HDR’s Board of Directors.

Replacing Henderson as President and COO is Neil Graff, who previously served as the firm’s Director of U.S. and North America operations.

The planned transition will “maintain HDR’s success in delivering multidisciplinary design services for clients and communities throughout the world,” the company said in a release.

“Eric’s deep commitment to employees, clients and our industry has strengthened the company’s stature,” said former Chairman, CEO and current Board Member Dick Bell. “And with John’s appointment, HDR has another leader who has the skills, experience and personal qualities to keep our company a driving force to maintain HDR’s outstanding success.”

Keen is handing over the CEO role after six years at the helm. He has held numerous positions at the company for the past 30 years. As CEO, he led the company through eight acquisitions, overseeing continuous revenue growth and the addition of over 2,600 employees.

Henderson becomes just the ninth CEO in the company’s 107-year history.

“It is an honor to build on the legacy of HDR,” Henderson said. “While many companies say they are unique, our broad-based employee ownership structure is the foundation of HDR’s competitive advantage. Together, HDR will find solutions to our communities’ greatest challenges.”

Henderson has had a distinguished career in leading wide-ranging programs for the U.S. Department of Defense and at HDR. He served in command and staff positions in the U.S. Army and the Army Corps of Engineers. Later, he was appointed to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy. He brings nearly three decades of experience in operations, engineering, military construction, infrastructure investment, water resources management and environmental programs.

Prior to his COO role, Henderson served as the company’s Chief Administrative Officer. He has a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and served as a National Security Studies Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lochner

Lochner on Jan. 8 announced that Chris Sacks has joined the company as Vice President of Corporate Development, reporting to COO and CFO Jim Doyna.

Sacks will play a leading role throughout the full lifecycle of the mergers and acquisition (M&A) process, “assessing and integrating new partners into Lochner’s infrastructure platform, while closely collaborating with the company’s senior leaders to achieve near- and long-term business objectives,” Lochner said in a release. M&A is a key pillar of Lochner’s growth strategy as the company continues to be acquisitive, welcoming four new companies in the last 12 months—Armstrong Consultants, KOA Corporation, K Friese + Associates, and Triunity, Inc.

“Lochner remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering infrastructure solutions for our clients and expanding opportunities for our growing team of professionals,” said Doyna. “We look forward to leveraging Chris’ business acumen and strategic insights to further advance our position as an A/E industry leader.”

Sacks brings to Lochner diverse M&A and investment experience spanning engineering, manufacturing, industrial technology and business services. He previously served as Investment Director for Re:Build Manufacturing, a domestically-focused industrial technology conglomerate. Prior to that, Sacks was a Private Equity Associate for Guardian Capital Partners, beginning his career in investment banking at Stifel Financial Corp.

Sacks holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and a BA in Economics from Bucknell University.