People

EDSA has announced the following promotions to the position of Vice President:

John Allyn. ASLA, joined EDSA over nine years ago and has assumed project management responsibilities in the planning and design of a variety of scale resort and themed entertainment projects, both domestic and international. Allyn is the project manager for Oasis Resort, a highly themed destination by Lopesan Hotels and Resorts. This 750-room, 4-star family resort in Gran Canaria, Spain, celebrates the rich diversity of African art, architecture and wildlife as reflected in the design of three unique pool areas totaling more than 12,000 square feet. In addition to the pools, Allyn managed full design services, including construction documents, for the resort’s elaborate water features, fine dining areas, and luxury spa, all amid waterfalls and lush vegetation. The project is currently under construction.

Andres Montero, ASLA, has fostered many new client relationships in his nine years at EDSA and is currently managing numerous projects ranging from large-scale planning to detailed design. Montero led the efforts of a Master Plan Audit for Cap Cana Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. He is currently involved in the environmental preservation and detailed design of various components of this scale resort. Cap Cana will have three 5-star hotels, 3 golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, marina, and a total of 5,000 residential units with views of the Caribbean Sea. Presently, 18 holes of golf and the clubhouse are complete. Montero’s latest work on Cap Cana involves a master plan for Racquet Village and Las Iguanas community with single-family villa sites, amenities, and open space, as well as Cap Cana Village, a mixed-use environment that is to become the “town center” of Cap Cana.

Sarah Owen, ASLA, has been with EDSA for eight years and has been involved in the planning and design of marinas, golf courses, housing developments and destination resorts. Currently, Owen is the project manager for The Landings, St. Lucia, a marina resort in the Lesser Antilles. She was responsible for guiding a team through the creation of an overall vision, master planning and detail design services, including construction administration. Waterfront residences were designed to offer one of three views on prime oceanfront real estate. The resort, centered on an exclusive harbour, also includes seven swimming pools, specialty restaurant, spa beach club, tennis, and 5-star concierge service. The Landings, St. Lucia’s first private marine resort development, is also the recipient of two five-star awards from the Bentley International Property Awards 2005 for Best Marina development world-wide and Best Caribbean development.  Currently under construction and ahead of schedule, the first 62 residences planned for phase one are 80% sold out and will be ready for occupation early next year.

Jeff Suiter, ASLA, brought over eight years experience in high-end residential, mixed-use developments and large-scale master planning to EDSA when he joined the Firm five years ago. He is well-versed in managing the approval process and working with regulatory requirements. Currently, he is involved in major renovations and additions at the Eden Roc Resort & Spa, a historic landmark, located on prime oceanfront property in South Beach, Miami. Paying special attention to the historical integrity of the main hotel structure, Suiter is overseeing the design and construction of the hotel main entry, beach redevelopment, pool, amenity decks, private ballroom terrace and outdoor spa/meditation garden. A new tower and transformation of this urban beachfront will be complete in early 2009.  

Paul Weinberg, ASLA, joined EDSA six years ago and has been a key player in the conceptual and detailed design phases of several public and private sector projects. He has also acted as project manager during the construction phases of various projects including Molasses Reef, an exclusive beachfront resort community, in West Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands. Molasses Reef, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, will feature a 125-suite boutique hotel as well as Ritz-Carlton branded condominiums and villas.  The Molasses Reef project fits into the larger island development of West Caicos Reserve in which EDSA has been involved for the last eight years. Phase one of the project is scheduled to open for the 2008 season.

The firm has also promoted Kona Gray, ASLA to Associate principal. Gray has ten years of experience with EDSA and has been involved in many planning and landscape architecture projects, ranging from large-scale planning to detail site design with emphasis on hotels/resorts and campus planning. He has established a long-standing relationship with Nova Southeastern University and plays a strong role in developing the growth of the campus. Gray has managed numerous projects for Nova Southeastern University, including a living University Master Plan, Campus Design Guidelines, and detail design for the Alvin Sherman Library, Wayne Huizenga Business School, The University Center (sports and wellness center), and University Residences - Phase 1. In addition, he helped re-introduce EDSA to the healthcare market by acquiring teaching hospital projects in Dubai and Qatar. Currently, he is managing the design team for a major, mixed-use, resort community in Marsa Alam, Red Sea, Egypt, on which EDSA is the prime consultant. The master plan and design guidelines will offer a unique tourist development with cultural relevance and authenticity.

GreenWorks Landscape Architecture has hired Jason King, ASLA, as a senior landscape architect. King recently joined the firm with 10 years of experience primarily focused on eco-roofs, and sustainable residential, healthcare, institutional and recreational projects. King’s experience has been in Portland and he is a LEED accredited professional who has volunteered his professional services for the Verde Native Plant Nursery, Ecoroofs Everywhere, Urban Water Works Board, and the Portland Greenmap Project. King graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from North Dakota State University. 

Landscape architect Michael Urchuk, ASLA, has joined the Raleigh, North Carolina office of engineering consulting firm Stantec. With over 16 years of experience in his field, Urchuk primarily specializes in designing site plans for residential and commercial development projects. He comes to Stantec from Horvath Associates in Durham where he prepared site plans for a variety of projects. He also has experience in irrigation design, master planning, park design, streetscapes, and developing design criteria. He is a registered landscape architect in Florida and North Carolina and earned his BS in design in landscape architecture from Arizona State University.

Dix Lanthrop and Associates, Inc., a landscape architecture firm in Longwood, Florida, is please to announce the appointment of James Wright, ASLA, Vince Abercrombie, Adrienne Downey-Jacks, ASLA, and Gail O’Connor as partners.

James Wright, ASLA, Vince Abercrombie, Adrienne Downey-Jacks, ASLA, Gail O'Connor

Lynn A. Yahia, ASLA, Thomas C. Carman, ASLA

Melillo + Bauer Associates, a landscape architecture and land planning firm in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, is very pleased to announce the promotion of Lynn A. Yahia, ASLA, and Thomas C. Carman, ASLA, to Principal. Yahia is a graduate of the University of Virginia, School of Architecture where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture.  While at UVA, Yahia was elected Undergraduate Vice-President of the Student Alliance of Landscape Architects and served as the student representative to the American Society of Landscape Architects National Meeting.  Her professional work experience includes work with Lawrence T. Whitlock Associates Landscape Architects, Planners, and Consulting Engineers, prior to joining Melillo + Bauer in 1983. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and was involved, for several years, in the planning of the New Jersey Chapter’s acclaimed Annual Meetings.  Currently, Lynn heads the Land Planning studio at Melillo + Bauer, overseeing numerous projects ranging from small infill developments to several thousand acre Master Plans.  She is a Certified Landscape Architect in New Jersey as well as a Registered Landscape Architect in the State of New York.
Carman is a graduate from Rutgers - The State University, Cook College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Design/Landscape Architecture. In addition, he has an Associates Degree in Landscape Development from the State University of New York- Cobleskill. Since joining the firm in 1994, Carman has become an integral part of the Melillo + Bauer team where he has been involved with many award winning projects ranging from Community Recreation Areas, Urban Design and Rooftop Development. He has returned to Rutgers University as an Adjunct Professor in Landscape Architecture teaching the Sophomore Landscape Architecture Design Studio. Carman is currently involved with the Highland Park Main Street Program and also sits on their design review committee. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is a Certified Landscape Architect in the State of New Jersey since 1997, and has provided professional testimony before many planning boards throughout the state.

Stephanie McClurg, ASLA, has joined the form of Stan Clauson Associates, Inc.  Stephanie comes to Aspen from working in the Washington, D.C. area, and previously had completed her degree in landscape architecture at West Virginia University.  She will serve as project manager and landscape architect for several land development projects on Colorado’s Western Slope, as well as contributing to site plan and land use permit activities for commercial and residential projects in the greater Aspen area.  An avid snowboarder and outdoors enthusiast, Stephanie will be a great fit for Stan Clauson Associates, whose specialty is planning and design services for mountain resort environments.