Associate Award Winners Honored at Annual Officers’ Meeting
During the 2019 Officers’ Meeting in St. Augustine, Florida, RS&H leaders honored this year’s five company award winners. The June 12 awards ceremony marked the first conferral of the Impact Award, which RS&H created this year to recognize associates who have made a profound impact on the company.
The award winners represent several practices and resource groups and hail from multiple states, including Florida, Colorado and North Carolina.
“I’m proud of our associates every day,” said RS&H CEO Dave Sweeney. “The annual award ceremony just further reinforces how lucky we are to have such talented, honest, hard-working people on our team.”
Ron Sill – Impact Award
A landscape architect by trade, Ron Sill is a communicator at heart.
Six years ago, Ron made the switch from his architecture roots to a new role within RS&H’s Communications, Marketing & Strategy (CMS) team.
He hasn’t looked back.
As CMS’ creative director, Ron oversees a large group of disciplines within CMS, including graphic design, visualization and video. Beyond that considerable responsibility, Ron travels to offices across the country to lead a popular RS&H presentation skills class, and he is now spearheading an advanced sales team. He has also lent his landscape architecture skill set to several Corporate projects in recent years.
Whether he’s working in transportation, corporate landscape architecture or communications, Ron brings with him a plethora of creative, innovative ideas that make our company better.
For that, RS&H is honored to give Ron Sill the first-ever Impact Award.
Michael Becker – Professional Practitioner of the Year
One minute, Mike is a technical aviation planner proposing creative solutions to difficult problems. The next, he is managing large-scale aviation projects. After that, he’s resolving day-to-day office-related challenges.
At any minute of the day, Mike can be found fulfilling multiple, cross-disciplinary roles.
Mike understands that his position necessitates he do so – and he is able to effortlessly transition between those disciplines as the situation calls for it.
In spite of his continual juggling act, Mike remains in the moment with associates and clients, providing solutions equal parts pragmatic and forward-thinking.
Jennifer Farino – Project Manager of the Year
Jennifer sets the bar high – for herself and for others. A natural leader, she is a dedicated mentor to younger associates and a reliable, sought-after resource for clients.
Jennifer helms the North Carolina Roadway Group, the second largest group in the Transportation-Infrastructure Practice. Jennifer effortlessly balances management of her 17-associate team with client work.
Under Jennifer’s leadership, her team has received numerous repeat contracts, a testament to her relationship-building skills and ability to deliver on promises to clients.
David Mantia – R. Ray Goode Award
David is always helping. The Corporate Practice program manager volunteers at his church and at several nonprofits and serves as an active Navy reservist. In fact, David recently received the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service medal for his volunteering efforts.
Between February 2013 and June 2017 alone, David dedicated 796 hours of his time to various organizations. His volunteering activities ranged from fixing leaky faucets for foster families with maintenance needs to setting up ahead of his church’s services.
David is also actively involved in RS&H’s annual Halloween costume creation for children in wheelchairs at the Independent Living Resource Center in Jacksonville, Florida.
Gareth Hanley – Young Professional of the Year
The quote from former Board of Directors member Ron Ratliff, a planner for more than 40 years, says it all: “Where do you start with a person who typifies – no, more appropriately, exceeds – every possible criterion for this recognition?”
From very early on in Gareth’s career in RS&H’s Aviation Practice, it was clear to practice leaders that this “kid right out of school” was different.
Gareth came across as a seasoned professional when he was a newbie. Now, seven years into his RS&H career, he still manages to exceed his leadership’s already high expectations.
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