David Huffman, a principal at Richert & Associates (Mercer Island, Wash.) has been named chairman of ProSpec 2003, the annual build/design trade show sponsored by the Puget Sound Chapter, Construction Specifications Institute.

Huffman is a founder of the show and has been an active participant since its inception in 1987. ProSpec 2003 is scheduled for June 5 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle.

Mark Thynes was recently hired as a project manager at Veca Electric and Communications (Seattle) in the firm's communications division. Thynes' educational background includes a BA in Communications from Pepperdine University and 12 years of professional experience.

Electrical contractor Christenson Corp. (Portland, Ore.) announced that its president emeritus, Brian Christopher, has been selected as a Fellow member of the Academy of Electrical Contracting.

Designed to honor influential members of the electrical contracting profession, a Fellowship is the only professional award granted to industry notables. Fellows are selected on their abilities to advance the mission of the academy, which is to preserve and capitalize on the experience that these leaders have developed throughout their careers for the benefit of the electrical contracting industry.

Christopher joined Christenson Corp. as a journeyman electrician in 1964, holding positions with the company ranging from foreman, superintendent, general manager, vice president and president.

Pre-engineered metal building manufacturer Web Steel Buildings (Sandy, Ore.) has named Masayuki "Soc" Sasaki as district manager of its rigid frame division.

Masayuki will oversee promotion, sales and project management of the rigid frame product, a building system Web Steel introduced to its product line in 2001. Masayuki previously held positions as draftsman, checker, interactive frame designer, project developer and drafting manager for other firms before joining Web Steel.

Commercial Real Estate Women Seattle (CREW) has elected its board of directors for 2003. Shawn Rush will serve as the new president.

Joining Rush are 2003 board officers Helen Wattley Ames, president elect, property manager at Joshua Green Corporation; Peggy Emerson, treasurer; and board directors Lori Hill, associate at Cushman & Wakefield; Carleen Kinch, senior lease administrator with CB Richard Ellis; Linda Larabee-Dawson, senior manager at Investco Management Services; Bob MacMillan, business development manager at Moss & Company Executive Search; Lori Mason Curran, real estate market research manager at Vulcan, Inc.; Rebecca McIntyre, assistant director at the University of Washington Real Estate Office; and Gayle Wilder, president of G. Wilder & Associates. National delegates are Tracy Lent-Anderson, account manager with Spectra Contract Flooring and Deborah Berg, an attorney with Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC.

Schnitzer Northwest (Bellevue, Wash.) recently announced the addition of Tom Woodworth to the Bellevue investment team as investment director of development. Woodworth was most recently with a local mortgage firm.

Woodworth will be responsible for leading a team of investment professionals in acquiring, developing, redeveloping and repositioning real estate in the greater Seattle area, and will be directly in charge of project conceptualization, project planning and design, market and financial analysis, and construction and leasing.

Woodworth is active in the University of Washington Real Estate Advisory Committee, Washington Chapter of NAIOP Board of Directors, Laurelhurst Elementary School Auction Committee and has been a guest instructor at the University of Washington Real Estate Certificate Program for industrial development and sales for the past four years.

NBBJ Graphic Design (Seattle) added John Rubino to the practice. Rubino joins the firm with experience in finance, brand strategies, and the high-tech marketplace.

With 20 years of experience in corporate finance and operations, and degrees in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and Columbia University, Rubino brings to NBBJ Graphic Design an understanding of both the business and design worlds. He provides the common thread from business goals to client relations to design solutions to full-on production, acting as a strategic director in the process. He sees the combination of business and design as creating a tangible value for clients - the brand as a tangible asset.

PB Farradyne (Seattle), the Intelligent Transportation Systems division of Parsons Brinckerhoff, has named Paul A. Toliver a senior advisor for the transit ITS services. He is responsible for developing strategic approaches to applying the firm's expertise to transit and rail projects nationwide.

Toliver has 30 years of experience in the public transit field, serving previously as director of the King County Department of Transportation. From 1988 to 1995 he was director of transit for Seattle Metro. He served as deputy general manager and chief transportation officer for the San Francisco Municipal Railway and has held senior positions with transit agencies in New Orleans; South Bend, Ind.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Cincinnati.

Seattle electrical engineering and technology consulting firm Sparling recently added Sandy Peron to its marketing department as a marketing communications specialist. Peron's responsibilities include the production of qualification packages and marketing collateral and coordination of client presentations for the firm. Peron graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in English.

GBD Architects Incorporated (Portland, Ore.) announces several promotions. Kent Pottebaum is now a principal, Russ Hale an associate principal, Ron Huld a senior associate, and Craig Stockbridge and Tom DiChiara are now associates.

Pottebaum has been at GBD for 13 years and runs many of the firm's space planning and renovation projects. In addition to managing the ongoing work for Freightliner for many years, he completed several space planning projects at the US Bancorp Tower and 400 SW Sixth Avenue. Currently, Pottebaum is heading up the YWCA renovation at Museum Place.

Hale now oversees the personnel and human resources functions for the firm. In addition, he continues to manage several projects at the Brewery Blocks and Museum Place.

When Huld joined GBD in 2000, he brought 30 years of experience with him, working on many significant projects such as the 1000 Broadway office building and the U.S. Courthouse in Portland. He is currently managing the Edge condominium project in the Pearl district and Museum Place South.

During his eight years at GBD, Stockbridge has been involved in numerous commercial, residential and recreational projects. He is currently focusing on the US Bancorp Plaza and GBD's new office space in the Pearl district.

DiChiara has been involved as a lead designer and project manager for many of the firm's mixed-use projects. He worked on the Belmont Dairy and the Fifth Avenue Court Apartments and is now heading up the Block 5 design team.

Swinerton Builders of Oregon (Portland, Ore.) recently announced the promotion of Ken Maheu to the position of vice-president division manager.

Maheu is a seasoned veteran of the construction trade with over two decades of management and building experience, much of it in the disciplines of high tech, clean room and critical facilities. Most recently, Maheu led a Swinerton Builders team as project executive/operations manager in a fast-track, design-build construction of the new $136-million Novellus campus in Tualatin, Ore.