Biz Digest for the week of Aug. 3

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raSmith purchases Waukesha’s Matsen Ford Design Associates

R.A. Smith on August 1 bought the assets of Matsen Ford Design Associates, an engineering firm based in Waukesha.

Since 1987, Matsen Ford has worked on projects concerning conventional structural-system design, cold-formed steel-framing design and finish-systems design. Matsen Ford also pioneered cold-formed steel engineering.

Matsen Ford has moved its office from Waukesha to raSmith’s headquarters in Brookfield.

“With the addition of Matsen Ford, raSmith will significantly grow its structural engineering practice by leveraging the strengths of each firm and enhancing expertise in cold-formed steel engineering,” said Richard A. Smith, Jr., P.E., president of raSmith. “Bringing together raSmith’s staff of 17 structural engineers and technicians and Matsen Ford’s staff of 11 allows us to better serve our existing clients and positions us to make significant strides in reaching new markets.”

Pettit to succeed Naumann at GRAEF 

Mary Beth Pettit will take over GRAEF’s Milwaukee Transportation Group, the Milwaukee-based engineering, planning and design firm announced recently.

Pettit succeeds Burt Naumann, a 40-year employee of the company who will shift to working with GRAEF’s national transportation market. His new role now includes oversight of the newly opened Miami office in addition to his oversight of the company’s Orlando, Chicago-O’Hare, and Green Bay offices.

Pettit became the Milwaukee Transportation Group Manager on August 1. She has 23 years of experience at GRAEF and was named a principal of the firm in 2006. Previously, Pettit was a project manager and a public-involvement specialist for arterial and freeway projects in urban areas.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Marquette University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Spancrete names Schnell and Passint to leadership roles

Waukesha’s Spancrete has promoted John Schnell to vice president of precast-operations north, and Nicholas Passint to general manager of Spancrete Machinery.

Schnell has been with the company for 33 years, and previously served as vice president of Spancrete Machinery. He will be responsible for overseeing all precast operations in the north, encompassing activities at both the company’s Crystal Lake, Ill., and Valders plants.

Passint was previously a product and business-development engineer at Spancrete. He will be responsible for helping to increase machinery sales. He holds a degree in engineering mechanics from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“Both John and Nicholas are exceptional team players, motivating others to achieve company goals,” said Al Antoniewicz, president and COO, Spancrete. “We look forward to the creativity and vision they will bring to their respective teams in helping to grow our business.”

David J. Frank Landscape Contracting marks 3 years with no lost time accidents

David J. Frank Landscape Contracting recently achieved a safety milestone on July 23: 3 years, or 1,095 consecutive days, of no lost-time accidents.

The landscaping industry presents many hazards when it comes to everyday activities.  The company credits its rigorous safety program for its meeting the milestone.

“Three years is a very long time and the fact that our commitment and attention to safety has remained strong is an impressive achievement” said President David Frank. “I sincerely appreciate our employees continuous commitment to being safe each and every day.” Follow @natebeck9