As the firm begins work at LAX, Urban announces staff changes to facilitate the expansion of facilities construction management services on the West Coast.
Urban is pleased to announce the expansion of facilities construction management in its Los Angeles office, with the relocation of Stephen Ehrlich, PE, LEED AP. Mr. Ehrlich is managing the firm’s work at Los Angeles International Airport, and will help to grow the firm’s expertise and staff in the region.
“Our expansion in Los Angeles will further enhance the services we provide to West Coast-based clients,” said William Thomsen, PE, Urban’s senior vice president for national services. “We are excited to continue to grow our facilities construction management practice and lend our aptitude to projects of all sizes and complexities throughout California and beyond.”
“Steve is widely respected in the industry for his managerial and technical expertise and he will be instrumental in assisting the Los Angeles World Airports with the Landside Access Modernization Program at Los Angeles International Airport,” said Matthew Marquardt, PE, Urban’s senior vice president for vertical services. “He was an obvious choice for this role as he is a proven leader and consistently demonstrates a commitment to high-quality client service.”
Mr. Ehrlich serves as a vice president and the general manager of facilities construction management services at Urban, and previously worked at the firm’s Philadelphia, PA, headquarters. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, his experience includes a variety of airports, buildings, petrochemical facilities, heavy highway, site development, marine, transit facilities, and environmental investigation and remediation projects. A registered Professional Engineer in four states, Mr. Ehrlich is an active member of the Construction Management Association of America, the Design-Build Institute of America, and the American Council of Engineering Companies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Urban also announced the promotion of Jared Krause, PE, CWI, to general manager of facilities construction management services. He will take over Mr. Ehrlich’s responsibilities for East Coast clients. Mr. Krause previously served as deputy general manager for Urban’s facilities construction management practice, that included management of the special inspection practice in New York City and Philadelphia. He has more than 13 years of experience in engineering design, special inspection, construction management, and construction inspection on a range of projects including high-rise buildings, tenant fit-outs, site development, and horizontal infrastructure. Assisting Mr. Krause will be Meera Ponnappa, who was recently promoted to assistant project manager. Ms. Ponnappa has been key in developing Urban's Special Inspection Manual and Inspection Procedures, and for implementing the cloud-based Agile MetaField software Urban uses to coordinate and schedule inspections for improved efficiency.
Urban’s construction management and special inspection practice is backed by its multidisciplinary design and construction expertise. The firm has performed expert special inspections per Chapter 17 of the International Building Code for more than 20 years, and emphasized this public safety service long before many cities required building owners to hire accredited special inspection agencies for their projects. Urban’s special inspection services play a crucial role in delivering safe, reliable, and code compliant construction.