ESD is a big fan of promoting from within. It boosts morale, shows loyalty and saves costs that are involved with trying to recruit external candidates.
Seven employees – including many long-time ones — were recently elevated to vice president. They are:
Mohsen Aghai has provided electrical engineering system design for domestic and international projects, including supporting our international initiative by acting as our Electrical Director in our Abu Dhabi office. He has gained expertise in the design of electrical power distribution systems from the schematic design phase through the construction document phase. He joined ESD in 1995.
Daniel Burggraaff is an integral member of the High Performance Building team. Working closely with clients such as McCormick Place, Navy Pier and KPMG, Dan’s efforts have been instrumental in the ongoing success of the team. Dan is engaged in project management and mechanical systems design for commercial buildings, educational facilities, data centers and tenant build-outs. He joined ESD in 2000.
Shelby Goldman serves as a senior level project manager within the Workplace Solutions group. Shelby has made a significant impact on the industry with her innovative approach to delivering best-in-class engineering consulting services. She has garnered respect from Fortune 500 firms located throughout Chicagoland and beyond. She joined ESD in 1998.
James Gronek has a wealth of Bay Area experience in the design of commercial high-rise core and shell, workplace interiors, cultural and performance spaces and retail markets. At ESD he has served as the San Francisco Studio Leader, Project Manager and Senior Mechanical Design Engineer. James played an integral part in the successful relocation to a new office. He joined ESD in 2015.
Julia Gudino leads the Human Resources team and is making ESD a place where people want to work. She applies ESD’s values in her daily work and continues to place others’ issues above her own. As Director of Human Resources, Julia balances the needs of our people according to changing market conditions, a complex legal environment, skill development, and career opportunities. She joined ESD in 1999.
Mike Matthews is involved with many of ESD’s process improvement efforts and is co-leading an evaluation of our financial system platform. As Director of Accounting, Mike supports process improvement, streamlines reporting, integrates platforms and leads the accounting team through his knowledge of accounting principles. He is involved with tax compliance and oversees the state licensures across the firm. Mike joined ESD in 2014.
Jose Orta has helped lead the engineering effort on projects that have earned more than a dozen industry awards, including Motorola Mobility, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and others. Jose is actively involved in ASHRAE and is instrumental in helping develop much of the staff, with a keen focus on highly effective project management strategies. He joined ESD in 1994.