Tiffany Thompson Munro
Creating a niche through re-branding expertise
35, Senior Project Manager
Jones Lang LaSalle
Houston

Since her childhood, Tiffany Thompson Munro liked space planning and drawing floor plans. That fascination with space and move management led to a career in retail program management, design and interior construction. She currently serves as the program manager for a client’s rebranding program that involves 1,800 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Time in Industry: 12 years
Education: Bachelor’s of Arts, Interior Design, University of Texas, Austin, 1998; MBA, Texas A&M University, College Station, 2005
Hometown: Lake Jackson, Texas
LEED Accredited: Yes
Important Projects: FedEx Office rebranding; Sprint rebranding; Lone Star College renovation; Whirlpool distribution center
Community Service: Pink Door, volunteer; neighborhood association board member; Habitat for Humanity, volunteer; CoreNet, volunteer

Industry Outlook: “The biggest challenge is obtaining financing for construction projects. 2009 and 2010 were lean years. We’re seeing some building and renovatng and doing what we can with financing. We serve the client in the best way we can and look at options. People are building more efficient buildings. People are looking long term.”

Jason Tramonte
Helped an established firm open new regional markets
35, Senior Project Designer/Manager
HOK
Houston

Jason Tramonte demonstrates a mastery of planning, design and management. His energy helped open new markets for his design firm, where he excels at identifying project opportunities and building project teams to meet client needs.

Time in Industry: 10 years
Education: Bachelor’s of Architecture, University of Houston, 2000
Hometown: Lafayette, La.
LEED Accredited: Yes
Important Projects: SpawGlass Corporate Headquarters, Houston; BJ Services Corporate Headquarters, Houston; Friedkin Companies Campus, Houston; Texas Woman's University - School of Nursing, Houston
Community Service: Trees for Houston, member and past executive board member
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: American Institute of Architects; National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, registered; CoreNet; NAIOP; US Green Building Council; Urban Land Institute; Texas Society of Architects

Industry Outlook: “The toughtest thing right now is multitasking—bringing in new work and balancing it with the work we have from our existing client base. We are trying to be more regionally focused, since our part of the country is one of the more dynamic in the United States for construction and potential development. While HOK Texas has always been very active internationally, we are concentrating on strengthening our presence in the region. Our intent is to leverage excellent work for our existing clients within the region to generate new work in new market segments to stay diverse. We’re trying to do more in Louisiana, teaming with local partners—not taking over the marketplace.”

Kellie Vazquez
Eagerness to learn and seizing new opportunities propel her career
34, Vice President
Holes Inc.
Houston

Kellie Vazquez began her career at Holes, a concrete cutting and demolition contractor, as a marketing director but soon volunteered to take on new responsibilities in safety management, accounting, payroll, contracts and other areas. In each one, she streamlined operations and developed more efficient processes. “Holes has always had a philosophy of promoting from within,” Vazquez says.

Time in Industry: 10 years
Education: International Business and Spanish, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, 1999
Hometown: Houston
LEED Accredited: No
Community Service: Houston Area Womens Shelter, fundraiser; Homes for Our Troops, an Associated General Contractors’ project, fundraiser
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: Associated General Contractors, National Safety and Health Committee, silica committee member; Associated Builders and Contractors, Houston Chapter, Marketing Committee chair; Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association, board member, chair of the certification committee, member of the safety, training and standards and specs committees; Women Contractors Association, president

Industry Outlook: “In these economic times, we must take care of the employees we have and sustain them with enough hours and at the same time have enough employees and manpower to satisfy our customers’ needs, which at times leaves us in limbo about whether to hire more staff or not. Holes has always had a philosophy of promoting from within. One of the benefits of this is that it allows us to increase our capacity during high-demand periods with our recently promoted managers, yet maintain a normal level of field personnel for regular operations.”

Casey O. Wood
Triple-digit revenue increases under his leadership
35, President
Kelly Wood Co.
Amarillo

Casey Wood bought the family business in 2007 and helped increase revenue 223% in 2008 and 159% in 2009. The design-build and construction management firm continues to grow, hiring eight people in 2010. As a principal, Wood stays involved in projects and has acquired a reputation for delivering quality jobs. Nearly three-quarters of the firm’s business is from repeat customers.

Time in Industry: 17 years
Education: Amarillo College
Hometown: Amarillo
LEED Accredited: No
Important Projects: Presbyterian Home for Children, Amarillo; Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo; Northwest Texas Hospital renovation, Amarillo; Plains Memorial Hospital, Dimmitt, Texas
Community Service: First Presbyterian Church, deacon, moderator of Properties Committee, small group leader; Goodwill Industries, board member; Amarillo Habitat for Humanity, donor and construction-related consulting; Presbyterian Home for Children, donor and construction-related consulting
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: US Green Business Council

Industry Outlook: “Although the recession has undoubtedly caused some uncertainty with project lenders and owners, I feel that the bigger challenge is the financial strain that the economy has put on many subcontractors and suppliers. Gone are the days of accepting bids at face value. We have seen an increase in joint check requests even on some larger and more established subcontractors. We have revamped our vetting process for suppliers and subcontractors to verify their financial stability. We have also seen this as an opportunity to come up with some mutually beneficial solutions by offering faster payment terms. We have paid major suppliers direct for subcontractors and have been able to take advantage of discounts, while also having the security of knowing that the materials have been paid for. We have been able to negotiate some substantial discounts from vendors that have not offered any in the past.”

Jared Wood
Ingenuity, tenacity and teamwork lead to partnership fast-track
35, Partner
Studio RED Architects
Houston

Three years after joining Studio RED Architects, Jared Wood so impressed firm executives with his design skills and collaborative instincts that he became a partner in 2007. Since then, he has been sought after by clients and community groups for his leadership skills in architecture, design and construction processes. Clients and team members appreciate his approachability and the time he takes to answer questions. “I’ve always been fascinated with building things. It wasn’t unusual for me to take over the dining room with a city designed and built with Legos,” he says. “Today, as an architect, I get chills when I see the result of our design in a built project.”

“Today, as an architect, I get chills when I see the result of our design in a built project in use.”

—Jared Wood, 35, Partner, Studio RED Architects, Houston

Time in Industry: 14 years
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Architecture, University of Houston
Hometown: Orangeville, Texas
LEED Accredited: No
Important Projects: Lakewood Church, Houston; University of Texas at Brownsville Music Education Building; Houston Baptist University Cultural Arts Center, Houston; Miller Outdoor Theatre Renovation, Houston
Community Service: Designed home for needy family and coordinated permitting

Industry Outlook: “Clients want us to do things faster, so we have to do things with speed and efficiency. Owners want us meeting schedule, so they can get it done with better prices. We get the contractor on board early and make them part of the design team. We work with them to do things more efficiently. If we work together, we can collaborate back and forth and ome up with answers as a team. That helps the process.”

Gareth J. Young
Developed an expertise in sustainable site design
34, Associate
Walter P Moore
Houston

Since joining Walter P Moore, the 80-year-old transportation and structural engineering firm, in 2004, Gareth J. Young has built a reputation for making the project vision a reality and for integrating sustainable practices with everyday design solutions, helping to make the client’s wish list part of the built environment. He has emerged as a local leader in sustainable site design, sharing that expertise whenever possible. Young recently served on a team that helped create standards in Houston for low-impact design. The firm is one of only four locally based companies to have been named to Houston Business Journal’s best places to work five years in a row.

Time in Current Position: 6 years
Education: Bachelor’s in Marine Science, Texas A&M, College Station, 1997; MS, Civil Engineering, University of Houston, 2004
Hometown: Humble, Texas
LEED Accredited: Yes
Important Projects: Houston Pavilions, Houston; The Discovery Tower, Houston; Boulevard Place, Houston
Community Service: Local volunteer firefighter
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: Houston Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, branch director 2009-2010; Houston Engineer’s Week; Houston branch of the Urban Land Institute, committee assignment; US Green Building Council Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, committee assignment; and the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Industry Outlook: “The biggest challenge is trying to create a paradigm shift to accept new and innovative ways of doing projects, especially site development. That comes from having the design community think more, not always do things the same way because that’s the way they’ve always been done but rather to look at each project individually for what it can become.”