In keeping with the momentum of Primera’s regional growth in 2018, it was a banner year for talent as well. Our people are our product and we continue to invest in finding, training, and retaining the best in the industry. In addition to welcoming several key hires, we had the pleasure of advancing some of our own team members to help strengthen our firm.

“While 2018 had its own challenges like any other year, I am excited to continue building on the company’s long-term strategic vision through investments in our team of incredibly talented individuals,” states President & CEO Erin Inman. “The key hires and promotions we made this year will be instrumental in our success moving forward,” she adds. This year, Primera made significant strides with the help of the following additions and moves:

1. Chris Stasiunas joined Primera as our new East Coast Regional Manager. Based in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Chris boasts nearly 30 years of experience working in the utility and nuclear industries. He began his career working for PECO in transmission and distribution, design, and generation. In addition to managing our growing Mid-Atlantic team, his primary responsibility is to build meaningful relationships with new and existing clients across the region.
2. Tricia Cox joined us full-time as an East Coast Client Manager after consulting with us for the past four years. Based in Philadelphia, Tricia is managing and supporting our mid-Atlantic utility clients and helping grow our business consulting portfolio. Tricia brings 20 years of experience in the utility industry involving operations and maintenance program development and management.
3. Varsha Singh joined us as our new Civil/Structural Department Manager. Varsha has over 15 years of experience in project management for civil and structural projects in the transportation and utilities sectors. Based out of our Lisle, Illinois office, Varsha’s primary responsibility is to manage our growing civil and structural utilities team and projects, specifically as they pertain to power generation, transmission, and distribution. She is also working toward improving our processes and procedures for efficient engineering and ensuring client satisfaction. Varsha’s addition follows the promotion of our former department manager, Eduardo DeSantiago, to Civil/Structural Engineering Director. Working closely with Varsha, his new role has him providing QA/QC on all civil/structural projects and continually educating our staff on current codes and industry standards as well as best practices.
4. Guy Neidorkorn joined Primera as Vice President, Director of Business Development. Primera has worked closely with Guy for many years during his long tenure at Aldridge Electric. With more than 40 years of experience in high-voltage underground and high-rise electrical projects, he will spear-head our utility consulting services for developers and general contractors on high-rise projects. The service offering combines the expertise of our buildings, transportation, utility, and business consulting divisions to offer clients one-stop-shop coordination from pre-construction through occupancy.
5. Rina Vidri and Jason DeRosa were promoted to Electrical and Mechanical Group Managers, respectively. Housed within Primera’s Buildings Division, Jason and Rina are responsible for managing the firm’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers, while still overseeing the design and coordination of key projects. Together, they are helping lead and mentor the next generation of engineers. Rina’s promotion has enabled our former Mechanical Department Manager, Michael Belczak, to move into his new Mechanical Engineering Director role. He provides QA/QC on all mechanical and plumbing projects and helps keep Primera at the forefront of the industry.
6. Matt Dvorak was promoted to Vice President of Marketing + Communications. Thanks to Matt’s commitment to Primera’s core values and building our reputation in the industry, he is now positioned to further assist in the firm’s strategic planning efforts and champion Primera’s growth initiatives. Likewise, Primera’s marketing team was strengthened with the promotion of Angie DeAlba to Senior Communications Manager. Angie has more than 15 years of corporate communications and event planning experience.
7. Kendahle Artis was promoted to Director of Human Resources. A proud Primera employee since 2012, Kendahle’s expanded role has her working closer with the firm’s executive team to develop and implement strategies to enhance all aspects of the employee experience. Kendahle grew our HR team with the addition of Talent Acquisition Specialist Sara Stacy this Fall. Sara brings nearly 10 years of HR experience to Primera. Kendahle, Sara, and the rest of their team onboarded nearly 40 people in 2018!

Founded in 1987, Primera is a full-service, woman-owned engineering design and consulting firm dedicated to developing meaningful client relationships that allow us to provide best-in-class client service. Primera offers a wide range of business consulting and professional services in the buildings, transportation and utility environments, including: mechanical, electrical, plumbing (M/E/P), civil, structural and telecommunications engineering, as well as commissioning, energy, architecture, sustainability, life safety, lighting, project and construction management.