Syska Snippets
Did you miss some of our press releases or emails? Not to worry. In every issue of Connections we provide a news summary.
Here is the latest:
New Hires
Welcome to the team. We are excited that you are here!
Nicholas Degennaro
Associate Partner New York
Patricia Dreste
Associate Partner / Chief Human Resources Officer New York
Mina Riad
Senior Associate San Francisco
Travis Wilson
Senior Associate Charlotte
Brianna Carges
Senior Associate New York
Christopher Wiker
Senior Associate Charlotte
Joseph Hidalgo
Senior Associate Boston
Daniel Eiben
Senior Associate Tampa
Daniel Rudolph
Senior Associate Los Angeles
Angeline Belalcazar
Senior Associate Orange County
Brian McElwee
Associate Hamilton
Tim Cole
Associate San Diego
Martin Zygmunt
Associate Chicago
Daniel Kachler
Associate Chicago
James Colwell
Associate Charlotte
Promotions
Darren Alfano
Associate Partner to Associate Principal
Michelle Galindez
Director of Marketing & Communications to Chief Marketing Officer
Timothy Krawetz
Senior Principal to Executive Principal
Andrew Krenning
Associate Partner to Associate Principal
Frederick Noel
Associate Partner to Associate Principal
Richard Nowak
Associate Principal to Principal
Joseph Romano
Associate Partner to Associate Principal
A round of applause. Well deserved! Join us in congratulating them!
Awards
Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium
We are proud to share that the Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium has been honored by ENR with an Award of Merit in Northern California’s Cultural/Worship category. This recognition celebrates the collective effort to reimagine one of Oakland’s most iconic gathering spaces—preserving its historic character while introducing modern improvements that prioritize resilience, accessibility, and sustainability for generations to come.
Syska Hennessy was proud to partner with the project team, providing MEP value engineering services that supported this thoughtful transformation.
Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE)
Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) was recognized with the 2025 American Public Works Association (APWA) Project of the Year Award in the Transportation Projects over $75 million category!
As the third-busiest crossing on the U.S.–Mexico border—and the #1 gateway for commercial truck traffic—this expansion and renovation project plays a critical role in strengthening international trade, improving efficiency, and enhancing security.
Syska Hennessy collaborated with the project team providing electrical engineering, vertical transportation, and architectural lighting design services to bring this transformative project to life.
Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry Modernization and Expansion also received an Award of Merit in the Government/Public Building category at ENR California’s 2024 Regional Best Projects Awards.
Photo credit: © 2022 Tom Bonner
Hotel del Coronado
The Hotel del Coronado Full Building Renovation has been selected by the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2025 Orchids & Onions Jury to receive an Orchid Award in the Historic Preservation category!
This recognition celebrates the thoughtful revitalization of one of Southern California’s most iconic landmarks — blending historic integrity with modern performance.
Photo Credit: Hotel del Coronado
Speaking Engagements
Sean Marcel
Kenny Trowers
Michael Terrigno
From Airports to Leadership: Sean Marcel at DBIA-WPR 2025 Sean Marcel, Principal, spoke at the DBIA-WPR 2025 Education Summit & Awards in Chula Vista as part of the panel discussion: “Building Leaders While Building Airports: How Long-Term Projects Build Team, Talent and Leaders” on Thursday, August 21st.
International Life Sciences & Biotech Conference Between September 10-11th, Bisnow’s International Life Sciences & Biotech Conference brought leaders from across biotech, academia, and investment to San Diego. One of the highlights was the panel “Universities Driving Innovation and Biotech Growth”—featuring Robert Fagnant, Associate Principal, who joined fellow experts to explore how universities are fostering talent, supporting startups, and accelerating industry partnerships.
Data Layers in the Wild: Kenny Trowers at NexusCon On October 8, Kenny Trowers, Associate Partner, moderated a panel called, “Data Layers in the Wild: Case Studies.” This session brought together leaders from Amazon, Willow, Mapped, Northern Arizona University, IntelliBuild, KODE Labs, and Goldman Sachs to explore how organizations are deploying data layers to break down silos, retrofit legacy systems, and scale smart building strategies globally.
Syska in the Spotlight: Josh Fluecke on PBS’s Energy Switch If you missed the premiere earlier this month, you can still catch Syska Hennessy’s very own Josh Fluecke, who leads our data center practice, on PBS’s Energy Switch!
In this episode, Josh joins Dr. Ayse Coskun of Boston University to explore the massive energy demands — and growing opportunities — behind the world’s data centers. From the cloud to your phone, these unseen engines power our digital lives.
Watch On-Demand: PBS Episode – “Data Centers” here.
Great Insights from the 7x24 Exchange Regional Chapter Conference! Michael Terrigno, Principal, joined the panel “Designing for Density: The New Reality of Power & Cooling at Scale” at the 7x24 Exchange Regional Chapter Conference. With workloads reaching 30–50 kW per rack, driven by AI/ML, GPU clusters, and edge deployments, data centers are redefining how power and cooling systems are designed. The discussion explored how the industry is adapting with smarter, denser, and more sustainable solutions for this new era of high-performance computing.
From California to Switzerland! Cooper Gibson, PE, Sustainability Specialist, joined the Circular San Antonio’s Sustainability Delegation in Switzerland this October.
Cooper’s commitment to data-driven, performance-based design is helping advance decarbonization efforts across the built environment. This international collaboration provides valuable insights into how circular economy principles can shape a more sustainable future — insights that will continue to inform his impactful work across California and beyond.
Robert Fagnant
Josh Fluecke
Cooper Gibson
Firmwide News
Tampa Office Move
Our Tampa office has officially moved to a new location. We look forward to welcoming clients and colleagues to our updated space.
The new address is:
Two Harbour Place, 302 Knight’s Run Avenue, Suite 1020, Tampa, FL 33602
2025 Vision Award Winners Announced!
We hosted our 7th annual Vision Awards, recognizing the incredible talent, innovation, and impact of our team. This year’s categories included: Emerging Professional “Rising Star,” Ownership, Project Management, Technical Excellence, Community, and Project of the Year. A big thank you to our external judges and all participants. Congratulations to our winners and nominees—you continue to inspire us all!
Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 2025 MEP Giants
We’re excited to share that Syska Hennessy has ranked 17th on Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 2025 MEP Giants list—a proud step up from last year! Being recognized among the Top 100 highlights the incredible work of our team, who continually raise the bar. We’re grateful to our clients and partners who trust us with their most complex projects and allow us to do what we do best.
ReGroup Carolinas
Syska Hennessy is proud to support ReGroup Carolinas and their mission to bring industry leaders together for meaningful conversations.
Our CEO & President, Cyrus Izzo, spoke with members about the lessons he’s learned throughout his career, how those experiences shaped his leadership journey, and the value of strong organizational structures.
The discussion emphasized the importance of leaders in driving innovation and collaboration across our industry. Cyrus highlighted that successful projects are always built on unique, collaborative teamwork—where Owners, Architects, Engineers, and Contractors come together as true partners.
We’re honored to donate our time and energy to ReGroup Carolinas and contribute to advancing these vital conversations in our industry.
Syska-Fest 2025: A Night to Remember!
What an amazing evening connecting with our clients, partners, and team in Los Angeles! Your energy and enthusiasm made Syska-Fest 2025 truly unforgettable. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and to our incredible Syska crew for orchestrating such a seamless and spectacular night.
SHAPE Annual Retreat 2025
SHAPE (Syska Hennessy Advocating for Professional Equity) — our employee resource group championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging — came together for its annual retreat.
It was an inspiring two days filled with meaningful conversations, collaborative team-building, and strategic planning as we set our sights on our goals for 2026 and beyond.
They left the retreat energized, connected, and more committed than ever to advancing professional equity across Syska Hennessy. What an amazing evening connecting with our clients, partners, and team in Los Angeles! Your energy and enthusiasm made Syska-Fest 2025 truly unforgettable. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and to our incredible Syska crew for orchestrating such a seamless and spectacular night.
Partnering for Recovery: Supporting ReGroup WNC After Hurricane Helene
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Syska Hennessy joined forces with ReGroup WNC to help families across Western North Carolina rebuild. We’re proud to have contributed to this community-wide effort that has already provided over $1 million in aid.
Giving Back Together
At our recent Leadership Meeting, we made a local donation to St. Mary’s Food Bank. Our contribution will help provide 25,000 meals to individuals and families in need across the community.
National ICT Team Aligns for the Year Ahead
The National ICT team gathered in New York for its annual summit to review the group’s business plan and strategic priorities. The session focused on aligning objectives and setting clear goals to drive innovation and growth in the year ahead.
Connecting Teams, Shaping BIM: Reflections from the 2025 Tour
This year, the National BIM Team’s (NBT) “Tour de Syska 2025” became more than an initiative—it evolved into a movement to strengthen the foundation of Syska Hennessy’s BIM practice. It isn’t just a set of standards; it’s the framework that drives efficiency, consistency, and innovation across our design teams, enabling greater automation and supporting the technologies shaping our industry’s future.
The goal was simple: share with the team on how the “SHBIM” updates will enhance workflows and help teams work smarter and more collaboratively. But the tour became something more. Through conversations in every office, the team provided feedback into the challenges, priorities, and insights that guide our projects each day.
As the tour wraps up, one message is clear: this wasn’t just about NBT delivering information—it was about building trust and reinforcing our shared mission to continually improve how we work. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a future where technology and creativity thrive, and where Syska Hennessy continues to lead with excellence.
Celebrating Our LeaderFlow Graduates
LeaderFlow has wrapped up its 2025 Leadership Development Programs, celebrating a year of meaningful growth and connection across five national cohorts. We’re proud to share that two team members—Jocelyn La Chance (Los Angeles) and Blake Lin (New York)—were among this year’s graduating class, reflecting our firm’s continued commitment to developing future-focused leaders.