Author: Jessica Osborne

BL Companies Hires John Stavrakas as Principal Strategic Industry Advisor

John Stavrakas

John Stavrakas, PE recently joined BL Companies in Norwood, Massachusetts as a Principal Strategic Industry Advisor.  John has over thirty-seven (37) years of experience in the Gas Distribution business, including in Engineering and Operations having recently retired from a major northeast utility company as Vice President of Asset Management in 2019. John was responsible for the management, oversight and technical direction of various gas facilities and infrastructure, spanning six operating companies and several states. He was responsible for developing capital budgets supporting maintenance and operations of gas distribution systems consisting of 35,000 miles of distribution mains serving 3.5 million customers, over 2,000 pressure regulating stations and 9 Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) storage facilities with over 9 billion cubic feet (BCF) of capacity. John has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

John, as Principal Strategic Industry Advisor in BL Companies’ growing Energy group, will provide consulting and related professional services for targeted clients in the planning, project development and implementation of gas facility and infrastructure improvement projects. This will include an initial focus on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) supply alternatives and options for the New York and New England regions.

John will also be involved in BL Companies’ business development and project execution and will provide technical expertise to support the long-term strategic growth plan for the Company’s Energy market and discipline. John will be supported by BL Companies’ team of professionals in its Northeast offices.

BL Companies’ President & CEO, Carolyn Stanworth, Receives Champions of Change Award

Carolyn Stanworth, President and CEO of BL Companies was presented the Champions of Change Award at the Annual Construction Institute Women Who Build Summit. Stanworth was honored in recognition of her continued support, contributions, encouragement and mentorship of women in the construction industry. The award was presented on February 20th at the Lincoln Campus Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in front of an audience of local and regional industry professionals.

As a leader and mentor to the women and men in the company, Stanworth has harnessed the power of employee ownership to engage and strengthen the BL team. Stanworth was one of the key drivers responsible for planning and instituting the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) at BL Companies. She saw – and continues to see – employee-ownership and the ESOP as an excellent opportunity to inspire ownership, engagement and accountability among employees. Stanworth supports her employees both professionally and personally and works closely with senior leadership, managers, and external consultants in the implementation and enhancement of the shared ownership culture at BL Companies.

Pictured, left to right: Jennifer Marks, Heather Halotek & Carolyn Stanworth, BL Companies; Nancy Greenwald, Construction Institute

At the event she shared her philosophy around leadership training at BL Companies. She remarked, “Leadership is not a title. It is a way of behaving and if we all do that – we’ll be better as a team and a company.”

Stanworth heads an employee-owned, multi-discipline company, whose core leadership includes seven women among sixteen key people. She has engaged her 37 years of experience in strategic planning, financial analysis, accounting, operations, auditing, and information technology to shape a leadership training program at BL Companies. This program is designed to develop a common language, instill respect and foster communication for all employees at BL Companies. Stanworth continues to champion the firm’s leadership development initiatives and has fundamentally changed the way the architects, engineers, surveyors and scientists at BL look at the business.

BL Companies is a 100% employee-owned company providing multidiscipline architectural, engineering, environmental, and land surveying services to clients throughout the US. BL is consistently listed among the Top 500 Design in the US by Engineering News-Record and has nearly 300 employee-owners across Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas.

BL Companies Relocates to Harrisburg

BL Companies, an employee-owned, multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, environmental and land surveying firm has relocated its Camp Hill, Pennsylvania office to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The larger office space will employ over thirty BL Companies’ engineering, surveying and environmental professionals. The new and expanded office positions BL Companies to offer its services and client care in close proximity to its clients and projects in the Greater Harrisburg area.

“This expansion has been planned as part of our overall regional growth strategy,” noted Michael Lozanoff, PE, Director of Engineering for BL Companies’ Mid-Atlantic region. “This expanded office will enable us to fill key positions and continue to provide our clients excellent service in this region.”

Carolyn Stanworth, President and CEO of BL Companies, remarks that “this continues to be an exciting time for BL. Our expanding presence throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast reflects the success of our growth strategy and further establishes our commitment to providing a high level of service to our clients and projects in these regions and beyond.”

BL Companies is consistently listed among the Top 500 Design Firms in the US by Engineering News-Record and has over 270 employee-owners in offices across Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Please note BL Companies’ new Harrisburg office address:

2601 Market Place
Suite 350
Harrisburg, PA 17110

BL Companies Receives 2019 “Best in Class: Industrial Project” Award

BL Companies received the 2019 “Best in Class: Industrial Project” award at the 24th Annual CREW CT Real Estate Exchange Blue Ribbon Awards for its work on the FedEx Distribution Hub project in Middletown, Conn. The award was presented on April 24th at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, where the winners were announced in front of an audience of local and regional industry professionals.

The 508,000 square foot FedEx Ground Distribution Hub went through multiple conceptual iterations, in order to minimize impacts on the site and the surrounding area. The final design was respectful of the site’s environment, topography, and neighbors while still meeting the hub’s operational needs. BL Companies provided architectural and engineering services.

“We are honored to receive an award in recognition of industrial design excellence,” said Carolyn Stanworth, President and CEO of BL Companies. “Achieving a successful project required a commitment from the entire team in order to ensure the final result met the client’s overall vision and goals.”

The Annual Blue Ribbon Awards celebrate local and regional real estate accomplishments and excellence. Each year, real estate professionals, as well as designers, developers, planners and other allied professionals, are invited to nominate any exceptional projects completed during the previous calendar year in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. This “Best in Class: Industrial” award is BL Companies’ fourth Blue Ribbon Award.

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