KAI has added two new employees to its Build Group -- Melissa McGinnis-Russo as senior project manager and Joe Kabance as estimator/project engineer.

McGinnis-Russo will serve as the MEP coordinator on the BJC HealthCare West County replacement hospital project, a PARIC/KAI joint venture. She comes to KAI with 30 years of AEC industry experience and a diverse engineering background. Most recently she worked for Ascension Health, a large Catholic healthcare system, as director of engineering where she oversaw MEP infrastructure projects for over 130 hospitals. Her experience includes overseeing engineering on large capital projects, GPO agreements, executing contracts and building relationships with vendors, contractors and facility directors across the country. She has a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Commissioning Certification from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds certifications in the following: ASHE Healthcare, OSHA 30-Hour and Carrier and Trane Load Calculation Programs. McGinnis-Russo is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers; American Society of Healthcare Engineering and Design-Build Institute of America.

Kabance served as an intern at KAI while completing his Bachelor of Science in Engineering/Construction Management at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, where he achieved the highest score in the school's history on the AIC Level 1 exam. Graduating in December, Kabance accepted a position at KAI as an estimator/project engineer. He also has an Associates Degree in Business Management from St. Louis Community College and has earned an OSHA 10-Hour certification. He is also certified as an Associate Constructor with the American Institute of Constructors.