Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BUSINESS PEOPLE
Lawrence Finn was hired by Specialized Real Estate Group as vice president of real estate development. Finn has more than 30 years of experience in the construction and development industry, including as chief operating officer of the Village at Hendrix in Conway and most recently as managing partner of Dakota Development, his own real estate development and consulting firm. Projects he worked on received the Urban Land Institute’s Award of Excellence, the Congress for New Urbanism’s Charter Award and Metroplan’s Regional Planning and Leadership Award.
Rebecca Burkes was hired as vice president of internal operations at Specialized Real Estate Group. She has more than 25 years of experience in law, operations and real estate development. Burkes worked as corporate counsel at Walmart Inc.; co-founder and manager of a diversified real estate development, construction and brokerage company; assistant professor of management at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; assistant clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic; and deputy director and general counsel at the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
Bob Corscadden was named director of chapter and team development in Sheep Dog Impact Assistance’s Rogers office. He has worked for Kellogg’s, Tyson Foods, Nabisco and Beecham Products and ran his own strategy/advertising agency. Corscadden attended Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Allison Wise was named weeknight evening news anchor at ABC affiliates KHBS/ KHOG-TV. She will continue to be a Sunday night anchor for the stations and The Arkansas CW. Wise graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a bachelor’s degrees in communication and political science in 2008 and will receive her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in the spring.
Steven Head, head of McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc.’s geotechnical engineering department, was promoted to partner. He works in the Fayetteville office and manages the in-house construction materials testing laboratory and geotechnical engineering division and oversees all construction inspection services. He has been with McClelland seven years. Head graduated from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He is licensed in Arkansas and Oklahoma, served as the Northwest Arkansas Branch president and vice president for the American Society of Civil Engineers and was named a 2016 Emerging Leader by the American Council of Engineering Companies.
Roger Bahena was promoted by McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc.-Fayetteville to construction materials lab supervisor. He joined the firm in 2017 as a field/lab technician in the geotechnical engineering department. Bahena is certified through CTTP in basic aggregates, soils, concrete field testing, hot mix asphalt and concrete strength testing. He is also certified in nuclear gauge safety and HAZMAT.
Paul Ray Taylor was recently named director of construction technology at Northwest Arkansas Community College. He has a master of arts from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a master of business administration from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. Taylor worked for Walmart Inc. for 13 years.