Architecture firm names new president

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Local executive Doug Whitney has been named president of WBRC Architects • Engineers, which has offices in Portland and Bangor, Maine, in addition to east Manatee County.

Whitney has run the company's Lakewood Ranch office since 2002, according to a release. He will now oversee the entire 60-employee company, with clients in 23 states and three provinces in Atlantic Canada, from Lakewood Ranch.

“A decade ago, this would have been impractical,” Whitney says in the statement. “With today's video conferencing and shared servers, we have been working as a team from three offices on a daily basis. Our use of technology to collaborate is a key factor in our ability to efficiently manage projects nationally and internationally.”

The firm, founded in 1902, is owned by a collection of seven architects/engineers. Its portfolio includes projects in the civic, commercial, educational, and health care sectors. The firm provides architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, in addition to interior design and landscape architecture. Clients, according to the release, include Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty, Verizon Wireless and Beall's stores in 17 states.

“Doug's leadership abilities are evidenced by the success he's achieved in the Sarasota/Bradenton region and beyond,” WBRC CFO Alan Bromley says in the release. “As the economy emerges from its recent downturn, Doug will help lead WBRC to new levels of growth and client service.”