Planning firm names new president, shuffles leadership team

FORT MYERS — Engineering firm Morris-Depew Associates has announced a restructuring of its executive leadership team, including naming longtime team member Bill Morris president.

Morris, according to a statement, will replace Tina Ekblad in the role, effective Dec. 31. Ekblad is leaving to become in-house planner for a private law firm; she will remain in an advisory role with MDA through the end of the year, the release states. The firm has some 30 employees.

In addition to Morris, the new executive leadership team will be comprised of Ryan Shute, who will serve as chairman and Michael Ekblad, who will assume the role of director of operations and director of landscape architecture. Ben Smith was named director of planning. (Michael Ekblad and Tina Ekblad are married, while Morris is the son of William Morris, co-founder of the firm.)

“Since 2011, Tina has played a critical role in growing the organization’s land planning division throughout Southwest Florida and expanding the firm’s North Florida footprint,” Morris says in the release. “We wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors and look forward to continuing the great work she has established and adding value to future client projects.”

Morris has been with MDA since 1997, working on projects commercial and residential development, health care, transportation and more, the release states. Shute has been leading client initiatives related to land development in the residential, commercial, public works and institutional sectors for more than two decades. Ekblad is an experienced leader in the areas of landscape and irrigation design, hardscape design, site planning and permitting for

commercial, industrial and residential projects. Smith, the release states, is an AICP-certified planner with more than 14 years of experience and has worked with more than a dozen local municipalities —from the North Bay Village in Dade County to the City of Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.

“2021 has turned out to be one of the most impactful years for Morris-Depew Associates,” Shute says in the release. “Despite the challenges that arose due to an unprecedented pandemic, the company is seeing continued growth in operations and broadened services for clients led by an exceptionally talented team. These changes reflect the company’s continued commitment to expert service, innovative solutions and impactful results for our region.”

Serving Florida since 1989, Morris-Depew Associates is a multidiscipline consulting firm with specialties in civil engineering, land planning, expert witness, landscape architecture and surveying and mapping services. The members of MDA have experience in the planning and design of a wide variety of urban, residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and community-oriented projects ranging from large-scale resort residential projects to urban community spaces and commercial multiuse developments.