EMCOR Group announces a 46 percent decrease in accidents while Cornerstone Group completes a major residential community in Florida’s Palm Beach County.

Norwalk, Conn.-based EMCOR Group says it has recorded a 46 percent reduction in the company's total recordable incident rate since 2002. This occurred during a period when labor hours increased but recordable injuries decreased by 28 percent.

Coral Gables, Fla.-based Cornerstone Group has completed construction of Sonoma Bay, a 29-building, 302-unit town home community in Palm Beach County. Construction began in February 2005. Features include a 2.2-acre lake, resident clubhouse, fitness center, pool and heated spa. The two-story residences are available in six floor plans.

Wilmington, Del.-based Breckstone Group, an architectural and interior design services firm, joined Vollmer Associates. Wilmington-based Vollmer Associates is an engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and survey firm. The Breckstone Group will be integrated into Vollmer Associates' architectural practice. Todd Breckstone, founder, will remain with Vollmer as principal architect.

Blue Bell, Penn.-based Skanska USA Building recognized three partner companies - Cleveland-based Adenium Systems, Beaverton, Ore.-based Sage Software Corp. and Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Eos Group - as its 2006 Vendors of the Year in its annual IT Vendor Summit.

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Boca Raton, Fla.-based Paramount Worldwide, a real estate development company, has hired Robert M. Thompson as director of construction. Prior to joining Paramount in 2006, Thompson was chief operating officer and president of Alcon Associates for 10 years.

Lawrence Reuter, a former president of MTA-New York City Transit, is the senior vice president of New York City-based Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), a global infrastructure consulting, engineering, planning and construction management organization. Reuter now serves as PB's project manager for the People's Transportation Plan, a rail, highway, bus and neighborhood program for Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Cleveland-based Cameratta Properties, a real estate development company, has hired Mark Hill as vice president of corporate land acquisition. With more than 19 years of senior-level corporate development experience with public and private companies, Hill spent the previous 12 years with General Electric and Siemens prior to joining Cameratta.

New York City-based Syska Hennessy Group, an engineering, technology, and construction consulting firm, has hired Victor Steffen as vice president and group manager in the San Francisco office. With more than 30 years' experience in electrical engineering, Steffen has managed design efforts for research labs and electronics manufacturing plants.

Michael Blasdel is the new vice president of business development for Chicago-based Austin AECOM. A licensed engineer with degrees in civil engineering and architectural technology, Blasdel served as regional manager and regional facilities business line leader for Edwards and Kelcey prior to joining AECOM.

In addition, David Gatto joined Austin AECOM as director of construction for the Midwest Region. With a degree in construction engineering, Gatto worked throughout the country on construction projects prior to joining AECOM.

Long Beach, Calif.-based Urban Pacific Group (UPG) has named Kerry Choppin executive vice president of business and development. Choppin oversees the company's development and expansion opportunities in the western United States. Prior to UPG, he was director of acquisitions and business development with Seal Beach, Calif.-based Olson Group. “It's incredibly exciting to work with my dad, who has been involved with real estate development for more than 30 years, and from whom I'm sure I still have a lot to learn,” CEO Scott Choppin said.

Jacques Cook, an attorney with international experience in structuring financial transactions for large-scale infrastructure projects, has joined River Edge, N.J.-based Peckar & Abramson's Washington, D.C., office. Prior to joining the construction law firm, Cook served as chief counsel at the Inter-American Development Bank. He also served as an adjunct professor at several universities, teaching courses in project finance. “Jacques Cook is a leading international expert on public-private partnerships,” said Robert S. Peckar, founding partner of Peckar & Abrahamson. Peckar called Cook “clearly one of the most experienced lawyers in the field.”

Skanska USA Building has hired Anthony Bennett as a vice president for the Skanska Pharmaceutical Group (SPG). Prior to joining Skanska, Bennett was project executive, vice president of operations for Bovis Lend Lease Pharmaceutical Consulting Group. “We are delighted to have him on board and we look forward to what Anthony can bring to our client base,” said Wael Allan, SPG president. “His experience, knowledge and skills are a valuable asset to the company.”