Southland Industries Announces New Leadership Appointments & Executive Retirements

Dulles, VA — Southland Industries is pleased to announce several significant changes within its leadership team. These changes align with the company's commitment to growth and excellence and include the appointments of five key executives and the retirement of two long-serving leaders. The new appointments and retirements are effective as of October 1, 2023. 

Jim Meacham has been named a Regional President and will oversee the Mid-Atlantic, Mountain West, and Philadelphia Divisions. Before being promoted to Mid-Atlantic Division Leader in 2018, Jim began his career at Southland as an intern and quickly progressed from Project Engineer to Project Executive and eventually the National Division Leader. Along the way, Jim has consistently delivered successful outcomes on some of the most challenging design-assist and design-build projects. 

Dan Heichelbech has been named a Regional President and will oversee the Northwest, Northern California, and Southern California Divisions. Formerly the Northwest Division Leader, Dan has spent his entire career with the company and started as a Project Engineer upon graduation from college. Over the last two decades, Dan has provided exceptional support for high-tech projects in roles including Project Manager, Senior Project Manager, Director of Operations, and Vice President of Operations.

Matt Bruening has been promoted to Mid-Atlantic Division Leader. With over 20 years of experience, including 11 years as the Mid-Atlantic Division Operations Manager, Matt has held various positions at Southland across multiple divisions, including Project Executive and Senior Project Manager. 

Dan Sneeringer has been promoted to Northwest Division Leader. With over 30 years of experience since entering the trades in 1989, Dan has served in multiple roles during his tenure at Southland, including Operations Manager, Project Executive, and Senior Project Manager.

Ed Newville has been promoted to Southern California Division Leader. With over 25 years of experience, Ed has held various positions at Southland, starting as an Operations Manager and later Vice President, where he was responsible for overseeing all project management staff and the purchasing department. 

Southland also announced the retirement of Rick Blazier, Chief Operating Officer, after 23 years with Southland. Rick helped build the Northern California Division from a start-up to a top performing business unit. Ted Lynch, CEO, said, "The role he's played over the last few years as COO has been exceptionally impactful and long-lasting for the company. His approach to the business has influenced many others, including myself, and has played a huge part of our recent success and growth."

After 36 years of exceptional service, Joe Cvetas, Southern California Division Leader, has retired from Southland. He previously served in executive roles at the company, including Executive Vice President and as a member of Southland's Board of Directors. 

"When joining the company, Joe's expertise helped Southland navigate into new markets, which helped position the company into who Southland is today," said Ted Lynch. "By performing much larger and more technical work, we have expanded Southland's reach into multiple markets and geographies across the country, providing opportunities for our people and new and existing clients."

Joe Cvetas and Rick Blazier will both continue to serve on Southland's Board of Directors.

With these changes in organizational structure, Southland will continue to drive the industry forward and maintain high client standards through exceptional project delivery.