ESD (Environmental Systems Design, Inc.) has made several personnel moves.

The company has promoted James Vallort to executive vice president/chief of services, and has appointed Addam Friedl chief of engineering and Mehdi Jalayerian chief of innovation.

In his new role, Vallort is responsible for leadership of the firm’s service groups (Consulting, Technology, Commissioning, Automation, and Energy). He will serve as a strategist, advisor, and decision maker by providing insight for strategic planning and direction of business development activities and procedures as he sets the direction for ESD’s service groups. Vallort, who joined ESD in 2006, previously served as senior vice president and group leader of Controls, Energy + Eco, and Commissioning. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, Certified Building Commissioning Professional, Certified Energy Manager, Certified Sustainable Development Professional, Existing Building Commissioning Professional, and vice president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

As chief of engineering, Friedl is responsible for leadership of ESD’s engineering professionals across four market verticals (High Performance Buildings; Mission Critical Facilities; Health, Science & Education; and Workplace Solutions). He will also serve as a strategist, advisor, and decision maker by providing insight for strategic planning and direction of business development activities and procedures, and is responsible for overseeing all projects, engineering and consulting deliverables, and technical professional personnel. Friedl joined ESD in early 2013 and was named an executive vice president in August 2014. He has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from University of South Florida. He is a Professional Engineer in 34 states and is an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer.

In his new role as chief of innovation, Jalayerian will drive results through cultivating and sponsoring break-through innovation initiatives, nurturing a culture of innovation, and establishing processes that promote and encourage innovation. He joined ESD in 1991. He is an executive vice president and also serves as practice leader for High Performance Buildings. Jalayerian has a master’s of science degree in mechanical engineering from University of Kansas and is a Professional Engineer in eight states. He is a registered energy professional and a LEED Accredited Professional.

In addition, ESD has promoted three members of its management team. Joshua Gepner and Thomas Squillo to vice president, and appointed Aaron Duda mechanical technical authority for the firm’s Mission Critical Facilities and Healthcare, Science, & Education practices.

In his new position, Gepner will serve as Operations Director of Commissioning. He leads ESD’s commissioning service offerings for high performance buildings, health/ science facilities, and mission critical facilities. His team has expertise in LEED, retro-, and monitoring-based-commissioning. Gepner is responsible for project execution, planning, directing, resource allocation, and operations coordination for these commissioning services. He has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Boston University. He is a professional engineer in the State of Illinois, a LEED Accredited Professional with Operations and Maintenance, and a Qualified Commissioning Process Provider.

Squillo will serve as technical director of mechanical engineering, supporting the technical authorities and engineering staff to minimize technical risk associated with mechanical engineering in project design. He has master of science and bachelor of science degrees in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a professional engineer in the States of Illinois, Texas, Georgia, and Indiana; a LEED Accredited Professional Building Design + Construction; an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer; and a Registered Energy Professional in Chicago.

In his new role, Duda is responsible for the technical risk management of mission critical, health care, science, and education projects, ensuring that they conform to quality assurance and quality control procedures. He is also responsible for ensuring that the individuals within these practices receive technical mentoring and professional development opportunities, and contribute to ESD’s firm-wide development and enhancement of production tools and processes. Duda has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. He is a Professional Engineer in Colorado, Illinois, and North Carolina; an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer; and a LEED Accredited Professional Building Design + Construction.