KAI Adds Senior Project Manager, Estimator​/Project Engineer to Build Group

KAI Adds Senior Project Manager, Estimator/Project Engineer to Build Group

(St. Louis, MO, April 25, 2018) KAI has added two new employees to its Build Group — Melissa McGinnis-Russo as Senior Project Manager and Joe Kabance as Estimator/Project Engineer.

Melissa McGinnis-Russo, Senior Project Manager – McGinnis-Russo will serve as the MEP Coordinator on the BJC Health Care West County replacement hospital project, a PARIC/KAI joint venture. She comes to KAI with 30 years of AEC industry experience and a diverse engineering background. Most recently she worked for Ascension Health, the largest Catholic healthcare system in the country, as Director of Engineering where she oversaw MEP infrastructure projects for over 130 hospitals.

Her experience includes overseeing engineering on large capital projects, GPO agreements, executing contracts and building relationships with vendors, contractors and facility directors across the country. She has a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Commissioning Certification from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds certifications in the following: ASHE Healthcare, OSHA 30-Hour and Carrier and Trane Load Calculation Programs.

McGinnis-Russo is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers;
American Society of Healthcare Engineering and Design-Build Institute of America.

Joe Kabance, Estimator/Project Engineer – Kabance served as an intern at KAI while completing his Bachelor of Science in Engineering/Construction Management at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, where he achieved the highest score in the school’s history on the AIC Level 1 exam. Graduating in December, Kabance accepted a position at KAI as an Estimator/Project Engineer. He also has an Associates Degree in Business Management from St.

Louis Community College and has earned an OSHA 10-Hour certification. He is also certified as an Associate Constructor with the American Institute of Constructors.

KAI Design & Build is a national 100+ person design and build firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. A renowned leader in the industry, KAI provides design and build integrated project delivery solutions through collaboration, technology, processes and expertise. Since its inception in 1980, KAI has been instrumental in reshaping the urban environment through its expertise in housing, K-12 schools, transit facilities, collegiate structures, commercial buildings, sports and recreational facilities, government/justice centers and healthcare buildings.

Beginning as an architectural design firm, KAI added mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering to give clients a full package of in-house disciplines for their projects. Today, KAI continues with its original core service of design and has quickly grown its construction management group since 1997. Additionally, KAI is a leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM), applying the skill set to architectural, engineering and construction projects firm-wide.

KAI’s affiliate locations include Atlanta, Omaha, Dallas and San Antonio. For more information about KAI Design & Build, visit  or call .

The Cradle to Cradle program certifies products based on five quality categories—material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.  to see a list of building supply & materials, as well as other products, that are Cradle to Cradle certified.