CEO Michael Kennedy, Jr. announced in January that KAI had undergone a corporate restructuring as parent company KAI Enterprises with four new subsidiaries — KAI Design, KAI Engineering, KAI Build and KAI 360 Construction Services — each with its own president. Darren L. James, AIA, a shareholder with the firm since 2010, transitioned to President of KAI Enterprises, overseeing the holding company.
“Matt was an excellent candidate for this new position,” James said. “His previous work experience combined with his attention to detail and his strong leadership skills were exactly what we needed to lead the new KAI Design and KAI Engineering.”
Westphal is responsible for leading, managing and maintaining accountability for the KAI Design and KAI Engineering companies. To enhance KAI’s multi-office approach to executing work, Westphal will travel between offices in Atlanta, Dallas and St. Louis.
“I am thrilled to be appointed to this new dual position at KAI,” Westphal said. “This is an exciting time for the company, with the restructuring and the rebrand. I am really proud to be playing a key role in KAI’s efforts as they continue to grow.”
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Prior to joining KAI, Westphal was the President of Hospital Designers, Inc., a subsidiary of HBE. Over the past nine years, he successfully led a team of 100-plus architects and engineers specializing in the design-build of healthcare projects across the United States.
“Matt brings a unique set of skills to KAI, including executive and project leadership, operational excellence and structural engineering experience,” said Michael Hein, AIA, PMP, COO of KAI Enterprises. “We are excited to have him as part of our team.”
Westphal has a Bachelor of Science in engineering with an emphasis on structures from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science in civil engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
