APEX - Key Persons
BA works closely with the state inspectors and contractors to bring the safest environment possible to temporary construction hoists and tower cranes on jobsites. He holds a seat on the L&I elevator safety committee and is a voting member for Category 4 license holders on Washington State's Elevator Technical Advisory Committee. He also represents Apex in the AGC's Stakeholders Committee. BA has worked as a tower crane and elevator technician since 2003. BA has an Associates in electrical and electronics engineering.
Originally from Olympia, WA Berry spent time traveling around the world with the Military. After his service he obtained a degree in Emergency Management, welding certifications and joined the local 96 millwright union. During his time as a welder at the Port of Seattle he completed various safety trainings and started to further his career in Safety in 2018. Berry is a member of the ANSI Z359 board, LNI board for Fall Protection WA State, and is a qualified person in fall protection. Berry recharges his battery spending time outdoors, riding his Harley and traveling with his 3 kids.
Brian is a Montana native and grew up following his father, whom was also a leader on construction projects all over the United States. Brian started to learn the art of welding at the age of 11. At 18 he began his formal career with steel. His partnership extends the Apex vision across Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. He brings leadership, field knowledge, and experience to the team. Brian is also involved in several committees relating to the ironworker industry and his community. He is very passionate about the success of steel industry and continual improvements.
Brian attributes his success by living out his core values no matter what the challenges; honesty, positivity, and forward innovative thinking. Brian focuses on keeping life in perspective and balancing family and Apex, improving every day in what we do and how we do it. Brian loves spending any down time with his family and anything outdoors.
Darrell has been with Apex Steel for almost 7 years. He has worked for Apex Tower Crane for 5. For the last 3 years he has been a Superintendent for Apex Tower Crane and runs the field operations.
Darrell utilizes his expertise to skillfully and successfully complete every job. He takes on challenging projects, all while maintaining Apex Tower Crane's stellar safety record. He has experience with a multitude of different crane models, including Liebherr, Comansa, Wolff, Comedil, and Potain.
One of Darrell's favorite projects, and one that he is most proud to be a part of, is the tower crane erection and dismantle at the 5th & Columbia "The Mark" project (the 4th tallest building in Seattle). Check out the scope of work detailed on our Innovation Page.
Darrell enjoys spending time outdoors with his 2 sons biking, boating, skiing and snowboarding.
Del brings over 12 years of estimating and project management experience to Apex Steel, as well as, 15 years as a certified welder. Del holds a Degree in Project Management from Colorado Technical University and a certificate from Boston University, and has been involved in both sales and business management. Del is OSHA 40 certified.
He spends his down time hunting, camping, fishing, metal detecting and spending time with his wife, Deb, and their three grandchildren.
Derek attended Montana State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Marketing. Derek brings two years of experience estimating structural steel buildings, and over 12 years of experience in sales, estimating, negotiation, supply chain management, and team building. Derek enjoys problem solving and building strong relationships with all our team members.
Derek's interests include hunting, fishing, camping, golfing, home remodel projects, staying active, and spending time with family, my wife and two boys, and friends.
Don is originally from Orange County, California and started as an Ironworker in Washington in 1999. Don was hired at Apex Steel in 2004 and has continued to serve the company well with his communication skills, organizational ability, and attention to detail. In addition, his planning and leadership skills have helped him in running some of Apex's largest steel erection jobs. He has been essential in the completion of Facebook's Seattle Headquarters and Macy's $13 million steel package retrofit, the 2+U project (a very unique 38 story steel high rise) and most recently 555, the tallest building in Bellevue. He is OSHA 30 certified, a certified welder, qualified rigger, and IMPACT leadership trained. Don is married with 4 kids and enjoys riding his Harley and working on his yard.
Dustin entered the Ironworkers Union in 2005 after high school. He is a 3rd generation Ironworker, and joined the team at Apex in 2017.
Dustin is OSHA 30 certified, a Qualified Rigger and completed Superintendent training in 2015.
His favorite project is the T Mobile bridge due to its complexity, unique erection challenges and strategies it took to erect.
Dustin spends his free time with family, coaching baseball, hunting and fishing.
Erin's background includes 10 years of experience in Event Production and Procurement where the operating conditions are fast paced and milestones are event driven. Erin holds a BA in Mathematics and Geography and a ME in Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulation. Erin is also OSHA 30 certified and can operate some heavy equipment. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, gardening, and origami.
Frank Etzler was born and raised in Kirkland WA. A graduate of Lake Washington High School, Frank went right to work in the steel trade and has been there for 47 years. Frank runs the yard and shop at Apex and his attention to detail and organization guarantee everything is work ready. Frank loves upland bird hunting and fishing as well as spending time with his family.
Jared was born and raised in Montana. He has 22 years of experience in Ironworking. Jared has been with Apex Montana since its inception in 2011. Jared brings a wide range of experience to the team including premanufactured buildings, multi-story structures, bridges, and setting precast. When he's not working, you'll find him in the mountains under the big blue sky of Montana.
Jay brings 20 years of experience in ironwork from powerplants, multistory work, retrofit, and large storage facilities. Jay handles our preconstruction planning services, logistical solutions, scheduling and crane planning. Jay is OSHA 30 trained, a qualified rigger/signalman, and a certified welder.
Jay enjoys working his family cattle operation, hunting, fishing, anything outdoors, and spending time with his kids/grandkid. Jay has 12 years a 4-H leader and shooting sports instructor. Jay is married with 3 children and one granddaughter.
Jon joins Apex Steel as a Superintendent in Spokane focusing on the Local 14 area, serving Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Eastern Oregon and parts of Montana.
Jon brings over 13 years of experience to our team. He entered the Ironworkers apprenticeship in local 14 and has been a Superintendent for the last 8 years..
Jon brings a wide variety of experience to the team, specializing in logistics, planning and execution with a special focus on being able to adapt to changing site and project conditions.
Jon is an effective communicator and works well with clients and other trades. Jon is also certified in the following; Wabo, CQM, OSHA 40 and welding and fabrication.
Self motivated, dedicated and result oriented, Josh leads the Apex Tower Crane team. Personally known as one of the premier tower crane erectors in the Northwest, Josh has been with ATC since its inception and became a shareholder in 2018. With over 15 years experience as a union ironworker Josh has a thorough understanding of the industry and applies his skill and knowledge to consistently deliver high quality projects to all stakeholders.
Kalin brings 25 years of rebar and post tensioning experience to the Apex Family. He started with Apex in 1999 and has worked on a wide variety of projects in Washington including Emerald Downs, Muckleshoot Casino and the Chief Joseph Dam. As a native of Washington, he has a special appreciation for well-made buildings and improvements and loves being part of the team creating lasting structures. Kalin enjoys hiking and biking in the great outdoors, spending time with his four active children and running an occasional half marathon.
Kelly has been with Apex for more than 20 years. He brings exceptional organization, detailed planning and excellent customer service skills to every project. His pride in the finished product ensures his commitment throughout the construction process. Kelly has been an Ironworker for over 30 years and currently sits on the JATC for local 86. In 2015 he received his STSC from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Originally from California, Kelly now lives in Washington with his wife and two kids. He is also heavily involved in his local soccer clubs.
Kevin is an experienced ironworker and a certified welder. He started with Apex in 2000 and has brought over 30 years of ironwork experience to the team. Kevin is OSHA 30 certified and has overseen a multitude of projects in Washington State from Sky Bridges and multi-story buildings to a variety of expansions and hospitals, including the Space Needle remodel and CenturyLink field expansion. As a lifelong Enumclaw, Washington resident, Kevin enjoys hunting and fishing with his wife Gina, his 8 children, and 6 grandsons. He also volunteers with the Feed the Troops organization and Full bellies a local outreach program.
Lindsey was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. She graduated from a five year program at the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. After college, Lindsey continued to learn process improvement methods by receiving her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Lindsey manages Apex's quality control program and assists with many of Apex's projects. In 2016, Lindsey moved to Seattle with her husband and they have fallen in love with the state. Lindsey enjoys hiking, kayaking, going to concerts, and reading mystery books.
Originally from Northshore Hawaii, Lisa brings a positive attitude and extensive experience keeping everything running smoothly in the office. Willing to embrace and conquer anything, she also assists the field when administrative tasks arise. She utilizes innovative technology and electronic integration for payroll and account payables. Lisa enjoys a good bottle of wine, preferably from Washington and cooking. She loves her two Schnauzer mutts, Jaxon and Payton.
Michelle is excited to be a part of the Apex Steel team as the Contracts Administrator to utilize her procedural and collaborative skills honed in her 7 years at Target. She earned a degree in Business Management. at Western Washington University. Michelle is passionate about projects, teams, and her family. This includes an identical twin sister and two brothers who also happen to share a birthday. In her free time, you will likely find her with one of her siblings and her husband at a microbrewery, on an outdoor adventure, or in the middle of an intense and overly competitive game night.
Nic brings 13 years as a union ironworker to the positions He is a certified wire and stick welder and a certified rigger.
Nic enjoys camping with his wife and two daughters, bow hunting, ice fishing, and river rafting.
Patrick brings a Bachelor's degree with honors in Biology and Chemistry to this position as well as being highly organized. He uses those skills to keep the shop neat and labeled. He's quick learner who has taught himself how to weld. He's responsible for tool repair work, tool purchasing, maintaining vendor relationships, and logistics for tool transport to and from jobsites.
Patrick enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and sports and spending time with his wife and newborn son.
Rich has been with Apex for more than 10 years. His ability to build relationships with suppliers, General contractor PE's and estimators is well known. Rich's attention to detail and organizational skills in the early stage project information and gathering process is unparalleled. Rich maintains communication with suppliers and vendors to guarantee accurate pricing on all estimates. He has a B.A. from Western Washington University and enjoys football, NASCAR, gaming and cooking.
Samuel brings over 20 years' experience in the building trades, including 15 years as a local 86 union ironworker. Samuel joined the Apex Tower Crane family in 2014. He has been involved in major projects in the greater Seattle area including the Space Needle, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Amazon. His experience helps him to be effective, safe, and able to adapt to new situations. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
Sara is the daughter of a rocket scientist (her mom was a mechanical engineer for NASA) and a cruciverbalist (her dad composed crossword puzzles for the New York Times). With a passion for life-long learning, she studied Linguistics, Spanish, & Psychology at Western Washington University. After a 13-year-long career in retail/retail management, she is looking forward to being part of the Apex Steel team and carrying forward her organizational skills & attention to detail. Sara lives in Kirkland, WA with her husband Garran, their two cats Baxter & Dexter, and their french bulldog Linda. In her spare time she enjoys creative endeavors such as painting ceramics or making baby quilts, and visiting her family in Portland, Oregon every chance she gets!
Shelby is a 5th generation ironworker who brings 18 years of experience to the job.
He is detail oriented, with great communication and leadership, which helps keep projects running smoothly and on time.
Shelby is a certified structural welder with rigging, signalman, OSHA10 and 30 certifications.
When not erecting iron he enjoys spending time with his wife and 4 children.
Tara has an MBA and Bachelor's Degree in Finance. Working closely with Josh Calquhoun, Tara manages projects from award to close out, including facilitating contract review, job set up, invoicing, etc. She excels at adapting to new situations quickly and effortlessly and has a high attention to detail. Tara enjoys spending time with her family, reading, basketball and kickboxing.
Todd brings 15 plus years of experience in estimating and project management in the structural steel industry. He has B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. His vast experience in estimating and managing projects for both fabrication and erection of structural steel benefit both the contractor and owner. As the father of 3 boys, Todd enjoys baseball, food, family fun and spending time with his wonderful wife.
Traci is a Montana native who comes from 20 years of retail. She has joined the Apex Montana team in June of 2018. She brings to Apex Montana her knowledge in leadership, logistics, developing policies & procedures, and training. Traci moved back to Montana after a decade of traveling around the U.S. for other companies. In her spare time, Traci enjoys hanging at her family cabin and traveling the globe.
Job Titles:
- Estimator / Project Coordinator - Spokane
Travis began his career as an Ironworker with Local 14 in 2008. In 2022, he transitioned into his current role with Apex Steel. Using his field experience and attention to detail, Travis prides himself on creating accurate estimates and bringing value engineering to the table. When he's not at work, you can find him outside adventuring with his wife and two boys.
Wes is a Seattle native with eight years' experience as a tower crane and man lift erector. He has three years' experience as an elevator technician and has been a foreman for Apex Tower Crane since 2020. He brings great attention to detail and a vast knowledge of erection processes with tower cranes and construction elevators of all types. Working safely and getting everyone home at the end of the day is his highest priority. Wes is married with one son and a lazy dog.