Watson Tate Savory Announces Three Promotions and Hires Two Intern Architects
October 3, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – October 3, 2012 – Watson Tate Savory announces several promotions and welcomes two new employees to their firm. Gene Bell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, and John McLean, AIA, LEED AP, have been promoted to Senior Associate, and Jana Hartenstine, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been promoted to Associate. Mitch Newbold and Spencer Hutchinson have recently joined the firm.
A 2001 graduate of Clemson University, holding a Master of Architecture degree, Gene Bell has served as project architect on many complex projects, including libraries, lab and classroom buildings, and a performing arts center, on campuses across South Carolina, such as the University of South Carolina, Midlands Technical College and the Technical College of the Lowcountry. Since 2002, Gene’s projects have received 7 awards from the American Institute of Architects for design excellence. Active with the US Green Building Council, he has been a leader in sustainable design, lecturing and instructing at various conferences and workshops. Gene is also past president of the Columbia Design League.
An Iowa native, John McLean completed a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Iowa State University in 1999. John’s portfolio includes a variety of projects, most notably the Rehabilitation of South Carolina State University’s Lowman Hall, a National Register structure and recipient of a Special Citation from the American Institute of Architects. John is currently project architect for renovations to the South Carolina State Museum in the historic Columbia Mills Building and has completed numerous renovations and rehabilitations of historic structures across South Carolina. Most recently, John was a speaker at the 2011 South Carolina State Historic Preservation Conference.
Jana Hartenstine, a 1995 Virginia Tech graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, has worked as project architect on many significant higher education projects throughout the Southeast, including Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Salisbury University’s Franklin Perdue School of Business, Virginia Tech’s Bioinformatics Institute and UNC Greensborough’s Living Learning Center. Having lived in Charlotte for 17 years, Jana has been active in the community, with AIA Charlotte, the US Green Building Council, and serving as a guest critic at UNC Charlotte’s College of Architecture. In her capacity as Associate, Jana will continue to serve as Studio Director of Watson Tate Savory’s Charlotte office.
Recently joining the WTS team, Mitch Newbold received a Master of Architecture from Clemson University in 2011 and a B.S. from Southern Illinois University in 2009. Mitch brings several years’ design experience in the education and health care sectors to the firm. Spencer Hutchinson has also recently joined the firm and is a 2012 Suma Cum Laude graduate of Clemson University, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Design.
About Watson Tate Savory
Watson Tate Savory is an award-winning architectural firm with offices in both Carolinas. Central to our design approach is a deep regard for the people who use our buildings and the contexts in which our buildings are placed. Serving the region for over two decades, since 2002 our projects have received more than 25 design awards and have been featured in numerous national and regional publications. Please visit www.watsontatesavory.com
