Westwood recently announced the addition of Steven Bacs, AICP, CPM to its national team of office leaders, a position previously held by Dan Cleland, ASLA. As director of Arizona operations, Bacs will oversee operations for Westwood’s land and energy development business throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area from the firm’s office in Scottsdale, Ariz. Cleland assumed the position of Director of Land Development for the Southwest Region earlier this year. Bacs and Cleland have worked together previously and demonstrated an exceptional level of service as a team.
With more than 20 years of experience in public and private sector work, Bacs held positions that range from senior project manager and team leader at URS and AMEC to land planning director at David Evans and vice president of land acquisition and development at Keystone American Homes. Bacs previously led large teams to success on complex, multi-discipline land development projects. This includes an award-winning residential project in 2011 in which he provided overall program management and early project delivery of 550 residential units.
Westwood’s vice president and national land development leader, Jason McCarty, is thrilled to have Bacs onboard. He says, “Steven is aligned with Westwood’s values. In order to be successful in each of our offices, it is necessary that we have an unwavering commitment to clients, their projects, and the success and development of our project teams. Steven has a proven track record and established relationships within the industry throughout his years and we are excited to have him on our team.”
Bacs is also a retired lieutenant colonel with 26 years of service in the United States Air Force Reserve where he worked in his final position as a civil engineer squadron commander. He received his bachelor’s degree in land planning and development from the geography department at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz., and completed his master’s degree in operations management from the Department of Defense in Santa Maria, Calif. Bacs is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Urban Land Institute (ULI), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and a Certified Project Manager (CPM).
