Ben Hamm
Project Executive
Assoc. DBIA™
Ben honed his exceptional leadership skills during his first calling as a high school English teacher, coach, and director of admissions. Patient, communicative, and adaptable to change, the AEC industry scored big when he decided to switch gears and earn another degree, this time in Civil Engineering. Progressing from Project Engineer to Project Executive at GLY, he continues to leverage his diverse background—listening intently to clients and teammates prior to making critical decisions. Hailing from Western New York, where cows outnumber residents, Ben remains a loyal Buffalo sports fan—Go Sabres and Bills!
Laura Soma
Sustainability Manager
LEED AP BD+C, LFA
It’s no wonder that Laura’s passion is helping people find their potential. She’s worked hard to creatively forge her own career path and achieve her goals. She is active in a number of industry groups and peer networks focused on green building and leads GLY’s internal sustainability efforts. Her background as a Project Manager allows her to connect with clients and project teams to drive sustainability project goals while keeping budget and schedule at the forefront. Laura brings her love of responsible practices [and infectious good spirits] to every project.
Amereo Forks
General Foreman
As a decisive person with a positive and open-minded attitude, Amereo enjoys the everyday team collaboration. As a General Foreman, Amereo makes good job-site morale and cohesive team environment a priority. He finds joy in seeing the building team bring a client’s vision to life from start to finish. At home, Amereo enjoys tackling small projects and spending time with his family. Fun fact: Amereo is a twin!
Andrew Ellis
Design Manager
AIA, Assoc. DBIA™
Andrew spent 14 years immersed in his original calling: Architecture. He found that the most enjoyable and rewarding moments occurred while collaborating with builders. Deciding to blend two passions together—design and construction—Andrew now leverages robust VDC tools to better understand, communicate, and help execute a project’s design intent. Simply put, he constructs the building virtually to iron out any wrinkles before it’s built in the field. Outside the office, Andrew can’t get enough of the mountains. The numbers speak for themselves. He’s made his way to the summit of Mount Rainier via 16 different routes!
Annika Gaffney
Human Resources Director
With over 20 years of experience spanning construction, retail, and hospitality, Annika has mastered the art of building and maintaining a positive, inclusive work culture that fosters employee well-being and engagement. Holding a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing, Management, and Entertainment from the University of Montana, Annika brings a blend of creative problem-solving and innovative strategies to her role at GLY. When not at work, she can be found enjoying the outdoors, attending concerts, or cheering at sporting events. Growing up playing softball and spending five years managing, assisting, and playing on the company coed softball team, Annika knows how to bring people together — both on and off the field. As the youngest of six, her experience with juggling multiple personalities is put to good use in HR! Annika is also a proud supporter of Sawhorse Revolution, the AGC Education Foundation, and JDRF Beat the Bridge.
Jon Friedrichsen
Project Executive
HCC
Jon attributes his appreciation of craft and hard work to working as a carpenter for a Spokane-based general contractor while earning a BS in Construction Management from Washington State University. Since joining GLY in 1999, he’s honed his expertise as a healthcare and high-tech office project manager and team builder. When he’s not piecing together complex logistics plans, you’ll find Jon cheering on the Seattle Sounders or casting a line. If he could talk his wife into selling everything and living in a trailer down by the river, he’d be there already.
Rick Thompson
General Foreman
As a professional in the industry for more than 50 years, Rick shares advice that has served him well in life: “Love what you do and treat everyone the way you want to be treated.” As a General Foreman at GLY, he finds great satisfaction in working with clients and seeing what the team has accomplished at the end of each day. Building is Rick’s lifelong passion, and it extends into his hobbies as well. You can usually find him in his home shop, where he builds exotic furniture, restores old motorcycles, and crafts his own fishing lures and setups. He also spends time preparing his gear for his favorite seasons—spring and fall—when he takes his fishing boat out on the Puget Sound or heads into the outdoors to enjoy hunting.