Otak Expands Senior Management Team in Oregon and SW Washington to Better Serve Public and Private Clients

September, 2021

Otak was founded in Portland 40 years ago to serve both private development and public clients with topflight planning, engineering, and architecture services for urban design and civil infrastructure.  We have grown significantly, especially in the last five years, and have added new services and broadened our client base. Earlier this year, Otak organized its Portland and Vancouver offices to continue growth in both the private and public client sectors with new senior leaders dedicated to serving each client set.

The new leadership team make-up is both existing Otak leaders in expanded roles and leaders new to Otak.  The focus of the team is to leverage expertise and technical knowledge in both Oregon and SW Washington with teams dedicated to the unique needs of public and private clients.

Otak CEO Jim Hamann is a champion of this transition. “We find ourselves in the fortunate position of having strong teams at all levels throughout Otak, by structuring teams with leadership focused on public or private exclusively, we’ll better meet the unique needs of each.”

Meet the team

Tim Leavitt, P.E. led the Vancouver office as Office Manager since 2017 and will now lead the civil infrastructure business for private clients as Regional Director Oregon and SW Washington. Millicent Williams takes the role of Regional Director for planning, engineering, and construction services for public clients after rising to Deputy Director at Portland Bureau of Transportation.  Brian Fleener, AIA, has been with Otak since 2015 as Architecture Practice Leader and will take on an expanded role as Regional Director for architecture design and Henry Alaman is Regional Director for comprehensive project management; both Brian and Henry have public and private client portfolios.

For private clients, Otak leads the planning, civil engineering, architecture design, and comprehensive project management on some of the most recognizable projects in the Portland Metro area. From the recently approved Hyatt in the Pearl to the Vancouver Waterfront, Otak’s private practice is in high demand. In January, recognizing the value our integrated project team brings to clients, Otak organized a Management team specifically for private clients. Together, Tim Levitt and Brian Fleener coordinate engineering, project planning, and architecture services to help developers and owners prove out their project concepts and take them through entitlement to construction. Henry Alaman’s comprehensive project management team helps owners through the complex process of construction and commissioning.

Equally strong is Otak’s private practice for DOT’s, public works departments, library districts, school districts, water districts, and ports. Millicent’s state and local agency-focused team can provide a range of planning and design services from urban planning to roadway and bridge design, from stormwater management to park and recreational trail planning and design.  Teamed with Brian and Henry, our public client team has delivered public facilities from affordable housing to libraries and courthouses. With regional realignment, Otak is better positioned to serve public and private clients throughout Oregon and SW Washington.

CEO Jim Hamann summed up, “This leadership team has great vision and strong relationships throughout the region with clients and partners. The mix of Otak experience and fresh perspective in the broader team will give clients great confidence that Otak will deliver great projects.”