KAI Hires Matt Westphal as President of KAI Design, KAI Engineering

St. Louis, Missouri (Feb. 26, 2019)—KAI has appointed Matt Westphal president of KAI Design and KAI Engineering.

CEO Michael Kennedy Jr. announced in January that KAI had undergone a corporate restructuring as parent company KAI Enterprises with four new subsidiaries—KAI Design, KAI Engineering, KAI Build and KAI 360 Construction Services (KAI 360 CS)—each with its own president. Darren L. James, AIA, a shareholder with the firm since 2010, transitioned to president of KAI Enterprises, overseeing the holding company.

“Westphal was an excellent candidate for this new position,” said James. “His previous work experience combined with his attention to detail and his strong leadership skills were exactly what we needed to lead the new KAI Design and KAI Engineering.”

Westphal is responsible for leading, managing and maintaining accountability for the KAI Design and KAI Engineering companies. To enhance KAI’s multi-office approach to executing work, Westphal will travel between offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; and St. Louis, Missouri.

“I am thrilled to be appointed to this new dual position at KAI,” said Westphal. “This is an exciting time for the company (with the restructuring and the rebranding). I am really proud to be playing a key role in KAI’s efforts as they continue to grow.”

Planning, programming, and architectural and interior design services are now exclusively channeled through KAI Design. Under the new restructure, KAI Design will focus on providing design services at all KAI office locations throughout the United States. 

Prior to joining KAI, Westphal was the president of Hospital Designers Inc., a subsidiary of HBE. Over the past 9 years, he successfully led a team of over 100 architects and engineers specializing in the design-build of healthcare projects across the U.S.

“Matt brings a unique set of skills to KAI, including executive and project leadership, operational excellence and structural engineering experience,” said Michael Hein, AIA, PMP, COO of KAI Enterprises. “We are excited to have him as part of our team.”

Westphal has a bachelor’s degree in engineering with an emphasis on structures from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in civil engineering and an MBA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. For more information, visit kai-db.com.