KANSAS CITY, MO Six professionals have joined HNTB Corporation's Kansas City, Kansas, area transportation practice. 

This brings the number of full-time local employees to more than 530 who office in the firm's downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas, locations.

Currently, the firm is serving on a variety of transportation projects in the region, including the South Lawrence Trafficway Project in Lawrence, Kansas; MAX Bus Rapid Transit in Kansas City; and the Johnson County Gateway Project in Johnson County, Kansas.

"Recruiting top talent is a staple of HNTB's business model, and enables the firm to provide our clients with a variety of expertise to solve their most complex infrastructure challenges," said Wayne Feuerborn, AICP, HNTB Kansas City Office Leader and Vice President. "We welcome these individuals to the firm, and anticipate continued additional hiring throughout the year."

New hires in Kansas City include:

Grant Brady, EIT, ENV PV, is a Water Resources Engineer, responsible for stream and stormwater hydrology and hydraulics design. He earned a Master of Science in biological and agricultural engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in biological systems engineering from Kansas State University. 

Mark Plummer rejoined as a Senior Technician, responsible for providing technical direction and assistance for transportation projects. He earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial technology from Northwest Missouri State University. 

Anteneh Yohannes joined as an Engineer, responsible for development and application of travel demand models. He earned a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Science in construction technology and management from Addis Ababa University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

New hires in Overland Park include:

James Cobb is a Water Resources Engineer, assisting and performing design of water resources projects. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, in May 2016, and will carry the engineer-in-training designation. 

Jim Schatz joined as a Technician, and serves with HNTB's highway group on the South Lawrence Trafficway project in Lawrence, Kansas. He studied computer-aided drafting and design at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. 

Olivia Vogelsberg joined as a Water Resources Engineer, responsible for design and analysis of the hydraulic and hydrologic aspects of projects, primarily relating to stormwater drainage. She earned a Bachelor of Science in civil environmental engineering from Iowa State University, and recently passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and will soon receive her Engineer in Training certification.