Our People
Our people at HGA bring diverse backgrounds, expertise, and a drive to solve client challenges. Our emphasis on teamwork, trust, and passion can help us bring about positive results together.
Trott Hunt
Chairman of the Board of Directors
As an HGA Founder, Trott Hunt has served the company in numerous roles in his nearly 30 years, including as president, operations manager, plant manager, engineering manager, project engineer, and plant superintendent. Mr. Hunt has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered professional engineer in Louisiana.
Trotter Hunt
Principal
HGA’s industrial business units and corporate groups including IT strategy and solutions, finance, and human resources report to Trotter. He previously served as vice president of administration, with responsibility for accounting, purchasing, human resources, marketing, and IT. Since joining HGA in 2008, Mr. Hunt has held a variety of management positions, including product planner and MEA market manager. Trotter previously served as an engineer for Emerson and I.C. Thomasson & Associates.
Jack Hunt
Principal
Jack Hunt is responsible for overseeing our Government Services Business Unit. Most notably, Mr. Hunt has led response and recovery efforts following the costliest disasters in U.S. history, including hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Maria, and the BP oil spill. He provides management and oversight of HGA’s disaster recovery work for local and state federally-funded infrastructure and housing programs along with grant writing, Broadband initiates and various other consulting services.
Jay Guillot
Co-Founder and Sr. Advisor
Jay Guillot is a former senior vice president responsible for owner’s representative services, client development, and strategic project services. He is one of the company’s founding partners and a team-oriented leader with 40-plus years of experience. His expertise spans the entire project delivery system from inception through construction, across multiple business sectors. Engineering News Record recently ranked the HGA business line he developed as No. 30 out of the Top 50 U.S.-based Program Management Companies. Mr. Guillot understands client challenges and has a proven track record as a senior executive in building organizations and managing billion-dollar plus projects.
Matt Woodard
Chief Financial Officer
Matt Woodard is responsible for the accounting and finance functions for HGA. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in the state of Louisiana and holds the professional designations of Chartered Global Management Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist. Early in his public accounting career, Matt gained valuable experience working with clients from a broad collection of industries, including construction contractors, wholesale distributors, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, manufacturers, timber companies, nonprofit entities, and governmental agencies. He brings these cross-disciplinary capabilities to his role at HGA.
Sam Costanza
Senior Vice President, Industrial Services
Sam Costanza is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 18 years of experience and has supported HGA’s clients in the successful execution of engineering projects and disaster recovery programs. Sam’s diverse industry experience includes oil and gas, wood products, pulp and paper, chemical, petrochemical, and public sectors. He has played a key role in working with clients on more than 350 projects totaling $1.3 billion of infrastructure investment. Before joining HGA, Mr. Costanza worked for Lockheed Martin at locations in Camden, AR, and Grand Prairie, TX. As SVP, the Leaders of Engineering, Integrated, Owner’s Rep, Advisory, and Resource Solutions report to Sam.
Juli Maniscalco
Executive Director
Juli Maniscalco brings more than 23 years of technical and operational leadership across the petrochemical, refining, renewables, midstream, infrastructure, and government sectors. Her experience spans engineering, automation, advanced solutions, technical services, and enterprise-wide corporate operations in both private and publicly traded companies. Having held roles in project management, industrial operations, finance, and business development strategy, she offers a comprehensive understanding of complex industrial project delivery and industrial operations. Juli fosters a culture of excellence and collaboration, ensuring HGA delivers innovative and solutions driven results for our team, clients, partners, and communities.
Rick Walker
Senior Vice President, Integrated Services
Richard L. “Rick” Walker is Senior Vice President for the integrated services business unit and is responsible for leading the growth of the oil and gas and midstream sectors. Rick has more than 32 years of experience in the civil engineering and energy sectors. He most recently led a team of approximately 280 professionals responsible for all North American pipeline and oil and gas facilities projects for a major global engineering, management, and development consulting firm. Rick’s team specializes in pipeline engineering and related services including ROW, Survey, Lidar, Construction Management and more which allows HGA to provide experienced turn-key solutions.
Wynn Green
Vice President – Resource SolutionsWynn Green brings a deep background in staffing, talent solutions, and onsite technical personnel services to her role leading HGA’s Resource Solutions business unit. Her two decades in the industry have been shaped by a focus on business development, contract negotiations, workforce management, and operational strategy. Before joining HGA, she held leadership roles at national engineering and staffing firms, driving scalable program delivery and client growth. Her knowledge of integrated workforce solutions enhances HGA’s ability to respond to evolving client demands with agility and innovation.
Frank Benavente
Vice President – Owner’s RepresentativeFrank Benavente leads domestic and international projects across the refining, petrochemical, and environmental sectors. Over the course of a 30-year career, he has managed all phases of execution, including Pre-FEED, EPC, construction management, and plant commissioning. His leadership has supported both grassroots and revamp efforts in the United States, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Colombia, and Kazakhstan. Before joining HGA, Frank built a foundation in operations, project management, and field engineering, emphasizing integrated project teams and consistent client delivery.
Michael D. Killgore
Vice President – Construction Services Michael Killgore oversees construction operations and execution for HGA’s Construction Services business unit. Throughout a career spanning more than 40 years, he has held executive roles at both private firms and publicly traded corporations, including board and president-level positions. His project work ranges from site development to large-scale infrastructure and some of the country’s most complex industrial mega-projects. Prior to HGA, he led construction services at a national firm with $2 billion in annual revenue, where he played a key role in shaping safety culture and operational performance.
Barry West
Vice President – Power Barry West is Vice President and Business Unit Leader of HGA’s Power division & also serves as Operations Manager in Houston. He is a Certified Project Management Professional with more than 25 years of experience in consulting engineering, project management, & disaster recovery. Since joining HGA in 1999, Barry has been instrumental in expanding the company’s presence, including establishing the Baton Rouge and Houston offices, & now leads the continued growth of HGA’s Power business unit.
Daniel Tong
Vice President, Advisory Services Daniel Tong is Vice President of Advisory Services at HGA, bringing more than 16 years of engineering and consulting experience across the energy and chemicals sectors. He leads multidisciplinary teams on complex studies spanning the full asset lifecycle, from early concept development through execution. His expertise includes front-end project development, process optimization, technical due diligence, and sustainability planning, with extensive work in renewable fuels, refining, carbon capture, petrochemicals, and midstream infrastructure. Before joining HGA, he held senior roles managing major feasibility studies and due diligence for large-scale global projects. His project experience spans regions including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.