Giving Back
1. Valley Partnership selected Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley as the beneficiary of its 2026 Community Project. Volunteers will participate in a Community Project Day of Action to complete outdoor renovations at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley – I.G. Homes Branch in support of the new AZ PLAYS program. Dig Studio was named the project designer. Valley Partnership has supported an annual Community Project for more than 38 years.
Boards & Commissions
2. The Maricopa County Stadium District appointed Mark Winkleman as Executive Director and CEO. Winkleman will oversee the district’s financial and operational performance, implement policies and strategic priorities, and represent the district with public officials, community stakeholders and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the founder and President of MGS Realty Partners Inc. and previously served as Arizona State Land Commissioner. He has also held leadership positions with ULI Arizona, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and Valley Partnership.
3. Dan Thiessen, Director of Technology and Governance at Central Arizona Project, was named a member of CAP’s Management Council. Thiessen joined CAP in 2018 as IT Infrastructure Supervisor and has advanced through leadership roles before being appointed to his current position in July 2023. He oversees CAP’s technology strategy and operations, physical and cybersecurity programs, and information management functions.
Company News
4. Knipp Commercial recently surpassed 100 completed school improvement projects across 50 educational campuses throughout the West and Southwest. Knipp has more than $14M in completed and ongoing work this year across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Washington, including a $7M, 17KSF new school build. Knipp Commercial Principal Wendy Knipp said the milestone reflects the company’s work helping schools create safer, more functional and modern learning environments, while Director of Construction Ken Mione said the company plans to expand its work in institutional capital improvements, commercial retrofits and campus security modernizations.
Promotions
5. Haydon promoted Christian Davis to VP of Advanced Markets. Davis leads the company’s strategic growth in Mission Critical and Advanced Manufacturing, strengthening client partnerships and aligning teams to deliver complex projects. He has 22 years of construction experience.
6. Transcend Security Solutions announced the promotion of Michael “Mike” Hulsebos from Director of Operations to VP of Field Operations. Hulsebos began his career with Transcend in December 2014 as a security professional. He has been with the company for nearly 12 years.
7. Central Arizona Project announced the promotion of Vineetha Kartha to Director of Water Policy and Don Crandall to Director of Operations, Power and Engineering. Kartha joined CAP in 2022, while Crandall joined in 2009.
8. Terracon named John E. Casey as Regional Technical Consultant. Casey brings more than 38 years of geotechnical and environmental consulting experience. He will support technical excellence and client service across the region, drawing on expertise in groundwater hydrology, environmental site assessments, remediation design and geotechnical investigations.
New Hires
9. Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR appointed Sheila Schmidt as CEO. Schmidt previously held leadership roles at Meridian and Ryan Companies, where she led healthcare real estate development initiatives, portfolio strategy and capital projects. She has collaborated with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR since 2019 on several multimillion-dollar healthcare developments in southern Arizona.
10. Vestar hired Bill Williams as VP of Technology and Systems. Williams will lead the company’s technology strategy, systems, security and technology-enabled operations while advancing artificial intelligence initiatives. He brings more than 20 years of experience.
11. LaunchPM recently hired Sean Conry as a Principal. Conry has 30 years of construction experience and most recently served as a VP at RAM Construction.
12. CCBG Architects hired Itzel Sanchez as Project Manager. Sanchez will collaborate with project architects, coordinate with consultants, prepare and submit documents to city and county agencies and develop construction documents. She earned her degree from the University of Sonora in 2019.