Awards & Accolades
1. Cooper Fratt of CBRE has been named 2018 Chairman for the NAIOP Arizona Developing Leaders.
2. For the eighth year, CBRE is No. 1 on the Phoenix Business Journal’s Commercial Real Estate Appraisers list. The company had 1,520 appraisal jobs last year.
Boards & Commissions
3. Achieve60AZ selected Rachel Yanof as its first executive director. Achieve60AZ is an alliance of nearly 100 business, philanthropic, education and community organizations. Its main goal is for 60 percent of Arizona adults age 25 to 64 to earn a professional certificate or college degree by 2030.
4. The Tucson Metro Chamber board has named Amber Smith, executive director of the Pima Metropolitan Alliance, as its new president and CEO. Smith succeeds Michael Varney, who is retiring after heading the chamber for nearly seven years.
Company News
5. SmithGroupJJR has expanded its national presence with the acquisition of TRO, a Boston-based, multidisciplinary healthcare design firm. The move increases the company’s resources to 1,300 employees and 12 offices across the U.S. and China.
6. Sigma Contracting, Inc. continues to expand its Las Vegas portfolio with its recent completion of three projects totaling more than $5M. Other Arizona firms played an important role in two of the projects. Quick N Clean Car Wash: GC work for owner, Upper Image Services, Scottsdale; architect of record, Hemant Modi Architects, Phoenix. EOS Fitness: GC work for owner, Fitness Alliance, LLC, Phoenix; architect of record, Andrews Design Group, Tempe.
7. SVN Desert Commercial Advisors announced its year-end totals broke the 2016 records by recording total lease and sale transactions of $128M for the year.
Promotions
8. Kara Strong has been promoted to senior VP at AZTEC and has joined the AZTEC Management Board.
9. Todd & Associates, Inc. recently announced two promotions. Deann Gates has been named director of business development, and Craig Stoffel is the new director of design.
10. Arcadis announced the appointment of Justin Wright as chief information officer for its North and Latin America regions. Wright joined Arcadis in 2007.
Transitions
11. Shelley Chalmers-Ranney has been hired as director of operations at Todd & Associates, Inc.
12. Maricopa Integrated Health System has named Richard “Rich” Mutarelli as its new CFO. He replaces Kathy Benaquista, who retired in December.
13. Sletten Construction has brought on board Doug Pauly as a superintendent in its Tucson office.
14. Harrington Planning + Design has added the new hires of Dillon Cooley and Alex Buckley as landscape designers.
15. Marketing and business development agency Small Giants, LLC. has hired Kaden Buchanan as the team’s visual media specialist to serve CRE and A/E/C clients.
In Memoriam
16. Scottsdale developer Fred Unger has died after a seven-year battle with cancer. The 69-year-old founder and president of Scottsdale-based Spring Creek Development was responsible for many of the city’s landmark projects including the Royal Palms Resort, the Hermosa Inn and the canal Waterfront downtown.