Giving Back
1. Hardhat in Hand – a paid eight-week recruiting program focused on bringing people into the construction trades and providing them with basic knowledge of work in the field – is coming to Meta’s Mesa Data Center through a partnership between Meta and DPR Construction. Other partners include the Maricopa County Community College District and Chicanos Por La Causa. The program begins Sept. 12, and applications will be accepted through Aug. 24. More information is available by emailing MesaHardhatInHand@dpr.com.
Boards & Commissions
2. The Valley Metro Rail Board has elected Tempe Vice Mayor Jennifer Adams as Chair for the upcoming fiscal year. Adams and Phoenix Vice Mayor Laura Pastor will serve as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, through June 30, 2023.
3. T.J. Mitchell, an attorney specializing in business and securities litigation at Jennings Haug Keleher McLeod, has been appointed as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Planning & Zoning Commission.
4. The Board of Directors for Yuma Multiversity Corporation has announced the election of business leader Shelley Mellon.
Company News
5. Real estate development and alternative investment firm Creation has debuted at 1,328 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Creation was founded by David Sellers and Bob Agahi in 2018 and is the only commercial real estate development company in Arizona to make the list in recent years.
6. Clear Title Agency of Arizona announced it has been ranked No. 4,059 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. This year marks the fourth time the company has received the honor.
7. Multifamily investment firm Cortland announced it will begin building its own developments in the Phoenix and Tucson markets. The firm has hired Ashley Nye, formerly of Trammell Crow Company, as Director of Development with the goal of doubling Cortland’s current Arizona portfolio of 24 properties through both new development and continuing acquisitions.
8. Concord General Contracting – which celebrated its 50th anniversary in April – announced it has become a 100% employee-owned company.
9. Scottsdale-based Fulcrum – a construction management and owners representation firm – has been sold to The Vertex Companies – a Massachusetts-based engineering and consulting company.
10. Phoenix Real estate developer Garth Wieger and cabinet maker Ron Simon have launched RSI Homes LLC, a homebuilding firm focused exclusively on rental properties. The company will begin in Arizona, followed by Texas, Georgia and, possibly, California.
Promotions
11. Randy Nielson has been promoted to Preconstruction Executive at The PENTA Building Group.
12. Dave Wostenberg has been promoted to Director of Engineering for The City of Yuma.
13. The City of Phoenix Aviation Department recently announced two promotions. Jay DeWitt has been named Assistant Director/Chief Development Officer and Roxann Favors has been named Assistant Director/Chief Revenue Officer.
14. Spectra Electrical Services Inc. recently announced three promotions. Jimmy Stasko has been promoted to VP of Field Operations; Lacy Rackley has been promoted to Site Manager, and Brayden Little has been promoted to Project Manager.
15. W.E. O’Neil Construction has announced the promotion of Adam Macey to Senior Project Manager at their Phoenix office. Macey joined the firm as a Project Manager in May of this year.
New Hires
16. C&S has welcomed Olwen Huxley as Senior Principal. Huxley will help facilitate the growth of C&S’s sustainability practice and support the firm in meeting its own sustainability and energy management goals.
17. Jamsheed Mehta has returned to Glendale to serve as an Interim City Manager. In addition to assisting City Manager Kevin Phelps, Mehta will manage field operations, transportation services, engineering, development services and water services.
18. Craig Nielsen has joined W.E. O’Neil Construction as Project Superintendent.
19. Jeremiah Mead has joined FCL Builders as Superintendent.
20. Lea Cheshareck has joined The Weitz Company, LLC as its Senior Business Development Manager.
21. FCL Builders has welcomed Tom Dennis to its staff as Senior Estimator. He will focus on industrial and commercial projects in the mountain-west region.
22. Sundt Construction recently added two more members to its Industrial Group. Brittany Santangelo will serve as an Estimator for a chemical manufacturing project, and Britney Delci has joined as an Estimating Coordinator.