Giving Back
1. Last year, about 6,000 volunteers picked up 12,500 bags of trash from along Arizona’s highways. The equivalent dollar amount associated with this volunteer effort is about $628,785. Considering that — that’s a lot of dollars that could be used to dispose of trash properly. As we celebrate National Volunteer Week Director Toth and ADOT wants to thank these dedicated volunteers who spend personal time and resources year-round helping keep our highways clear of litter.
2. Evolve Ventures recently held a panel discussion, Modern Networking: Using Your Personal Interests to Build Relationships and Seal Deals. The event was held at Brinkmann Constructors in Scottsdale. All proceeds went to Project Athena Foundation, a Cottonwood, Ariz.- based nonprofit that helps survivors of medical or traumatic challenges reach new athletic goals and their adventurous dreams. Evolve Ventures plans to hold its next panel in September, which will explore thought leaders and entrepreneurs’ new business lines and ventures.
3. The 10th annual REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge will be held on May 3, 2023. Three competing student teams will present their development proposal for the vacant 218 acres owned by Mayo Clinic at 56th to 64th streets and Mayo Blvd. The winning team members will each win a cash prize of $1,000.
Boards & Commissions
4. Fred DuVal has been selected as the new chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents. Appointed to the board by former Gov. Doug Ducey in 2018, this is DuVal’s second term on the board. He previously served from 2006-12.
Awards & Accolades
5. Matt Ferris, a senior construction superintendent at Kinkaid Civil Construction, recently took second place in Caterpillar’s 2022-23 Global Operator Challenge, after a series of local, regional, and international final competitions held in Las Vegas. He was also part of the first place team in the same competition.
Company News
6. Valtus Capital, a banking firm based in Las Vegas, has created Capro Capital, a private equity group, to build rental housing units across the southwestern United States. Their first projects in Arizona call for 500-unit projects in both Buckeye and Casa Grande that will be a mixture of build-to-rent and traditional multifamily.
7. Cushman & Wakefield announced the firm’s premier National Industrial Advisory Group (IAG) – West and Mountain West teams are joining forces to cover a total of eight states. The team will be led by Jeff Chiate and Will Strong.
8. Norris Design has announced a new look and new website. The firm reimagined the way their brand represented their ideals and leveraged their in-house branding services to unveil a new, modern mark that features the tagline ‘People + Placemaking’.
Promotions
9. Big-D Construction recently announced the promotion of three individuals. Caitlin Shillito will now serve as the Marketing Coordinator. Chad Greco is now an Assistant Project Manager and Jay Willoughby takes on the role of Senior Project Engineer. All three team members possess a “uniquely helpful” attitude and have contributed greatly to their growth in their Southwest team.
10. W.E. O’Neil Construction has promoted Alyce Neal to serve as Director of Business Development & Marketing, Abriana Rodriguez to Project Administrator, and Austin Emmert to Assistant Project Manager.
11. Darcy Kober was appointed to the assistant county manager position in April 2023 at Maricopa County. She has six reporting departments that directly interact with the public, including Air Quality, Environmental Services, Flood Control District, Planning and Development, Real Estate, and Transportation (MCDOT).
New Hires
12. Rick Burkhead joins JE Dunn Construction as Project Director for their Southwest Advanced Industries/Semiconductor team. He brings over 30 years of design-build project development, delivery and leadership experience in semiconductor, biopharma, and high-tech industries across the US and worldwide.
13. Eddie O. Dickie III has been hired as the new Town Manager for the Town of Parker. Dickie was most recently the City Manager of Nogales, Ariz., and he was the Manager of Dewey-Humboldt before that.
14. Jude Barbano has joined ViaSun Corporation as Project Engineer.
15. Landsea Homes announced today that Mara Sundquist has been named Director of Entitlement and Development for the company’s Arizona Division. In her new role with Landsea Homes, Sundquist will be responsible for leading entitlement and development efforts; managing project entitlements and mitigating entitlement risks prior to acquisition as well as managing staff and the overall land development process related to contracts, bids and awards, budget, and critical dates.
16. Jason Abraham Shaltiel has joined the Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR team, specializing in the brokerage of office and healthcare properties. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Shaltiel is actively involved in the Tucson community, volunteering with organizations and boards such as Felicia’s Farm, the Tucson Community Kollel, and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona.
17. Chris Jantz and Scott Isacksen have joined Kidder Mathews as Senior Vice Presidents in Phoenix. The team specializes in office leasing and sales, with a focus on landlord and tenant representation in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Southeast Valley markets.
18. Scottsdale-based Walton Global has added Ahmed Haggag as senior vice president to expand the company’s global investor best. In his new role, he will oversee the company’s Shariah compliant offerings related to development projects.
19. Katie Bathgate has joined the Tucson office of NAI Horizon as an Associate. Bathgate comes to NAI Horizon after spending several years in the entertainment business at CBS/Paramount and the Walt Disney Company.
20. The Tucson office of NAI Horizon is pleased to announce the recent addition of Harry Law, a commercial real estate agent specializing in industrial properties. Prior to joining NAI Horizon, Law gained valuable experience in residential real estate, selling houses and residential land for a year. After a year in residential real estate, Law decided to pursue a career in commercial real estate.