Awards & Accolades
1. The City of Mesa earned first place in the 2025 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation in the 300,000–599,999 population category. Residents pledged to save 22 million gallons of water, 6.2M kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduce 75,975 pounds of CO₂ emissions. Kerr Center for Agriscience, a Mesa K–6 school, was also recognized with 50 pairs of Zenni sunglasses for its sustainability efforts.
2. Jackie Orcutt, Executive VP at CBRE, has been named AZCREW’s 2025 Woman ICON honoree. She has completed more than 82MSF and $2.1B in industrial transactions over the past decade.
3. Avalli Knutson, a student at Central Arizona College,placed first in the Clash of the Grinders. Knutson was presented with grinding and safety equipment, as well as $15K. He was one of six nationwide students who competed in the metalworking contest at the FABTECH Expo in Chicago.
4. NAIOP announced it is changing its name to the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, also known as CREDA. The change will take place in June 2026. New logos, digital platforms and official materials will come in 2026.
5. Salt River Project and Google have launched a research collaboration to test long-duration energy storage technologies on SRP’s grid. Google will help fund pilot projects and evaluate performance data, supporting SRP’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and Google’s ambition of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy.
6. The Concrete Contractors Association of Arizona has launched as a statewide organization to support education, workforce development and technical resources for the concrete industry. The group will host its Industry Kickoff Event on Sept. 19.
Promotions
7. Brody Riggs has been promoted to VP of Construction at Riggs Companies. Since joining the firm in 2020, he has served as Superintendent and Project Manager on large-scale industrial projects. Riggs previously worked as a Project Manager in North Dakota, managing projects for universities and hospitals.
New Hires
8. Mary Foote has been appointed Director of the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity by Gov. Katie Hobbs. She previously served as Director of the Greater Arizona Development Authority, CEO of Pipeline AZ and VP at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, bringing extensive experience in workforce and economic development.
9. Mark Ryan has joined DLR Group as Principal and Design Leader. He brings 37 years of experience and is a recipient of the AIA Arizona Architects Medal and a member of the AIA College of Fellows.
10. Dallas Hammit has joined Tristar as Senior Project Manager and Executive VP. He has more than 30 years of civil, structural and traffic engineering experience, including 22 years with the Arizona Department of Transportation, where he advanced to State Engineer/Deputy Director for Transportation.
11. Jerryll Moreno has joined Terracon as Senior Archaeologist. In her new role, Moreno will support the Cultural Resources Group Manager and oversee operations at Terracon’s Tempe office. Her responsibilities will include managing archaeological investigations, ensuring regulatory compliance, mentoring junior staff and fostering client relationships.
12. The City of Mesa Office of Economic Development has added Levi Leyba as Project Manager and Jessica Dinka as Administrative Assistant II. Leyba brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications and public service, while Dinka has more than two decades of administrative experience across public and private sectors.
13. Amara Boesch has joined DCPS as Relationship Manager for the Roofing Division. Her nearly 25 years of Arizona construction industry experience will help her expand the firm’s roofing services locally while supporting national growth.