Giving Back
1. Tim Brislin, President of Harvard Investments, joined Harvard Investments and Estrella at the 2025 West Valley Heart Walk in the City of Goodyear. The 32-member Team Harvard/Estrella raised $14.3K to earn top fundraising honors among 70 companies for the second year. Brislin served on the Executive Leadership Team and was the event’s top fundraising walker with $12.4K.
2. The Rosendin Foundation announced that more than $330K has been raised by industry professionals at The 4th Annual TRF Golf Tournament and Auction. The funds will support The Foundation’s grant program, which provides financial assistance to elevate and empower community health initiatives, including veterans’ health, children’s health services and other community programs.
3. West-MEC is receiving a $25K donation from The ESS Foundation. This is the first time the Foundation has made a philanthropic investment in the Southwest. The donation is expected to increase access to career and technical education programs for high school students.
Awards & Accolades
4. Mark-Taylor Companies’ CFO, Lindsay McMahon, was awarded CFO of the Year by the Arizona Chapter of Financial Executives International. The Arizona CFO of the Year Awards, presented annually by FEI Arizona, honor senior financial executives whose leadership and financial stewardship drive performance, innovation and long-term growth.
5. Mohave College’s Accredited Test Facility received the highest possible rating from the American Welding Society. The rating stems from an audit that recently occurred at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Kingman.
6. PTK Magazine announced its list of Arizona General Contractors to Know in 2026. The list is comprised of:
- Brett Helm – Graycor,
- Brian White – GCON,
- Chad Labucki – Clayco,
- Corde Kurtz – DBSI,
- David Campbell – PCL Construction,
- Garrett Nybo – Wespac Construction,
- Heath White – JE Dunn Construction,
- Heather Lennon – Imagine General Contracting and Development,
- Jaki Scott – Kruas-Anderson,
- James Murphy – Willmeng Construction,
- Jim Roland – Alcorn Construction,
- Lisa York – Mortenson,
- McLean Johnson – Concord General Contracting,
- Michael Stafford – LGE Design Build and
- Ryan Park – Stevens-Leinweber Construction.
7. PTK Magazine announced its list of Arizona Residential Developers to Know in 2026. The list consists of:
- John Carlson – Mark-Taylor,
- Justin Steltenpohl – P.B. Bell,
- Paul Tuchin – Trammell Crow Company,
- Taylor Shultz – Porter Kyle and
- V. Jay Hiemenz – Alliance Residential Company
Company News
8. Fenix Development has selected Western Retail Advisors as the new retail leasing team for The Watermark at 410 Scottsdale Road in Tempe. The firm will oversee 44KSF of ground-floor retail and restaurant space in the 15-acre mixed-use project, which includes a 256KSF fully leased office tower, 360 apartments and a planned hotel.
Promotions
9. Dawn Prince will serve as the Interim Town Manager for the Town of Gilbert. Prince will step into the role on Jan. 3. She is replacing former Town Manager Patrick Banger.
10. Kitchell Contractors announced a leadership transition in its Southern Arizona region. Dan Maher has replaced Brian Brown as Regional Executive. Brown will retire in early 2026 after more than 40 years in construction, including eight with the firm. Maher brings 16 years of experience in architecture and construction and is involved with AIA Southern Arizona, the City of Tucson Design Review Board and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. He is also the incoming AIA Arizona State President.
11. Shawn Blubaum has been named Tucson regional manager for Sundt Construction’s Building Group. Blubaum, a nearly 30-year construction industry professional, will oversee the firm’s Tucson building operations and project pursuits. He has spent more than 20 years with Sundt in leadership and field roles, including serving as VP and Operations Manager for the Concrete Division and VP of Operations for the administrative talent development team. He replaces Ian McDowell, who will retire in September 2026.
12. Emma Piazza has been promoted to COO at the Arizona Small Business Association. Piazza will assist with daily operations during the search for a new CEO, as the interim CEO, Debbie Hann, is stepping down. Piazza, previously the Senior VP of Programs, joined the organization in 2019 and has served in multiple leadership roles.
New Hires
13. Joe Jones has joined LevRose as an Advisor focused on the Industrial sector. Jones previously spent nine seasons playing professional baseball and will work alongside Partners Mark Cassell and Landon McKernan and Advisor Cameron Miller to support the firm’s industrial clients.
14. Kaitlyn Sump has joined CBRE’s Tucson office as an Associate specializing in leasing and sales of retail properties. Sump joins the firm from Bourn Companies, where she led retail leasing efforts, negotiated deals and collaborated with development teams. She previously supported CBRE as a summer intern and co-founded KSZ Realty.
15. Sarah Helton is joining Kinsale Realty Group, LLC as an Assistant Property Manager. Helton has a background in property management and will support the company’s properties and clients.