Author: BEX Staff

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Construction employment in Arizona is expected to see annualized growth of 2.2% through 2033, according to the Arizona 2023-2033 Projected Employment Report, published last week by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The 2.2% rate puts Construction as the second-leading major sector tracked for employment purposes in the state. Health Care and Social Assistance led the 12 segments, referred to by AOEO as “supersectors.” Growth by Supersector While the 2.2% expected annualized growth in Construction employment is significant, that number does not represent the entire picture for some reporting areas. Yuma, Flagstaff, Prescott, Lake Havasu…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX Acanthus Development recently announced an agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix in which it will undertake ground leases to build and manage senior housing developments on parish campuses in the metro area. The first project will be St. Benedict Senior Living on South 48th Street south of Chandler Blvd. in Phoenix. A minor General Plan amendment and rezoning requests were approved by the Phoenix City Council in Sept. 2023, according to the DATABEX project database. The St. Benedict development plans call for 138 units on 4.62 acres of the 19.2-acre campus. According to…

Phoenix Water Services Department forecasts the City of Phoenix will need to spend approximately $20.5B over the next 75 years. The estimate comes from more than 12,100 miles of water/sewer pipeline that must be rehabilitated or replaced. Water and sewer pipelines have an average life expectancy of 75 years, with many of Phoenix’s pipelines nearing the expiration date. A pipeline is usually considered at the end of its useful life when operation costs are too high or if the impact of breaks become “unacceptable”. Approximately 41% of the City’s pipelines were built between 1950 and 1980. Many of those pipes…

Giving Back 1. HBI is currently offering its Schools to Skills Grant. The grant will provide schools with the resources to implement HBI’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training curriculum—which removes the financial barriers to making high-quality trades education accessible to more students across the country—at no cost for two years. The grant is open exclusively to secondary schools and districts looking to enhance their construction trades programs. Applications are open until Dec. 20. 2. SDB, Inc. recently held its 16th annual SDB Golf Classic. SDB, along with several tournament sponsors from the A/E/C industry, raised $110K for the Disabled American Veterans of…

Sales Transactions 1. JLL Capital Markets announced the sale of 24th at Camelback II. Located at the intersection of 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, the 306.9KSF, 11-story office building was sold for $97.9M. Wide Open Excursions was the buyer, while Hines was the seller. JLL represented the institutional owner. JLL’s team was led by Will Mast, Ben Geelan, Jack Miller and Gigi Martin. The building is 87.2% leased. 2. Wags Capital sold its property at 7323 E. Shoeman Lane for $5.1M. Gibro LLC was the buyer of the 2.9KSF restaurant site. 3. Larsen Baker, through its affiliate Manzanita…

By Roland Murphy and CJ Jorgensen for AZBEX The 200-plus registered attendees at Wednesday’s BEX 2024 Public Works Conference were treated to discussions of diverse needs, common approaches, mutual cooperation and far-reaching return on investment by a series of panelists discussing public infrastructure across metro Phoenix and around the State of Arizona. Emcee Cassie Wells, CEO of Modern Business Development, welcomed the audience to the Desert Willow Conference Center, outlined the afternoon’s program, thanked the sponsors and wasted no time getting into the meat of the event and introducing BEX President and Founder Rebekah Morris. Economic Drivers and Capital Improvement…

By City of Flagstaff The City of Flagstaff has been awarded a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration for $4,989,600 for the Amtrak Station Accessibility Project. The project includes reconstruction of the existing north platform and the addition of a new south platform, which will improve passenger accessibility, rail efficiency and safety. Matching funds in the amount of $1.2M will be provided through a partnership between the City and BNSF Railway. This project will be integrated into the City’s Downtown Mile Safety and Connectivity suite of projects to provide a…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The City of Buckeye is continuing preliminary planning and definition work on The Landing, a 2,100-acre project site south of Interstate 10 and Verrado Way that is envisioned as, “an entertainment hub with unique and diverse recreational and living opportunities and a range of multifunctional health, research and educational spaces.” The City website says, “The Landing will offer a complete experience, meeting the diverse needs and interests of Buckeye and the West Valley.” City officials and project representatives have already engaged in an extensive public engagement program over the development. The next item will be…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 288,000 job openings on the last day of September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 40,000 last month and are down by 134,000 from the same time last year. “September’s data, which show a precipitous 32% decline in construction industry job openings over the past year, likely overstate the degree that demand for…

Awards & Accolades 1. ENR Southwest announced the winners of its annual Best Projects competition. The winners of the Southwest Best Projects are: Southwest Project of the Year – Northwest Phase II Extension Light Rail Transit; Project of the Year Finalist/Health Care – Mayo Clinic AZ Bold Forward West Expansion; Project of the Year Finalist/Renovation-Restoration – Luhrs Moxy Hotel; Airport/Merit – Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport Authority Terminal Modernization; Best Energy/Industrial – Puma at Crossroads 303; Award of Merit, Energy/Industrial – Sun Streams 3 Solar; Government/Public Building, Merit – East Valley Animal Care Center; Government/Public Building, Merit – Gila River Indian…