Author: BEX Staff

By AZBEX Staff for Arizona Builder’s Exchange We at AZBEX are delighted to announce we have recently added two new staff members to our team. Amanda Murray has joined the team as Office Administrator to keep Rebekah, Rachel, Roland and the non-alliterative staff on task and running smoothly. She has a background in English and English Education that has already proven useful in terms of assisting with both internal and public-facing communications. When she’s not in the office, Amanda enjoys the finer things in life, like chauffeuring her 8 year-old, scheduling hair appointments for her poodle (Nibbler), and tidying up after her…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Environmentally Responsible Recyclers in Mesa is planning to more than double the functional space on its site at 730 E. Southern Ave. The current location includes office space, a warehouse and retail store. In its submissions to the city, the company cites a need for overall improvements and additional warehouse space to handle its volume of work. If approved, the current 32KSF warehouse, office and retail area will be augmented with 40KSF of new warehouse and addition space behind and connected to the current structure. According to the documents, “The new addition will…

Awards & Accolades 1. Phoenix Business Journal has published its list of Top Commercial Building Contractors. With $486.84M in 2017 billings for Ariz. buildings, Sundt Construction, Inc. took the top honor, up from number 8 last year. The full list is available here. 2. STORE Capital VP – Controller Claire Janssen received the 2018 Arizona Controller of the Year Award presented by Financial Executives International’s local chapter. Boards & Commissions 3. The Arizona Builders Alliance has officially announced the hiring of Tom Dunn, VP of Southern Arizona, to replace Mark Minter, who is retiring after serving the statewide association for 41…

Progress Reports 1. The owners of Tucson’s Funtasticks Family Fun Park are adding new water features. Pro Parks Management is building a play area with a splash pad and several bucket drops over slides and climbing bars at the park, 221 E. Wetmore Road. Grail Construction is doing the work. 2. Florence Copper’s solvent extraction and electrowinning plant is under construction off Hunt Highway. The company hopes to produce its first sheet of copper around Christmas. Completions 3. Salt River Project and NextEra Energy Resources LLC announced the opening of the 258,000-panel Pinal Central Solar Energy Center in Casa Grande. It is the…

By Tasha Anderson for Arizona Builder’s Exchange If all goes according to plan, a run-down office plaza at 40th Street and McDowell will become the areas latest adaptive re-use renovation. Applicant, Earl, Curley & Lagarde, P.C., on behalf of developer, Real Estate and More LLC, is requesting a rezoning of an approximately +/- 1.91-acre site at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and 41st Place, from the current C-2 zoning district to Planned Unit Development, to allow for an adaptive re-use conversion of an existing five-story office development into 40 East, a mixed-use urban development. According to the PUD narrative…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange We don’t have people to do the jobs. We won’t have them for quite a while, and it’s our fault. 160 people filled the ballroom at the Phoenix Country Club on May 18 to hear the somber message, but no one argued against it. A panel, moderated by Jordan Rose, Rose Law Group founder and president and consisting of Dan Haag, Sundt Construction senior VP and chief administration officer; Jackie Elliott, Central Arizona College president and CEO, and Mike Greenawalt, Rosendin Electric, senior VP of operations, gave the room an overview of the…

Sales Transactions 1. Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, announces the sale of Alta Steelyard Lofts, a core Class “A” mid-rise, 301-unit multifamily property located Chandler. The property sold for $69.25M. 2. Cushman & Wakefield completed the sale of SanTan Village Marketplace, a premier destination center located in Gilbert. Michael Hackett and Ryan Schubert of Cushman & Wakefield Phoenix represented the seller. An entity formed by CP Retail Inc. of Santa Monica purchased the property for $51.4M. 3. Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, announced the sale of Valley View Apartments, a 304-unit multifamily asset in the Catalina…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent again in April, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The national rate declined from 4.1 percent to 3.9. Twelve months ago, the state had a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.0 percent, and the national was at 4.4. The state had a net gain of 5,300 non-farm jobs over the month. The private sector gained 3,300. Nine of the 11 sectors tracked showed gains. Trade, Transportation & Utilities was the biggest loser, dropping 3,100. Construction in Arizona…

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Attendees of the American Public Works Association Arizona Chapter luncheon on Weds., May 16, got a fast-paced and furiously detailed state of the public construction market overview and its impending changes from AZBEX Founder and Publisher Rebekah Morris. After reminding everyone that, while Capital Improvement Project plans are public documents, as internal planning guides they are not written for easy public consumption or understanding, she gave a quick overview of AZBEX’s research work in the area over the past seven years and of the state’s economy as it exists today. Even though the…

Awards & Accolades 1. Copperstate Development captured the top honor in the 5th Annual REIAC/Rockefeller Group Challenge, garnering $1,000 each for team members Robby Leonard, Cody Wolfe, Josh Rodriguez and Mohammed Almehaidib. Competing teams were comprised of graduating students from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, Masters of Real Estate Development. This year’s project was the 148-acre Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management campus in Glendale. 2. azcentral.com and Republic Media (The Arizona Republic and azcental.com) have announced DP Electric has earned a spot on the list of 2018 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona. Company…