Author: BEX Staff

By Rebekah Morris, CJ Jorgensen and Roland Murphy for AZBEX The Phoenix Chapter of the American Society of Professional Estimators recently held its 2025 ASPE Construction Conditions Panel Discussion. The panel was moderated by BEX Founder and President Rebekah Morris and featured: Max Froehlich, Sales Manager, Nucor Steel; Bob Karber, Principal, IMCOR; Glenn Leier, VP, Wespac Construction; Karla Moran, Sr. Manager of the Economic Development Team, SRP; Steve Shea, Partner, Hibernian Development, and Ben Squires, Project Manager, Butler Design Group. As she does with most event appearances, Morris began the panel by highlighting various BEX findings around the Arizona construction…

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors has approved a multiphase master plan for the development of Fort Tuthill County Park. Consultants GlobaLocal Vision and Wheat, a J2 Design Studio, spent 11 months developing the plan with input and recommendations from County Parks and Recreation staff, the Coconino County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Board of Supervisors, members of the public and other stakeholders. According to the April 22 presentation, at least 702 people participated in the process. The consultants also studied ongoing trends in parks and recreation in assembling the plan for the 633-acre site south of Flagstaff. The four-phase…

By Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry had 248,000 job openings on the last day of March, 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 38,000 last month and are down by 90,000 from the same time last year. “Construction job openings continued to trend lower in March, a clear sign of slowing industrywide demand for labor,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.…

By Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation and partner agencies will hold an event from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Mesa Convention Center (Building C) to help small businesses and those owned by individuals from socially and economically disadvantaged groups compete for transportation contracts that receive federal funding. Offered through ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, the DBE and Small Business Transportation EXPO provides an opportunity to learn about project opportunities, visit exhibit booths, attend educational sessions, and network with industry professionals and business owners. Participants will also hear from transportation leaders, including ADOT…

Awards & Accolades 1. Achen-Gardner Construction, LLC received the Wastewater System Project of the Year award for its City of Phoenix PVC-Lined Concrete Sewer Pipe and Manhole Rehabilitation – North CMAR project during the 98th Annual AZ Water Conference and Exhibition. The project rehabilitated more than 17KLF pipe, and 36 manholes were either rehabilitated or constructed. There were 20 sewer bypass operations, including a double containment system crossing the Central Arizona Project canal at the Cave Creek Bridge. 2. Gensler was honored at the 2025 IIDA Southwest Design Awards for two commercial office projects. Comarch Data Center received the Award…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX After receiving multiple inquiries over the years from site selectors looking for large sites for future employment centers, and having few options to present to them, Pima County is advancing an Area Specific Plan that could fuel major economic development activity in the years to come. Pima has several areas and specific properties it owns and leases for various types of economic development activities—including downtown urban space, interstate-adjacent office and industrial properties—and the 500-acre Aerospace Research Campus intended for aerospace, technology and research and development uses. In the 1970s, the County acquired approximately 3,000 acres…

By CJ Jorgensen for AZBEX Valley Partnership’s 2025 Water Summit Luncheon captured Arizona’s current hydrological landscape with the repeated motif, “We are running out of water. We have all the water we need.” The Water Summit consisted of four different topics that included six speakers. The event began with Fennemore’s Director of Natural Resources, Rob Anderson. Anderson, who coined the quote of the day, gave a broad overview of the history of water in Arizona and the future of water in the Grand Canyon state. Water is sourced from four separate areas: the Colorado River, in-state rivers (such as the…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX As part of the consent agenda for its April 22 meeting, the Tempe Development Review Commission approved a development plan review for Tempe Townhomes, a planned community by WeBuild Residential on a 1.81-acre site at 2152 E. Wildermuth Dr., near the SWC of Apache Blvd. and Price Road. The development is planned for a total of 35 units distributed across seven three-story buildings. According to the staff report, the building types consist of four-plex, five-plex and seven-plex layouts. The unit mix consists of six two-bedroom and 29 three-bedroom homes. Two existing single-family homes on the…

In a recent study Session, Casa Grande Community Services Director Daniel Gallegos presented City Council with data from a recent survey researching residents’ most desired services and facilities. Casa Grande’s Sports Complex Concept plan examines new sports and multipurpose fields, along with a new aquatics facility featuring a heated pool. Residents put the new aquatics center first among recreation amenities choices. Sports fields and hiking and cycling trails also received high scores. A City concept plan puts a possible $27M aquatic complex next to the Community Recreation Center. The outdoor facility would feature main and recreational heated pools, as well…

Giving Back 1. The nonprofit Jacob’s Hope is to receive free construction and renovations from the Arizona Builders Alliance for its facility on Country Club Drive in Mesa. ABA is offering these services as a part of its annual Community Service Project. Renovations are expected to be completed by the end of June. Awards & Accolades 2. NAIOP Arizona’s 2025 Award of Excellence will be awarded to Mike Haenel, Executive Vice Chair with Cushman & Wakefield, who has more than 40 years of experience in the industrial/back-office real estate sector. The award will be officially presented on May 1. Company…