Author: BEX Staff

By Associated Builders and Contractors At current rates of participation and completion, federal and state Government-Registered Apprenticeship Programs, or GRAPs, are still failing to meet the construction industry’s short- and long-term skilled workforce development needs, according to an annual Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of recently released U.S. Department of Labor data. ABC estimates that, in fiscal year 2024, the construction industry’s federal and state GRAPs had about 290,000 apprentice participants and yielded fewer than 40,000 completers. Six states did not report complete GRAP data to the DOL, so ABC’s figure incorporates rough estimates to account for missing state data…

Boards & Commissions 1. WESTMARC has appointed Bridget Schwartz-Manock, Assistant General Manager of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at Central Arizona Project, as its new Chair of the Board of Directors. Company News 2. Plaza Companies announced it has created a new branch to further pursue hospitality projects. The branch is to be led by the newly appointed Hotel Development Manager, Dayna Castano, and will also offer third-party construction management services. 3. Triple Play Fire is celebrating its third year of bringing innovative fire safety solutions to the Metro Phoenix market. The company offers a comprehensive range of products and services…

Sales Transactions 1. BKM Capital Partners acquired four industrial properties in the Phoenix Metro area for a total of $192M in March. This includes three properties bought from Starwood Capital Group for $156.8M on March 12, including the 312.4KSF Kyrene CommercePlex, the 331.4KSF Estrella Business Park II—to be rebranded as Estrella Distribution Center, and the 134.2KSF Hohokam Industrial Park—to be rebranded as Sky Harbor Landing. The 157.6KSF Rose Garden Business Park was purchased for $35.1M on March 4. The properties are located at: Kyrene CommercePlex, 8240 S. Kyrene Road in Tempe, purchased for $75.5M; Estrella Business Park II, 801 S.…

By Roland Murphy for AZBEX As part of its campaign to bring six new hotels to the Arizona market this year, West77 Partners is planning its next hotel—LivAway Mesa Greenfield—on a roughly 4.5-acre site near the NEC of Greenfield and Baseline roads in Mesa. West77 announced a nationwide LivAway Suites expansion in January. That announcement stated, “Over $250M has been deployed into LivAway Suites locations around the country over the past 18 months, and another $500M will be allocated to new LivAway Suites locations over the next two years – approximately $100M of that is expected to occur in the…

By BEX Staff for AZBEX The Arizona Cardinals are planning to invest $100M in the team’s training facility at Hardy Drive and Warner Road in Tempe, but the team is keeping quiet for the moment as to what those plans entail. Team officials have said the plans are “very preliminary.” The Cardinals have retained Rossetti as the design firm and say plans are underway. According to a statement released by the team, “Overall, the Cardinals finished last in the NFL in the third-annual survey that graded teams in 11 different categories. While there were good grades in a handful of…

The Navajo Nation has secured the legal authority to build a second casino near Flagstaff. The 13.79-acre site northeast of the city was previously home to the Horsemen Lodge restaurant and the Flying Heart Stables. The Navajo Nation signed a warranty deed transferring the land to trust status as part of the Navajo Reservation last November and will partner with Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise to develop the casino. Gaming Enterprise has operated the Twin Arrows hotel and casino 20 miles east of Flagstaff since 2013. Officials have said there is no current project development timeline. Known as the Lower 89…

The Coconino Superior Court decided the site of the planned TownePlace Suites by Marriott at 2000 E. Route 66 in Flagstaff is to be auctioned off by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. A total of 11 liens were placed against owner D Flag T LLC. Also named in the default judgment were defendants Akal Development Inc. and Jaspal Singh Sidhu. Auctioning the land will go toward settling the $105K notice and claim of lien filed by Geary Pacific Corporation. Geary Pacific originally filed a civil lawsuit in September 2024, while its notice and claim of lien were filed in July…

Awards & Accolades 1. Wespac Construction, Inc. announced its Surprise Crossings project has achieved LEED Silver Certification. This honor reflects the commitment to sustainability shared by Wespac and its partners, including Panattoni Development Company, Cawley Architects, JLL and EXP. Located at 13301 N. 137th Ave., the project covers 274KSF on 16.2 acres. Notable features leading to this certification include sustainable site development, water efficiency, optimized energy performance, quality transit options, eco-friendly materials and high-efficiency ventilation systems. Groundbreakings 2. Greenlight Communities has announced the groundbreaking for its Cabana Kyrene apartment complex in south Tempe. In collaboration with Holualoa Companies, the development…

A bill to waive some State regulations on small-scale nuclear reactors was passed out of the Arizona Senate Natural Resources Committee on March 11th. The measure would make it easier for large users of electricity, such as data centers and advanced manufacturing companies, to build small nuclear reactors in rural parts of Arizona to meet their energy needs. Utilities are struggling to meet projected power demands using existing technologies. House Bill 2774 would allow the development of Small Modular Reactors, also known as SMRs, in industrial facilities and waive the need to obtain a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility. Bill author…

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors was presented last week with an overview of long-term facilities and building plans intended to serve the County’s needs for the next few decades. Chief among the items in the $190M project list were a new Administration Building, Juvenile Court Complex and Sheriff’s Office Reentry Facility. Administration Building The $73M administration building is envisioned as a five-story structure totaling 125KSF. County buildings D and E in Florence, which total a combined 55KSF, would be demolished to make room for the new space. Supervisors were told the project is in the design phase. Plans for…