Giving Back
1. The Terracon Foundation awarded community grants of $4K to the Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society in Tucson and $1K to the Arizona State University student-run food pantry in Tempe. The grants were part of $67K in total community grants to 21 nonprofits around the country. The Foundation also gave a total of $50K to four universities.
Boards & Commissions
2. Kim Murphy of CHASSE Building Team has been named the 2025 President of the Southwest Chapter of the Center for Job Order Contracting Excellence. The CJE is created for JOC standards, education and credentials. Murphy leads the JOC division in CHASSE.
Company News
3. Vestar announced it achieved significant growth throughout its 35th year of operation. In 2024, the company saw more than 2MSF of retail space under development and the addition of several new management assignments. Vestar said it remains focused on creating unique and timeless retail destinations.
Promotions
4. Sofia Lozoya has been promoted to VP of Marketing and Creative at ECM Technologies. Her new responsibilities include overseeing development, coordination and execution of marketing, advertising and public relations initiatives.
New Hires
5. Maria Laughner has been named the Economic Development Services Director of the City of Peoria. Previously, Laughner served as the Deputy Economic Development Director of Strategic Initiatives at the City of Mesa. Prior to working for Mesa, she served as Peoria’s Economic Development Manager from 2008 to 2013.
6. The City of Apache Junction hired Ryan Kaup as its new Economic Development Director. Kaup has worked in economic development for more than 10 years. Previously, he worked as the Economic Development Project Manager for the City of Chandler.
7. RK Mechanical announced the hiring of Mark Mulreaney as its General Manager and Jason Etherton as its Director of Arizona Operations. Mulreaney began his career as a Project Engineer in 2007. Etherton’s career began in plumbing and transitioned into construction piping, HVAC and stainless-steel processing.
8. DLR Group recently welcomed Senior Associate Ned McKnight as Healthcare Leader. Based in the Phoenix studio, McKnight will actively drive the firm’s strategic growth and client relationships in the Southwest region’s healthcare sector. McKnight has more than 20 years of architectural experience.