Industry Professionals 06-16-26

Giving Back

1. HITT Contracting partnered with the City of Chandler for its annual Operation Back to School event. HITT delivered 100 fully assembled backpacks filled with essential school supplies.

Awards & Accolades

2. Arizona State University Professor Mark Stapp has been named one of Phoenix Business Journal’s 2026 Most Admired Leaders for his efforts and achievements in real estate education and development. Stapp is the Fred E. Taylor Professor of Real Estate at ASU‘s W. P. Carey School of Business and Executive Director of the school’s Master of Real Estate Development program. He also directs the Experiential Learning Lab in the W. P. Carey Center for Real Estate and Finance.

3. Sacks Tierney’s Greg Gillis recently ranked Band 2 in Construction Law for Chambers and Partners’ USA Guide 2026. Gillis has more than 35 years of experience in construction and commercial litigation. He represents general contractors, subcontractors and material suppliers in residential and commercial projects.

Company News

4. Hospitality Capital Partners is debuting the first JdV by Hyatt and Unscripted by Hyatt properties in Arizona. The former Monarch and the Saguaro Scottsdale is being rebranded to Hotel Solaya JdV by Hyatt after a $17.6M renovation. The 233 Suites Unscripted by Hyatt is located at 233 E. Main St. in Mesa.

5. Empire Paving & Maintenance has opened a new office at 1902 E. Washington St. The company previously operated from two adjoining offices near Tempe Marketplace, but rapid growth created collaboration challenges that prompted the move to a single location. The new nearly 3KSF, two-story facility includes open work areas, private offices, a conference and training room and shared amenities. The company worked with broker Kurt Kerner of Kidder Mathews to secure the previously unoccupied space.

Promotions

6. CCBG Architects announced a series of leadership promotions:

Promotions from Associate to Principal:

• Marty Ball,
• Darrold Davis,
• Mark Phillips and
• Rick Serrano.

Promotions from Project Manager to Associate:

• Gonzalo Pina,
• Adam Kenyon,
• Karty Halldorson,
• Mike Jablonski and
• Matt Irvine.

Promotion from Project Manager to Interior Director/Project Manager:

• Hanna Bresee.

7. Daniel Johnson was promoted to Geographic Discipline Leader, Project Management at Colliers Project Leaders. Johnson has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry.

8. Kevin Kittle was promoted to BIM Manager at Clark Pacific. He brings more than 30 years of experience in BIM management, project coordination and development.

New Hires

9. W. L. Butler hired Michael Smith as its new Director of Construction. In his new role, he will oversee strategic expansion, client/subcontractor partnerships and ensure quality service.

10. Betsy Lynch has joined DLR Group as its new Principal and Senior Project Manager. Lynch has more than 30 years of experience and previously worked on the Arizona State University Sun Devil Stadium Reinvention, among other projects.

11. Brian Bertain and Rob Nelson have relocated to Clark Pacific‘s Arizona office as Senior Project Manager and Project Manager, respectively. Bertain brings eight years of operational management of architectural and structural prefabricated building systems. Nelson brings a strong technical foundation and a hands-on understanding of design, production, and project coordination.

12. Anthony Hakes was named Corporate Controller at Sundt Construction. Hakes brings more than 30 years of construction accounting and advisory experience. He succeeds Patrick Dooley, who will retire June 2027. Prior to working at Sundt, Hakes worked at CBIZ.

Retirements

13. George Larsen, Co-Founder of Larsen Baker LLC, announced his retirement after 32 years with the company. Larsen co-founded the firm with Donald Baker and helped grow it into southern Arizona’s largest commercial property owner and management company. In 2021, Larsen sold the majority of the company to longtime employees Melissa Lal and Jennifer Whitman.

In Memoriam

14. RL Brown, co-founder of Home Builders Marketing Inc., passed away at the age of 90. Brown was the first independent housing analyst in the Phoenix area. A celebration of his life was held May 26.