Boards & Commissions
1. National Association of Women in Construction announced Jodi Wiemerslage as the new President of the NAWIC National Board of Directors.
Promotions
2. Nayan Bhakta has been promoted to President of McCarthy Building Companies’ National Renewable Energy group. He previously served as COO of the Renewable Energy group, where he helped more than quadruple the firm’s solar and battery energy storage footprint in less than two years. Bhakta joined McCarthy in 2014 and has held various roles within the National Renewable Energy group. He succeeds Dhruv Patel, who was promoted to COO of McCarthy Holdings.
3. Dean Marten was promoted to VP of Civil at Haydon, leading the company’s Site Development and Transportation markets. During his six years with Haydon, Marten has led complex civil projects across Arizona and supported the company’s expansion into Texas. He focuses on operational success, client relationships, company culture and talent development.
4. Big D Construction announced the promotion of six members. These members are:
- André Lima to Chief Estimator;
- Chad Greco to Senior PM;
- Caitlin Shillito to Senior Marketing Coordinator;
- Giovanni Garcia Gaspar to Assistant PM;
- Caroline Ortman to Senior Project Engineer, and
- Zachary Sherrod to Preconstruction Coordinator.
5. Anna McCray has been selected as Deputy City Manager for the City of Apache Junction. McCray, who has nearly 20 years of experience with the City, previously served as Human Resources Director and held roles including Management Analyst and Assistant to the City Manager. She will join City Manager Bryant Powell and Assistant City Manager Matt Busby.
6. Sean Ragudo has been elevated to Associate at DFDG Architecture. Ragudo has 20 years of experience guiding municipal and education projects to completion. His current projects include Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s T3/N2 and Gilbert Advocacy Phases 2 and 3.
New Hires
7. Nathan Ball has been appointed CEO at Capital Pump & Equipment. Ball brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in infrastructure and industrial services. He will lead the company’s next phase of growth, focusing on operational excellence, customer partnerships, geographic expansion, employee development and continued investment in its fleet and technical capabilities.
8. Layton Construction announced the hiring of Zach Venvertloh as Director of Business Development in Arizona. Venvertloh brings six years of experience with the Greater Phoenix Council.
9. Natalie Schuetz was hired at Gensler as Design Director. Schuetz brings deep hospitality design expertise and leadership experience to the Phoenix team.
10. James Smith has been named Economic Development Director for the City of Goodyear. He brings 25 years of economic development experience, including 12 years with the City of Chandler, where he held several positions focused on business attraction and corporate expansions. He later served as Economic Development Director for Fountain Hills and Economic and Workforce Development Director for Pinal County. Smith succeeds Wendy Bridges, who retired in May after serving as Goodyear’s Economic Development Director since 2022.
11. DFDG Architecture has hired five new members. These members are:
- Steven Still as Senior PM, bringing more than 20 years of experience;
- Hani Alamed as Architectural Associate, graduating from University of Arizona;
- Anthony Korb as Architectural Associate, graduating from University of Arizona;
- Brian Marousek as Architectural Associate, graduating from Arizona State University, and
- Mackenzie Figy as Interior Designer, graduating from Arizona State University.