Giving Back
1. Sundt Construction committed $1M to Phoenix Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders on Sept. 2. The commitment will support innovative treatment, research and comprehensive care for children and families facing cancer and blood disorders. The new commitment brings Sundt’s total support to more than $1.4M since the partnership began in 2021. Sundt also serves as the title sponsor of Big Dig for Kids, a fundraising event benefiting the center.
2. The PENTA CARES Foundation, the charitable arm of The PENTA Building Group, held the 3rd annual Arizona Charity Golf Classic on Sept. 18, raising $80K to support Na7ive Na7ions and Home Base Arizona, two organizations working to strengthen communities across Arizona.
3. Arizona K-12 teachers can apply for $1,500 through the SRP Energizing Education Grant™, a new program from Salt River Project administered in partnership with the Arizona Educational Foundation. Applications will be open from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30.
Awards & Accolades
4. The City of Mesa received three 2026 Golden Prospector Awards from the Arizona Association for Economic Development. The City’s Office of Economic Development was recognized for Deal of the Year for its economic development deal with Hadrian Inc. and Multimedia Promotion for the Better Life Mesa Campaign. The Office of Urban Transformation received recognition in the Program/Processes category for The Redevelopment Toolkit, which supports private reinvestment in obsolete or deteriorating properties. Hadrian’s Factory 3 at The Cubes at Mesa Gateway represents approximately $200M in capital investment and is expected to create more than 350 jobs with average annual wages of approximately $71K.
5. The Arizona Department of Transportation’s Office of Communications and Public Involvement won two national awards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a national nonprofit group that represents and supports state departments of transportation. The awards were presented during the annual TransComm conference for AASHTO communications professionals. ADOT’s winners are:
- SR 187 Improvement Project: Public Involvement Approach without a Consultant and
- Community Information Officer Kirsten Johnson: Vanguard Award.
6. Arizona Highways magazine, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, won 23 awards for excellence in writing, photography, design, and digital content at the 46th annual International Regional Magazine Association conference. The magazine, which has been publishing for 101 years, received nine Gold Awards, including back-to-back Magazine Photographer of the Year honors for Joel Hazelton.
7. AZ Big Media’s PTK Magazine has published its list of People and Projects to Know for 2027. Covering more than 20 categories—including Architects, Attorneys, Brokers, Developers, General Contractors, Engineers and Managers—the list also includes 50 major projects from around the state.
Boards & Commissions
8. JE Dunn Construction VP and Director of Client Solutions Kirk McClure has joined the Greater Phoenix Economic Council as one of its newest Board members. Pulling experience from his previous seat on the GPEC NEXT Council, McClure will continue to support the future growth of Phoenix on GPEC’s Board of Directors. The GPEC board is made up of leaders from private and public sectors who guide their organizations and work collaboratively to shape the long-term sustainability of the region’s economy.
Company News
9. Latitude 33 Planning, Engineering & Surveying opened a Phoenix office at 200 E. Van Buren St., Ste. 401, expanding its Southwest presence and ability to serve clients across Arizona. The firm brings experience in aviation, healthcare, civic, defense, higher education, commercial and hospitality projects and has team members already licensed and working in Arizona. The new office will also support the firm’s recruitment of civil engineers and other professionals as it grows its project portfolio in the region.
10. Dunmor Real Estate plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles to Arizona.Dunmorwill occupy a 9.4KSF space at one of four speculative office suites under construction on the west wing of Horizon Bay’s second floor, in Tempe. Delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 at 1337 E. Rio Salado Pkwy. CBRE’s Lauren Lovell and Pat Boyle represented the landlord, Silver Creek Development.
Promotions
11. Kate Kaminski has been promoted to succeed the retiring Charley Freericks as President of the Arizona Region at Howard Hughes Communities. Kaminski joined the company in August 2024 as COO of the Arizona Region. Since her arrival, Kaminski and Freericks have been working together on the development of the 37,000-acre Teravalis master plan in Buckeye.
12. Wespac Construction announced the promotion of Tyler Mark from VP to COO, recognizing his 22 years of leadership, operational expertise and commitment to the company’s growth across Arizona. Mark will serve as a strategic and operational partner to the CEO, overseeing the day-to-day execution of Wespac’s construction operations.
13. Jess Purcell has been promoted to Director of Design Technology at Shepley Bulfinch. She has spent the past decade shaping how the firm connects, learns and shares knowledge across studios through its intranet and broader digital practice. Purcell has championed tools, workflows and process improvements to make information more accessible and strengthen efficiency and collaboration firmwide.
New Hires
14. Terracon has added Lisa Cuestas, Laura Miner and Graham Craig to its Arizona operations. Cuestas joined the Tucson office as Supervisor of Project Coordination and brings more than 30 years of professional experience. Miner joined the Tucson office as Regional Regulatory Compliance Leader for Environmental Services and brings 34 years of environmental consulting and regulatory compliance experience.
15. Madhu Reddy has been named Design Manager for Sundt Construction’s Transportation Group. He brings more than 20 years of transportation engineering and project leadership experience. Before joining Sundt, Reddy spent more than eight years with TYLin leading design and program management efforts on major infrastructure projects and more than 15 years with the Arizona Department of Transportation in engineering and leadership roles.
16. Kidder Mathews has expanded its Phoenix Healthcare Services Group with the addition of three professionals: Amita Sall, Shannon Hamer and Makai Rich. Sall joins the Healthcare Services Group as an Associate, where she primarily focuses on tenant representation for healthcare providers across the Valley. Hamer joins Kidder Mathews as a Healthcare Real Estate Specialist and will provide transaction management services while supporting leasing efforts for the team’s medical office portfolio. Rich joins the team as Brokerage Team Coordinator with a primary focus on tenant representation.