Giving Back
1. Salt River Project crews returned to remote areas of the Navajo Nation to provide reliable electricity to 12 families in the areas of Dilkon and Tuba City. The effort was part of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Mutual Aid Training 2025, a branch of the Light Up Navajo initiative.
2. Valley Partnership has selected ACCEL as the beneficiary of its 38th Annual Community Project. The organization will host a Community Project Day of Action on Nov. 8 at ACCEL School at Metro in Phoenix, where volunteers will complete facility improvements benefiting children and adults with developmental disabilities. Norris Design is serving as the project designer.
3. Construction volunteers partnered with trade and community members to make facility upgrades at a YMCA camp. The group raised more than $30K and provided materials and labor for improvements supporting local youth programs.
4. Achen-Gardner Construction, LLC reminded recipients of its October newsletter that being part of ESS Companies allows it to further build its communities by bringing its national resources to the local level as part of the ESS Foundation. This employee-owner-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has provided more than $77K to schools and more than $220K to students for construction industry scholarships.
Awards & Accolades
5. Arizona Capitol Times recently announced its list of Women Achievers of 2025. The recognition covers a wide range of fields. Sections and winners of greatest interest to the construction industry include:
Government & Public Service
- Ann O’Brien—Vice Mayor, City of Phoenix;
- Leah Landrum-Taylor—Assistant Director, Arizona Department of Economic Security;
- Jen Pokorski—County Manager, Maricopa County;
- Jessica Mefford-Miller—CEO, Valley Metro, and
- Christine Ellis—Vice Mayor, City of Chandler.
Environmental Impact
- Elvy Barton—Water and Forest Sustainability Senior Manager, Salt River Project, and
- Karen Peters—Director, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Corporate Leadership
- Sandra Watson—President & CEO, Arizona Commerce Authority;
- Lea Márquez Peterson—Chair, Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body; Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission;
- Taylor Perkins—Director of Business Development, CHASSE Building Team, and
- Linda Welter—Principal & CEO, Caliber Group.
6. Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR has been recognized as a Tucson Top Workplace for the third consecutive year. The firm was honored in the small business category for companies with 35–149 employees. The recognition, presented by Tucson Media Partners, AZ Central and Energage, is based on employee feedback measuring satisfaction, respect and support in the workplace.
Company News
7. Tech Parks Arizona reported a $2.6B annual economic impact in its 2024 analysis conducted by Rounds Consulting Group. The report found the parks supported 15,857 jobs, generated $1.1B in labor income and contributed $84M in state and local tax revenues.
8. Phoenix’s Capital Asset Management has partnered with Los Altos, Calif.-based West Valley Properties to enhance property management operations and deliver expanded support across West Valley’s Arizona portfolio. Capital Asset Management will provide property management services for West Valley’s Arizona assets. West Valley Properties will continue to serve as the asset manager for its Phoenix portfolio. As part of the partnership, Capital Asset Management will absorb all of West Valley Properties’ Phoenix employees. The Capital Asset Management team will now serve as the primary property management contact for tenants, while West Valley Properties continues to oversee asset performance and leasing strategy.
9. Arizona-based Sunstate Equipment Co., LLC announced the acquisition of Trenchman Strong, a trench safety equipment rental provider in Seattle. Through this integration, customers gain access to Sunstate’s multi-state branch network, service/support and equipment.
10. YAM Properties has selected Western Retail Advisors to oversee leasing for Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. The 76-acre mixed-use center includes 623.7KSF of retail, dining and entertainment space, 76 loft apartments and roughly 163KSF of office space. Westgate is currently 98% leased.
11. The Tucson branch of Land Advisors Organization has increased its market share to more than 70%. The Tucson branch had more than $48M in lot purchases in the month of October.
Promotions
12. Jeff Krohn has been promoted to COO at Avenue5 Residential. He has more than 20 years of multifamily leadership experience and will oversee the company’s operational strategy and performance nationwide.
13. Melissa Love has been promoted to Preconstruction Manager for Sundt Construction’s Southwest Building Group. She has nearly 15 years with the company and more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry. Love most recently served as Preconstruction Project Manager.
New Hires
14. The City of Phoenix announced Ryan Touhill will serve as its new Community and Economic Development Director. Touhill has nearly two decades of experience in local government and economic development. He recently served as Director of Arlington Economic Development in Virginia.
15. Alex Ortega has joined Tofel Dent Construction as VP of Preconstruction in the company’s Phoenix office. He has nearly 20 years of experience in preconstruction, estimating and project management. Ortega most recently served as VP of Business Development and Preconstruction at BFL Construction and previously held leadership roles with IDL Projects Inc. and Parsons Corporation.
16. Scott Friend has joined Lloyd Sports + Engineering. He has more than 20 years of experience in civil engineering and land development across the Phoenix area, including residential, higher education, healthcare and commercial projects. Most recently, he worked with a national firm specializing in wastewater design.