Giving Back
1. The PENTA Building Group has wrapped up its 19th annual Safety Kick-Off. The tour engaged thousands of construction experts and hosted a wide array of safety vendors. PENTA made stops at venues in Scottsdale, Anaheim and Rohnert Park, Calif., and Henderson, Nev.
Boards & Commissions
2. Benjamin Bitter, City Manager for the City of Maricopa, was elected President of the Arizona City/County Management Association, a statewide organization supporting professional local government managers. Bitter began his term this month and will serve as President through January 2027, followed by an additional year on the board as Past President through January 2028. He joined the City of Maricopa in 2021 and was appointed City Manager in April 2024.
3. Robby Garvey, Project Director with Lloyd Construction Company, Inc., has been named Southern Arizona Chairman of the Arizona Builders Alliance. Garvey brings 21 years of construction industry experience and has been with Lloyd Construction since 2005. In the role, he will lead Southern Arizona-focused efforts for the trade association, which represents nearly 300 member companies across the region.
4. Treena Bradley of the Buckeye Elementary School District has been appointed Director of Member Services for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials. The AASBO Board made the appointment Feb. 3 following a special meeting to fill the vacant position. Bradley is set to serve through the next election cycle in July 2027.
Company News
5. Kitchell has completed the sale of American Refrigeration Supplies, Inc., its HVAC-R wholesale distribution business, to Hajoca, a privately held distributor of plumbing, HVAC, pool and industrial supplies. The transaction closed Jan. 30. The sale allows Kitchell to focus its resources on its construction, consulting and development businesses. American Refrigeration Supplies will continue operating under its existing brand and leadership following the sale.
6. Torch Properties has acquired a partial equity interest in a 100.4KSF portfolio of multi-tenant light industrial, retail and business park properties in Tucson. The portfolio includes Campbell Village at 3025 N. Campbell Ave., the Palmdale/Fremont Business Park Properties at multiple addresses on East Palmdale Street and South Fremont Avenue, and a single-tenant industrial outdoor storage building at 1101 E. 18th St. occupied by Nutrien Ag Solutions. Torch Properties will now conduct property management, and leasing for the properties will be handled by BRD Realty.
Promotions
7. Todd & Associates Inc. announced promotions for Shelley Chalmers-Ranneyand Dan Busnahan. Both team members were promoted to Partner.
8. Achen-Gardner Construction has promoted the following employees:
- Brian Froelich, to Project Director,
- Cody Nunez, to Project Director,
- Casey Perry, to Project Director,
- Trey Pacheco, to Project Manager,
- Matt Schoonmaker, to Project Manager,
- Israel Santillan Jr., to Project Manager,
- Phillip Zhang, to Project Manager,
- Kaleb Ruelas, to Project Engineer, and
- Sama Al-Alami, to Assistant Project Manager.
9. Cannon & Wendt Electric Co., Inc. has promoted the following employees to Project Manager:
- Sandy Gawelko, who joined the firm in 2022, will focus on preconstruction activities;
- Paysen Arballo, who has worked in project management and execution roles with the firm;
- Warner Baraban, who joined the company in 2022, and has supported healthcare and data center projects and
- Jody Fletcher, who has 16 years of experience in the electrical construction industry, has been with the firm for two years and has supported projects across multiple Valley campuses.
10. Hayley Freestone was promoted to Economic Development Project Manager with the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development. She joined the City nine months ago as an Economic Development Specialist, where she supported business development efforts, coordinated with the Development Services Department and collaborated with city, regional and state economic development partners. In her new role, Freestone will oversee economic development projects with an initial focus on retail recruitment and development.
11. Dibble recently announced promotions for Ian Mowry, Jason Simmersand Greg Vega. Mowry has been promoted to Principal Engineer of the Transportation team. Simmers has been promoted to Transportation Team Leader for the Arizona Roadway Design team. Vega has been promoted to Team Leader for the Tucson Land Development team.
New Hires
12. Big-D Construction has added the following team members:
- Andy Lane joined the firm as Manager of Operational Excellence, focusing on construction technology and operational improvement across commercial projects.
- Drew Sullivan joined Big-D as Assistant Project Manager, supporting project coordination and team operations.
- Keith Knipp joined the company as Superintendent, bringing field leadership experience on large-scale commercial construction projects.
13. Withey Morris Baugh has added Taylor Roderick to its real estate transactions practice in Phoenix. Roderick’s work focuses on real estate and business transactions, including acquisitions, development, financing, leasing and dispositions across commercial and industrial projects in Arizona.
14. Achen-Gardner Construction has added Jack Kelly as Project Engineer and Lizette “Lizzy” Gamez as Project Engineer Intern.
Retirements/In Memoriam/Departures
15. Steve Rao, former President of DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., recently passed away. Rao served as President from 2008 to 2020 and spent more than 34 years with the firm. A memorial service was held Feb. 6 at Messinger Indian School Mortuary in Scottsdale.