Giving Back
1. Canyon State Electric is collecting LEGO sets throughout November and December to benefit children suffering from illness. CSE’s LEGO Drive is returning for a third year, and sets collected in 2024 are benefitting Phoenix Children’s for its Holiday Toy Drive. The LEGO Drive runs through November until Dec. 13. To donate, purchase from the LEGO Drive Amazon wish list (https://tinyurl.com/CSE-Lego-Drive-2024), bring a LEGO set to Canyon State Electric’s office at 4640 E McDowell Road, or email legodrive@cseci.com to schedule a pickup.
2. The Terracon Foundation announced a $6K grant in support of the Terracon Foundation Funds for the University of Arizona’s Geotechnical and Civil Engineering Student Stipends program. The grant will be used to award scholarships to students in the Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Engineering academic programs.
Awards & Accolades
3. Adrian Saldanha, project manager in Arizona for PCL Construction, Inc., was recognized as a 2025 Top Young Professional by Engineering News-Record Southwest and Mountain States Region. Saldanha is one of 25 earning this award.
Boards & Commissions
4. AZCREW has elected the officers and directors to lead the organization in 2025. AZCREW exists to transform the commercial real estate industry by advancing women globally. The 2025 Board of Directors consists of:
- President: Lynette Dreitz Fort of Cawley Architects;
- President-Elect: Nicole Solar of Olsson;
- Past President: Jenny Liles of CRESA;
- Treasurer: Nicole Cuellar of CG Schmidt; and
- Secretary: Kristen Hernandez of RED Development.
Directors for 2025 are:
- Chapter Champion Director: Carol Schillne of ORION Investment Real Estate;
- Communications Director: Hannah Bashaw of GCON;
- Membership Director: Jacqi Marth of CCS Facility Services;
- Programs Director: Stephanie Handley of Lamar Johnson Collaborative;
- Special Events Director: Serena Wedlich of CBRE;
- Sponsorship Director: Savannah Carbine of Climatec; and
- Non-Voting Historian: Beth Jo Zeitzer of R.O.I. Properties.
Company News
5. Kovach Enclosure Systems has announced its transition to an employee-owned company through the establishment of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The Chandler-headquartered company was founded in 1970 and today has more than 310 employees and a presence across eight states.
Promotions
6. Sundt Construction, Inc. has announced promotions for both Alex Charland and Stephen Bradford. Charland has been promoted to President of Sundt’s new Advanced Facilities Group. Charland has been in the construction industry for 20 years. Bradford has been promoted to President of Sundt’s new Heavy Industrial and Mining Group. Bradford has been working with Sundt for nearly 20 years.
7. ADM Group Inc. promoted Wendy Odom to Principal + Director of Interior Design. Odom’s experience includes programming, space planning and design for West Point High School, Sierra Linda Performing Arts Center, Tolleson Media Center & PAC, Madison Park Middle School and Goodyear High School.
8. JLL announced it has named Kevin MacKenzie as President, Americas Capital Markets. MacKenzie will succeed Jody Thornton, who will assume the role of Executive Chairman, Americas Capital Markets. MacKenzie began his career as an analyst in the Dallas office in 2004 and has held various roles with the company.
9. Terracon announced the promotion of John Griffin to Senior Associate. Griffin has more than 19 years of experience and serves as Senior Project Manager with the Planning + Landscape Architecture group at Terracon.
New Hires
10. Kinsale Realty Group, LLC announced the hiring of Ella Kenney as Property Manager. Kenney will now manage 300KSF of retail and industrial-office flex space throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.