Southwest

ENR Southwest's 2011 Top 20 Under 40

By Scott Blair, Editor-in-Chief

ENR Southwest's Top 20 Under 40 — Though Fontainebleau Garage and Convention Center in Las Vegas fell victim to the recession and ceased construction, project manager Doug Rounds with Lochsa Engineering created a unique design to meet the challenges of carrying heavy loads across large open spaces in the 2,800,000-sq-ft steel-framed structure.

Image courtesy Lochsa Engineering

NIETO

Christopher Nieto
A successful architect, developer, business owner and builder
32, Principal
Shepley Bulfinch, Phoenix

Before reaching the age of 30, Nieto had already bought and sold his own business and become a successful developer, contractor and architect. He began his career at the age of 14 working for his family-owned plumbing contracting company, garnering skills he later applied when founding his own development and property management company. In 2004 he co-founded merzproject, an architecture firm that helped revitalize the downtown Phoenix core through award-winning urban renewal projects such as the Link. Not one to rest on his laurels, Nieto merged merzproject with Shepley Bulfinch in 2009, becoming one of the nationwide firm's youngest principals in the process. He honors his diverse ethnic background as an active board member for the Arizona Latino Arts & Culture Center and is an avid supporter of local Latino artists.

ROOT

Scott Root
This integrated services guru leads firm's virtual construction division
36, Director, Integrated Services
Kitchell, Phoenix

As leader of Kitchell's Virtual Construction Division, Root is described by colleagues as the firm's integrated services guru. A trained architect working for a contractor, Root is a passionate champion of the technologies and processes that enhance teamwork and benefit the client. Root mentors others—even those outside of his own firm—on how best to utilize technology to efficiently deliver more effective projects, and he has taught a building information modeling program at Arizona State University since 2007. Root has worked on $1 billion of highly complex health-care projects in the region.

ROUNDS

Doug Rounds
Innovative engineer on key projects such as Grand Canyon Skywalk
37, Project Manager
Lochsa Engineering, Las Vegas

Rounds' practical and innovative approach has led to work on complicated projects such as the steel-framed, cantilevered Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona. Rounds is known for establishing strong working relationships with clients and other members of the design team, preferring a proactive and positive approach to dialogue. His passion for structural challenges started early as he helped his collegiate engineering team win the 1999 National Championship for the AISC Steel Bridge Competition. Coming full circle, he is now adjunct professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, teaching steel and concrete design.

KEYWORDS: Southwest Top Young Professionals

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.