Led by several megaprojects, the construction industry in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico strengthened in 2021. The top 25 projects on ENR Southwest’s annual Top Starts ranking represent $41.7 billion in value; in contrast, the pandemic-impacted 2020 total was $5.19 billion.
“I definitely would not call 2021 a ‘rebound,’ as [2020] was an excellent year for many of our members,” says David Martin, president, Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America in Phoenix. “We are grateful that Governor [Doug] Ducey declared our industry as essential during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our public and private clients took this momentum into 2021, which was also an excellent year for all sectors of the industry.”