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ENR Southwest’s 2022 Best Projects competition drew 48 entries from across the three-state region of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. After weeks of review, an independent team of judges selected 22 of those for recognition, with 12 named Best Projects and nine receiving awards of merit.

This year’s team of judges, selected from all corners of the AEC community, reviewed entries for achievement in five areas: project challenges and solutions, safety programs, innovative design and construction solutions, contribution to the construction industry and the community as well as design quality and craftsmanship. Projects were ineligible for an award if they had a construction-related death.

ENR Southwest’s Best Project-level winners will now advance to the national level, competing with winners from nine other regions to be considered for ENR’s Best of the Best awards. Judging for the national contest will begin later this year, with results to be announced in early 2023.

The two special awards featured in this year’s contest are the Excellence in Safety award, which is now in its tenth year as part of the competition, and for the second year, Excellence in Sustainability. Judges named two safety winners and two sustainability winners.

In addition to selecting category winners, judges selected two projects as contenders for project of the year. This year’s Project of the Year Finalist is the Bernalillo County Government Center at Alvarado Square, which also won a Best Projects award in the renovation/restoration category and the Excellence in Sustainability award.

ENR Southwest’s 2022 Project of the Year is the Walton Center for Planetary Health at Arizona State University, which also won a Best Projects award in the higher education/research category.

All winning project teams will be celebrated in Phoenix on Nov. 3 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

Read on to learn more about this year’s 22 winning projects from across the region.

 

The Judges

Jessica

Jessica Colón
Preconstruction Manager
DPR Construction

Colón’s experience spans both operations and preconstruction, with a deep background in the life science and health care markets. 

 

Boe Evanson

Boe Evanson
Construction Manager 
Layton Construction

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 2007, Evanson joined Weitz as a project engineer, rising through the ranks. He joined Layton in August. 

 

Alandren Etlantus

Alandren Etlantus
Sr. Vice President Bohannan 
Huston Inc.

Etlantus has led water resources analysis, planning and design projects in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. She is a licensed professional engineer and certified floodplain manager. 

 

Chris Fletcher

Chris Fletcher
Project Director
McCarthy Building Cos.

Fletcher has nearly 20 years of industry expertise that includes constructing large-scale, high-profile and multi-venue projects. 

 

Phil Glenn

Phil Glenn
Project Director
Kitchell Contractors

Glenn has been in health care construction his entire career with Kitchell, working at multiple hospital campuses in the Phoenix area and in California.

 

Kai Kaoni

Kai Kaoni
Assistant Professor of Practice
Northern Arizona University

Kaoni began his career in the field for a general contractor. In 2015, he found his passion as an educator, becoming a professor in civil engineering and construction management.

 

Claire Karsten

Claire Karsten
Project Coordinator
Karsten Interior Services

A recent University of Houston graduate, Karsten has been with her family’s commercial drywall, acoustical and paint company for two years.  

 

Timothy Rock

Timothy Rock
Owner/CEO 
All Things Metal 

Rock believes success lies in the rarest commodity in the world—good people—a mission statement that inspires him. He strives to create opportunities for team members’ advancement.  

 

SUSTAINABILITY

Sandra Bernal

Sandra Bernal
Lecturer, College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture
University of Arizona

Bernal has been a lecturer at the School of Architecture since 2018. Part of her research and practice focus is on health and the built environment as well as the cultural implications of sustainability.  

 

Alicia Duffy

Alicia Duffy
Project Manager
Mortenson

With over 13 years of experience, Duffy has led some of Mortenson’s most complex Arizona projects. She is overseeing construction of the 1-million-sq-ft Kohler Vikrell Manufacturing Facility in Casa Grande.

 

SAFETY

Pat Salandi

Pat Salandi
Safety Director
Niels Fugal Sons

For nearly 35 years, Salandi has worked as a safety professional, for half of his career as a loss control consultant and then helping manage safety for large general contractors. 

 

Rodd Weber

Rodd Weber
Executive Director of Safety & Quality
The PENTA Building Group

Weber has been a full-time safety professional since 1999 and was corporate safety director for PENTA Building Group for 15 years before being promoted to executive director in 2022.

 

The Projects