Okland Construction Co.'s Tempe, Ariz., office notched a stunning 98% increase in revenue in the Southwest region during fiscal-year 2011 at a time when many of its competitors saw plunging bottom lines. Okland was able to bring in $185.8 million in the region between October 2010 and September 2011. Related Links: Southwest Top Lists Rio Salado Audubon Center Wins Best Green Building Award But it was the firm's commitments to client service and sustainability that cinched its selection as ENR Southwest's 2012 Contractor of the Year."For sure, 2009 and 2010 were lean years for us, as with many companies," says
ENR Southwest's annual survey of general contractors shows that 2011 was a transition year for the industry. Many firms were still feeling the effects of the recession, while others saw revenue jump dramatically. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 82 General Contractors GC of the Year: Building Relationship Gives Okland a Boost Contractors in Arizona fared best, with 2011 revenue climbing to $4.7 billion, a rise of nearly 16% over 2010.Sundt Construction, Tempe, Ariz., saw revenue rise 28%. "The key to success has been our diversity of market sectors," says Eric Hedlund, chief operating officer at Sundt. The company performs civil,
The heat wave afflicting much of the U.S. claimed a construction worker near Tucson—a stark reminder of the danger heat poses to those in the building trades. Mark Geise, 44, died of apparent heat-related illness on June 19 while constructing a propane filling station at a Costco store. A resident of Indiana, Geise was employed by Seese Construction, Monrovia, Ind., according to his obituary. Photo by Aileen Cho/ENR Workers should take refuge in a shady, relatively cool spot and rehydrate if heat-related illness symptoms occur. Related Links: Arizona Workers Are Old Pros At Sweating In The Southwest Hot or Cold,
Construction firms in several states are closely watching how Arizona will implement the provisions of its immigration law left standing after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated three of the statute's sections. Photo Courtesy Office of the Arizona Governor: Jan Brewer Gov. Jan Brewer addresses the media following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the heart of SB 1070. Related Links: High Court Issues Split Ruling in Immigration Case Oral Arguments in Arizona Immigration Law Case The high court on June 25 struck down three key sections of Arizona S.B. 1070 but left intact one of its most controversial provisions,
When McCarran International Airport's $2.4-billion third terminal complex opens on June 27, it will mark the end of a decade-long string of big projects in the region. The five-year undertaking employed 1,800 people working more than 9.5 million man-hours. "It's a bit of a letdown to see it done," says Sean Stewart, executive vice president, Associated General Contractors, Las Vegas chapter. "There aren't any billion-dollar projects on the horizon."Bechtel Infrastructure Corp. was the program manager; Perini Building Co. was general contractor for the three-level, 1.9-million-sq-ft terminal building under a $1.2-billion contract. The terminal is joined by several other projects that were
A second school in the Green Schoolhouse Series of volunteer-built schools for low-income communities broke ground this morning in Phoenix. The new 6,000-sq-ft structure is being added to the existing Orangewood School campus near 19th and Glendale avenues, and will be built solely by volunteers with materials donated by a variety of industry companies. Related Links: Read about the first green schoolhouse here Designed to achieve LEED-Platinum certification upon completion, the new school for the Washington Elementary School District will be devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, but will also be a teaching tool in itself to
The first phase of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s effort to transform Taliesin West into a net-zero energy-use facility has been completed, while construction on energy efficiency improvements continue. A new 250-KW solar photovoltaic power system, donated by Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar Inc., was commissioned this week on the 75-year-old National Historic Landmark architectural campus. The endeavour, dubbed Energizing Taliesin West, was sparked during an energy audit of the 500-acre property in early 2011 by Phoenix-based consultant Big Green Zero. It found that Taliesin West’s energy bills could be reduced by 51% via relatively inexpensive energy efficiency improvements to lighting,
The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona awarded an $82-million contract to Henderson, Nev.-based Tutor Perini Building Corp. to construct the new Vee Quiva Casino & Hotel. Located in Laveen—just outside of Phoenix—the project will include a new 70,000-sq-ft casino and a 90-room hotel. Construction is expected to start in June. Related Links: Read about Gila River's previous project, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino The new casino will be built just to the south of the existing Vee Quiva Casino, which will remain operational until the new project opens in summer 2013.“Rebuilding Vee Quiva Casino is part of a
This week marked a major milestone on the $1.5-billion PHX Sky Train project, as Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton sent Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s new automated train on its first official—albiet short—journey on Monday. Photo courtesy Sky Harbor The PHX Sky Train performed its first short test run on Monday on track running between the East Economy Station and the maintenance facility. Photo by Scott Blair Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised Sky Train as the key to future success at Sky Harbor Airport. “Built during the worst economy since the Great Depression, this project has put a lot of people to
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