Reunion Rehab Hospital Breaks Ground in Peoria, Ariz.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction and Reunion Rehabilitation Hospitals broke ground in January on a new hospital in Peoria, Ariz., that will provide inpatient rehabilitation for people with debilitating illnesses and injuries such as stroke and brain injury as well as other neurological and orthopedic conditions.

Designed by Callaway Architecture, the three-story facility will encompass 49,128 sq ft on 3.71 acres and feature 40 patient beds (20-bed nursing units on each floor), two high-tech physical therapy gyms, administrative offices, dining and kitchen areas as well as support spaces. 

AP will manage the complete interior build-out as well as sitework and utilities. The project will finish in the fourth quarter of 2022. The hospital is part of a series of inpatient rehabilitation facilities that Reunion plans to develop across the country.

Bowman Consulting Acquires Perry Engineering in Tucson

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. of Reston, Va., has acquired Perry Engineering LLC in Tucson. Perry performs civil engineering consulting and land surveying for residential, commercial, industrial, education and health care-related projects. In addition, Perry serves as the on-call engineers for planning and report reviews in several local jurisdictions. The acquisition, which Bowman financed with a combination of cash, seller financing and stock was completed in early February.

“Our Tucson operation has grown rapidly and combined with Perry, Bowman will be one of the larger engineering operations in this thriving market,” said Gary Bowman, CEO of Bowman. “Perry’s experience in civil engineering, commercial site planning, educational facility design, survey and aerial imaging is highly aligned with our operations and services throughout Arizona and nationally.”

Johnson Carlier Construction RemodelingSouthwest Contemporary Women’s Care

Johnson Carlier Construction has begun a two-phase, tenant improvement project for Southwest Contemporary Women’s Care, which provides OB/GYN services for women of all ages. The remodel will reduce waiting areas, provide new employee break rooms, increase the size of conference rooms and improve office and exam rooms. The scope also replaces interior partitions, doors, frames and hardware. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.

Work Underway on New Converge Logistics Center in Phoenix 

The Converge Logistics Center in Phoenix will consist of three buildings with ample tenant amenities.
Image courtesy of Converge Logistics Center

Work is underway on a three-building industrial development along Interstate 10 in Phoenix. ViaWest Group and its building partners—Willmeng Construction, Butler Design Group and Kimley-Horn—have broken ground on the 512,710-sq-ft Converge Logistics Center.

The infill, Class A industrial development will feature three structures, with Building A being the largest at 210,670 sq ft. Building B will be 140,941 sq ft, and Building C will be 159,221 sq ft. All three have clear heights of 32 ft, multiple drive-in bay doors, ample dock-high doors and robust trailer parking as well as ample auto parking stalls. Designed to serve multiple tenants, the buildings are divisible to 52,000, 23,500 and 39,800 sq ft, respectively.

Willmeng says it plans to work on all three buildings concurrently, with a goal of bringing the entire project to market by the first quarter of 2023.

ViaWest Group has signed a 77-year ground lease with Kyrene School District on the 28.6-acre parcel located in Phoenix, with I-10 dividing the property from Chandler city boundaries. The parcel sits less than a half mile from the Chandler Boulevard and the I-10 Interchange, and users will have easy access to the Loop 202 Freeway.

AIMS Cos. Acquires T. Gray Utility Co. 

AIMS Cos., a national industrial, municipal and utility services firm, has acquired Texas-based T. Gray Utility Co., an industry leader in manhole installation and rehabilitation. Company leaders say the strategic partnership will expand municipal service offerings and increase capabilities at one of the leading providers of infrastructure rehab in the country.

“We welcome the entire T. Gray team to the AIMS organization and are pleased to add Marcus Tamez as a key senior leader for this service area,” says Chris Mihaletos, CEO, AIMS Cos. T. Gray will operate as division of AIMS Cos.

Materials Prices Rose Nearly 20% in 2021

Prices of construction materials jumped nearly 20% in 2021 despite moderating in December, according to a new analysis of government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Contractors rate materials costs are a top concern for 2022, according to a recent survey predicting the industry’s chief concerns for the year.

“Many materials are difficult—if not impossible—to find. Projects have been delayed due to material availability issues,” says Craig Madole, CEO for the Nevada Chapter AGC in Reno. “In addition, scheduling has also been significantly impacted by the supply chain issues. Fixed-cost construction contracts are being priced accordingly with long-lead items, such as steel trusses, seeing long delays and significant cost increases.”

Prices moderated for some construction materials in December but still ended the year with large gains. “Costs may not rise as steeply in 2022 as they did last year but they are likely to remain volatile, with unpredictable prices and delivery dates for key materials,” said Ken Simonson, AGC of America’s chief economist. “That volatility can be as hard to cope with as steadily rising prices and lead times.”

Rosendin Encourages High School Students To Pursue STEM Careers

Rosendin recently hosted a career day event for 40 students from five Arizona high schools to encourage them to consider STEM careers in construction. The virtual event was designed for future engineers participating in the Racing the Sun learning program at Peoria High School, Tucson High School, Shadow Ridge High School, Salpointe Catholic High School and Willcox High School.

Rosendin provided a high-resolution video walking tour of its Tempe regional office, warehouse, prefabrication area and training center. The live tour included Rosendin’s new building information modeling office with a demonstration of how to use virtual reality systems to design and analyze construction projects.