Less than 20 years ago, Aztec Engineering, Phoenix, was a disadvantaged business enterprise firm looking to make its mark. Today, the firm is the fifth largest on ENR Southwest's Top Design Firms ranking based on annual revenue. Aztec reported $27.83 million in regional revenue in 2014 and moved up 15 spots on the survey over the previous year, when it logged $14.95 million. The firm also ranks atop the survey's transportation category, with a plethora of projects in Arizona. Related Links: ENR Southwest Top Design Firms Engineering News Record Robert Lemke, CEO of Aztec, says the reason for the firm's

For the past 12 years Wespac Construction Inc. has been organizing the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in central Arizona and the number of people, along with the charitable donations, have been rising ever since the first band took the stage.The festival draws between 16,000 and 18,000 people over the three day period, has raised over $1 million in the past 12 years for local charities and has drawn some of the biggest names in music all while being a self sufficient enterprise.Nate Largay, son of the company’s president, John Largay, and communications director for Wespac Construction, said the company decided

Photo by John Guzzon / ENR In the Las Vegas Wash (above), the weir (below) restricts heavy flows, which helps to limit silt depositions in Lake Mead. Photo by John Guzzon / ENR Related Links: The Last Straw: Lake Mead Third Intake Digs Deep Few visitors to Las Vegas are likely to realize they are using the same water as on their previous visit. The city and its environs are one of the few U.S. metro areas that reclaim nearly every drop of water that goes down the drain. After it is processed at two treatment plants south of The

Related Links: Multi-Year Bank Rehab Secures Las Vegas Wash Lake Mead Intake Project Manges Risk Proactively Lake Mead, the reservoir for drinking water in Las Vegas, is in trouble. The city and its suburbs have long been challenged by a limited water supply, but the very real effects of climate change are exacerbating and accelerating already dry conditions. The region's 2 million residents depend almost entirely on the Colorado River, yet its lake-stored flows are set to dwindle significantly in the next few decades.Located about 30 miles from the city's downtown, Lake Mead's depth has sunk to perilously low levels—

Related Links: The Last Straw: Lake Mead Third Intake Digs Deep While several monumental tasks need to be completed on the Lake Mead Intake No. 3, Erika Moonin, project manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, says neither its contractors nor owner anticipate future issues, thanks to preconstruction risk management. "We had a very strong approach to risk management," she says. "We had open communication meetings between the owner and the construction manager, and we had experts, including our peer-review committee."The contract also included allowance accounts that provided tunnelers leeway when dealing with "potentially variable items," mainly pre-excavation grouting and

The Federal Highway Administration this month gave Arizona approval to proceed with plans for the state's first major public-private-partnership project, the $1.9-billion Loop 202/South Mountain freeway in the Phoenix metropolitan area.FHWA signed a record of decision March 5, and according to the Arizona Dept. of Transportation, the agency will immediately begin acquiring right-of-way, selecting the construction team and finalizing plans. Five development teams have submitted statements of qualifications to ADOT and will move on to the next stage of the selection process. The final development team is expected to be chosen by January 2016."We are currently reviewing the submitted statement