May/June 2020

VOLUME 9 ISSUE 3

$5.99 May-Jun 2020 Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community. . . Then & Now

Arizona’s Timeless Magazine

Directing Traffic Since 1962: Star-Lite Barricade & Sign Homespun Contractors: Willard Myers and Sons Arizona Masonry: A Barometer of Our Culture The Silver Dollar: South Central’s Starlight Screen Calvin Chester Straub, FAIA: Humanist DCS Contracting Unearths Past at Novus Innovation Corridor

Inventive Contractors: Buros Construction Co.

In Memoriam

Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 -2020

PAGE

MAY-JUN 2020

cliffcorepair.com

One Team One Destination One Response

Problem Solved Hydraulic cylinder rebuilds remanufactured parts / parts replication Component enhancement Redesign and prototyping Large diameter cylinder, tube, pipe capacity Full machining services including manual / open bed CNC Full Fabrication services including mig, tig, stick / Aluminum mig, tig welding Plasma CNC services - design and Fabrication Heavy equipment, diesel repair services, fleet services, field services

7314 N 110th Ave cliffcorepair.com Glendale, AZ 85307 (602) 442-6913

11,000 SF BLDG ON 1.85 ACRES FOR SALE/LEASE

CALL FOR INFO (480) 620-8555

• Fenced & Secure Yard • Fully HVAC block building

• A-2 (Heavy Industrial Zoned) • Indian School Visibility

40th Ave.

HEAVY INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE

Jeff Woudenberg Designated Broker jeff@wprops.com arizcc.com

Ave. 39th

Woudenberg Properties

Indian School Rd.

woudenbergprops.com Arizona Contractor & Community

FOUR

MAY-JUN 2020

NOW RUNNING 30 TRUCKS Travis Williams - General Manager Over 24 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry travis@azdbm.com | (602) 292-1224

Jim Latto - Business Development Over 36 Years of Ready Mix and related Business Experience jim@azdbm.com | (602) 696-4139

Donavon Stewart - Operations Manager Over 20 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry donavon@azdbm.com | (623) 271-5042 Avondale Plant #17 & #18 SWC Southern & El Mirage 30 trucks (safely can deliver 250cy/hr.)

Ross 10 yd. Batch Plant Con-E-Co LO PRO 12 yd. Batch Plant SWC Southern & El Mirage Available Products for FOB Sales: #57 Aggregate, 3/8” Chips and Clean Top Soil (Fill Dirt) Inert Landfill: Concrete, Rock, Dirt only. No trash, Organic or Petroleum Products

NORTH WEST VALLEY LOCATION (COMING SOON)

Dispatch – 623-925-4743 Locally Owned and Operated www.diamondbackmaterials.com 11435 W. Buckeye Road Suite #104-276 Avondale, AZ 85323

O (623) 925-8966 | F (623) 925-1072 E info@azdbm.com

AZ EARTHWORKS, LLC

P: 925-525-8314 E: Seanmiller623@gmail.com A: 26139 S. Recker Rd, Queen creek, AZ 85142

BRANTLEY GALLIMORE TRAFFIC CONTROL SERVICES

CONSOLIDATED ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC. 22640 North 21st Ave Phoenix, AZ 85027

O. (623) 879-0610 I F. (623) 879-0611 E. BRANTLEY@METROTRAFFICCONTROL.NET

arizcc.com

Services GPS GRADING HEAVY HAUL TRANSPORT

1717 E RAIRDAN LANE

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, 85034

Phone:602-437-4200 Fax: 602-437-0773 E-Mail: conorq@cedphx.com Website: www.cedphx.com Arizona Contractor & Community

ABOVE EVERYTHING, QUALITY!

Organizing projects around the house

Favorite home quarantine activity?

Publisher William Horner billy@arizcc.com

Enjoying my wife’s cooking

Editor Douglas Towne douglas@arizcc.com

Bus: (602) 437-3040 Fax: (602) 437-3041 WWW.SHARPCREEK.COM ROC 184941-KA

DBE & SBE Certified

Contributors James Logan Abell TV, cable Alison Bailin included Carly Hanson Ethan Smith Billie Snell Luke Snell Reading Anne Hillerman’s new no vel, Doug Sydnor “The Tale Teller”

Movie nights in our backyard

Writing haikus about the natural world

Taking walks with my boyfriend and dog

Historic English documentaries Production Manager with ice cream

Laura Horner laura@arizcc.com

Publisher’s Representative Practicing Barry Warner guitar barry@arizcc.com In Memoriam Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 -2020 Advertising 602-931-0069 arizcc.com/advertise Subscriptions: Online at arizcc.com Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published bi-monthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec). ACC is a professional publication designed for the contracting industry, engineers, architects, equipment rentals, suppliers, and others interested in Arizona and its history.

Content including text, photographs or illustrations may not be reproduced without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

ACC reserves the right to reject any editorial and advertising material and reserves the right to edit all submitted content material.

Arizona Contractor & Community Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved.

SIX

MAY-JUN 2020

P R I N T | PA C K A G I N G | M A I L I N G | F U L F I L L M E N T E C O - F R I E N D LY S O L U T I O N S

A MESSAGE TO OUR SUPPORTERS NINE YEARS AGO, WE HAD A CRAZY IDEA We launched Arizona Contractor & Community magazine a few years after the Great Recession, at a time when print media was on life support. The publication filled a niche, documenting Arizona contractors’ upcoming projects and past successes and gave rental companies and suppliers an affordable outlet to advertise their businesses. In our short time, we’ve established ourselves as a significant archive of Arizona’s history, detailing the accomplishments of many construction pioneers. We’re doing the important task of capturing the stories of your industry for future generations.

O 602 254 2427 F 602 258 1076 2 0 2 0 N 2 2 N D AV E P H O E N I X A Z 8 5 0 0 9 W W W. L I T H O T E C H A Z . C O M

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT…AND WE NEED IT EVEN MORE IN THE FUTURE With the current COVID-19 crisis, the country is hurting, and businesses are pulling back on spending.

However, we hope advertising in our magazine will continue to be part of your portfolio. The economy will come back, and your advertisement will maximize your visibility in the construction industry and put your company at the forefront of prospective jobs. Remember, advertising is not an expense but an investment in your business that pays dividends. Each dollar that companies spent on advertising last year led to $9 in sales, according to the research firm IHS Markit.

WE’RE A SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS, FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED The effects of COVID-19 have impacted the economy and particularly hit small local businesses particularly hard. You can help keep Arizona Contractor & Community magazine viable by assisting us in several impactful ways. Renew your advertisement with us. Consider more significant or more frequent marketing with us. If you’re receiving a complimentary subscription, consider purchasing one on our website. Or send a gift subscription to some friends who would enjoy the magazine. We thank you for your efforts.

SAVE UP TO $1.99 AN ISSUE OFF COVER PRICE 1 YEAR, 6 ISSUES FOR $30, OR 2 YEARS, 12 ISSUES FOR ONLY $48!

NAME ADDRESS CITY EMAIL PHONE

STATE

ZIP

SEND, CUT OUT & CHECK TO: ACC, LLC. PO BOX 6912, GLENDALE, AZ 85312 FOR FASTER SERVICE, GO TO WWW.ARIZCC.COM/SUBSCRIBE AND SUBSCRIBE ONLINE arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Contents 10 12

“TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPEN”

480-641-3500

15

31

32

38

42

44

BELLY DUMP—SUPER 16—END DUMP— LOW BOY SIDE DUMP— EXCAVATOR—LOADER—GRADER

48

Contributors - Carly Hanson & Lynn Horner From The Editor - Remembering Chuck Runbeck Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When - South Central’s Starlight Screen Douglas Towne Inventive Contractors: Buros Construction Co. Douglas Towne Directing Traffic for Almost 60 Years: Star-Lite Barricade & Sign - Carly Hanson Arizona Masonry Design and Construction: A Barometer of our Culture - James Logan Abell, FAIA A Homespun Phoenix Family Business: Willard Myers and Sons Contracting - Douglas Towne

Charles “Chuck” Runbeck (1928-2020): A Tribute from His Three Sons

52

Building on the Past - 1967: Financial Automation

54

58

Architect’s Perspective - Calvin Chester Straub, FAIA: Humanist - Doug Sydnor, FAIA

Digging Through the Archives - Chuck Runbeck William Horner

60

Bid Results

62

Advertising Index

Front Cover - Installation of a vault, with a 4-ton door, directly behind the plate glass of the front window at First National Bank, 24th St. and Indian School Rd., which was built

by Buros Construction, 1959.

Inset - Lectro-Teller billboard.

EIGHT

MAY-JUN 2020

3

PUBLIC AUCTION HELD THE 2ND SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH PREVIEW EVERY MONDAY - FRIDAY 7AM-4PM CONSIGNMENTS WELCOME Western Sales Management 1616 S 67th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85043

arizcc.com

623-936-3300 wsmauctioneers.com wsmauctionbiz@yahoo.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Contributors

ALL THE GEAR YOU NEED Hercrentals.com Call for rates and reservations Gilbert: 480-507-1680 Phoenix: 602-269-5931 Peoria: 623-760-0631 Tucson: 520-573-1344

TEN

Carly Hanson Article on page 38

Lynn Horner Office Assistant

C

L

arly is a Phoenix native, who is two years into her writing and marketing career. In 2018, she graduated from ASU with a journalism degree and started in a marketing position at Nexus 21, a Scottsdale-based technology manufacturer. Though she still has the same job, it’s practically the only thing that hasn’t changed.

She bought her first house in Glendale, a fixer-upper if there ever was one, and spends most of her spare time turning it into a place she calls home.

She thinks no house is complete without a furry friend, which is why the newest family member is a 5-month-old Maltese poodle named Bear. Suddenly home renovations are a walk in the park after attempting to potty-train a puppy.

Between work and house renovations, she goes to the movies with her dad, a tradition they’ve long shared together.

She also makes a point to travel with her boyfriend, Jeremy Sergent, who works for Sunstate Equipment Co. The couple’s latest visits were to Carly’s family cabin in Pinetop, Arizona and several cities in Colorado. Her favorite stops were Ouray and Breckenridge for their quaint shops, outstanding food, and endless rows of trees. They also take advantage of do-nothing days where they can binge-watch reality TV together, because everyone needs a guilty pleasure.

ynn (Sullivan) Horner is indispensable to Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, thanks to her behind-thescenes work with finances and distribution. Every Friday, she performs the thankless job of calling the companies on our distribution list to confirm their mailing information and make sure that they have received the magazine. “I love that I can be a small part of this process!” she says. Besides working for the magazine, Lynn has been employed in the dental field for 30 years, with the last 18 years at Northwest Endodontics.

Lynn lived in Buffalo, New York until she was 12, and fondly recalls her time there with her parents, Bill and Maureen Sullivan, and her brother, Bill. “In 1968, my father’s company, Western Electric, relocated us to sunny Phoenix,” she says.

“I attended Bourgade Catholic High School in west Phoenix, and still hang out with friends from school. We recently celebrated our 46th reunion!”

Bourgade is also where Lynn met her husband, Bill Horner, who worked construction until his passing in 2007.

“We were married in 1976 and raised three children: Billy (the magazine’s publisher), Andrea, and Jeff,” she says. “All my children are very successful, and I love them beyond measure.”

She also enjoys spending time wither her children-in-law, Jim and Laura; granddaughters, Daphne and Kaia; and her boyfriend, Johnny Mack.

MAY-JUN 2020

GRADING • PAVING •SEALCOATING DEMOLITION • CONCRETE & MORE

(602) 992-2201 | SHANESPAVING.COM ROC #255891 A-5 & #38635 A-14 21801 N. 16TH ST., BOX 5, PHOENIX, AZ 85024 arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

From the editor: Chuck Runbeck Douglas Towne

twelve

growing up during the Great Depression, alternating between living in South Dakota and Coolidge, Arizona. His family produced The Coolidge Examiner newspaper, and had a hardscrabble existence. The Runbeck home lacked running water, so they hauled it 13 miles in a washtub set in a 1928 Chevy. “So that the water didn’t slosh out of the tub, we drove so slow over the rough roads, you could have almost walked faster,” he lamented.

Chuck referred to himself as a “Hollywood Marine” since he joined the military too late for action during World War II. He made his enlistment memorable, however, by crashing a posh Southern California pool party, and then was invited to stay by the hostess, actress and swimmer, Esther Williams.

After the war, he returned to Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State College (now ASU) in Tempe with a business degree.

Chuck and his future wife, Kay Liem, started the short-lived McGuire, Liem & Runbeck Advertising Agency. Instead of returning to his college job as a truck driver delivering 7-Up, Kay had Chuck interview for an advertising position with John and Martha Akers, who produced Arizona Builder & Contractor. Chuck was their salesman from 1953 to 1968 and became a partner in 1959. The trio sold their publishing company in 1963, but Chuck remained as the sales manager until he started Runbeck & Associates, an advertising

We certainly needed him more than he needed us.

Left: Douglas Towne and Chuck Runbeck dressing alike, 2013.

Below: Charles “Chuck” Runbeck, as an octogenarian, fearlessly helped launch Arizona Contractor & Community magazine in 2012.

Bottom left: Franciscan Hotel, New Mexico.

Image courtesy of Runbeck family

T

he Arizona Contractor & Community magazine you’re reading is due primarily to the business acumen and connections of our dear friend, Charles “Chuck” Runbeck, who passed away recently at age 91.

Many in the industry know Chuck as the former publisher and advertising dynamo behind Arizona Builder & Contractor, Arizona-New Mexico Contractor and Engineer, and Southwest Contractor. Or as the Executive Director of the Associated Equipment Distributors of Arizona (AEDA), a position he held for 35 years.

We at the magazine only met Chuck later in life, when Billy Horner reached out to him a decade ago for guidance on how to launch this magazine. Chuck was happily retired and did not need work. But I suspect he liked our spunk at starting a print publication in the online era. Chuck was a born salesman and couldn’t resist the lure of being “back in the game.” We certainly needed him more than he needed us.

Yet, I like to think Chuck’s success in steering the publication and putting his reputation on the line to sign up our first advertisers helped him remain vital in his final years. Chuck was able to reconnect with old associates, make new friends, and mentor the staff, happy to know that he still possessed the marketing magic needed to make this longshot vision became a reality.

My favorite memory of being with Chuck was from 2013 when I interviewed him for a magazine profile at one of his favorite haunts, Alexi’s Grill on Central Avenue. The occasion got off to a bumpy start before we were even seated, as Chuck was perturbed that “she” – meaning the governor at the time – was sitting at his favorite table.

We both ordered the restaurant’s signature Caesar salad and bonded over our requests for “extra anchovies,” which few seem to enjoy these days. When he started the conversation with the comment, “There’s a chance I may have used up all nine of my lives already,” I knew the visit would be memorable.

Chuck regaled me with tales of

agency, in 1968.

Chuck reentered the publishing field in 1983. He purchased a magazine, which he renamed Southwest Contractor, and sold it in 1990. Chuck retired from his last job serving as the AEDA Executive Director in 1997. He was done with work he thought, until Arizona Contractor & Community came beckoning.

During our meal, Chuck shared some of his adventures in the publishing business. My favorite was his escapade on the roof of Albuquerque’s Franciscan Hotel, which was off-limits to guests, to get a photo in the 1960s.

“I climbed a tower that had a ladder attached to it, but the rungs were close to the building, so it was tough to get solid footing,” he said. “At the top, I finally had a perfect shot and leaned on a horizontal flagpole to stabilize my camera, but it started swaying. By the time it had steadied enough to snap a photo, there was a crowd on the roof yelling at me to come down. It turns out people on the street had seen me and thought I was suicidal. Neither the cops or hotel staff were very happy with me.”

Who wouldn’t love the creativity and determination of such an individual?

Chuck’s absence will leave a void at the magazine, but now we’re more determined than ever to see his last business endeavor continue to succeed. Thanks again, Mr. Runbeck, for passing on your wisdom, sharing your stories, and allowing us to team up with an old master for one last exciting ride to the print house. You will be missed.

MAY-JUN 2020

PRODUCTIVITY.

Sunstate Equipment brings a new standard of integrated team work to the rental experience, ensuring you have the reliability, communication, and top performing construction equipment to help you minimize downtime and maximize jobsite efficiency with ease. From on-time delivery to one-hour lien releases, a single call to Sunstate connects you with fast, responsive solutions. Experience a better way to rent equipment by calling Sunstate today.

(888) 456-4560 | SunstateEquip.com arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Remembering a kind man, a good friend, and a lifelong advocate for the construction industry.

You will be missed.

Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928-2020 Ditch Witch of Southern Arizona

Ditch Witch of Arizona

4028 S. 36th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85040

Office: 602-437-0351 Fax: 602-437-1544

www.ditchwitchaz.com 1-888-316-3242

6975 N. Camino Martin, Tucson, AZ 85741

Office: 520-579-0261 Fax: 520-579-0268

Image courtesy of DCS Contracting

Projects . PEOPLE . PRACTICES

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA

DCS Contracting Unearths Treasures During Novus Innovation Corridor Improvements

D

CS Contracting dug through the past to create the future in their most recent Valley project.

The company was involved in making infrastructure improvements to the Novus Innovation Corridor, a multi-phase, 350acre development near Tempe Town Lake arizcc.com

on the ASU campus.

“The entire site sits on the old San Pablo neighborhood, which was demolished in the 1950s to expand the university,” David Kelly, DCS project manager, says. “During underground excavation, we located multiple trash and dumpsites containing bottles and old building debris.”

Kelly says that with each discovery, an ASU archaeologist arrived to document and photograph the artifacts. “We even located an old brick cistern a few feet under the

existing Sixth Street asphalt that was nearly 30-feet deep.”

There were many challenges besides researching the historical legacy of the construction location. The site and existing roadways contained a vast amount of both known and unknown utilities.

“During underground excavation, unmarked utilities were located daily,” Ed Hyde, DCS superintendent, says. “This required extensive coordination with ASU, the city of Tempe, and all utility owners to Arizona Contractor & Community

DBE/SBE Certified Contractor Jeff Martinez

(602) 622-6789

Jeff.martinez@rtunderground.com

AZROC 306671

PROUDLY SERVING ARIZONA! CONTACT US (602)817-6929

www.calportland.com

EXPECT MORE ... WE DELIVER!

®

KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM O: 480-835-1579 SITE CONCRETE DEVELOPMENT BIDS@KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM

Arizona’s Premier choice for

Heavy Haul

P: 602 638-2557

Equipment Transport Specialized Hauling Construction Equipment Hauling Industrial Material Transport Trucking Oversized Load Haul

W: interstatetnt.com 2246 E Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85034

DCSCONTRACTING.COM • P:480-732-9238 11525 E Germann Rd, Chandler, AZ 85286 SIXTEEN

MAY-JUN 2020

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects Images courtesy of DCS Contracting

try and figure out what the utility is, who owns it, and if it is active or abandoned.”

The $4 million construction project is anticipated to take 18 months. DCS is working on three main tasks: • Building Packard Drive from Sixth Street to Rural Road, • Building Novus Drive from Sixth Street to University Drive, and • Re-building Sixth Street from Packard Drive to Rural Road.

The latter task includes installing new infrastructure to supply multiple large building sites and the replacement of the Sixth Street water line from Veterans Parkway to Rural Road to increase capacity and update the water system with new services and fire hydrants. Turn lanes were also added along West Rural Road and North University Drive, which involved relocating two traffic signals and multiple utilities.

The construction involved the use of numerous types of equipment, including milling machines, excavators, loaders, blades, curb machines, and asphalt-laydown machines. Subcontractors on the project included Phoenix-based CS Construction Inc. and WSP Inc., located in Glendale.

The Novus Innovation Corridor will arizcc.com

eventually integrate more than 10 million square feet of urban office, retail, and residential development with new and renovated collegiate athletic venues. Novus Innovation is a public/private partnership

between ASU and master developer Catellus Development Corporation. The development is expected to bring approximately 20,000 new jobs and 5,000 new residents to the downtown Tempe area.

Arizona Contractor & Community

P: 623-847-3594 F: 623-931-3693 W: newwesternrentals.com 7909 W. Glendale Ave. Glendale, AZ 85303 Operators available upon request, small jobs such as jobsite prep, grading & Cleanup Light Towers Generators Earthmoving Equipment Aerial Equipment Track-Out Shakers Water Trucks Water towers & Backflows

Traffic Control

Phoenix Chandler Tucson Flagstaff Prescott Yuma

(833) 231-0911 Trafficade.com Eighteen

P: 928 567-6585 E: btippett@networxcs.com. www.networxCS.com MAY-JUN 2020

illmeng Construction Inc., a Phoenix-based commercial general contractor and Fann Contracting, a Prescottbased heavy civil construction company, recently began construction on a new $13.9 million, 18,000 SF passenger terminal at Prescott Regional Airport Ernest A. Love Field. The project will significantly increase the passenger capacity, security area, and overall flow of the building, to serve the increased demand for flights from Prescott to markets like Denver and Los Angeles. Designed by DWL Architects, Phoenix, the building will replace the current terminal that dates back to the 1940s.

The new facility is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2021.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently visited the site and remarked on how the development occurring throughout Yavapai County and the addition of the new passenger terminal are great representations of the growth that’s possible throughout the state.

“The airport is a major economic driver for this entire region, and as we see the economy continue to grow, there is a great opportunity for more economic development around the airport,” said Greg Mengarelli, Mayor, City of Prescott. “This new terminal is only the beginning as we look at future expansion.”

With the addition of the new passenger terminal, commercial service apron, baggage handling system, vehicle parking and roadway, Prescott Regional Airport will be able to expand its variety and frequency of flight offerings to the communities of Prescott, Dewey-Humboldt, Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Chino Valley, and Sedona.

“We’re very thankful for airport director Dr. Sobotta’s leadership, the support

of Prescott Valley, and the team surrounding this project,” commented James Murphy, President and CEO of Willmeng Construction, a general contracting firm that has completed several aviation projects recently. “Our team is excited to deliver a beautiful terminal that fits this community.”

Funding for this project would not have been possible without support from the FAA and state partnerships. The demand for this new terminal came as a result of increased flights once SkyWest began services in August of 2019. Since then, more than 73,000 passengers have used the service, making the need for a new passenger terminal imperative for the Prescott area.

“It takes local support to make things happen. We ask for these three simple things, that the local community respects the asset, acts as a good steward, and when we provide federal money, spend it.” Mark McClardy, the FAA’s Director of the Western Pacific Region, remarked, “This was a very competitive process. We had about 167 applications from different airports, but only four grants were issued. We are all

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

W

Images courtesy of Small Giants

Willmeng Builds New Passenger Terminal at Prescott Airport

in for Prescott.”

More than 200 invited guests gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking in January, including local, state, and federal officials, many of whom had the opportunity to share impactful stories and their excitement regarding the project publicly.

“We couldn’t have done it without the hard work, the vision, and the support of so many.” Dr. Robin Sobotta, Airport Director, City of Prescott, explained, “An economic generator is happening in our community.

Thank you to our engineering, design, and construction partners who turn dreams into reality, you’ve done it for us! I’m glad we’re building our first terminal together.”

Construction on this project will not interfere with flights or airport activity, making the execution of this project ideal for all parties. The partnership between Willmeng Construction and Fann Contracting pairs local connections with airport construction expertise.

Image courtesy of DWL Architects

Top: Governor Doug Ducey receives a construction update from Willmeng Construction CEO James Murphy.

Above: Willmeng’s Keith Sabia, Prescott Regional Airport Director Dr. Robin Sobotta, Ducey, Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, and Murphy (l-r) at the construction site.

Left: The new $13.9 million passenger terminal was designed by DWL Architects. arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

ANYONE ANYONE CAN BECAN ANBE AN

ELECTRICIAN ELECTRICIAN Arizona has no electrician licensing requirements.

Make sure hire an electrical contractor who trains & educates their employees.

We believe education is so important that we privately fund our own school, Phoenix Electrical Training Alliance To Schedule your visit, contact Debra Margraf @ 602.263.0111

Training Arizona Electricians since 1943

Arizona has no electrician licensing requirements.

sure you hire an electrical contractor Trench Make who trains & educates their employees.

Arizona has no Shoring electrician licensing requirements.

We believe education is so important that we privately fund our own school, Phoenix Electrical Training Alliance

schedule your visit, contact Debra Margraf @ 602.263.0111.

Make sure you hire an Toelectrical contractor who trains & educates their employees.

We believe education is so important that we privately fund our own school, Phoenix Electrical Training Alliance

602-242-4488 ARI ZONA CHAPTE R

To schedule your visit, contact Debra Margraf @ 602.263.0111.

SINCE 1924

Your Electrical Professional Team www.azneca.org

AR I Z O N A C H AP TER

BRANDON GALLIMORE

Your Electrical Professional Team Phoenix Chandler Tucson Land Surveying Services www.azneca.org Flagstaff Prescott Yuma Construction Staking

(833) 231-0911 Trafficade.com Twenty

7777 N 70TH AVE GLENDALE, AZ 85303

O. 623.466.6640 I F. 623.879.0611 C. 623.707.7067 I E. BRANDON@METROAZ.NET

MAY-JUN 2020

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

McCarthy “Tops” in Celebrating New Tower at Banner Boswell Medical Center

M

Images courtesy of Think Communications

cCarthy Building Companies recently celebrated the topping out for the new $106 million emergency room (ER) and patient tower at Banner Boswell Medical Center, located at 10401 W. Thunderbird Blvd. in Sun City, Arizona.

The new 40,000-square-foot ER, which is projected to open in the fall of 2020, will provide much needed additional capacity.

Banner Boswell’s existing ER often runs at or near capacity. The new ER will increase capacity from 42 to 56 beds, allowing the department to care for up to 60,000 ER patients annually. The current ER was built to handle up to 45,000 patients annually.

“We are excited to be this much closer to completing and opening the new, larger 56-bed emergency room to better serve the community,” said Sharon Lind, CEO, Banner Boswell Medical Center. “The new patient tower will provide a crucial space for future growth.”

“Topping out represents a significant milestone marking the placement of the last steel girder on the six-story tower,” said Chris Nickle, executive vice president of McCarthy Building Companies. “This celebratory milestone wouldn’t be possible at this stage in the project without the project team successfully employing its collaborative Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) construction method and large-scale prefabrication on this project. This will allow the emergency room to open early and in time for the busy fall and winter season.”

One of the innovative cost- and time-saving measures being deployed on the Banner Boswell project involves the use of prefabricated interior and exterior wall panels. The panels are constructed offsite and delivered to the job site for installation, saving approximately three months of construction time.

Most of the prefabricated panels – 770 of them – are being fitted to the outside of the buildings. These exterior wall panels average in size at approximately 8-feettall by 30-feet-wide and weigh an average of 2,400 pounds each. The tower crane lifts the panels, the heaviest weighing nearly 12,000 pounds and measuring 16-feet-tall by 33-feet-wide, so crews can secure them to the steel structure. Approximately 125 prefabricated interior wall panels will also be used on this project.

The new six-story patient tower, combined with the new emergency room, which the community is helping support through donations to the Sun Health Foundation, is an investment of more than $106 million.

“Together with Banner Health’s investment, $34 million in community support is helping to fund this transformative ER construction project through Sun Health Foundation’s Generosity for Generations

Campaign,” said Gina W. Ore, the Foundation’s Chief Philanthropy Officer. “Supporting this major Campaign initiative demonstrates just how much of an impact the community can make in continuing to ensure superior health care today and for future generations,” Ore added. “We’re immensely proud of our philanthropic partnership with Banner Health and the community to help create a world where people live longer, healthier, more purposeful lives.”

The tower’s first floor, to open in early 2021, will contain the main lobby, gift shop, retail pharmacy, admitting desk, and chapel. The five stories above the main lobby will remain shell space, reserved for future inpatient rooms. “Shell space” is constructed to meet future needs; it is space enclosed by an exterior building shell, but otherwise unfinished inside.

The construction project is being managed using IPD with the owner, design team, general contractor, and trade partners, all co-located on the project site and committed to the success of the project through robust collaboration and innovation.

The architect on the project is HMC Architects. Major trade partners include Buehler & Buehler, Southland, Foothills Fire Protection, Schuff Steel, Cannon & Wendt, University Mechanical, Norris Design, and The Berg Group.

Top: The signed beam is placed atop the structure during the topping ceremony.

Left: Rendering of the new tower.

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Dispatch: 602-278-7777 Main Office: 602-278-4444

rizona Materials

Locally Owned and Operated arizonamaterials.net

Signs & Safety Sales ROC 233308

We Rent Fences!! * Construction Sites * Special Events * Crowd Control * Secure Property & Parcels from Vandals & Dumpers ** And Much More!

Phoenix Chandler Tucson Flagstaff Prescott Yuma

(833) 231-0911 Trafficade.com Twenty Two

CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE

www.allstatefenceaz.com MAY-JUN 2020

A

Images courtesy of Castle Hot Springs

daptive Shelters has completed the installation of Arizona’s first employee housing using shipping containers at Castle Hot Springs Resort, located northwest of Lake Pleasant. The homes provide onsite accommodations for personnel who might otherwise have difficulties securing residence because of work visas. The new units incorporate eco-friendly and cost-efficient construction methods “We are thrilled with the benefits that

arizcc.com

come with modular construction,” said Tina Newman, director of sales and marketing at Castle Hot Springs Resort. “In addition to being built quickly to meet our needs, the shipping container homes are portable and can be expanded upon if needed. The versatility and quality can’t be beaten!”

The workforce structures are built to residential building codes adopted by the Arizona Department of Housing in a quality-controlled factory, which reduced waste and drastically shortened the development cycle compared to traditional site-built construction. This application continues to be

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

Shipping Container Employee Housing Completed at Castle Hot Springs

beneficial in remote settings where labor and materials can be sparse. Custom built for Castle Hot Springs, the units include a kitchenette, sleeping area, and bathroom.

“With more than 40,000 people on the public-housing waitlist in Phoenix, employers are now looking at employee housing as an option to meet their needs,” said Adaptive Shelters Co-Founder, Dave Arfin.

“It was a pleasure to work together with Castle Hot Springs to build these units using creative construction methods like shipping containers.”

Through a robust design and quality-controlled manufacturing process, Adaptive Shelters creates structures that serve many intended uses beyond employee housing. These uses include multi-family developments, homeless shelters, and retail sites. Adaptive Shelters is a leader in utilizing offsite construction methods to deliver projects on time and with minimal impact on the environment. Commercial and residential developers alike can capitalize on the many benefits of manufactured structures, including reduced labor costs, elimination of weather delays, versatility, and more.

Arizona Contractor & Community

www.gentechusa.com

7901 N. 70th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85303 \ 800-625-8324

Safe, Reliable Flagging Service

REUTER

fabrication inc.

3816 W Lower Buckeye Rd. PO Box 19042 Phoenix, AZ 85005-9042

Reuter Fabrication provides custom metal fabrication services.

We have sixty years’ experience in the metal fabrication industry.

Let our qualified personal bid and build your special job.

This state of the art facility is equipped to fabricate numerous projects, i.e. conveyors, silos, metal forming, shearing, chassis, platforms, walkways, access ladders & machining.

Phoenix Chandler Tucson Flagstaff Prescott Yuma

(833) 344-3524 Flaggerade.com Twenty Four

For Information Contact: Brent Reuter (623) 695-1204 • brentr@rec-reuter.com www.reuterequipment.com MAY-JUN 2020

Alison Bailin

S

onoran Pueblo Contracting recently celebrated its first anniversary. An enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation, the contracting company secured more than $8.5 million in its initial year in project work across Southern Arizona. It did not record a single OSHA-level injury.

Though it might seem they are an overnight success, things are never that black and white. In fact, one must go back more than 40 years to see how the seeds of the business began to grow.

The story begins in the 1970s, less than a mile from the Pascua Yaqui’s tribal land in Tucson, where Antonio Burrola grew up. Raised in a family with four brothers, the Burrola children were taught early on about the value of a hard day’s work. With a father that worked railroad construction, the boys’ career paths eventually led them to similar work.

“I was inspired by my father’s work ethic, seeing railroads come to life piece by piece and a childhood full of ‘tinkering around’ outside with family and friends,” said Burrola, who attended area schools with Tribal Members but is not a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

Given his inclination to working with his hands and watching his own father’s involvement in large construction projects, when it came time for an afterschool job in high school, he looked toward the world of construction.

“I interviewed for an entry-level position at Granite Construction in 1995,” says Burrola, noting his brother, Luis and Mike, worked there at the time in the materials plant division and helped get him the fateful “in.”

Over the next 22 years, during which time he also married his high school sweetheart, Arlene, and started a family, Burrola served in over a dozen roles for the company. These jobs included grade checker, heavy equipment operator, grade foreman, project engineer, superintendent, estimator, project manager, and client manager, among others.

“As the employee development leader, working in the field was a true joy, and I was surprised at how fast I fell in love with the management side of the job,” says Burrola. “Helping someone to understand blueprints, taking them to survey a job for the first time, and instilling the importance of constant safety measures really spoke to me.”

As a result, Burrola became a wellknown fixture at Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and New Mexico State University. He enjoyed speaking to those looking to get into trades, as well as bringing on many young adults as interns.

“The Council saw tremendous opportunities to start a company like Sonoran Pueblo Contracting that would not only bring jobs like this to the Yaqui community but provide another economic enterprise for the tribe,” says Burrola, who was happy to be a part of the management team that made this happen.

“We opened our doors on Valentine’s

Day 2019. I still remember the first project: a $2.5 million on the reservation that we call the ‘6-each 5Plex Housing Project’,” says Burrola. “It was gratifying to have a tribal project as our first project, leading the way for us to bid on other substantial work.”

Even more satisfying are the highly skilled and professional team members that are employed by Sonoran Pueblo.

Now with more than 30 employees, tribal and non-tribal, Burrola and his team keep safety and training top-of-mind at all times.

Others who have been with the company since the beginning include Tribal Member Jesse Ray Bustamante, a project manager with vast knowledge in residential and mechanical work, bringing more than 20 years of experience to the team; Tribal Member Vivian Arandules, executive assistant overseeing payroll, human resources, safety, and Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) processes; and Clarissa Perez, also a tribal member, who is the company’s receptionist and handles data entry as well as accounts payable.

Sonoran Pueblo is a licensed and bonded contractor and bids on projects throughout Southern Arizona, with the goal of doing work throughout the Southwest region. “Looking ahead to the coming year and beyond, Sonoran Pueblo has some exciting construction projects on the books as well as partnerships with both Pima Community College and Central Arizona Community College to develop and launch apprenticeship programs on campus,” says Burrola.

There are also plans to coordinate other programs with institutions of higher education to provide training programs for tribal members. Sonoran Pueblo’s mission is to provide professional and ethical services to achieve the intended goals and outcomes for clients and communities. For more, visit www.sonoranpueblo.com.

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People

Antonio Burrola: Sonoran Pueblo Contracting Celebrates Successful First Year

Images courtesy of Author

Left: Bustamante, Burrola, and Arandules (l-r).

Below: Burrola, Arandules, and Bustamante.

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

TAKE YOUR WORK TO

NEW HEIGHTS Drones can give your business an edge in this competitive world. As your leading technology solutions provider SITECH Southwest is now your authorized dealer for commercial UAV’s, supporting software and service needs.

CERTIFIED DRONE PILOTS AND DEALER SINCE 2014

Certified for Trimble Business Center and Stratus Cloud based photogrammetry processing

Ask about our scheduled classes and custom training

SITECH Southwest 602-691-7501 | sitechsw.com 1835 S. MACDONALD DR. STE 101 | MESA, AZ 85210

THE LEADER IN PROVIDING TEMPORARY POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS IN THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA

WWW.SUNLANDASPHALT.COM

602.323.2800

Landco Rentals offers: • Emergency 24hour response and service • Rugged DOT approved trailers with Portable generator set’s ranging from 20kw-2000kw • Ultra silent Generators • Standby generator capabilities that are Bio diesel capable • Onsite powered light towers along with electric light tower options • Fuel containment for generators • On site fueling • Cable’s for all applications • Electrical Distribution panels and transformers 480-788-1333 info@landcorentals.com 222 S. 52nd St, Suite 2 Tempe AZ 85281

twenty SIX

CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE SERVICES » CRACK SEALING » SEALCOATING » ASPHALT REPAIRS » CHIP SEAL » MILLING/PULVERIZING

» PAVING & OVERLAYS » EARTHWORK & GRADING » UNDERGROUND UTILITIES » CONCRETE STRUCTURES/ FLATWORK

MAY-JUN 2020

Ethan Smith, Equipment Trader

D

rones, once a hobby for a few enthusiasts, are now prominently featured across many professional fields. Today, delivery and cargo drones transport goods across increasing distances, military drones spy on enemy combatants, and ag-drones engage in precision farming. More than any other industry, however, drones are being put to use on construction worksites.

Typically operated by project managers, technology managers, and superintendents, construction drones have many functions, as they can be used in every phase of the project lifecycle. Equipped with GPS technology, as well as cameras and sensors that can capture images, video, thermal readings, and infrared data, drones can help improve project conceptualization, planning, measurement, building, management, reporting, monitoring, inspection, safety, security, and even marketing. Drones are revolutionizing construction at a breakneck pace, including these eight ways:

markers equipped with GPS to calculate exact global positioning. This approach to making site maps achieves up to 99 percent accuracy when measuring distance, area, and volume.

3. Progress Reports: Drone’s ability to observe and record almost anything on a worksite makes them a valuable tool for keeping all relevant parties up-to-date with accurate information about the project’s progress. Clients appreciate a high level of access and visibility that helps them feel assured of quality control, and everyone can stay updated, on the same page, and able to identify anything that looks incorrect.

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practice

Eight Ways Drones Are Changing Construction

structures like towers, roofs, and scaffolding that can be dangerous for workers to reach. Regular worksite monitoring with drones can also help managers be on the look-out for on-site safety concerns, such as employees not following safety regulations or structures and equipment that may be loose or unstable. Construction companies that use drone inspections as preventative safety measures may be eligible for risk-mitigation insurance discounts, depending on the provider.

7. Securing Equipment & Worksites: The construction industry loses $1 billion every year due to equipment theft, and 83 percent of equipment owners have been the victim of theft. A worksite flyover is a fast way for supervisors to ensure that machinery is secure. Likewise, drones can be the eye-in-the-sky that can survey the site and check for unauthorized trespassers. Even the presence of patrolling drones may serve as an effective deterrent against thieves. As of now, drones cannot autonomously fly nighttime patrols on their own as they’re currently limited by battery life, an inability to judge if they are sensing authorized or unauthorized personnel, and federal regulations about flying drones at night apply in certain areas.

4. Workforce Monitoring: Project managers have also turned to drones for worker supervision. Many companies record the day-to-day activities at their business, but mounted cameras don’t always work on a construction site where structures, equipment, and materials are frequently moved and could impair visibility. Drones may soon allow for the mobility necessary for supervisors to adequately oversee the workforce, which is especially helpful if there are specific concerns that a particular person or group is not adhering to proto1. Preconstruction Surveying & Mapcol. OSHA has not yet released official proping: Drones can survey and map large tocols for drone inspections.

8. Marketing & Promotion: Drones are geographic areas, quickly helping building a great way to promote your business. planners get a sense of a site’s topography. 5. Structural & Equipment Inspections: Expert aerial photography can help you With high-resolution drone imaging, con- The maneuverability of drones, which show-off finished projects with captivating struction teams can develop 3D models to can quickly fly around project structures, shots that enhance your company’s portfohelp them identify constructability chal- makes them useful for evaluating stalio. Drone images, as well as scale models lenges ahead of time, make accurate esti- bility and repair needs. High-resolution and 3D rendering using data from drone mates, and sufficiently prepare for the job. images can provide fine visual details, measurveys, can help prospective clients visuDrone mapping and modeling can also be surements can determine if a structure alize your abilities. Plus, that your construcconducted throughout a project, and archi- is straight or leaning (and by how many tion firm uses drones can attract customers tects, engineers, and others can use the degrees), and thermal sensors can identify who are interested in all the benefits we’ve data in conjunction with leading construc- heat leaks, cold spots, and electrical malfunctions. Similarly, a drone may quickly described above, including receiving those tion software programs. analyze a broken piece of machinery and dynamic progress reports, and want to con2. On-Site Measurements: On a smaller send equipment data to the technician to tract a cutting-edge company that uses the scale, drones can be used to make meabegin their diagnosis before the equipment latest technology. surements on a worksite, including stockeven reaches them. piles of materials, such as piles of fill dirt, Ethan Smith is a Content Curator for Trader sand, or gravel. Increasingly, builders are 6. Safety Improvements: Increasingly, Interactive, serving the commercial brands using drones in coordination with ground drones are being used to make mea- Commercial Truck Trader, Commercial Web control points (GCPs), which are ground surements and perform maintenance on Services, and Equipment Trader. arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

PREMIER LUBRICANT & FUEL DISTRIBUTOR SERVING ARIZONA & SOUTHERN NEVADA

USED OIL RECOVERY SERVICES

602-759-5559 | NEWWESTOIL.COM

Luke M. Snell and Billie Snell

A

friend recently told Luke about an engineering challenge his daughter had in her seventh-grade class involving making a bridge from soda straws. However, the teacher didn’t explain how to make a strong bridge.

In our opinion, the teacher missed a golden opportunity for the students to learn about engineering at a middle-school level. This omission inspired us, a science teacher (Billie) and an engineering professor (Luke,) to develop a hands-on project to help introduce students to engineering in a fun way.

The Hand-On Experiments: To help illustrate some basic engineering concepts, students use 3 x 5-inch index cards, pencils, pennies, scissors, and a glue stick to do four experiments: 1. The students cut 1, 2, and 3-inch strips from the index card, and placed them on pencils, located 3-inches apart. The strips were loaded with pennies at the midpoint until the strips touched the student’s desks.

Students found making the paper strips wider supported more pennies, typically 1-inch of card strip supported one penny.

2. The students cut three strips, 1-inch wide, stacked them on top of each other, and loaded them with pennies. They found the same results as with making the strips wider, that typically two strips on top of each other would hold two pennies, etc.

3. The students glued the 1-inch strips together, and loaded them with pennies.

They found that the glued strips held twoto-three times more pennies than the unglued strips.

What the Student Learned: 1. Making the bridge or beam thicker gives us more strength than making it wider. To further illustrate this point, we used a yardstick. Laying the yardstick flat, we easily made it deflect by loading it in the middle.

Turning the yardstick on its side, the same load will not cause noticeable deflection.

We reminded the students that we have the same amount of materials in each case, and the only difference is the orientation of the yardstick.

2. Shape of a member is essential. Channels, I-beams and wide flanges are used in construction so that the beam or bridge can hold a higher load and minimize deflection. Engineering students typically learn these concepts in a sophomore-level class at a university. They also learn formulas to predict how much of a load a beam can support and its associated deflection.

The Paper Bridge Challenge: Now comes the fun part! Taking their newly discovered engineering principles, the students build a paper bridge. They are given three, 3 x 5-inch index cards and must make a bridge to span a 6-inch opening, which is at least a penny wide. If they have a roof on the bridge, the penny must be able to roll through it. The students are considered successful if they have a bridge that will hold 50 pennies with a mid-span loading.

The student can compete in two categories, strength and aesthetics. The student’s bridge must meet the minimum strength of 50 pennies to qualify for the aesthetics category. A pretty bridge that is not strong enough to support the required load is unsafe and unusable.

The students came up with many innovative designs, most commonly channels, box beams, and trusses. Usually, those that successfully made a truss bridge won the aesthetics awards. The strongest bridges

were often the box-beam design, and one we tested held more than $10 worth of pennies.

Paper Bridges at the University Level: Here is a more complex competition for university engineering students. These students have already taken design classes and supposedly understand the basic engineering principles of bridge construction. They are instructed to make a beam that will span a 12-inch opening and are provided three pieces of 8 x 10 inches poster board and a glue stick. The bridge must allow a 2-inch wooden block to pass through it and hold at least 1 pound of sand.

For many of these students, it is their first time applying their engineering skills and proving that they understand the concepts taught in class. This contest has been held throughout the U.S. and at three international universities. The bridge contest is used by many schools to meet a STEM requirement (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) - and to show students that engineering is fun.

Top: Testing a student’s bridge.

Left: Student learning engineering principles.

Middle: Luke supervising bridge building.

Below: Bridge testing.

Images courtesy of Author

4. The students then cut a 3-inch-wide strip from the index card and folded the card into a channel. They found that they

couldn’t get enough pennies on the channel to cause it to deflect enough to touch the desk.

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practice

Inspiring Future Engineers: The Paper Bridge Challenge

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

PREACH BUILDING SUPPLY

YOUR ONE STOP MASONRY AND LANDSCAPE SUPPLY SOURCE FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS SERVING HOMEOWNERS, ARCHITECTS & CONTRACTORS SINCE 1972

www.preachbuildingsupply.com

THIRTY

Buckeye

Landscape

Phoenix

601 North Jackrabbit Trail Buckeye, AZ 85326 Phone: 623-853-8300

9430 North 16th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85021 Phone: 602-944-1304

1601 W Hatcher Phoenix, AZ 85021 Phone: 602-944-4594

MAY-JUN 2020

Back When South Central’s Starlight Screen DOUGLAS TOWNE

T

he Silver Dollar Drive-In Theatre lived up to its name: the snack bar had silver dollars embedded in the floor and admission was $1 per car when it opened it 1950. Even at that affordable price, many patrons snuck in on foot or in car trunks to watch the movies for free. The drive-in owners knew what was going on, but weren’t meticulous about policing the grounds.

“My folks did not expect to make money on the admissions but on all the stuff that we sold in the snack bar,” says

Chris Wickersham, whose father, Woodrow Wickersham, owned the drive-in until 1956.

“Cold drinks were 10 cents, hot dogs a quarter, and candy was 5 cents except for Mars Bars, which were 10 cents. We even made our own ice cream.”

Red River starring John Wayne was the first movie shown at the one-screen drive-in, which was located among citrus orchards just north of the Western Canal on South Central, north of Baseline Road.

Neighbors also enjoyed watching the films for free from their backyards or house roofs.

Even those distant from the drive-in kept an eye on its entertainment offerings. “I used to be able to watch the movies with binoculars,

albeit no sound, from our house near Camelback Mountain,” Rosalind Hussong says.

The Silver Dollar closed in 1983. The drive-in, which had a capacity for 750 cars, was redeveloped into a Food City shopping center.

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Inventive Contractors: Buros Construction Co. Douglas Towne

THIRTY TWO

MAY-JUN 2020

Images courtesy of Buros family

P

henomenal growth occurred in Phoenix after World War II, causing influential residents to seek big city amenities. A modern playhouse was high on the list for the Phoenix Little Theatre Company.

The city, prodded by Maie Bartlett Heard, Frank Snell, and Barry Goldwater, funded the construction of a new venue that launched the careers of Steven Spielberg, L. Ron Hubbard, and Nick Nolte. The winning contractor to build Phoenix’s sparkling new amenity was Buros Construction Co. The firm was a relative newcomer to Phoenix in 1951, but it would go on to construct many residential and commercial structures over the next two decades.

Led by multitalented brothers, Herbert and Melvin Buros, the company also offered architectural and engineering services.

Buros Construction ceased operation in the late 1960s as it morphed into a more lucrative industry: inventing high-tech machines for banks. The company’s transformation is likely unparalleled in Arizona’s construction history.

Buros Construction was founded in 1910 when Morris Jacob (M. J.) Buros started as a master carpenter and building contractor in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born in Priuki, Ukraine in 1885, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1899. M. J. married Minnie Rosenstein in 1911, and they had three children: Syril in 1912, Herbert in 1914, and Melvin in 1920. The Buros family moved to Tucson in 1944 and Phoenix the following year.

M. J. Buros advertised as a contractor who specialized in “storefronts” in The Arizona Republic in August 1945. By the following month, his advertisement included reference to Herbert and Melvin: “Modern New Homes. Plans – Financing – Service. Buros & Sons, Reg. Builders and Contractors.”

Herbert was a graduate of Ohio State and a registered civil engineer. Melvin graduated from Case Western Reserve with an architecture degree. “Herb was quiet and ran the office, while Melvin had a dynamic personality and did the marketing,” says Lou Goldberg, their 84-year-old nephew-in-law.

Their first projects were custom Ranchstyle homes in the North Encanto Historic District. These residences included those for M.J. and Minnie Buros at 1518 W. Earl Drive, Herbert and Lee Buros at 1534 W.

Left: Buros Construction built the First National Bank Drive-Thru Teller at 15th St. and McDowell Rd., 1957.

Top: (clockwise from left) Herbert Buros, Melvin S. Buros, and, their father, M. J. Buros.

Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Image courtesy of Buros family

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Buros Construction ad, 1959.

Above: Minnie Buros poses by a Buros & Sons sign, 1947.

Right: First National Bank groundbreak­ing at Tempe Center, Eighth St. and Mill Ave., 1960.

Below: Herbert Buros (holding pencil) at the First National Bank groundbreaking at 24th St. and Indian School Rd., 1959.

THIRTY FOUR

MAY-JUN 2020

Earl Drive, and Melvin and Arlene Buros at 2936 N. 16th Drive.

In 1947, Buros Construction built and managed an eightunit apartment complex at Third Avenue and Latham Street in what is now the Roosevelt Historic District. The following year, the company built a 20-unit apartment building on 12th Avenue and Washington Street.

In 1949, Buros Construction won bids on two school projects: cafeterias and classroom additions at Washington Elementary School at Northern and 27th avenues, and Sunnyslope School at Third Street and Vogel Avenue. “This was the last government project they bid on, since the jobs lacked flexibility and there was too much politics,” Goldberg says.

By the time M.J. Buros died in 1953, the company was working on a $400,000 contract to upgrade and expand the F.W. Woolworth Co. building at First and Washington streets in Phoenix. The secret to their success was giving the customer more than they expected. “Melvin learned this from his father,” Goldberg says. “If a customer wanted something extra, he included provisions in his bid for some changes at no additional charge. When Melvin constructed a bank in Superior, he even made sure funds were available to build a community swimming pool there.”

The company completed an extensive remodel for the S.H. Kress Co. store at 22 West Washington Street in 1955. “The Kress store did not miss one single day of normal business during the entire rebuilding program,” Buros Construction noted in their Republic ad.

Sunshine’s Fine Floor Coverings was a sub-contractor that installed vinyl asbestos tile and linoleum at the Kress building. “My father, Elias Sunshine, worked with Buros Construction for years,” Larry Sunshine, his son, says. “There was never a contract, just a simple handshake to start the job and a bill with a fair price given afterward.”

In 1957, the brothers built new homes for themselves in North Phoenix: Herbert lived at 330 East Northview Ave., and Melvin at 333 East Pomona Road. “Their houses utilized materials recycled from banks that were being remodeled,” says Wendy Buros Sunshine, who is Herbert’s daughter and has been married to Larry Sunshine for 51 years. “My home had marble window sills and double-bricked walls with air space between them for insulation.” arizcc.com

Buros Construction, which also operated Atlas Equipment Rental, had an office in the late 1950s at 615 South 17th Avenue, though many deals occurred at the Adams Hotel. “There was a hotel dining room, that even in the late 1960s, was men only,” Goldberg says. “That’s where a lot of comradery between businessman developed.”

Melvin’s popularity in the community led a distiller, Calvert whiskey to offer

to name him as the “Calvert Man of the Month,” according to Goldberg. “But the wife of one his business associates was a fervent teetotaler. He said, ‘Mel, if you do that, I’m going to end up sleeping in the bathtub!’”

More than 70 percent of the firm’s contracts came from repeat clients, especially the First National Bank of Arizona, which had them build or design many of their Arizona offices. “The bank hired Buros because they used multiple small refrigeration units, instead of a large swamp cooler,” Goldberg says. “Customers loved walking

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SALES AND RENTALS We Listen. We Deliver.

Articulated Dump Trucks · Dozers · Excavators · Scrapers Motor Graders (grade control available) · Wheel Loaders Water Wagons · Water Trucks · Fuel & Lube Trucks Mechanics Trucks · Stand Tanks · Water Pumps · Compactors

Rental Account Manager

Rental Account Manager

General Manager

James Bagshaw

Tyler Denton

Brian Collins

jbagshaw@pacwesttrading.com

tdenton@pacwesttrading.com

bcollins@pacwesttrading.com

602-723-6838

602-541-3633

602-620-2383

3105 N Maple St. Mesa, AZ 85215 | www.pacwesttrading.com

Phone: 480-832-0855 Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: Patent for four-way telescoping teller drawer created by Melvin Buros.

Right: Micro-Shield automatic de-encoder.

Far right: Installation of a vault at First National Bank, 24th St. and Indian School Rd., which was built by Buros Construction, 1959.

THIRTY SIX

Images courtesy of Buros family

into a cool bank in August.”

The First National location at Washington and Central Avenue had a unique twist, as a bank had occupied the site since 1887.

Buros Construction razed the building in 1963 but the safe deposit vault in the basement was preserved. First National allowed customers access to the vault via a wooden staircase during construction.

The company’s construction of a branch bank in 1957 proved momentous.

Melvin noticed that vehicles were often too low, too tall, or too far away from the drive-in teller. Based on his observations, Melvin invented a four-way mechanical telescoping teller drawer, which evolved to include electronic sensors to keep it from hitting a vehicle. Above: Woolworth’s at First St. Diebold Safe Co. purchased and Washington, 1967.

Below: Two views of mechanthe patent, and the apparatus ical telescoping teller drawer, became a standard feature at First National Bank, 1960. drive-up tellers everywhere.

Melvin heard about another bank issue that intrigued him: how to remove errors from a magnetic-inked ribbon. Many banks were looking for an answer. Melvin took a 21-month hiatus from his construction duties to find a solution. “Herb would greet him with a ‘Got it?’ at the office.

‘Almost,’ was Melvin’s reply,” according to a 1965 Republic article.

Melvin eventually designed a computer-age eraser called the Micro-Shield automatic de-encoder, which was a huge success. The brothers’ established the Micro-Shield Company at 4011 North Black Canyon Highway. Between 1962-1981, Melvin was awarded eight additional patents for inventions relating to banks (see “Building on the Past,” pages 99-100).”

One of the Buros Construction’s last big projects was the First National Bank’s 8,000 square-foot Operations Center in Tempe’s Palo Verde Industrial Park, built in 1967.

Both brothers died in Phoenix, Herbert in 1969, and Melvin in 1988. Some of the impressive buildings the firm constructed are still extant. But perhaps the Buros brothers’ greatest legacy is giving full-rein to their inquisitiveness and problem-solving abilities. Herbert understood that Melvin had a passion and gift for finding solutions, and happily ran the company during periods when his brother worked his magic on banking problems. And that is construction teamwork at its finest.

MAY-JUN 2020

100% CONFIDENCE. ZERO EXCUSES. When you want all the assurance in the world that your customers will meet their jobsite deadlines with no issues, it’s ALLMAND. ABOVE ALL.

Now Available For Rent or Sale Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Contact Us

arizcc.com

480-926-5203

East Valley 1313 E Baseline Rd, Gilbert

a-zequipment.com West Valley 803 E Van Buren St, Avondale

North Valley 15634 N 32nd St, Phoenix Central Phoenix 4050 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix

Arizona Contractor & Community

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: John Woudenberg on the Scottsdale City Council, 1963.

Below: Dana Woudenberg and friend, Dianne Brock, pose for a graduation photo for the Arizonan, 1964.

thirty eight

MAY-JUN 2020

Directing Traffic for Almost 60 Years:

Star-Lite Barricade & Sign Carly Hanson

D

Images courtesy of Woudenberg family

ana Woudenberg grinned as he reminisced about growing up with his father, John Woudenberg. “He was a hard worker and always had business deals going. John was also the biggest human being I’d ever seen,” he laughs. “If he started yelling, my brother and I would run.”

John had several careers over the years, and one of them was running StarLite Barricade & Sign Co., which he purchased in 1962. The business had been the Phoenix branch of a Los Angeles-based company. Star-Lite would go on to become the oldest and largest traffic-control equipment-rental company in the Southwest, and it’s one of five companies now controlled by Woudenberg Enterprises Inc., a multimillion-dollar Scottsdale construction and real-estate firm.

How did this tremendous growth occur? The intriguing story includes gridiron glory, operating a business like a big family, and the good fortune to be based in a city that was a leader in instituting traffic-control regulations.

John, a Denver native, Above: Star-Lite Barricade excelled as a lineman on the at work, 1996. football team at the UniverLeft: Kevin Woudenberg sity of Denver. He started with Star-Lite truck, 1975. his NFL career with the Right: The Woudenbergs Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940 were the San Francisco 49ers “Family of the and finished with the San Week,” 1949.

arizcc.com

Francisco 49ers in 1949. In between, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1945 during World War II. John and his wife, Myrna, moved to Arizona after Dana and his brother, Kevin, were born. “John would spend the off-season selling cars during his career with the 49ers, then went full-time into sales when he retired from professional football,” Dana says. “We ended up in Arizona in 1955 because my dad bought a Pontiac dealership in Mesa. When he sold the dealership, he bought Star-Lite of Arizona, which became Star-Lite Barricade & Sign. My dad was always kind of a wheeler-dealer guy.”

John’s sons worked part-time at Star-Lite as teens and eventually made Woudenberg Enterprises their careers. “I held every conceivable role,” Kevin says, “from working in the yard, to supporting the equipment preparation, to going to job sites to set up and install our traffic-control devices and service them, to all the numerous middle-management roles.” He eventually became the manager of Star-Lite’s Phoenix location, and later Vice President of the Service Group that supported the other Arizona branches in Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Bullhead City, and Yuma.

Star-Lite was a new and “very unusual” type of business in its infancy, according to Kevin. “The City of Phoenix had just published their first traffic-barricade manual, and became the leading municipality for implementing uniform work-zone traffic-control specifications,” he said. “Before the “U.S. Department of Transportation Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices” was printed, Phoenix was the frontrunner in providing safety for motorists, workers, and pedestrians in construction zones.

From this type of government-required mechanism, the traffic-control industry grew substantially.”

Star-Lite was also a trendsetter and pioneered equipment in the traffic-control industry. These included Dura Stem vertical-panel barricades that were lightweight and tough, and the TrafficMaster portable traffic signal that replaced permanent traffic-control systems during construction.

Besides running Star-Lite, John also Arizona Contractor & Community

Left: Star-Lite Barricade brochure, 1970s.

Top right: Star-Lite Barricade & Sign office at 2321 S. 15th Ave, 1969.

Above: John & Dana Woudenberg.

served as a Scottsdale city councilman and was elected mayor in 1964. He cut short his term after six months, however, to focus on Star-Lite, which he passed on to Dana in 1968.

my father calls and says, ‘Hey, you want to come back and do this?’ and I thought, ‘Man, why would I do that?’”

Dana would return to manage the company, which over the next 31 years increased its annual income from $350,000 to $50 million, and grew from five employees at one location to 400 employees at 10 locations. Now called Woudenberg Enterprises, besides Star-Lite, it owns Highway

Images courtesy of Woudenberg family

Below: Lindy Lubonovich, office manager at Woudenberg’s McAtee Equipment Co., 1996.

Bottom right: Jack and Dana Woudenberg.

When John called his son about taking over, Dana was finishing at the University of Southern California, which he attended on a football scholarship. Like father, like son. “I was fundraising for the university in the athletic department, so I wasn’t doing anything of great substance,” Dana laughs.

“There are beautiful coeds on campus, and I’m in no hurry to make any big moves. So,

forty

MAY-JUN 2020

Rentals, Material Sales International, McAtee Equipment Company, Safe-T Shore, and Sunline Markings Company. The latter firm is the result of a merger with Traffic Marking and Striping, owned by Kelly Swanston, Dana’s wife. Along the way, they purchased other companies, such as Apache Barricade & Sign in 1979, which they operated under both names until 1998. Star-Lite also obtained Alert Barricade Company and Early Warner Barricade Service during the time span.

Star-Lite had a close-knit culture. “It was so small starting, it really was family,” Dana says. “Back in the day, monthly, I’d take everybody and their wives out to dinner.” Even after the company grew exponentially, it was still like family, just a bigger one. “There was a family named Quiroz, and at one point, we probably had 50 Quiroz family members working for us: brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins.”

Dana describes his father as someone who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, even after he made it to the top. “Here’s my dad, the mayor of Scottsdale, digging post holes in Winslow at 6 p.m. on a Friday trying to finish putting in highway signs,” he says. “We had fun going to the local diners to munch down on cheeseburgers.

Then we’d make the long drive home to Phoenix.”

Kevin also followed in the family tradition, and played football for Frank Kush at Arizona State University in the early 1970’s.

One challenging project, according to Kevin, was rebuilding Interstate 40 in Kingman in 1993. “At the time, we had all three of our companies involved for over a week at the same time. Star-Lite handled traffic control, McAtee Equipment supplied temporary concrete barrier walls, and Sunline Markings provided temporary and permanent striping,” he says. “The job experience was quite satisfying because of the teamwork between Woudenberg, Ashton Company, and ADOT officials.”

Kevin was involved with Star-Lite and Woudenberg Enterprises from his gradeschool years starting in 1962 to 1999 when United Rentals purchased the company. He continued with the new owners until 2008.

Highway Technologies bought the company in 2006 and declared bankruptcy in 2013.

In 2016, Dana Woudenberg reacquired the name Woudenberg Enterprises. During Kevin’s traffic control safety years, “I made a lifetime of wonderful dear friends that I remain close to and work with to this day,” he says.

He currently works for Alpha Geotechnical & Materials, Inc., an engineering arizcc.com

lab in Tempe that provides material testing services on construction jobsites. “We work with both the road-building and vertical-building industries, so I still maintain and service many longtime customers from my traffic-control years,” Kevin says. “I didn’t have to reinvent myself with a new customer base, just offered another service they needed.”

At Woudenberg Enterprises, Dana is grooming his son, Jack Woudenberg, to take over. Jack, a USC alumnus, has worked for the company since high school and is now its president. Dana lives a few minutes

from the office in Scottsdale, and is enjoying overseeing the company and prepping the reins for Jack. “We’re now third-generation with Jack managing the day-to-day operations,” Dana says.

The family patriarch, John, died in 2005 at age 87. Kevin recalls working with his father and seeing the pride John took in a business that truly blossomed. “My father grew up in the Depression, and he loved seeing this new industry he got involved with back in the early ‘60s mushroom into something very unique and special.”

WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT

Introducing the new Cat Rental Store Portal ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

See your equipment on rent View your rental rates Request quotes View contracts & invoices Transfer equipment between jobs Extend or end rentals Locate a rental store near you

Access 24/7 CatRentalStore.com/Empire

or download the Cat Rental Store app today.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Image courtesy of Douglas C. Towne

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Left: Phoenix Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Above: Montezuma’s Castle near Camp Verde, Arizona.

James Logan Abell, FAIA

F

resh out of architecture school, I was stunned by the towering heights of split-face masonry of the 24-story, Phoenix Hyatt Regency Hotel. Solid, gorgeous, heavy, and just amazing in the labor, sweat, and toil embodied in this civic monument constructed in Downtown Phoenix in 1976. Ancient and modern, all at once, how can humans aspire to such amazing construction achievements?

This time-honored craft of masonry brings to mind the art of the trowel, the durability of stone, brick, and concrete masonry units, and the aesthetic charm of an ancient and noble building material. I was surprised, when selected to design a replica of a 1200 AD Hohokam “Adobe Compound” for the Phoenix Pueblo Grande Museum, to learn that indigenous peoples had erected three-story structures of

Image courtesy of AZ Biltmore

Below: Arizona Biltmore Hotel and its unique block, sketched in 1927.

unit masonry and wood along the banks of the Salt River. More well known are the “Big House” in Coolidge and the five-story “Montezuma’s Castle” near Camp Verde, both utilizing forms of unit masonry, which are the oldest existing structures in the state. My museum exhibition design was to use modern, durable materials to replicate the scale, color, and texture of a typical one-story dwelling from that ancient period.

Masonry buildings still convey the feelings of solid construction, the warmth of welcoming colors and textures, and an expression of our Arizona heritage. As far back as 1881, the Phoenix Gazette reported that J.M. Barney was making bricks and that T.E. Farish operated a brick kiln. The 1888 Roy Hackett bakery/residence is still extant in Downtown Tempe, as is the 1871 adobe “La Casa Vieja” of Charles T. Hayden.

forty two

These buildings attest to the history and heritage of unit masonry that extends to our modern era. For civic buildings like the famed 1968 Scottsdale City Hall with its rough mortar-washed texture, to the 1975 Phoenix Symphony Hall with its fluted splitface units, to the gorgeous pink sandstone exterior of the Phoenix Municipal Courthouse, masonry construction still embodies the spirit and the pride in our culture in civic and public buildings.

The first concrete masonry units [CMU] were made individually in a hand press beginning around 1905 in Phoenix.

Notably, a gigantic CMU with a simulated rock face, a rusticated unit, was used in prestigious homes throughout the Valley.

The large units display an impressive stonelike look, measuring roughly 14”w x 10”h x 24”. The weight of Salt River gravel and sand used in early CMU led to advances in the mix design. By the 1930s, volcanic cinder, known as scoria, was used. The Greystone Apartments at the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and McKinley Street in Phoenix’s Roosevelt Historic District are an

Image courtesy of James Abell

Arizona Masonry Design and Construction: A Barometer of our Culture

MAY-JUN 2020

example of early ‘cinderblock’ made from a a wide range of colors and textures and are somehow communicates that this particdie that hints at the origins of CMU slump not “laid,” but instead adhesively applied. ular building design is rooted in Arizona. block.

Expressing “regionalism in architec- The Phoenix Municipal Courts, designed For a masonry unit to qualify to be ture” has been a growing trend for two by DMJM architects, embodies this design called a “brick,” it needs to be made of decades. Using locally sourced masonry approach. clay. Clay pits materials makes What does the future hold? Our love have always been “Architecture starts when you carefully sense from a sus- of the “red brick house” is not going away a critical source and anytime soon. And architects, contractors, put two bricks together. There it begins.” tainability for density, color, construction per- and masons will continue to invent new Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Architect and durability in spective. Native ways to fulfill our love of masonry conbrick manufacArizona flagstone struction. The buildings we design, conNew York Herald Tribune - June 28, 1959 ture. Hand labor and sandstone struct, and inhabit will continue to express and wooden molds limited large quanti- is available in light buff, pink, chocolate our current culture. ties of clay bricks until extrusion machin- brown, and a gorgeous Sedona red that ery was introduced in Phoenix sometime in the 1920s. By changing the clay extrusion die, and by choosing the right colored clay, along with some added color pigment, an almost limitless variety of colors and shapes were available to architects for a unique expression in designs. Brick colors ranged from pure white to beige, to yellow, to greys, all manner of browns and reds, and many “flashed” or mottled colors. Textures could be imprinted in the wet clay extrusion before slicing into units. Thus, wire-scratched textures, hammered and randomly indented surfaces, and a fuzzy velour texture were all introduced, creating a dizzying array of design possibilities.

A highly unique masonry system was employed in 1928 in the design of the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel by one of the state’s first licensed architects, Albert Chase McArthur. Seeing the design potential of the custom, cast-concrete block houses designed by his former employer, Frank Lloyd Wright, McArthur’s hotel development corporation purchased the rights to use the “textile block” system. Large concrete units were cast either plain or with a distinctive, decorative face designed by McArthur, and were laid with no perimeter mortar, but were instead “woven” together by small horizontal and vertical grout cavities reinforced with smooth, #2 steel rods.

This unique and expressive unit masonry system is still seen and enjoyed 90 years later at the “Jewel of the Desert.”

SBE Certified City of Phx "Dump Trucking" While today’s Arizona masonry affords all traditional selections, the manSuper 16s and Super 18s Demo and Material Beds ufacturing industry keeps introducing new choices. One recent creation is ground and We estimate Import, Export, ABC, Pipe Bedding and honed CMU that has a mirror-like sheen Sand deliveries to your project and reflectivity. The sandblasted masonry look has been fashionable, using a “black beauty” blasting medium, and has led Newer Fleet to factory “shot-peened” masonry units.

Lightweight “cultured stone” masonry Please contact matt@mattbrowntrucking.com was introduced around 1974 but was not widely used until the 1990s. These manuor 602-361-2174 factured lightweight “stones” are made in arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

A Homespun Phoenix Family Business: Willard Myers and Sons Contracting Douglas Towne

N

and Williard’s father died while working in a mine when his son was 14. Willard then provided for his mother and three younger siblings by working as a blacksmith for the Kansas City Southern Railroad, and farming on the side.

He married Loura, and the couple had four kids: Robert, Ruby (Lorene), Donald, and John (Jake). Willard built a house for his family and later took out a loan to expand the home. But then things went south for Willard—and the country. With the Great Depression, he lost his job at the railroad. Unable to make payments on his house, Willard lost that too.

Willard, however, was not unaccustomed to dealing with adversity. He arranged to improve an abandoned farmhouse instead of paying rent. He farmed, worked odd jobs, and collected waste coal using a horse and wagon, which he sold for fuel to heat homes. His eldest son, Robert, quit school in the 6th grade to help Willard support the family.

Loura developed asthma, and her doctor advised moving to Arizona in 1942.

They arrived in Tucson, where their daughter, Lorene, had previously relocated with her husband, Clarence, and their kids, Richard (Dickey) and Donna. Willard was hired as a blacksmith for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The families subsequently moved

to Phoenix after Willard received a transfer with the railroad; they lived in bungalows on East Van Buren Street.

Robert, the eldest son had married, and worked as a farmer and hauled commodities in Kansas. He tried to enlist twice during World War II but was rejected for his asthma. Jake was also turned down for military service because of his asthma. He moved in with his parents in Phoenix and got a job with Southern Pacific Railroad.

Donald was drafted into the U.S. Army Top: Loura and Willard Myers, late 1950s.

Left: Willard Myers and Sons Contracting business card.

Below: The house four Myers’ families lived in on 18th Street north of Indian School Road.

Bottom left: The same house, 2018.

Images courtesy of James Myers

ear the radio towers at what was formerly Tower Plaza Mall on East Thomas Road in Phoenix, are some houses built by the quintessential Mom and Pop construction outfit: Willard Myers and Sons Contracting. The family got into home building right after World War II, when homes were in high demand.

The contracting company was a closeknit operation. At one point, Willard Myers and his wife, Loura, lived with three of their children and their families in a 1,500 square-foot house in Phoenix. Amazingly, and despite living and working together in close quarters, there was little family drama. “I never heard of any major disputes,” says James Myers, grandson of Willard Myers.

Willard Myers’ history is an inspiring story about resourceful individuals who took advantage of the skills they acquired in America’s agricultural heartland. During almost two decades in the contracting industry, the company constructed about 35 homes, many of which came with a unique amenity. “Most of the families they built homes for became lifelong friends,” James Myers says.

There wasn’t much time for a carefree childhood for Willard Myers, who was born in Pittsburg in southeast Kansas in 1891. Coal mining was the area’s industry,

Forty four

MAY-JUN 2020

during World War II. Willard was laid off from the railroad when the war ended. After Don returned home from overseas, the duo decided to build homes using Don’s savings. Jake quit the railroad to become part of the operation. Clarence, the son-in-law, did part-time electrical work.

Before long, Don had married Irene, and Jake had married Joanne, whom he had met while visiting his brother, Robert, in Kansas. Both couples moved into a house on 18th Street north of Indian School Road with Willard, Loura, and Irene and her family. “It was a testament to how

Top left: A house built by Willard Myers and Sons Contracting near 34th Street close the Myers families and Virginia Avenue, 1952.

Willard Myers and Sons were, especially consid- Top right: A kitchen, including hand-built Contracting was offiering two of the cou- cabinets, constructed by Willard Myers cially in business. and Sons Contracting, late 1940s.

ples were newlyweds,” James Myers, son of Robert Myers, says.

The first house the family built sold quickly. They then purchased three lots at Coronado and 31st streets and constructed three small homes. These homes sold before they were completed. Ditto for two lots they purchased on Oak Street near 20th Street.

By now, Willard had acquired enough experience to apply for a contractor’s license. He passed the test in 1947, and

More lots became available outside of Phoenix city limits on Princeton (which later became Cambridge) and Virginia streets, east of 32nd Street.

The business purchased a farmhouse and four lots. Jake and Joanne moved into the farmhouse while building two nearby houses.

Robert would soon join Willard Myers and Sons Contracting. He had a successful dairy operation in Kansas, along with a job hauling milk to the Pet Milk Creamery in

Left: Jake, Don, and Irene in Downtown Phoenix, 1945.

Right: Jake and Don are prepping for a cement delivery, 1952. arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Jake Myers at his home on Virginia east of 34th Street, 1951.

Top right: Hand saws and the first table saw used

by Wil­lard Myers and Sons Contracting, the latter purchased from Sears in Downtown Phoenix.

was a successful company, and mostly took the summers off at this point,” James Myers says. One summer, however, the company helped out a friend on a remodeling project. “It got so hot they decided to jump off the roof into a neighbor’s pool.

Jake couldn’t swim, so Don had to rescue him from the deep end.”

Robert landed a job with the Salt River Project as a machinist but continued Below: Willard and Loura Myers at a home built by Willard Myers and Sons Contracting on Princeton west of 32nd Street.

Images courtesy of James Myers

Carthage, Missouri. Drought hit the region in 1953, and there was little feed by the following year. “He and his wife, Vivian, decided to move to Phoenix for ‘just a few years’ until the drought was over,” James Myers says. “The couple left Kansas with $50 and moved in with Willard and Loura in 1954. The ‘few years’ became the rest of their lives.”

New multi-family lots on county land

came on the market. Robert traded the 1946 Pontiac he drove to Arizona for a parcel on the corner of 34th Street and Windsor Avenue. Jake bought the lot next door, and Don bought the lot next to Jake’s. The company built one-bedroom houses on the rear of Robert and Jake’s lots, and a duplex on Don’s lot. Robert used his 1951 Ford tractor to create a road extending Windsor east starting at 34th Street to access the three lots. He pastured his horses in a field that later became part of Tower Plaza Mall.

“Willard Myers and Sons Contracting

forty six

MAY-JUN 2020

working with his family. The company bought lots along Virginia and Cambridge streets, selling the custom homes before they were completed. “The business thrived by word of mouth,” James Myers says. “You could take what Willard said to the bank.”

Lawyers Title approached the family outfit about becoming a subdivision builder in 1953. “The decision was made not to expand, and to keep the philosophy and business plan that they were comfortable with,” James Myers explains. East Phoenix was ripe for growth, however, and another custom homebuilder, Ralph Staggs, soon erected subdivisions in the neighborhood.

Willard Myers and Sons Contracting diversified in the mid-1950s when they were hired to build an aircraft transponder.

“The FAA was so pleased with their work that it turned into a state-wide project,” James Myers says. “They worked in northern Arizona for a few years, but decided against taking more jobs in Utah.”

Willard developed heart disease in the 1950s, and after a few years, had to cut back on his involvement in the firm. He died in 1965 after a heart attack.

His loss was devastating to the Myers family as well as to the company. Willard was the business manager either. They closed Willard and Sons Conand negotiated the contracts. Neither Don tracting, ending one of the Valley’s most or Jake wanted to be the business manager, successful custom homebuilders. and they didn’t want to add employees

Simply better than the best

480.940.0100 | INSEARCHCORP.COM 8845 S HARDY DR. TEMPE, AZ 85284

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

The “Hollywood” Marine, 1946.

The Runbeck family, 1961.

The little rascal in Aberdeen, South Dakota, 1932.

The Runbeck family: Nina, June, Anton, and Chuck (clockwise from left), 1933.

Chuck & Kay’s wedding, 1954.

Chuck and his granddaughters, Matina & Erin.

Four generations of Runbecks: Kevin, Chuck, Emilio, and Daniel (l-r). forty eight

The Runbeck family, 2012.

MAY-JUN 2020

Charles “Chuck” Runbeck (1928-2020):

A Tribute from His Three Sons

CRAIG RUNBECK

BRIAN RUNBECK

My dad was always quick with a smile, a pat on the back, or $20 if you were a little short. He was a friend to the homeless and governors; your station in life meant nothing to him. He could forgive almost anything or anybody. He was slow to anger and fast to laugh. He could sell just about anything to anyone, but only if he was convinced that you really needed it. Dad had a special place in his heart for youngsters.

He would make quick friends with a shy kid by playing a game called slap hands. Any of us who met him when we were young knew that game.

My dad, my foundation as a man, the one who was always there, is no longer with us. But for as long as I live (and I know for many others), his smile, his love, his sense of helping those that need it, will carry on. Thank you, dad. I love you.

To say my dad was a survivor would be a gross understatement: • In his 20s, he survived what should have been a fatal car crash on the Old Mill Avenue Bridge in Tempe. He knocked out columns, flew through the windshield, and got his belt buckle stuck on the hood ornament, which kept him from falling off the bridge.

• In his 30s, he had a damaged kidney removed and was told he had ten years to live.

• In his 50s, he started his battle with heart disease and quit a three-pack-a-day smoking habit, which left him with severe emphysema and lungs, “so black they couldn’t get any worse.”

• In his 60s, he continued battling heart and lung issues.

• In his early 70s, he had triple-bypass surgery.

• In his 80s, he battled throat cancer, a near-fatal intestinal blockage, and was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which his doctors assured him he’d never live long enough to be affected by.

Well, once again, the doctors were wrong, and it was the prostate cancer that finally got him. Even then, he fought it years longer than expected and stayed active and engaged well past a time when others would likely have given up. He managed to live at home until the last two days of his life.

Several times in recent years, my dad would say to me, “I don’t know why the good Lord hasn’t taken me yet.” My response was always the same: “Dad, I’m sure He’s putting it off as long as He can.” That was for comic effect, of course, because it was clear my dad just wasn’t ready to go; he didn’t want to miss anything. He loved his family, card games, traveling, and work. And whenever facing an obstacle, his Marine training kicked in, and he would “take that hill” no matter what.

To say my dad was loved by many would also be an understatement. He was loved by all who knew him. He was generous and trusting, sometimes to a fault, and interested in others without ever being judgmental. Children loved him, and he loved them, always engaging them and usually breaking the ice with a game of slap hands. It didn’t matter if the children were family or strangers, he could win them over—as he could with most adults. He was charming, self-effacing, and a profound influence on my life and the lives of all he touched.

We were all blessed to have had him around longer than any doctor predicted. It’s comforting to know how much he enjoyed his life to the end. I will always be grateful to have had such an amazing father.

Images courtesy of Runbeck family

KEVIN RUNBECK

arizcc.com

I joined dad in business in 1980 after college. He had a print brokerage/advertising agency called Runbeck & Associates, and we formed a partnership called Runbeck Graphics. As a 26-year-old with no assets, I went to the bank and asked for a $20,000 credit line for our company. The loan officer looked at me like I was crazy and was not going to approve the loan.

Then, a bank vice-president looked over her shoulder at my application and asked, “Are you related to Chuck Runbeck?” After my affirmative response, he stamped “Approved” on my request, much to my surprise.

We met a few weeks later, and I asked why he had approved the loan so quickly and without question. The man said a few years back, my dad was involved with a failed land development company.

His partners filed for bankruptcy, so as not to repay the money they had borrowed. But my dad insisted on honoring his debt and worked hard for five years to pay off his share of the loan. Therefore, the bank vice-president believed my dad’s word was solid as a rock and trusted he had taught me well. I was ecstatic the loan was approved, but also learned a valuable lesson about about building a good reputation and doing what is right in business.

Dad’s example became my moral compass in business, and I have tried to honor it ever since. To this day, when I have a challenging decision to make, I simply ask myself, “What would Chuck do?” Once I answer that, I know that is the right decision. His influence remains the foundation for the ideology of the company I run, and I will miss him every day.

Left, from top: The proud Marine, 1946.

The Runbeck family, 1974.

Chuck, Kevin & grandson Nathan in Maui, 2011.

Chuck & Kay in Europe, 2012.

Brian & Chuck at Wupatki National Monument, 2016.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Groundbreaking Technology! THAT ROCKS!

L47

• 47.1 Gross HP,† EPA Tier 4 Final Kubota Diesel Engine • Sloped Loader Arms & Slanted Hood • Max Digging Depth Of 10 Feet 1 Inch

**

B26

• 26 Gross HP,† E-TVCS, 3-Cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine • Infinite 3-Range (HST) Transmission • Max Digging Depth Of 8 Feet 3.8 Inches

M62

• 63 Gross HP,† EPA Tier 4 Final Kubota Diesel Engine • Sloped Loader Arms & Slanted Hood • Max Digging Depth Of 14 Feet 1.8 Inches

$0 DOWN, 0% A.P.R. FINANCING FOR UP TO 60 MONTHS ON SELECT NEW KUBOTAS!*

BinghamEquipment.com BUCKEYE 710 N. 195th Ave. (623) 853-1000 PARKER 1320 Geronimo (928) 669-9271

CASA GRANDE 815 W. Gila Bend Hwy. (520) 836-8700 PHOENIX 21828 N. 7th St. (623) 850-6000

COTTONWOOD 2694 S. Union Drive (928) 646-5388 PRESCOTT VALLEY 10123 AZ-69 (928) 350-4295

LAKESIDE 5819 Hwy. 260 (480) 969-5516 TUCSON 5225 N. Casa Grande Hwy. (520) 887-7799

MESA 1655 S. Country Club Dr. (480) 969-5516 YUMA 3214 E. Gila Ridge Rd. #1 (928) 726-4701

© Kubota Tractor Corporation 2020. * $0 Down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 60 months on purchases of select new Kubota K008, KX, U, R, SVL, SL(SSV's), & TLB Series equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A.; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Example: 60 monthly payments of $16.67 per $1,000 financed. Offer expires 6/30/20. For complete warranty, disclaimer, safety and productinformation see dealer or KubotaUSA.com. ** 0% APR financing on purchases of select new equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A.; subject to credit approval. Monthly terms may vary. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 6/30/20. Contract term begins from the date of first payment which is due 90 days from the contract date. Example: Purchase made on 4/1/20, first monthly payment is due 7/1/20. 90 day no payment offer expires 5/31/20. Terms subject to change. This material is for descriptive purposes only. Kubota disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this material. For complete warranty, disclaimer,safety, incentive offer and product information, consult your local Dealer or KubotaUSA.com. † For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer and the product operator’s manual. Power (HP/KW) and other specifications are based on various standards or recommended practices. K1090-24-144593-1

4727 E. Bell Rd. Ste. 45-374 Phoenix, AZ 85032

“GEARED FOR THE FUTURE”

CONSTRUCTION

602.282.4007 Marrsconstruction.com

Gift a subscription &

Put a smile on Someone’s face

Demolition Residential / Multi Family | Commercial | Industrial | Land Clearing / Grubbing Utilities Private / Municipal Domestic Water | Fire Water | Reclaimed Water | Sanitary / Storm Sewer StormWater Retention System | Structures Earth Work / Excavation Land Development | Mass Excavation / Export / Import | Site Prep / Fine Grade / Paving

fifty

Subscribe today @arizcc.com/subscribe MAY-JUN 2020

WE COVER YOUR ASSETS. ASSET PROTECTION

Ideal for protecting big rigs, RVs, planes, boats and other assets from the harsh elements.

OFFICES & PRODUCTION AREAS We can modify containers to create offices or adapt to your existing modulars or structures.

WORKSHOPS & REPAIR SHOPS Workshops can also be built to your requirements for a cost effective repair and storage facility.

ENVIRONMENTAL SHELTERS

Cost effective solution for meeting state and federal environmental legislative requirements.

WAREHOUSING AND STORAGE

Container canopies are great for storing a wide range of diverse assets.

David Williams 602 376-6941

containercanopiesAZ@gmail.com 6901 Northern Ave, Glendale AZ 85301

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Bank employees pose with a Lectro-Teller at the First National Bank, 1966.

Left: Model Chris Starr with Lectro-Teller at the First National Bank, 1968.

Right: A bank employee uses a Lectro-Teller at the First National Bank, 1966.

MAY-JUN 2020

Building on the Past

1967: Financial Automation

B

anking hours became a relic of the past at First National Bank of Arizona in 1967. Customers had the convenience to deposit checks, cash, and coins, or make loan and utility bill payments at night and on weekends using a Lectro-Teller. This socalled “robot-teller” was invented by Automated Machines Corp. of Nashville. Melvin Buros was the Arizona distributor through his firm, Atlas Engineering & Equipment Co. of Phoenix. He also operated Buros Construction Co. with his brother, Herbert Buros (see article page 32-37).

The prototype Lectro-Teller was installed at the General Electric Co. Information Systems Department in Phoenix.

arizcc.com

Buros felt that electronics engineers would delight in using the machine and identifying minor operating difficulties. First National paid a nominal rental fee to the businesses where the Lectro-Tellers were located, often in high-traffic locations such as public buildings, supermarkets, and other retail outlets. An armored car service, retained by Atlas, collected deposits daily for delivery to First National’s main office.

To encourage the use of Lectro-Tellers, the bank employed “…attractive young ladies, dressed in distinctive uniforms, to monitor the machines and explain their use to depositors,” according to the April

1967 issue of Bank Equipment News. While the Lectro-Tellers were primarily intended for personal accounts, one company made a $210,000 deposit in one machine.

There was one major issue with Lectro-Tellers. “The public never completely trusted them as you could only make deposits, not withdrawals,” Barbara Bally, Melvin’s daughter, says.

That feature would not become available until the Chemical Bank installed the first automatic teller machine in New York City in the autumn of 1969. “On Sept. 2, our bank will open at 9:00 and never close again,” boasted a Chemical Bank advertisement.

Arizona Contractor & Community

I

Architect’s Perspective: Calvin Chester Straub, FAIA: Humanist Doug Sydnor, FAIA Doug_sydnor@outlook.com housing, Straub designed low-cost houses, including his own 1947 cottage. He developed a post & beam structure that was efficient, featured integrated glazing, and used war-surplus materials that cost $800.

This accomplishment led Ester McCoy to describe Straub as the “Father of California Post & Beam Architecture.”

Straub was also a senior partner at Buff, Straub and Hensman (1956-1961), where he designed mostly custom residences that received numerous design awards and was featured in Sunset magazine. Straub knew architectural luminaries, including Frank Lloyd Wright, R. M. Schindler, Henry Mather Greene, and he worked briefly for Richard Neutra.

In 1961 Straub moved to Arizona to teach at ASU and establish a practice. His architecture would contribute to a desert modern approach, but based upon his earlier design principles. Straub was my first ASU Design Studio Professor. We camped on a site near the Salt River to capture the spirit of the place through sketching, photography, and our impressions. Straub was effective at sensitizing us to the Sonoran Desert and its flora, fauna, precious water, and open vistas. The vision was to design projects that minimized site impact.

In 1973 he became a founding principal of Schoneberger, Straub and Florence along with George H. Schoneberger, Jr. and Earl Florence. The firm worked locally and was also the Associate Architect on the

31-story U.S. Bank Center with Kelley Marshall of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1976.

Straub practiced until around 1993.

In 1974 his wife passed away at the age of 51. Straub stated, “She was my wife but also my partner in our career. We made a pretty good team for over 30 years – I still miss her.” He died at age 78 on October 21, 1998.

In 1987, a retrospective exhibition of Straub’s work opened, based upon his 1950s manifesto. These ideals remained valid throughout his career, and recognized “the unique nature of each client, each site, each project; realize, inform, the role of architecture as a means to an end, not an end in itself; create order and unity with simplicity as an antidote for the chaos …of the times; and approach architecture in a direct and honest manner.”

Straub also emphasized to “understand the difference between the validity of traditions and the dead-end of the cliché of eclecticism; participate in the total architectural process; design, construction, landscape, and interiors, to bring it all together as a creative whole; search for refinement and self-development; and continue to learn through the process of observation, experimentation, and active participation in architecture. To live and to build.”

Bottom left: Calvin C. Straub.

Below: Richard Andeen residence in Paradise Valley, 1967.

Images courtesy of the Estate of Calvin & Sylvia Straub

n a time when ‘spectacle architecture’ looks for media attention, it is essential to recall the post-World War II era and a specific architect who put people first in his approach to architectural design: Calvin C. Straub, FAIA. I was first exposed to Straub in the early 1970s when taking his “Introduction to Architecture” course at Arizona State University, which was the most popular humanities credit on campus. He was a gifted teacher who expertly communicated his personal stories and philosophies about world architecture gathered from his extensive international travels. Straub brought an enthusiasm and energy that made the architecture come alive.

Straub was born in 1920 and spent his childhood in San Francisco. The family then moved frequently around the country until settling in Los Angeles in 1940. Straub enrolled at Pasadena Junior College, where he took architecture courses before attending Texas A & M in College Station, Texas.

During this time, Straub married Sylvia Gates, who was the granddaughter to William Day Gates, founder of American Terracotta Company, whose product is found in the Chicago architecture of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. They had two daughters, Kris and Kathrin.

During World War II, Straub joined the V-12 Navy College Training Program that allowed him to complete his education at the University of Southern California. Upon graduation in 1944, he enlisted as an Ensign assigned to a tank landing ship, LST 602.

After the war, Straub returned to Pasadena to resume his architectural career.

Arthur Gallion at USC offered him a teaching position in 1946, a school known for its creative ideas. Straub would later become the school’s College of Architecture Dean.

In response to the need for affordable

fifty four

MAY-JUN 2020

Image courtesy of Scottsdale Historical Society

Straub also authored the book, The Man-Made Environment: An Introduction to World Architecture and Design, but most importantly, inspired generations of students with his enthusiasm.

Here are three of his projects.

Douglas B. Sydnor, FAIA, is Principal at Douglas Sydnor Architect + Associates, Inc. and author of three Arizona architecture books. Thanks to Mark Parry’s biographical research, which was an invaluable resource for this article.

OTHER ARIZONA WORKS: 1966 - Carter Norris Residence,

Paradise Valley 1968 - O’Connor Residence

Renovation, Paradise Valley 1970 - C. Cummings Residence, Mesa 1975 - C. Butler Residence,

Paradise Valley

1975 - Prescott Public Library, Prescott 1980 - P. Bidstrup Residence,

Paradise Valley

1985 - Dr. Danto Residence, Scottsdale 1988 - Robert Ellis Residence,

Scottsdale Top left: Western Savings and Loan Co. Branch Office-Camel Square (1970) in Phoenix.

Top right: Western Savings and Loan Branch Office (1974) in Scottsdale.

Bottom: First Federal Savings and Loan Co. Branch Office (1974) in Phoenix; its breezeway oculus; and breezeway.

Images courtesy of Author

The Andeen Residence, built on Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley in 1967, is a visual extension of the site with the use of natural stone at piers and solid walls. Deeply recessed within such walls and shaded is the glazing, which frames dramatic views. Building forms step up the hill with low site walls at the outdoor terraces, primary structure, and wood pergolas that provide a broken line as it meets the sky. The composition is appropriate for the Sonoran Desert.

The Western Savings and Loan Co. Branch Office was built on 70th Street south of Camelback Road in downtown Scottsdale in 1974. The building, later demolished for the realignment of Goldwater Boulevard, used a post & beam structure with plastered masonry columns and concrete beams. The structure was walllike to the east and more open transparency to the street. The design integrated

many features to mitigate the western sun from penetrating the interiors, including site walls that defined an outdoor space, recessed glazing, extended roof canopy, and suspended shading devices at the beams. Overall, it had sound proportions, exquisite detailing, and confidently handled scale.

In 1974 the First Federal Savings and Loan Co. was completed at 4402 East Camelback Road in Phoenix. The two structures serve as an office and a community room, respectively. Each building is a symmetrically-composed pavilion resting on oversized piers. Between them is a shaded breezeway that creates a pleasant cool space, with an oculus roof opening lined with an orange-red ceramic tile, a favorite Straub color. Exterior walls and columns are warm-colored plaster with deeply recessed glazing and a desert landscaping.

arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

HITACHI

RENTAL INVENTORY

Hl1achl Construction Machinery

ZW80 ZW120 ZW150 ZW180 ZW220 ZW250 ZW310 ZW370 ZW55 0

1.2 2 Cu. Yds. 3.5 Cu. Yds. 4 Cu. Yds. 4.5 5 5.5 7.3 8.3

310 410 710

ZERO TAIL SWING

6,11 0 lbs 11, 725 lbs 18,800 lbs 30,700 lbs -56, 000 lbs 69, 000- 72,5 00 lbs

SK25 SK55 SK85 SK140 SK230 SK300

�Yili

EXCAVATORS

SK170 SK21 0 SK260 SK35 0 SK5 00 SK850

28,1 70-38,000 lbs 4 7,900 lbs 56,900-64,46 0 lbs 79,7 00 lbs 99,15 0 lbs 106,180 lbs

SPECI ALTY EXCAVATOR

LG 936 6 0' Long Reach Excavator M322 Wheeled Excavator 48,000 lbs.

314 Off Set Excavator 32,600 lbs.

210LE

EXCAVATOR/ BACKHOE ATTACHMENTS

2000 Gallon 4 000 Gallon

ATTACHMENTS AVAILABLE: • • • • • • • •

KOBELCO.

Compaction wheels Additional buckets Hydraulic thumb -Crypto Claw Hydraulic Breakers

General Purpose Buckets Excavator Attachments Roll Out Buckets Grapple Buckets Skeleton Buckets Side Dump Buckets Boom Jibs Forks

Apply your rental payments to purchase! Financing Available 611 N. Golden Key Street Gilbert AZ 85233

MACHINERY

www.WestraxMachinery.net

NEW AND LOW HOUR MACHINES AVAILABLE FOR RENT TODAY!

(602)397-8173

(520) 682-4063

Sierra Vista

(520) 378-2321

Globe

(928) 425-5775

Phoenix

(602) 416-2652

Flagstaff

(928) 526-5250

Prescott

(928) 443-9207

Camp Verde

(928) 567-0893

Yuma

(928) 343-4150

Bullhead

(928) 763-1022

A Global Ready-mix, Aggregate, Asphalt & Cement Supplier

WWW.CEMEXUSA.COM

N HAR R IS

AL A

Tucson

TRUCKING

Super 18 Dump Trucks Phoenix, Arizona

(602) 276-4357 W W W. A L A N H A R R I S T R U C K I N G . C O M

DIRT

•

ABC

•

A S P HA LT

•

GRANITE Connect With Us

Melissa Smith 480.721.3338 msmith@millingservices.com

w w w. m i l l i n g s e r v i c e s . c o m | f o l l o w o u r j o u r n e y arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

William Horner

A

ring at the doorbell more than a decade ago changed my life forever.

A neighbor, who knew I enjoyed construction and vintage machines, brought over an old magazine he found at an estate sale. Arizona Builder & Contractor captivated me, and I became devoted to learning about the publication.

I traced the names on the magazine’s masthead and placed a phone call to a Martha Akers in Scottsdale. The lady who answered was skeptical as I inquired about the magazine and staff members. She almost hung up on me before saying that Martha was still alive but, in a home, and that she and her husband, Chuck Runbeck, were taking care of her.

Chuck and I later spoke on the phone.

His deep voice gave me the impression of talking to Lurch from The Addams Family.

We talked about the magazine and construction, and I learned he was recovering from throat surgery. Initially, we agreed to meet at his home. His wife, Kay, however, thought it best to get together at Runbeck Graphics, owned by his son, Kevin.

We hit it off, and I mustered the courage to tell him that Douglas Towne, a writer, and I wanted to start a publication.

I thought he could give us some advice and possible assistance. “It all depends on how the market is and how good your product

Right: Chuck, Kay, Billy, and Laura having dinner at Sagewood Retirement Community, 2019.

Far right: Chuck rests during one of our last outings as a duo making appointments, 2018.

Fifty eight

is,” he responded.

Chuck came on board and set goals to sell a certain number of ads. When he achieved that, he’d go out and sell more.

Laura Horner, who later became my wife, stepped in to design the magazine. But we ran into problems a month before the publication’s launch. The magazine’s look didn’t satisfy Chuck. “I won’t have my name on anything that looks unprofessional,” he said. In a rush, Laura took a course in graphic design, which satisfied Chuck.

At this point, Chuck began mentoring me. I was petrified of selling ads and preferred operating my grader at work. Eventually, though, Chuck and I worked together enough to allow me to gain the experience to run the magazine confidently.

I learned that Chuck was firm and fair when it came to sales. He always looked for an angle to help the customer and frowned on computer sales and mass solicitations.

“I never cared for the shotgun approach, and I’m no good on the phones,” he said.

“It’s much better to visit in person as everyone is different and has a unique situation.”

Chuck’s approach for meeting customers in person, however, had to adapt to the times. The “secretary wall” didn’t exist 50 years ago, when visiting clients on a whim was possible. Chuck learned that you needed an appointment first, and it was often tough to get one. He discovered this the hard way by driving a long way only to find someone wouldn’t see him, or they were out. We eventually compromised and would call first before seeing clients.

We developed some traditions in working together. In the East Valley, we would stop at Runbeck Graphics to visit with the staff and then eat lunch at the Rio Salado College cafeteria. In the West Valley, he enjoyed a meatball sub from Mr. Goodcents at our office. This meal came with a price, though, as he would sometimes end up sharing his sub with our dogs, Bobby and Mia. Chuck and I had been working together Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Digging Through the Archives: Chuck Runbeck

Left: Martha Akers and Chuck, 1960s.

Top: Chuck and I meet for the first time at Runbeck Graphics in Tempe, 2011.

Above: Larry Cox of Sunstate Equipment Co. with Chuck at the ARA mixer, 2012.

MAY-JUN 2020

for eight years when we decided that he would make his final sales visits on his 90th birthday in April 2018. Neither of us was happy about this though. Chuck wanted to continue working, but his health prevented him. I was nervous to quit construction, where I worked as a finish blade operator.

We made one last grand tour, where Chuck introduced me to each of his clients at their offices. But, even after his retirement party, Chuck landed another account that November. I officially took over his position in 2019.

Some of my best memories of Chuck are his stories about the past. One of my favorites was when his uncle, Oliver “Chick” Hooper, the founder of Hooper Concrete Pipe Co. in Phoenix, asked Chuck for a ride. “I arrived in a car that you could see through the floorboards, and that didn’t have a passenger door,” he said. Hooper offered to buy him a more reliable vehicle if Chuck took a job at his plant, spraying water on the curing pipes.

Another amusing story was when Chuck’s family lived in Phoenix on Seventh Avenue and Palo Verde Drive near an A.J. Bayless supermarket. Kevin, his son, was raising lambs in their backyard for a 4-H

arizcc.com

Program. “A lamb escaped and went to the market, which had recently installed the automatic doors,” Chuck said. “He’d step on the rubber pads triggering the door to open. This motion spooked the lamb, who would back off only to repeat the process.

Eventually, the store manager and a policeman got involved and called me. I had to take the lamb home in our brand-new family car.”

It’s a bit intimidating going forth with the magazine without Chuck’s knowledge and humor to guide us. But I learned much from this man who wasn’t afraid to tackle new challenges as an octogenarian.

We’ll certainly miss him, and proceed with renewed enthusiasm to make sure his last publishing project continues to be distributed to readers. Thanks again, Chuck, for having faith in my idea, and doing the heavy lifting to make my dream a reality.

Top left: Chuck with Laura, who is holding Bobby, 2013.

Top right: Mia and Bobby waiting for Chuck to share his meatball sub, 2018.

Bottom left: Chuck and Kay at his retirement party, 2019.

Bottom right: Tom Hogarty, Brian Runbeck, and Chuck at his retirement party, 2019.

Below: Chuck and I at his retirement party, 2019.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Bid Results Mar/Apr 2020 3/2/2020 (CMAR) Mountain Dell Channel Improvements Tiffany $2,120,000 3/3/2020 Pavement Rehab Country Place Laurelwood Park Sunland $967,789 3/4/2020 New Traffic Signals Broadway road and Country Club Way B&F Contracting $330,658 3/4/2020 High Desert Middle School Concrete Drainage Edge $1,743,142 3/5/2020 Queen Creek Signal Butte Intersection Improvements Sunland $6,459,887 3/6/2020 Sun Tran South Drainage Improvement KE&G $3,168,996 3/10/2020 Harquahala Flood Retarding Structure Erosion Hazard Reduction Redpoint $2,642,132 3/10/2020 West Cooley 8th Avenue Waterline Replacement Apache Underground $538,304

3/12/2020 Water Main Replacement Cliff Rose Subdivision Capital Improvements $817,885 3/17/2020 Palm Lane Drainage 78th Street Hawes Road Kinkaid $2,653,315 3/25/2020 2020 Street Resurfacing ACE Asphalt $300,000 3/27/2020 Gilbert Neely St (CMAQ-GIL-0(216)T) CS Construction $3,477,777 3/27/2020 Globe Lordsburg US 70 Bylas (070-A-(217)T) Cactus $2,435,751 3/27/2020 County 17th Street West Main Canal Bridge Replacement DPE $419,838 4/2/2020 (CMAR) Florence St Main Ave Third St Improvements Ellison Mills $1,999,039 4/2/2020 Mint Wash Bridge Widening Whelcon $1,178,950 4/2/2020 2020 District Wide Paving Maintenance ACE Asphalt $1,669,834 4/6/2020 (CMAR) Neely WRP Facility Rehabilitation Archer Western $2,500,000

4/7/2020 Edison Park Activity Hub Low Mountain $737,000

May/june 1950 Construction of New Laundry Arizona State Hospital, Phoenix Farmer & Godfrey, Phoenix $83,444 20 Mi Road Construction Tucson-Ajo HWY H.L. Royden Const. $305,282 Construction Improvements Ash Fork-Flagstaff HWY Daley Const. Co. $140,446 3 Span Girder Bridge Zuni River N. of St. Johns H.L. Royden Const. $42,584 Bridge Strengthening Casa Grande-Gila Bend HWY H.L. Royden Const. $15,532 Paving Camelback Rd., 17th Ave North Arizona Sand & Rock Co. $13,654 Sewer Construction Town Council of Safford J.H. Welsh & Sons Co. $89,867 9 Mi Road Surfacing Alpine-Eager HWY Richey Const. Co. $108,460 Grading and Drainage Geronimo-Solomonsville HWY Pioneer Constructors $91,489 New Sewage Disposal Plant Nogales Sundt Const. $289,859

LOOP 202

LOOP 101

PRICE

3RD ST.

SMITH

McCLINTOCK

RIO SALADO

UNIVERSITY

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL TOOL NEEDS •Tools and Accessories •Tool Repair •Family Owned and Operated 480-968-0123 www.FisherTools.com sixty

MAY-JUN 2020

SPECIALTY COMPANIES GROUP

CUSTOM SIGNS

BRIDGE RAILS

There Is Nothing We Can’t Do. There Is No Place We Won’t Go. Contact us anytime!

SPECIALTYCOMPANIESGROUP.COM

arizcc.com

623-582-2385

God bless you

Arizona Contractor & Community

Advertisers’ index

PLEASE Patronize our advertisers, they make this publication possible!

A to Z Rentals 480-558-0063 a-zequipment.com

P. 37

Diamondback Materials P. 5 623-925-8966 diamonondbackmaterials.com

Matt Brown Trucking 602-361-2174 mattbrowntrucking.com

P. 43

Sitech 602-691-7501 Sitechsw.com

P. 26

Alan Harris Trucking 602-276-4357 alanharristrucking.com

P. 57

DitchWitch 602-437-0351 ditchwitchaz.com

P. 14

MDI Rock 602-569-8722 mdirock.com

P. 6

Southwest Asphalt 480-730-1033 fisherind.com

P. 61

Allstate Rent a Fence 602-233-1433 allstatefenceaz.com

P. 22

ECCO Equipment Rental 602-276-2040 eccoequipment.com

P. BC Metro Engineering & Survey P. 20 623-466-6640 metroaz.net

Specialty Companies Group P. 61 623-582-2385 specialtycompaniesgroup.com

Arizona Materials 602-278-4444 arizonamaterials.com

P. 22

Elite Sports 602-899-9200 elitesportsbuilders.com

P. 10

Metro Traffic Control 623-879-0610 metrotrafficcontrol.net

P. 5

Sunland Asphalt 602-323-2800 sunlandasphalt.com

P. 26

Arnold Machinery 801-972-4000 arnoldmachinery.com

P. 4

Empire Sales Center 520-582-2050 empirecat.com/eloy

P. 41

Milling Services 480-721-3338 millingservices.com

P. 57

Sunstate Equipment 888-456-4560 sunstateequip.com

P. 13

AZ EarthWorks LLC 925-525-8314

P. 5

Fisher’s Tools 800-390-4063 fishertools.com

P. 60

NCS 928-567-6585 networxcs.com

P. 18

BidJudge 602-456-BIDZ bidjudge.com

P. 23

GenTech 800-625-8324 gentechusa.com

P. 24

NECA 602-263-0111 azneca.org

P. 20

Trafficade 20, 22 & 24 602-431-0911 trafficade.com

Branco Machinery 480-892-5657 brancomachinery.com

P. IFC Hagen Business 602-570-7289 hagenbusiness.com

P. 7

New West Oil 602-759-5559 newwestoil.com

P. 28

CalPortland 602-817-6929 calportland.com

P. 16

Herc Equipment Rental 602-269-5931 hercrentals.com

P. 10

New Western Rentals 623-847-3594 newwesternrentals.com

P. 18

Castle Hot Springs 855-881-7584 castlehotsprings.com

P. 11

Insearch Corp 480-940-0100 insearchcorp.com

P. 47

Otto Trucking 480-641-3500 ottotrucking.com

P. 8

CED 602-437-4200 cedphx.com

P. 5

Interstate T&T 602-638-2557 interstatetnt.com

P. 16

Pacwest Rentals 480-832-0855 pacwesttrading.com

P. 35

Cemex 602-416-2652 cemexusa.com

P. 57

Keystone Concrete 480-835-1579 keystoneconcretellc.com

P. 16

Preach Building Supply 602-944-4594 preachbuildingsupply.com

P. 30

Christy Signs 602-242-4488 christysigns.com

P. 20

Bingham 480-969-5516 Binghamequipment.com

P. 50

Reuter Fabrication 602-415-0449 reuterequipment.com

P. 24

Cliffco 602-442-6913 cliffcorepair.com

P. 3

Landco Power 480-788-1333 landcorental.com

P. 26

RT Underground 602-622-6789

P. 16

Container Canopies 602-376-6941

P. 51

Lithotech 602-254-2427 lithotechaz.com

P. 7

Shanes Grading & Paving 602-992-2201 shanespaving.com

P. 11

DCS 480-732-9238 dcscontracting.com

P. 16

Marrs 602-282-4007 marrsconstruction.com

P. 50

Sharp Creek 602-437-3040 sharpcreek.com

P. 6

sixty two

P. 18,

TSR 602-253-3311 tsraz.com

P. 61

Vermeer Southwest 480-785-4800 vermeersouthwest.com

P. IBC

Westrax 800-411-4717 westraxmachinery.net

P. 56

Williams Scotsman 800-782-1500 willscot.com

P. 30

Woudenberg Properties 480-620-8555 woudenbergprops.com

P. 3

WSM 623-936-3300 wsmacutioneers.com

P. 9

For Advertising Inquires contact: William Horner 602-931-0069 Billy@arizcc.com

MAY-JUN 2020

POWER EQUIPMENT From small, over medium to large sized air compressors, you can select the compressor that ts your needs. The essential companion for companies that need to take the tools to perform their work with them - wherever they go.

Visit us at vermeersouthwest.com/atlas-copco to learn more!

GILBERT, AZ 480.785.4800

TUCSON, AZ 520.574.3400

LAS VEGAS, NV 702.365.1144

ALBUQUERQUE, NM 505.345.8787

Vermeer and the Vermeer logo are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. Atlas Copco and the Atlas Copco logo are trademarks of Atlas Copco. arizcc.com Š 2020 Vermeer Sales Southwest, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EL PASO, TX 915.213.1750

Arizona Contractor & Community

PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Permit #1662 Phoenix, AZ

602-276-2040

Providing Rentals and Service in AZ, since 1998

Ken Miles General Manager

O: 602-456-5175 C: 602-722-7933 kenm@eccoequipment.com

Jeff Hightower Outside Sales

O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-725-1123 jeffh@eccoequipment.com

Frank Alvarez Service

O: 602-456-5179 C: 602-769-6725 franka@eccoequipment.com

Holly Stenz Inside Sales

O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-722-7930 hollys@eccoequipment.com