VOLUME 15 ISSUE 4
$5.99 JULY AUGUST 2026 SERVING CONTRACTING FIRMS AND THE ARIZONA COMMUNITY. . . THEN & NOW
TUCSON’S UNDERGROUND UTILITY INNOVATOR: E.P. “PHIL” HUNZIKER MESA’S HIDDEN SUBWAY UNDER THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD SUNRISE EQUIPMENT CO.: WENDELL MOATE’S LAND LEVELING VENTURE FROM FARMING TO FINISH GRADE: ROY BOEN’S CONSTRUCTION LEGACY FRED COLTER’S EPIC UNDERGROUND ARIZONA HIGHLINE WATER PROJECT
Arizona’s Timeless Magazine
WILL BRUDER: ELEVATING ARIZONA’S CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
ARIZONA’S UNDERGROUND COMPANY: J.H. WELSH & SON CHASSE BREAKS GROUND AT CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DOWN THE DRAIN: HISTORIC PHOENIX WATER SYSTEMS
INSIGHTS ON SOLTERRA MATERIALS’ OPERATIONS
HISTORIC SEWERAGE: AVOIDING POTENTIAL CESSPOOLS
WDS DESIGN BUILD TRANSFORMS ART GALLERY
2
JULY AUGUST 2026
TUCSON
SOLD $138,600
PHOENIX
PHOENIX
‘06 PETERBILT SOLD $72,600 EE5239 357 DUMP TRUCK
SOLD $58,300
EE5144 ‘20 VOLVO EC950F EXCAVATOR
APACHE JUNCTION DW1281 ‘07 CAT TL1255 TELEHANDLER
‘15 CAT 314SOLD $54,450 EE5158 ELCR MINI EXCAVATOR
04 · Government 05 · Agriculture 06 · Truck & Trailer 12 · Vehicles 13 · Construction 18 · Government 19 · Agriculture 20 · Truck & Trailer 26 · Vehicles 27 · Construction
REGISTER TODAY!
01 · Vehicles 02 · Construction 07 · Government 08 · Agriculture 09 · Truck & Trailer 15 · Vehicles 16 · Construction 21 · Government 22 · Agriculture 23 · Truck & Trailer 29 · Vehicles 30 · Construction
AUGUST
JULY
UPCOMING AUCTIONS
ARIZONA‘S HEAVY EQUIPMENT HEADQUARTERS 1. Create Account 2. Bid & Win 3. Pay & Pickup ...it’s really that simple!
Visit us today!
purplewave.com
BUILT ON TRUST. POWERED BY EXPERIENCE.
ARIZCC.COM
BUILT ON TRUST.
ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY
ROC# 348321
TRENCH PLATES • ASPHALT PATCH SAW CUTTING • COLD PLAINING CALL FOR MORE INFO
CANYON STATE ASPHALT MILLING 602.390.8688 | csasphaltandmilling.com COMPETITIVE PRICING VALLEY WIDE PRECISION MILLING. LASTING RESULTS. 4
JULY AUGUST 2026
YOUR TRUSTED EXPERTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
HAVE AN EMERGENCY? CALL 1-888-4-SPILL-4
24/7 EMERGENCY RESPONSE REMEDIATION • DEMOLITION EMERGENCYENV.COM • 480-809-4687 • SALES@EMERGENCYENV.COM
ARIZCC.COM
ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY
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
All-beef hot dogs with diced onions and mustard
Publisher Billy Horner billy@arizcc.com
All-American succotash
Editor Douglas Towne douglas@arizcc.com
ADDRESS CITY
STATE
ZIP
EMAIL PHONE
CUT OUT, COMPLETE & MAIL CHECK TO: ACC, LLC. PO BOX 6912, GLENDALE, AZ 85312 FOR FASTER SERVICE, GO TO WWW.ARIZCC.COM AND SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
NYC hot dogs – all-beef with a natural casing
Watermelon
FAVORITE JULY 4TH FOOD?
Hebrew National Contributors Hot Dog with Alison Bailin extra ketchup Michael Bernstein and a few chips Tim Eyre smushed on top Ben Johnson Jeff Kronenfeld Lobster Jay Mark Heather Roberts Luke M. Snell All-beef Doug Sydnor hot dogs
WEESSTATBLRISHOEDC199L4LC
Grilled corn on the cob
Production Manager Laura Horner laura@arizcc.com In Memoriam Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 - 2020
• PRECISION FINE GRADING • ABC PLACEMENT AND FINISHING • EARTHWORK , ALL PHASES • MATERIAL IMPORT/EXPORT HANDLING • DRAINAGE EXCAVATION • FULL TOPCON OR TRIMBLE CAPABILITIES CONTACT TAYLOR WESTHOFF
480-550-1815
PTWESTHOFF@WESTROCLLC.COM 10031 E. DYNAMITE BLVD SUITE 135 SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85262 SIX
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 © 2026 All rights reserved.
JULY AUGUST 2026
JOBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASK US ABOUT
› Trimble Grade Control Systems
› UAV
› Paving Solutions
› Support, Repair & Training
› GPS & Total Stations
› Equipment Rentals
› Site Hardware
SITECH SOUTHWEST 602-437-0410 | sitechsw.com 1835 S. MACDONALD DR. STE 101 | MESA, AZ 85210
SPECIALTY COMPANIES GROUP
UTILITY ADJUSTMENTS
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
ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY
Committed to superior quality and results
Ready Mix Concrete Delivery and concrete Pumping Services Arizona trusted company
FREE ESTIMATES PLEASE CALL - 602-503-9391 ORDERS - DISPATCH@BAJAREADYMIX.COM
BAJAREADYMIX.COM A+ accredited business by the better business bureau
EIGHT
10 12 15 47 48 54 60 66 74 76 80 82 86 90 94
CONTENTS Contributors - Michael Bernstein & Tim Eyre From The Editor: Fred Colter’s Epic Arizona Water Project - Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When: Tucson’s After Hours Workplace Douglas Towne Arizona’s Underground Empire: The Rise and Fall of J.H. Welsh & Son Co. - Billy Horner Tucson’s Mid-Century Underground Utility Innovator: E.P. “Phil” Hunziker - Douglas Towne Mesa’s Hidden Subway: Burrowing Under the Southern Pacific Railroad Tracks - Jay Mark Sunrise Equipment Co.: Wendell Moate’s Land Leveling Venture - Billy Horner Saluting Arizona’s Builders: Paul Brock Jeff Kronenfeld Old School Equipment: Between Umbrellas and ROPS: The Forgotten Era of Steel Canopies - Billy Horner Building On The Past: 1991 – Preach Building Supply Douglas Towne Architect’s Perspective: Will Bruder: Architectural Trailblazer - Doug Sydnor, FAIA Digging Through The Archives: From Farm Fields to Finish Grade: Roy Boen’s Construction Legacy Billy Horner Bid Results Advertising Index
Front Cover J.H. Welsh & Son Co. installing a new gas main at the intersection of Second Avenue and Washington Street, 1920s. Article on page 48
Image Courtesy of ACC
JULY AUGUST 2026
100% EMPLOYEE OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTOR
SERVING THE SOUTHWEST
WE SELF-PERFORM THE WORK THAT KEEPS PROJECTS MOVING. WHAT WE BUILD Transportation Infrastructure Underground Utilities Site Development Water & Wastewater Commercial Construction
WHERE WE WORK Public Agencies Developers Mining Operations Utility Providers Aviation & Military Industrial Clients
500+ 400+ 75+ 50+ EMPLOYEE OWNERS
EQUIPMENT FLEET
PROJECT AWARDS
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
YOUR FAVORITE MAGAZINE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!
WHETHER YOU’RE ON YOUR LAPTOP, TABLET, OR PHONE, ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY IS JUST A CLICK AWAY.
ACCESS THE DIGITAL EDITION AT ISSUU.COM/ARIZCC ARIZCC.COM
ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTORS S OA K IN T H E R E L AXAT I O N
castlehotsprings.com | 844.276.8052 | Morristown, Arizona
TEN
MICHAEL BERNSTEIN
TIM EYRE
PAGE 31
PAGE 39
M
T
ike Bernstein has been retired from the environmental consulting industry for six years. Looking back, some of his favorite experiences include, in 1985, examining piles of wood ash excavated from a Philadelphia neighborhood dump dating from the 1860s. Artifacts found included decorated bowls from long-stem clay tobacco pipes still blackened from use! Bone brush handles, children’s marbles, English dishes and cups that bore pattern-registration marks from the period, and beverage and medicine bottles inscribed with the names and addresses of the bottlers, which could be dated through city directories. Another highlight was in 1996, when he visited a college friend stationed at Luke AFB who served as Range Management Officer at the Barry M. Goldwater Range. They observed A-10s dropping live Mark 84 (2,000-pound) bombs on “HE Hill,” and then strafing nearby targets. His most memorable work assignment was at four industrial sites in Germany in 2006, when police in Ludwigslust let Mike off with a warning for speeding. Imagine Mike’s surprise in 2007 when he watched Dwain Luce of the 82nd Airborne Division interviewed on Ken Burns’ documentary The War. Capt. Luce and his men liberated a concentration camp near Ludwigslust. Maybe the authorities waived the ticket after seeing Mike’s Jewish name. Michael has been a longtime contributor to the magazine, and his first article was published in 2018.
im Eyre is Vice President of Marketing at RestoPros, where he leads marketing strategy and growth initiatives across the company’s national network of restoration franchises. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, he partners with franchise owners and leadership to strengthen brand positioning, drive local market growth, and communicate the value of a restoration model built on fast response, clear communication, and community-based service. His role spans brand development, franchise growth, messaging, and goto-market strategy, with a focus on helping RestoPros scale while maintaining the trust and local accountability that matter most in the restoration industry. Tim brings more than 20 years of experience building and scaling marketing programs across B2B and B2C organizations. His work focuses on helping service-based businesses grow through stronger positioning, smarter go-tomarket strategies, and clearer alignment between sales and marketing. Before joining RestoPros, Tim held senior marketing leadership roles at companies including Aceyus/Five9, Red Ventures, Adobe Workfront, Big Leap, and Vivint Smart Home. Throughout his career, he has led brand development, demand generation, customer experience, and go-to-market initiatives across industries. His work has earned a MarCom award for rebranding and recognition as CXO of the Year by Utah Business. Tim earned his Bachelor of Applied Science in Marketing from Utah Valley University. JULY AUGUST 2026
Servicing Arizona’s construction industry since 1996!
Serving Arizona for 30 years in the construction equipment repair and field service industry. Component rebuilds including engines, transmissions, differentials and speed reducers. Shop and field mechanics experienced in Cat ET, Cummins Insite, Detroit DDDL and others. Field trucks have welders, compressors and 8K cranes. Onsite hydraulic and a/c hose replacement. Mechanics a/c certified. Certified welding, fabrication and line boring. Mobile 100 ton track press.
Come to Us or Let Us Come To You Lonnie cell: 602-376-1448 David cell: 602-525-3226 5626 S 43rd Ave, Phoenix AZ 85041 dynamicdieselrepairinc.com
ATTENTION CONTRACTORS!
20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER 3245 N. Arizona Ave. Ste. 8, Chandler, AZ 85225
logowearexpress.com hailey@logowearexpress.com (480) 545-5900
SAFETY TEES, SAFETY VESTS, TRUCKER HATS, & MORE!
BRANDON GALLIMORE Land Surveying Services Construction Staking KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM O: 480-835-1579 SITE CONCRETE DEVELOPMENT BIDS@KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM ARIZCC.COM
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
ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY