Winter 2012

Volume. 1 Issue. 4

Holiday issue Winter 2012

Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community…Then & Now

• Royden Construction: Bridging the Gap for 85 Years • The Shopping Center Candy Built • Endless Holiday: the Story of Santa Claus, AZ • The Great 1920s Arizona Oil Rush • Phoenix’s Chrysler Building Brought Back to Life • Holding History Hostage: Wright or Wrong?

Volume. 1 Issue. 4 Winter 2012

CONTENTS

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22.

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Editor’s Column: Endless Holiday - The Story of Santa Claus, Arizona - Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona - William Horner Architect’s Column: The Long Trip Back - Rehabilitation of the C.P. Stephens DeSoto Building - Bob Graham Arizona Standard Oiling: Shortcut to Speed - Douglas Towne Town & Country Village Shopping Center: From Agriculture to Retail - John Jacquemart and Donna Reiner The Cutting Edge Finish: Scraper Tips and Tricks Paul Beaulieu Reinvigorated Rental Group Rubs Elbows: ARA Fall Meeting Holding History Hostage: the David and Gladys Wright House Saga - Connor Descheemaker Royden Construction: Bridging the Gap for 85 Years Douglas Towne Arizona Construction Legend: Jim Duty - William Horner CalPortland “Rocks” ARPA Fall Luncheon Digging Through the Archives: C & F Equipment Company William Horner

Publisher William Horner azcc.publisher@hotmail.com

Editor Douglas Towne azcc.editor@gmail.com

Marketing & Sales Consultant Chuck Runbeck

Contributors Paul Beaulieu John Bueker Connor Descheemaker Bob Graham John Jacquemart Donna Reiner Barry Warner

Production Manager Laura Harley azcc.design@hotmail.com

Advertising 602-881-0907 View our online magazine at: www.arizcc.com Printed at Lithotech Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter).

ACC is a professional publication designed for the contracting industry, engineers, architects, 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 assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Front Cover Royden Construction Whetstone Overpass, U.S. Highway 80 east of Tucson, 1953.

See story on page 36

Arizona Contractor & Community Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Editor’s Column Douglas Towne

Endless Holiday - The Story of Santa Claus, Arizona To celebrate the holiday season, and our first year of publishing Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, I’m featuring one of the state’s most eye-catching construction projects: Santa Claus, Arizona.

The tale of this “town” begins in 1936 when one of America’s Seven Modern Engineering Wonders – Hoover Dam – was completed to harness the Colorado River. In nearby Kingman, the owners of the Kit Carson Guest House, Nina and Edward Talbot, realized the tourist potential inherent of the nearby spectacular art deco structure. The Talbots purchased 80 acres of desert land, 12 miles north of Kingman along the road to Hoover Dam, U.S. Highway 93.

This was the dawning of America’s love affair with automobile travel. Highway businesses shunned monotony, cloaking themselves in unusual themes to attract tourists eager for new experiences. The Talbots were prepared to reel in the motorists. In 1937, construction began on the Talbot’s piece de résistance: Santa Claus, Arizona. This incongruous yuletide haven provided legendary home-cooked meals and Texaco gasoline to curious motorists. Its catalyst was

Ninon Talbot, an extraordinary woman whose culinary abilities were perhaps best described, with possibly just a touch of hyperbole, by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein. “In her own field, she was an artist equal to Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Shakespeare,” wrote Heinlein.

Santa Claus comprised five buildings designed by Edward Talbot and built by W.J. Zinck, a Kingman contractor. The Christmas Tree Inn, famed for its fine cuisine, was the centerpiece of the development. Adorned with holiday decorations, the building featured a prominent red and white-tiled roof with candy cane striping running down the exterior walls. Santa Claus himself was situated by the chimney. The Talbots lived in a nearby house; next door was a candy-striped Texaco service station. To amuse the kids, there were two miniature buildings. The Cinderella Doll House was a wooden, A-frame structure with a cockled chimney, surrounded by a white picket fence. Cutouts of the Three Little Pigs enlivened the adjacent brick “Pig Hut” which also featured the hungry Big Bad Wolf descending into the chimney.

What made Santa Claus famous was Nina’s culinary talent.

She served up five-course gourmet meals year-round in the

Image courtesy of Douglas Towne

“This incongruous yuletide haven provided legendary home-cooked meals and Texaco gasoline to curious motorists.”

Four

Douglas Towne

Above: Postcard menu from the Christmas Tree Inn Bottom: Christmas Tree Inn in 1951 and 2006, Santa Claus, Arizona Opposite page middle: Window decal, Santa Claus, Arizona Opposite page bottom: Texaco gas station Santa Claus Arizona

Images courtesy of Douglas Towne

Christmas Tree Inn. These feasts included Eskimo Fruit Cocktail, North Sea Shrimp Cocktail, Poinsetta Tomato Soup, Chicken a la Snow White, Mary’s Little Lamb Chops, Evergreen Salad, and North Pole Salad, just to name some of the menu’s “holiday” offerings.

Her specialty, however, was desserts: over 16 delicacies were featured, including her legendary Kris Kringle Rum Pie. These were halcyon years for Santa Claus; Ninon continued working even after her husband passed away at age 52 in 1942.

However, there was one major problem at Santa Claus.

Unknowingly, the Talbots had built at a location which lacked groundwater because of a nearby geologic fault. The Christmas Tree Inn’s menu pleaded, “Our water is trucked fifteen miles; please help us save it. Thank you, Mrs. Santa Claus.” Ninon sold Santa Claus in 1950 when she was 60 years old and moved to Los Angeles. She found sympathetic purchasers in Doc and Erma Bromaghim, hardworking owners who continued the establishment’s many traditions. They eventually sold the property in 1965.

At this point, the tragedy that befalls so many unique roadside enterprises began. A succession of at least eight new owners purchased Santa Claus—each apparently attracted by its romance without consideration given to the long hours needed to run the establishment. These owners invested little capital in repairs. Corners were cut, maintenance was put off, and the all important “vibe” of the place slowly evanesced. Times change and what was once enchanting appeared increasingly frayed and tacky.

Santa Claus began its sad demise. The Christmas Tree Inn was transformed from a beacon of fine dining to serving microwave sandwiches. To lend the appearance of vitality, junk cars driven by mannequins populated the parking lot to the backdrop of warbling holiday tapes played on low fidelity loudspeakers. In 1991, Santa Claus was erased from the official state map and it closed two years later.

Today, Santa Claus’s deteriorating buildings are a weird amalgamation of fading holiday cheer overlaid with recent gang graffiti. Perhaps it’s good that Ninon Talbot, who passed away at age the age of 75 in 1963, isn’t around to see the vandalized ruins of her fantasyland.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Laura

D o ug

Chuck

Barry

Billy

Adam Street

Image courtesy of Pulice Construction

Construction Around Arizona

Construction Around Arizona Freeways • Roadways Commercial • Residential William Horner

Above: Pulice Construction in Tucson Arizona (see story on page 14) Right: Ronnie Terrell of Arizona Desert Brooms spotted on a job in South Scottsdale

Eight

Construction Around Arizona

Tucson Desires Modern Streetcar The City of Tucson’s largest construction project to date is the Sun Link Modern Streetcar system that will connect Downtown Tucson with the University of Arizona via Fourth Avenue. Roger Boggess, Area Manager for RailWorks, is leading a team in a $56 million joint venture with Granite Construction to construct the transportation system. Comstock National Transit is performing the systems work.

RailWorks Track Systems is constructing 3.85 track miles of embedded, double-track and installing 17 pieces of special trackwork.

Around 30 percent of the track has been constructed and poured.

Installation has begun on the special trackwork and pre-curved rail units.

Skill and time is required with the installation of the special rubber rail boot prior to welds and tie installation. Once installation is complete, concrete will be poured.

The new streetcar line opens for revenue service in mid-2013.

Top left: Workers adjusting and setting final position of the track Top right: Finished track section just after a weld Bottom left: RailWorks employees Rick Waynes, Rusty Miller, Thomas McChristy, and Danny Andrews Bottom right: Rail intersection displaying the new rail rubber boot prior to concrete pour

Ten

Construction Around Arizona yards of imported borrow material, and the construction of a three span, 300-foot long precast concrete girder bridge. One major challenge with Ames Construction crews are currently rebuilding the Arizona State the project is the environmental restrictions due to the bridge’s location within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Additionally, Route 90 bridge over the San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, Arizona. This Ames crews must also keep the bridge open at all times as it is the only project consists of a one-mile, two-lane asphalt roadway; 40,000 cubic vehicle access for some homes.

Photos courtesy of Ames Construction

San Pedro River Spans

Twelve

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Pulice Construction’s Interstate 10 Freeway, Ruthrauff Road to Prince Road project in Tucson brought numerous challenges requiring creative engineering solutions. A major construction obstacle has been the thirteen types of utilities running through the project which has required unique resolutions in order to efficiently move the project forward.

Resourceful thinking was utilized during the excavation of the new 4 barrel, 12 x 10 foot box culvert inside of the Prince of Tucson RV Park, as well as above the existing 4 barrel, 10 x 7 foot box culvert during construction. In both cases, work underneath the existing utility lines needed to commence without disrupting service to the park’s tenants.

By thinking outside the box, the firm devised two distinctive techniques to suspend the utilities without having to remove them. Inside

the park, workers were able to suspend the 4 utility lines on the north and south ends of the 80-foot excavation for the new box culvert using cable and I-beams supported by dead men and tied with ratchet ties. The innovative solution allowed crews to excavate, construct, and backfill the new 4 barrel box without interrupting service. A similar approach was implemented to support the 120-foot concrete encased joint trench containing TEP Power, ADOT FMS, Verizon, and Reclaimed Water lines running through the east end of the park above the existing 4 barrel box.

Pulice has taken every effort not to inconvenience the residents of the Prince of Tucson RV Park while working within their living space. This was just one of the numerous inventive engineering pursuits that Pulice implemented through the collaborative efforts from its knowledgeable staff.

Photos courtesy of Pulice Construction

Construction Around Arizona

Pulice’s Princely Old Pueblo Project

Fourteen

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Construction Around Arizona

Busy Intersection Exudes Commercial Convenience Whether you’re looking for gas, a soda, or office space to house your cutting-edge software company, the northeast corner of 32nd Street and University Boulevard will soon offer these options. Willmeng Construction, Inc., is the general contractor for a 80,000 square foot commercial building. Next door, MTV General Contracting is leading the construction of a new Quick Trip convenience store.

Above top: Trackhoes dig for underground storage tanks for the new Quick Trip.

Above left to right: Jody Jackson(Crossroads Trucking) delivers gravel and Jose Aguirre demonstrates the height of 96-inch underground pipes.

Below left: Benjamin Garcia (Hawkeye Electric), Gary Goodwin (Willmeng Senior Project Superintendent), and Alex Ramirez (Hawkeye Electric).

Below right: Wilmeng Construction in action.

Sixteen

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The interconnectedness of the world was again revealed when a disaster on the other side of the globe resulted in emergency construction work being contracted for in the Valley.

The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan resulted in equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

This catastrophe caused governments around the world, including the U.S., to scrutinize the safety procedures at their nuclear power plants. At the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant west of Phoenix, the Arizona Public

Service (APS) received funding from the federal government to increase the plant’s safety from flooding by moving 1,500,000 million yards of soil, 2,000 feet out of the floodplain.

The APS Ponds East Wash Diversion was a rush project; Tiffany Construction was asked to mobilize equipment the same day they were contracted to do the work on July 31, 2012 with a completion date scheduled for late September. The large equipment spread included: 5657 push/pull scrapers, 8- 631 push scrapers, 6- 623 elevating scrapers, a few D-9’s, along with 2 Blades and compactors. “We are working 6 days a week, 24 hours a day,” commented a spokesperson for the firm.

Photos courtesy of Tiffany Construction

Construction Around Arizona

Japan Fuels Tiffany Construction

Eighteen

Construction Around Arizona

Infusionsoft Finds New Home in Chandler Todd Shumway One of Arizona’s fastest growing software companies, will relocate from

Photos courtesy of Infusionsoft

its current location in Gilbert to a new 86,000 square-foot headquarters in Chandler, Arizona in January 2013. The company worked closely with the City of Chandler and the Arizona Commerce Authority to find the perfect home at Allred Park Place in the Price Corridor.

The developer, Douglas Allred Company, helped Infusionsoft create a remarkable new work environment that is designed to give employees a culture of inclusiveness, innovation and fun. The company will occupy the entire building, which is the first major speculative office building to be built in Arizona since 2009. Expecting to grow to 1,000 employees over the next three to four years, Infusionsoft will take up the entire two-story building. Since 2004, the firm has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and succeed with its all-in-one sales and marketing software.

The new building will have many new features that facilitate an environment of creativity, collaboration and innovation. Employees and visitors often remark about the buzz of excitement and energy as they visit the company. This buzz is largely due to the open layout and call center atmosphere. In addition to technical support and Success Coaches, Infusionsoft employs software engineers, trainers, graphic designers, marketing and sales representatives. The firm has been recognized by the as one of the Best Places to Work in the Valley for six years in a row, and was named the 15th Best Small Workplace in the nation by and the Best Place to Work Institute, and has made the Inc. 500 list for the past six years, an accomplishment held by only two percent of all Inc. 500 applicants.

CEO and co-founder Clate Mask said, “We invested a great deal of time in our search for the ideal home for Infusionsoft as we continue this next phase of explosive growth.”

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Asphalt CEO and President, Doug DeClusin has been presented the 2012 Arizona Corporate Excellence CEO of the year award. This annual recognition is presented by the Phoenix Business Journal.

Doug was selected from a variety of Arizona business executives from privately held companies who have displayed extraordinary leadership and success.

Additionally, Sunland Asphalt was recognized as one of the Top 50 Arizona privately held companies. Doug emphatically attributes these awards to the quality and dedication of Sunland Asphalt’s employees. He states, “Hire the best people possible, compensate them well, and get out of their way. We have the best team we have ever had in the history of the company.”

An Arizona native, Doug has lived in the Valley most of his life.

He started working in the asphalt industry as a young man and in 1979 started his own company which would later become Sunland Asphalt. The Sunland Sports division was added in 1994. Sunland now has over 200

employees and offices in multiple states. Sunland has experienced steady growth from its inception and looks for annual revenues to reach the $100 million mark by 2014.

Doug has always believed in offering the highest possible level of quality, service and products. He has never hesitated to explore new technology and products that better serve the market.

Sunland’s stellar reputation of quality workmanship and ethics is not by accident. Doug firmly believes in the company’s mission statement, “We do what we say we’ll do, when we say we’ll do it.”

Doug attributes his success to hard work, dedication and sacrifice. He acknowledges the many people who have encouraged and supported him throughout his career. His parents, his wife of 34 years, Diana, his four amazing children, and the excellent team at Sunland that “perform beyond the surface” every day are the strength and the backbone to his success.

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Architect’s Column Bob Graham The Long Trip Back- Rehabilitation of the C.P. Stephens DeSoto Building next door, on Roosevelt St., was torn down. One of Near a street corner in downtown Phoenix sits a nondescript house Stephens’ sons opened a Standard Oil service station at the corner, warehouse painted a uniform brown, like urban camouflage.

Cracking and leaning brick walls, peeling paint, and a jagged and broken parapet are testament to years of neglect. But this worn and weary building is making a comeback.

The structure was built in 1928, on a prominent commercial corner at 915 North Central Avenue, for the C. P. Stephens Motors auto dealership. Stephens was the Phoenix distributor for Chrysler’s DeSoto and Plymouth automobile brands and operated his dealership in the building through the mid-1950s.

Chrysler started its DeSoto division to produce mid-range autos, competing with Buick and Oldsmobile. As a new brand, DeSoto dealerships were being developed around the country to host the first model, the 1928 DeSoto Six. Local architect Burt McDonald teamed with Chrysler architect R. P. Morrison to design the newest, flashiest auto dealership in Phoenix. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style (then all the rage), the DeSoto building featured a gigantic storefront window and glazed garage doors, had a hip roofed, Spanish-tiled corner tower, and was adorned with cast stone details. According to proprietor Claude P. Stephens, quoted in the Arizona Republican newspaper on September 23, 1928, “It takes this kind of building to do the DeSoto Six justice. It’s the kind of automobile that will prosper in colorful surroundings.”

Within its four walls, the Stephens dealership had its showroom, sales offices, and parts department, as well as its repair shops, which were accessed from the back alley. In the 1940s, the

operating in conjunction with the auto dealership. (The foundation slabs of the service station, demolished in the 1960s, remain).

Eventually, the most prominent auto sales dealerships in Phoenix moved away from the Central Avenue “automobile row” to more suburban locations and along the highway routes through town. The Stephens dealership itself relocated to east Van Buren in 1955, but the old DeSoto building continued to house various car dealers and an auto repair school for many more years.

Long-time Phoenicians may remember the building as Ledbetter’s Antiques from 1976 through the 1990s.

Unfortunately, the journey from 1955 to 2012 was a rocky one for the DeSoto Building. Due to design flaws in the details of the roof trusses, the roof structure began to fail very early in the life of the building. One small alteration after another ate away at the grand structure designed by its architects: the doors were changed

Photos courtesy of Bob Graham

“….declared the building in ‘the worst shape I’ve ever seen and I’ve done hundreds of these.’”

Twenty two

out; a modern aluminum storefront replaced the original wooden one, and this was then covered over in stucco; the Spanish style interior of the Showroom was paneled over, and its ceiling was removed. Most of the cast stone became detached from the façade and was lost. The structural problems with the roof were never repaired, just glossed over: a forest of shoring was installed throughout the interior to hold up the roof. Worst of all, the corner roof tower collapsed in 2008 and was replaced with a flat roof.

Ken Cook, of Spokane, Washington, bought the property in 2012. He’d long had a desire to rehabilitate an historic structure, and saw an opportunity in the DeSoto building, despite its condition. The building had a good location, near a light rail station, and he liked the big, open interior with bowstring-trusses of aged timber.

Cook hired local architects Motley Design Group to help him put the building back in service. An initial assessment verified what several previous owners had found – that the roof structure was on the verge of collapse and the entire building could be lost. Could the trusses be repaired or would they have to be replaced entirely?

The owner and the design team were committed to saving the roof trusses. The feasibility of repair was improved substantially when the project was awarded a grant from the City of Phoenix’s Warehouse and Threatened Building Program that was dedicated to this work. Motley and their structural engineer, Structural Grace, Inc., worked out a way to keep most of the original wood truss members, supplementing them with steel plates and rods so that the appearance would be changed as little as possible.

Construction work for the truss repairs, to be coordinated by Mountain West Contracting, will still be a major challenge. A truss-repair expert from Los Angeles who was being considered for a potential subcontract declared the building in “the worst shape I’ve ever seen and I’ve done hundreds of these.”

Of course, the truss repairs are just one part of the project.

The rehabilitation design calls for complete rehabilitation of the façade – reconstructing the missing tower, replacing the storefronts and doors, and re-installing cast stone decorations. The

cast stone work will be a particular challenge, because no one has been able to locate a photograph showing what the original cast stone detailing looked like. All that has been found is the original architectural sketch shown in a newspaper article, which left those details somewhat hazy. The solution, conforming to historic preservation requirements, will be stonework that has the same overall shape and form of the originals (which can be seen in the scars on the façade) but with modern details that distinguish it as a compatible, but different, replacement.

The rehabilitation will be complete early in 2013. The interior of the 8,000-square-foot floor plate will then be available for up to five tenants. A 3,000-square-foot mezzanine may be added in the old open workshop in the back to help amortize the project’s rehabilitation costs over a larger area. Additional building entries are planned on the now-blank north side of the building, facing the parking area, as needed to accommodate the eventual users.

The former service station site at the street corner will be developed for parking and other outdoor uses. Because of the proximity of the site to the Roosevelt Row art scene and the visual importance of the corner, the parking lot is designed more like a pedestrian plaza with alternating blocks of colored concrete pavers. It could serve as street-fair space for events and as parking the rest of the time.

While the end use of the building is not yet known, Cook is hoping for tenants that will enliven the corner and take advantage of the foot traffic from the light rail station, just a few hundred feet away. Downtown advocates have shown a lot of interest in the rehabilitation and are pushing for a market, a restaurant, or a similar combination of uses that will appeal to downtown residents.

Top: Interior of building Opposite page, top: Artist rendering of refurbished building Opposite page bottom: Exterior of C.P. Stephens DeSoto Building

Arizona Contractor & Community

Arizona Standard Oiling: Shortcut to Speed Douglas Towne

For

a state renowned for its abundant natural resources, Arizona has repeatedly come up dry in one vital commodity: oil. There have long been hopes that deep exploratory wells drilled throughout the sixth largest state in the nation would hit black gold and create instant millionaires a la the 1960s TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies. Yet only a measly 200 gallons of oil per day are currently produced from small fields in the extreme northeastern part of the state.

Given Arizona’s meager petroleum resources, it’s ironic that the state’s greatest contribution to highway development in the 1920s and

1930s relied on oil. An inexpensive and quick method of improving gravel roads was by applying oil, it became known nationwide as the “Arizona Standard.”

By the mid-1920s, highways had become a major issue for Arizona. Not only was the Arizona Highway Department the largest government agency operating in the state, it was also the biggest employer in Arizona according to the study, Arizona Transportation History. The creation of this bureaucracy was not just a matter of convenience for local drivers. Tourism was recognized as a vital component of Arizona’s economy and visitors were increasingly arriving by car rather than train. Auto tourists spent an estimated four times the Highway Department’s annual budget, even though only 208 miles in the state’s 2,034 mile highway system were paved. Over 1,800 miles were gravel and unimproved roads where traffic crept along slowly.

Something had to be done – and quickly – to improve Arizona’s highways that were described as “taxed to the limit.” The department’s chief engineer, W.W. Lane, said “the

dust alone is becoming a menace.” He estimated that it would cost $75 million dollars to pave every mile of roadway in the state system.

The solution to the highway crisis was “low-type bituminous surfacing,” which the state officially called “oiling.” Costing about one-sixth as much per mile as paving, oiling was originally conceived of as a temporary treatment for gravel roads. With surprisingly long-lasting durability and lower maintenance costs than paved roads, oiling became a semi-permanent method of surfacing.

The Tucson-Nogales Highway was the first roadway to be oiled, in 1928. By 1933, nearly a thousand miles of highway had been oiled in Arizona, the most of any Western state. The state highway department, after extensive testing, developed a method of oiling that became known as the “Arizona Standard.” Over time, the state included oiled roads in the paved category on official maps produced in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Administrative and financial changes at the Arizona Highway Department in 1927 facilitated the dramatic improvement of state roads. The legislature created a fivemember Arizona State Highway Commission that was given authority over the department’s budget, planning, and construction contracts. A new State Highway Fund was created through a $250,000 annual appropriation, a one-mill property tax, vehicle registration and driver’s license fees,

and revenue from a gas tax and common carrier taxes imposed on bus and freight lines. Still, nearly half the Arizona Highway Department’s funding came from the federal government, including some temporary programs later set up to aid recovery efforts from the Great Depression.

The federal government embraced highway projects as a preferred method of providing jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression. A multitude of New Deal programs improved highways in Arizona, including stretches of U.S. Route 60, 80, 89, 95, and 666 as well as State Route 82 and 96. Federal funds were also used to construct highways through national forests in Arizona.

Some of these projects included U.S. 89 south of Prescott, U.S. 66 east of Flagstaff, the Coronado Trail in eastern Arizona, and State Route 260 along the Mogollon Rim. The most dramatic Depression-era road project was the construction of U.S. Route 60 from Springerville to Globe through the rugged Salt River Canyon. This was the heaviest continuous construction ever undertaken by the department.

Over 350,000 cubic yards of material were excavated (enough to cover 54 football fields to a depth of 30 feet) to construct a four-mile section of road.

On the eve of the Second World War, the Arizona highway system was extensive with nearly 3,500 miles of highway, including impressive structures like the Navajo

“ The state highway department, after extensive testing, developed a method of oiling that became known as the “Arizona Standard.’”

Photo: Navajo Bridge during its construction around 1921; Woodrow Claypool was the resident engineer for the Arizona Highway Department at the time. Later, Claypool was a superintendent for Royden Construction Company from 1948 - 1951.

Photo inset: The Beverly Hillbillies, a television sitcom that ran on CBS from 1962-1971 and twice ranked as the number one series of the year.

“Something had to be done – and quickly – to improve Arizona’s highways that were described as ‘taxed to the limit.’”

Bridge spanning the Colorado River and the Mill Avenue Bridge crossing the Salt River. But challenging issues were just around the corner.

“A road considered adequate as a first class highway several years ago is today dangerous,” wrote a highway department engineer in 1937. “Our greatest problem in this day of speed is adequate design for present day traffic. You have heard often enough that

road design is ten years behind the automobile.” These concerns would be further compounded when the state’s roads took a beating from trucks carrying heavy military loads. The advent of superhighways in Arizona would have to wait until after World War II.

An Arizona Highway Department Galion Heavy Duty Patrol grader is spreading oil-mix on East Washington Street in Phoenix, 1937. At the time, East Washington Street was being refurbished by using a road mix that included hot oil. This particular Galion grader was distributed in Arizona by the Brown-Bevis Equipment Company of Phoenix, and F. Ronstadt Hardware Company of Tucson.

Town & Country Village Shopping Center - From Agriculture to Retail John Jacquemart and Donna Reiner

In 1948, Thomas Road marked the northern city limits of Phoenix. Camelback Road near 20th Street, land that is now prime commercial real estate, was a bucolic area of citrus groves and cattle pastures.

Alan Feeney, who ran a nearby ranch, had formerly been the manager of the Mars family’s Milky Way Farms in Pennsylvania.

He had also married into the family of candy bar fame. When the Mars family divested itself of the cattle operation in 1944, Feeney purchased and shipped much of the prize stock to Arizona. Acknowledging the history of the herd, Feeney named his operation the Milky Way Hereford Ranch. Founded in

1945, the ranch occupied much of the acreage on the south side of Camelback between 18th and 24th Streets. Feeney soon became prominent in the local and state cattle breeding business.

Residential and commercial property soon expanded in the city following World War II, with the construction of many small shopping centers and subdivisions. The first to gamble that the city’s growth would encourage the development of large retail projects were developers from California.

Park Central was the first major selfcontained shopping center and it lured businesses from downtown Phoenix. Soon other retail centers followed on major

east/west streets. In a short time, downtown shops closed or became largely irrelevant to many residents.

Jere Strizek, from Sacramento, was a bit different in his thinking from many of the other commercial developers. He had already perfected a successful model for his retail complex in Sacramento in 1945 and in Los Angeles in 1950. Smaller than Park Central, but certainly distinct, each complex was called Town and Country Village Shopping Center.

Strizek located the ideal spot for his shopping center at 20th Street and Camelback. This particular site would be served by several streets unlike many of the

other shopping centers in Phoenix. Strizek signed a 20-year lease for 50 acres in November 1955.

Unlike any other development Strizek had done, this new shopping area would have amenities including a 9-hole golf course; there were even plans for a tennis center with 24 courts, a hotel, and business offices. The golf course, south of the retail site, was seeded in early March 1956 and subsequently sand traps and 20 palm trees were added to the links. Using the basic design created by John W. Davis, the architect for the California projects, Scholer, Sakellar, and Fuller, the project’s architects

from Tucson, made site specific modifications for the shopping center.

Strizek broke ground for the single-story five-sided, retail portion of his new complex in early April 1956.

As he had done with his other projects,

in various places to provide atmosphere.

The steel frame and masonry walls were topped with a red tile roof. Majestic trees shaded the patio areas between the wing buildings. Best of all, parking surrounded the businesses for convenient shopping, which was especially appreciated during Phoenix’s hot summers.

In July 1956, Strizek leased 18 additional acres for his Town and Country Camelback Village development northeast of the original 50 acres. The property was owned by the fraternal organization, the Order of the Eastern Star, and provided Strizek with more real estate to develop in the future.

"He had also married into the family of Mars candy bar fame."

Strizek constructed the early California ranch style buildings using discarded timbers obtained from a California railroad trestle that gave the exterior a rustic feel.

Antiques such as chandeliers were installed

Photo courtesy of Markow Photogra

Town and Country Camelback Village Shopping Center, July 14, 1958

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Strizek had already started embarking on his original plan to enlarge the shopping center. Transamerica, though, created a new master plan, envisioning apartments and more retail businesses, and then began to carry it out. In 1965, the Food Bazaar was moved and expanded. The east wing of the center was remodeled by Allied Construction based on the plans drawn by H.L. Swanson Associates and Dean R.

Top: Opposite page:

Photos courtesy of Town and Country

The retail center opened with an eclectic mix of shops which it has continued to feature over the years. In 1957, the center expanded from 85,000 square feet to 172,000 square feet with four additional large buildings and a number of smaller ones designed by Scholer and Fuller of Tucson. Strizek also added the Village Food Bazaar that featured an international array of foods.

In 1959, the successful retail project was acquired by Alan Feeney, but he passed away shortly thereafter. While the estate was being settled, Frank and Mary Thurman, the Milky Way Ranch foremen, were hired to manage the shopping center.

They were also instructed by the family lawyers to sell off the remaining herd of cattle. In 1963, Transamerica purchased the shopping center buildings and signed a 99-year lease with the Mars family heirs for much of the undeveloped ranch acreage (112 acres) and the land beneath the shopping center.

Rendahl. This new area would be oriented to restaurants and have three sections. By 1967, the next phase was the construction of a Smitty’s grocery store on 20th Street, south of the existing buildings.

Another phase would be a two-story office and shopping complex on the south and west sides of the shopping center which would form a central core. Cyr & Evans Contracting Company oversaw the completion of a new 700-car parking area.

John W. Lattimore did the curbs and CorbinDykes Electric Company installed the new lighting system.

Town and Country Village has been the home of many unusual, long standing, small, locally owned businesses familiar to Phoenicians, such as Jutenhoots, Bookstar, and Hat Full of Peas. The restaurants, Rancho Pinot, and Pizzeria Bianco began there. Currently, My Sister’s Attic and My Sister’s Closet are found at the shopping center. And interestingly, Chris Bianco recently returned to Town and Country to open a new Italian restaurant.

Over the years, the property has had many owners who have each contributed in some way to the expansion of the site while still maintaining the character of the original buildings. In the late 1970s, the golf course was redeveloped into apartments and condominiums. Fortunately the 17-foot high Phoenix Bird sculpture by Paul Coze has remained. Even with moving and refurbishing, this sculpture gives testament to its story. Town and Country Village rose from the “ashes” of the Milky Way Hereford Ranch and continues to be a viable retail center in Phoenix.

“Fortunately the 17foot high Phoenix Bird sculpture by Paul Coze has remained.

Even with moving and refurbishing, this sculpture gives testament to the shopping center’s story.”

Opposite page, top: The retail center in the late 1950s Opposite page, bottom: Aerial view of Town and Country Shopping Center Top: Phoenix bird under construction 1958 Right: Phoenix Bird Sculpture after the restoration in 2012 Firms involved in the restoration of the Phoenix Bird sculpture include: Scott Melhoff, Identity Sign Group; Jeff Hebets, Metalmedia; Bob Heathcote, Mercury Glass; and Ryan Halderman, Arizona Powder Coat.

Arizona Contractor & Community

The Cutting Edge Finish: Scraper Tips and Tricks Paul Beaulieu aware though, due to the low tire pressure, full loads may with an amazing, and eccentric, cause the can to fall out of level blademan. He would create a again (See “Short Load” below). short, perfectly straight windrow on his final pass and 3. Slow Down leave it for the finish scraper to To ensure a smooth pick up it is clean up. If the scraper operator often necessary to slow down. cut too deep or too high the To regulate my speed I would blademan would grab one of put a full, open top, cup of soda the hammers off the floorboard on the gear selector. If anything of his cab and throw it at the spilled, I knew I was going too scraper, often striking it with a fast. loud clang!

4. Control the Gooseneck Here are five of the tricks I used Some scrapers have play in the as a scraper operator to avoid gooseneck. If your gooseneck is loose then as soon as you let off Thor’s anger: the brake, or hit the windrow, your cutting edge will drop a 1. Sharp Cutting Edge If a clean cut is desired then a tenth or more. If you brake sharp knife is necessary. during your pick up then your Unevenly worn and improperly can will lift. To control installed cutting edges make it gooseneck chatter make sure impossible to pick up neat. So the neck has dropped completely before cutting into insist on a tidy edge. the windrow and do not touch the brake until after you have 2. Level Can Many scraper cans are out of raised your can. square, being higher on one side than the other. If this is the 5. Short Load case, find a surface that you Heaping cans are not what know is flat (like a concrete pad) finish scraper hands want. The and lower your can until the low added weight often causes the side touches. Then decrease can to twist, becoming unlevel, the rear tire pressure on the which results in uneven grade. high side until the high side of When picking up finish the cutting edge touches the windrows two trips are better slab. Now the can is level! Be than one.

Early in my career I worked

II I

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Reinvigorated Rental Group Rubs Elbows: ARA Fall Meeting At a gathering highlighted by tasty barbeque food, numerous door prizes, and congenial company, the America Rental Association (ARA) of Arizona recently held their fall meeting in Gilbert Arizona.

While inviting everyone to grab a plate and enjoy the food, President of ARA of Arizona, Bob Nally, welcomed the general and associate members as well as the other Board members.

The meeting focused on important propositions on the state ballot, the value of getting involved in the political process, and the upcoming association elections.

Attendees also learned a great deal about the programs

and services that membership in the ARA provides while networking with other independent equipment and party rental people, and equipment suppliers from across Arizona. As a bonus, nearly everybody went home with some free stuff – everything from hats to $100 gift certificates to submersible pool pumps.

The ARA Region 7 Director, Beth Hoff Blackmer from Aspen, Colorado, commented on the growth and vitality of ARA of Arizona since their reinvigoration two years ago.

Beth oversees the ARA state organizations in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. She also

encouraged those who would like to get involved with the Arizona Board and introduced two current members up for re-election: Rory Robinson, Secretary and Ross Richards, Membership Chairman.

Richards introduced a new ARA video highlighting the benefits, resources, and tools available to members of the organization which can be seen at www.ararental.org.

ARA of Arizona Vice President Larry Cox recognized Classic Catering for the delicious meal.

The meeting concluded with Doug Click, the Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee. Doug is also the Chairman of “Yes on Prop 116,”

the group that collected over $60,000 to promote the passage of Proposition 116. Doug worked with Tim Mooney, a Scottsdale based political consultant, in the effort to pass the initiative which was defeated by voters in the November 6th election.

After such a successful fall get together, ARA of Arizona looks forward to seeing everybody again at the 2013 spring meeting.

“As a bonus, nearly everybody went home with some free stuff…”

Upper, left-right: Membership Committee Chairman Ross Richards at the podium. ARA Vice President Larry Cox with Chuck Runbeck. Pete Costa and Joe Lilly (Red Mountain Machinery) with Phil Fox of New Western Rentals and Kelly Range with Bidadoo Auctions. Bottom ,left-right: Darryl Switzer and Mike Amparano with Vermeer Sales SW. ARA President Bob Nally speaking to the group. Government Affairs Chairman Doug Click with Political Consultant Tim Mooney.

Holding History Hostage: the David and Gladys Wright House Saga Connor Descheemaker Roughly six months ago, the David and Gladys Wright House in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix changed hands for only the second time in its 60-plus-year history. The house itself was most significant due to its designer, arguably the world’s most famous architect, the late Frank Lloyd Wright. But the house also held great sentimental value, as Wright built it specifically for his son and daughter-in-law, who lived in the home till their deaths, each well into their 100s.

Initially, the sale came and went normally, like any other transaction in the hot real-estate market of Arcadia. The biggest shock came in the price tag, a cool $1.8 million, roughly a million dollars less than the house had initially sold for just a few years earlier from the Wright family.

However, in June, something very surprising caught the gaze of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, an organization dedicated to archiving and preserving any and all of Wright’s unique structures. The development firm which bought the

property, 8081 Meridian, had applied for a lot-split permit with the City of Phoenix. But what made this action most disconcerting was the de facto demolition the permit would allow.

Immediately upon receiving a call about the permit from the Conservancy, the City of Phoenix initiated contact with the developers to see what could be done to preserve the property. Before the purchasing deal had even closed, the City’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to initiate Landmark designation for the property, effectively saving it from demolition for three years. Though the stay of demolition would only provide a temporary fix, it would give valuable time, allowing for the property owner to reconsider the decision to tear down the house, or to sell it to another preservationminded buyer. And amidst all of this drama, a break in the communication flow caused a city official to approve an official demolition permit for 8081 Meridian, a fact only discovered because of a call made by the demolition company itself.

Once the Arizona Preservation Foundation, Modern Phoenix, and other like-minded organizations in the area broke the story, the outcry was immediate and impassioned. A petition was begun, and the story was picked up by news sources across Arizona, the United States and even the entire world, decrying the potential destruction of one of the world’s most revered architects’ most significant works.

Over a series of new articles and opinion pieces, both The New York Times and The Arizona Republic, followed any developments with equal fervor. Every day, hundreds of concerned citizens posted the newest information and opportunities for activism on the Save the David and Gladys Wright House Facebook group.

As the structure progressed through the Landmark designation process, the property owners traded barbs with preservation advocates, initially pledging to save the building, before later threatening to sit on the property for three years and destroy it anyway if the house was declared a Landmark. Amid all these threats, 8081

Photos courtesy of Connor Descheemaker

“The outcry surrounding the David and Gladys Wright House came not only because of the home’s designer and relative age, but because of the remarkable design the house possesses.”

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Meridian re-listed the house for sale at a price of $2.38 million, meaning a profit of over $500,000 for sitting on the property for half of a year, which they claimed was because of legal fees incurred through the preservation debacle.

At the end of October, a buyer was announced, much to the surprise and joy of the Wright-minded public, though as of press time his or her name has not been announced. Simultaneously, after passing votes in the Planning Commission and the Village Planning Committee, the house was primed for its final step in the Landmark gauntlet, a vote by the Phoenix City Council.

Though the sale is currently in escrow, the news of a buyer was enough to encourage the Mayor and City Council to vote for a stay on the vote for Landmark status, to allow time to contact and negotiate with the new owner.

In a young city like Phoenix, many claim that we have no history. Rather, in order for us to make “history”, we must preserve what is left.

The outcry surrounding the David and Gladys Wright House came not only because of the home’s designer and relative age, but because of the remarkable design the house possesses. With the exception of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, this house is the only structure in Wright’s oeuvre to feature a spiral design, leading numerous architectural critics, professors, and practitioners to declare the house one of Wright’s most significant designs.

But instead of this battle being simply about preservation, history, and architecture, this case called into question Arizona’s public policy and the rights of property holders. The issue repeatedly referenced during this process was Proposition 207. This voter-approved act

from 2006 requires compensation to property owners when a change in zoning regulation reduces the value of their property. The ultimate effect of this particular legislation has been virtual paralysis of the City of Phoenix’s Historic Preservation Office, as the City Council adopted a policy of not declaring any property (or neighborhood) historic without the expressed support of the property owner.

Prominent realtor Scott Jarson and land-use lawyer Grady Gammage, Jr., among others, have argued that historic designation does not affect property values negatively. In this case, in fact, it had an opposite effect, but the threat remained, leading 8081 Meridian to consistently threaten both legal action against the City, and a teardown.

Regardless of the outcome of this ongoing saga, the clear issue brought up by this controversy has been education. From the start, the developers at 8081 Meridian claimed ignorance as to the significance of both the property and the structure itself.

As contractors (and community members), it is our responsibility to understand the many factors at play in the homes being sold, bought, renovated, and preserved.

Advising those that own property is of the utmost importance, and clearly, among the buyer, seller, listing agent, and contractor who processed the David and Gladys Wright House, there was a disconnect in understanding the power of great, historic architecture.

To fix this, all we can hope to do is continue to educate ourselves, and each other.

Arizona Contractor & Community

Royden Construction: Bridging the Gap for 85 Years Douglas C. Towne

Photo: “Dump crete” truck pouring concrete on the Big Sandy River Bridge in 1949 as Halsey Royden stands nearby with his pipe and fedora

“As late as 1970, Royden Construction could claim to have built half the bridges in Arizona.”

It’s a rare Arizona construct ion firm that dates itself back to an era when grading was done using mule power. But among the many highlights of its long and accomplished history, Royden Construction did actually use mules - two railroad cars full - to pull Fresno scrapers on a road and bridge project near Holbrook in northeastern Arizona in 1931. One drawback to using the beasts of burden was the amount of water that had to be hauled for the animals to the remote jobsite in the Painted Desert. To finish the job on schedule, the

company switched to using Caterpiller tractors. This willingness to evolve not only expedited the Holbrook project, it has kept Royden Construction in business for over 85 years.

The firm continues to look for efficiency and isn’t afraid to change course to remain a viable entity in the competitive Arizona construction industry. “Before the recession hit in 2008, we were equally focused on bridge building and manufacturing prestressed concrete products,” says Chief Executive Officer Steve Humbert. “To survive the economic downturn, we decided to focus on our precast concrete business, especially bridge girders, which we’ve been involved in since the mid1980s.”

The strategy to evolve from contracting to manufacturing has proved successful for Royden Construction. Although the company’s payroll has declined from almost 150 to 30-some employees, the firm survived the recession because of the contraction. “Precast cement products are in demand because they allow for quicker bridge construction and are manufactured in a controlled-environment,” says Humbert, who has been in the precast business for 35 years, the last 25 with Royden. “I feel our particular product is an excellent value because of the good aggregates we use that produce a strong concrete. Our constant innovation also makes our prices competitive,” he adds. The concrete I-beams that Royden once created at 45,000 pounds per square inch (psi) are now manufactured to a stronger 55,000 psi standard.

The company’s bridge girders are not only used

oversized products, companies in other fields have even occasionally hired the firm to ship items.

“Most of our precast concrete products work is for government entities, the Arizona Department of Transportation, counties and cities,” says Humbert. “They were about the only ones putting out contracts for bids during the recession.” Still, the Royden CEO

Top, left to right: H.L. Royden holding H.L. Royden Jr. in 1928. Royden bridge crew in the 1940’s. Dave Tucker on a CAT #14 motor grader on the I-40 project 10 miles east of Winslow Arizona, 1962 Above: Looking east at the edge of Miami Arizona, Tom S. Royden and Robert G. Wallace, 1955. Both were Co-Superintendents on this job Bottom: Mill Ave Bridge over the Salt River in Tempe ,“A” mountain is in the background

Photos courtesy of Royden Construction

throughout Arizona but are occasionally shipped to eastern New Mexico, southern Nevada, and across the border to California for use along the Colorado River. Properly transporting the concrete girders, which are under constant compression by seven-wire cables, are up to 200 feet long, and weigh 180,000 pounds, is as important as correctly manufacturing them. And it’s not an easy job. “The cost of transporting large loads of precast concrete products makes the business somewhat territorial,” notes Humbert. “We were recently asked to bid on a construction project in Salt Lake City but we declined because of the headaches of transporting the girders that far.”

“We’ve custom designed our own haul equipment to ship our precast concrete products. Only very rarely have we had any mishaps with girders damaged en route,” says Humbert. Because of Royden’s reputation for reliable transportation of

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bemoans how complicated the bidding process has become, especially the long time needed from start-to-finish for construction projects these days.

It wasn’t always that way. The company was founded in Phoenix in 1927 by the legendary Halsey Royden who had earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Kentucky and worked as a contractor in Florida. The first job in the state for Royden, who would become known as the “Dean of Arizona Bridge Building,” was to build a flume across the Agua Fria River for the Roosevelt Irrigation District. Bridge building and concrete work in remote areas of the state became the firm’s specialty. Although conditions were less than ideal, Royden thrived on innovative solutions to challenges faced in isolated places. Plus, these far-flung projects paid better than more convenient assignments in the Valley.

Royden constructed his first bridge in 1928 across the Santa Cruz River at Continental, then a company town for Top: Whetstone Overpass on U.S. Highway 80 in 1953. This is the first project Tom Royden and Bob Wallace worked on after graduating from the University of Arizona in 1953 Right: Topock Bridge over the Colorado River near Needles, California in the late 1930s.

Continental Rubber Company, which had purchased the area to raise cotton used in manufacturing tires. In 1932, Royden ventured even further from the Valley, building a timber bridge over Beaver Dam Wash near Littlefield, Utah on the 15-mile

stretch of U.S. Highway 91 that went through the Arizona Strip. Work at the time was typically done by a crew of two dozen who used a concrete mixer, wheelbarrows, and a hoisting machine. A wood skid-rig pile driver was built at the site because it was

less expensive than renting a crane.

Workers batched in wheelbarrows, mixed the concrete at the site and poured it into the forms by hand.

And the company never looked back, building bridges across the state. As late as 1970, Royden Construction could claim to have built half the bridges in Arizona. By then, some of the early bridges had become obsolete. “You know you’re an old-timer when they start tearing down your structures and replacing them,” said Halsey Royden in a June 1984 Southwest Contractor article in response to some of the bridges and overpasses his company built in 1930s that were being replaced.

Halsey Royden’s most creative work occurred during World War II when both manpower and materials were in short supply. “I look back and I don’t know how

we ever got it done with available personnel,” Royden said to Southwest Contractor. “Virtually all of the work we did during the war years was for the military.

Materials and equipment were allocated on a priority basis. When the war started, we were working constructing a bridge across Rattlesnake Canyon on the highway between Duncan and Clifton in eastern Arizona. We started out with steel and had to finish with poured concrete because of the lack of structural steel.”

Even today, any work along streams can be a challenge, says Humbert. “In the 1990s, we were building some fish barriers on Aravaipa Creek to protect the native fish from possible exotic species migrating from the Central Arizona Project canal. At the jobsite, there wasn’t any rain but a thunderstorm hit upstream near the town

of Klondyke,” says Humbert. The creek’s flow changed from a trickle to a roaring wall of water within minutes. The Royden crew barely had time to evacuate themselves and the equipment from the flash flood.

Humbert said Royden encountered a similar water hazard while working along the Santa Rosa Wash in Pinal County.

Returning to the jobsite that had been dry the day before, the crew was surprised to find most of their work washed out from a strong river current. The surrounding landscape was still dusty dry; the stream flow was from precipitation that fell several days earlier near Tucson and had made its way north.

A founding member of the Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors, Royden Construction is now in its third generation of family ownership. Thomas S. Royden took control of the company in 1967 from his father, Halsey. Thomas W. Royden became president of the firm in 1992. In the past 85 years, Halsey Royden’s groundbreaking company has weathered industry challenges and continues to thrive in the Arizona construction industry.

Above: Bridge girders manufactured by Royden Construction are lifted into place Left: CEO Steve Humbert explains Royden’s manufacturing equipment to the ACC staff, Douglas Towne and Chuck Runbeck

Forty

Arizona Construction Legend: Jim Duty Jimmy Duty came to Arizona in the summer of 1964 with his wife, Alma and son, David.

The couple added another son, Todd, the following January.

Jim was hired by Briscoe and Bell as a water truck driver and would later train as a heavy equipment operator. Working for Mr. Briscoe, many of their jobs were at malls and resort tennis courts around the Valley. These included Sun City for Del Webb Corp. many building pads and parking lots for Valley National Bank, earthwork and paving when Civic Plaza was built, the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, a power plant in Grants, New

Mexico, and Scottsdale’s Horseman’s Park.

When Mr. Briscoe decided to retire; he promoted Jim to company president and later sold the firm to him. Jim also purchased Montezuma Paving Company from George Bell. For the next few years, Jim and partner, Jeff Wilson, ran Montezuma Paving and purchased the building site of Ray Stevens Paving to set up their operation. In 2003 Jim sold his shares of Montezuma Paving to his partner Jeff Wilson, and retired.

Jim was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was a good and honest man, his word was his bond. He enjoyed helping young people

get started in their life’s work. Jim passed away on September 22, 2012. He was laid to rest beside his mother and father in Arkansas. Jim is greatly missed and the world lost a very good person.

Alma Duty

One word can desc ribe my friend of 30 plus years: Jim Duty, Co mposed. No matter how hectic the day wou ld get or how man y se emly unsolvable challen ges would arise, Ji m would remain calm unde r fire .The wheels would be turning to offer a successful conclu sion to a problem .Besides be ing a highly regard ed contractor, he was the type of individu al that did the right thing.

Choosing a path of integrity and honesty throug hout his business life. We will all miss Jim an d his sense of hum or and friendly demeanor.

Thank you Joe Lilly Red Mountain Mac hinery Above, left to right: Jim Duty, Bob Briscoe, and Bill Duty at their yard Across, left to right: Jim Duty, Hank Cairo, Bob Briscoe, and Johnny Taylor, and Bill Duty sitting in loader Bottom, left to right: Jim Duty, Hank Cairo, and Bob Briscoe on a job site in the 1970s

Jeff Wilso

Photos courtesy of the Duty family

and I o u d g u y, r p a s ny things a a m e h Jim w t of was one to turn a sy a e s a patience . It w lems from him d e n ckle prob r a a t le ld u o t Jim w and knew r e d il cheek, bu u b He was a ll. head on! his job we n

y Compan g in v a P ma Montezu

Arizona Contractor & Community

Calportland “Rocks” ARPA Fall Luncheon CalPortland, a major producer of cement

The next “Meet the Producer” breakfast is scheduled for February 2013 at the ARPA offices at 916 West Adams Street in Phoenix. For more information, see www.azrockproducts.org

Top, left to right: Nancy Herrejon, Tanya Hamilton, Paul Marsh, Bill Mullen, Mike Smith, Doug Schlueter, Tom Lowry, and Chris Stoltz Bottom left: Ricky Lee of CalPortland , a 25year industry veteran, spotted out on the Palm Creek Golf Resort, Casa Grande, Arizona Bottom right: ARPA luncheon attendees

Photos courtesy of ARPA

and concrete in the Southwest, was the featured company at the Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) breakfast on November 2, 2012.

CalPortland representatives lead by Bill Mullen, Vice President/General Manager and Mike Smith, Vice President/Arizona Regional Manager, gave the audience a comprehensive overview of the company’s history, operations, product lines, and philosophy.

Founded in 1891, CalPortland remains a leader in the industry through its commitment to quality, safety, customer

service, technical support, and environmental stewardship. “CalPortland has always been a tremendous supporter of the ARPA and the industry,” said Steve Trussell, Executive Director of the ARPA. ARPA Chairman, Don Cornelison of Speedie and Associates conducted this month’s meeting that was designed to better acquaint associate members such as commercial testing labs, equipment suppliers, admixture and consulting companies with producer member companies involved with the production of aggregates, asphaltic concrete, ready mix concrete, asphalt, lime products and Portland cement.

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Merry Christmas

C & F Property available 3910 W. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 3+ acres - Heavy Industrial Zoning (A-2) all or part available for Construction offices (2,500+ sq. ft.)

Warehouse, Construction Shop 480 Power, Fenced, Gated access on Indian School and 39th Avenue

Call: Duke Francis, 928-699-9001

C & F Equipment Company

Photos courtesy of Duke Francis

I recently met with Duke Francis of C&F Equipment Company to talk about his firm s fascinating history. Bob Caldwell (Duke s father in law) and Duke Francis Sr. (Duke s father) started Caldwell & Francis in 1945, specializing in bulldozing, land leveling, tillage, and dirt moving. In 1961, they became C&F Equipment Company and worked across the state until the mid 1990 s. C&F Equipment were members of the Associated General Contractors and worked for several general contractors including TGK, McCarthy, Opus, D.L. Withers. This group of archive images spotlights just a sliver of the firm s job diversity.

Water truck, mid 50s

Duke and Duke Sr. mid 60s

Note from the Publisher If you find our magazine interesting and enjoyable, please do us a favor and tell the businesses who advertise in the magazine that you appreciate their support of this quarterly publication. If it was not for our advertisers, this magazine would not be possible. Please let them know that you appreciate them!

We at Arizona Contractor & Community magazine strive to provide in depth coverage of current and past- built projects, firms, and people in the construction industry. Our limited staff works tirelessly to bring you articles and images that document the expansion of our state’s infrastructure.

To keep this material flowing, we ask for your support. We invite you to contact us with current article material, old stories, information, tips, photographs, or anything which could help educate readers on construction activity in Arizona and its growth through the years. We want to continue to make this publication a vital trade source for you and your firm.

William “Billy” Horner Publisher

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Index to Advertisers Arizona Desert Brooms………………..…………… p.21 Arizona Hi-Lift…………………………………………… p.19 Arizona Materials……………………..…..…………. p.46 Atlas Copco…………………………………..………….. p.32 Bidadoo Auctions……………………………..………. p.21 Branco Machinery…………………………………….. P.47 C&F Equipment…………………………………………. P.15 CRSI Inc.………………………………………….………… p.19 DDI Equip Inc…………………………………..……….. p.3 Direct Sales LLC………………………………..………. p.19 DitchWitch……………………………………..…………. p.43 ECCO Heavy Equip Rentals……………….……….. p.11 Empire Machinery…………………………………….. p.2 Heavy Equip Machinery Inc HEM..….…………. p.43 New Western Rentals………………………………… p.17 O’brien Concrete Pumping..………………………. p.11 PacWest Rentals ……………………………..………… p.9 Red Mountain Machinery.…………………………. P.48 RDO…………………………………………………………… P.43 Sunland Asphalt………………………………………… p.15 Sunstate Equip Co……………………………………… p.27 Tempe Crane & Rigging……………………………… p.17 Vermeer Equipment………………………………….. P.15 Water Movers…………………………………………….P.32 William Scottsman…………………………………….. P.7 WSM Auctioneers……………………………………… p.13

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