[ UP & COMERS ]
Dan Clevenger Architect and project developer Westlake Reed Leskosky wrldesign.com
Michelle Guina Alarid Associate attorney Fennemore Craig fclaw.com
By DAVID MCGLOTHLIN
Krystal Dill Brokerage services CBRE cbre.us
Hayley Smith Bank officer First Bank efirstbank.com
Cameron Miller Development manager Evergreen Development evgre.com
LAST YEAR Matthew Coxhead Savills Studley Jenna Borcherding Jokake Clay Creaser Gilbane Building Company Luis Cruz-Martinez Gensler Byron Sarhangian Snell & Wilmer
Michelle Guina Alarid graduated from Arizona State University thinking she would do more litigation practice, but quickly discovered a calling as a real estate attorney. Since then she has also found a calling through supporting local charities and motherhood. She describes falling in love with real estate law after working on the title and escrow portion of a case for her former employer. Alarid remembers thinking, “This is totally what I’m meant to be doing.” It was around this time in 2014, Alarid started considering a change in career paths to specialize in real estate when she randomly discovered a position with Fennemore Craig on a job board website. It was “one of those lucky things” she says, a happy coincidence, which has been a great fit ever since. She joined the company later that year and soon after became known as somewhat of a “dirt dork.” She cheerfully admits, “It totally describes me because I geek out over looking at surveys, analyzing all the easements, seeing if there are any encroachments and all that.” Alarid loves her job and her company. She even picked up medical facility leasing as a subspecialty this last year. As if that wasn’t enough to keep her occupied, she also serves on the board of local charities and is a proud new mother. She gave birth to Michael Alarid IV on March 31, who is named after his father who is also a lawyer. “One of the best defense attorneys in town,” she adds. “We are really enjoying being a family of three.” Although Alarid is currently enjoying maternity leave at home with her son, she continued to work until the final day of her pregnancy. “I could have wrapped things up and sat around waiting for him to be born but that’s just not my personality,” she explains. When that day came, her assistant deployed their predetermined plan, which consisted of notifying clients and distributing her workload. After her maternity leave, Alarid says she is “looking forward to continued mentorships when I go back to work, learning how to be an excellent real estate attorney and mother at the same time.”
PHOTO BY MIKE MERTES
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PEOPLE AND PROJECTS TO KNOW 2016