Leading the way
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Third annual CCR Awards highlights industry’s leading men and women
eadership. Professionalism. Dedication. Commitment. These are just some of the tenets exhibited by our second annual CCR Men’s and Women’s Award winners. This year, Commercial Construction & Renovation again pays tribute to some of the commercial construction industry’s leading professionals. These ambassadors are on the forefront of the industry’s path forward, serving important roles in the industry, their company and their communities. Each was nominated by their peers.
CHRISTY CROOK
MELISSA HANLEY
As President and CEO of Denver’s Phoenix Masonry, Christy is one of a few female-owned and led commercial masonry construction firms. Her leadership is uncanny. For example, the Colorado Public Works Department recently named her one of the “Top Women in Colorado Construction.” And, in 2024, she’ll lead the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI), becoming its first female leader in more than 50 years. Phoenix Masonry was founded after her father’s construction company became a victim of the 2008 economic crash. Started in 2010, Phoenix has satisfied the requirements to earn its status as a Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Regional Transportation District Small Business Enterprise (RTD SBE). Her industry commitment can be seen in places like the nonprofit Transportation & Construction GIRL, where as a long-time board member she helps young women learn about financially sustainable careers in construction. She also serves on the board of the American Subcontractors Association, the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute and Transportation and Construction GIRL, along with being an active member of the American General Contractors Association, Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Association of Women in Construction. Christy also is a regular contributor to several trade magazines.
The work says it all. The scope of what she has done—and continues to do—includes her work to help transform whole buildings, complex technology campuses, and multiple offices and restaurants throughout the US, Europe, Australia and Asia. As co-founder, Principal and CEO of the award-winning, multidisciplinary architecture and design firm Blitz, she is an expert in commercial interior design with a specific emphasis on the future of work. Founding Blitz with her husband, Seth, in 2009 at the age of 26, they landed their first major contract with then-startup Skype, which was building a 90,000-square-foot North American headquarters in Palo Alto’s Stanford Research Park. Everything took off from there, eventually growing to three studios in Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Today, the firm handles commercial, retail and hospitality projects across the world, including work with brands like Google, Instacart, Microsoft, Levi’s, Webcor Builders and Parachute Home. Along with spearheading the design and implementation of 300-plus projects totaling over 5.5 million square feet, Melissa also makes time to regularly lecture at universities, as well as contribute to technical and lifestyle publications. She also served on several AIA and IIDA awards juries.
President & CEO Phoenix Masonry
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 11, 2022
Co-Founder Blitz