Our Achen-Gardner heroes had a great time talking with everyone at the “Everyday Superhero” themed Arizona Conference on Roads & Streets on September 28-30th at the Hilton El Conquistador Tucson. We showcased Roadway and Wet Utility projects and handed out fun and useful giveaways including our new comic book!
Check out our Achen-Gardner comic book to see how our everyday superheroes build award wining projects.
Our Achen-Gardner team had a great time seeing all our friends and partners at the AZ APWA Statewide Conference on August 3-5 at the Hilton El Conquistador Tucson. We showcased recent projects, handed out fun and useful giveaways, and had a lot of fun playing football toss at our booth!
In addition to the excitement in the exhibit hall, we were honored to accept the Project of the Year Award for the Environmental Category - Less Than $5 Million for our work on Arrowhead Ranch Water Reclamation Facility WAS Line Rehab CMAR. We also gave a technical presentation on that project titled Maximizing the Value of Alternative Delivery and Trenchless Technology: City of Glendale WAS Line Rehabilitation. Presentation speakers included Curt King (Water Facilities Supervisor for the City of Glendale), Dan Broderick (Project Manager with Achen-Gardner Construction), and Frederick Tack (Project Manager with GHD)
We have been big supporters of APWA for many years and it was so nice to be an Exhibitor, Platinum Sponsor, Public Agency Sponsor, and Prize Drawing Sponsor at the first in-person conference since 2019. Thank you to everyone who attended the conference and visited our booth and we look forward to seeing you all at the next conference!
It was great seeing all of our friends and partners at the AZ Water Association 93rd Annual Conference and Exhibition on April 12-14th at the Phoenix Convention Center. We showcased recent projects, and handed out fun and useful giveaways.
In addition to the fun in the exhibit hall, we participated in technical presentations about several of our recent projects:
So You Want to Assess the Pipe Full of Water: 67th Avenue Pipeline Assessment, Underground Infrastructure JOC (City of Glendale)
Wastewater Collection: Maximize the Value of Your Input to Improve the Ease of Operations: Arrowhead Ranch Water Reclamation Facility WAS Line Rehabilitation CMAR (City of Glendale)
Maximizing the Value of Alternative Delivery and Trenchless Technology: Arrowhead Ranch Water Reclamation Facility WAS Line Rehabilitation CMAR (City of Glendale)
Minimizing Risk for SmartBall Leak Detection Inspections: Zone 1 - Transmission Main Assessment and Rehabilitation CMAR (Town of Gilbert)
Achen-Gardner sponsored and volunteered at the Sky Kids Fly Day Event For Special Kids held at Goodyear Municipal Airport on March 26th. Sky Kids provides children with special needs an opportunity to fly in a general aviation aircraft with an expert pilot along with a parent or friend to experience the wonders and enjoyment of flight. Highlights included:
73 flights for 63 Sky Kids and 184 family and volunteers
Fire and police department displays
Cheerleaders
Craft activities
Star Wars characters
Helper dogs
A fantastic barbecue lunch
Thank you to all of the volunteers and sponsors who made this event possible! Visit the Sky Kids website at skykidsaz.org for more information about the organization and future events.
Achen-Gardner’s Caterpillar 613 motor scraper was recently rebuilt as part of the Cat® Certified Rebuild Program and now looks and runs like a new machine. Watch the video below for more details.
Achen-Gardner Construction is honored to have won four Build Arizona Awards from the Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors of America. Members of the project teams accepted the awards at the Annual Dinner and Build Arizona Awards on Friday, January 28th. Following are the award-winning projects:
Roadway Improvements to Lincoln, Mockingbird, and Indian Bend CMAR (Town of Paradise Valley) won in the category of Public Reconstruction, $10M-$50M
Luke 303 North Sewer Trunk Main DBB (EPCOR) won in the category of Private New Construction: Maricopa County, Over $10M
Arrowhead Ranch Water Reclamation Facility WAS Line Rehabilitation CMAR (City of Glendale) won in the category of Public Utilities Reconstruction, Under $5M
Twin Peaks-Blue Bonnet Gravity Sewer CMAR (Pima County) won in the category of Public New Construction: Pima County, Under $10M
Congratulations to everyone involved with these projects!
Representatives of the project teams at the Annual Dinner and Build Arizona Awards on Friday, January 28th.
Achen-Gardner raised almost $700 by hosting a “Pie in the Face” challenge. All funds went to Save the Family to provide holiday gifts for families in need.
Four employee-owners each had a bag in the office with their name on it. Anyone could place cash in the bags to give them points, and on December 8th we saw the person with the most points receive a pie in the face. That day there was a raffle to determine who would get to throw the pie. Dan Spitza (President) and Mike Gewecke (Field Operations Manager) also joined in the fun and agreed to be pied in the face to raise additional funds.
In total three faces were pied: Dan Spitza (President), Mike Gewecke (Field Operations Manager), and Mark Snyder (Equipment Manager). Watch the video below.
We are proud to announce that Dan Spitza, PE, VMA will succeed Rob Pierce as President of Achen-Gardner Construction (Achen-Gardner).
Achen-Gardner joined the Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) family of companies in 2019. Over the past three years, Rob Pierce and Dan Spitza have worked closely with each other and the Achen-Gardner leadership team to ensure a successful transition to employee-ownership.
Dan joined Achen-Gardner in April of 1998 and has been an integral part of their leadership team for more than 23 years. Having led the procurement and project management teams for Achen-Gardner for many years, Dan has helped establish Achen-Gardner as one of the most respected and trusted heavy civil construction companies in the state of Arizona. Visit our Management page to learn more about Dan.
“Dan’s motor never stops. He is always seeking ways to drive excellence and exceed client expectations. Ultimately, this translates to value for our employee-owners. Achen-Gardner is in good hands. I look forward to working with Dan and the Achen-Gardner team as they continue to grow and succeed.”
– Robert Gillis,
ESS Co-Chief Executive Officer
The ESS Board of Directors extends its thanks to Rob Pierce for his leadership and guidance of Achen-Gardner over the past three years. Rob’s leadership has fostered a successful transition of the company from one made up of employees to one made up of employee-owners. The processes and procedures he has implemented have improved business operations, but more importantly, the coaching and mentoring he has provided to our management team has put Achen-Gardner in a great position for continued success. Rob will remain a resource for our management teams at both Achen-Gardner and ESS and will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for Achen-Gardner.
An official groundbreaking ceremony for our Litchfield Square Infrastructure Improvements CMAR project took place on September 15, 2021. Emcee Matthew Williams (City Manager, City of Litchfield Park) introduced speakers Dan Spitza (Vice President, Achen-Gardner Construction), Woody Scoutten (City Engineer, City of Litchfield Park), and Thomas Schoaf (Mayor, City of Litchfield Park). In attendance were members of the City Council, past Mayors and City Council members, local residents and stakeholders, and members of the project team including EPS Group (Design Engineer), MakPro Services (Public Outreach and Communication), and Achen-Gardner. Speakers highlighted the importance of this project in transforming the City’s downtown area while blending with local architecture and educating about the City’s history. Visit the project page for more project information and photos.
Two of Achen-Gardner’s projects have won awards from the Arizona Chapter American Public Works Association (APWA). Congratulations to the project teams!
Our Twin Peaks-Blue Bonnet Road Gravity Sewer Design-Build project for Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD) was selected as the Project of the Year in the Environment, $5M But Less Than $25M category. This project included the installation of more than 25,000 LF of gravity sewer line. Visit the project page for more project information and photos.
Our Valencia Road Manhole Rehabilitation project for Pima County RWRD was selected as the Project of the Year in the Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair, Less than $5M category. This project included the urgent installation of 19 Predl manholes and was the County’s first use of the Predl manhole system. Visit the project page for more project information and photos.
