Transforming Lives Through Lasting, Community-Focused Projects

For more than 30 years, Kitchell has worked alongside Native American communities, delivering projects through sustained collaboration and long-term presence. Across 27 Native American communities and 125+ projects, the approach has remained consistent: listen first, honor tribal sovereignty, and build with lasting community strength in mind.

One of the clearest examples is Kitchell’s joint-venture partnership with Au’ Authum Ki, guided by a shared mission to expand opportunity and deliver facilities that will serve Native American communities for generations.

That partnership began in the mid-1990s, when former Kitchell Vice President Brad Gabel partnered with Au’ Authum Ki founder Margaret Rodriguez to establish a foundation of trust that continues to guide the teams carrying this work forward today. Decades later, the relationship remains active, sustained through consistency, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.

Today, leaders like Project Director David Brown are carrying that legacy forward, working side by side with Au’ Authum Ki to advance projects aligned with community priorities. Recent efforts include the Journey to Recovery Project, now complete, and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Fire Station #295, currently underway.

Together, these projects reflect the power of trust built over decades, delivering meaningful impact today and lasting value for generations ahead.

Hear directly from the team members who are carrying this partnership forward.

How Kitchell Facilities Management Shaped a Full-Lifecycle Model for Owners

Project completion isn’t the finish line — it’s where stewardship begins.

As client needs extended beyond construction, so did Kitchell’s Facilities Management practice. From early work in corrections and higher education, Kitchell’s services grew to support statewide asset programs and cutting-edge biomedical campuses, managing facilities operations on a national scale across the full lifecycle of the built world.

Innovation is not a moment in Kitchell’s story. It is the through line, guiding how assets are managed, partnerships are strengthened, and long-term value is delivered well beyond completion.

In the early 1980s—during the early days of Program Management—Kitchell CEM partnered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to deliver an unprecedented body of work. Over the course of nearly three decades, the program included the delivery of 20 prisons, each built as a fully functioning environment with supporting infrastructure, utilities, and operational systems.

With no playbook to follow,  our teams pushed boundaries on the program for nearly three decades. That work sparked innovations and helped shape the company we are today.

🎥 Watch how this program changed Kitchell, forever.

How UC San Diego’s Theatre District became a Defining Moment for Progressive Design-Build—and for Kitchell

At the southern edge of UC San Diego, a place once defined by asphalt and parked cars has been transformed into something far more consequential.

What began as a 10-acre surface parking lot is now the UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood—one of the most ambitious student housing and mixed-use developments in the country and a powerful demonstration of what progressive design-build can accomplish when collaboration is more than a contract requirement.

The neighborhood delivers housing for 2,000 students alongside classrooms, retail, community amenities, and underground parking, while creating a new gateway between campus and the La Jolla community. For Kitchell, the project represents more than its scale or complexity. It stands as proof that when trust, leadership, and technical rigor align across a truly integrated team—design-build can reshape campuses and establish new standards nationwide.

Rethinking the Model from Day One

From the outset, the project challenged conventional delivery. Rather than following a linear, transactional path, the team embraced a progressive design-build approach that prioritized transparency, early alignment, and shared accountability.

Embedded from day one as both general contractor and design-builder, Kitchell partnered closely with HKS, EYRC, and SWA to establish a deeply integrated framework built on trust. Weekly design charrettes, real-time cost modeling, and continuous constructability feedback created a decision-making environment where design intent, budget, and schedule remained aligned at every stage.

That model would soon be tested.

As COVID-19 disruptions, global supply chain volatility, labor shortages, and material escalation emerged, the project faced pressures that could have easily derailed momentum. Instead of retreating into contractual positions, the design-build team adapted together—leaning into collaboration, flexibility, and shared problem-solving when it mattered most.

Virtual design coordination kept the project aligned and moving forward during COVID-19.

Delivering Housing When It Mattered Most

As unprecedented challenges reshaped the project landscape, one priority remained clear: delivering student housing when the University needed it.

Building 5 completed and turned over for Fall 2023 occupancy.

To protect occupancy for the Fall 2023 term, Kitchell, UC San Diego, and the design-build partners recalibrated the delivery strategy. A single residential building was prioritized and completed for student move-in, while the remaining buildings were delivered through a carefully sequenced series of phased turnovers extending into mid-2024.

Nearly a year of phased delivery required sustained leadership focus, extended field operations, and continuous coordination—an uncommon level of commitment that reflected the team’s resolve to honor UC San Diego’s housing needs without compromise. The approach demanded patience, persistence, and a willingness to absorb complexity in service of a better outcome.

What emerged was not simply a project delivered under pressure, but a new benchmark for how complex work can succeed through adaptability and trust.

Building Smarter, Not Just Faster

An integrated construction strategy became a defining advantage. Early trade partner engagement, prefabrication, and LEAN delivery methods transformed how work moved from concept to installation.

More than 11,800 prefabricated interior multi-trade wall panels—totaling over 13 miles of assemblies—were produced offsite, complete with framing, electrical rough-in, and drywall. At the same time, 1,391 fully finished exterior enclosure panels were fabricated with structure, waterproofing, windows, and Swisspearl metal cladding already installed. Laid flat, those panels alone would span more than eight acres.

Kitchell and HKS team members reviewing prefabricated wall panels.

LEAN principles guided every phase. Pull planning ensured information was developed only when needed. TAKT scheduling reduced trade stacking and stabilized workflow. Digital logistics planning minimized disruption on an active campus where coordination was critical.

The result was speed with precision—higher quality, reduced rework, and greater cost certainty at scale.

Technology That Extends Value Beyond Turnover

Technology played a central role not just in delivery, but in long-term value creation.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) was elevated from a support function to a leadership role across the design-build team. Kitchell’s VDC group served as both Design-Build Manager and BIM Lead, aligning people, process, and technology from concept through completion.

A comprehensive BIM Execution Plan and Level of Development matrix established early clarity for the design-build team and all trade partners. Throughout construction, cloud-based collaboration, laser scanning, drone photogrammetry, and reality capture supported installation accuracy and real-time decision-making.

At turnover, UC San Diego received a fully populated LOD 500 digital twin through VueOps, embedding asset data, O&M documentation, warranties, and preventive maintenance schedules. The result is a digital foundation that supports day-one operational readiness and long-term facilities management.

Design Rooted in Place, Performance, and Belonging

At Theatre District, architectural expression and performance are inseparable—a result of close collaboration between Kitchell, HKS, EYRC, and SWA.

The project’s saw-toothed façade responds to coastal winds, solar exposure, and ocean views, optimizing natural ventilation while enhancing durability and safety. The Ramble—a landscaped green spine designed by SWA—functions as both a primary circulation corridor and a visible stormwater management system, weaving nature into daily campus life.

Throughout the neighborhood, spaces are designed to foster a nested sense of belonging, from quiet meditation areas to vibrant communal hubs like Market Hall. Sustainability is fully integrated, with anticipated LEED Platinum certification, Parksmart Gold designation, and measurable reductions in energy use, embodied carbon, and stormwater runoff.

This is student housing designed for density and dignity—delivered through a process that prioritizes well-being, performance, and long-term value.

Leadership When Trust Is Tested

What ultimately distinguishes the Theatre District project is not the absence of challenge, but how the team responded when pressure was highest.

Mid-project disruptions, leadership transitions, and schedule strain required difficult conversations and decisive action. Rather than stepping back, Kitchell leaned in—resetting leadership expectations, engaging trade executives directly, and reinforcing a culture of shared accountability.

Daily huddles, executive coordination meetings, and joint safety walks restored alignment and momentum. Issues were surfaced early and addressed collectively. The experience demanded more of the team than originally anticipated, but it also accelerated learning—shaping new best practices in leadership, delivery discipline, and progressive design-build execution that now inform work far beyond this campus.

National Recognition—and a Look Ahead

This year, the project’s impact was recognized nationally by the Design-Build Institute of America, earning:

• National Award of Excellence – Educational Facilities (Best in Category)
• Best in Design – Architecture
• Best in Teaming and Leadership
• National Award of Merit – Educational Facilities

The Theatre District was also named one of three finalists nationwide for DBIA’s 2025 Project of the Year—an honor reserved for the most accomplished design-build projects in the country.

The integrated TDLLN team at the 2025 DBIA National Awards. Photo credit:  Robb McCormick Photography. 

For Kitchell, Theatre District will always represent a defining moment—one that tested assumptions, stretched capabilities, and ultimately elevated how the firm approaches design-build delivery. The lessons forged here continue to shape how Kitchell operates, leads complex projects, builds trust, and delivers value in uncertain conditions.

For more than two decades, Kitchell and Phoenix Children’s have shared a single purpose: to build spaces that heal, inspire, and advance pediatric care for generations to come. What began as a bold tower expansion has evolved into a systemwide journey — more than 26 projects, each crafted through collaboration, foresight, and an unwavering belief that every child deserves the very best environment for healing.

1. Building the Flagship: The Tower That Transformed Care

It began with a vision — a hospital that could rise to meet the growing needs of Arizona’s children. In 2011, that vision took shape in the form of a striking 11-story, 760,000-square-foot tower that forever changed the skyline of pediatric care in the Valley.

Inside, 168 new beds, 12 operating rooms, and a bustling outpatient clinic came to life — each space designed to support the extraordinary work happening within. Delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, the tower became more than a building; it became the heartbeat of a growing healthcare system.

Over the years, Kitchell returned again and again — expanding the Heart Clinic, building new operating rooms, and transforming entire floors into state-of-the-art environments. The 5th floor’s evolution into a modern CVICU brought advanced technology and serenity together, while the use of BIM technology ensured that every pipe, wire, and system worked in concert. Each improvement told a story of continuity — of a partner invested not just in construction, but in care itself.

2. Expanding Emergency Services: Building Hope, Minute by Minute

Few places demand more precision than an emergency department — and few require more compassion. In 2017, Phoenix Children’s once again turned to Kitchell to expand its emergency and trauma care capacity.

The West Pavilion project added 119,000 square feet of new space and renovated 31,000 more — but its true impact was measured in moments saved and lives touched. Behind the scenes, the work was surgical in its own right. Crews coordinated overnight tie-ins, mapped every phase, and built quietly alongside a fully functioning emergency department to ensure that care never stopped, not even for a minute.

When the doors opened, they revealed more than new rooms and labs. They revealed possibility — a modern Level I trauma center, a hematology–oncology clinic, an infusion suite, and a clinical lab all working in harmony to serve the most vulnerable patients, day and night.

3. Advancing Neonatal Care: A Sanctuary in the Sky

High above the city, the 11th floor of the Phoenix Children’s tower became something extraordinary: a haven for the tiniest patients. The new Level IV NICU, completed in 2024, introduced 48 private rooms, a dedicated neuro-NICU, therapy spaces, and family lounges designed to bring comfort and calm to families in crisis.

Constructing directly beneath an active helipad demanded quiet heroics — advanced acoustical measures, rigorous ICRA protocols, and even a crane lift through a temporary window to keep patients safe. Every detail was deliberate. Every sound, surface, and light was considered.

Here, technology meets tenderness. Every monitor hums softly in rhythm with a heartbeat. Every space reminds families that healing is possible — and that Arizona’s only AAP-designated Level IV NICU stands ready to protect the state’s youngest lives.

4. Expanding Care Across the West Valley: Meeting Families Where They Are

Once, families in the West Valley faced long drives to reach specialized care. Today, thanks to Phoenix Children’s and Kitchell, they find world-class treatment close to home.

The Southwest Valley Center — first opened in 2013 and expanded through 2024 — reflects a region’s transformation. Its 35,000-square-foot emergency department now serves more than 40,000 children every year, while a 71,000-square-foot multispecialty clinic connects families to more than 20 subspecialties under one roof.

Behind every square foot lies a story of growth: of neighborhoods once defined by citrus groves now defined by opportunity, and of a hospital system determined to meet families where they live — ensuring that no child’s care is ever out of reach.

5. Delivering a New Pediatric Destination: Arrowhead Campus Rises

In Glendale, an abandoned citrus orchard became the soil for something transformative — the Arrowhead Campus, one of the Valley’s most forward-looking pediatric destinations.

Completed between 2023 and 2024, the campus includes a 180,000-square-foot hospital, a 45,000-square-foot multispecialty clinic, and a 12,000-square-foot central utility plant — all woven into the fabric of the community. The path wasn’t without challenges: shifting municipal requirements, evolving city projects, and a central plant located just 79 feet from nearby homes. Yet through collaboration with HKS, TRUEFORM, and the City of Glendale, Kitchell kept the project moving — and delivered exactly what was promised. Hear from members of the Kitchell project team as they share reflections from the final stages of construction:

 

What emerged was more than a hospital. The once-silent orchard became a place of serenity and care, framed by a healing garden where light dances through a curving privacy wall. The design language of Phoenix Children’s — bright, welcoming, hopeful — is etched into every detail, inviting families to rest, breathe, and heal. Hear TRUEFORM architect Todd Briggs offer his perspective on how this space came to life:

6. Opening Space for Growth: Building the Future Behind the Scenes

Sometimes, the most transformative projects are the quiet ones — the ones that clear the way for what’s next.

On the Thomas Campus, a 94,000-square-foot office building did exactly that. By relocating nonclinical teams into a modern, light-filled workspace, Phoenix Children’s unlocked the potential to add nearly 100 new inpatient beds and expand family spaces in the main tower.

Even in a volatile market, the project held firm — completing within 0.1% of the original GMP and ahead of expectations. The building’s distinctive angled “gills,” refined through more than ten engineering iterations, carry forward the campus’s architectural rhythm while introducing energy efficiency and sophistication.

And through early collaboration with city partners, Kitchell eliminated a costly sewer reroute and avoided a month-long delay — proof that foresight and partnership remain as vital as concrete and steel.

Strengthening Care for Every Child

From the heart of downtown Phoenix to the farthest reaches of the West Valley, the partnership between Phoenix Children’s and Kitchell has built far more than buildings. Together, they’ve created environments of comfort, courage, and care — each designed around the needs of children and families.

This is a legacy still in motion. A story still unfolding. And as Phoenix Children’s continues to grow, Kitchell remains at its side — building the future of pediatric care, one meaningful story at a time.

 

How do you create a world-class sleep research center in a basement full of unknowns?

For the University of Arizona’s Center for Sleep, Circadian & Neuroscience, it meant navigating undocumented utilities, rerouting major electrical feeders, and reworking layouts in real time. Close coordination between Kitchell and Sears Gerbo Architecture kept the project moving, allowing the team to solve complex conditions as they surfaced.

The result is a fully isolated environment built for precision — controlled acoustics, programmable circadian lighting, and suites designed for long-term, uninterrupted studies. One of its most significant innovations: a 35-foot IV pass-through system that allows treatments without entering the room, protecting the integrity of every study.

Project Executive Alexis Carver and Principal Tom Gerbo share how a challenging footprint became one of the country’s most advanced centers for sleep and circadian research.

“It’s time someone found a better way to manage capital expenditure programs. Someone has…”

With those words, Kitchell introduced a bold new idea to the public sector in the late 70s—Capital Expenditure Managers (CEM). The tagline, paired with a crisp green logo and a no-nonsense brochure, captured the spirit of a company ready to rethink how complex building programs were delivered.

At the time, construction management was still a young concept, gaining traction among public agencies looking for relief from spiraling costs, delays, and fragmented accountability. Kitchell had already built a reputation for innovation in private-sector work, but the team saw an opening—and a responsibility—to bring that same discipline to public projects.

Their first opportunity came with the Amphitheater School District in Tucson, Arizona, which was embarking on a massive facilities program encompassing 15 school sites, seven architects, and eight contractors. As the team prepared to submit its proposal, a last-minute curveball arose: because Kitchell was technically a contractor, the district’s attorney said they couldn’t be considered.

Vern Lindstrom, one of Kitchell’s senior leaders, thought fast. “Give me half an hour,” he said. The team rushed to swap every flip-chart title to “Kitchell Corporation” and submitted the proposal under Vern’s professional engineer registration—the only time he ever used it in Arizona.

That quick thinking paid off. Kitchell not only landed the project but delivered it so successfully that Superintendent Thomas E. Neal later told the Tucson Citizen:

“The service works because it provides a cohesive element: someone who has up-to-date construction expertise and represents the owner right from the start.”

From that milestone, Kitchell CEM was born, its name—Capital Expenditure Managers—reflecting both a pragmatic purpose and an ambitious vision. The team’s green logo hinted at a distinct identity, yet its ethos remained unmistakably Kitchell: resourceful, client-driven, and unafraid to take on new challenges.

Nearly five decades later, that founding spirit still defines Kitchell CEM—proof that finding a better way never goes out of style.

Go First Class.

In the late ’80s, Kitchell Development added 80,000+ SF of modern office space to Scottsdale Airpark, backed by print collateral as sleek as the jets overhead.

  

In the early 1970s, Kitchell helped transform a stretch of ranchland northeast of Scottsdale into one of Arizona’s most recognizable communities: Fountain Hills. The land—20 square miles on the east side of the McDowell Mountains—had been one of the state’s largest cattle ranches until Robert McCulloch Sr., founder of McCulloch Oil Corporation (today MCO Realty), purchased it in 1965. His vision called for a master-planned community with ambition and scale. Today, Fountain Hills is home to approximately 24,000 residents.

Cornelius “C.V.” Wood Jr., McCulloch’s president, brought both vision and experience. Before overseeing the creation of Fountain Hills’ centerpiece in 1970, he had played a central role in developing Walt Disney’s original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, completed in 1954.

At the center of the new community stood a landmark—and Kitchell was the builder that made it possible. In 1971, Kitchell constructed the Fountain of Fountain Hills, which for more than a decade was the tallest fountain in the world and today remains the third tallest globally. Anchored in a 30-acre lake, the structure relied on pumps capable of sending more than 2,000 gallons of water nearly 600 feet into the Arizona sky. At night, under bright spotlights, the fountain became a defining feature of the landscape and a source of identity for the emerging community.

For Kitchell, the fountain was more than a project—it was proof of the company’s ability to deliver complex, first-of-its-kind work. More than five decades later, it continues to define the town’s skyline and stands as a lasting example of Kitchell’s craft.

And Kitchell’s role in Fountain Hills is far from finished. Today, the company is providing Construction Management Services on the Shea Boulevard Widening Project, a critical infrastructure improvement between Palisades Boulevard and Fountain Hills Boulevard. The project will add a new eastbound lane along one of the town’s busiest commuter corridors, which supports more than 2,000 vehicles daily. Once complete, the improvements will ease congestion, improve safety, and strengthen mobility for residents, commuters, and businesses alike. See the project site from above in the aerial image below.

Just as the fountain once marked the bold beginning of Fountain Hills, Shea Boulevard now represents its future—modern infrastructure built to carry the community forward.

 

In 1981, Kitchell opened a new office in Texas, marking a renewed focus on growth in the region. With bold energy and creativity, we announced this commitment through ads as striking as the opportunities ahead. The full ads that captured this spirit are shown below.

That moment represented more than a new office—it signaled Kitchell’s drive to expand beyond Arizona and bring our collaborative approach to an ever-growing region. From those early campaigns to the many projects that followed, our Texas story has always been about building boldly and thinking differently. 

More than four decades later, the foundation strengthened in 1981 continues to guide how we expand, innovate, and serve communities across the Southwest.