This article originally appeared in Comstock’s Magazine. While economic activity in California has slowed down over the last two months with the coronavirus pandemic grinding society to a halt, construction is one industry that has continued through shelter-in-place orders, as government officials deemed it an essential business. The construction industry accounts for 3.8 percent of California’s gross domestic product, according to the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. Some of the major construction projects planned in the local region, according to GSEC, include the $4 billion Upper Westside master-planned development near Sacramento International Airport, $1 billion Riverpark subdivision in West Sacramento, $750 million Kaiser Permanente Hospital at The Railyards infill development in Sacramento and $499 million Judicial Council of California courthouse in Sacramento. Comstock’s recently spoke with Wendy Cohen, vice president of operations for Kitchell, a construction firm with several projects underway in Sacramento’s central core. Those projects include the renovation of the Community Center Theater, the Sacramento Commons housing project and the Department of General Services Clifford L. Allenby Project. You said 95 percent of your clients are in the public sector? Yeah. We’ve been very fortunate, candidly, that all — or most, we’ve had a few projects slow down — have been deemed essential across the state. Most of our work is moving forward or actively in construction. When Comstock’s toured the Community Center Theater last September, the theater was all dirt on the inside and it had been pretty much gutted. What kind Read More

  This article originally appeared in The Phoenix Business Journal. Justin Newman is a rarity, someone whose family has been in Arizona for six generations. His ancestors moved to the White Mountains in northeastern Arizona. He grew up in Pinetop and played baseball and football at Blue Ridge High School. He started working in construction while still in school, which led him to major in construction management at Northern Arizona University. Newman, president of Phoenix-based hardison/downey construction inc., a subsidiary of Kitchell Corp., grew up fascinated by the industry. When he learned he could major in construction management, he was sold. He worked his way up with general contractors, spending 17 years at McCarthy before joining hardison/downey. When he’s not working, he likes to spend time with his children, going to all their activities and incorporating faith into his life. He is a Mormon and his wife is Catholic, so they incorporate pieces of their faiths into their family life as much as they can. How did you end up in Phoenix? I graduated from NAU with a degree in construction management, a minor in business administration, and took a crash course in parenting as I had two small children and one on the way when I graduated. I worked for a small general contractor headquartered in Sedona, but the constant travel took its toll on my young family and I took a position with McCarthy Building Cos. Read More

With the global healthcare situation, we have entered a new reality and a completely different way of managing our business. It seems as if daily, if not hourly, we experience changes that require us to quickly adjust while ensuring the safety of our jobsites, our people and our communities. Our safety practices were showcased recently during a high-profile tour for city and state officials, featuring two municipal projects including our Sacramento Community Center Theater jobsite (a major expansion and renovation). The site visit was in response to recent discussions between the offices of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and California Governor Gavin Newsom regarding conditions at “essential” jobsites in the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic. Our team, alongside contractors working on the Convention Center project, provided an overview of Kitchell’s safety protocols and practices. Each person on the tour was screened in advance of the visit and went through an orientation before entering the jobsite. The tour was attended by Mayor Steinberg, Council Member Steve Hansen (who represents the district where the projects are located), industry labor leader Robbie Hunter and others with the city and labor unions. For more than an hour, participants were provided information about the strict practices Kitchell and the entire industry is following to ensure continuity of work while maintaining the safety of those on the jobsite. The project consists of about 130 on-site workers. In a briefing the day after the tour, Gov. Read More