Justin Newman was recently appointed President of hardison/downey construction inc. The promotion was part of a strategic succession plan at the Kitchell-owned subsidiary. Read the full story about Justin’s transition in this Phoenix Business Journal article. In his new role since the first of the year, the h/d team shared how the transition has gone so far in this spoof a la “The Office.” The post Justin Newman assumes presidency of hardison/downey construction appeared first on Kitchell Progress. Read More

We recently completed the renovation of the Inn at Death Valley (formerly the Furnace Creek Inn). See what the Los Angeles Times said about the property in this review. Visit this link for the article and photos. On a weekend escape to Death Valley, witness the rebirth of a beloved historic hotel Death Valley is less than a five-hour drive from Los Angeles, but it is as desolate as a planet in a galaxy far, far away. That’s why in 1977, for the first “Star Wars” movie, George Lucas shot some scenes here. Today, “Star Wars” fanboys take selfies at the film locations even in summer when the temperature tops 110 degrees. On a cool fall day, my husband, Paul, and I set out for the largest, hottest and driest national park in the contiguous U.S. for another reason: to visit the rebirth of its beloved historic hotel, the newly refurbished Inn at Death Valley. (The park and its private concessions are open despite the partial government shutdown.) The tab for two: $424 per night for the room, $200 per day for food, plus taxes, resort fees and gas. THE BED The Inn at Death Valley, opened in 1927 as the Furnace Creek Inn, is the jewel in a 338-acre resort complex that includes the more casual Ranch at Death Valley, campgrounds, restaurants, a spa, golf course and more. After an Read More

Award named in honor of worker tragically killed on Phoenix jobsite Kitchell recently honored one of its subcontractors for a heroic safety act that illustrates the company’s commitment to safety as part of its “Samuel Monge Safety Award,” in the name of a worker who was killed in 2010. On Friday, Dec. 7, the inaugural award was given to Kyle Heinzel, a project manager with St. Louis-based Intertek-PSI and a subcontractor on one of Kitchell’s current projects. Heinzel, who is trained on various life-saving techniques, saved the life of a colleague with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on the job site in Indiana. Heinzel’s colleague was resuscitated because construction crews had an AED on the site and Heinzel had significant training in life-saving techniques. As a follow up to this lifesaving action, Kitchell will institute AEDs on all its future jobsites, which is widely believed to be a first for the industry. “Jobsite safety and the safety of workers is always our No. 1 priority,” said Kitchell Contractors President Steve Whitworth. “We’re proud to recognize Kyle and his heroic actions and hope it inspires others to be prepared to respond and prepare for life-threatening situations.” Kitchell flew Heinzel to Phoenix to receive the award at its annual year-end meeting. Samuel Monge was tragically killed on a Phoenix construction site in 2010. Today, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers in construction and underscores Read More