Kitchell’s story began in the early 1950s with a bold bet on a single project: a Safeway supermarket won through competitive bid. With no revenue and no safety net, Sam Kitchell led operations and estimating, Jim Phillips managed the finances, and Betty Kitchell kept the wheels turning as the company’s first administrator. For three months, the three worked without salaries—driven by grit, belief, and the hope that one job could change everything.

That first win didn’t just launch a project—it launched a company. In the months that followed, Kitchell secured several school contracts in Pinal County and two more Safeway stores through negotiation. By the end of the decade, Kitchell had completed four Safeway supermarkets across the Phoenix area—laying the foundation for a company built to advance, adapt, and endure.