TEMPE, ARIZONA – Terracon, an engineering consulting firm, has promoted Derek D. Koller, CHMM, to Tucson Office Manager.

Koller was promoted after serving as Terracon’s Environmental Department Manager in Tucson. He will continue to oversee the Environmental Department while taking on the additional responsibility of managing the office. The Tucson office has been performing environmental, geotechnical, and materials testing services for 25 years and will remain committed to producing quality services.

“We are thrilled that a team member with Derek’s industry experience will be the Tucson Office Manager,” said Brent M. Borchers, P.E., Regional Manager for Terracon and Tempe office principal. “He has been in the industry for the past 12 years and has been with Terracon for five years. His promotion means a lot to Terracon as we continue to grow.”

A resident of Arizona for more than 30 years, Koller began his career as an environmental consultant in 2008 after completing a Brownfields Environmental Workforce Development Training Program through the City of Tucson. He has been in the consulting firm ever since.

Koller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health, environmental and occupational health track, from the University of Arizona. He graduated magna cum laude. He is currently getting a Masters of Public Health, industrial hygiene, also from UA.

Koller is involved in numerous industry groups including the Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society, member, president, 2015-2016; historian 2016-present; and RCRA Seminar Planning Committee Chair the past three years. He is also a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, American Industrial Hygiene Association, and Southern Arizona Chapter CCIM.

He was recently elected to the Board of Directors for Tucson Clean and Beautiful.

Koller gives back to community by securing grants from the Terracon Foundation, a non-profit partner of Terracon that allows employees to apply for competitive grants on the behalf of organizations in its community. Last year he secured a $5,000 grant for the UA Health Sciences Department to provide stipends to graduate students.

Koller and his wife, Tanya, are the parents to three daughters ages 18, 16, and 9. In his spare time he enjoys reading and lifting weights.

Terracon is an employee-owned consulting engineering firm with more than 4,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 140 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon currently ranks 24th on the Engineering News-Record list of Top 500 Design Firms and is ranked No. 1 in Asbestos and Lead Abatement Design.

To learn more about Terracon visit terracon.com/offices/phoenix/

It’s tough to get by on minimum wage no matter where you live. But in a few select cities, life on the lowest end of the pay scale is more forgiving.

To determine the cities where it’s easiest to be a minimum wage worker, GOBankingRates found the largest 100 cities where the minimum wage is higher than the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage. Then, examined the median price of rent for a one-bedroom apartment and the cost of groceries, utilities and transportation to determine if the pay from a minimum-wage job could cover those expenses.

Of the 13 cities that met that threshold, they were ranked then in order of how much was money left over per year after paying for basic expenses, from the least amount of extra cash to the most. If you earn the minimum wage, click through to see where you can live comfortably.

Workers in Tucson have the highest annual surplus of about $8,700 — which doesn’t amount to a lot of wiggle room.

Two other Arizona cities, Mesa and Phoenix, also fell within GOBankingRates’ top 10 list.

The Grand Canyon State has a relatively high minimum wage ($2.75 above the federal minimum wage). Minimum-wage workers face financial struggles no matter where they live — but some cities are more affordable than others.

High housing costs put renting a two-bedroom apartment out of reach for minimum-wage workers in any U.S. state, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. In only 1 of 12 counties can a full-time minimum-wage worker afford the rent for a one-bedroom apartment, they estimate.

The study isn’t a full picture — it doesn’t take into account federal or state taxes, and it assumes the employee will work 40 hours per week for 52 weeks without a break.

Even so, only 13 metros made the cut:

Tucson topped the list. GOBankingRates estimated that a resident earning the minimum wage in the city ($10 an hour) would have an annual surplus of about $8,700 — which still isn’t a lot to work with to meet other goals like paying off debts or saving for retirement.

Low housing, grocery and utility costs make Tucson one the cheapest places to live. The median monthly rent in this city just 60 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border is only $628 — the seventh lowest on our list. That’s a key reason why you can live in Tucson for less than $50,000 a year, and why it’s the city in Arizona where your paycheck stretches furthest.

Here are the 13 Cities in top ranking:

The following commercial leases were reported to the Real Estate Daily News for the Phoenix Lease Report from January 30 thru February 3, 2017.

INDUSTRIAL – 2225 S 43^RD AVE., PHOENIX
NAI Horizon Senior Vice Presidents Isy Sonabend and Rick Foss negotiated a long-term industrial lease for a façade and curtainwall design company at 2225 S. 43^rd Ave., in Phoenix.  NAI Horizon represented the tenant, Enclos, in a deal worth $1.373 million. Enclos manufactures office building window curtains. Enclos is leasing 117,780-square-feet of the facility, Riverside Distribution Center, which formerly housed a moving and storage company.

“The business climate and extensive site search propelled Phoenix as the prime location to situate Enclos’ manufacturing operations in the Southwest part of the country,” Sonabend said. Amenities of the space (Suite 1 in the building) include a 7,373-square-feet existing upgraded office, 15 dock-high positions, four grade-level positions, evaporative-cooled warehouse, and a 25,000-square-feet secured rear lot.The landlord, Exeter 2225 S. 43^rd Av. LLC of Conshohocken, PA, was represented by Riley Gilbert of JLL.

RETAIL – 1625 W CAMELBACK RD., PHOENIX
NAI Horizon negotiated a long-term lease for a Planet Fitness at 1625 W. Camelback Rd., in Phoenix. The NAI retail properties team of Senior Vice President Chris Gerow, Senior Vice President Shelby Tworek, Vice President Gabe Ortega, and Associate Patrick Anthon represented the tenant, JEF-FIT 17^th Ave. & Camelback, LLC of Philadelphia in the transaction totaling $2.723 million. This is the fourth long-term lease for a Planet Fitness in Metro Phoenix for the NAI Horizon retail team in the past eight months. Other municipalities include Queen Creek, Gilbert and Maricopa.

“There were multiple moving parts on this particular deal. It was a very complex transaction involving Planet Fitness, the existing tenant (Blast Fitness) and the current landlord,” Tworek said. “Planet Fitness had a void in this particular trade zone and we were able to create an opportunity that worked for all parties involved.” Planet Fitness is actively looking for additional sites in Metro Phoenix. The landlord in the Camelback deal, Park Lee Star Holdings, LLC of Brooklyn, N.Y., was represented by Zell Commercial.

RETAIL – PARADISE SQUARE, SWC THUNDERBIRD & 40^TH ST., PHOENIX
A Retail Lease for 2,330-square-feet within Paradise Square at SWC of Thunderbird & 40^th Street in Phoenix, AZ to Zabari Mediterranean Restaurant was recently consummated. The owner of the center is Manatee Investments, LLC.  Jared Lively of Rein & Grossoehme represented the Landlord and Kevin Roessler of Rein & Grossoehme represented the tenant on this transaction.

RETAIL – PARADISE SQUARE, SWC THUNDERBIRD & 40^TH ST., PHOENIX
A Retail Lease for 1,110–square-feet within Paradise Square at SEC of 40^th St & Thunderbird in Phoenix, AZ to MetroPCS was recently consummated. The owner of the center is Southwestern Holdings, LLC.  Jared Lively of Rein & Grossoehme represented the landlord and Hayden Duff of HK Realty represented the Tenant on this transaction.

RETAIL – ROSS PLAZA, NEC 43^RD AVE & PEORIA, PHOENIX
A Retail Lease for 1,110–square-feet within Ross Plaza at NEC of 43^rd Ave & Peoria in Phoenix, AZ to Goldfinger Barber Shop was recently consummated. The owner of the center is BH Properties.  Jared Lively of Rein & Grossoehme represented both the landlord and the tenant on this transaction.

RETAIL – GREENWAY VILLAGE SQUARE, SEC 35^TH & GREENWAY, PHOENIX
A Retail Lease for 900-square-feet within Greenway Village Square at SEC of 35th Ave & Greenway in Phoenix, AZ to MetroPCS was recently consummated. The owner of the center is Southwestern Holdings, LLC.  Jared Lively of Rein & Grossoehme represented the landlord and Hayden Duff of HK Realty represented the tenant on this transaction.

RETAIL – THUNDERBIRD SQUARE, SEC 35^TH & GREENWAY, PHOENIX
A Retail Lease for 900-square-feet within Thunderbird Square at SEC of 35th Ave & Thunderbird in Phoenix, AZ to MetroPCS was recently consummated. The owner of the center is Southwestern Holdings, LLC. Jared Lively of Rein & Grossoehme represented the landlord and Alexis Suarez of ASI Real Estate represented the tenant on this transaction.