TUCSON, ARIZONA – Casey Carrillo has been promoted to Assistant Director for the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI). Carrillo manages UACI’s regional cohort-based programming and Sponsored Launch program which provides scholarships for startups in coordination with community financial support. She also facilitates the American Made Challenge programing in coordination with the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab. She is instrumental in brand enhancement through her work in social media and other marketing initiatives.   

Additionally, Carrillo will be managing UACI’s student internship program. Wells Fargo recently awarded UACI $20,000 to support female-led startups with STEM students, which added to UACI’s additional grant from the Small Business Administration which will allows UACI to hire female interns to work with startups over the next two years. Carrillo will also provide support UACI’s director in varying aspects of programming.  

Carrillo brings a broad array of entrepreneurial knowledge and experience to the team, mainly gained through her employment at the award-winning McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. This is where she learned the importance of incorporating innovation in education while managing McGuire’s New Venture Development Program. 

“I am thrilled to work alongside passionate entrepreneurs, assisting their startup for success. There is such a growing momentum here at UACI with new regional and international collaboration opportunities in addition to a growing pipeline of startups to support. I am committed to working with the startups in our program, contributing knowledge and driving growth in Arizona’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” shared Casey Carrillo. 

Casey Carrillo was elevated from Program Manager to Assistant Director for her dedication and commitment to excellence. An Arizona native, Casey Carrillo graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s of Arts degree in Higher Education. She is also a member of the Tucson Young Professionals. Carrillo is currently pursuing her PhD in Higher Education at the University of Arizona. 

TEMPE, ARIZONA – Terracon has announced its first-ever refresh of brand visual assets and related collateral to better reflect its alignment with today’s client needs.

As a leading national consulting engineering firm comprised of engineers, scientists, architects, facilities experts, and field professionals who thrive on turning big ideas into reality for partner clients, employees and the world, Terracon’s brand now invites clients to “Explore with us.”

As an employee-owned firm with a long history of providing excellence in consulting services, Terracon has continued to evolve to provide clients with the best experience, on-time, quality earth-to-sky solutions, from dedicated partners. The brand is focused around meeting clients where they are in their project journey from the time a site is selected, to the design and construction, to maintaining the life of the structure.

“After more than 55 years in business, it was time for our brand to better reflect who we are and where we’re headed in the future,” said Gayle Packer, Terracon chair, President and CEO. “Our refreshed brand respects our history while also pointing the way to the exciting future with our employee-owners and clients.”

Key elements of Terracon’s refreshed branding include:

• A modernized logo featuring a layered strata representing a comprehensive set of services from earth to sky;
• A new tagline representing the desire to explore together with clients to deliver innovative quality projects faster;
• A compelling company story told authentically through the experiences of our employee-owners;
• Website navigation and graphics, signage, advertising and other visual assets.

The refreshed Terracon brand was created through a year-long process to align how the company meets client needs, which began with identifying opportunities to better sync Terracon’s strategic plan with how the company presents itself externally. More than 600 Terracon employee-owners at various levels participated in this deliberate, thoughtful process.

Since its founding in 1965 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a geotechnical engineering company, Terracon has grown to a thriving multidiscipline engineering consulting firm with more than 175 locations throughout the U.S. Terracon is employee-owned with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services available in all 50 states.

In Arizona, Terracon has 130 total employees in offices in Tempe, Tucson, and Avondale.

Recently Terracon became the first Salt River Project commercial customer to contribute to SRP’s Healthy Forest Initiative™ (HFI), which seeks to reduce wildfire risk and restore the forested watersheds that provide water to about half of the Valley. Terracon made a contribution of $10,000.

When COVID-19 forced Terracon to postpone its annual golf tournament in 2021, it matched the first $2,500 in donations and presented the tourney’s charity, Kids at Hope, with a check for $5,000. In 2019, when the golf tourney was held, Terracon raised $10,000 for Kids at Hope. The Valley organization focuses on youths 3-18 that empowers groups to transform their cultures through professional, personal and volunteer development workshops, seminars and classes.

“After over 50 years of our brand, we are happy to roll out a refreshed brand,” said Brent M. Borchers, P.E, Arizona Regional Manager. “Terracon has an amazing history of growth and incremental change, and our new brand sets the stage for a dynamic future and a new way to tell our story.”

Terracon’s Tucson office gives back to the community as well, donating $10,000 from the Terracon Foundation to the University of Arizona College of Engineering. It also awards a $5,000 grant to the Southern Arizona Research, Science, and Engineering Foundation (SARSEF).

The company’s successful growth strategy has included organic growth and innovation as well as the acquisition of more than 60 firms with specialized capabilities. A focused and uncompromising dedication to safety has been integral to all operations, particularly over the past 10 years.

Terracon ranks 22nd 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 www.terracon.com.

CBRE represented the seller Holualoa Companies

TUCSON, ARIZONA – CBRE represented Holualoa Companies in the recent sale of the Sonoran Reserve apartment community to Milburn & Company that sold for $58.5 million ($215,074 per unit). The property is located at 2800 W. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson and is comprised of 272 units.

CBRE professionals involved in the transaction include First Vice President Jeff Casper, Vice Chairman Asher Gunter, Vice Chairman Tyler Anderson, Vice Chairman Sean Cunningham and Vice Chairman Matt Pesch.

“Sonoran Reserve is a well-built 2005-vintage community with recent transformational upgrades that elevated the community’s luxury appeal,” said CBRE First Vice President Jeff Casper. “Tucson is one of the top-performing multifamily markets for rent growth in the country and Sonoran Reserve is positioned to take advantage of the region’s strong fundamentals.”

Sonoran Reserve was developed in 2005 as purpose-built student housing with best-in-class amenities and was transitioned into a high-quality conventional multifamily community. The seller invested $9.75 million to upgrade the common area amenities, update building exteriors, renovate unit interiors, and add 83 new units through a conversion of 4-bed/4-bath units to 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom floorplans.

“Sonoran Reserve provided a unique opportunity to execute transformational upgrades and convert the community to conventional luxury apartments,” said Holualoa Companies Chief Operating Officer Lani Baker. “Tucson is a high-growth market with exceptionally strong multifamily demand drivers and we look forward to exploring new opportunities in the region.”

According to CBRE’s Q4 2021 Multifamily Report, the U.S. multifamily market set a new annual absorption record of 617,500 units in 2021. Tucson was a top market for rent growth, posting double-digit year-over-year rent growth of 21.7% in the fourth quarter.

“Tucson is a top-performing multifamily market and we remain bullish on the metro’s long-term economic outlook,” said Milburn & Company Executive Vice President Jake Milburn. “Sonoran Reserve is a perfect fit for our investment criteria and the community is positioned for continued growth in a market with tremendous fundamentals.”