TUCSON, ARIZONA -- Mark Irvin has submitted his resignation from the Rio Nuevo Board after 12 years of service. Mr. Irvin's appointment was made by Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives (Speaker) Kirk Adams in 2010 and Mark has served five different Speakers during his Rio Nuevo tenure.
Speaker Russell "Rusty" Bowers has appointed Tucsonan Mike Levin to the Rio Nuevo Board effective January 11, 2022. Levin is the CEO of the Port of Tucson, an 800-acre inland industrial port southeast of Tucson that manages 2.4 million square feet of industrial space connected by rail to the U.S. and Mexico and federally designated as a Foreign Trade Zone. Amazon chose the Port location when building their distribution center in Tucson. Mike is also on the Board for the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce. His father, Alan Levin, bought the vacant land near Interstate 10 and Kolb Road and began constructing spurs off the Union Pacific main line to lure tenants. In 2004, Levin opened an intermodal facility for trains to unload containers to tractor-trailers, and the railroad closed its Phoenix site to use the Port of Tucson.
"We welcome Mike to the Board," stated Fletcher McCusker, Chairman. "We congratulate the Speaker on a wise choice that will add a legacy family with significant real estate experience to the effort to revitalize Tucson's downtown."
"Mr. Irvin has been a significant part of the success of the reconstituted Rio Nuevo Board," McCusker went on to say. "His leadership as an executive officer has helped launch some of the most meaningful projects downtown, including: the AC Marriott, City Park, the Greyhound Terminal, the Monier and Mercado Annex, Caterpillar, and most recently, the $70,000,000 renovation of the Tucson Convention Center. Just recently Irvin led the effort to unshutter the Arizona Hotel, which will soon be a newly renovated Hyatt. He will be missed but his contribution to Tucson's revitalization efforts will be a lifetime legacy. I wish my friend Mark well and, on behalf of the entire Board, express Tucson's thanks for a job well done."
Rio Nuevo Board members are appointed by the Speaker of the House, the Senate President and the Governor due to legislative changes made to the appointment process in 2010. Appointed members serve at the pleasure of the State and have no term limit. Mr. McCusker and Mr. Sheafe are presidential appointments and Mr. Marquez, Ms. Cox and Mr. Hill serve Governor Ducey.
PHOTO: Mark Irvin, CCIM, SIOR, with Mark Irvin Commercial Real Estate Services