ARTICLES

Sep 4
1 min

Sep/Oct Issue on Newsstands Now!

The Sep/Oct issue takes readers to vintage establishments from blue-collar bars to swank nightclubs where construction workers swapped...

Jul 15
3 min

Construction Innovations: The future is here, but are we ready?

By Brian Kassalen As the construction industry continues to boom, builders are looking for new ways to keep up with increased demand,...

Jul 2
1 min

The "Over and Under" Jul/Aug 2024 Issue Features Arizona's Bridges and Underpasses

The Jul/August issue takes readers over the Colorado River and under railroad lines, spotlighting Arizona’s bridges and underpasses....

May 1
1 min

May/June Issue Hits Newsstands Today!

The May/June issue spotlights Harold Hart's extended family and the many transfer, storage, and rigging companies that started with his...

Mar 21
1 min

ACC Magazine Spotlights Van Buren Street in the Mar/Apr Issue

The Mar/Apr 2024 issue spotlights the neon-lit path that once guided motorists to Phoenix, a city that once had the world at its...

Feb 14
2 min

How to Backfill Fast: Flowable Concrete Fill

By Luke M. Snell, P.E. and Frank Kozeliski, P.E. Concrete is often considered a building material used to construct our buildings and...

Jan 30
2 min

RECAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF PLACE: KIVA CRAFTS CENTER REHABILITATION

By Doug Sydnor Part Cherokee and Scotch-Irish, Lloyd Henri Kiva New was an artist and educator who arrived in Scottsdale in 1946. Painter...

Jan 9
1 min

ACC Visits Prescott in Jan/Feb 2024 Issue

The magazine enters 2024 with a special issue about the Valley’s favorite Mile High Retreat, Prescott, which locals pronounce as...

Dec 29, 2023
2 min

Saluting Arizona’s Builders: Karl Ronstadt

It’s fitting to spotlight Karl Ronstadt in this water-themed issue of Arizona Contractor & Community. “I always liked dam work,” Ronstadt...

Nov 3, 2023
1 min

"Sign, Sign, Everywhere Are Signs" In Just-Released Nov/Dec 2023 Issue

Signs have the power to represent places that hold great meaning in our lives, including reminding us of where we had our first dates,...

Sep 29, 2023
11 min

A Whale of a Tempe Tale: One Version of Big Surf’s Origin - Part Two

By Aaron Gilbreath When my family moved down the street from Big Surf in my fifth grade year, I became a regular, spending countless warm...

Sep 28, 2023
6 min

A Whale of a Tempe Tale: One Version of Big Surf’s Origin - Part One

By Aaron Gilbreath Before my dad died at age 81 in 2020 — before age eroded his legendary memory — he told me the full version of a story...

Sep 15, 2023
2 min

Old School Equipment: Holland Belt Loader

By Billy Horner “New Device Gobbles Earth,” screamed a headline in the Billings Gazette in 1975. The Holland loader, an earthmoving...

Sep 8, 2023
1 min

Old School Equipment: The Balderson Bowldozer

By Billy Horner The Balderson family proved that big ideas could come from little hamlets. In the 1870s, they started a blacksmith shop...

Sep 1, 2023
1 min

Sep/Oct Restaurant Issue Released!

Our recent March/April issue spotlighting vintage restaurants was such a hit that Arizona Contractor & Community magazine decided to...

Aug 2, 2023
2 min

Saluting Arizona’s Builders: Herman Chanen

“Our construction firm does things differently,” the late Herman Chanen told The Arizona Republic in 1962. “Most contractors are just...

Jul 5, 2023
1 min

ACC Magazine Releases the "L" Issue Covering the State's Logging & Lumber Industry

Arizona Contractor & Community magazine makes the case that a couple of “L” words, logging and lumber, could be added to the state’s...

Jun 30, 2023
2 min

Architect’s Perspective: Phoenix’s Carnegie Public Library: A Legacy of Learning

Doug Sydnor, FAIA The Carnegie Public Library has been an impressive edifice on the State government mall fronting Washington Street...

Jun 21, 2023
2 min

Taking the Plunge: Building with Water Has Lasting Benefits

By Heather Smith Water is a life force essential for humans to exist. However, water is both a friend and foe when it comes to...

Jun 19, 2023
2 min

Castle Hot Springs: Arizona’s Favorite Wellness Retreat Wins an Emmy

By Douglas Towne Contractors and engineers can be considered magicians, as they do the near impossible by making water run uphill. This...

May 2, 2023
1 min

ACC Releases May/Jun Issue Spotlighting the Colorado River

Arizona Contractor & Community magazine takes readers for an exciting ride down the Colorado River in our just-released May/Jun issue,...

Mar 22, 2023
1 min

Old School Equipment: The LeTourneau Rooter

Billy Horner Long before contractors had the luxury of hydraulic ripping options to loosen soil, humans opted for animal-driven plows for...

Mar 21, 2023
2 min

Digging Through the Archive: Joe Guinn

Billy Horner You know that someone was born into a profession when you see baby pictures of them on the job with their father. Joe Guinn,...

Mar 3, 2023
2 min

Arizona Captured his Heart: The Arizona Capitol Murals of Jay Datus

Donna Reiner Few visitors to the Arizona State Capitol Museum venture to the former home of the State Library on the third floor of the...

Mar 2, 2023
1 min

Supper is Served with the Release of the Mar/Apr 2023 ACC Issue Spotlighting Vintage Restaurants

Arizona Contractor & Community magazine spotlights Phoenix's iconic restaurants in its just-released Mar-Apr issue. These eateries range...

Feb 21, 2023
2 min

The Arizona State Capitol: Its Hidden History from the Ground Up

Michael Cady It is doubtful that when the second mayor of Phoenix, Francis Shaw, purchased a section of land on the outskirts of west...

Feb 1, 2023
2 min

Maintaining a Certain Character and Dignity: Architect Frederick Weaver, Jr.

James Logan Abell, FAIA Fred Weaver established an architectural firm in Phoenix in 1949 that grew into one of the most prolific and...

Jan 26, 2023
2 min

Krumtum Contracting: Paving Post-War Arizona

Billy Horner Contractors have a knack for understanding and operating all sorts of equipment, whether it’s a vintage cable-operated blade...

Dec 29, 2022
2 min

PAIR-A-DICE PARADOX: BEAUTIFUL WARREN VS FUNKY BISBEE

by Don W. Ryden AIA BISBEE – THE QUEEN OF THE MINING CAMPS Mining is a gamble, as is everything akin to it. Success teeters on the...

Dec 22, 2022
2 min

Old School Equipment: Dart Truck Company

Significant changes occurred when Bagdad Copper Mines converted from underground mining to an open pit in 1945. President and Chairman of...

Dec 16, 2022
3 min

Digging Through the Past: The Williamson Diamond Mine

by William Horner Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but these precious stones are not part of Arizona’s mining heritage. However, I...

Dec 14, 2022
2 min

How to Handle a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

by Michael Bernstein A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment can be a stressful experience for all parties involved. But there are...

Nov 30, 2022
2 min

Fly Ash in Concrete

Luke M. Snell, P.E These days, adding fly ash to concrete is standard practice. Research has shown that fly ash is a supplementary...

Nov 1, 2022
1 min

ACC Magazine Releases Shopping Mall Issue Before the Holiday Season

Just in time for the holiday season, Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine spotlights the development of shopping centers in Arizona ...

Oct 6, 2022
1 min

ACC Magazine Wins Coveted History Honor

In some big news, Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine received the 2022 Al Merito Award, the highest honor given by the Arizona...

Sep 8, 2022
1 min

SE Arizona Spotlighted in Sep/Oct Issue of Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine

We spotlight southeastern Arizona in the Sep/Oct issue of Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine. The region has some crazy backstories,...

Aug 15, 2022
2 min

Phoenix’s Fab Place: Reuter Equipment Co.

Tom Pickrell In the summer heat of Phoenix, work begins at 3:00 a.m. for Brent Reuter and his fabrication crew at Reuter Equipment Co. on...

Aug 12, 2022
2 min

Architect’s Perspective: Globe: Where Copper Was King

by Doug Sydnor, FAIA The mining town of Globe, Arizona, has a notorious early history of saloons, gambling halls, brothels, murders,...

Jul 22, 2022
1 min

Back When: Phoenix's Favorite Portal

Douglas Towne While the Phoenix population figure has skyrocketed since the photo was taken in 1974, the unique window to view the former...

Jul 8, 2022
4 min

How an Old Bridge and an Artificial Geyser Created Two Arizona Towns: The Genius of Lorne Pratt

By Douglas Towne There were no textbooks on land development in Arizona when Lorne Pratt was tasked with marketing two new communities in...

Jul 7, 2022
4 min

Lorne Pratt: Arizona’s Hollywood-Connected Developer

By Douglas Towne Most fathers in the 1950s taught their sons how to throw a curveball or catch fish. Lorne Pratt, who helped create...

Jul 6, 2022
1 min

AZ Master-Planned Communities Issue Released

In the 96-page Jul/Aug issue of Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, we focus on planned communities, starting with the state’s first...

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Oval But Not Forgotten: Manzanita Speedway

Douglas Towne Before the Valley hosted major league teams in luxurious stadiums, local sports fans reveled in homegrown competitions...

Jun 17, 2022
2 min

Old School Equipment: The Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company

Douglas Towne Construction machinery not only moves mountains, it can become a part of pop culture. One equipment line, the...

May 6, 2022
1 min

May/June Issue Released

In the 96-page May/June issue of Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, we focus on two “Papago” places vital to Phoenix. We trace how...

Apr 13, 2022
2 min

Editor’s Column – Creatives Ignite a Copper Town Rebirth

by Douglas Towne “Go West, young man,” was the prudent advice journalist Horace Greeley gave Americans looking for economic opportunities...

Apr 1, 2022
2 min

Phoenix’s “Cunning” Shopping Center: The Magical Mall Called Chris-Town

John Bueker When Eugene “Jim” Cunning passed on in 2020 at the age of 86, the sad event did not garner much local attention. But it...

Mar 16, 2022
2 min

Around the Globe in 18 Holes: Phoenix’s Classic Miniature Golf Courses

John Bueker Who got the ball rolling by creating the Valley's first miniature golf course is open to debate, but we know that Phoenix...

Mar 4, 2022
1 min

ACC Magazine Releases 50th Issue Spotlighting Medical Facilities and Their Builders/Designers

Like another Valley publication, Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine decided to spotlight the medical field for our March/April...

Mar 1, 2022
2 min

Editor’s Column – Eating Away at the Term, “Buffet”

Douglas Towne The theme for this issue is “Leisure,” so it seemed only appropriate to write a column that wouldn't require too much work....

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