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...
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Jul 7, 20224 min read
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, 20221 min read
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, 20223 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20221 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20222 min read
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, 20221 min read
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, 20222 min read
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....
Feb 17, 20221 min read
Phoenix "Slides" Into the Future
Douglas Towne A mystical magic carpet experience, a la Prince Husain of "One Thousand and One Nights" fame, was available for 15 cents...
Feb 1, 20222 min read
Pitfalls to Avoid When Offering Hiring Incentives
Cory Jorbin It's no secret that the labor market is very tight in specific industries and regions of the country. Currently, the...
Jan 31, 20222 min read
Digging Through the Archives: Mark Habgood
William Horner Mark Habgood recalls a steep learning curve when he transitioned from working at Neptune’s Table, a seafood restaurant at...
Jan 24, 20222 min read
Architect's Perspective: Celebrating the McDowell Sonoran Preserve's Trailheads
Doug Sydnor, FAIA Scottsdale residents realized their quality of life was under threat in 1991. The pristine McDowell Mountains, a...
Jan 18, 20222 min read
Del Webb “Constructs” A Good Life: His Baseball and Sun City Adventures
Douglas Towne Few in the construction industry have such a rags-to-riches story as Delbert “Del” Eugene Webb. A few years before the...
Jan 6, 20221 min read
Jan/Feb 2022 "Leisure" Issue Released
To kick off 2022, we decided to kick back with an issue devoted to leisure featuring Del Webb giving Joltin Joe DiMaggio some batting...
Dec 28, 20213 min read
The Wild Ride That Created Castles n’ Coasters Amusement Park
Tom Pickrell You see it coming while driving along I-17 in Phoenix near the Dunlap Avenue exit. A bright green and white superstructure...
Nov 5, 20211 min read
AZ Contractor & Community Magazine Digs Into State's Mining Heritage for Nov/Dec 2021 Issue
What's crazier: using atomic bombs to mine copper, a ginormous salt mine under a city, extracting iron from a giant *sandbox* or...
Nov 1, 20213 min read
The Heart of Phoenix: Three Iterations of the Hotel Adams
By Douglas Towne Great hotel nicknames are usually the result of innovative marketing campaigns or are obvious, such as San Diego's Hotel...
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