Balfour Beatty leaders don’t do well with the concept of limitations.

That’s not to say that they don’t take client security or program fidelity seriously. With a record of success in the Valley since 1994 and an 85% repeat client rate, they certainly do. Rather – at every level of leadership, from Arizona Vice President of Operations Jay McQuarie to project managers, project engineers and field operations leaders – our teams actively seek out opportunities to personally serve clients above and beyond expectations.

Our people-first approach to construction management is the cornerstone of our Phoenix team. From landmark hospitality projects like Mountain Shadows Resort and the newly completed Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort to Class A, tenant improvements for economy-anchoring financial institution clients, to other sectors including mission critical, municipal, healthcare and industrial construction, Balfour Beatty’s  personal touch can make all the difference in project success.

A History of Luxury Hospitality

Much of Balfour Beatty’s work in Arizona consists of highly visible landmarks and tourism draws.

Most recently, the team completed the much-anticipated Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort renovation for Xenia Hotels and Resorts, Inc., including a complete flag and resort program upgrade from a Hyatt Regency. The $63-million project included full renovation of the resorts pool areas and outdoor amenities, a 20,000-square-foot expansion and renovation (a near tripling in size) of the ballroom and renovation of the resort’s public areas, including the lobby, restaurants, lounges and the main bar.

While the personal touch and client service of Senior Project Manager Nicholas Hensley plays a role, much of the day-to-day coordination and client advocacy, especially around the critical safety aspects of working in an operational resort, is entrusted to field leaders such as Superintendents Jake Bauer, Steve Nelson, Taylor Maher and Mike Willingham.

A project like Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort is so massive, has so many moving pieces, that the only way to properly serve the client is to learn and understand what they value, think like they do and act accordingly,” Mike says. “For hospitality clients, guest experience and safety are everything, so I intentionally over-communicate to ensure we never miss the mark.”

As monumental as the Grand Hyatt project is, both in scope and in its brilliant display of Southwestern spirit, it’s only the latest in Balfour Beatty’s long line of hospitality success after success.

All-Hours Availability

The same spirit of relentless client advocacy also applies to Balfour Beatty’s special projects teams in Arizona, who have successfully executed work for multiple repeat clients in tenant improvements, infrastructural upgrades and other renovations, all across several market sectors including municipal, financial services, industrial, healthcare and more. For one confidential financial services client, we have performed ongoing work across more than 100 projects, and the relationship continues to grow.

For Project Executive Jennifer Rhoads, her consistently exceptional level of service has cultivated clients’ expectations of consistently high service from her and all Balfour Beatty teammates, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My message to clients: ‘We’re here for you, morning, noon or night,’” Jennifer says. “But it’s more than words. We truly mean it, and we take pride in our steady commitment to the client and the end user.”

For our financial services sector work, projects often occur alongside and even within highly secure areas. Even adjacency to mission critical facilities and Secure Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) incurs a degree of project confidentiality and contractor security considerations that are paramount in our planning and execution.

While that might pose a challenge for less relationship-driven contractors, Jennifer firmly believes that Balfour Beatty’s combination of a people-first approach, the strong trade partnerships that come part and parcel with a national portfolio and loal reputation. Balfour Beatty’s record of successful work for the same clients in other markets creates a firm foundation for building clients’ trust, but from there, it’s up to her and our operations teams to prove that trust.

“Early in our relationships with financial services clients, I personally experience every background check, fingerprint booking and security clearance process, so I understand how it all works and why their heightened security procedures are so critical,” Jennifer says. “As these relationships have grown, I’ve intentionally cultivated relationships with trade partners that can handle the labor volume, flexibility and client-first mindset necessary for success.”

Client Service is Our Top Priority

Even as Balfour Beatty’s hospitality and financial services portfolios have grown to encompass larger, more complex and more secure projects, Balfour Beatty’s Arizona teammates have never lost that invaluable commitment to and personal investment in client service. We will take every necessary step to see clients’ needs met.

“Later today, I’ll head to one of our client’s projects to personally take some new measurements and verify others for our design partner. We’re just five minutes from the project but the architect is across town,” Jennifer says.

Like Jennifer, Balfour Beatty’s commitment to client service is proactive, A contractor less committed to a people-first service mindset might pass such a simple task off to a project engineer, kick the can down the road or simply defer to the design partner’s timing.

“Not us,” Jennifer adds. “If I can measure today and speed up design coordination by just one day, that’s one day more returned to our clients in schedule and budget value.”