2025 AZ Water Conference

Achen-Gardner employee-owners had a rewarding and engaging experience at the 98th Annual AZ Water Conference on April 14-17 at the Phoenix Convention Center. We were a Silver Sponsor, led two technical presentations, and won a Project of the Year Award. We had a great time connecting with clients, designers, engineers, and other friends in the industry. We kept things lively at our booth, No. 900. There were fun games, awesome swag, prizes such as a DJI Flip drone, and a wealth of useful information. 

Project Of the Year Award

We are proud to have received the Wastewater System Project of the Year award for our City of Phoenix PVC-Lined Concrete Sewer Pipe and Manhole Rehabilitation - North CMAR project. We rehabilitated more than 17,000 LF of pipe, and 36 manholes were either rehabilitated or constructed. There were 20 sewer bypass operations, including a double containment system crossing the Central Arizona Project canal at the Cave Creek Bridge. These bypass systems managed flows up to 49.5 MGD. Some rehabilitation segments were located in high-traffic arterial streets and busy intersections.

This project also recently won the 2025 Build Arizona Award from the Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors. Dan and his colleagues NAMES accepted the AZ Water award on Wednesday evening at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Congratulations to this highly skilled project team!

Trenchless Pipeline installation Experts

Several employee-owners presented technical sessions. They demonstrated expertise in these areas, showing clients and partners that Achen-Gardner is the award-winning local leader in trenchless rehabilitation methods. If you or your organization would like more information about our pipeline rehabilitation services, contact Dan Broderick at dbroderick@achen.com.

Ultraviolet Cured-in-Place-Pipe

Dan Broderick and Tino Tarango, Project Manager, presented “The Benefits of Ultraviolet Light: A Sustainable Alternative to Heat-Cured Pipeline Rehabilitation” on Wednesday, April 16. This presentation discussed the benefits of UV CIPP technology as an alternative to heat-cured pipe lining. They presented case studies from recent municipal applications and benefits such as a reduced carbon footprint, improved capacity, risk mitigation, and less community disruption.

Check out the highlights:

• We partner with Reline America. More than 3.7 million LF of their Alphaliner has been installed in the U.S. since 2006.

• Pipelines can range from 6” to 72” when using UV CIPP materials.

• The strong reinforcement of UV curing allows for a thin 10.5 mm liner, which means that pipes maintain their maximum capacity.

• This process produces excellent chemical resistance and tight porosity.

• UV curing produces low to no airborne oder, no post-curing discharge, and less noise in comparison to heat curing.

• This process has a smaller work footprint and requires less equipment than felt (heat-cured) lining.

Pipe Bursting

Ken Kawamoto, Pre-Construction and Client Services Manager, and Abi Goode, Project Manager, presented “Pipe Bursting: Is it the Right Tool for Your Project?” on Tuesday, April 15. They discussed the four different pipe bursting methodologies, which involve pulling or pushing a new pipe through an existing pipe underground, “bursting” the existing pipe. They also presented case studies from recent municipal pipe bursting projects that included challenges such as bursting near railroad tracks, management of wastewater flows, and avoiding existing utilities.

Here are the main takeaways:

• Achen-Gardner is the only mainline contractor in Arizona to use pipe bursting.

• Pipe bursting began in Europe in 1975.

• The four types of pipe bursting are static, lateral, pneumatic, and gas line slitting.

• We use static pipe bursting, which pulls a new pipe through the existing, or “host” pipe.

• This trenchless method of installation reduces noise, traffic impact, and dust pollution.

• Pipe bursting can reduce excavation by up to 85%.

A Culture of Safety

On March 24, Achen-Gardner Construction’s Safety Department hosted two safety presentations with guest speakers John and Tiffany Pendleton, who spoke about their first-hand account of a traumatic and near-death accident with heavy machinery. This is one of many ways that we educate our employee-owners about jobsite safety to ensure they go home to their families every night.

John was electrocuted by 4,160 volts to the head in 2019 while working as a rock miner in south Florida. He sustained life-threatening injuries such as fourth degree burns and brain trauma. After more than 30 surgeries, extensive rehabilitation, and major lifestyle adaptations, he is still recovering from his injuries. Since 2020, he and his wife have become professional speakers who advocate for workplace safety among trade occupations.

“Being blue collar is a blood type,” John said. He explained that this means everybody on the job site must take care of each other. Construction coworkers often feel like family and their friendships run deep. They have a responsibility to make sure everyone is safe.

John and Tiffany shared a few main points for our employee-owners to remember:

• You will never be 100% safe because there’s always the chance of an accident. That is why it’s so important to wear proper personal protection equipment and follow OSHA guidelines.

• Don’t ever think you are invincible. Caring more about being strong than safe distracts people and can cause mistakes that can lead to accidents or death.

• It’s always a good idea to ask for help when your mental health is suffering. Put the safety of yourself and others before your pride.

Tiffany closed the speaking engagement with a powerful message of inspiration, “You are here today because you were safe yesterday. Be here tomorrow because you choose safety today.”

Aric Smith, Safety Manager, organized these visits because we believe at Achen-Gardner that education is the key to maintaining a culture of safety. He’s impressed with the impact the Pendletons left on our employee-owners. “This is another example of how we are continuing our commitment to safety education and training for our employee-owners,” Aric Said.

Women In Construction Week 2025

We love to celebrate our employee-owners, and since March 2-8 is this years’ Women in Construction (WIC) Week, we are proud to recognize our many hardworking women. 

We devoted this week’s social media content to WIC Week 2025. Monday, we introduced the theme with photos of some of our amazing women who shape Achen-Gardner and our industry. On Tuesday, we brought in Nothing Bundt Cakes for the ladies in our Chandler office to enjoy. We shared some content of Achen-Gardner employee-owners Abi Goode, Project Manager, and Stacy Mcgeehon, Water Truck Driver, doing their jobs on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, we spotlighted Christie Hall, Pre-Construction Manager, for her many contributions across 34 years of service in the construction industry. 

We are proud to spotlight these employee-owners to encourage other women and girls to become construction professionals. At 15.6%, Arizona has the second highest percentage of women in the industry of any state. We choose to be part of that solution.

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and we are wrapping up WIC Week 2025 with a big thank you to all our women employee-owners for their contributions to our success. These talented members of our organization received pink Stanley cups as a unique token of our gratitude. Achen-Gardner Construction is immensely proud to support the growing presence of hardworking women in construction.

An Award-Winning Team

2025 Build Arizona Award

Our PVC-Lined Concrete Sewer Pipe and Manhole Rehabilitation – North CMAR project for the City of Phoenix won a Build Arizona Award from the Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors of America. This project included the rehabilitation of more than 17,000 LF of pipe, varying from 30” to 48” in diameter. There were 20 unique bypass systems, including a double containment sewer system crossing the Central Arizona Project canal at the Cave Creek Bridge. Thank you to our partners at the City of Phoenix, Dibble, and our employee-owners who worked on this project.

Colors for a Cause

It’s the season of giving! Achen-Gardner partnered with the Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC) Young Professionals to help raise $11,973 for Save the Family , an organization that provides holiday gifts and meals for families in need. Achen-Gardner supported this effort by blasting employee-owners with chalk to fundraise for this organization. 🎁

Christmas in the Park

Achen-Gardner employee-owners and their families had a great time spreading holiday cheer in the City of Litchfield Park’s annual Christmas Parade on December 14. We walked along our North Pole-themed float while handing out candy to the parade attendees. This parade kicked off Litchfield Park’s Christmas in the Park celebration, and we were happy to be a part of this memorable event.

Holiday Fun at the Tempe Fantasy of Lights Parade

Achen-Gardner Construction celebrated the start of this holiday season at the Tempe Fantasy of Lights Street Parade on November 29, 2024. Our float won best special effects! Employee-owners enjoyed passing out candy and smiles along Mill Avenue, where we are working to refresh the downtown streetscape. We were a sponsor for the event. We decorated a company truck and 40-foot trailer with holiday spirit, featuring a snow machine! This Winter Wonderland theme was complete with an igloo, costumes, and a haul of sweet treats.

A Partnership For Safety

For the last several weeks, Arizona local fire departments have come to an Achen-Gardner job site for trench safety and rescue training. Our project site features a 16-foot-deep trench that is being used for this training.

Captain Tom McCracken with the Phoenix Fire Department Heavy Rescue 41 was also instrumental in the organization of these trainings. He said fire departments have a well-known saying: “Simple solutions for complex problems.” The competent person on the scene must communicate with the first emergency responder possible, and this person carries on the chain of information. That way, leaders at the site and the rescue crew will quickly decide how to rescue someone without putting others in danger.

We worked with Trench-Ade to host 11 fire departments across 12 training sessions. Every Special Operations Firefighter in the Phoenix Valley was trained on trench rescues at one of our Scottsdale job sites. Thank you to our employee-owners, Trench-Ade, and the following fire departments for participating in this collaborative education:

• Scottsdale Fire Department
• Phoenix Fire Department
• Tempe Fire Department
• Mesa Fire Department
• Daisy Mountain Fire Department
• Glendale Fire Department
• Peoria Fire Department
• Salt River Fire Department
• Chandler Fire Department
• Buckeye Fire Department
• Superstition Fire Department

Visit Fox 10 Phoenix News for their coverage of this firefighter safety training.

Chandler Water Festival

Achen-Gardner Employee-owners expressed their gratitude to the City of Chandler this season by volunteering at the annual Chandler Water Festival on November 21-22 at Tumbleweed Park, hosted by the University of Arizona and Arizona Project WET. They directed and presented to fourth graders from Chandler elementary schools for a field day of educational water games and experiments. We’re always happy to get involved in the communities we serve.

2024 Chandler 100

Achen-Gardner Construction is the 35th largest employer in the City of Chandler. The Chandler 100 celebrates the City’s top businesses every year by recognizing them through the Chandler Chamber of Commerce as influential to the community. We’re honored to have served Chandler for another successful year. Visit the Chandler Chamber magazine to see us on page 22.

Excellence runs in our family. We were also recently awarded with our partner brands as No. 49 on the Engineering News Record (ENR) Top Domestic and Heavy Contractors list, and No. 119 in the Top 400 Contractors list.