Terracon opens West Valley office in Avondale

Jennifer Tran

Terracon, an engineering consulting firm, announced the opening of a West Valley office in Avondale.

Jennifer Tran, P.E., has moved from the Tempe office to the Avondale office. She will continue her role as Senior Project Manager and office lead. Tran’s expertise is in geotechnical and pavement engineering and design.

Marilyn Zenko, NCR group manager, will also move to the Avondale office. Zenko’s expertise is in natural and cultural resources.

Overseeing the Avondale office, 1050 N. Fairway Dr., Building G, Suite 103, will be Brent M. Borchers, P.E., Regional Manager for Terracon and Tempe office Principal.

“We are looking forward to servicing our clients with a presence in the West Valley,” Borchers said. “Not only does our Avondale office bring with it the benefit of being local, but also provides our capabilities and expertise as a national firm.”

Chadwick named vice provost for Creighton’s Phoenix Regional Campus

Creighton University has named Jacqueline Chadwick, MD, the inaugural vice provost for the Creighton University Health Sciences Phoenix Regional Campus. 

Effective Nov. 1, Chadwick will lead the Arizona campus, which is projected to have a total enrollment of approximately 800 full-time students including 400 students in a four-year satellite medical school, nursing students and students in pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant and emergency medical services programs. The academic environment of the Arizona campus will reflect the Creighton mission and identity as a Jesuit, Catholic institution, with a student body well-versed in the humanistic aspects of their respective professions and a strong commitment to social justice.  

“I am honored to be selected to this position,” Dr. Chadwick said. “Helping to develop curriculum and serving students is in my DNA. As Creighton University’s presence in Arizona grows, we will provide more highly trained health care professionals to serve the state’s rapidly growing and diverse population.”

In September, Creighton announced plans to build a 200,000-square-foot medical school on the grounds of Park Central Mall in midtown Phoenix to house all health sciences programs. 

MJ Insurance expands Phoenix team

MJ Insurance, one of the nation’s largest privately-held insurance agencies with more than five decades of success, is expanding its Phoenix office with two new team members, Brittany Dreger and Emily Pera. 

Dreger joins MJ Insurance as an account manager in the Benefits Consulting Department, responsible for advising employee benefits clientele. She will help clients navigate benefit needs with short and long-term solutions through planning, evaluating, implementing and managing employee benefits. She comes to MJ Insurance with 14 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Pera joins the team as an assistant account manager in the benefits consulting department. She will be responsible for providing customer service and support to employee benefits clientele, assisting day-to-day operations of client benefit plans, and working directly with the client-facing team to create and execute benefit plan strategies. Previously, she worked as a health coach at Key Benefit Administrators. 

“We are excited to welcome Brittany and Emily to our Phoenix office as we continue to expand,” said Michael H. Bill, chief executive officer at MJ Insurance. “They both join our staff with a wealth of experience that will add considerable value to the team.”

Local Boy Scout Council gets new CEO

Andy Price

Eric Hiser, president of Grand Canyon Council, BSA, announced today that the council has selected veteran professional Scouter Andy Price as its new Scout Executive, the chief executive officer, for the council based in Phoenix.  Mr. Price succeeds Larry Abbott, who served as Scout Executive for 14 years.

Mr. Price most recently served as Deputy Scout Executive and Chief Operating Officer of Circle Ten Council in Dallas, Texas.  He began his Scouting career in Athens, Georgia, working on behalf of high-school age youth in the BSA Exploring and Venturing programs.  Later he held the positions of District Executive and Field Director in Athens before being promoted to Assistant Scout Executive of Chattahoochee Council, in Columbus, Georgia.  Mr. Price returned to Northeast Georgia Council to serve as Director of Field Service and Chief Operating Officer before being selected as Scout Executive of Golden Spread Council in Amarillo, Texas.

“We look forward to Andy joining us and sharing his energy and experience,” said Hiser. “We have tremendous opportunities in Scouts today with the recent adoption of Family Scouting welcoming girls to Cub Scouting and older girls to form their own troops.  They join the older girls already participating in Exploring and Venturing.  Andy’s experience will prove invaluable as we move forward.”

As Scout Executive and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Price will lead a professional staff of 50 who interact with more than 15,000 volunteers who deliver the promise of Scouting to 35,000 youth in Arizona.  Few CEOs have such a small staff to accomplish so much, which is why Scouts relies upon adult volunteers.  As a District Executive in Georgia he worked directly with unit leaders, the adult volunteers working directly with the youth.

Shasta names Jeff Ast its new president

Shasta Industries has always been a family affair, going back to when Bob Ast started Shasta Pools in 1966.  The next year, his brother and current President and CEO, Skip Ast Sr. joined the team. Skip Sr. is now pleased to announce that Jeff Ast has been elected as the new President.  Over the past 50 years, Shasta Pools has evolved from building new pools to managing several different divisions that encompass the pool industry.  As a result Shasta Pools is also known today as Shasta Industries which include New Pool Construction, Remodeling, Customer Care, Commercial and Olympic, A&A Manufacturing and Xcel surfaces.   Jeff has served as the V.P. of Construction at Shasta for 20 years. In addition, he has been the VP of the New Pools since 2015 and also served on the company’s board of directors. This change will ensure the continued leadership in the swimming pool industry for years to come.

As someone with a long-standing tenure at the company, serving in a variety of roles, Jeff is excited to take on this new role and lead Shasta into the future. “Shasta Industries is a family owned and run business in the Valley of the Sun with a rich tradition,” said Ast.  “It’s been so rewarding to serve this company for over 30 years and an honor to have the opportunity to become Shasta’s President just as we are poised for growth and expansion,” he continued.

Skip Sr., who will stay with Shasta as CEO and serve as the Chairman of the Board, said that the timing is right for this transition, “When Bob and I founded Shasta Pools, I never dreamt that we’d be over 50 years in business with the family so involved in the day-to-day operations. I consider it a great privilege to pass the reins to Jeff and know that the company will be in great hands.”

In addition to Jeff’s new role, Shasta is pleased to announce that four well-known Phoenix business leaders have recently joined Skip SR., Jeff and Mike Wagner on the Board of Directors:

• Buddy Satterfield, former President of Shea Homes, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from the homebuilding and construction industries.

• Jos Anshell, former President of Moses Anshell Marketing firm, brings significant expertise in marketing and marketing strategy.

• Bob Dye, who serves as the Company Controller at Shasta and has been with the company for 13 years, will also be joining the Board. Prior to joining Shasta, Dye worked in the accounting and finance department at Motorola for 20 years.

• Lou Smith, who is the COO of K. Hovnanian Enterprises and has been with the company for 11 years, brings many years of experience in the homebuilding industry.

These changes are being announced as Shasta Pools is transitioning its flagship design center to a brand new facility located at The Shops at Norterra off Happy Valley Rd and the I-17. The Norterra design center will offer an enhanced experience for customers, complete with hundreds of options to choose from.