ABOUT US
Since 1985, hardison/downey has been a mainstay in the Arizona construction market.
OUR HISTORY
A company of humble beginnings and local roots, h/d was formed in May of 1985 by Bob Hardison and Pat Downey. The pair envisioned creating an alternative for clients who needed the expertise and financial stability of a large general contractor, but wanted the personal service and attention of a small one. That defining mission has woven itself into the fabric of our corporate culture and remains today the core of who we are.
WHO WE ARE
hardison/downey construction, inc. opened in the spring of 1985 as an alternative for clients who need the expertise and financial stability of a large general contractor, but want the personal service and attention of a small one.
WHAT WE VALUE
A vast majority of our business comes from repeat clients and word-of-mouth referrals. We are selective about our clients and carefully monitor our workload, which enables us to give each project the focus and attention it deserves, and to approach it in a true team spirit. The long-term relationships we build with our clients and trade partners reflect our commitment to SAFETY, TEAMWORK, SUPERIOR SERVICE, QUALITY CONSTRUCTION, COMPETITIVE PRICES and INTEGRITY in every aspect of our work.
TEAM APPROACH
We treat our each of our trade partners as a VALUABLE MEMBER of the project team. We cultivate long-term relationships with our partners by asking for their input during the preconstruction phase, creating a safe and efficient jobsite, paying them on time and ensuring that the project is successful. As a result, they want to continue to work for us and always provide us with their best price and team for each project.
WHAT WE DO
We operate COMMERCIAL (new & interior construction) and HOUSING (multi-family, student housing, assisted living & hospitality) divisions. The majority of our projects are completed on a team build or design/build basis under a negotiated contract. We also have in-house CIVIL and SERVICE groups, who focus on third party and self-perform services for h/d and external clients. We are known for our expertise in superior preconstruction services, and wholeheartedly embrace a true team spirit on each and every project. Our largest contract to date is over $100 million and our five-year average annual volume is in excess of $120 million.
WHAT WE OFFER
We are industry PRECONSTRUCTION LEADERS who are ready to bring our experience to help you make great decisions. Our team is committed to be an extension of the design team to provide a menu of solutions to the unique challenges of your project. Together with our corporate in-house virtual construction (BIM) capabilities and copyrighted Quality Assurance program, we leverage better building processes to deliver on your schedule, cost and quality objectives.
CORPORATE STRENGTH
With more than 35 years of local experience we operate as a larger contractor offering flexibility, low overhead, quick decision-making, streamlined processes and a horizontal organizational structure. Our current bonding capacity is $500 million per job with an aggregate limit of $1 billion. Our firm brings GUARANTEED STABILITY in today’s volatile construction market.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Justin Newman
A graduate of Northern Arizona University (NAU), Justin joins hardison/downey with 20 years of construction experience. He has a diverse project background ranging from alternative energy and public works to criminal justice and high-end residential projects, located throughout the country. Justin has tremendous industry knowledge and insight, as well as marketing, sales, construction and operational experience.
Along with being a graduate of the Arizona Builders Alliance Advanced Leadership Development Program, Justin also serves on the NAU Student Advisory Board and has previously served on the Executive Board of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and the Federal Affairs Committee of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
Justin is a father of six and has been married to his wife, Kris, for seven years. In their free time together, they enjoy watching their children participate in sports and cheer/dance, as well as a good pick-up game of football, wiffle ball or basketball.
Heather Marin
Heather is a 24-year industry professional and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management from the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University. She joined the Kitchell family in January 2004 for Kitchell Custom Homes, working on notable projects such as Valley Ho Condos and The Mountain Project. An opportunity arose in late 2006 for Heather to begin her own contracting firm, which she successfully operated through 2015. However, her desire was strong to get back to her roots and build more complex and custom projects; therefore she returned to the Kitchell family in 2015. Since her return, she has been focused on key legacy clients for hardison/downey. Marin oversaw the successful completion of fourteen vertical structures across the expanse of a Private Golf development in north Scottsdale over three years, in addition to overseeing the development of the newly-formed self-perform Civil Group for hardison/downey.
Heather has been married to her husband Robert for 18 years and are parents of two wonderful daughters. They enjoy camping, spending time on the river, movie watching and continual projects around the house – ultimately anything they can do as a family.
CURT VURPILLAT
Curt graduated Vanderbilt University with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. A native of California, Curt lived in several places in the South and Midwest before finally settling in Arizona in 2003. Curt ran a successful TI and technology infrastructure firm in Mesa, AZ before joining hardison/downey in 2021.
As Director of Commercial, Curt is responsible for all the entire h/d portfolio of commercial construction including everything from industrial shells and tenant improvements to school campus buildings and parking garages.
Curt and his wife Heather have been married since 1999 and have 5 children—4 boys and a girl. In his free time, Curt enjoys traveling, golf, and attending his kids’ sporting events.
John Gressley
John was born and raised in Arizona on his family’s cattle ranch near Payson, Arizona. He began his construction career in 2002 as a laborer in the field where he worked his way up from Pipelayer to Project Manager. John’s experience in estimating and project management range from mass excavation/earthwork to underground wet/dry utilities, but he specializes in underground utilities. He has been involved and overseen construction of various new infrastructure and reconstructed roads throughout almost every city in Arizona and continues to bring this knowledge to h/d as our Director of Civil. John and his wife Lisa have been married since 2002 and have three daughters together. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his family (even if they feel otherwise!), learning about history, enjoying great outdoors, and HAM Radio.
Greg Campbell
A native of Nevada, Greg moved to Arizona in 2006 to start up and direct a mechanical division that he managed until 2014. Before joining hardison/downey, he served many years in general contracting and subcontracting of multi-family, commercial, hospitality, military, renovation and single family projects throughout the country. Greg has diverse project experience and a reputation for quality-engineered systems through prefabricated offsite manufacturing and a focus on constructability. Since joining the h/d team, Greg has been dedicated to developing the Service Group and Self-Perform Work Teams.
Greg holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Operations Management Technology from the Polytechnic School at Arizona State University, is a licensed Master Plumber in numerous states, and a certified NCCER Craft Instructor and Proctor.
Greg has been married to his wife, Kara, for 21 years and is the father of three wonderful children, as well as a grandfather. He and his wife enjoy camping, mountain biking and traveling to visit their family.
Russon Hale
An ultimate numbers nerd, Russon has been in charge of preconstruction services and estimating for hardison/downey construction in Phoenix for more than 10 years. He oversees a team of five estimators in h/d’s preconstruction department, who are responsible for up front work on projects in both the Commercial and Housing divisions.
A native of Idaho, Russon attended Boise State University for his undergrad work. He obtained his Masters in Construction Management at Arizona State University, and has been a member of the Kitchell family since 1998.
Russon has been married to his wife Melanie since 1992 and they are the parents of three boys. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and the great outdoors.
LISA BUELNA
Lisa was born and raised in Iowa. She obtained her degree in Marketing from the University of Northern Iowa, where she was also a Division I tennis player for the Panthers. She moved to Arizona after graduation and has been with hardison/downey since 2003.
At h/d, her focus is on developing and maintaining client, architect and trade partner relationships for the company; seeking out new project opportunities; and working closely with the marketing team on project proposals. A big proponent of corporate philanthropy, Lisa co-founded Build FORE Good, hardison/downey & Kitchell’s annual charity golf tournament, which has raised more than $800,000 since 2013 for local Arizona charities. She is a former Advisory Board member for NorthBridge, a program helping students with learning differences transition from high school to college or vocational school. And in 2019, she was named one of AZRE’s “Most Influential Women in Arizona”.
Lisa has been married to her husband, Memo, for 11 years and they have a 6-year old son, Beckett. In her spare time, Lisa still enjoys semi-competitive tennis, digging in to a good true crime novel, cheering on (and crying over!) her beloved Minnesota Vikings, and taking her son on as many new adventures as possible.