Building Buzz Podcast

We’re back for Part 2! The conversation continues with Grant Fisher, President of VAI Resort, and Sintra Hoffman, President and CEO of WESTMARC. Join our hosts as they learn more about the highly anticipated, $1 billion VIA Resort being built in Glendale, Arizona. With its 2024 opening right around the corner, hear about how this first-of-its-kind project is setting itself and the region up for success. Listen to Part 2, brought to you by Suntec Concrete!

This week we begin talking with two leaders who are committed to positioning the West Valley as a national luxury hospitality destination. Grant Fisher, President of VAI Resort, and Sintra Hoffman, President and CEO of WESTMARC, sit down with our hosts to talk about the highly anticipated, $1 billion resort coming to Glendale, Arizona. Opening in 2024, VAI Resort will be a 60-acre hotel, comprised of 4 towers, an 8,000-person amphitheater, a 5-acre lagoon with white-sand beaches and will have the country’s largest man-made party island. Tune in to Part 1, brought to you by Suntec Concrete, and learn about the epicenter of hospitality and entertainment for Arizona.

This week on Building Buzz, our hosts sit down with Karyn MacVean, Senior Real Estate Coordinator for the Arizona Commerce Authority and Co-Founder of the Arizona Spaceport Alliance, to talk about the growing aerospace sector in Arizona, what is being built, who is coming and who is already here. One of Karyn’s areas of expertise? Outer space and its billion-dollar economic impact. The global space industry is about $330 billion and she has her sights set on establishing a space port right here in Arizona. How is this possible? It’s already underway. Tune in and learn about this fascinating growth and opportunity for our state!

This week we sat down with Arizona market expert and Phoenix Business Journal Senior Reporter, Angela Gonzales to discuss residential real estate, healthcare and biotech. These three areas continue to experience rapid growth and competition. Angela talks about the momentum of multi-housing, the competitive and cutthroat landscape of healthcare in the region and the growing demand for biotech real estate. Tune in, stay informed, get the buzz!

Welcome back to Season Two of Building Buzz! Our hosts, Danielle Feroleto with Small Giants and Ray Schey with the Phoenix Business Journal, sit down with a special guest to talk about leadership, growth and how to prioritize a sustainable company culture. James Murphy, CEO of Willmeng, sits at the helm of one of the largest local, privately owned general contractors in Arizona. We ask him about how he got started, his pathway of success within Willmeng and how he set his course to lead. Murphy is setting the tone for this upcoming season of Building Buzz by highlighting the power of our industry, the amazing work that's being done and how we can all put in the work to be a quality partner. The buzz is officially back!

Building Buzz is out for the summer! Returning August 22, 2023 with season two, we have more CRE/AEC industry buzz to share. Listen to a recap of season one with host, Danielle Feroleto and get to know her guests, the team behind the scenes! Hear from the Small Giants' podcast and production team including Creative Director Brennan Gerle, Public Relations Specialist Steve Burks and our amazing summer intern, Samantha Maxwell, about being behind the scenes, meeting our impressive guests and following the constant changes and trends of our fast-paced industry! Tune in this August for season two!

This week on Building Buzz, we sit down with Skybridge Arizona to learn about how this 435-acre, multi-use development is transforming how we conduct cross-border commerce and trade. Becoming the nation’s first international air cargo hub to house both Mexican and United States Customs operations, Skybridge Arizona is creating opportunities for international cooperation ultimately attracting strong and stable companies and manufacturers to relocate and establish roots in our state. Will Moseley, the general manager and Danielle Hensley, project manager, talk with our hosts about what’s coming, what’s currently being built and how Skybridge Arizona is a strategic asset for our industry, the economy and the future.

The City of Maricopa was named one of the 10 fastest growing cities in the United States by the U.S. Census Bureau. We invited the Maricopa man himself, Christian Price, to talk with us about this growth and how it is reshaping the region. With a 10-year tenure as the Mayor of the City of Maricopa and now the President and CEO of Maricopa Economic Development Alliance (MEDA), Christian remains committed to his city, leading with passion, experience and fortitude. Hear about all of the buzz happening in this east-valley city, from its industry sector expansion to its civil infrastructure enhancements. Jobs, families, housing—it’s all happening in Maricopa!

This week we talked with Maria Laughner, deputy economic development director of the City of Tempe. Tempe is a dynamic, ever-evolving city. With nine innovation hubs, a powerhouse university, the first carless multi-family housing project and a plan to refresh the historic Mill Avenue, Tempe is not slowing down. Join the conversation and learn how Laughner's city continues to be the epicenter for innovative development in the Valley.