In 2007 — months before the Great Recession hit the country, especially the construction industry — Barry Chassé seized a great opportunity for himself, a trusted partner and the relationships he had built over the last 20 years in the construction industry. rice field.
“We aim to become a 100% local general contractor focused on architecture to make a difference to our teammates, our clients’ building experience, and the communities we serve. We launched a team,” said Chassé.
He won projects all over Maricopa County and stayed in business despite the real estate crash.
Challenge Tucson
By 2014, the team had gathered momentum and began winning projects in Pima County. The venture has been so successful that in 2016 Chassé and his team invested in a regional headquarters for the region.
“Pima County, and Tucson in particular, has witnessed a whirlwind of strategic growth, and I am proud to have been a part of it for nearly a decade,” said Leigh-Anne Harrison, Executive Director of Chasse Tucson. said. “We have grown along with it and were awarded Copper Cactus for Business Growth in 2018 and Business of the Year in 2019.”
In addition to the honors, in late 2018, CHASSE expanded to a 3,800 square foot Southern Arizona regional headquarters located at 5115 N. Oracle Road in Tucson and worked on projects such as the Tucson Premium Outlets and Gladden Farms Elementary School. , and the Mountain View High School College Career & Life Skills Center.
COVID-19 response
“We were growing by leaps and bounds, but then COVID-19 came along and changed everything, from simple meetings to large-scale construction. The emotional toll on everyone says Not even,” says Harrison.
Determined to allow Southern Arizona to complete critical work while dealing with the pandemic, Chasse took action in several ways.
“As a critical business, we never closed, so we had to be very focused on building systems to keep our team members, clients, and their families safe above all else. said Harrison. “From adding hand-washing stations, to coordinating subcontractor schedules, to displaying his new COVID signs, to coordinating deliveries, you name it, we’ve done it to keep construction traffic as low as possible. said Mr Harrison.
The Tucson team complied with the new OSHA guidelines and didn’t waste a single day.
Chassé has had to think outside the box about keeping lines of communication between clients open during the pandemic, and work on ways he can use his skills to help the community.
“We are helping schools access technology that enables virtual learning and visiting campuses to see how we can help,” Harrison said.
“Also Butterfield, Coyote Trail, DeGrazia, Dove Mountain CSTEM K-8, Estes, Gladden Farms, Ironwood, Picture Rocks, Quail Run, Rattle Snake, Roadrunner, Tank Verde, Twin Peaks.”
Each station allows students to wash at a safe distance and is hosed so they can be moved virtually anywhere on campus.
At the height of the pandemic, Chassé completed one of its most high-profile Tucson projects, the January 8 Memorial in El Presidio Park adjacent to the Historic Pima County Courthouse. Honoring the victims and survivors of then lawmakers on January 8th. Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituency meeting held in the parking lot of a Casas Adobes supermarket.
“The monument and the surrounding gardens represent the embrace of the community. With one gesture, the terrain becomes a healing arm protecting the inner monument where the story of January 8th is told.” Harrison said.
“The monument, etched into the landscape of El Presidio Park, reminds visitors that they were the victims and survivors of this tragic event, that they were there to engage in democracy, and that they were the first to stop and save the violence.” It is a place of contemplation and reflection where we can honor our counterparts.
bounce big
Now, with the pandemic easing, the Tucson team is experiencing maximum growth.
“Today, we have 30 employees in Southern Arizona and counting,” says Harrison. “We are now also owners of the business.”
In late 2021, Chassé and fellow executives announced the launch of what Chassé called the Team Stock Ownership Plan (TSOP for short), making the company 100% employee-owned. I announced it and surprised the whole company.
“We want our employees to act and think like owners and directly benefit from Chassé’s continued success as a participant in the TSOP,” said Chassé. “This plan, which allows employees to acquire stock in the company, is designed as a long-term retirement benefit for all employees who are owners.”
Under this plan, all eligible employees will be allocated shares each year, the value of which will increase as the company’s value increases along with all other benefits already in place.
“With this move, we feel like we’re building Southern Arizona while at the same time building our own future,” Harrison said. The future looks very bright for everyone.”
According to Harrison, some of Chassé’s recent works include:
• The Pima Community College Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing is a recently completed 95,000 square foot project with a curriculum pathway of welding, machine tools, mechatronics, CAD design, workforce development incubators, flexible industrial training labs, and administrative offices. It also features a three-story gantry crane with 30,000 square feet of outdoor study space to move materials throughout the facility and connect multiple aisles in a unified way.
• Mountain Vista School of Oracle Unified School District. received a new classroom building containing her 10 state-of-the-art classrooms for students in grades 5-8.
• The Pima Community College Automotive Technology and Innovation Center is a 45,000-square-foot space that houses programs in automotive, diesel and electric vehicle technology, meeting the growing demand of dealers and other employers for students certified in today’s technology. respond to
Chasse recently completed a 100,000-square-foot Tucson airport distribution center and landing sprout, and will soon complete the new SpringHill Suites at The Bridge.
information: chasse.us
