Commercial Success
Businesses That Serve the Region, Country and World
The Flagstaff area includes a mix of businesses that keep the community strong and provide goods and services for the city, region and even the country and world.
Kinney Construction Services
An example of a company that chose to put its headquarters in Flagstaff and has thrived ever since is Kinney Construction Services. Tim Kinney started the company in Flagstaff in 1999 shortly after he developed a residential subdivision in east Flagstaff.
KCS is a premier construction services firm that specializes in commercial building construction and renovation, civil construction and renewable energy projects.
The firm started primarily on public works projects and also developed a niche for green building.
“I had become one of the few LEED-accredited professionals in the state and we excelled in being selected and building some of the most prestigious green buildings in the country,” Kinney said. “We took the crown as the commercial green builders in northern Arizona by building five LEED buildings in Flagstaff alone – two platinum, two gold and one silver.”
The Easton Collection Center at the Museum of Northern Arizona was one of the platinum buildings, and it was selected by Engineering News Record as the greenest building in the nation in 2009. The other platinum building is the NAU International Pavilion. It became the first institutional building to be net zero energy.
The growth for KCS continued, including:
- The start of KCS/Civil in 2007, which has evolved into one of the most successful civil construction companies in northern Arizona.
- A new renewable energy division that opened in2009, to design and build stand-alone solar plants mainly for public entities around the state.
- Opening an office in Phoenix in 2012.
- The creation of Genterra Enterprises, which furthered the company’s growth into commercial development.
“Our growth and success is a result of our company culture and putting our customers’ interest above our own,” Kinney said. “But that is easy for us because our definition of a successful project is a customer that is 100% satisfied and those results are a product of the great people that work at KCS. Our company culture is built on a strong work ethic, transparency and collaboration. We also have a lot of fun working on our projects.”
Community involvement is also important for KCS. Kinney has served as a volunteer for many organizations, including board positions for some of them. To date, KCS has given more than $1 million in contributions to northern Arizona and over 14,000 hours of community service.
Aspen Place at the Sawmill
Another notable business in the heart of Flagstaff is Aspen Place at the Sawmill, which is a carefully planned mix of local and national retailers, dining, services and residential together in a lively and comfortable atmosphere.
Named in honor of the Stone Forest Sawmill that once occupied the area, the 120,000-square-foot, mixed-used center is home to more than 35 retailers including REI, Whole Foods, Majestic Marketplace, Dutch Bros Coffee, Pita Jungle and Wildflower Bread Company.
Aspen Place also features 222 luxury apartments, suitably named The Village at Aspen Place, complete with resort-style amenities and direct access to the city’s best dining, shopping and entertainment.
Drawing inspiration from the area’s rich mining and lumber history, the unique architecture, verdant landscaping and comfortable seating sprinkled throughout the property has made Aspen Place a popular gathering space for locals and travelers looking for a taste of the Northern Arizona lifestyle.
Prent Thermoforming
A company that has headquarters elsewhere but has made Flagstaff an important part of its business is Prent Thermoforming, which has a plant in the city.
The Janesville, Wisconsin-based company is the world’s largest custom medical thermoformer, supplying thermoformed packaging to major medical companies around the world.
“Our philosophy is to locate our plants near our customer’s locations,” said Mark Rothlisberger, senior VP of manufacturing.
Flagstaff was the company’s first satellite manufacturing facility, set up to supply the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico. Prent opened a small facility in Sunnyside in 1993 and moved into its current facility in 1997. The company has about 70 employees, both full and part time. The majority of it is exported to Mexico.
“Flagstaff has been a great home for Prent,” Rothlisberger said. “The community is dynamic and our employees enjoy living and working here. We are involved with the community, sponsoring charitable causes and youth athletics. Primarily though, our focus is to be the best employer for our employees and provide a work environment that is both challenging and fulfilling.”
An Alliance for Prosperity
Williams Business Alliance Helps Businesses In Tourism-Focused Area
Williams, a city of about 3,200 that is 30 miles west of Flagstaff, is known as “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon” and has a dedicated business community that thrives on the strong tourism traffic that comes to the area annually.
Williams Business Alliance was formed as a division of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber to build a strong local and regional economy and elevate the business potential.
The Alliance focuses on business growth, the local workforce and access to community and county leaders to help the community prosper as opportunities continue to expand along the I-40 Corridor. A part of its mission is to serve as a catalyst for economic prosperity in the Northern Arizona region.
Williams, just 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, is at an elevation of 6,675 feet and is surrounded by national forest. The majority of the businesses and residents are on the south side of Interstate 40, nestled at the base of majestic Bill Williams Mountain.
The area is home to the Grand Canyon Railway, Grand Canyon Deer Farm and Bearizona Drive-Thru Wildlife Park, among other local attractions. There are nearly 2,000 motel rooms, dozens of restaurants, gift shops and two local breweries – Grand Canyon Brewery includes a distillery and the Historic Brewing Company has a winery.
Retail shops are vibrant and offer a huge variety of gifts and uniquely crafted items. The Gallery in Williams is a cooperative with nearly 40 member artists. It showcases some of the best arts and crafts Northern Arizona has to offer, including pottery; oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings; woodwork; colored pencil and graphite drawings; metal sculpture; fiber arts; gourds; and jewelry.
Historic Route 66 is the main thoroughfare heading east through Williams and draws many tourists as well. Williams has a beautiful public golf course, many lakes ideal for fishing and kayaking and plenty of RV and camping locations. υ
Williams Business Alliance
A Division of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of CommerceArizona Railroad Heritage Park, Al Richmond
Bankers Real Estate , Allan Duncan
Bearizona Wildlife Park, Sean Casey
Civitan on 66 / Civitan Foundation Inc., Dawn Trapp
Colors of the West, Jacque & Mike Besler
Comfort Inn near Grand Canyon, Samir Patel
Eric Eikenberry, Eric Eikenberry
Flag Landscaping, Inc. & Christmas Decor, Dustin Mast
Grand Canyon Coffee & Cafe, Anna Dick
Grand Canyon Deer Farm, LLC, Mr. & Mrs. Randy & Pat George
Grand Canyon Railway, Inc., Jeff D’Arpa
Historic Brewing Company/Grand Canyon Winery, John Kennelly
Howard Johnson by Wyndham Williams, Pankaj (PJ) Patel
International Kadampa Retreat Center Grand Canyon, Karla Hassenstein
James Wurgler, Dr. James Wurgler
Juniper Creek Outdoors, Allison Overfield
Knights Inn, Vishal Patel
Mary Heideman , Mary Marren Heideman
Michael F. Vasquez, Michael F Vasquez
National Bank of Arizona – Williams Branch, Tanya Christie
NextEra Energy Resources (Perrin Ranch Wind Project), Ian Calkins
Oakwood Homes, Claudia Roe
Perkins Timber Harvesting, James Perkins
Pine Country Restaurant , Dee Seehorn
Superior Propane, Inc., Lindie Rodgers
The Gallery in Williams, Kris Williams
Travelodge Williams, Vishal Patel
Williams Alliance for the Arts, Kris Williams
Williams Feed, Pet & RV Storage, Alan R. Mularkey
Williams Grand Canyon News, Loretta Yerian
Williams Rotary Club, Kris Williams
Williams Unified School District #2 , Rick Honsinger