Life Coach in Queen Creek, AZ

Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company, announced today that it has started construction on the first phase of the 1-million-square-foot Germann Commerce Center in Queen Creek, a thriving suburb southeast of Phoenix.

"Queen Creek is one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona and has emerged as a preeminent industrial submarket," said Ashlee Boyd, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Commercial. "We value the relationship our company has established with the city of Queen Creek over the years, and we are excited to bring another great project to this dynamic community. With strong demand from industries such as electric vehicle manufacturing, distribution, aerospace and defense, and pharmaceutical users we expect that the Germann Commerce Center will be a welcome addition to this dynamic region."

Located on the southwest corner of Germann and Meridian Roads, the first phase of Germann Commerce Center will consist of approximately 400,000 square feet of speculative light industrial space in five standalone buildings spread across approximately 26 acres. The buildings will offer front-park/rear-load industrial, with clear heights from 28 to 32 feet and frontage on East Germann Road.

With easy access to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport, Loop 202 and State Road 24, the development is well-positioned to take advantage of the many benefits of the area, including its skilled workforce, strong industrial demand and close proximity to residential housing.

"We are very pleased to break ground on the first phase of the Germann Commerce Center," said Chris Alexander, senior vice president of industrial development. "With global brands like Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and LG basing operations in the Southeast Valley, Queen Creek is emerging as the next high-tech manufacturing and distribution location in the Valley due to its convenient access to SR 24 and a talented labor pool."

Alexander continued, "When you combine a competitive Arizona corporate income tax rate, reliable electric service, strong regional higher education institutions, and an established advanced manufacturing employer base, Queen Creek is an attractive solution for industrial users looking for the infrastructure to support their growth plans."

The Germann Commerce Center is a multi-phase industrial development project for Thompson Thrift. At full buildout, the project can provide up to 1 million square feet of warehouse, distribution, light assembly and manufacturing space, covering approximately 68 acres. Thompson Thrift expects the first phase to be complete in the first quarter of 2024 with build-to-suit and for-sale options in phase two available immediately.

Thompson Thrift is a full-service real estate development company focused on ground-up commercial and mixed-use development across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Thompson Thrift has invested more than $4 billion into local communities and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive commercial and multifamily communities.

Thompson Thrift is well-established throughout Arizona with more than 20 retail, multifamily and industrial projects in development, with an estimated volume of more than $1.5 billion. This is their second industrial development currently underway in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.

Although winters may be short and relatively mild in the Phoenix area, it doesn’t take long for the heating costs to add up. With a few simple changes, you can significantly reduce your energy consumption without negatively affecting your comfort.

Here are a few tips that can help:

1. Set Your Thermostat Back at Night Keep your thermostat at your ideal temperature during the daytime, then reduce it by 10 to 15 degrees at night. A cooler room tends to be easier to sleep in, and with winter blankets or comforters, you can stay as warm as you want. A programmable or Wi-Fi thermostat (such as a Nest or Ecobee) makes this process easy, changing the temperature automatically according to your schedule.

2. Set Your HVAC Fan to “Auto” In the summer, setting the HVAC fan to the “On” position can help to keep cool air circulating, but in the winter, it can lead to unwanted drafts. Change the setting from “On” to “Auto” so that the fan runs only while the heating system operates. This ensures that only warm air will flow from your HVAC vents.

3. Change Your Air Filter If your furnace or heat pump has to push air through a dirty or clogged air filter, it will have to work harder to keep your home comfortable. Check the filter every month and replace it as necessary. Most fiberglass filters will last about three months before they have to be changed, while pleated or high-efficiency filters can last six to 12 months.

4. Reverse Your Ceiling Fan During normal operation, a ceiling fan pushes air downward, making those in the room feel cooler while helping to circulate cool air from the air conditioning system. In the winter, the heated air from your furnace will naturally rise, making your home feel cooler as you get closer to the floor. Reversing your ceiling fan will draw air up, forcing the heated air out toward the edges of the room, then back down to the floor.

5. Seal Drafty Windows Add curtains, shades, or heavy drapes to your windows and close them at night to keep your heated air inside for longer. During the daytime, open the curtains to allow the sun’s heat to stream in on the south and west, warming your home naturally. If your windows are especially drafty, consider sealing them with new caulk and weatherstripping.

6. Add Insulation With its hot, arid climate, many homes in Arizona are not properly insulated for the cold. Bringing your insulation up to standard can help you save energy year-round. For example, you can have insulation blown into your attic or rooftop crawl space. This will keep your home warm in the winter, but perhaps more importantly will save you money on cooling during the summer.

One of the best ways to save energy in the winter while improving your comfort is with annual maintenance for your furnace or heat pump. When your heating system is routinely inspected, cleaned, and serviced by a professional technician, it will heat your home more effectively and use less energy. Most HVAC manufactures recommend having a professional tune up twice a year.

Save Energy with Heating Service From Penguin

At Penguin Air, Plumbing & Electrical, we offer heating maintenance and repairs throughout the Phoenix area. We recommend scheduling your annual tune ups twice a year, once in the fall or winter for heating and again in the early spring for cooling. If your heating system is more than 10 or 15 years old, a heat pump or furnace replacement is another way to boost your efficiency. New heating systems offer significant energy savings over previous models and great features like two-stage heating, variable-speed blowers, and zoning systems that can maximize your efficiency and comfort. Additionally, several new Federal Tax Credits went into effect in January 2023. These credits can save you up to 30% of a new heating system if you qualify.

Cut your energy costs and keep your Phoenix home comfortable this winter with help from our skilled, professional HVAC team at Penguin Air, Plumbing & Electrical.

Call us at (480) 494-2289 or contact us online at penguinair.com to schedule heating maintenance, replacement, or repairs in the Phoenix area.

This has been shared 3 times

More Spotlight

The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board on Tuesday voted to deny American Leadership Academy – Queen Creek’s appeal to move its football program down to 5A from the 6A Conference.

The decision by the AIA stems from the Patriots’ move up from the 5A Conference after only a year playing at that level. The move was made as part of a yearly reclassification process for football in an effort to even the playing field.

But ALA, with a 4A enrollment and not classified as a “destination” school compared to others in the area, feels having only a year to establish itself at the 5A level isn’t enough time.

“I think one year in a conference doesn’t really tell you how you’re going to be in that conference over a period of time,” ALA coach Ty Detmer said. “As I told them, it’s kind of the spirit of the law and rule of the law. The spirit of the law was to keep teams from dominating over a period of time.

“We haven’t had that period of time in 5A.”

Detmer spoke to the board Tuesday during the appeal hearing at the AIA offices in Phoenix. Much of his message centered around enrollment and the lack of incoming transfers to the program on a yearly basis.

ALA has quickly risen to become one of the powers of the East Valley. The Patriots won their first championship at the 3A level in 2016, just three seasons into having a varsity football program. They won again in 2019, which prompted their first jump up in conference levels to 4A.

They remained in 4A for two seasons beginning in 2020. The first year, dubbed the “COVID year,” ALA made a run to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Mesquite. In 2021, the Patriots reloaded and broke into the Open Division where they fell to Hamilton in the first round.

The success at the 4A level pushed ALA up yet again, this time to 5A, for the 2022 season. ALA went 9-2 on the year with its only losses against Queen Creek in the regular season and eventual Open Division state champion Basha in the first round of the tournament. Both Basha and Queen Creek are 6A football programs and the only teams at that level the Patriots faced all season.

“I think we showed last year we could play with anyone for one game,” Detmer said, alluding to the loss in the Open Division to Basha. “Now to have to do that over a 10-game season is a different story when you’re a smaller school and you don’t have the depth of other schools with 3 or 4,000 kids.”

ALA’s presence in the Open Division the last two seasons played a role in the AIA’s decision to initially move the program up and keep it there despite the appeal.

Detmer said he was also questioned about the team’s lower-level programs. Both freshman and the junior varsity teams went undefeated this past season. But Detmer doesn’t believe that should be a deciding factor when taking into account the development of some players.

ALA will graduate most of its starters on offense and defense, including running back and linebacker Mitch Jensen, wideout and cornerback Ryan Meza and quarterback Drew Cowart, along with several others. Detmer said the team is facing yet another rebuild.

“We had a great two-year run with this group of seniors,” Detmer said. “Now we’ve kinda got to start over again … We’ve got good players in the system but are we going to be deep enough to play 6A? That’s where the difference comes into effect when you move schools up with a lower enrollment.

“I just wish there was more of a human element that looks at the past and what the future will look like.”

Along with ALA, Benjamin Franklin in Queen Creek and Seton Catholic in Chandler also had its appeals heard by the AIA. Benjamin Franklin, which went 1-9 last season and is in search of a new head football coach, was approved by the Executive Board to move down from the 4A to 3A level.

Seton Catholic, which went 2-8 last season and fields a roster with limited numbers, also appealed to move down from 4A to 3A. It was denied.

ALA – Gilbert North (4A to 5A), Dobson (6A to 5A), Eastmark (3A to 4A), Mesquite (5A to 4A) and Gilbert Christian (2A to 3A), who all changed conferences with the latest realignment back in December, did not submit appeals to the AIA.

Detmer said, overall, he wasn’t too surprised by the AIA’s decision to deny his team’s appeal. He figured the board would stick to its algorithm. So, instead of sulking, he said it’s time for his team to begin preparing for the new season and a new challenge.

“It’s time to go to work,” Detmer said. “Now that it’s kinda done and we’re there, we’re excited about it. We’re excited to see where we go from here.”

The city of Buckeye approved purchasing $80 million worth of groundwater rights to support the growth of its water portfolio.

In a special session on Tuesday, Buckeye approved an agreement for the purchase and sale of a one-acre property owned by Harquahala Valley Landowners LLC in the far West Valley for its water rights.

These rights will allow Buckeye to withdraw 5,926 acre-feet of groundwater annually for 100 years. This is the equivalent to the annual water use of nearly 17,800 homes in Arizona. On average, three Arizona households use about one acre-foot of water per year.

“The approval of this purchase agreement was more than a year in the making,” said Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn in a statement. “This is a major step toward ensuring our current and future residents enjoy a great quality of life. The Council and I appreciate every effort water resources staff has accomplished so far, knowing there are other opportunities on the horizon.”

A city report said Buckeye will use proceeds from the sale of $80 million excise tax bonds to pay for the rights, which will be repaid through the city's general fund. The city said in a statement that the new supply of water is one of many sources identified in Buckeye's water resources master plan that was approved in 2020 and is expected to be updated later this year.

"This purchase agreement took several months to complete, and Buckeye continues to actively work on securing other solutions to enhance its portfolio," the city's statement said.

Other municipalities have also purchased water rights from this area, including the town of Queen Creek. Last year, Queen Creek signed a contract to purchase 5,000 acre-feet of Harquahala water for its supply, the Queen Creek Tribune reported.

News of the purchase, which will take up to 180 days to complete, comes as Buckeye and other West Valley cities work to build their water supplies for future growth and development. The sale was also approved on the heels of a groundwater analysis of the far West Valley that was released in January.

The report found that there's not enough groundwater to support development over a 100-year period in areas west of the White Tank Mountains and in the northwest Valley, where developers have made plans for new master-planned communities and commercial centers. This could delay plans for thousands of homes needed as the region experiences a significant undersupply of units.

As of 2021, the city of Buckeye's water demand was 10,316 acre-feet, the city said in a recent statement, adding that Buckeye has adequate water resources to sustain projected growth for the next 15 to 20 years. Buckeye relies mostly on groundwater and said it is aware of the need for additional resources.

In 2021, the city also approved acquiring 2,786 acre-feet annually of Non-Indian Agricultural Colorado River water. Delivery of this water started in 2022.

New developments such as neighborhoods that are subdivided by six lots or more are required to obtain a certificate of assured water supply with an exception to built-to-rent communities.

Phoenix-area drivers won’t be “blocked” by any scheduled closures along Valley freeways during the two-week period leading up to and just after Super Bowl LVII. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has announced a “goal line stand” against construction closures.

While improvement project work can continue, ADOT has worked with its contractors and called a “timeout” on any full freeway closures in the Phoenix area between Feb. 1 and Feb. 15.

ADOT designed the “no closures play” to limit impacts on Super Bowl and other special event-related traffic. Other events include the WM Phoenix Open in north Scottsdale and football-related shows and concerts in Phoenix, Glendale and other cities.

“We don’t want fans, volunteers and workers to be sidelined in getting to where they need or want to be during the events ahead of the big game,” said ADOT Central District Administrator Randy Everett. “Our teams can focus on work away from the pavement. But whether you’re a visitor or local resident, we want to avoid conflicts with our ongoing improvement projects.”

ADOT adds that after “a review by officials,” there may be rare cases where overnight lane or ramp restrictions with limited effects on traffic may be scheduled in areas away from special events.

Information about highway conditions, including unscheduled closures or restrictions due to disabled vehicles, crashes or other incidents is available via ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov. Information also is available by calling 511, or through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT.

ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements in the Phoenix area as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. Projects are funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004.