TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 12, 2026--
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy), one of America’s oldest and largest builders, recently broke ground on the reimagination of a 12-acre learning and training campus that also includes a hotel and conference center in Tempe dedicated to employee development and leadership training. Set to open in early 2028, the McCarthy Anchor Campus (2100 S. Priest Drive) will serve as a central hub for the firm’s more than 8,000 salaried and craft employees across the U.S., providing a place for professional development, technical training and collaboration opportunities designed to support business growth and strengthen McCarthy’s employee-ownership culture.
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The new campus expands McCarthy’s nationally recognized employee development programs by creating a dedicated environment for employees to grow professionally, learn from one another and build connections across the organization. As the construction industry continues to face workforce challenges across both salaried and craft positions, the campus reflects McCarthy’s commitment to investing in its people and creating the engagement, learning and career development opportunities that support long-term retention and business success.
“The construction industry has always been a people business, but the knowledge and leadership needed to deliver today's projects are evolving faster than ever as owners demand greater certainty,” said Ray Sedey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for McCarthy. “This campus represents a significant investment in our people, bringing them together to learn, share expertise and build lasting connections. This campus will create an immersive environment that strengthens our ownership culture and develops future leaders, which benefits our people, our clients and the future of our business.”
McCarthy selected integrated architectural firm SmithGroup to reimagine the existing campus that will maintain its Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design. The renovated campus will feature flexible classrooms, breakout spaces, on-site lodging accommodations, wellness amenities and adaptable outdoor spaces designed to support learning, collaboration and relationship building.
"From the beginning, this project has been driven by a shared vision to create more than a training facility, but rather a place that inspires connection, collaboration and growth,” said Dawn Brown, Principal and Senior Project Manager for SmithGroup. “Through our partnership with McCarthy, we're bringing that vision to life by creating a destination that reflects culture, fosters meaningful relationships and supports the development of future leaders."
McCarthy has also partnered with Pyramid Global Hospitality, a leading hospitality management company, to operate the campus and manage the guest experience under its PyramidWorks division. Designed for corporate, training, and learning environments, PyramidWorks applies hospitality principles to foster connection, engagement, and a strong sense of culture.
“At Pyramid Global Hospitality, we believe the best workplace experiences are built on the same principles that make great hotels memorable: thoughtful service, intentional design, and human connection,” said Warren Fields, Chief Executive Officer of Pyramid Global Hospitality. “Creating environments where people come together to learn, connect, and collaborate has been at the heart of what we have done for decades. Through PyramidWorks, we’re applying our deep expertise in operating hotels, resorts, and conference centers to help McCarthy create a campus to strengthen culture, support professional growth, and reinforce its commitment to investing in its people.”
The renovated campus, which was purchased by the firm in January, expands McCarthy’s broader workforce ecosystem nationally and within Arizona, which includes its Innovation and Craft Workforce Center (ICWC) in Chandler. While the ICWC provides hands-on training for skilled craft professionals and trade partners, the new campus in Tempe will serve as a learning hub for both salaried and craft employees. Together, these facilities demonstrate McCarthy’s comprehensive approach to employee development and skills training.
McCarthy's commitment to workforce development reflects a long-term investment in people, industry, and communities it serves. Nationally recognized by Training Magazine as the first construction company ever inducted into their Training Top 10 Hall of Fame, employees receive customized learning and development plans supported by hands-on instruction, digital learning platforms and immersive technologies. This integrated model builds a future-ready workforce across the organization. Learn more about McCarthy's workforce development approach at www.mccarthy.com/careers/learning-development.
About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is a leading U.S. construction company with more than 160 years of experience delivering complex projects across commercial, institutional, industrial and civil utility infrastructure markets.
Guided by its commitment as a community builder, McCarthy is passionate about investing in the long-term success of the communities where its employee-owners live, work and build.
As a 100% employee-owned company with more than 8,000 salaried employees and craft professionals nationwide, McCarthy is consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer. With 19 offices across the U.S., McCarthy is ranked the 22 nd largest builder by Engineering News-Record (May 2026). For more information about McCarthy visit www.mccarthy.com, catch up on current projects with McCarthy Insights blog, or follow McCarthy on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
About SmithGroup
SmithGroup ( www.smithgroup.com ) is one of the world’s preeminent integrated design firms. Working across a network of 21 offices in the U.S., a team of 1,600 experts is committed to excellence in strategy, design, and delivery. The scale of the firm’s thinking and organization produces partnerships with forward-looking clients that maximize opportunities, minimize risk and solve their most complex problems. SmithGroup creates exceptional design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces.
About Pyramid Global Hospitality
Pyramid Global Hospitality is a leading third-party hospitality management company known for delivering innovative solutions to some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts. Formed by the 2021 merger of three prominent hotel management companies, Pyramid now manages a portfolio of over 240 properties across the U.S., Caribbean, and Europe, with offices in Boston, The Woodlands, Texas, Cincinnati, and London. For more information, visit www.pyramidglobal.com.
Rendering of McCarthy Anchor Campus Courtyard
Rendering of McCarthy Anchor Campus
President Donald Trump says he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat he insisted didn’t scare him.
Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment. Flanagan defeated centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with a pledge to fight the influence of corporations and confront Trump.
Here's the latest:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the creation of a State Department task force to combat “birth tourism,” a Trump administration phrase for foreign women coming to the United States with the intention of giving birth to a child on U.S. soil in order to secure their child’s American citizenship.
Trump and his administration have fought unsuccessfully in courts to end “birthright citizenship,” which gives U.S. citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Despite those legal setbacks, Trump has continued the fight to end the practice.
In a social media post Wednesday, Rubio said the new task force would “review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws.”
He said that since the task force was created last month, it had already taken action to revoke the visas of more than 600 people suspected of being involved in birth tourism schemes.
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What’s different this time is that Trump was covertly separated from the rest of his travelers — including the press pool meant to provide independent coverage of the president — and, instead of informing the public about what occurred once the risk had passed, the White House still hasn’t fully revealed what took place.
Commanders in chief have sometimes kept overseas trips covert for security reasons, with schedules and logistics kept classified until after for safety reasons. But the fact that Trump’s whereabouts were concealed at the time and for weeks afterward is believed to be unprecedented.
“We have absolutely seen the president fly on unmarked or decoy planes before, into Iraq, Afghanistan, other war-zone-like places,” said Garrett M. Graff, author of “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die.”
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U.S. inflation slowed last month and a measure of underlying price pressures also cooled, suggesting higher oil and gas prices from the Iran war are only having a limited impact on broader costs in the economy.
Consumer prices rose 3.4% in July from a year ago, down slightly from 3.5% in June, the Labor Department said Wednesday. But inflation is still higher than before the Iran war began in February, when it was 2.4%. On a monthly basis, prices rose just 0.1% from June to July.
Inflation has been pushed higher by a series of shocks to the economy, including President Trump’s tariffs imposed last spring, higher gas prices stemming from the Iran war, and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure that has boosted computer chip prices. The key question for the inflation-fighters at the Fed — not to mention for consumers struggling with high gas and grocery prices — is how quickly those one-time effects will fade.
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Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment.
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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat he insisted didn’t scare him.
Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.
He also downplayed the risk to the people — White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters — he left on the plane.
“They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters after returning from an event in Ohio, saying he had little choice in the matter.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it,” he said. “I get a lot of threats.”
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President Donald Trump talks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
