The Daily Dig
McCarthy Building Companies has broken ground on the reimagination of a 12-acre campus in Tempe, Arizona. The project combines employee training with a hotel and conference center. Known as the McCarthy Anchor Campus, it sits at 2100 S. Priest Drive and is scheduled to open in early 2028. It will serve as a central training hub for McCarthy's more than 8,000 salaried and craft employees nationwide.
"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 CEO of McCarthy. He said the campus represents a significant investment in the company's people and is designed to strengthen its ownership culture while developing future leaders.
McCarthy purchased the existing campus in January and brought on SmithGroup as architect to lead the reimagination. The renovated campus will maintain its Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design while adding flexible classrooms, breakout spaces, on-site lodging, wellness amenities and adaptable outdoor spaces built for learning, collaboration and relationship building.
McCarthy also partnered with Pyramid Global Hospitality, which will operate the campus and manage the guest experience under its PyramidWorks division. PyramidWorks is designed for corporate, training and learning environments, and applies hospitality-industry service principles to those settings.
The campus adds to McCarthy's existing workforce infrastructure in Arizona, which includes the Innovation and Craft Workforce Center in Chandler. That facility trains craft professionals and trade partners. The new Tempe campus will serve both salaried and craft employees under one roof, and McCarthy has been recognized by Training Magazine as the first construction company inducted into its Training Top 10 Hall of Fame.
Snapshot:
Project Name: McCarthy Anchor Campus
Owner/Developer: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
Architect: SmithGroup
Hospitality Operator: Pyramid Global Hospitality, operating the campus and guest experience under its PyramidWorks division
Location: 2100 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, Arizona
Site Size: 12 acres
Scope: Reimagination of existing campus into training facility, hotel and conference center
Design Detail: Maintains Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture
Amenities: Flexible classrooms, breakout spaces, on-site lodging, wellness amenities, adaptable outdoor spaces for learning, collaboration and relationship building
Acquisition: Campus purchased by McCarthy in January
Status: Groundbreaking held
Timeline: Expected to open early 2028
Workforce Served: More than 8,000 salaried and craft employees nationwide
Related Facility: Innovation and Craft Workforce Center (ICWC), Chandler, Arizona
TheJobWalk Thoughts
McCarthy ties this campus directly to retention, engagement and long-term growth. That framing turns workforce development into a funded priority instead of a soft benefit, and it's a distinction other firms competing for talent should note.
Tempe and Chandler aren't identical tracks. Chandler trains craft professionals and trade partners, while Tempe serves salaried and craft employees together. Running both at once shows real commitment to training infrastructure across employee types in one region.
SmithGroup handling design and Pyramid Global Hospitality handling operations shows one GC pulling hospitality-level service into an internal facility. It's one example, but it gives other firms a concrete model to study.
Courtesy of McCarthy
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