Ryan Stevens Appointed as Director of Preconstruction Services at Loven Contracting

Headshot of Loven Director of Preconstruction Services Ryan Stevens

Loven Contracting is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Stevens as the new Director of Preconstruction Services. With nearly 8 years of dedicated service to the company, Ryan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role. His commitment to excellence in processes and relationship building will play a crucial role in advancing our preconstruction capabilities.

Ryan’s appointment comes at a pivotal time – the role of preconstruction is increasingly integral to project success. His leadership will ensure seamless coordination and effective execution of preconstruction activities, contributing significantly to the overall success of our client’s projects.

“We are thrilled to have Ryan assume the role of Director of Preconstruction Services,” said Jon Hansen, P.E., President of Loven Contracting. “We are confident that under his leadership, our preconstruction department will continue to excel, further solidifying our reputation for quality in all aspects of project delivery.”

Ryan will work closely with our Preconstruction, Operations, Construction, and Financial teams to uphold the highest standards of quality and service. His appointment underscores our commitment to nurturing talent from within and empowering our team members to grow and succeed.

Please join us in congratulating Ryan on his new role. We are excited about the contributions he will make as Director of Preconstruction Services and look forward to the continued success of Loven Contracting.

Loven Contracting is one of America’s Safest Companies

Loven Contracting is one of America’s Safest Companies

 

Loven Contracting has been named one of America’s Safest Companies in recognition of its above-and-beyond job site safety program. Our general contracting company is one of only 10 companies nationwide to earn the award this year. We’re also one of only 250 businesses across multiple industries to earn the honor since 2002.

The America’s Safest Companies list is compiled by the editors of national safety industry publication EHS Today. The award recognizes companies for above and beyond commitments to occupational health, safety and risk management.

Safety is the No. 1 Priority 

“At Loven Contracting, we’ve created a strong safety culture in which employees at all levels feel empowered and responsible to maintain a safe working environment,” said Loven Contracting President Jon Hansen. “From the very first day on the job, our employees understand that no work is ever so urgent that we can’t take the time to do it in a safe manner.”

A Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star

In addition to the America’s Safest Companies honor, Loven Contracting is a VPP Star, a designation created by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1982. Our company is one of only five general contractors statewide to earn VPP Star status from the Arizona Department of Occupational Safety (ADOSH). As a result of diligent effort, the company has maintained its VPP status during multiple re-certifications. The VPP status and its newest honor demonstrates Loven Contracting’s above-and-beyond commitment to safety for all employees.

The Highest Levels of Job Site Safety

As one of America’s Safest Companies, Loven Contracting will share the elements of its successful safety program and help other companies reduce on-the-job injuries and illnesses. EHS Today also shares the stories of winning companies to inspire companies nationwide to improve safety programs.

The America’s Safest Companies recognition requires companies have:

  • Strong support from leadership and management for employee health and safety efforts
  • Employee involvement at all levels in the EHS process
  • Innovative solutions to safety challenges
  • Lower than average injury and illness rates
  • Comprehensive and effective training programs
  • A safety plan that places the highest priority on prevention of incidents
  • Good overall communication about the value of safety
  • A way to substantiate the benefits of the safety processes.

To learn more about Loven Contracting’s commitment to safety, go to this link.

Loven Contracting named a Top Company to Work for in Arizona

Loven Contracting named a Top Company to Work for in Arizona

Being a great place to work has always been a top priority for Loven Contracting. That’s why we’re so proud to announce that our Flagstaff-based general contracting firm has been named to the 2023 list of the Top Companies to Work for in Arizona.

The Top Companies list is based on information and data collected by independent research firm, Best Companies Group. The firm evaluated companies based on employee feedback. Also examined: company culture, work environment, leadership, employee pride and satisfaction, workplace practices, policies, and compensation and benefits

An Employee-friendly and Inclusive Environment

“We are honored to be included on this list of leading workplaces in Arizona,” said Jon Hansen, Loven Contracting president. “We’ve worked hard to create an inclusive environment in which every employee has opportunities to develop successful careers and thrive.”

Loven Contracting is an award-winning construction company that delivers high value projects across Arizona and the Southwest. The company provides competitive compensation and world-class benefits. It also offers a supportive working environment that values diverse voices and clear paths to career advancement.

High Levels of Employee Engagement

In addition to employee-friendly policies and programs, Top Workplaces winners also have extremely high employee engagement rates averaging 92%. Employee engagement is the level of enthusiasm employees have for both their workplace and their job. Loven Contracting’s employee engagement rate is 94%. 

 “This level of performance is about three times the national average when compared to Gallup’s recent reporting of U.S. employee engagement,” says Jaime Zepeda, executive vice president of Best Companies Group.

A World-Class Employee Benefits Program

Loven Contracting employees, completing anonymous surveys, ranked the company significantly above average in a wide variety of areas, including culture, pay and benefits, career advancement and diversity, equity, and inclusion, among others. The company also provides industry-leading benefits such as 100% employer-paid insurance premiums for employees, spouses, and dependents. There’s also a profit-sharing plan and pension program that require no financial contributions from employees.

 All employees are also eligible for Volunteer Time Off (VTO). The company offers 80% more VTO time each year than the national average among companies that offer this benefit, according to statistics from the United Way. The company, which through its philanthropic program financially supports more than 30 community nonprofits, also allows each employee to make one company-funded donation to the community organization of their choice each year.

The Highest Levels of Job Site Safety

Loven Contracting is unique in another important way: It is one of only five Arizona general contractors to earn the VPP Star designation, the highest level of safety recognition provided by OSHA and the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

 “The No. 1 priority at Loven Contracting is the safety and well-being of its employees,” Hansen said.

Jessica Gonzalez honored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jessica Gonzalez recognized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Jessica Gonzalez recognized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Earn an in-demand college degree. Check. Graduate debt-free. Check. Land a great job after graduation. Check again! Join us in congratulating our newest Project Engineer, Jessica Gonzalez. Her journey is highlighted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in this new video.

Jessica, who joined Loven Contracting as an intern, was born in Yuma and moved back and forth between the US and Mexico for most of her childhood. She has worked hard to carve out a brighter future for herself and her family.

Achieving Economic Mobility

New data from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows three key factors foster economic mobility. They are: an affordable college education, a strong work ethic, and a degree with real market value. Northern Arizona University, where Jessica earned her civil engineering degree, has made equitable value and economic mobility a central part of its mission. In other words, NAU is “redefining the value of a college degree,” foundation co-chair Bill Gates said in a post on his blog.

Because of NAU’s commitment to fostering economic mobility, Gates visited Flagstaff and studied NAU’s efforts to make a college education more attainable for indigenous students and those from households with incomes of less than $65,000 a year. Despite countless requests over the years, Gates delivered only the third commencement address of his career this month in Flagstaff. (His other two commencement addresses were at ivy-league colleges: Harvard in 2007 and Stanford in 2014.

From College Intern to Project Manager

Like Gates, Jessica is a fan of NAU. The university was a great match for her and her goals, she says, and she was able to graduate debt-free. “I feel very proud to be graduating from a university that encourages students to pursue degrees that have value,” she says. What’s next for this bright young adult?  “I want to use my civil engineering degree to give back to my family and my community because I’ve been helped in many ways.”

As part of Loven Contracting’s mentor-led internship program, Jessica said she learned about every aspect of the construction process – from preconstruction to construction and beyond – and had the opportunity to gain real-world experience.

As a Project Engineer at Loven Contracting, Jessica will be working in a team setting to support the project management process and exceed customer expectations in both process and product. “During the internship, I realized that I love the collaborative nature of being a project engineer,” she says. “And, at the same time, I fell in love with the company.”

Jessica Gonzalez honored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Loven Contracting sponsors the Flagstaff Running Series

Loven Contracting sponsors the Flagstaff Running Series

With pleasant summertime temperatures, an extensive trail system and a picturesque setting, Flagstaff has long been a mecca of outdoor activity. With its elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, it’s also one of the most popular destinations in the world for runners and Olympic-level athletes who use high-altitude training to increase performance. In fact, athletes training in Flagstaff have earned an estimated 350+ medals at Olympic events since 1996.

At Loven Contracting, we’re proud to be the title sponsor of the 19th Annual Flagstaff Running Series, which brings together five different high-altitude running events from June 17 to August 12. The series attracts runners from across the state and the Southwest to the city each summer.

Many of the races feature Olympians and elite athletes who enjoy the camaraderie of running with Flagstaff residents, says volunteer organizer Neil Weintraub. The series provides a number of family-friendly options for people of all ages and abilities, with 5k/10k walking options, a 2-mile run, Kid’s Dashes and virtual runs.

The series benefits nonprofit community organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff, Northland Hospice and Footprints for Hopi, which distributes food, hygiene items, clothing, and other necessities to Hopi people. At Loven Contracting, we support 30+ nonprofit community organizations and support events like the Flagstaff Running Series to help improve lives and build neighborhoods.

Here is this year’s lineup:

June 17thNorthland Hospice Run for Life 5K/10K/Kid’s Fun Run. This event offers the choice of running or walking a 5K or 10K. There’s also a run designed for children and virtual 5k and 10k options. Proceeds raised from this event is earmarked for Northland Hospice’s patient assistance fund, which provides end-of-life comfort care regardless of ability to pay.

July 4thTeam Run Flagstaff Downtown Mile and Kid’s Dash. Presented by Team Run Flagstaff and the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, this event includes six different race options and a Kid’s Race.

July 29Hopi Footprints 2-mile Fun Run/Walk or 10K. Run the 10K or participate in the 2-mile Fun Run/Walk to help support Hopi Relief’s efforts to deliver much-needed supplies to Hopi people.

August 5thMachine Solutions Soldiers Trail Run 5K/10K/Kid’s Dash. This event features in-person and virtual 2K, 5K and 10Ks – run or walk! There’s also a Kid’s Dash. All proceeds from this event benefits Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Children’s Health Center.

August 12thBig Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff (BBBSF) Half Marathon/5K/Kid’s Dash. Run in a half marathon or participate in a 5K Fun Run. For children, there’s a Kid’s Dash.

While participants can register for individual races, signing up for the entire series offers a number of benefits such as discounted pricing compared with signing up for individual events. (The series is a great deal even if you plan to participate in only four of the five events).  In addition to receiving each race’s shirt, adult series participants also receive Flagstaff Running Series socks and those running at least four of the five races will once again earn a Pizzicletta Pizza.

Four important reasons we offer VTO

Four important reasons we offer VTO

Are you familiar with VTO? Short for Volunteer Time Off, it’s an awesome benefit that enables Loven Contracting employees to give the gift of time to local nonprofit organizations during work hours.

Offering our team paid time off each month to volunteer is one way we honor our commitment to serve the communities in which we work and live.  We’ve also provided financial support to charitable organizations through our philanthropic fund for more than 30 years as well as making additional employee-directed donations each year.

Loven Contracting employees have prepared and served meals, assisted flood victims, cleaned streets, collected trash, helped organize events for residents of senior living communities and supported local nonprofit fundraising events, just to name a few.

“We’re fortunate that Loven Contracting recognizes the value of community service and encourages all of its employees to support the initiatives that they feel most passionately about ,” said Myrna Rodriguez Carter, Human Resources Director.

Here are some of the ways that providing paid VTO supports our company’s efforts to serve our community and our employees:

VTO amplifies our philanthropic efforts

Volunteers are the lifeblood of community organizations, providing the hard work, unique skill sets and advocacy that can help nonprofits further their missions and goals. We’ve found that financial assistance plus in-person support is a powerful combination for creating real change in our communities.

It enhances our industry-best benefits program

Loven Contracting is committed to providing our employees with meaningful and challenging work, a supportive and engaging work environment, career advancement opportunities and best-in-class benefits. Our VTO program enhances an already robust employee benefits program that helps us recruit and retain the best employees. Research demonstrates that companies with a culture of volunteerism often have better morale, employee engagement and retention. According to new research by employee benefits firm Unum, it’s also one of the top non-insurance benefits sought by U.S. workers.

It benefits our employees

Countless studies have demonstrated that volunteering has a huge impact not only on the people that organizations serve, but the people who volunteer their time. According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, volunteering can boost the mental and physical health of volunteers, relieve stress, and some studies even link regular volunteering to lower rates of heart disease, depression and illness! Volunteering is good for both the volunteers and the organizations they support, but finding time in busy schedules to volunteer can be difficult.

It aligns with our company’s mission and values

Building relationships is at the core of everything we do. Volunteering supports this mission and helps support our company’s goal of creating stronger, healthier communities.

We understand the importance of a well-designed employee benefits program. At Loven Contracting, we offer 100% employer-paid health insurance premiums, profit sharing and other benefits that go above and beyond what other companies offer – within our industry and beyond.