Walt Brown Jr.
Founder, CEO & Designated Broker
Diversified Partners
Sector: Real Estate
For Diversified Partners, the physical attributes of a workplace are about far more than function; they are about experience. Location is foundational, but not just in terms of access. We look for environments that naturally inspire connection, where the surroundings elevate how people think, meet and create.
Design plays an equally important role. Our current office, a thoughtfully modernized former fire station, reflects that philosophy. It blends character with intention, creating an atmosphere that feels both dynamic and authentic. It is the kind of space that energizes a team and makes the workday feel anything but routine.
At our new office at Lakefront at Scottsdale, amenities are no longer secondary. The ability to step out and into an experience is essential, whether walking to a refined restaurant with clients, grabbing coffee between meetings or taking in views of Camelback Mountain and the lake. Everything is designed to feel seamless, effortless and inspiring at every level.
Walt Brown, Jr. is founder, CEO and designated broker of Diversified Partners, a Scottsdale-based brokerage and development firm. With more than 30 years of experience, he has led the leasing, sale and development of more than 5,000 properties totaling more than 12 million square feet nationwide. Known for his strategic vision and relationship-driven approach, Brown has built lasting partnerships across the commercial real estate industry.
Kim Davids
President & CEO
Arizona Builders Alliance
Sector: Trade Association
For a trade association like Arizona Builders Alliance, the workplace must do two things well: serve as a professional home for our team and function as a hub where members come to learn, connect and grow. When we selected SkySong at ASU’s innovation center in Scottsdale, both goals came into focus immediately.
Location drove the decision. SkySong sits near the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell roads, less than three miles from ASU’s Tempe campus, making it accessible for members and students across the Valley. The development’s emphasis on collaboration and entrepreneurship mirrors exactly what ABA brings to the construction industry every day.
Our 20,869-square-foot space gives us roughly 5,300 square feet for corporate operations and the remainder dedicated to educational programming — classrooms where our apprentices are learning trade skills and where we deliver the leadership training our members need to stay competitive.
The environment at SkySong reinforces our culture. When a space is built around innovation and partnership, it elevates the work happening inside it. That alignment is what made SkySong the right address for ABA.
Kim Davids serves as president of the Arizona Builders Alliance, bringing 24 years of experience in commercial and industrial construction. A University of Illinois civil engineering graduate, she has held roles ranging from project engineer to business unit leader. Under her leadership, ABA represents construction companies across the state, expanding workforce development programs, driving legislative advocacy and strengthening Arizona’s construction industry statewide.
Matt Kuhn
Construction Manager
Luna Grill
Sector: Restaurant
At Luna Grill, our site selection and test-fit process is both highly strategic and rooted in operational efficiency. We typically target spaces in the 1,600- to 2,200-square-foot range, with an ideal footprint between 1,800 and 1,900 square feet. While overall size matters, width is often the most critical constraint, as it ultimately dictates the functionality and flow of the kitchen. Over time, we’ve developed two primary layout configurations built around a refined workflow that groups key equipment and stations into cohesive zones. The goal is to minimize unnecessary movement, reduce steps and maintain adjacency between critical components, while still allowing enough space to avoid congestion.
We also evaluate factors like rear door access in relation to prep areas and walk-ins to ensure seamless back-of-house logistics. From there, we layer in performance metrics such as projected AUV to determine appropriate storage and cold capacity. Front-of-house design is equally intentional — patios are highly preferred, and interior layouts are tailored to the surrounding demographic. Ultimately, each site is a balance of operational discipline and guest experience.
Matt Kuhn is a construction manager at Luna Grill with an extensive career in construction and design. He brings deep experience overseeing projects from concept through completion, with a strong focus on quality, efficiency and attention to detail. Known for his hands-on approach and technical expertise, Kuhn plays a key role in delivering consistent, high-performing spaces and supporting Luna Grill’s continued growth.
Jon Varner
Operations Manager
Helix Electric
Sector: Electrical Contracting
For an operations-driven business like ours, the physical environment directly shapes productivity, safety and the quality of what we deliver. When Helix Electric selected Goodyear for our 112,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, location was the foundation of that decision. Proximity to Interstate 10 and Phoenix Goodyear Airport gives us the logistics muscle to move prefabricated electrical components efficiently to job sites across the country.
The facility’s interior layout was purpose-built for high-volume prefabrication in a controlled environment, which improves both worker safety and construction quality compared to traditional field assembly. Wide floor spans, clear sightlines and organized workflow zones allow our teams to operate with precision at scale.
Goodyear’s skilled workforce and pro-business climate sealed the decision. When a region actively supports growth and offers the infrastructure to sustain it, a company can plant roots with confidence. That combination is exactly what we found here.
Jon Varner serves as operations manager at Helix Electric, where he oversees the company’s 112,000-square-foot Goodyear manufacturing facility and manages key Arizona construction work across the state. The facility produces prefabricated electrical components that support Helix projects nationwide. Varner leads a team committed to both operational excellence and community impact, driving Helix’s growth as a leading electrical contractor with more than 3,000 employees nationwide and more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
