PHOENIX (Jan. 16, 2012) – Just one year after being promoted to senior vice president at Kitchell, Dan Pierce has taken the helm at one of the best-known names in commercial construction, as president of Kitchell Contractors, Inc. (KCI).

“Dan is a natural leader with a deep knowledge of our industry and a keen sense of how to move our business forward,” said Kitchell Corporation President and CEO Jim Swanson. “He has been a part of growing our business for the past 30-plus years, and is the right person to move Kitchell forward and focus on enhancing our core business.”

 Pierce takes the helm of KCI as Kitchell Corporation closes one of its best years in the company’s 60-year history. He joined Kitchell 30 years ago, right out of college, as a project engineer. Since his first project, St. Luke’s Hospital in Phoenix, he has advanced within the company from project manager through senior vice president, Healthcare Division, and has been directly involved in thousands of projects.

“Dan’s decades-long experience at Kitchell, the deep-seated respect he has among our employees and clients, and his collaborative nature make him ideal for this well-deserved promotion,” Swanson said. 

Pierce has demonstrated strong and steady leadership throughout his tenure at Kitchell and has been instrumental in building the company’s healthcare division, nurturing the medical technology planning division, FDI Planning Consultants, Inc., and expanding Kitchell’s highly regarded Virtual Construction group. He has been a champion of integrating services throughout Kitchell’s diversified family of companies, which also represents project management, development and property management, among other services.

With a bachelor’s degree in construction from Arizona State University, Pierce is involved in many organizations including the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, Healthcare Forum, Healthcare Administrators Forum, and the American Hospital and Health Association.  He is an ASHE Certified Healthcare Builder and member of the Leadership Development Forum of the Arizona Building Alliance. Pierce played a lead role in helping establish the construction management program and its curriculum at Northern Arizona University. From 2000 to 2005, Pierce was a board member of the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix. He recently joined the Board of Trustees at Barrow Neurological Foundation.