General contractor McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. based in St. Louis, Mo., plans to develop a 12-acre former hotel and convention site in Tempe, Ariz., into a training campus for “people development, innovation, leadership programming and company culture” for its 8,000 employees.
The 100% employee-owned construction company announced in a Jan. 27 press release that it had purchased the abandoned land. Local outlets reported weeks earlier that the site was once home to a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. It was purchased by McCarthy for $27.5 million, according to Tempe real estate database Vizzda LLC.
In the press release, McCarthy Chairman and CEO Ray Sedey hailed the purchase as a “significant investment” in the company’s “people, performance and culture.”
“It highlights our long-term commitment to developing the next generation of builders and leaders,” said Sedey. “By creating a dedicated campus for specialized training, connection and leadership development, we are positioning our employees, and therefore our customers, for long-term success.”
Tempe Mayor Corey Woods added to the accolades by praising McCarthy’s plans to revitalize the property and give its expansive grounds a second life.
“Their significant investment in the restoration and improvement of this property is appreciated, and our city looks forward to welcoming the thousands of McCarthy construction professionals who will visit each year,” Woods said.
The company says its planned Tempe campus will focus on leadership and executive development as a complement to its existing Innovation and Craft Workforce Center (ICWC) in Chandler, Arizona, opening in 2023, where the company hosts hands-on training for its craft professionals and business partners. McCarthy’s Regional strategy director Antonya Williams says that together the two centers will help advance the company’s workforce development goals.
“The passion and talent of our McCarthy partners are at the heart of this effort, and we are committed to developing our people, at all levels, to be visionary leaders of our projects and company in the future,” Williams added in the press release.
McCarthy ranked #20 on ENR’s 2025 Top 400 list with over $6.9 billion in revenue.
