Establishes company among the Valley’s longest-standing, homegrown commercial general contractors

PHOENIX, Arizona, October 6, 2026 – Leading Phoenix-based general contractor Stevens-Leinweber Construction (SLC) today announced its 45^th anniversary. The milestone makes SLC one of metro Phoenix’s longest-standing, homegrown general contractors and a go-to source for leading local, regional and global clients.

Founded in 1981 by Mike Stevens and Mark Leinweber, SLC began as a startup focused on commercial tenant improvements. Jamie Godwin joined the firm in 2014 and in 2018 was elevated to the position of President and CEO.

“In its earliest days, SLC focused on tenant improvement work when few local contractors specialized in it. Our first significant TI job came from our former employer. They gave us the opportunity to be exceptional, and we ran with it,” said Leinweber. “Forty-five years and over 10,000 projects later, the company is still doing exactly that, and it’s in good hands for the next 45 years.”

“My objective is to honor and continue SLC’s track record in a way that reflects our deep respect for our employees, clients, partners, and community,” said Godwin. “That means serving as the champion and guardian of a superior corporate culture and maintaining our clients’ trust by always delivering a best-in-class experience, and always delivering product that is at the forefront of technology, tenant needs and market demand. We know we’re doing well when colleagues in our industry ask us to build their own projects. For me, that demonstrates the power of living out our mission: Promises Made. Promises Kept.”

Under Godwin’s leadership, SLC in 2017 hired Erik Powell to establish and lead a ground-up division, initiating the company’s evolution into one of the market’s most trusted, full-service general contractors. Today, SLC provides both ground-up and tenant improvement services for the office, industrial, retail and medical sectors. Its award-winning portfolio spans more than 10,000 completed tenant improvements and over 25 million square feet of ground-up, Class A office and industrial space completed or in the pipeline.

“Establishing and growing SLC’s ground-up division from a team of one into an award-winning operation has been the highlight of my career,” said Powell, now Executive Vice President for Stevens-Leinweber Construction. “Ground-up work gives SLC quality diversification by adding new services to our tenant improvement roots. Once we made that transition, we gained a full-service stature, allowing us to serve as a client’s partner from project inception to tenant buildout. Personally, that means I get to build some of the best spaces in metro Phoenix and mentor an amazing team along the way. It is extremely fulfilling.”

SLC’s team now includes more than 80 industry experts who together deploy millions of square feet of Class A commercial space each year. Its clients include some of the nation’s leading commercial real estate owners and developers, and its projects reflect some of the most forward-thinking workspaces, located in the Valley’s hottest growth corridors.

On the industrial front, SLC’s Class A metro Phoenix deliveries are regularly honored with top industry awards. Recent examples include the 1.75 million-square-foot C|303 delivery for Merit Partners; the 1.6 million-square-foot Phase I at Goodyear AirPark for Lincoln Property Company; and the Camelback 303 Logistics Center for Brookfield Properties, notable for its expansive industrial outdoor storage component.

SLC is also active in the industrial mid-market sector, with recent projects ranging from Chandler Connection, built for Comunale Properties and a regional hub for Edwards Vacuum, to Merit 27 Buckeye, where SLC transformed a vacant school campus into a vibrant new industrial project for Merit Partners.

In the tenant improvement arena, SLC consistently delivers award-winning workspace and amenity areas within metro Phoenix’s most desired properties. This includes multiple Class A office projects for Alliance Bank at the landmark Block 23 and CityScape; Clayco’s Southwest regional headquarters at The Grove; Cognite’s new global headquarters at Hayden Ferry Lakeside; and the corporate headquarters for Lessen, a multi-story delivery at the Portales Corporate Center. The SLC portfolio also includes state-of-the-art industrial tenant improvements serving users ranging from Boeing to Parts Town to Daikin.

In 2024, SLC’s deep client trust and broad project success earned the company the RED Awards General Contractor of the Year. In 2025, the firm was honored as the CREDA (NAIOP) Tenant Improvement Contractor of the Year.

“Phoenix has evolved considerably over the past 45 years, and SLC has kept pace,” said Stevens. “When Mark and I started out, we did so with the goal of doing good work for good people, and we built an extraordinary company on that premise. Our leadership reins have passed to a new generation, but they are equally dedicated to the SLC tradition. Their commitment to one another and their determination to remain front-of-field for their clients keep this team at the top of their game and highly tuned in to what the market needs. That is the best legacy a founder could ask for.”

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