City Electric Supply (CES) is proud to announce that CES Chandler is helping supply one of the biggest developments to hit the city of Tempe. The construction of Pier 202, two-high rise, mixed-use buildings connected by a sky bridge, will stand 30 stories tall. In addition to the apartments that will have floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the massive development will include ground-level retail, fine dining and Class A offices — something that CES Chandler Outside Sales Representative Scotty Evans says the city has never seen before.
“There’s nothing like this in Tempe. Nothing even close,” said Evans. “It’ll be the highest-standing building in the city.”
And Tempe couldn’t be more prepared for a project of this magnitude. Since 2000, it has brought in nearly 40,000 jobs and is expected to bring even more.
“Beneath the apartments will be several shops and a restaurant accessible on the ground level. It will also add more luxury living spaces for a growing city. This will just bring even more people to the area. In a couple of years, when Pier 202 is finally wrapped up, it’s going to be a really great development for Tempe.”
While the project faced several interferences since the original proposal of different development in 2007, Evans expects things to move pretty quickly from here on out.
“Right now, we’re still putting together a lot of the quotes and proposals,” Evans said, “but we’re making some headway. Siemens is going to be used for the gear. It’s still a working progress on a lot of fronts, but as construction continues and they start going vertical, it’s going to move fast.”
So far, a lot of manufacturers close to City Electric Supply are already involved in putting different parts of the project together, including CME Wire, Siemens, Centaur and TAMCO. Evans continues to play several key roles in supplying the project. He didn’t just help CES Chandler land the opportunity with Developer Rob Fransway, Evans has also submitted proposals for the gear and transformers, and is currently working on quotes for everything from the wire to the solar panels that will be installed on the roof.
“I’m usually out there at least once or twice a week to keep tabs on the development and see if there’s anything I can help with. The underground garage is making progress, the support is all there, so it won’t be long before they start going vertical,” said Evans. Evens also helped connect Mr. Fransway with G4 Electric, the electrical contractor responsible for the entire electrical side of the development. One of the rewarding parts of the Pier 202 development has been the history he has with G4 Electric and how he was able to connect them with this project.
“Since we first met in 2016, we’ve worked together quite a bit,” said Evans. “They’re just good, family-minded people who do what they say they’re going to do. All I did was introduce them to Mr. Fransway, and they handled the rest.”
For G4 Electric, this marks a huge opportunity for the family-owned business. Being able to work on one of the largest developments in Tempe means that they’ll have a chance to secure more development jobs, especially with all the residential and mixed-use construction popping up so close to Pier 202.
John Gosney, Jr. and his son, John III, the owners of G4 Electric, are just as excited to take on this new opportunity. “It’s not easy running an electrical construction company,” Gosney said. “Being able to work on Pier 202, it brings a lot of validation to all of our hard work over the years. It shows that someone is recognizing what we’re doing, and we’re happy that Scotty introduced us to Mr. Fransway and helped us get the ball rolling.”
G4 Electric is eager to get started on this massive project. They’re working right alongside the surveyor, the pool contractor, energy management and utilities. Anything can change on any given day, but you just have to adapt. In addition to the usual day-to-day changes that can happen on a job site, Gosney is also looking forward to even more challenges that can come from working on two buildings that are predominately concrete and rebar.
“This development is a little tricky,” he said. “It’s all concrete: concrete floors, concrete ceilings. When you’re doing electrical work and you’re working right alongside the guys pouring concrete and going floor by floor, you have to be pretty close to exact. We’re right there with the surveyors who are marking where we need to run conduit, pipes, lighting boxes, floor boxes and bus duct. You don’t have as much flexibility to rework something if it’s not right.”
But even though this is proving to be quite the challenge, Gosney and his G4 Electric team are looking forward to what lies ahead and the many more opportunities that could come from their close relationship with CES Chandler.
“I’ve been in the business for 45 years and worked with just about every wholesaler that’s out there. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a relationship quite like the one we have with Scotty and City Electric Supply. CES Chandler has one great group of guys. We have a lot of trust in one another especially on a large project like this. They’re our main supplier for a reason.”
City Electric Supply is a family-owned electrical wholesale distributor headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
