Chic Retail Center Rises From Dust of Old Sawmill in Downtown Flagstaff

Ryan Companies US, Inc. Selected to Build  47,000 Square Feet of Retail at Aspen Place at The Sawmill

PHOENIX (August 27, 2008)    Ryan Companies US, Inc., one of the Valley’s largest developers of commercial and office properties, announced today the start of a 47,000 SF Phase 1 of a retail project in downtown Flagstaff’s Aspen Place at The Sawmill, an innovative urban mixed-used re-development spearheaded by Scottsdale-based developer, The Aspen Group.

The Aspen Group is developing this combined retail and residential project on nearly 40 acres in the heart of Flagstaff that is named in honor of the Stone Forest Sawmill that once occupied the area. Aspen Place at the Sawmill is transforming Flagstaff’s downtown into a vibrant area to live, work and play, with a central outdoor amphitheater and 155,000 square feet of restaurants, cafes, shops and services along with single-family homes, lofts condominiums and live-work units. Ryan Companies was selected by The Aspen Group to provide general contracting and value engineering services for the sophisticated $6.4M retail portion of the development.

“We have as many as 40 retail and restaurant venues planned for Aspen Place at The Sawmill, so it is critical that this portion of the project be completed on-time by a contractor we can trust,” notes Curt Wagner, Vice President of Development for The Aspen Group. “We are very pleased with our partnership with The Ryan Companies and are excited they are building this project. The Aspen Group has created a unique and stylish shopping, dining and entertainment experience that is a first in Flagstaff.”

About Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Named the 2007 National Developer of the Year by the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), Ryan Companies US, Inc. is a leading national commercial real estate firm offering integrated construction and development as well as asset, property and facilities management services to customers. Ryan Companies has offices in Minneapolis, Chicago, San Diego, Tampa, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Phoenix. Since formally opening its Southwest regional office in Phoenix in 1994, Ryan has been responsible for constructing projects totaling more than 14 million square feet in the greater Phoenix area, and  Ryan recently opened a satellite office in Flagstaff in order to accommodate growing demand for its design-build and General Contracting services in Northern Arizona.  Projects in the Flagstaff area include Aspen Place at The Sawmill, a 24,000 SF Camping World retail outlet, and various projects at Northern Arizona University. www.ryancompanies.com.  

About The Aspen Group
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., The Aspen Group is a leading investment and real estate development company with projects and investments in Arizona and Montana. For more information on the company and its projects, visit TheAspenGroup.com.        # # #