Passionate about people, CHASSE Building Team is on a mission to positively contribute to the communities in which it works
CHASSE Building Team (CHASSE) is more than a great builder; it’s a business committed to making a difference and improving the lives of its employees, referred to as teammates, as well as the wider community. Working across diverse sectors including commercial, education, healthcare, multifamily, and municipal, CHASSE has earned a strong reputation for delivering consistently high-quality projects that make a positive impact.
“CHASSE was established in 2007 by our founder and CEO, Barry Chasse, who had a vision to make a difference in the community and for our teammates,” opens Fred Bueler, Vice President. “In 2008, we had around 12 teammates and turned over around $14 million in revenue, but fast-forward to now and in 2024, we reached 293 teammates and a revenue of $690 million. Throughout the journey, we’ve been recognized with several awards and accolades; some of our recent ones being the best general contractor by Ranking Arizona, a Best Place to Work by Phoenix Business Journal, and Most Admired Company by AZ Big Media. 
“We’ve created an incredible company culture, which is all due to our teammates. Culture isn’t stagnant but rather ever evolving, and we’re conscious about bringing the right people into the team to ensure our culture continues to embrace our mission and values. We’re passionate about providing people-focused programs that prioritize wellbeing and connection, such as our CHASSEing Healthy wellness initiatives and the empowHER women’s leadership program.
“To celebrate and engage our teammates, we’ve created several opportunities and events like offering an 11 or 16-day sabbatical to teammates on their 11th and 16th anniversaries,” Fred adds. “We also support causes close to our teammates’ hearts, such as CHASSEing-A-Cure, a hike across the Grand Canyon to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; a golf tournament to support Phoenix Children’s Hospital; the JP McLaughlin Archery Scholarship Shoot to honor a superintendent who we lost last year; and our annual MonsterStrong Camping Trip to honor one of our teammates, Shorty, and his battle with pancreatic cancer.”
Testament to CHASSE’s commitment to its teammates, the company owners sold 100 percent of the business to the teammates in 2021. “Our TSOP (Teammate Stock Ownership Plan), as we call it, empowers our teammates to lead with purpose,” Fred says. “We encourage an ‘own it’ mentality to reinforce accountability and collaboration across the business, and our teammates are more invested in CHASSE’s long-term success. The TSOP has strengthened unity, pride, and shared responsibility, emphasizing our vision to make a positive impact on our teammates’ lives.”
Award-winning projects
Before delving into CHASSE’s impact in the community, Fred’s teammates share some of the company’s recent projects, starting with the Child Crisis Arizona Center for Child & Family Wellness. “Child Crisis Arizona (CCA) is a large organization that provides foster care, adoption, therapy, education, food distribution, and job skills, and the new centralized hub is a place that unites these services,” explains Ben Shunk, Business Unit Leader in CHASSE’s commercial division. “In practical terms, the center is a two-story, 38,000-square-foot campus that was one of Arizona’s first net-zero office buildings for a non-profit organization. The contract was worth $20.5 million, and we began work in January 2023 and finished in June 2024.
“The project was designed to meet Living Futures Petal Certification, which features in-depth metrics to ensure the project is sustainable and has a positive impact on the community. Consuming less power than it generates, the center features solar canopies, rooftop gardens with rainwater harvesting, efficient lighting, EV chargers, and a carbon-neutral kitchen, as well as utilizing naturally sourced materials wherever possible.
“The center is a vibrant space and provides a fun and safe environment for families. It was an amazing project to work on, both because of the impact it has on the people it serves and due to its sustainable design and unique requirements,” Ben continues. “CCA has won several awards, including 2025 RED (Real Estate and Development) Award for Office Project of the Year, 2025 Best of NAIOP Winner for Economic Impact Project of the Year, and a brand-new award, 2025 ENR Southwest Award Winner for Sustainable Project of the Year.”
Connor Lewis, Senior Project Manager for CHASSE’s K-12 Division, adds: “Goodyear High School is a brand-new, ground-up high school spanning a 59-acre master-planned campus and features six buildings with a mix of single and two-story structures. We started this project in July 2024 and finished phase one in July 2025, with phase two set to be completed in December 2025. The school caters to all areas of education, from TV studios and robotics labs to extensive athletics facilities and science labs. The school’s principal was working in a temporary building on site throughout the project, which encouraged greater collaboration, and he almost became part of the team.”
Tracy Schmuker, Co-Director of the Municipal Division, also shares details on some of the division’s recently completed projects. “The Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center is a brand-new, 120,000-square-foot water and fitness space that we delivered over an 18-month schedule,” he explains. “The center features two pools, one ten-lane competition pool and another zero-entry recreational pool, which are 750,000 gallons in combined water volume. There are also two slides, three full-size basketball courts, a pool equipment building, a cable-suspended running track, and 20,000 square feet of new solar canopies.
“This was a hugely meaningful project for the Marana community, which is very close knit, as people previously had to travel 45 minutes to Tucson to use similar facilities. On completion, the project featured on the front page of the local newspaper and when we hosted a ribbon cutting event in May 2025, it felt as though the entire Marana community showed up.”
Passion for people
Turning to an ongoing project, Tracy continues: “We’re currently building a recreational sports fieldhouse in the city of Maricopa in Pinal County, where we’re repurposing the former Maricopa Police Department substation and adding a pre-engineered building to create a new recreational facility. It’s a 14-month schedule with completion set for summer 2026, and similarly to the Marana project, it means a lot to the city and community.”
As CHASSE’s mission suggests, the company’s commitment to people extends to the communities in which it works. “In terms of K-12 projects, we engage students on every job site through tours, internship opportunities, and hands-on learning,” Connor explains. “We recently engaged in a Better Building project with Timberland Pro, for example, where kids helped us to build picnic tables and everyone involved got a pair of Timberland boots. There’s also our annual CHASSE-Giving initiative where we provide families in need across all Arizona school districts with Thanksgiving boxes, filled with all the essentials for a Thanksgiving dinner and a $25 gift card.”
Ben adds: “We’re active in several organizations, such as the Young Builders Council (YBC) and the Valley Partnership. Last year, for instance, as part of the Valley Partnership, we renovated part of the Sojourner Center, a safe haven for women and children affected by domestic violence, and over 300 volunteers turned out to help on the day. On a different note, we also participate in the City of Phoenix Electric Light Parade where we build a themed float, but we’re not giving away this year’s theme!”
From speaking with the team, it’s clear to see CHASSE’s passion for people, both its teammates and the wider community. With these values, combined with consistently high-quality project delivery, CHASSE will continue to thrive by constructing projects that positively impact those around them and providing opportunities for its teammates.
“CHASSE’s outlook is one of growth, innovation, and continued dedication to our purpose of building to make a difference,” Fred concludes. “Over the past 17 years, we’ve expanded our partnerships into the higher education, municipal, multifamily, commercial, and healthcare markets, and we plan to deliver high-quality projects and strengthen our community impact in these areas. We’ll continue to further invest in our team’s professional development, enhance our technology, and continue building a workplace culture that supports wellness, safety, and excellence on every site.”