Allison Black

Relentless Ally

Passionate About Partnership

When you cut your professional teeth in the restaurant industry at the age of 16, you learn a thing or two about how to anticipate people’s needs for seamless service and personal connection.

That’s exactly where new Arizona Business Development Director Allison Black started, and her career in the more than 21 years since has encompassed a grand tour of the hospitality and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. At each step along the way, Allison has refined and refocused her commitment to fostering productive connections between teams, people and projects.

In her past professional experiences, Allison’s work has naturally brought her close to Balfour Beatty’s orbit on multiple occasions – at one point, she even attended an open house event at our Scottsdale, Arizona offices in 2018, where she met with and learned from local leadership. After her time with global design firm FITCH (a WPP Company) and later Henderson Engineers, a national building systems firm, Allison heeded the call to collect the final stamp in her AEC passport.

“I couldn’t be prouder to join a team that is so trusted and respected, both in Arizona and nationally,” Allison says. “As a lifelong communicator, strategic marketer and business development professional, I’m excited to help our teams and clients connect the dots and identify new opportunities for growth, partnership and successful projects.”

Balfour Beatty’s  Arizona operations have established a well-earned reputation as the contractor of choice for large-scale hospitality projects, including the ongoing Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch and past work like Mountain Shadows Resort and The Fairmont Scottsdale. While Balfour Beatty’s hospitality market leadership continues building on this momentum, Allison also sees Arizona as a strategic growth market for many other sectors and is committed to finding new avenues for opportunity.

“Like in other parts of the country, many Arizona developers are diversifying portfolios and adjusting to our status as a hub of commercial mixed-use developments, retail and entertainment destinations and other rapid growth markets like data centers,” Allison adds. “Balfour Beatty is well-positioned to take on these growth areas and more.”

Allison is originally from Northern California east of the Bay Area, but became an Arizona State University Sun Devil and  received her bachelor’s degree in communications and business. Throughout her career, she has participated in multiple professional organizations and committees, including the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (ULI-WLI) and the Arizona Association of Economic Development (AAED).

“Allison is a fantastic addition to our team in Arizona,” says Vice President Jay McQuarie. “She has an innate sense of client relationship-building and advocacy and a unique drive to see our clients connected to the teams and project solutions that best suit their needs.”