Torres Multicultural

Today, we celebrate our fearless founder and CEO, Tania Torres, who is being honored at the 2025 Champions of Change Awards luncheon hosted by Az Business Magazine of AZ BIG Media. Tania has been nominated in two categories:

• Business Leader of the Year

• Philanthropic Business Leader of the Year

These nominations are a testament to Tania’s commitment to uplifting multicultural communities through bold storytelling, strategic advocacy, and powerful platforms like the annual Chingona Soles and Luna Culture Lab. Her work has inspired thousands, opened doors for underrepresented voices, and redefined what it means to lead with both purpose and passion. We’re proud, we’re grateful, and today—we’re cheering her on!

We’re flashing back to last year when our staff helped coordinate a huge water donation to Alcoholic Anonymous. Kiewit crews working on the Southcentral light rail extension donated a pallet of water to AA for use in their meetings and events. The attendees and leadership who were there when the donation was made were thrilled.

President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA Thasunda Brown Duckett believes in believing in yourself. She holds the distinction of being one of the only female CEOs of color of a Fortune 500 company.

All stilettos have been picked up or shipped to winning bidders of the Chingona Soles Stiletto Art and Fashion Show auction! Stilettos went to 38 winning bidders across Arizona, California, and Washington. We’re thrilled that these works of art will be displayed proudly in peoples’ homes and businesses.

Today we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by presenting the beneficiary of this year’s Chingona Soles Stiletto Art and Fashion Show auction, Black Girl Brown Girl Collective, with a check for $10,000. We are proud to help them further their mission with this donation.

We are proud of our relationship with Senator and former TMC employee Senator Ruben Gallego. We were honored to have he and his wife Sydney attend our Chingona Soles event in October. On the campaign trail, he held a press conference in our downtown Phoenix offices. We can’t wait to see what he can accomplish in the Senate!

This week’s honors Carol Tomé, the CEO of UPS. Before joining UPS in 1995, she was the CFO of The Home Depot. Carol believes in the importance of learning from each other to progress and grow.

South Phoenix community members came together to leave their mark – literally! It was a weekend full of vibrant color and community spirit at our Meet-and-Paint workshops in the Valley Metro and City of Phoenix, AZ USA South Central Extension (SCE) Community Office.

Attendees got creative alongside Zarco Guerrero, the artist behind the Baseline Rd. Station, and even left their literal handprints on our Community Engagement Wall next to their art pieces. Zarco shared the story behind the Mother of Water, giving everyone the chance to recreate his Baseline Station design on their own stencils and canvases.

This is just one of many community engagement events we’ve hosted! We’ve also heard from Diego Perez (Broadway Rd. Station) and Isaac Caruso (signal building on Sherman St.). Next up is Therosia Reynolds in February (TPSS Station on Carter Rd.), the dynamic duo Martin Moreno and Emily Costello in March (Roeser Rd. Station) and Hugo Medina in April (Southern Rd. Station).

Stay tuned for more ways to celebrate South Phoenix art and culture on the South Central Extension Light Rail!

Kiewit Corporation

We’re proud to spotlight one of our staff members working on the Valley Metro and City of Phoenix, AZ USA light rail extension in Southcentral Phoenix. Cynthia Pena has been with Torres since 2023. She recently earned a well-deserved promotion to Account Executive. She leads communication for the Salt River Bridge to Valencia Dr. part of the construction alignment. In her spare time, she is training for a half marathon this year!

One of our biggest accomplishments from the last year was hosting the Engineers of the Future summer camp at South Pointe Junior High. Engineers from PGH Wong Engineering shared their expertise with students and at the end of the week, students enthusiastically took part in a science fair to see whose bridge could hold the most weight. A fun and educational time was had by all!

As a woman-owned and led business, we celebrate other female CEOs. Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx and Sneex. Sara founded Spanx at 27 years old with $5,000 in personal savings and turned it into a billion-dollar company!

As a small business, your greatest asset is your network. Build authentic relationships with your clients, partners, and community. Remember, word-of-mouth referrals can be one of the most powerful drivers for growth. Start the new year by reaching out and reconnecting with your network!