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Contractors
of the Month

The Echelon Company celebrates 10 years in Fountain Hills

Dennis Brown of the Echelon Company is Contractor of the Month, recognized by the Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors.

Dennis Brown’s Echelon Company (www.theecheloncompany.com) celebrates 10 years in Fountain Hills, but he has more than 44 years in the construction industry.

Echelon has built 58 custom homes, ranging from 1,500 square feet to 11,600 square feet.

He has also built virtually every kind of commercial building: banks, churches, office buildings, a recycling center, retail shops, beauty salons and medical offices.

In today’s market, the company focuses on additions and remodeling. “We are seeing more people wanting to stay where they are, but update and make it new again,” Dennis said.

“That is the mode of construction today. We are clearly in the remodeling and additions business.”

One current residential project includes both an addition and a remodel. The homeowner is building a new guest casita, and updating the exterior as well. The job includes replacement energy-efficient windows and a new façade using synthetic stucco.

“Synthetic stucco is a great product. It’s a finish color coat, applied over traditional concrete base coats. We find the color stays vibrant for about eight years. It has an elastomeric base, which helps minimize cracking and ‘efflorescence,’ which is the spider-web of tiny cracks you often see in stucco after a rain.”

A current project is an addition to a youth center for City of Grace church at N. 96th St. and Cactus. “This project is a challenge,” according to Dennis; “everyone has an opinion and an interest, so making sure everyone is satisfied is an important part of the process.”

Dennis recommends that homeowners check contractors’ references before signing a contract. “Fountain Hills has several good contractors,” he says. “Find one you are comfortable with. Check their references. Get to know them. Be sure you trust your contractor. Your contractor will be managing a large part of your portfolio for a while, so be careful in the selection stage.”

Brown also takes public service very seriously. He currently serves on the Fountain Hills Town Council, appointed after the passing of Council Member Keith McMahan, and following eight years as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner. Previously he was President of the Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors.

Brown is married to Fountain Hills Associate Broker Judy Brown. He has two sons, a daughter and five granddaughters. He likes to spend weekends on his pontoon boat at Saguaro Lake.

The Fountain Hills Association of Licensed Contractors is a not-for-profit trade association promoting better contracting practices.

Association officers are: Roger Rambo of Rambo & Son Landscaping, Pool Service and Repair, president; Joe Ciotta of Joe Ciotta Plumbing, vice president; Al Donaldson of Double D Construction, immediate past president; Alice Blackerby of Fountain Hills Design Center, secretary-treasurer.