About Ayres Construction
At Ayres, we do things differently than most construction companies. It's the people – our clients, team members, subcontractors and tradespeople – that are at the heart of our practice. This allows us to create an environment where personal success, skill development and reliance on decades of experience lead to exceptional results for our clients and design teams.
We invite you to read our history, meet our team and learn what five generations of experience developing properties in California with a focus on people, results and safety has taught us.
Our Team
Chase Ayres
Principal
Chase Ayres was raised in Newport Beach and received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of San Diego.
During high school summers, he would work either as a busboy at Le Chateau Restaurant or as a bellman at Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa/Newport Beach. Early on, he realized the importance of providing a positive “guest experience”. This interest led him to be more eager about how hotel operations worked. In a three-year period, he worked in hotel construction, housekeeping, front desk, sales, maintenance and as an Assistant General Manager.
Later, he was given the opportunity to construct an in-fill project of 18 single-family homes in Riverside. His responsibilities included: entitling, bidding, project management, superintending the offsite improvements and building the model for this development.
He is focused on continuing the family tradition of real estate development in Southern California.
He is endlessly fascinated with business, real estate, family, healthy living and personal evolution.
Bruce R. D’Eliscu
Principal
Bruce grew up in Newport Beach and attended Newport Harbor High School. After his time at USC, he started working locally in Real Estate Development. Like Allyson Ayres’ family, Bruce’s family developed Orange Country Real Estate.
His hotel career began in 2007. Since then, he has developed our Ayres Hotel Redlands, Ayres Hotel Moreno Valley and most recently our distinctive modern design destination location, Ayres Hotel Chula Vista. In addition, he is responsible for the business operations of Ayres Hotels as an Area Director for 7 locations.
As an Area Director for the hotel group, he is closely involved in the day to day operations of our hotels. He is also in Management for Ayres Commercial Assets and new Development opportunities. Bruce is also instrumental in strategic business planning and implementation for the company.
Bruce is married to Allyson-Ayres D’Eliscu and they have two sons; Campbell and Briggs, and daughter, Annabelle. Allyson is a non-working partner in the Ayres family business and was instrumental in the start-up of Ayres Hotels in the early 1980s as the principal Interior Designer.
Bruce is an active member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club and a past Commodore in 2008. He is passionate about sailing and boating. His family loves their family time in Utah and NYC. They also love all of their animals; including their present fur baby, Austrian Shepard named Lola.
Jana Beekman
Vice President of Design and Construction
Jana Beekman is a native to Orange County where she has resided since 1990 after spending her childhood years in the Inland Empire. She began her journey into the world of construction by working for an electrical company in high school as well as a plumbing, heating, and a/c company during college. She later became familiar with property management by managing large apartment complexes in Orange County. After joining Ayres Hotels, she pursued her college degree receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English from Cal State Fullerton in 2007. An enthusiast for travel and experiences, Jana enjoys creating adventures and great memories with her family.
Joining the Ayres team in 1995 enabled Jana to utilize her background. Beginning as an administrative assistant/project coordinator, she strove to learn about construction and development. As she gained experience, she grew with the company into her current position as Vice President of Design & Construction. Jana now handles projects from the entitlement stage through design, permitting, and construction phases. Having been involved in the building of over 20 of Ayres’ hotels, commercial projects and housing tracts, as well as multiple hotel renovations, she has been an integral part of the growth of Ayres Hotel’s portfolio.
Today, Jana strives to streamline the design and development processes while also supporting the needs of our operating hotel teams. With the talented team members she leads, she seeks to provide excellence in all areas of design and construction. She is excited to welcome Ayres’ fifth-generation, share her experience with them, and expand her knowledge by gaining insights from their fresh outlooks on hospitality development.
She is married to Mike, and they have two sons, Michael and Matthew. She enjoys spending time with her kids and supporting their activities, loves opera and travel, and trying new adventures.
Ethan Ayres
Business Development/Project Assistant
“It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you - or don’t. So don’t take it lightly”
– Kobe Bryant
Ethan Ayres grew up in Newport Beach where he enjoyed sailing and long days at the beach. As he grew older, he fell in love with basketball where he formed a drive to always improve and a will to win. Basketball provided him the opportunity to travel much of the US and world, including Hawaii, Australia and Canada. Ethan has always had a love for the outdoors, which drew him to start his collegiate education at Boise State University, where he also enjoyed camping, snowboarding, rock climbing, and hiking.
His career started in September of 2016 with Ayres Hotels where he began the Management Training Program. Over the course of a year, Ethan was thoroughly trained and worked in many departments including: housekeeping, engineering, breakfast, sales, front desk, and operations. After he completed the Management Training Program, Ethan dedicated the next four months learning the back end of management by working in the Marketing Department.
Since then, Ethan’s natural drive has led him to immerse himself in achieving success working with Ayres Construction Company (ACC). As a Project Assistant, he focuses on bidding, organization, and oversight of construction projects – ranging from hotel renovations to small maintenance items. His role within ACC also includes business development where he builds relationships in order to provide general contracting, entitlement, FF&E purchasing, and design services to outside clients. With over 100+ years of real estate development experience, Ethan is confident that ACC can deliver the end result that clients expect.
Ethan enjoys meeting new people within the real estate industry and the challenge of staying up to date on the impermanent industry. He has gained a Bachelor of Science in Management from Pepperdine University and his Masters of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) from Chapman University.
Jim Ryan
FF&E Purchasing Manager
Jim Ryan was born and raised in Southern California. He attended Orange Coast College and Occidental College where he played football and studied Kinesiology. Jim followed his passion for sports and found himself playing professional rugby for his ancestral country of Ireland.
With rugby behind him but a love of being part of a team and solving problems still driving him, Jim entered into the world of logistics and procurement. Prior to his time with ACC Jim worked as Purchasing Manager for an international design and engineering firm working on hotels, resorts, golf courses, and parks. Some notable projects include Gila River Indian Casino in Arizona, Wynn Resort outdoor design and golf course in Nevada, and a metropolitan airport lobby.
Jim joined Ayres Construction Company in 2017 and with him brought an extensive background in purchasing and project coordination. Whether it is partnering with designers to create conceptual budgets or model rooms, procuring furnishings for large new hospitality projects, or importing goods from overseas, Jim is fluent in every aspect of FF&E purchasing. Jim demonstrates his expertise in logistics management as he facilitates and oversees the competitive bidding processes, purchase order issuance, freight management including warehousing, and phased installation management.
Recently completing multiple new hospitality projects in Southern California, Jim enjoys the satisfaction of a job well done. His work and personal ethics make him a consummate team player bringing a commitment to excellent service and value to his clients.
Jim resides in Orange County, California with his wife Suzanne, four children Devin, Colin, Quentin, Catalina, and their dog, Bella. During his leisure time, he enjoys staying involved in sports refereeing for high school and collegiate football, as well as cheering for his kids in their athletic and academic endeavors.
Katherine Depew
Senior Interior Designer
“The details are not the details. They make the design.” – Charles Eames
Katherine Depew received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from California State University, Long Beach and worked 10 years as a marketing professional. In the midst of her time in marketing, she felt a need to fulfill her passion for interior design. Katherine wanted to integrate her creative talents into a career, so she took a leap and went back to school part-time for interior design at the Interior Designers Institute in Newport Beach, California.
In 2014, Katherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the Interior Designers Institute and began her new career. After interning and working for a hospitality design firm on nationwide projects, she joined Ayres Construction Company as an Interior Designer. Katherine’s skills include, but are not limited to, space planning, computer and hand drafting, ADA compliance and building codes, FF&E selections, millwork design, and custom furniture design. Today, as Senior Interior Designer, she has quickly grown to be an integral part of the team leading the design for both renovations and new construction projects.
Design is also very apparent in Katherine’s free time as she enjoys re-organizing her home and walking through the streets of her neighborhood in Long Beach to admire the charm that makes each house unique. Most importantly, one of her greatest joys is spending quality time with her husband, Wade, and two sons, Bauer and Keaton.
Mark Russell
General Superintendent
With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark Russell possesses extensive knowledge and skills acquired through holding a variety of positions in the field. His career started in construction in 1985. In four short years, Mark worked his way up to foreman. From there Mark continued to grow and learn his trades eventually becoming superintendent of the San Diego Petco Park Stadium in 1998. Throughout his career, Mark has worked on projects ranging from high-rise buildings and hotels, to public bridges and water treatment plants. In 2004, Mark began his own company that focused on a wide array of housing projects including custom homes, senior housing, multifamily housing, and hotels in the San Diego area. In addition to his vast experience, Mark also holds multiple certifications including OSHA 30, rigging and forklift, and has both Class B and C-50 contractor’s licenses.
Today, Mark is the General Superintendent for Ayres Construction Company and is a key leader in the organization. He played a vital role in the development and opening of the new Ayres Hotel Vista/Carlsbad which opened in 2020. Mark also currently oversees ACC’s in-house construction crew as well as all major renovations and new construction projects.
Staying in his native Southern California, Mark enjoys the diversity of the great outdoors with his wife, Audra, and adult children Jessica and Jake. Together they enjoy boating, camping, dune buggies and other outdoor adventures.
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