Northern Arizona Business Journal

Business JOURNAL N O RT H ER N AR IZO NA

November 14, 2014 Issue 1 Vol. 1

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CollegeAmerica opens new facility in Flagstaff

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Local Entrepreneurs and Upstart Companies Find Success in Pursuit of the Big Dream

Downtown's BIG Change How Flagstaff’s Historic District Is Expanding and Changing On an innocuous fall Friday morning,

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The restaurant business is big and getting bigger in Flagstaff

I found myself between meetings downtown and decided to stroll a loop around the Southside. I have walked this kind of loop around downtown, this one from Route 66

down Beaver Street to Benton Avenue, then east to South San Francisco and up.

I likely walked this same way 10 years ago.

But much has changed in those 10 years. The sidewalks are wider, the businesses are different,

the trees are planted, the fixtures and new bike racks are in place. This came with the Southside streetscape improvements of five years.

SEE PAGE 4 FOR THE FULL STORY ďƒ¨

November 14, 2014 |

Vol. 1 Issue 1

Contents

Business JOURNAL N O RT H E R N A R I Z O N A

Editorial Editor Seth Muller sethm@flaglive.com (928) 913-8668 Art Director Ralph Schmid Graphic Artists Candace Collett Keith Hickey Photographers Jake Bacon Taylor Mahoney

FEATURES

9 Home prices on the rise 11 Network Corner 14 Who's Who's 23 Get Involved

4

How Flagstaff’s Historic District Is Expanding and Changing

12

Local Entrepreneurs and Upstart Companies Find Success in Pursuit of the Big Dream

18

The restaurant business is big and getting bigger in Flagstaff

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Business Publisher/President Don Rowley General Manager Seth Muller Retail Advertising Shane Adair, Advertising Director: (928) 913-2294 Marty Mares, Zachary Meier, Wendy Pettay, Gary Tackett, Melissa Yates Pressroom Foreman Bill Smith With the exception of the cover story, all content in this publication is advertiser-provided, with space provided for business stories that corresponds with their advertising investments. We wish to thank those businesses who underwrite the costs of producing the Northern Arizona Business Journal through their advertising support and time invested to provide narrative updates about their businesses or insights based on their respective areas of expertise.

Share your passion to be featured in the next ad #PASSIONTOWORK

D

uring my college years, I found a love affair with a bar. It was called Mario’s Fishbowl and it was run by Mario and Rose Spina. In a true college party town, the Fishbowl might have served as one of the tamest bars ever known.

Mario and Rose first opened the Fishbowl in 1963 and they ran it through 1997, until they were both well into their 70s. Mario wore a bowtie and gave out penny-candy to the customers. Rose clanked on a cowbell whenever the bar got too rowdy — and she was quick to boot out unruly or foul-mouthed patrons. While the “fishbowl” goblet glasses held the equivalent of one-and-ahalf pints of beer, the Spinas made it a two-drink maximum.

I shared a birthday with two other friends, and we rang in my 22nd and their 23rd with a polka birthday dance song led by Mario and Rose. The couple even floated birthday candles in our beers. During that birthday night, we tried to read all of the eating and drinking records that Mario had posted on the walls of the bar. There are literally hundreds.

Also on the wall, each week, was a brain teaser. Anyone who could get the brain-teaser right could get a free beer (Few of us ever figured them out). Another wall-posting — to which Mario pointed out to me each night I left his bar — read: Your life is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to him, so take good care of it and drive careful because he cares. Have a good day. Love always, Mario and Rose.

Not soon before I graduated college, the Spinas retired and the bar was taken over by Mark and Karen Furfari.

Although the Fishbowl became more conventional and the Spinas were missed, the new owners have kept all of the wall postings and the famed fishbowl goblets to this day.

I tell the story of Mario’s here because it stands out to me as what really matters about businesses: the people. The Spinas created a business on their own terms, against the grain of what would be expected of them. They also understood how to treat their customers well and always greet them with a smile. I still remember this about them more than 20 years later.

As we kick off our first-ever edition of the Northern Arizona Business Journal, I want to be thoughtful to the businesses, trends and changes in economics and commerce that help make our mountain town vibrant. But I also want to remember the power of people to drive those businesses and make them what they are.

Seth Muller, editor smuller@azdailysun.com

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November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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Downtown’s

BIG Change How Flagstaff’s Historic District Is Expanding and Changing

By Seth Muller

On an innocuous fall Friday morning, I found myself between meetings downtown and decided to stroll a loop around the Southside. I have walked this kind of loop around downtown, this one from Route 66 down Beaver Street to Benton Avenue, then east to South San Francisco and up.

I likely walked this same way 10 years ago. But much has changed in those 10 years. The sidewalks are wider, the businesses are different, the trees are planted, the fixtures and new bike racks are in place. This came with the Southside streetscape improvements of five years.

What has followed has been not just a shift in commerce, but a near re-visioning of place. Where a strip club once operated we have a specialty Thai restaurant in Ewa Thai and a high end butcher shop called Proper Meats + Provisions.

On the same block is Sugar Mama’s, a bakery that opened around the time of the street upgrade. Ahead of Sugar Mama’s came Tinderbox and Annex, some of the first high-end businesses to go south of the tracks on South San Francisco.

In the middle of that came the shocker on my morning walk. I crossed paths with

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Tourist Home Urban Market. Operated

by Tinderbox/Annex owners Scott and Kevin Heinonen, the twosome joined a developer in taking an abandoned historic building and turning it into a gleaming, modern café and hangout that promises to solidify the Southside transformation.

While some might argue that such gentrification of the area could slowly erode the working-class roots of the neighborhood,m others, such as Mark Belsanti, property manager of 110 S. San Francisco, envision a more professional, high-profile setting similar to the Northside.

“What we’re going to see when you look at the Southside is restaurant retail, older houses are going to be either demolished or rebuilt, and the development of residential living where people can walk to NAU or the Northside,” Belsanti said in an interview late last year.

Over the past few years, Flagstaff has seen the Southside begin to transform in a good way. The addition of new restaurants, bars and retail businesses have brought a long-awaited welcome to the area, and most recently a slew of new development along San Francisco street, much of

The McMillan

The commercial is going to feed the residential, and that’s going to be a good change for this whole area.

– Mark Belsanti

Proper Meats + Provisions

which Belsanti’s commercial brokerage firm, daVinci Realty is responsible for.

In the last few months they have completely renovated and brought the old strip club building to historic designation.

Belsanti said that in the future, NAU will continue to dictate and have a big draw on what happens south of the tracks.

He expects that it will remain a separate neighborhood, but with properties changing new hands and investors spending more money, people are going to expect more, and change is inevitable. “It’s going to be more of a livable area, but it’s still going to be nice. So you’re going to see a change,” Belsanti said. “The commercial is going to feed the residential, and that’s going to be a good change for this whole area.”

The question going forward: In the years to come will the Southside achieve the same success as the Northside, and once it’s finished, will it enhance the entire downtown experience?

John Tannous, executive director of Flagstaff Arts Council, anticipates that it will, but believes how the Southside is shaped comes down to the people who own the properties, and hopefully, a creative element is established.

“Whatever happens, there’s going to be an organic nature to it and it all depends on the people that are involved,” Tannous said.

Downtown’s Shift Flagstaff’s Downtown was struggling during the late 1980s. But a revitalization

effort in 1995 helped change directions.

Everyone in the area was trying to grasp business again, and slowly, the Northside began to see new life. As Henry Taylor, owner of the Weatherford Hotel, recalled it was “exciting and it worked.”

Since then, the area has welcomed a barrage of new business, including a wide and welcoming variety of successful restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, along with a good mix of retail, which Taylor says is one of the best ways to further enhance our downtown area.

In 1997 the Weatherford added the Zane Grey Ballroom. And just as when Taylor took over the business in 1975, he believes the growing college crowd has and continues to dictate much of the development currently

taking place downtown. “We saw the need for something that would cater to a laterevening college type atmosphere and it works, but it’s got to be quality,” Taylor said of attracting the college crowd in a positive way.

In their continued efforts to preserve history, the Weatherford has continued to remodel and added the Gopher Hole Pub. The pub has joined other high-end taverns such as the McMillan and Rendezvous to bring a sense of the downtown as a gathering place to downtown.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel here. You go to other cities elsewhere and you’ll see that they’ve gotten rid of cars and it’s a very thriving downtown area,” Taylor said. “They don’t make areas like this anymore. It’s unique.”

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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g n i t o V

Advertising Supplement

ONLINE VOTING CLOSES AT 11:59 p.m. on November 13, 2014

VOTE TODAY AT AZDAILYSUN.COM/BESTOF

Mike Nesbitt…

More Than An Athletic Trainer

By Stayson Isobe

It was a great ride, I had some of the very best athletes any athletic trainer could work with.

– Mike Nesbitt

I

t is commonly understood that time and change are directly correlated. Few things remain the same as time passes.

In 1970, the year Northern Arizona University joined the Big Sky Conference; it became the league’s eighth member. Since, the conference has expanded to 12 main institutions and 13 football members with several schools having come and gone.

Also in 1970, NAU sponsored sports such as baseball and wrestling, only to be dropped while others have been added, most recently women’s soccer in 1997.

Through it all, there remained one constant up until 2006. From the time of its inception to the Big Sky, one man – Mike Nesbitt – oversaw NAU’s student-athletes’ welfare. Nesbitt, who became the head athletic trainer at Northern Arizona University in August 1970, remained in his position until his retirement 36 years later during which he not only witnessed the many inevitable changes but also became one of the country’s most respected athletic trainers and educators in the field.

“To say how many changes I saw is uncountable,” Nesbitt said. “But the dynamics of the changes and the things that occurred as a result of those dynamics affected all of our athletes and coaches. Moving from Lumberjack Stadium and Lumberjack Gym to the Dome, watching the Big Sky grow from eight members and the growth of women’s athletics and add in how much the profession of athletic training and sports medicine improved through medical and clinical research; it’s hard to name to them all.”

To the common fan, all is seen is the studentathletes’ performance in competition. Wins and

losses are monitored and records are achieved. But what fans hate to see are injuries; after all an injury to a certain athlete can derail a team’s chances at a championship. Thus when an athlete gets injured, the first answer sought out is how soon until the athlete is at full strength.

The question of ‘when’ overshadows the question of ‘how.’ That’s where the work of a team’s athletic training program gets overlooked and during his 36-year tenure at NAU, Nesbitt built the Lumberjack Athletic Training department from the ground up into what it is today.

Nesbitt was a one-man show in 1970 who did it all. It wasn’t until his second semester in which he was able to recruit two students to assist him with his duties, while he also taught six hours a semester.

“It was very rewarding and that’s why I stayed in it,” Nesbitt said. “I was offered the opportunity

by NAU to do a lot of things; I was able to create a curriculum in athletic training education and recruit the very best student athletic trainers. We had a lot of success with our student program and over the years I was able to hire graduate assistants and full-time assistants. Yearly we saw big changes from both the athletic and academic sides for the good.”

From starting as the only athletic trainer, Nesbitt helped build the NAU Athletic Training department to its current workforce, which includes four full-time trainers, five GA’s and a number of undergraduate students. He mentored too many trainers to count and guesses 25-30 of his former trainers have gone on to be head athletic trainers elsewhere.

“As an educator, I cherished the moments when (his former trainers) go on to do bigger and better,” Nesbitt said. “You hope they feel fulfilled when a student goes out and distinguishes themselves.

That’s how I felt when they moved on because they could go into just about any training room in the country and they knew the protocol right off the bat. I felt that whenever someone left, they were on the road to success because they already proved themselves over their time at NAU.” It is no secret of Nesbitt’s effect on the NAU Athletic Training department, but his impact at Northern Arizona University extends much further than the athletic department. Nesbitt was a tenured associate professor in the department of exercise science and athletic training and he played a major role in helping the university establish a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training through the Athletic Training Education Program as well as a Clinical Opportunity through the athletic training room In 1985, the NAU Alumni Association presented him with the Distinguished Faculty Award.

“Every year brought new challenges and the new things that we did,” Nesbitt said. “Looking at both the athletic and academic sides, I have proud moments on both sides of that ledger.”

Yet out of Nesbitt’s many achievements, his proudest developed from a conversation he had with NAU’s former President Dr. Eugene Hughes in 1984 on a plane coming back to Flagstaff from a basketball game at Boise State. It was at this moment, where Hughes mentioned his intention to present a proposal to the board of regents to establish an athletic training scholarship. Hughes sponsored the scholarship initially and since the first year, Nesbitt has taken over the scholarship, one that will soon become one of the few fully endowed athletic training scholarships in the country. “(The scholarship) is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done,” Nesbitt said. “To watch that grow and see the people that have donated to it, we’d like to think it’s one of the most prestigious scholarships for athletic training anywhere in the country. It’s only going to continue to grow.”

Nesbitt is one of the most recognizable names in the athletic training field regardless of the area in the country. In the state of Arizona, Nesbitt played a

pivotal role in implementing athletic training programs in state high schools and was a charter member of the sports medicine section of the Arizona Medical Association in 1972. He also helped launch the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association (AzATA) and served as the president from 1977-1983.

He represented the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association (RMATA) on the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Board of Directors from 1986-92. A pioneer at the state, region and national levels, his legacy will forever be recognized as a member of the AzATA, RMATA and NATA Hall of Fames.

The NAU Athletics Department would also induct Nesbitt into its Hall of Fame in 1992.

“It was a great ride,” Nesbitt said. “I had some of the very best athletes any athletic trainer could work with. I had a tremendous doctor, Dr. (George) Hershey, and a tremendous orthopod, Dr. (Roman) Lewicky, and I always had the support of the faculty athletic rep on hardship cases that went before the Big Sky and NCAA.” Nesbitt’s dedication to Northern Arizona University is unrivaled. His contributions are endless.

The lives he touched will never be forgotten by the student-athletes he treated and the trainers he mentored.

That’s why NAU Athletics is celebrating and honoring him this weekend with the dedication of the training room with his name, the Michael E. Nesbitt Athletic Training Center.

“It’s a celebration of athletic training,” Nesbitt said. “I don’t think it’s being put in perspective. Sure I’m being honored and my name will be on that (training room). But it also shows that athletic training as a profession has arrived and we’re celebrating with a lot of the former students, assistants and doctors.

It’ll show that we took a program from its infancy and we built a model that can now be celebrated.”

Northern Arizona University was fortunate to have a constant – one of the best in the business – for 36 years. With Mike Nesbitt at the forefront, athletic training will not go unnoticed this weekend.

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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Engaged business community, vibrant regional economy Contributed by the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce successful industry trends.

Business and Education Partnerships and Collaboration on Workforce Development The award-winning Skills for Workplace Success prepares today’s local high school students for tomorrow’s local workforce in future careers at home.

In its ninth year, it cultivates 30 classroom partnerships where middle and high school teachers are paired with businesses as mentors.

This year, one partnership involves Coconino High School’s Transition from School to Work Program (TSW) geared toward job success of differentlyabled students recently partnered with Agassiz Agassiz Landscaping Group Maintenance Manager Isaac Flood shows transition students how to get the job done Landscape Group. Transition other leading chambers in cities across the nation and students visited Agassiz Landscape Group’s years ago, the Greater Flagstaff Chamber internationally, for that matter. And when we do, we jobsite at North County HealthCare. of Commerce became incorporated as are proud to state that the Greater Flagstaff Chamber A conduit of STEM education, the Chamber Flagstaff’s official Chamber of Commerce is a Top 5 Arizona Chamber with a growing memberalso initiates mentoring partnerships involving STEM on November 21, 1949. It was originally founded ship of close to 1100 business and organizations. clubs and local businesses. Each summer, Young as the Board of Trade in 1891. The Chamber is One thing is clear, our tourism focused economy Entrepreneurial Scholars YES! Week hosts high over 1,000 members strong with small businesses has really gelled and the Chamber is proud to tap school students in business school boot camps, making up the majority. Anchored on its mission into partner organizations and build that capacin collaboration with Northern Arizona Center for of advancing a strong business climate and ity together. We provide meaningful data about Entrepreneurship and Technology. Students develop vibrant economy by advocating for business and local tourism related businesses and the abundant business plans as they learn starting a business serving as a catalyst for community and economic development, the Chamber is at the centerpoint of outdoor recreation opportunities we have in the from local experts. Flagstaff Values Teachers community and business growth and expansion.

Northland. Whether it’s skiing at high altitude, river supports teachers through the annual Teacher Often Chambers of Commerce shape comrunning, cycling, touring a dormant volcanoe, or Supply Drive to help alleviate the need to buy out munities strategically in collaboration with comhiking, we tell the stories that potential visitors need of pocket to provide classroom learning, and a munity stakeholders who share the same vision. to hear to come and stay and shop in Flagstaff.

Teacher Discount Card that provides significant We strive to be the organization that can handle In addition, there are a few other areas savings at dozens of local businesses which in whatever comes next, and at the same time be of work you should know about including: effect, stretches that teacher’s paycheck. flexible enough to remain focused on the imporNorthern Arizona Manufacturing Partnership Cultivating Connections and Events tant needs of both individual small businesses and (NAMP) is associated with Arizona Manufacturing Chamber members stay connected through industry sectors such as manufacturers, auto dealers, Partnership (AMP), a statewide, industry‐led initiamember-to-member connection opportunities hotels and restaurants, finance and healthcare. tive that aligns manufacturing needs with education including our Annual Meeting, Golf Classic fundraiser, We stay abreast of current and emerging busiarticulation to sustain and create a future qualified Evening of Jazz fundraiser, Good Morning Flagstaff ness needs, and identify ways we can assist members workforce for manufacturing. In 2014, NAMP held business connection breakfasts, Business After Five to be the most successful that the can; whether that manufacturing roundtables at Nestle Purina PetCare, mixers and its monthly BusinessMatters newsletter. be labor force needs, sales and marketing assistance, Wanderlust Brewing Company, and W.L. Gore & Weekly radio shows on KAFF/Flagstaff Country or just best practices to develop sustainable organizaAssociates during which local business leaders heard promote the unique products and services that tions. In the Chamber industry there are many ways from industry experts on topics that help manufacturChamber members offer in one on one interviews to compare membership benefits and value with ers stay current on public policy, rules, regulations and hosted by President and CEO, Julie Pastrick.

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Advocating for Business Representing the interests of business before government and influencing political action are at the core of the Chamber’s values and daily work.

At the city level, the Chamber, as a business owner located downtown, helped form and supported the Business Improvement District in downtown Flagstaff, and has supported amendments to and passage of the Flagstaff Regional Plan, amendments to the Zoning Code and sign ordinance; and prevented energy code and public safety impact fees. At the state legislature, the Chamber supported Arizona’s Medicaid System, Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, Joint Technical Education Districts, Highway User Revenue Fund, repeal of the manufacturer sales tax on energy usage and reform of Transaction Privilege Tax. At the federal level, the Chamber advocated for immigration reform, and sustaining the Navajo Generating Station which provides more than 500 direct and indirect jobs, water resources, the Workforce Investment Act renewal that provides funding for all important on the job training and reentering the labor force for those unemployed.

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative has been at the top of the agenda as well which ensures that our forests remain healthy and less prone to castrophic wildfire that destroys local economies.

FlagBizVotes.com was launched as a resource for voters, complemented by a General Elections Voters’ Guide and a local candidates’ forum. The independent expenditure committee, BizPAC, endorsed proactive and business-minded candidates who demonstrated leadership and the ability to sustain and grow a strong business climate through sound fiscal and regulatory policies.

In business to promote businesses, the Chamber is a champion of regional economic development. The Chamber holds leadership roles at Arizona District Export Council, on the Arizona Commerce Authority Board of Directors and on the Rural Business Development Advisory Council that helps to spread resources throughout northern Arizona for business growth. The Chamber is a founding partner and funder of ECONA working closely to attract new business and focus on providing solutions for business success.

For more information call the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce at 928774-4505 or visit flagstaffchamber.com

–Advertiser provided content

Year 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Median price $334K $305K $230K $275K $284K $313K $325K $382K $383K $360K $279K

September home sales in Flagstaff Housing sales and prices across the nation and in Flagstaff climbed to the highest levels of the year in September after dipping slightly in August.

According to the National Association of Realtors, single-family home sales nationwide increased by 2 percent to about 4.56 million in September from 4.47 million in August. However, that rate was 1.9 percent lower than last year’s 4.65 million homes sold.

Meanwhile, the national median existing home-price in September exceeded last year’s price by 5.6 percent.

This September’s median sale price came in at $209,700.

According to NAR, that makes 31 consecutive months of year-overyear gains in price. The median

price of a single-family home also increased by 5.9 percent over last year to $210,300 in September.

The western region saw the greatest increase in home sales, according to NAR. The West saw sales jump 7.1 percent to an annual rate of 2.12 million homes in September and a median price of $294,000. NAR includes the following states in its Western region Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii.

In Flagstaff, Century 21 Flagstaff real estate agent Stephen Brighton said the median price of a single-family home hit $334,000 an increase of nearly $10,000 from August’s median price of $325,000.

At the same time, the amount of homes on the market nationally dropped by 1.3 percent to a grand total of 2.30 million homes. However, that unsold inventory represents a 6 percent increase from last year’s inventory, according

to NAH. According to Brighton, Flagstaff is following a similar course. The overall inventory of homes for sale in the Flagstaff area has decreased, especially those that are priced below $500,000. There is now a less than seven month supply of homes in Flagstaff priced under $500,000, he said. There is a more than two year supply of homes that are priced at more than $500,000.

Brighton attributed the increase in sales to dropping mortgage rates. A 30-year fixed mortgage with a 75 percent loan is now at 3.75 percent with no points, he said.

In a NAR press release, Lawrence Yun, the organization’s chief economist, agreed that low mortgage interest rates were helping to boost sales.

“Low interest rates and price gains holding steady led to September’s healthy increase,” he said. “Traditional buyers are entering a less competitive market with fewer investors searching for available homes, but may also face a slight decline in choices due to the fact that inventory generally falls heading into winter.”

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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CollegeAmerica’s new facility

T

hink about the last time you went to the doctor’s office. The probability is the person that took you into a patient’s room and took your blood pressure and temperature followed by asking you, “What are you here to see the doctor for today?” was probably a medical assistant who is a CollegeAmerica® graduate. The same holds true for the last time you had your computer repaired or worked with your accountant to have your taxes completed, you probably interacted with a CollegeAmerica graduate. CollegeAmerica offers high demand career programs for today’s fast changing societal demands.

CollegeAmerica has served the greater Flagstaff community since 2002, more noticeable recently at our new location at 399 S. Malpais. This campus is an affiliate

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

school of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education headquartered in Salt Lake City.

Programs delivered are: Medical Specialties, Computer Science, and Business Management and Accounting. These programs offer Associate’s and Bachelor of Science degrees.

CollegeAmerica graduates frequently go into Masters’ degree programs with one our affiliate colleges.

CollegeAmerica’s new facility offers students access to 10 classrooms, with two medical labs along with on ground and online library resources. All student services from admissions, financial aid, classes, to career services are conveniently located within CollegeAmerica’s 13,000 square foot facility.

Students find this convenience of services to be extremely helpful and accessible, making their academic journey smoother.

As an accredited college, CollegeAmerica adheres to high standards. Students are offered a variety of scholarships along with U.S. Department of Education Title IV funding.

Scholarships awarded are not based on exams or grades in high school with hundreds of scholarships available. CollegeAmerica’s career-focused programs offer busy adult learners an opportunity to earn an Associate’s degree in 20 months and a Bachelor’s degree in as few as 36 months. Learning occurs in classrooms as well as on-line with superior faculty, thus a hybrid learning system that addresses a variety of learning styles and adult learner’s busy schedules. All students receive a new laptop to use in school and to keep when they graduate.

Our Career Services Department places graduates into careers based on areas students obtain certifications in, such as phlebotomy, medical assisting, or billing and coding to name a few. Computer graduates may certify in: A+, Network+, and others.

Local employers who employee CollegeAmerica graduates frequently state, “This CollegeAmerica graduate has all the qualifications and more to satisfy the position here within our practice.” “He is wonderful, a hard worker and very dedicated!” Thus, as may be noted CollegeAmerica is living its mission daily, which is “We are dedicated to helping our students graduate and get a much better career sooner.”

If you know someone who would benefit from the gift of education and is interested in the fields of healthcare, computers, or business have them call CollegeAmerica at 928-213-6060 extension 1401.

— Advertiser provided content

Networking Corner (To have your group included on this page please contact us at 928-556-2279)

Flagstaff Professionals Referral Group Meetings: Weekly (Tuesday), 7:30-8:15AM About us: We invite prospective new members to “Meet the Board” 4 times per year, to ask and answer questions about each other. Our next opportunity will be January 21st, 2015.

We allow only only one member representing a specific business.

Application Form and Application fee of $25.

Annual Membership fee is $200.

For more information please contact us at: info@flagstaffprofesionals.com or visit our website at www.flagstaffprofessionals.com

Flagstaff independent Business Alliance - FiBA We have been in existence for over ten years now. FiBA is a grassroots, all-volunteer, member-run business organization.

Please check out www.flagstaffiba.com for our Mission & Goals, history of past events, current member list. This list includes small, locally-owned businesses, but also non-profit organizations, citizens and Associate Members. There’s a membership category for almost any kind of business with FiBA! Meetings are held every other month and both members and non-members are welcome to attend ($10 fee for non-members). We ALWAYS include networking and light refreshments before the program - members and guests really appreciate that time to meet and greet and work on collaborations and partnerships.

Flagstaff Business Leaders

Civic Organizations

The Flagstaff Business Leader group is comprised of local business men and women who recognize the value of getting to know other business owners/managers in an effort to network.

We meet weekly for just over an hour and give everyone the opportunity to talk about their business and provide information to the group that can be used to refer the businesses to others.

Each week we have a member, or outside speaker talk to the group on a business related topic. We provide best practices and processes that can be utilized by others.

Every member has an equal stake in the success of the others. Our focus is clear; to provide referrals to others, and in return receive referrals. Our philosophy is “Referrers get Referred”. Last year our group closed over $1,000,000 in referral business!

Flagstaff Rotary Club Foundation

The leadership is made up of the members of the group who agree to lead for one year. The leadership positions include; President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer.

Other positions within the group include the Welcoming Committee along with the Member Care Committee. We are all accountable to making this group successful for all its members.

Visit us at www.flagstaffbusinessleaders.com for more information.

PO Box 2576, Flagstaff, Arizona 86003 President: Eric Wolverton FlagstaffRotaryClub@gmail.com

Elks Lodge Flagstaff, AZ No. 499 2101 N San Francisco St Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1388 Lodge Contacts: Exalted Ruler: Michael L Cruz Secretary: Gary A Smith Phone: (928) 774-6271 (Lodge)

Flagstaff Sunrise Lions Club Meets: Tuesdays 6:30AM Where: Butler Avenue Country Host Restaurant Phone: (928) 600-1294

Flagstaff Noon Lions Club Meets: Thursdays Noon Where: Mike and Rhonda’s 21 S. Milton Road

Annual Dues (visit our website for more details): Full Independent Business: $100.00 Associates: $200/year Citizens: $25/year Non-profits: $50/yr

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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Flagstaff, during the last two decades, has really grown into a hub for new businesses, scientific research and entrepreneurial invention. This has been fueled by such steadfast companies as W.L. Gore, but also has been advanced by singular people with a vision, idea and a dream.

We profile some local upand-coming companies and success stories that show how Flagstaff is a home for innovation and new and exciting commerce.

Of growth & innovation Local Entrepreneurs & Upstart Companies Find Success in Pursuit of the Big Dream

COMPILED BY THE STAFF

Pursuit of Greatness:  Hypo2 Sport Very few one-man businesses can make this claim: having a service that generates $1.2 million a year for the Flagstaff economy. And yet, that is what Sean Anthony has done. In 2009, Anthony moved forward with his company Hypo2 Sport. He works to bring high-performance endurance athletes to Flagstaff to train at altitude, where the lower partial pressure of oxygen can create higher red-blood-cell counts and increase hemoglobin mass. The name Hypo2 comes from the sports-science term hypoxia altitude training Anthony, who worked with the Northern Arizona University High Altitude Training Center before it closed, saw the need to continue a service for athletes from to come to Flagstaff. Here, they get

to train at 7,000 elevation feet in a small city that features indoor and outdoor tracks, an aquatic center and other amenities.

“It’s a soup to nuts service,” Anthony said. “From the time they step off the plane to the time they get back on the plane, everything is covered in terms of coordinating all of the logistics. Our job is to be the man behind the curtain.”

Although Hypo2 is namely Anthony, he works with several other organizations and businesses in town. The athletes utilize facilities at NAU as well as other services and amenities. In 2011-12, Hypo2 hosted 1,600 athletes in Flagstaff. Anthony’s hope is to continue growing his clientele and he is looking to create a brick-and-mortar center that creates a centerpiece to Flagstaff’s high-altitude training endeavors. Learn more at www.hypo2sport.com.

Company highlights from this year: • In just the first thre quarters of this year, we’ve brought to Flagstaff and worked with nearly 550 elite, Olympic-level, and professional athletes from 20 countries, representing every continent but Antarctica. Current totals for Hypo2 since its inception are 2,979 team members from 27 countries.

• Since January, we have generated more than 4,100 room nights in Arizona, 92 percent of which were in Flagstaff.

• Our own internal team of high performance staff has had the opportunity to provide services to hundreds of regular northern Arizonans, applying the experience we have in working with the world’s greatest athletes to serving the needs of Flagstaff-based clients of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

• We’ve been able to provide, for the first time ever, physiological testing and training, blood profiling, and other support services like massage therapy to NAU Athletics. And we’ve been thrilled to lend our expertise and support to the home team.

• We’ve also struck a first-ever deal with USA Track & Field, housing and operating a specialized piece of medical equipment to measure hemoglobin mass that they’ve placed in only two other sites in the country (the US Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs and US Ski and Snowboard’s headquarters in Park City) for testing of their athletes. Our agreement with USATF also includes funds that reside with Hypo2 and which are used to subsidize performance-related services for their top tier of runners.

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Conscientious  Cuisine: Tepa Burger Flagstaff entrepreneur Jonathan Netzky has made a name for himself with his Local Alternative food business. And, in recent months, he has watched as his vegetarian burger creation, often dubbed “The Netzky,” has grown in demand and popularity. He created the burger when the locally focused Diablo Burger challenged him to invent a delicious, satisfying veggie patty that also met strict standards of being made from local ingredients.

Since then, the burger has been added to the menu at Satchmo’s—located next door to Netzky’s operation on Fourth Street—Mama Burger, Flagstaff Medical Center, Modern Grove Bistro and Pancho Mcgillicuddy’s in Williams.

Frozen patties also are sold retail at the Community for Sustainable Agriculture co-op. The Tepa Burger

is soy-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and, of course, meat-free.

“What’s a fundamental choice people have to make time and time again? … One decision that we make every day that’s core to our existence is the food we eat,” Netzky said of his reason for getting into the food business. “We’re founded to impact public health through food and local commerce.”

Now, with the Tepa Burger, Netzky is bringing together multiple positive influences with a local food product by making it locally and using local ingredients. The key ingredient is the tepary bean.

It’s grown on the Tohono O’odam Reservation and is drought-resistant. About 500 pounds of beans can be grown on an acre with an inch-and-a-half of rain. And Netzky has harnessed that bean’s power—along with great flavor—in his magical burger. Check out www.tepaburger.com.

Company highlights from this year: • Received grant awards from Coconino County and USDA to further local food systems’ knowledge base and build infrastructure. Our business and staff have received confidence, mentoring and grant support toward fostering the growth of the local food system infrastructure from Coconino County Workforce Development, USDA Agriculture Marketing Service - Local Food Promotion Program, the Arizona Commerce Authority and our continuing relationships with the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and the Economic Collaborative Of Northern Arizona.

• Increased from three to five direct growing operations. Now growing our chilis, as well as, the kale. Local Alternative sponsored five growing operations in 2014, none of which had ever grown a commercial product before, unless it was for us. Having proven that our system allows small growers to scale up with no expenses for sales, marketing or retail packaging, we are aggressively looking for considerable additional farm-land and growers throughout the state.

• Just as important as Tepa being a healthy delicious protein, our system provides a conduit from the farms to the consumers. It creates year-round opportunity to eat local through many convenient outlets. Just as our growers are seeing more opportunity, our restaurant and food service clients are gaining new market share from foodies, locavores, meat reducers and vegetarian consumers now walking in their doors and coming back for more.

Innovators continued on page 15 November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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WHO'S WHO Jessica Lawrence Jessica directs the day-to-day operations of the Flagstaff Visitor Center, ensuring that it is a comprehensive and information-rich resource for visitors to Flagstaff. Jessica has been a part of the Visitor Center team the past five years, four of which she oversaw gift shop operations.

Born and raised in Flagstaff, Jessica received her B.S. from Northern Arizona University and even after growing up in the area she loves to discover new places to explore. She and her husband enjoy taking their son camping, hiking and rafting in the beautiful areas in and around Flagstaff. Please contact the Visitor Center if you have questions about operations or have information that you would like to disseminate to tourists.

Gail Jackson Gail Jackson was recently appointed to the role of Economic Development Sales and Marketing Specialist. In this role Gail is responsible for identifying and leading sales efforts and further promoting Flagstaff’s business friendly message.

Prior to joining the Economic Development team, Gail was the Meeting and Events Specialist at the Flagstaff Convention Visitors Bureau for nearly eight years. While at the CVB, she worked with community stakeholders to secure millions of dollars in conference & events business. Gail brings more than fourteen years of sales and marketing experience to the Economic Development team. Gail is very involved with the Flagstaff community through activities with her family and is a recent graduate of Flagstaff Leadership Program.

Gail is very excited to be a part of the Economic Development Team. “I look forward to working with the community and attracting new businesses that complement our existing base, as well as creating stronger relationships and enhancing our economy.” Gail can be reached at gjackson@flagstaffaz.gov or 928-213-2965.

Jessica Young Jessica Young has joined the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau as the new sales and marketing specialist, meetings and events to promote the city in the convention and meetings market. Jessica comes to the CVB from the High Country Conference Center, where she spent more than six years as the conference planning manager responsible for sales and planning of events held at the conference center and other university facilities. A Flagstaff native, Jessica received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Northern Arizona University.

“I am most looking forward to working with people planning meetings and events and sharing with them all that Flagstaff has to offer when they bring their group to our city,” Jessica said. “I am excited to represent the unique collection of event venues in Flagstaff.” Jessica can be reached at jyoung@ flagstaffaz.gov or (928) 213-2920.

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Dr. Kathy Turner Dr. Kathy Turner recently accepted the position of Campus Director for CollegeAmerica at its Flagstaff campus.

Dr. Turner has served CollegeAmerica as a Professor, Career Services Director, and now its Campus Director. Kathy brought to CollegeAmerica extensive leadership skills and knowledge from her decades of working at Northern Arizona University. Additionally, Dr. Turner was an Executive Director for one local non-profit and a Vice President with another local non-profit.

Kathy has served the Flagstaff community and state through such efforts as the day-to-day coordination of Flagstaff 2020 our community-wide visioning process, Flagstaff Leadership Program as one of its past Presidents, Arizona Town Hall Board of Directors, and the Governor’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women. Dr. Turner is an honored former Athena recipient.

Kathy Turner has published chapters within Arizona Town Hall research background reports along with a chapter within the Sedona Academy Forum on Education, Employability, and Work Opportunities. While with CollegeAmerica, Dr. Turner has published a blog on prevention of domestic violence.

She is very pleased to work with CollegeAmerica’s incredible staff and faculty within its new location at 399 S. Malpais Lane. The College has 13,000 square feet of educational opportunity available for community member who are seeking a much better career sooner.

Catherine Romeo Catherine Romeo was recently promoted by CollegeAmerica as Associate Dean of Medical Specialties, as an Assistant Professor Cathy has taught full time in the medical program for more than a decade. Catherine holds a Bachelors of Arts in Fine Arts from Arizona State University and a Masters of Organizational Management in Business from University of Phoenix.

With two decades in healthcare administration, telemedicine development and healthcare education, Catherine has been routinely involved in community service with Special Olympics, Northland Hospice, March of Dimes, and American Cancer Society, she regularly communicates with local, state and federal officeholders on issues concerning healthcare policy and health education issues. Catherine has written several blogs regarding success in education and also co-authored the book, "A Model Community Telepsychiatry Program in Rural Arizona."

E-Therapy. Ed. Robert C. Hsiung. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. in 2002.

Catherine grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas near Galveston Island, daughter of two military veterans. Her life passions are her two teenage daughters, Jessica and Erin, and striving for the highest quality of life she can provide for them, educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. She often volunteers both for work functions and weekends and evenings at her daughters’ school functions and the local Flagstaff as well as national charities hosted in northern Arizona.

Marie Beamer, RN Marie Beamer, RN, recently joined CollegeAmerica as a full-time medical faculty member, bringing with her more than 20 years of nursing experience. Has worked in skilled nursing and rehab at Haven Health, is a volunteer nurse at the Poore Medical Clinic, is the owner of Wellspring Nursing Services, providing health screenings, lab testing, immunizations, and health coaching to the community. Marie was a site review consultant to perform HEDIS chart reviews and has worked as a community health nurse. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northern Arizona University, is a certified living facility manager, certified school nurse, and a certified hearing screening technician. Marie and her family are life-long Flagstaff residents having raised their family within this community.

Innovators continued from page 13

Healing at Heart:  Protein Genomics It sounds like the work of science fiction: using a miraculous protein to heal wounds and make cardiovascular repairs. The developed protein is called elastin, and from it is a developed product called Elastatropin. And it’s at the heart of Protein Genomics, a medical science company based in Flagstaff. The company launched 20 years ago in New Jersey, but has since relocated to town— and is four to five years from finishing the lengthy process to get the consumer product to market.

Leading Protein Genomics are Burt Ensley and Robert Kellar. They are assisted by Robert Audet and Robert Diller as they work on creating commercial and medical uses for patents registered with the elastin protein. The major goal is to create products to help both people with non-healing chronic wounds and cardiac patients.

“The human aspect about what we do is that, at the end of the day, we have a chance to help someone feel better and improve their quality of life,” Kellar said. “Or we might save their life … I’ve always been passionate about the human body and science, and getting to do this is the best job in the world for me.”

Kellar said that Flagstaff has evolved into a great place for the research science community.

“The city and community want to attract science and research. It is the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) City in America.

That’s huge.” And Protein Genomics is one of the fascinating companies pushing scientific breakthroughs. www.proteingenomics.com.

Company highlights from this year: • We published our ground-breaking research that uses our Elastatropin technology for delivering stem cells to a wound for improved healing. This was published in January of 2014 in the peer-reviewed clinical journal, Advances in Wound Care.

• The first author on this paper, Hans Machula completed his Master’s Degree in my lab and is now finishing his first year of medical school in Colorado.

• This past summer we submitted a National Institutes of Health R01 Research Grant to support the continued development of our wound healing technology for chronic non-healing wounds. As part of this proposed research, we will be expanding into the treatment of diabetic chronic wounds and ulcers.

• We currently are working on developing a tissue engineering vascular graft in collaboration with Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest at the University of Arizona. This project is funded by a NIH R21 Research Grant.

• We had a new Ph. D. student join the lab this year, this totals three Ph. D. students and six undergraduates working in the Flagstaff laboratory.

• We have expanded our labs at the NACET technology incubator and currently have use/ access of approximately 2,700 square feet of combined office and lab space.

• The new Technology Accelerator building across the parking lot from NACET and located on the Innovation Mesa is progressing well and if we continue to grow we may need to consider applying for additional lab space.

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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I was attracted a long time ago to making curvy shapes out of fiberglass. I can’t say why, exactly.

It was a hobby when I was a kid. – Jim Corning Taking Flight:  Novakinetics As many people speed along U.S. 89 as it heads north out of Flagstaff, few take notice of a couple of stone buildings and a warehouselooking structure across from the Summit Fire Department. This somewhat unassuming property is actually the home of Novakenetics, a firm that produces parts for airplanes. It employs 20 employees and has as much as $4 million in sales annually.

Along with that company, a second company branched out from it called Kinetics Defense. The second business designs ballistics material and products under contract. The founder of Novakenetics, Jim Corning, also has become one-third partner in Prometheus Renewables, a 2008 upstart that builds solarenergy systems.

The core of the business started with Corning’s love for working with fiberglass and for solving problems. “I was attracted a long time ago to making curvy shapes out of fiberglass,” Corning said. “I can’t say why, exactly. It was a hobby when I was a kid. And I had an opportunity with one of my consulting clients when I was a consulting engineer and I was asked to solve problem … and I thought, ‘This was easy. I could hire people and build a company doing this.’”

Novakenetics has a longtime partnership with Air Tractor, a company that builds crop dusters and forest-fire planes. As part of this, they’ve worked to create ballistics for the Air Tractor planes that are used in drug eradication in Columbia. The company continues to grow and evolve, finding new ways to improve parts— and solve problems. www.novakinetics.com.

NOTE: We’d like to extend a special thank you to Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technology, or NACET, for their help on selecting these profiles. Each of these companies is a client, alumni or affiliate of NACET. 16

Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

New financial branch now open in N. Arizona

R

aymond James Financial Services is pleased to announce the establishment of its first branch in Northern Arizona, owned Alyn Rumbold, CFP, a financial advisor of 23 years’ experience. For over 50 years, RJFS has provided a full range of investment, banking and insurance services to clients to meet their financial goals. Alyn served clients for over 10 years with what is now Ameriprise Financial, over 12 years with Edward Jones & Co., and opened the new RJFS branch at 809 West Riordan Road at the beginning of September. He has been a Certified Financial

Planner since 1999. Feel free to contact us today at 226-7400 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your financial objectives.

—Advertiser provided content

Embracing technology in real estate

T

echnology has had the biggest impact on the way The Munson Team does business. In earlier years, business was much simpler as the Internet and mobile media wasn’t involved to such a high level.

Today, if a real estate agent doesn’t have a good Internet presence, have immediate access and respond to emails, texts, phone calls and have the ability to prepare and

email listings and contracts online, then he/ she will have a very hard time competing and being successful. Fortunately, for me and my team, we love technology and embrace the opportunities it presents. Combine that with how blessed we are to live in Flagstaff, it’s a winning combination for our business.

—Advertiser provided content November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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Flagstaff

goes

foodie

The restaurant business is big and

getting bigger in Flagstaff By Seth Muller

H

ead back in time 10 or 15 years, and Flagstaff enjoyed

a few staple high-end restaurants.

Cottage Place helped bring finedining and top-notch service.

Josephine’s Restaurant offered its own take on haute cuisine. Mountain Oasis helped bring an international flair to its dishes downtown. Pasto also elevated the food scene.

Coppa CafĂŠ

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

Here and there in Flagstaff, posh atmosphere met great food and created a special kind of dining experience. And then, over the course of a decade, the number of quality restaurants doubled and tripled. The downtown and Southside added Brix, Criollo and Tinderbox Kitchen. Cuvée 928 added a great menu to its wine bar. And places such as Karma Sushi and Pato Thai added to the diversity.

Beyond downtown Coppa Café and Café Daily Fare brought casual atmosphere with culinary perfections.

Dedicated foodies, such as Jamie Thousand of Satchmo’s on Fourth Street, brought their own specialties to the scene. And then Pizzicletta and Fat Olives taught us how far pizza could go. And that doesn’t even mention places such as Diablo Burger, with its nearbysourced meats and local food ethic.

Add to that the recent opening of Proper Meats + Provisions on South San Francisco Street and two new Thai restaurants with Ewa’s Thai

Cuisine and Red Curry Kitchen, and it feels like the restaurant scene in Flagstaff is turning expansive.

One example of the expanding palate in Flagstaff comes with the tavern and eatery The McMillan. The McMillan takes its name from the Father of Flagstaff and the building. Thomas F. McMillan moved to Northern Arizona in 1876, establishing a sheep ranch and a huge business presence, including completion of the building that bears his name.

The structure previously housed a bank, a hotel and even an opera house. McMillan business partner Tyler Christensen said, “The McMillan will bring his story back and restore relevance. It’s about the place and people who live here. We’re a modern tavern—globally inspired and locally sourced.”

Drywall was removed to expose original brick, and a lowered ceiling torn down. Planks overhead and an enormous inset paneled bar, from which a portrait of McMillan presides over the house,

Gregg Munson Gregg@GreggMunson.com

928.853.4289

www.GreggMunson.com

G

regg Munson, an Associate Broker and NAU graduate, has been selling real estate since 1989. He is known for his motto: “It’s a privilege to live in Flagstaff” which he touts on a daily basis. Each home that Gregg lists receives very special attention, unmatched marketing, and usually sells for top dollar. Gregg is a perfectionist who provides exceptional service, knows the market thoroughly, and treats everyone like family. Give Gregg a call if you are considering selling, whether it’s a condo or a castle, and ask for a complimentary price analysis and marketing plan. He can be reached at 928.853.4289, email: Gregg@GreggMunson.com, or his top rated website: www.GreggMunson.com

1750 S. Woodl ands Vill age Blvd. Ste. 125 This office is independently owned and operated

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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create a beefy, masculine feel.

Christensen calls the bar’s offerings, “actionable craft.” Rhubarb is infused and oranges smoked to create bitters for New and Old World cocktails. An example is the Mamie, named for a McMillan family member, made with Deep Eddy grapefruit vodka, muddled strawberries, Saint Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and demerara syrup with soda. It’s refreshing effervescence.

A purple, boozy tonic, the Beeting, is a mix of roasted beet puree, fresh lemon, muddled with cucumber and basil with Hendricks gin, ginger syrup and liqueur. “Clean, representative flavors balance and play with the food menu,” Christensen said.

The partnership has proclaimed Executive chef Josh Reisner as the Sovereign Master of Food for creating menu magic. He remixes the ingredients of standard recipes and improves them. Reisner is a forager, gleaning greens from woodlands and washes, as well as being a fixture at farmers markets. His aim behind the dishes is, “Simple, humble, good.”

Along with places such as the McMillan, Paul Moir is one of the restaurateurs who is raising the bar downtown. Moir opened Brix Casual Fine Dining and Wine Bar in May 2006 just above downtown. It was a leap of faith and funds. When Moir saw the empty Flagstaff streets on a Friday night back then, he saw an opportunity. He set his sights on the horizon, and he said of the result, “People embraced Brix.”

His feat has gone global with press in Conde Nast Traveler’s listing his among the 95 Hottest Restaurants in the World, plus

Proper Meats + Provisions

Printing, advertising, and ice cream – home town services for 15 years.

O

ver the last 15 years, Overdrive Media & Printing Services has provided Flagstaff with needed services and great customer support. Located off of the historic Route 66 Highway, Overdrive is large enough to handle any advertising and/or print needs, while remaining small enough to give the one-on-one customer service they are known for. Overdrive continually strives to be set apart from the competition.

Voted Best in Flagstaff for over 6 years, the Overdrive family works hard to give their clients a one-stop shop that will create a seamless campaign towards your branding, marketing and sales efforts. Whether you are looking to get a logo designed, a radio ad scripted, a full car wrap or a single copy, Overdrive Media and Printing has you covered.

Recently, the company has announced the launch of their new building here in Flagstaff. This new building is home to the Nostalgic Creamery & Memorabilia Shop and is located at 203 S. Milton. Apart from being a great place to stop

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Northern Arizona Business Journal | November 14, 2014

in for a scoop of ice cream, the location doubles as their “West Side Division” of the print shop.

Any print orders can now be placed and picked up at this location, as well as the main East Side building. This new building is open as of now for business.

As well as the opening of their new building, a “Pack N Ship” department will soon be added to Overdrive’s original location on the East Side.

This will allow clients to have the convenience of shipping along with the usual print services.

Overdrive’s “Pack and Ship” department is set to be available at the end of November, as the holiday season kicks into full gear.

As Overdrive Media & Printing Services expands to give their clients more options in printing and advertising, they continue to remain true to their “small town feel.” Owner, Doug Bennett, no doubt has created a committed go-to for all of Flagstaff’s needs.

—Advertiser provided content

regional reads Sunset and Arizona Highways. Moir’s concept of a food forward, seasonally superior menu of stylish dishes became a winner—and a winning combination from which to go forward.

From there, Moir has opened Criollo Latin Kitchen, replacing the beloved breakfast spot Café Express with a new and exciting eatery that also favors quality food, local sourcing and seasonal offerings.

“Brix laid the groundwork for systems and processes that we used with Criollo, and the third step, adding another restaurant,” Moir said. This explains the successful opening of Criollo Latin Kitchen on North San Francisco Street in the midst of a recession, when rent was discounted, yet so were pocketbooks. He made it work.

“Know what you’re doing,” he said. “In any business, pick your cliché—fail to plan and plan to fail—it’s all in the preparation. With so many moving parts and thin margins, mistakes cost money.” And Moir admits he has made some, but these learning investments have helped him prevent or prevail the next time.

Josephine's

Moir appears to be going for the hat trick by opening a third establishment downtown with Proper Meats + Provisions. It’s adding to the excitement of local foods and top choices.

Executive Chef David Smith said, “We’ve always worked with local farmers, but the logistics can be hard for them, so we’ve taken over that process to offer whole animal butchering to our restaurants and the public.”

The recent opening of Proper is joined by the Tourist Home Urban Market, which has an interesting menu of fresh-made salads, sandwiches and a sharp eye on perfectly blended ingredients and high quality.

It’s getting to the point that Flagstaff is packing a culinary punch in a handful of blocks that is on par with a major metropolitan area.

Magazines such as Arizona Highways and other media are alert to it, as well. Numerous Flagstaff restaurants are now basking in regional recognition with the upscale upswing.

CCC Honors Jeff Jones with 2014-2015 Full-Time Faculty of the Year Award

C

omputer Information Systems (CIS) instructor, Jeff Jones is Coconino Community College’s FullTime Faculty of the Year for 2014-2015.

Jones has dedicated more than 15 years of his career to higher education and computer information technology at CCC. “The best part of teaching is sharing the ‘aha!’ moment as students have reached or been pushed far enough to stretch themselves and then are rewarded with some insight and real learning,” Jones said.

In addition to teaching, Jones volunteers as the advisor for the CCC Games Club.

“The club allows students to enjoy video games and have discussions of the current technology and theory in an environment that is supportive and fun,” Jones said.

“The CCC Games Club has allowed students who might not see themselves as ‘fitting in’ to have a place of their own on campus and be more successful overall.”

CCC students nominated Jones for his award.

“He makes the quiet students feel more relaxed and shows that their thoughts matter,” wrote CCC student Mathew Brubeck on his nomination of Jones. “I remember when I first started I was very scared of going back and he made it a point to talk to me and let me know that what I say matters.”

Jones, for his part was humbled when he learned he had won. ”Thank you all! I am without words (not a

regular occurrence for me!),” said Jones. “I am humbled and grateful for my loving family, my students, my supportive peers and for the College’s recognition of me as their Full-Time Faculty of the Year Award winner. “ CCC student Sarah Armstrong wrote the following in her nomination: “Professor Jones wants to make sure the students are achieving their goals and he will go out of his way to check each student’s status throughout the semester when asked how they are doing. He will tell them what they can do to be successful in the class.”

CCC has been a good place for Jones to be creative and find success as an instructor, he said.

“I have been allowed to design four entirely new classes (programming and game design) over the past seven years that were not offered and have been able over time to integrate them into the curriculum,” Jones said. “Judicial use of technology allows us to do so many things that enhance our lives and make us more efficient but the flip side of the coin leaves many ethical issues related to access, privacy, and power. The curriculum itself changes more frequently than most academic areas and there is always something current in the news that can challenge our thinking or excite us.”

–Advertiser provided content

November 14, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

21

\\\ BY JOANNE HUDSON

Flagstaff CVB marketing campaign receives multiple awards

Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona Office of Tourism honored statewide tourism leaders at the 2014 Governor’s Tourism Awards Gala in July. The Flagstaff CVB reimaging and marketing campaign was honored with a best practice award in the “Innovative Promotion - Rural” category. The Innovative Promotions Award is one of five best practices awards given annually and is presented

to the organization that best demonstrates outstanding quality, creativity or technology in planning and carrying out a promotional program.

The CVB won the award for “Best Display Ad (Single or Campaign)” at the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) TIM Awards in March 2014. These awards highlight the work of individuals and agencies in the interactive

marketing realm and only promotions created

by Arizona based entities are eligible to enter.

The judges for this award noted that they were “wowed” by the variety of the ads and how the seasonality of Flagstaff was highlighted.

MarCom Awards, an international creative competition administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals which recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals, awarded the Flagstaff CVB’s creative efforts in two categories this year. The Platinum Award, which is the competition’s highest honor, was presented to the CVB in the “Marketing/Promotional Campaign/ Branding Refresh” category for an exceptional overall reimage campaign. The CVB also received the Gold Award in the “Ads/Advertising Campaign” category.

The CVB also won three Communicator Awards presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for aspects of the reimaged marketing campaign. The Gold Award for first place in the “Outdoor/Environmental Advertising Campaign” category was presented for the CVB’s series of Metro bus and light rail wraps. Also, two Silver Awards were received in the “Website

– Travel/tourism” category and the “Integrated Campaign - Promotional/Branding” category.

The Flagstaff CVB has also been recognized in the meetings and events segment of the industry, being named one of the best CVBs, DMO or Tourist Boards in the Southwest and has received a prestigious Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings. The 2014 Pinnacle Awards are the mark of excellence for meeting destinations, hotels and conference centers. The awarded organizations are anonymously nominated by meeting planners who have worked with the destination to service their meetings, trade shows and conventions during the previous year.

The Flagstaff CVB continues to find fresh ways to use the reimaged marketing campaign elements and imagery to further enhance the Flagstaff tourism brand. The most recent project in the campaign is the Flagstaff Cool Zone.

The Flagstaff Cool Zone is a new outdoor marketing initiative located in a courtyard area in the heart of the downtown Phoenix Legends Entertainment district, near Chase Field and the US Airways Center. Visitors to the area experience larger-than-life Flagstaff imagery, misters chilling the air and are called to action with the hash tag #VisitCool and website flagstaffarizona.org/ visitcool.

For more information on the continued marketing efforts of the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau a copy of the Annual Report and Marketing Plan can be found at flagstaffarizona.org in the “About FCVB” section.

CVB creates Flagstaff Cool Zone in Phoenix The Convention and Visitors Bureau has created and installed a new marketing initiative, named the Flagstaff Cool Zone, to entice Phoenix area residents to get out of the heat and plan a trip to Flagstaff. The Flagstaff Cool Zone is a courtyard area, located in the heart of the downtown Phoenix Legends Entertainment district, near Chase Field and the US Airways Center. Visitors to the area experience larger-than-life Flagstaff imagery, misters chilling the air and are called to action with the hash tag #VisitCool. To kick off the year long zone installation, CVB staff held a ribbon cutting event and activation for fans on July 19, during the WNBA All-Star game and an Arizona Diamondbacks game.

Flagstaff marketing campaign receives awards The Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau’s reimaged marketing campaign, launched in June 2013 and adapted seasonally throughout the year, has received multiple Tourism and marketing industry awards. Governor Jan Brewer and the 22

Arizona Office of Tourism honored statewide tourism leaders at the 2014 Governor’s Tourism Awards Gala in July. The CVB’s reimaging and marketing campaign was honored with a best practices award in the “Innovative Promotion - Rural” category.

The CVB won the award for “Best Display Ad (Single or Campaign)” at the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) TIM Awards in March 2014. These awards highlight the work of individuals and agencies in the interactive marketing realm and only promotions created by Arizona

Northern Arizona Business Journal | November, 2014

based entities are eligible to enter.

MarCom Awards, an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals, awarded the Flagstaff CVB’s creative efforts in two categories. The Platinum Award, which is the highest honor, was presented to the CVB in the “Marketing/Promotional Campaign/ Branding Refresh” category for an exceptional overall reimage campaign. The CVB also received the Gold Award in the “Ads/Advertising Campaign”

category.

The CVB also won three Communicator Awards presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for aspects of the reimaged marketing campaign. The Gold Award for first place in the “Outdoor/Environmental Advertising Campaign” category was presented for the CVB’s series of Metro bus and light rail wraps. Also, two Silver Awards were received in the “Website – Travel/tourism” category and the “Integrated Campaign - Promotional/Branding” category.

A

fter spending a lot of time out in the

have enhanced the vibrancy of our mountain

offered through Northern Arizona Business

community, we heard over and over that

town. We thought what better way to learn

Journal. Along with this, we also are using this

we needed to place greater emphasis on

about the Flagstaff business community then

new publication to focus on Flagstaff’s growing

in their own words. So that is what we have

economy and spirit of entrepreneurship.

the expanding businesses and commerce that

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3X $975.00 3X $2,400.00 6X $900.00 6X $2,200.00 12X $800.00 12X $2,000.00

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November, 2014 | Northern Arizona Business Journal

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