MAR. 2021
Giving Guide: Prepare for Arizona Gives Day on April 6
S U L U M I T S s I t a h W
This Month’s Guest Editors Kyu Utsunomiya and
Troy Watkins
Valley Restaurateurs
? t c a p m I L A E R e th Phoenix and COVID Recovery
Revamp SEO in 2021
Communication Tips to
De-escalate Conflict $7.95 INBUSINESSPHX.COM
THIS ISSUE National Association of Women Business Owners – Phoenix
“Arizona MEP was very creative, looked at the individual opportunities and challenges, and supported what we needed to tackle the challenge and grow. They do it in a personal, creative, and helpful way.” Sherri Barry, Co-Founder, FABRIC
With decades of leadership, manufacturing and business expertise, the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Arizona MEP) helps small- and medium-sized manufacturers achieve their goals. This past year, Arizona MEP provided critical expertise to FABRIC in response to the impacts of COVID-19. The program enabled Tempe-based FABRIC to set up four socially distanced production lines, recruit more than 60 team members and pivot operations to produce more than 200,000 FDA-approved, reusable hospital gowns statewide.
Arizona’s manufacturers can leverage Arizona MEP’s programs to continue recovering. From responding to workforce and supply chain disruptions to making operational shifts to support the manufacturing of PPE and critical supplies, the Arizona MEP Emergency Assistance Program provides subsidized services to help manufacturers return stronger for the future. Applications for this one-time, CARES Act-supported program are open until late Spring 2021 and offered on a first come, first served basis.
Learn more about Arizona MEP and the Emergency Assistance Program azcommerce.com/programs/arizona-mep | 602-845-1256
TOGETHER WE’VE HELPED ...
kittens & kiddos, veterans & veterinarians, ranches & rescues, corgi & cacti, single parents & seniors, future farmers & first responders, students & stargazers ... WHICH CAUSE WILL YOU SUPPORT ON APRIL 6? Arizona Gives Day is an annual day of online giving that’s raised $23 million for Arizona nonprofits since 2013. Find your cause and make an early donation today.
AZGIVES.ORG BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA NONPROFITS & ARIZONA GRANTMAKERS FORUM
MARCH 2021
COVER STORY
GUEST COLUMNISTS
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40
Social Impact Tyler Butler’s series explores the myriad ways businesses give back and the positive ways their programs impact our community. This month, she spotlights 420 Skin Car and 420 Medibles, a business whose purpose was founded on philanthropic effort.
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Communication Tips to De-escalate Conflict in the Workplace Discussing strategies business leaders can use with themselves and their workforce, nationally renowned federal crisis negotiation specialist Doc Elliot continues his series on preventing workplace violence.
PARTNER SECTION
FEATURES
32
Adapting Content Strategies to Grow Employee Happiness
Discussing how businesses can control turnover by keeping the team happy and productive, Mike Metz suggests team building activities that can work with distributed teams.
42
Three Ways to Revamp SEO in 2021
Mark Stewart discusses why businesses need to keep up to date with trends in search engine ranking, and how to do it.
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Outdated Video Training Puts a Business at Risk
Maury Rogow advocates replacing the monotone slide-show bullet points with a storytelling style.
DEPARTMENTS
9
Guest Editor
Kyu Utsunomiya and Troy Watkins, partners at Conceptually Social, introduce the “Stimulus” issue.
Feedback
Dana Bailey, Becky Bell Ballard and Kate Thoene respond to In Business Magazine’s burning business question of the month.
11 National Association of Women Business Owners - Phoenix
SPECIAL SECTION
Giving Guide ARIZONA
Presents
Briefs
“Pandemic Propels Worldwide Jet’s Efforts for a Safer Future,” “Guides and Resources,” “Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy,” “Wildflower Innovates to Launch Asian-Inspired Ghost Kitchen” and “Longer Work Hours: Marketbased Societies or Subsistence-based Societies?”
13
By the Numbers
Workplace attitudes differ by regional location.
14
Startups
“Ecep Han: Answering the Call for PPE” and “SAVRpak: A Rocket Scientist’s Freshness Solution” Connecting business with our community
GIVE ON APRIL 6, 2021
53
Arizona Giving Guide Support Arizona Gives Day on April 6
MAR. 2021
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INBUSINESSPHX.COM
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From the Top
Building strong teams and paying it forward through mentorship, attorney Helen Davis is the first female managing partner at The Cavanagh Law Firm.
18
Healthcare
“Paradigm’s COVID-19 Response” and “Plasma Donations Help Save Lives”
20
Technology
“Disposal Box Programs Are Good, but Not Good Enough” and “9 Steps to Safeguard Your Business from a Cybersecurity Attack”
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Books
New releases give fresh insights on business thinking.
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Stimulus: What Is the Real Impact?
Economists, economic development professionals and leaders of funding institutions are among the experts who discuss the effects being experienced throughout our economy locally — and where that is likely to take us going forward. Plus: An in-depth look at the City of Phoenix and COVID Recovery. Plus: An in-depth look at the City of Phoenix and COVID Recovery
15
CRE
“What to Expect in the Greater Phoenix Commercial Real Estate Industry in 2021,” “Infill Industrial Projects Planned in Tempe,” “TI Project Expands Gilbert Manufacturing Campus,” “Gilbert Medical Office Market Is Dynamic” and “New Master-Planned Community in Queen Creek”
34
En Negocios
Liderazgo / Leadership: “Reducir la discriminación“ / “Reduce Discrimination”
36
Economy
Gena Jones discusses big mistakes that small businesses often fall into.
38
Legal
Local attorney discusses contractual and regulatory restrictions landlords need to consider before their real estate properties.
44
Nonprofit
Individual and institutions are still giving; here are strategies to help nonprofits sustain and grow their fundraising.
45
Assets
2021 Genesis G90 Plus: Plants improve the indoor atmosphere.
46
Power Lunch
Z’Tejas Continues to Sizzle
70
Roundtable
Patty Alper discusses the value of mentorship programs.
SmartAsset recently released its “Where Black Americans Fare Best Economically – 2021 Study,” based on its analysis of Census data on129 of the largest U.S. cities, and names Chandler and Mesa among the top 25 cities. smartasset.com
Doctors Plan of Arizona: Your new health plan experience In collaboration with Banner Health Network, Doctors Plan of Arizona is designed to provide a better health care experience for you and your employees. With lower out-of-pocket costs1 and an integrated approach to care designed for better outcomes, this health plan helps your employees and their families access a broad network with over 4,200 providers2 to choose from — right where they live, work and play.
Learn more
Call your broker or visit uhc.com/dpaz
1
Savings based on lower premiums for Doctors Plan compared to standard Choice Plus plans at the same deductible and coinsurance level as of 7/1/2020. This policy has exclusions, limitations and terms under which the policy may be continued in force or discontinued. For costs and complete details of the coverage, contact your broker or UnitedHealthcare sales representative.
2
UnitedHealth Network Access internal analysis, June 2020.
3
Additional copays, deductibles or coinsurance may apply when you receive other services — such as surgery and lab work.
Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates. Health Plan coverage provided by UnitedHealthcare of Arizona, Inc. B2B EI20236739.1 1/21 © 2020 United HealthCare Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 20-189173-B
0 copays
$
for primary care provider visits, urgent care visits, online visits and convenience care visits3
Mar. 2021
Hi Phoenix, Let’s spend smarter.
In Business Magazine is a collaboration of many business organizations and entities throughout the metropolitan Phoenix area and Arizona. Our mission is to inform and energize business in this community by communicating content that will build business and enrich the economic picture for all of us vested in commerce.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS Kristen Merrifield, CEO Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits (602) 279-2966 www.arizonanonprofits.org Jess Roman, Chief Executive Officer Arizona Small Business Association Central Office (602) 306-4000 www.asba.com
Learn more at getdivvy.com/phx1
Steven G. Zylstra, President & CEO Arizona Technology Council One Renaissance Square (602) 343-8324 www.aztechcouncil.org Doug Bruhnke, Founder & President Global Chamber® (480) 595-5000 www.globalchamber.org Jean Briese, President NAWBO Phoenix Metro Chapter (480) 289-5768 www.nawbophx.org Anne Gill, President & CEO Tempe Chamber of Commerce (480) 967-7891 www.tempechamber.org Our Partner Organizations are vested business organizations focused on building and improving business in the Valley or throughout Arizona. As Partners, each will receive three insert publications each year to showcase all that they are doing for business and businesspeople within our community. We encourage you to join these and other organizations to better your business opportunities. The members of these and other Associate Partner Organizations receive a subscription to In Business Magazine each month. For more information on becoming an Associate Partner, please contact our publisher at info@inbusinessmag.com.
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce ahwatukeechamber.com Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry azchamber.com Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce azhcc.com The Black Chamber of Arizona phoenixblackchamber.com Chandler Chamber of Commerce chandlerchamber.com Economic Club of Phoenix econclubphx.org Glendale Chamber of Commerce glendaleazchamber.org Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce phoenixchamber.com Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce gpglcc.org Mesa Chamber of Commerce mesachamber.org North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce northphoenixchamber.com Peoria Chamber of Commerce peoriachamber.com Phoenix Metro Chamber of Commerce phoenixmetrochamber.com Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce scottsdalechamber.com Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce surpriseregionalchamber.com WESTMARC westmarc.org
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Mar. 2021
VOL. 12, NO. 3
Publisher Editor En Negocios Editor Graphic Design
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Rick McCartney RaeAnne Marsh Edgar Rafael Olivo Benjamin Little Patty Alper Louis Basile Courtney Beller Tyler Butler Doc Elliot Patti Gentry Mike Hunter Gena Jones Sue Kern-Fleischer Mike Metz Robby Nethercut Norm Nicholls Rick Padelford Miguel Rodriguez Maury Rogow Ruth Siegel Mark Stewart Eric Jay Toll Richard Tollefson Antonette Vanasek
ADVERTISING Operations Louise Ferrari Business Development Louise Ferrari Cami Shore Events Amy Corben More: Visit your one-stop resource for everything business at inbusinessphx.com. For a full monthly calendar of business-related events, please visit our website. Inform Us: Send press releases and your editorial ideas to editor@inbusinessphx.com
President & CEO Editorial Director Financial Manager Office Manager Accounting Manager Corporate Office
Rick McCartney RaeAnne Marsh Tom Beyer Allie Schimmel Todd Juhl
InMedia Company 45 W. Jefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85003 T: (480) 588-9505 info@inmediacompany.com www.inmediacompany.com Vol. 12, No. 3 In Business Magazine is published 12 times per year by InMedia Company. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to InMedia Company, 45 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. To subscribe to In Business Magazine, please send check or money order for one-year subscription of $24.95 to InMedia Company, 45 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 or visit inbusinessphx.com. We appreciate your editorial submissions, news and photos for review by our editorial staff. You may send to editor@inbusinessmag.com or mail to the address above. All letters sent to In Business Magazine will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication, copyright purposes and use in any publication, website or brochure. InMedia accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or other artwork. Submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. InMedia Company, LLC reserves the right to refuse certain advertising and is not liable for advertisers’ claims and/or errors. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of InMedia. InMedia Company considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur; consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. Each business opportunity and/or investment inherently contains certain risks, and it is suggested that the prospective investors consult their attorney and/or financial professional. ©2021 InMedia Company, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission by any means without written permission by the publisher.
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KYU UTSUNOMIYA & TROY WATKINS, CONCEPTUALLY SOCIAL
Keeping Business Strong
Conceptually Social is comprised of CS Catering, The Larry and Kaizen Sushi + Omakase. Established in 2014 and having started its presence with The Dressing Room & Be Coffee in the Roosevelt Row neighborhood of DTPHX, Conceptually Social looks to continue its growth within the urban core of Phoenix. Team members currently number more than 30; Utsunomiya and Watkins hope to grow Conceptually Social back to its pre-COVID-19 size of more than 100. Utsunomiya and Watkins created Conceptually Social with more than 30 years’ experience each in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Meeting at the beginning of their careers at The Phoenician Resort as pool attendants and servers, they continued working for some of the Valley’s best-known restaurant companies, including Houston’s Restaurants, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion and Upward Projects.
Help doesn’t just happen, however badly it’s needed — as the situation in Texas last month made abundantly clear. Our leaders should be recognized for the effort to provide aid to help businesses remain functioning and especially at the local level to orchestrate that relief. March of 2020 caught so many of us off guard and unprepared. As partners in a small, local Phoenix restaurant and catering company, we didn’t have many options for cash influx that wasn’t based upon our sales. Our reserve cash levels would only get us through April and we were facing some significant decisions. Being fortunate to having connected well with the DTPHX community, it wasn’t long before we learned of life lines to grants and other forms of financial support. Local First’s Arizona Rent & Mortgage Relief Grant, the Arizona Community Foundation’s Maricopa County Small Business Relief Program and, as well, the State of Arizona’s Safest Outside Restaurant Assistance Program were all crucial elements of local-level financial support that have helped our company survive this pandemic almost one year later. The federal government’s SBA Paycheck Protection Program was the final enormous piece of relief that ensured our ability to keep our hardworking employees with jobs and a paycheck. As we await finalization and hopeful approval for the second round of federal stimulus (Round 2 PPP), we are encouraged of our ability to continue to survive this challenging time and allow our businesses the time to build sales and stay very optimistic to a time when “normal” can return. The cover story this month reviews these stimulus efforts, examining the effect on broad segments of our business community. Economists, economic development professionals and leaders of funding institutions are among the experts who discuss the effects being experienced throughout our economy locally — and where that is likely to take us going forward. Addressing other current hot topics, attorney Courtney Beller discusses legal considerations in “Repurposing Real Estate Use?” as the market experiences changes in retail, office and other commercial real estate, and Doc Elliot continues his series on preventing workplace violence with “Communication Tips to De-escalate Conflict in the Workplace.” Normal, day-to-day operations also require attention, and employee engagement remains a key concern among employers. In today’s fluctuating environment, “normal” can be tweaked to accommodate changed circumstances, and Mike Metz’s article “Adapting Content Strategies to Grow Employee Happiness” offers suggestions for actions and activities business leaders can apply to their own organization. And putting particular focus on the nonprofit sector — which contributes significantly to the state’s economy — this March edition of In Business Magazine includes the 2021 Giving Guide to help the for-profit community prepare its support of Arizona Gives Day, coming up on April 6. I am pleased to be part of binging this edition of In Business Magazine to you. Enjoy the read.
Kyu Utsunomiya Troy Watkins Partner Partner Conceptually Social Conceptually Social
We are very excited about this issue because we have spoken
local businesses that has benefitted greatly. City of Phoenix, Local First,
sense of the impact that stimulus has had on business here and
the Governor’s Office and SBA/PPP
on the overall economy and what it is likely to do for the future
have been all crucial lifelines and
of the Greater Phoenix business community. The injection of
tremendous support for his business
(mostly) money by the Federal government, local county and city
to get through this past year. He is a true community leader
governments and foundations has injected enough stimulus to
and his example is the perfect way to lead this issue. We thank
make a difference for businesses of all sizes.
him and so many other restaurants for all the hard work they
It is a great pleasure to have Kyu Utsunomiya as this month’s Guest Editor. His restaurant/catering company in one of the
CONNECT WITH US: Story Ideas/PR: editor@ inbusinessphx.com
to many thought leaders in our business community to get a
DON’T MISS OUT!
Stay informed on business topics in Spanish through En Negocios, articles for Spanish-speaking readers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Visit inbusinessphx.com/ ennegocios for more information.
Sincerely,
Stimulating Local Business
Get a year of In Business Magazine Subscribe now at inbusinessphx.com
EN NEGOCIOS Manténgase informado sobre temas empresariales en español a través de En Negocios, artículos para los lectores de habla hispana en el área metropolitana de Phoenix. Visite inbusinessphx.com/ ennegocios para más información.
have endured to get people back to work and to stay open.
Business Events/ Connections: businessevents@ inbusinessphx.com Marketing/Exposure: advertise@ inbusinessphx.com Visit us online at www.inbusinessphx.com
—Rick McCartney, Publisher
Let us know what you think of this issue of In Business Magazine. Email our publisher at feedback@inbusinessmag.com.
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SPEAKING OUT
For many nonprofits, the pandemic’s economic impact squeezed them in between increased demand for their services and decrease in income coupled with physical operational limitations. How has your organization responded to these challenges in order to continue to serve its mission?
FEEDBACK QUESTION: Let us know what you want to know from the Valley’s top business leaders. editor@inbusinessphx.com
DANA BAILEY
BECKY BELL BALLARD
KATE THOENE
Chief Operations Officer Homeless Youth Connection Sector: Nonprofit
Chief Executive Officer Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children Sector: Nonprofit
Executive Director Waste Not Sector: Nonprofit
Like a number of nonprofits, we have had long-time funders not able to support us financially this past year; we hope they will be able to return in the future. We have been incredibly fortunate to have new donors step forward to support our work during the pandemic. Our greatest challenge from the pandemic is the way we provide services to youth experiencing homelessness. We usually meet with youth while they are attending school, to provide resources and basic needs. We have seen a significant reduction in the number of youths referred to our program. That primarily is because the youth we serve are not enrolled in school; they are no longer participating in school or remote learning — they have experienced too many obstacles due to the pandemic. These youth are falling through the cracks. We know without their high school diploma they will face even more difficult obstacles. We are responding to this pandemic development by implementing an outreach initiative to connect with youth experiencing homelessness and help them to get reenrolled in school and to graduate. Homeless Youth Connection hycaz.org
For all past Feedbacks go online to inbusinessphx.com and see what Valley executives think on various business topics.
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Dana Bailey is the chief operations officer at Homeless Youth Connection and oversees HYC’s ongoing program and human resource operations, as well as directing marketing, communications and fundraising strategies for the organization. Bailey has worked in nonprofit, government and privatesector environments, and has more than 30 years of experience in project development and management, team building, strategic implementation and special event management.
Rosie’s House serves as a safe afterschool space for our students who face significant challenges due to their socio-economic situations. Prior to the pandemic, many students took public transportation from their neighborhoods to our free afterschool music program, but as all activities were pushed to online, our students now face additional hurdles for participation. The pandemic has exposed the inequities that have long been below the surface, especially the digital divide. Rosie’s House families often share one device, typically a phone, dividing time between parents’ needs and siblings’ classes. Learning music virtually, which requires teacher and student to be able to listen and respond, is a challenge. Rosie’s House is actively and creatively responding: donors are stepping forward to provide computers, instructors are adapting methods for on-line, and staff is providing students time for social interaction. Parents have expressed what a life-line Rosie’s House is to their children and the entire family, a bright spot to relieve the pressures of isolation and stress from the pandemic. At this time, we are seeking the additional funds necessary to help us continue our mission of changing lives through music. Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children rosieshouse.org As CEO of Rosie’s House, Becky Ballard finds solutions to address the disparity in access to music education. She combines creativity with strategy and has grown the local nonprofit into one of the largest free afterschool music programs nationwide.
Sign up for the monthly In Business Magazine eNewsletter at www.inbusinessphx.com. Look for survey questions and other research on our business community.
The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated just how fragile our food system is and how many people are only one paycheck away from experiencing food insecurity. At the onset of the pandemic, Waste Not rapidly increased its efforts to pick up excess perishable food from businesses that were forced to close abruptly — ensuring it wouldn’t go to waste and, instead, getting it to the people who needed it most. When more than 64% of our nonprofit partners reported an increased need for food donations, we quickly scaled our low-contact food rescue program by leveraging technology to match food donations with nearby nonprofits and mobilizing community volunteers to make the pick-up and delivery connections. In 2020, we diverted 1,427 tons of good food from local l andfills, which equates to nearly 3 million meals delivered! At the heart of this work are our strong partnerships with the businesses we collect food from, the nonprofits we deliver meals to, and generous donors who make it all possible. Waste Not wastenotaz.org Kate Thoene is the executive director at Waste Not, a hunger relief organization that collects food that would otherwise go to waste and delivers it at no cost to more than 90 nonprofit partner agencies. Thoene has more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership, program management and social enterprise experience here in The Valley and currently serves on the boards of directors of three local nonprofits: Big Brothers Big Sisters, ONE – Organization for Nonprofit Executives and Social Enterprise Alliance AZ.
QUICK AND TO THE POINT
GUIDES & RESOURCES Find out more in each issue of In Business Magazine as we provide resources and guides that can help businesses get and stay connected to the information they need to build business.
COVID-19 Business Stimulus: With now two phases of the Paycheck Protection Program loans and other Small Business Administration loans and stimulus packages, we include these links for businesses: N807DD: Canadair Challenger 601-3R, large cabin, boasting widest and tallest cabin in this category
Pandemic Propels Worldwide Jet’s Efforts for a Safer Future Phoenix-based Worldwide Jet boasts a fleet of 12 jets providing premier charter flights to more than 500 destinations around the world. Early into the pandemic, the global aviation firm recognized it was imperative to lead the way in providing the safest work environment for its employees, and the safest way to travel for its clients. In January 2020, Worldwide Jet began with enhanced cleaning protocols, and in February, disposable thermometers were on board. By March, Worldwide was providing full PPE for its crews and passengers. After consulting with the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration, the company launched its COVIDCLEAN program in April. The comprehensive program has become a key differentiator in the marketplace, helping Worldwide Jet build and maintain trust among its brokers and retail clients. Worldwide Jet CEO Andrew Kaufman says his team is constantly assessing protocols and adjusting procedures. “We avoid commercial airports, and function primarily out of general aviation airports,” Kaufman says. “Our clients skip the crowds by using these smaller airports, and can move quickly through the private terminal, reducing their contact with others.” Getting employees on board with the rigorous testing and cleaning protocols was fairly easy. “Our employees know they come first, and if we don’t keep them healthy, we have no company,” he says. While there’s hope with the recent rollout of vaccines, Worldwide Jet will keep its COVIDCLEAN program in place and remain vigilant about monitoring world affairs. “The world is so much smaller today than it has ever been. The pandemic was a game-changer for us, and we recognize that it is only a matter of time before we see another similar situation,” Kaufman says. —Sue Kern-Fleischer Worldwide Jet worldwidejet.com
• PPP Loans: sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/ coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protectionprogram • SBA Stimulus: sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19small-business-guidance-loan-resources • Get My Check: irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment • Federal Resources for U.S. Small Businesses: covid-sb.org • Vaccine Finder and information: vaccinefinder.org Vaccine: As vaccines become readily available and businesses begin to go back to the office, we offer these links for more information on where to get vaccinations and who will qualify: • Registration: podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ • General Information: azdhs.gov/index.php
SMALL BUSINESS Assistance and Guidance: Many businesses are looking for information that will improve business either through programs to enhance services, resources that can assist in day-to-day business or simply connect businesses with opportunities. Here are this month’s resources: • Small Business Financial Resources: azcommerce.com/covid-19/financial-resources • Arizona Small Business Association: asba.com • CPLC Women’s Business Center: prestamosloans.org/womens-business-center • Small Business Development Center: maricopa-sbdc.com
IN BUSINESS MAGAZINE In Business Magazine creates many resources throughout the year. Here are our most recent: • In Business In the Firm Guide: inbusinessphx.com/2021-in-the-firm • Arizona Gives Day Participants: inbusinessphx.com/2021-giving-guide
MORE Each month we will include other added resources and guide. Here is what we have for our readers this month: • ID Theft: idtheftcenter.org
N70PS: Bombardier Global Express, ultra long-range, best for international travel
Worldwide Jet has begun testing its crew every 72 hours, beginning 72 hours prior to reporting for their duty rotation, and every 72 hours while on rotation.
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QUICK AND TO THE POINT
LOOKING GOOD
Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy ACHIEVEMENTS
Camelot Homes Wins Coveted Housing Quality Award Judges for the 2021 National Housing Quality Award® (NHQA), sponsored by Pro Builder magazine, named Camelot Homes the winner of a Bronze Award for the company’s commitment to the highest level of operational excellence and quality in the housing industry. Camelot is one of only four honorees this year and is the only Arizona-based company to be named to the list. camelothomes.com
Fulton Homes Wins Three EPA Awards in 2020 Fulton Homes, Arizona’s largest family-owned and -operated homebuilder, is the only builder nationally to win three “Partner of the Year” awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a single year: the 2020 Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Year – Builder
Wildflower Innovates to Launch Asian-Inspired Ghost Kitchen As the pandemic has prompted more people to order delivery and takeout so they can dine in the comfort and safety of their own homes, there has been a rise in ghost kitchens across the nation. A ghost (or virtual) kitchen is a restaurant model that offers off-premise food sales without a traditional dine-in space. As the owner of Wildflower, a 25-year-old beloved Arizona brand, I saw an opportunity to innovate through this trend and recently launched a completely new Asianinspired ghost kitchen concept called NOBANA. The name NOBANA culturally translates to “wildflower” in Japanese, and the menu explores a variety of Asian flavors, naturally incorporating vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. It offers flavor-packed bone broth and gluten-free noodle bowls, salads and wraps, and operates out of the Sonora Village Wildflower location in North Scottsdale. This allows it to be a less-expensive
Award; the 2020 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award; and the 2020 WaterSense Builder Partner of the Year. fultonhomes.com
Navitus Health Solutions Wins Six 2021 AVA Digital Awards Navitus Health Solutions, a Phoenix-area full passthrough pharmacy benefit manager, received two platinum and two gold awards and two honorable mentions from the 2021 AVA Digital Awards, an annual global competition that honors excellence in digital creativity, branding and strategy. navitus.com
PHILANTHROPY
Homie Helps with Girl Scouts’ ‘Cookie Castle’ Homie Arizona partnered with the Girl Scouts-Cactus Pine Council for Girl Scouts’ cookie sales this year. Through the philanthropic arm of the company Homie Helps, a $15,000 donation was made to support cookie sales, foster creativity, engineering, and entrepreneurial skills among the Girl Scouts. And Homie is aiding Girl Scout Mija Kaprosy in building a “Cookie Castle” at The Shops at Norterra. girlscoutsaz.org • homie.com
Veyo Partners with St. Mary’s Food Bank During the recent holiday season, more than 40 Veyo drivers and employees donated more than 750 pounds of food to St. Mary’s Food Bank, collecting more than 400 items. Said Mary Cattelino, Arizona operations manager of the non-emergency medical transportation service, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”veyo.com
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restaurant model since it utilizes the existing Wildflower kitchen, breadheads (aka employees) and some of the same ingredients to create the NOBANA offerings. At Wildflower, we have always taken an unexpected, elevated and thoughtful approach to the guest experience. As we’ve continued to grow and innovate, launching a new venture was a natural progression for us and we are excited to deliver the new flavors of NOBANA with the same level of quality and value our guests love about Wildflower. NOBANA currently serves the North Scottsdale area with delivery and takeout via DoorDash, UBER Eats and Postmates. It is considering expanding to additional Wildflower locations around the Valley later this year. —Louis Basile, founder and owner of Wildflower NOBANA eatnobana.com
Longer Work Hours: Market-based Societies or Subsistence-based Societies? Men in market-based societies work more hours while women mostly work the same hours on average regardless of the type of society, according to a recent study by MIT Sloan School of Management Prof. Rahul Bhui. The researchers found that within and across societies, men whose work was largely commercial tended to work more hours. Men engaged in noncommercial labor worked on average 45 hours a week compared to men with commercial jobs who worked on average 55 hours a week. In contrast to men, women in these societies worked an average of 55 hours per week regardless of the type of work. “They work as much as highly commercial men across the board,” observes Bhui, coauthor of “Work time and market integration in the original affluent society,” recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. He points out that household labor and food processing were types of work ignored in some influential prior studies. “An ongoing debate among social scientists is about the impact of the marketplace on how
we live. In the 1960s, anthropologist Marshall Sahlins claimed that hunter-gatherers were the ‘original affluent society’ because their lack of commercial markets led to abundant leisure time. While his theory came under fire, the question of how much time people spend working has remained a topic of great interest,” says Bhui. Using a high-quality dataset on time expenditure from eight small-scale populations around the world and 14 industrialized countries, Bhui and his colleagues assessed the relationship between work hours and market integration. They defined work as activities under the broad categories of commercial, food production, housework, manufacture, food preparation, education and childcare. He notes that changing work patterns during the pandemic have made this discussion particularly relevant today. “We can better understand ourselves and our society when we venture — or are forced — outside our everyday experience.” —Mike Hunter MIT Sloan School of Management mitsloan.mit.edu
In February, Wildflower founder and owner Louis Basile was named one of “The Most Influential Restaurant Executives in the Country” according to Nation’s Restaurant News readers. nrn.com/people/most-influentialrestaurant-executives-country-according-nation-s-restaurant-news-readers
METRICS & MEASUREMENTS
Attitudes toward the Evolving Workplace Expected Productivity Levels Region
Percent of workers more productive than expected
Northwest
80%
Southwest
74%
Midwest
67%
Northeast
65%
Southeast
61%
Emotional Toll of the Pandemic/Remote Work Region
Percent of workers more sad/lonely than usual
Northwest
29%
Southwest
27%
Midwest
20%
Southeast
19%
Northeast
16%
Taking Advantage of Paid Time Off Region
Percent of workers who report taking more PTO than previous year
Northwest
45%
Southwest
45%
Midwest
35%
Northeast
28%
Southeast
28%
Feeling the Impact of Current Events Locally Region
Percent of workers who say non-work-related political, public health and/or global events have impacted their productivity at work
Northwest
64%
Southwest
62%
Midwest
53%
Southeast
51%
Northeast
47%
Eager to Get Back to the Office Region
Percent of workers very excited to return to the office ASAP
Northwest
67%
Southwest
60%
Midwest
53%
Southeast
46%
Northeast
44%
Hopeful for Career Advancement Region
Percent of workers who believe there will an opportunity to progress professionally at their current or a new company this year
Northwest
86%
Southwest
77%
Midwest
73%
Northeast
71%
Southeast
71%
Does Location Influence Workplace Attitudes? Study assesses regional differences by RaeAnne Marsh
Attitudes toward work from home has become a favorite topic for surveys over the past year, and it is one aspect Nintex studies in its recent “Workplace 2021 Study.” But Nintex’s interest was not just on attitudes; it was on how attitudes differ from region to region. Here in the Southwest, we have the second-best opportunities for career advancement this year, according to workers in the region. Seventy percent of workers believe there will be an opportunity to progress professionally at their current or a new company this year. But is advancement expected to come without putting in extra work? Workers in the Southeast and Northeast are burning the midnight oil, as the majority of workers in both regions (72%) took the same or less PTO in 2020 than the year prior. This is in stark contrast to the Southwest and Northwest, where half of workers (45%) took more. Terry Simpson, a researcher at Nintex, postulates that some of the driving forces could be generational where that may factor into the makeup of those regional populations. “The baby boomer population is more motivated by compensation. GenX is more interested in more efficient workplaces, automation and making their job easier through technology,” he says. GenX, having grown up with today’s technology, wants the instant gratification it enables; baby boomers are more tolerant of different methods. For Nintex, this turned out to be more than an academic exercise, as Simpson shares the company made changes to its employee time-off policies based on the study. “One of our big take-aways was to give employees flexibility, to take time off when they need it, as long as the work gets done — so our mental health is in the right place.”
Nintex is an independent software vendor and workflow company with customers in over 90 countries, helping public and private-sector organizations accelerate progress on their digital transformation journeys by quickly and easily managing, automating and optimizing business processes. nintex.com
For definitions of the regions and methodology on this study, see this article online at inbusinessphx.com.
Nintex nintex.com
Seventy percent of workers in the Southwest believe that this year there will be an opportunity to progress professionally at their current or a new company.
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BY RAEANNE MARSH
ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS
Ecep Han: Answering the Call for PPE
Ecep Han manufactures medical textiles, more commonly referred to as Personal Protective Equipment, providing healthcare facilities and private businesses with masks, medical gowns, medical coveralls, shields and more. “Ecep Han immediately fills gaps in our strained national PPE supply chain. Because we have secured extensive access to raw materials sourced in Turkey, we can quickly turn around a high volume of top -quality PPE at extremely competitive prices to those who need it most,” says Jon Picus, president and partner of Ecep Han North America, which was founded in January 2020. Picus and Nick Hammond, managing director, explain they were inspired to help find a solution “after seeing the struggles of our front-line workers fight the challenge of staying safe while saving lives.” Noting that, because the pandemic took the healthcare world by surprise, many facilities were left scrambling to get gear to protect their staff, Picus says, “Through strategic connections, we were able to launch the company and start producing PPE right away to help offset some of the burden that hospitals face.” The company’s manufacturing plant in Istanbul produces more than five million gowns and coveralls, 250,000 custom shields and 15 million masks a month. Says Hammond, “The most important aspect for us is understanding and getting to know our customer’s needs. Our main goal is not to just secure quick deals, but to create longlasting relationships with facilities that save lives every day.
SAVRpak can reduce humidity in a food container by up to 45% immediately, keeping food fresher and crisper than any other solution on the market. Its simple peel-and-stick patch can adhere to any food container: clamshell containers, pizza boxes, cloches, chafing dishes, Cambro boxes, GladWare, bento boxes, Tupperware, plastic containers and paper bags, all for the cost of a few ketchup packets.
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The pandemic might end, but the need for high-quality PPE will not, and we will continue to deliver to anyone who needs our product.” Picus and Hammond pint out that the one-off brokers and companies looking to capitalize on the pandemic are giving the industry a black eye. “Many healthcare facilities purchased thousands, if not millions, of dollars in gear just to be scammed. For some, the shipment’s quality was next to nothing; for others, the broker selling them the gear did not have enough supply in the first place. We’re heard horror stories from all over the world and learned the hard way that the only way to control supply chain is to manufacture ourselves.” Ecep Han North America ecephan.com
SAVRpak: A Rocket Scientist’s Freshness Solution SAVRpak is a food packaging technology that removes moisture from a container to keep food fresh and reduce waste. Using the laws of thermodynamics, the patented peel-andstick patch can extend food’s shelf life by 50 percent. SAVRpak uses no chemicals; its secret ingredient is temperature. Using the laws of thermodynamics, SAVRpak exploits the dewpoint temperature to quickly remove moisture from the air, thereby stifling microbial growth and keeping food fresh. “I invented SAVRpak as a way to stop my own lunch from getting soggy,” says Bill Birgen, SAVRpak CTO. “I used the technology every day, for years, to keep my salads crispy and crunchy. As a rocket scientist, I had experience maintaining and controlling environments on spacecrafts and other air vehicles. Inventing this device for controlling the environment inside my lunch was fun exercise.” He founded the company in spring of last year. Recognizing that scaling is always the most difficult challenge for a startup, Birgen partnered with experts in design, manufacturing and retail space for help in figuring out a way to produce SAVRpak at scale and deliver it to customers around the world. SAVRpak is currently being tested by local and national restaurants, food delivery services, and supermarket chains.
P&G Ventures, an early-stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble, launched its annual innovation challenge in 2018. pgventuresstudio.com
To build the company, Birgen says the best advice came early on: to do the hard work up front to make sure the product is sustainable. “Our team has invested a good deal of time developing the product in a way we can be proud of,” he says. “We’re proud to report that the SAVRpak is paper- and plant-pulp-based and will receive our official biodegradable certification later this year.” SAVRpak recently won the P&G Ventures Innovation Challenge at CES, winning $10,000 and a chance to partner with the iconic company. SAVRpak savrpak.com
Photo courtesy of Ecep Han(top), SAVRpak (bottom)
A PATCH OF FRESHNESS
Jon Picus and Nick Hammond (left to right)
PROPERTY, GROWTH AND LOCATION
What to Expect in the Greater Phoenix Commercial Real Estate Industry in 2021 The buzzword for 2020 across all industries, including commercial real estate, was “pivot.” Fortunately, the fundamentals of the Phoenix-area commercial real estate market were strong before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we were prepared to weather the storm better than other markets across the U.S. Here is a snapshot of Phoenix’s commercial real estate industry in the year to come.
INDUSTRIAL
Industrial is the dominant and darling sector in CRE in the Greater Phoenix area. According to CoStar, absorption was more than 17 million square feet and vacancy rates less than 7%. I fully expect this sector to continue its hot streak well into 2021. In 2020, e-commerce was a dominant factor. However, land and development costs, Arizona’s business-friendly environment and rent 35–40% below the average rent in Los Angeles and Orange County are a few of the additional driving factors. I expect we will continue to see this trend accelerate through the end of the year.
MULTIFAMILY
Apartments are another hot spot in the Valley. Robust population growth over the years and lack of single-family inventory are factors that contributed to this anomaly remaining strong through 2020. I believe 2021 will show some moderation from the aggressive development and investment in apartments that we have seen, but the new supply coming on the market in the next 12 months may raise concerns about oversupply in certain submarkets of the Phoenix area. I think we should expect our multifamily sector to remain strong and level off a bit from the past two years.
GET REAL
by Mike Hunter
Infill Industrial Projects Planned in Tempe ViaWest Group of Phoenix has purchased three real estate assets in Tempe from Insight Enterprises, Inc. for $26.85 million. The portfolio includes Insight’s corporate headquarters building situated on a 19-acre site at 6280 S. Harl Ave., which ViaWest plans to replace and redevelop the property into a Class A industrial park after Insight relocates at the end of this year. Two buildings, totaling 358,114 square feet of space and suitable for multi-tenant leasing divisible to 30,000 square feet or for a single user, will be constructed on a speculative basis and are expected to be completed in mid-2022. ViaWest’s plans for Insight’s property at 910 W. Carver Avenue are to completely reconstruct the building’s interior and re-position it as an air-conditioned industrial building of 100,000 to 110,000 square feet. Plans for the adjacent property at 8123 S. Hardy Ave. are not final at this time. “Demand for quality industrial space in this submarket is very high with extremely limited supply available,” says Steven Schwarz, founding partner of ViaWest Group. Leasing for the Harl Ave. and Carver Ave. projects will be handled by Rob Martensen of Colliers International in Arizona. colliers.com • viawestgroup.com
OFFICE
With COVID-19 came a shift to a work-from-home environment. We can expect the office sector to feel long-term effects of the pandemic as companies factor in the WFH employee model and landlords and owners consider the possible need of “health” features such as hi-tech air filtration systems and anti-microbial materials. Our suburban office market actually performed quite well with smaller offices (hub and spoke models), meaning less commute times, which is beneficial to employees. Overall, I think we can expect a rebound in the office sector in the second half of 2021.
Photo courtesy of ViaWest Group (top), SunCap Property Group (bottom)
RETAIL
Along with the hospitality industry, the retail industry got hit the hardest by the pandemic. With e-commerce impacting brick-and-mortar businesses prior to the onset of COVID-19, many businesses were shuttered and will not reopen. That said, retailers like grocers, drive-throughs and home improvement have shined through the last year and will continue to do so. As we know, Arizona’s hospitality industry continues to feel the impact of the past year. But, with the Valley of the Sun being a longtime winter destination and with time, the retail and hospitality businesses that survive this storm will thrive in the long haul. Although I’ve not seen the final for 2020, I anticipate in-migration will be up around 100,000 in Maricopa County — that’s practically another city! With the continued excellent work of organization such as the Arizona Commerce Authority, GPEC and municipal economic development teams, we are in great hands for future job growth, which translates to more opportunities in commercial real estate. —Rick Padelford, CCIM, Realty Executives Commercial, Arizona REALTOR®, with more than 25 years’ experience in the Phoenix market and beyond
TI Project Expands Gilbert Manufacturing Campus The newly completed 120,294-square-foot, two-story Gilbert Spectrum V continues the expansion of Northrop Grumman’s multibuilding satellite manufacturing campus in Gilbert, Arizona, with construction of its final build-out expected to be complete within this quarter. Gilbert Spectrum Building V, located at 1715 W. Elliott Road, is the latest building completed by SunCap Property Group and Graycor Construction Company at the 63-acre Gilbert Spectrum Business Park, which will, at build-out, include more than 800,000 square feet and up to 10 office and flex industrial buildings ranging in size from 60,000 to 200,000 square feet. graycorconstruction.com • suncappg.com
14th Annual IREM-CCIM Economic Forecast The 14th Annual IREM-CCIM Economic Forecast (Institute of Real Estate Management, Certified commercial Investment Member) will be held on March 26, featuring some of the top industry experts in the Valley discussing the different sectors of CRE for the year. iremccimeconomicforecast.com
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PROPERTY, GROWTH AND LOCATION
Gilbert Medical Office Market Is Dynamic Since opening in 2006, Dignity Health’s Mercy Gilbert Medical Center has grown from a single hospital into the centerpiece of one of the Valley’s most dynamic medical corridors. Demand here is so high that vacancy rates on the hospital campus sit at virtually zero and nearby off-campus vacancy is just 4.9% — nearly three times lower than Phoenix’s overall medical office vacancy rate. More than 1 million square feet of medical-related businesses are expected to open in the Mercy Gilbert corridor by 2022. More than 800,000 of that space is slated to open this year. The 80,000-square-foot Mercy Medical Center is one of these new additions. Being developed by Scottsdale-based Diversified Partners and leased by JLL Healthcare Solutions Group experts Haley Henne and myself, Mercy Medical Center will occupy one of the last Val Vista Drive-fronting parcels surrounding the hospital. It is part of a larger, 200,000-square-foot Diversified development mixing Class A office, retail and restaurants. The project will cater to the modern patient and provider — bundling primary and specialty care, retail and restaurant space into one well-located site. It will also allow specialties not currently permitted on the Mercy Gilbert campus, which could include allergy/immunology, behavioral health, imaging services, physical therapy, cardiology, family practice, fertility specialists, gastroenterology and neurology. The timing and plan for Mercy Medical Center is exceptional. The town’s population growth — combined with the expectation that healthcare will be
one of the few sectors to gain jobs during the pandemic — means demand here will only continue to grow. This spring, the Mercy Gilbert hospital will expand from 212 to 418 beds with the completion of a new Women and Children’s tower. The area has also attracted a host of new medical tenants that include OrthoArizona, Ironwood Cancer Center, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and The Oaks/Merrill Gardens assisted living and memory care. Pre-leasing is underway now at Mercy Medical Center, with space ready for delivery as early as year-end 2021. —Patti Gentry, senior vice president ofSunCap Property Group (us. jll.com/en/industries/healthcare)
Fulton Homes is beginning work on Barney Farms, a 550-acre master-planned community that will include 1,700 homes. The development is located on the northeast corner of Queen Creek Road and Signal Butte Road. This groundbreaking represents a new standard for large-scale communities in the southeast Valley. We worked hard to secure the land, and then to develop something more than homes — a vision that represents quality construction, family, recreation and vast open spaces. Fulton Homes has spent the past three years designing and preparing for developing the land in the southeast Valley. Homebuyers have been asking for more amenities, and Fulton Homes delivers at Barney Farms, with 22 acres of a deep-water lake running through the center of the community that features catch-and-release fishing and small-boat launching. A total of 114 acres will be designated for open space, including an 11-acre park. Other amenities at Barney Farms include an aquatic center, a clubhouse, a massive lakeside park, a neighborhood trail system and several sports courts for basketball, pickleball, bocce ball and volleyball. COVID taught us that families can work from home. And now that the commute is no longer
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an issue, homebuyers can venture further out of the city center and telecommute, plus enjoy all the amenities this premiere master-planned community has to offer. The vision behind Barney Farms was to build an affordable neighborhood for families, with four different series of home plans available ranging from 1,691 to 1,972 square feet. Prices range from the high $300,000s up to
$700,000. The homes include a variety of room options, such as guest suites, hobby rooms and offices. All homes come with a standard three-car garage. While the homes are under construction, a temporary sales office is open at Fulton Homes’ nearby Ironwood Crossing Community. —Norm Nicholls, president of Fulton Homes (fultonhomes.com)
Surprise, Ariz., is the No. 8 growth city in America, according to U-Haul® data analyzing migration patterns from 2020. People coming to Surprise in one-way U-Haul trucks increased by more than 8% during the past year, while departures remained the same as 2019. uhaul.com
Photos courtesy of SunCap Property Group (top), Fulton Homes (bottom)
New Master-Planned Community in Queen Creek
MINDING THEIR BUSINESS
Helen Davis: Affirming Mentorship as a Valuable Asset The first female managing partner at The Cavanagh Law Firm pays it forward
Photos courtesy of Holly Latham
by Leslie Sonnenklar
Helen Davis is the managing partner and chair of the board at The Cavanagh Law Firm, one of the most prestigious firms in the Southwest. She credits her career and success to mentorship, both as a mentee and a mentor, passing on the valuable lessons she learned along the way. Davis began her professional career at age 19 working as a secretary for a nuclear engineering firm in Chicago. She came to Arizona to visit her parents and decided to make it her home. She quickly found a temp job at an engineering firm in Phoenix, but her time there soon came to an end and an acquaintance referred her to a job at the bankruptcy court as a notice clerk. The mundane job was not enough for her. She’d watch the lawyers file notices and thought, “I can do that!” So, she started college in the evenings and took a job as a secretary at O’Connor Cavanagh Anderson Westover Killingsworth & Beshears law firm, then became a paralegal, and her law career was born. While hard work, of course, played a large part, Davis credits her career to divine intervention and the ability to work with and develop strong teams. “The book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell had a significant impact on me,” she shares. “It basically says you have to be just smart enough but the combination of intellect, hard work and a little bit of luck is what it takes to be successful.” Davis attended law school at ASU in the early mornings and reported to the law firm before noon each day. She felt lucky to work for an attorney who saw value in her and made accommodations for her to go to school and work. “Thanks to him, I was able to get an education,” she says. “That’s one of the qualities that makes The Cavanagh Law Firm so great. They were, and still are, very supportive of every employee.” Davis learned the importance of nascent attorneys having a mentor, which became the foundation of her leadership philosophy. But mentorship wasn’t something she was initially good at. “I had to learn not to be judgmental and how to be forgiving. In time, I learned to pass on the value of experience patiently and reflectively.” Davis makes sure her own mentees know they can come to her no matter what, especially if they think they have made an error. She shares her experience when, believing she had made a mistake and afraid to tell her own mentor, she determined she needed to do so and went into his office late in the day to inform him. Much to her surprise, his response was, “Why do you think that is a mistake?” She responded with her reasoning and he encouraged her to think of it differently — helping her to understand that a different perspective demonstrated a different outcome. Davis learned from this instance that we all question our decision-making and have trouble seeing past our own fear of
ADAPTING TO THE TIMES • The Cavanagh Law Firm has gone to great lengths to be nimble during the pandemic. Working remotely is not something attorneys did regularly, but the entire office is now working from home — and have learned they can do things differently and still be productive, even more so.
failure. “A mentor can help open your eyes to other thoughts and processes and give you the confidence to stand up for yourself and truly see your own excellence. Mentoring is invaluable because it’s passing on the lessons you’ve learned, and they validate your own self-worth.” She took this philosophy and started a mentorship program at The Cavanagh Law Firm, where she currently serves as managing partner and chair of the board. She personally teaches young attorneys not only how to practice law but the importance of recognizing the business aspects of a law firm. Her mentoring program focuses on economics, management and finance, and she works closely with her team to nurture and support all attorneys, paralegals and assistants. “I’ve also been fortunate to serve on the board of directors of several Valley hospitals where I was able to get a direct view of the healthcare system and how it works. While it’s a completely different profession, it is also very similar to law in that there are rules and systems in place. And we are both advocating for people’s rights and helping them navigate a tough moment in their lives. It’s also taught me how to run a large corporation, enhancing my leadership skills as a managing partner of a law firm.” Davis is passionate about teaching the younger generation to see their value, look past their own fear of failure and look at things from a different perspective. These qualities helped her get to where she is today, so she continues to share her insight and experience and encourages others to do the same.
• The Cavanagh Law Firm has not laid off a single employee during the pandemic; in fact, it has added four new lawyers to its team and has kept salaries intact. •In this typically maledominated industry, Helen Davis is the first female managing partner at the firm. The firm has evolved over the years, with now one-third of its lawyers women. • Davis volunteers her time as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she teaches a community property class. This is just another way, she is “paying it back” and mentoring the younger generation.
The Cavanagh Law Firm cavanaghlaw.com
Cavanagh Law is one of the oldest law firms in Arizona, operating more than 60 years in the state.
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YOUR BENEFIT IN BUSINESS
WELL WELL WELL
Paradigm’s COVID-19 Response COVID-19 arrived in Arizona, Paradigm Laboratories
Plasma Donations Help Save Lives
founder and CEO Ethan Sasz wanted to play a role in keeping Arizonans safe and healthy. A high-complexity molecular and infectious disease diagnostic laboratory founded in 2013 in Tucson, Paradigm quickly pivoted its business and partnered with government leaders to meet the mounting requirement for statewide mass accurate and rapid diagnostic testing. With a focus on eliminating long wait times and offering better community care, Paradigm implemented an online appointment system (www. aztestnow.com) and created a seamless sample collection and lab processing solution for rapid results turnaround. The all-inclusive solution involves EUA/FDA validated COVID-19 RT-qPCR test using Nasopharyngeal swab collection method (considered the gold standard by the CDC) and in-house laboratory diagnosis. No outsourcing occurs, which, in turn, offers faster, reliable results Since July 2020, the healthcare solutions company has opened two labs in Phoenix and Tempe (in addition to Tucson), grown from 12 to 260 employees and, importantly, processed more than 720,000 COVID-19 tests for state and county health departments, employers, schools and businesses, including residential care facilities. Paradigm’s on-site, mobile community testing locations are quickly deployed and can be found in six Arizona counties as well as Mesa Gateway and Tucson international airports. Running a business while making an impact for the common good is intrinsic to Sasz, a U.S. Navy veteran who served as an enlisted corpsman. “When COVID-19 subsides, business leaders will take time to reflect on the past year — opportunities that arose for their business and how they might have reacted differently. At Paradigm, everyone, including myself, will echo the sentiment that we did our best to tangibly help our community during a time of crisis.” And that is exactly what the company set out to do from the beginning. The biosciences laboratory’s efforts earned them highly notable recognition on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. —Ruth Seigel Paradigm Laboratories paradigmlaboratories.com
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Many people are surprised to learn that plasma — the clear, straw-colored liquid portion of blood — is a lifeline for thousands of people with rare, chronic and complex diseases. There is an urgent need for human plasma across the nation, including right here in Arizona. That is why I am excited to share that BioLife Plasma Services, part of the global biopharmaceutical company Takeda, opened a new plasma collection center in Avondale, the fifth center to open in Greater Phoenix. Because plasma cannot be produced in a lab, those who rely on medications developed from plasma are dependent on people regularly donating their plasma, in order to receive continuous care. On average, hundreds to more than a thousand donations are needed to provide enough therapy for one patient over the course of one year. Because of the growing need for these medications, Takeda has a dedicated plasma business unit with an expert research and development team and a global network of manufacturing facilities with growth capacity. Through a simple, low-risk process called plasmapheresis, plasma is separated from the blood and the blood elements are returned back into the donor’s body. Once the plasma is donated, it is processed into a wide variety of life-saving therapies for people around the world with diseases such as immune deficiencies, hemophilia and hereditary angioedema. Takeda and BioLife continue to look at ways to modernize the plasma
donation experience, making it more efficient and mobile-friendly for our donors. We’re also looking at ways to optimize the plasma donation process to increase plasma supply and plasma-based therapy manufacturing capacity. The Avondale center joins a growing network of more than 130 state-of-the-art plasma collection centers in the United States. As the demand for plasma-based therapies increases, BioLife is expanding throughout the U.S. to help meet the resulting need for plasma donations. BioLife looks for geographical regions with a large population where it doesn’t already have a presence, real estate availability, and the necessary numbers of skilled staff nearby. It’s important to us to invest in each of these communities, and we anticipate that our new center will contribute $2–3 million annually back to the Avondale community through donor compensation. We’ve also hired approximately 50 individuals locally. In the few months I have lived in Phoenix, I have quickly seen firsthand how our community bands together for people in need. The more plasma we can collect, the more therapies we can potentially provide to those who rely on them. Our donors can take comfort in knowing that, due to the global pandemic, BioLife has implemented additional screening and safety measures in line with public health guidance to help guarantee the safety and health of all donors and employees. —Miguel Rodriguez, center manager of BioLife Avondale (biolifeplasma.com/us)
Plasma — which relies on donors because it cannot be produced in a lab — is processed into a wide variety of life-saving therapies for people around the world with diseases such as immune deficiencies, hemophilia and hereditary angioedema.
Photo courtesy of BioLife
in 24–48 hours.
We’re Making Our Mark on Medicine OptumCare® believes that great health begins by providing forwardthinking leadership in the discipline of medicine. So we proudly serve Phoenix with advanced health care at 16 clinics with over 40 providers, all dedicated to putting the patient first. We’re here to stay—and to move care in our community in bold new directions. Find out more at professionals.optumcare.com.
©2020 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved.
INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESS
TECH NOTES
Disposal Box Programs Are Good, but Not Good Enough
9 Steps to Safeguard Your Business from a Cybersecurity Attack
There is an emerging awareness that “disposal box” handling of retired assets is not good enough, according to the International Association of IT Asset Managers, the leading authority on IT asset management. One impact of the coronavirus pandemic on business has been causing organizations to no longer operate from a central location. When it comes to IT asset disposition, that is problematic because a vendor cannot easily pick up assets and dispose of them in a secured fashion. This issue has led to the innovative fix known as Disposal Box Programs. These programs begin when a consumer requests a packaging box from the vendor, who ships the box to wherever the consumer is located. The consumer then packs the assets that need to be pushed through the disposition process into the box and mails it back to the vendor. This process was a great short-term solution to the problem, but it must not remain a permanent solution. This is because there is a lack of a clear chain of custody; for instance, if the package is lost by the mailing service, the vendor can state that no package was sent back, and the organization can say it mailed the package and the vendor lost it. A worse scenario is if the package is lost or stolen and the data on the device is hacked. Now that organizations have had time to adapt to the WFH regimen, they should move away from Disposal Box Programs and return to ITAM best disposal practices with a secure end-toend chain of custody to ensure data is wiped properly and with full transparency and security. —Mike Hunter International Association of IT Asset Managers iaitam.org
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As evidence mounts about the depth and breadth of the Russian hack onto the U.S. cybersecurity apparatus, and most businesses having to pivot to a WFH business model, now would be an excellent time for business executives to test and review the security of their business organization’s network. They are as follows: Increase email security. Many believe that email is a secure mode of communication. It is not. When communicating via email, users should always write with the belief that their communications will be hacked and become public. There are services available that allow for emails to be encrypted from both sender to receiver. Use multi-factor authentication. This tool should be employed for business communications, apps and websites. One will have to present two pieces of identifying information to gain access. It is also effective in thwarting hackers from accessing company networks. Hackers will generally move along to a less secure company network that has not implemented multi-factor authentication. Maintain company backups. Ransomware is now a bona fide business model for hackers. Companies are specifically targeted for revenue that can be generated. Company backups may be a business’s only avenue of surviving an attack. Businesses can test backups by trying to recover from them prior to an attack. Enable secure remote access. Businesses can ensure a seamless experience with a secure remote access by utilizing a vendor that secures the company network from outside intrusion while affording its employees the ability to work from home on any device.
Ransomware is now a bona fide business model for hackers. Companies are specifically targeted for revenue that can be generated. Company backups may be a business’s only avenue of surviving an attack.
Update the company software. It’s wise to pick a day of the week to do software patches on the company network. This helps to ensure that company software and any plugins are updated regularly without fail. Use a password manager. There is a tendency to use the same passwords across multiple platforms. To avoid this complication, it is highly suggested to use a password manager to generate and save passwords amongst different sites. Scan for malicious software. Companies should scan software daily within their organization. These tasks can easily be automated for overnight sessions to not interfere with business operations. Implement a security training program. Educating the company workforce about techniques used to gain access to company networks can pay dividends in thwarting potential attacks. Hackers prey on busy employees to gain access to company networks. Purchase cyber security insurance. Recent cyber events involving our cyber security apparatus and multiple governmental agencies are demonstrative of this new pandemic environment. This is the norm and not some one-off event that should shuffled off into the annals of history. Business executives should take heed and take proactive steps now to prepare for any incursions into their company networks. The cliché that it is not a matter of “if” but “when” is entirely appropriate where it comes to cyber security attacks. —Antonette Vanasek, a Goldman Sachs analyst/expert on cybercrime and among the nation’s leading cybercrime prevention and insurance experts who regularly collaborates with the FBI and Department of Justice on massive cybercriminal take downs and investigations
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etween the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and its Economic Injury Disaster Loan & Advance Programs, a total of $13.18 billion in federal financial support has flowed into our state to help small
businesses during the pandemic, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Just over 96,000 Arizona PPP loans have been approved in all rounds of the program,” says Sandra Watson, ACA president and CEO. “In addition, 62,005 Economic Injury Disaster Loans and 93,559 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance Payments were approved for Arizona businesses.” The Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s analysis of SBA data has found that, factoring all three rounds of PPP funding through the end of January this year, more than 70 percent of eligible Arizona small businesses received funding through the Paycheck Protection Program. “This,” says GPEC president and CEO Chris Camacho, “is in addition to the local grants and relief programs provided by so many of our community and nonprofit partners that have been invaluable to thousands of small businesses, people and families across the region.”
AND THE BENEFITS GO TO … The largest benefit has been the impact of PPP to allow qualified small-business owners and nonprofits, where possible, to continuing paying wages and keep workers employed. “The loan is forgivable if utilized for qualified expenses, which include employee wages and rent,” explains Gary Molenda, president of Business Development Finance Corporation. And Mike Huckins, vice president of Public Affairs with the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, observes, “While not a flawless program, withou = it many more jobs and businesses would have been lost.” Stephen Jordan, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Desert Financial Credit Union, shares, “Member demand for this program was overwhelming.” For the months of April through August, Desert Financial helped more than 1,200 businesses with nearly $49 million in funded loans, saving more than 6,800 jobs. “Since then, we have been actively working with those recipients to seek SBA forgiveness on those loan balances with great success.” Noting that Desert Financial is Arizona’s largest credit union, Jordan adds, “The Paycheck Protection Program was a golden opportunity for Desert Financial to assist our business members who were heavily impacted by the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that our focus on giving back and providing financial solutions that make lives better are much more than buzzwords,” Jordan notes, “Rather than pulling back and protecting our balance sheet, Desert Financial doubled down on having our stakeholders’ (members, employees and community) backs. We provided more than $5.0 million in COVID-19 relief to our stakeholders. Whether it was $500,000 in contributions to area food banks or providing tens of thousands of loan payment deferrals or modifications to borrowers who just needed some financial breathing room, Desert Financial stepped up in a major way to help those who needed it most.” For those actions, Desert Financial received a trifecta of third-party recognitions in 2020: Angel of the Year – Business, one of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies honoree and the number two spot on the list of Best Places to Work. Watson spells out many of the ACA’s efforts statewide: “The ACA was proud to partner with Governor Ducey’s office to administer a $1 million grant program allocated to chambers of commerce across the state to implement or expand initiatives that support small businesses and accelerate local economic recovery.” She notes that, in August, Governor Ducey’s office provided $10 million in rent and mortgage assistance to small businesses that had to pause operations during the pandemic and it recently announced a total of $3 million in commitments to-date for the Safest Outside Restaurant Assistance Program, funding up to $10,000 per restaurant for items they need to extend their outdoor dining premise, including outdoor furniture, barriers, patio heaters, patio covers and more. “Finally, the Governor’s office has partnered with invisionAZ and StartupAZ to administer the $1 million EmergeAZ Fast Grant to assist early-stage companies that are advancing tech solutions designed to address pandemic impacts.”
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Also working hard has been the Arizona Community Foundation, which worked with eight municipalities to support 12 Small Business Relief Grant programs. “We were able to distribute over 7,200 grants representing over $96 million,” says Lisa Dancsok, chief brand and impact officer. “This financial support into the local economy meant job retention, rent payments, operating revenue replacements and general support for small businesses” Local First was involved in making direct recommendations to the state on policies through the pandemic that were critical to helping small businesses. Thomas Barr, vice president of Business Development, cites some of the policies that had a positive impact: ensuring farmers markets continued operating through business closure mandates, allowing restaurants to temporarily sell alcohol and grocery items to go, ensuring extension of premises permits were enacted to allow food and dining businesses to operate in safer environments outdoors, providing the opportunity for food trucks to continue operating at highway rest stops to serve food to truck drivers during the statewide shelter-inplace order, and working with local governments to distribute CARES Act dollars and build out small-business relief grant programs in Superior, Globe, Phoenix, Yuma and Somerton. “Local First Arizona has participated in directing hundreds of small businesses across the state to access stimulus aid locally and federally,” says Barr. “We offered technical assistance to businesses unfamiliar with the process of applying for the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program through direct connections to accountants, payroll specialists and local banks to assist them in obtaining funding. Additionally, Local First administered more than $2 million in grant assistance to 600-plus microenterprises through our Small Business Relief Fund that was privately funded and $10 million to 789 businesses through the Rent and Mortgage Relief program funded by the state of Arizona. We assisted in funding businesses in every county of the state.” The first number that John Lewis, senior vice president of Business Banking at National Bank of Arizona, shares is 62,500. “And counting,” he adds. “That’s how many jobs in Arizona have been saved through National Bank of Arizona’s efforts in helping businesses secure Paycheck Protection Program loans,” he says — roughly the total population of Flagstaff. Describing the high-level numbers ($731 million over 5,350 approved loans as of June 2020) as “staggering,” Lewis says, “What we’re most proud of is that jobs number. “Because the truth is, these aren’t just jobs. They’re individuals from nearly 160 cities and municipalities across Arizona who can continue providing for their families, rest a little easier at night, and avoid having to make unimaginably difficult decisions due to a loss of income. Of the 5,354 loans we’ve helped get approved, 67% have been for small businesses with 10 employees or less,” Lewis continues. “These kinds of mom-and-pop businesses form the backbone of any community — they aren’t just the kinds of places where the owner knows your name and treats you like a friend, these are the places that foster local economies by keeping money close to home.”
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BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL … Over the past year, Arizonans have benefitted from both federal and local policies. Pointing out that, in December, the President signed into law continued unemployment assistance that includes pandemic-specific assistance, GPCC’s Mike Huckins says this “was a significant change in Arizona. These programs provide additional time for people who are experiencing unemployment as a result of COVID-19, so long as they provide the required documentation. “Arizona businesses did benefit from shorter shutdown periods than other states, and with most cities and counties having mask mandates, businesses were able to open safely in a shorter period of time than in other areas of the country. Additionally,” Huckins continues, “aid for school districts and rental assistance programs have greatly benefited local communities.” Organizations we rely on, public and private, have been the enablers in this process — to translate intent into effect. Says Huckins, “Throughout the pandemic, the Chamber altered our activities to best respond to the immediate needs of our member businesses and the community. We found that what people needed most urgently was information, specifically on the Paycheck Protection Program and other assistance to help their companies stay afloat during the initial months of the pandemic.” To address that need, Greater Phoenix Chamber hosted several webinars and put out communications on how businesses could apply for these loans, key deadlines, and how to navigate those processes. And more: “The Chamber’s advocacy team lobbied diligently for more funds locally, especially given Arizona’s status as a small business state. By altering our areas of focus directly to crisis support, we were able to better inform the business community and help them access the funding needed to keep their employees paid and their doors open.” Efforts by Local First include working to assist businesses that previously did not have digital platforms to sell online transitioned quickly to allow people to purchase from them online. “In addition to providing training and technical assistance to help businesses set up their own platforms,” says Barr, “we launched the Shop AZ Marketplace in November 2020, a one-of-a-kind online marketplace showcasing art, jewelry, gifts, clothing, furniture, and more from small businesses.” Local First has also provided more than 50 digital trainings; more than 500 consultations to businesses needing assistance in accounting, HR, marketing and business pivots; and assisted more than 800 businesses to successfully obtain financial
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assistance. “Through this direct assistance, our team has maintained a pulse on small businesses’s ongoing needs and continues to advocate for the type of aid that will be needed for small businesses long-term as we work to revive the economy.” Desert Financial had to launch a completely new loan program in just 30 days to be ready to submit applications on day one. “That required new software, vendor relationships and additional human resources to meet unprecedented lending demand,” says Jordan. “Credit unions are traditionally viewed as financial institutions that cater to consumers. Our success in the first phase sends a strong message that we are ready, willing and able to also meet the needs of businesses throughout Arizona. “A key part of the PPP program is the ability to forgive some or all of the initial loan if certain conditions and supporting documentation requirements are met,” Jordan continues. “To date, Desert Financial has worked very closely with nearly 100 businesses that have had all or part of their loan proceeds forgiven. We look forward to substantial continued progress in the coming months.” At the National Bank of Arizona, Lewis shares, PPP challenged bankers to complete tasks that were “somewhat foreign to them” and many employees worked nights and weekends to ensure the small businesses obtained the necessary funds. “The bank was able to build a system from scratch to facilitate a streamlined online system for processing PPP applications in a number of weeks, which made it possible for businesses to access the capital. Bankers felt a sense of responsibility of helping out our fellow citizens and realized that this was much more than typical banking. During the pandemic, our bank — and the industry — has found more efficient ways to utilize technology and connect with clients through different channels.” He foresees the way bankers interact with clients being different going forward. “I feel banking will always have a level of personal touch but the way we connect with clients going forward will forever be altered due to the pandemic.” Arizona Community Foundation had to pivot quickly to provide immediate
is m a r og r p P of P l l P a he or t e f o m ns so art o p i e t v i y i d e g “A k ty to for tain con er c bili ion a f t i a e t n h t en oa l m l u a i c o nit d i an g e Jord n h n i t e t h or t." —Step p e p m u s re a s and t en m e r i requ MAR. 2021
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relief grants to more than 700 nonprofits providing support to the community in need, implement 12 different small-business relief grant programs with different eligibility criteria and program timelines, implement a remote work environment, and complete a technology transformation that was already in motion before the pandemic hit — all while adapting to what Dancsok describes as the highest volume of transactions in ACF’s 43-year history. “We have grown stronger and our team has learned the flexibility needed to adjust,” she says. At the state level, the Arizona Commerce Authority has played a leadership role in ensuring that businesses and their employees in our state are connected to resources on how to access federal and local aid. “We’ve done so through the COVID-19 resources hub on our website, azcommerce.com, and our virtual Small Business Boot Camp programming in partnership with Local First Arizona, which has now completed 40 consecutive weeks and served more than 6,300 participants,” Watson says. Recently, eight Arizona small businesses were featured in the America’s Small Business Development Center Annual Report based on their resilience and success during the pandemic: Superstition Meadery in Prescott and Phoenix, Rosebird Farms in Kingman and Digitile in Phoenix, all of which have been Small Business Boot Camp presenters and Digitile also a member of the ACA’s Arizona Innovation Challenge portfolio; Hank’s Trading Post in Coconino County; Your Greens in Yuma; Resuture LLC in Surprise; Flying Leap Vineyards in Tucson; and Nemean Solutions LLC in Sierra Vista. “Small businesses are the backbone of Arizona’s economy, and ensuring they successfully navigate pandemic challenges is a key area of focus for the ACA,” Watson says. “The ACA has always served small businesses; however, with the onset of the pandemic, this became a priority for our team.” ACA was able to lean on technology to enable the organization to deliver online resources, virtual programming and educational messaging via statewide marketing
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campaigns. Watson reports that as of early February, Small Business Boot Camp has had more than 6,300 participants, the COVID-19 and Return Stronger Upskilling webpages have had more than 322,000 unique visitors since launch, and ACA’s statewide campaigns have earned more than 13 million impressions across digital and broadcast channels. “No sector has been more impacted by the effects of COVID-19 than small business, which is the backbone of Arizona’s economy,” says Camacho. Putting this in context, he notes the nearly 600,000 small businesses across the state make up 99.4% of all businesses; employ 1.1 million people, or 44% of the state’s workforce; and most main street operations have an average capital runway of just 27 days. “Getting small businesses relief through federal and local programs was paramount, but the application and reimbursement processes for capital allocated through the CARES Act and implemented by the Small Business Administration (SBA) was not without challenges,” he says. “In March 2020, GPEC and our partners quickly stood up numerous online resources to assist those in need with the application process through loan forgiveness.” GPEC also enhanced its digital infrastructure to best serve the community, which included an online chat feature at GPEC.org to answer questions from the public in real time. “In fact,” Camacho says, sharing what has emerged as the common element in responding to COVID-19’s disruption,” what’s changed the most is the digital side. With all the digital tools we have today, you can do so much more. From marketing to business development, the progression of industry is happening at a rapid pace, which enables us to tell our story in creative ways more than ever. “We gleaned insights from our financial and lending partners to develop tips and materials to increase loan approval chances,” Camacho continues, “and we communicated this critical information through our digital marketing and PR channels while simultaneously launching a virtual series, ‘Regional Report,’ ensuring we were providing the market and our stakeholders with the latest data and insights about the region’s economy and impact on different sectors.” GPEC focused its recent monthly Ambassador event on the topic of “Maximizing Your PPP Loan” and, with the third-round application deadline quickly approaching, opened the webinar up to small businesses in search of more information about the process. “During this major organizational pivot to focus on assisting small businesses, we continued our mission of growing and attracting businesses from around the world and advocating for the competitiveness of Greater Phoenix,” Camacho says.
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FUNDING AND FEELING THE BENEFIT … “We tend to measure impact, often, by how it is affecting overall economic activity,” says Bart Hobijn, a professor of economics at W. P. Carey School of Business. He believes focusing on the impact on GDP, in this case, really distorts the picture because of the inequality in the U.S. “What matters most for GDP is the income and spending of the richest 25% of households; however, what matters most for the well-being of Americans, especially of those affected by the pandemic, is food security, shelter security, healthcare and, of course, staying healthy throughout the pandemic.” He cites income support in the form of unemployment insurance, federal funding for COVID-related medical care, expansion of SNAP and moratoria on evictions and foreclosures as, arguably, the aspects of the stimulus that have had the greatest impact on those most affected by the pandemic’s disruption. Among the key policies and stimulus executive orders that have provided the greatest local benefit, Watson notes that, at the state level, Governor Ducey has prioritized protecting lives and livelihoods throughout the pandemic. “Service industry businesses have been among the hardest hit, and many actions taken by the Governor have helped them navigate the pandemic challenges. This includes executive orders to ease restrictions on sales of alcohol to-go, outline safe dining guidelines for customers, and financial support to enhance outdoor dining facilities and pay rent or mortgage,” she says. “Local governments across Arizona also implemented changes to
help expand access to common spaces for increased outdoor dining capacity and created grant programs for small businesses.” “It has been a combination of federal, local and community aid coupled with executive and legislative action that has provided the greatest benefit to businesses and residents who need it most,” Camacho says. But what indicators are there that benefit is being felt? “When restrictions were put into place in April of 2020, there were a lot of businesses that did not know if they would survive,” says Lewis. “Having access to PPP funds helped many businesses bridge the gap and pay employees as they determined what the long-term impacts would be. In many instances, the PPP funds provided the needed time for the businesses to adjust and continue to operate their businesses.” A key indicator Molenda points to that BDFC clients have benefited from the stimulus is employee retention documented through payroll reports submitted with forgiveness applications. Dancsok puts a human face on all this as she relates, “The greatest indicator is the hundreds of ‘Thank You’ notes businesses took time to write to express their gratitude for keeping their businesses going during very difficult times. Most of them provided information on the employees they were able to keep on payroll when they had significantly reduced business revenue,” And she adds, “The best indicator is that people are able to rehire staff and get operations going again.”
THE ECONOMICS OF COVID AND STIMULUS … Professor Hobijn discusses the impact of stimulus efforts locally and on the broader economy: “Stimulus has provided specific support for small businesses most affected by the pandemic and those who lost income. The PPP program has helped prevent bankruptcies of many businesses who had access to loans and grants to the program. The extensions and expansions of unemployment insurance have replaced lost income for those who lost their job due to the pandemic. These are mainly low-income workers and, disproportionately, women and minorities. Unemployment insurance expansions and extensions during a crisis are particularly important in a state like Arizona where regular UI benefits are low. Of course, the pandemic has laid bare the underinvestment of the state in its UI system, which has made implementation of the extensions and expansions cumbersome and caused delays in the payments of benefits to many recipients. In addition, we have seen moratoria on evictions and foreclosures that temporarily reduce the impact of the pandemic on those who lose the income needed to pay for their shelter. The highest profile measure of the stimulus, the tax rebate checks, provided less targeted income support, and data suggest they have been largely used for saving rather than spending — limiting their stimulative impact on the economy. Tax rebate checks, which are, again, one of the high-profile aspects of the legislation, are a more broad-brushed measure to
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stimulate income (and, through it, spending). The more targeted these checks are to those who are most likely to spend the rebates (that is, those with the highest marginal propensity to consume), the more stimulative the impact of these checks per dollar spent. The measure in the CARES Act that has flown under the radar screen is that it included $161 billion in tax cuts for corporations and the self-employed that largely benefited those in the top of the income distribution — effectively an addition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The question with any stimulus is always “what is the counterfactual?” What would have happened in the absence of the stimulus? It is probably worthwhile to look at other countries for comparison. Compared to Asia and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), we have fared rather poorly. This is because the economic stimulus of the CARES Act and the Appropriations Act partially offsets the economic impact of the pandemic that could have been less if we had more effective public health policies (contact tracing and testing) in place from the get-go. Compared to Europe, we seem to be doing better. This partly seems to reflect the size of the stimulus passed. However, note that European countries do not need to expand or extend UI programs; they already have more generous programs in place. As for the winners and losers in terms of the stimulus, this pandemic has shown again that businesses deemed too large to fail by the government — such as airlines, large hotel chains and agricultural conglomerates — have an implicit government
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guarantee. This was an issue for the financial sector in the 2008 crisis and has now shown to be the case for many more sectors. The result is that government policies in these crises involve picking winners and losers, largely based on access to politicians, which runs counter to what most economists think is important for long-run growth. There is an awareness of this in Washington. For example,
the Fed put in place a Main Street Lending Facility. However, both this crisis and that of 2008 have shown that, as for programs targeted at smaller businesses, the government will have to be willing to take more risks on each individual business for the benefit of overall economic activity and has to work on accessibility and take-up of these programs by smaller businesses.
PHASE I VS PHASE II … “The CARES Act was largely passed in the Spring of 2020 assuming the pandemic would be over by the end of 2020,” Professor Hobijn observes. He believes the second phase of the stimulus, starting with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 passed in December, will have to focus on alleviating the longer-run impact the pandemic has, most importantly making sure the persistent shortfall in income and spending does not lead to collateral damage. “Federal transfers to state and local governments are crucial for this,” he says, explaining they limit the impact of revenue shortfalls for state and local government on the employment of the more than 7.5 million payroll jobs at these governments. “PPP, other federal programs like EIDL, and local relief funds and programs have been a lifeline for so many small businesses,” Camacho says. “The overperformance on the second round of PPP funding was incredibly important, and that has continued into the third round as well. The intent was to ensure small businesses could not only remain operational but retain employees.” Citing data released by the SBA in September 2020 and categorized by NAICS industry code that shows nearly 900,000 jobs were retained across the state as a result of PPP loans, he says there is no bigger focus than ensuring the employment base remains healthy. GPEC, he says, “remains committed to our mission of attracting and growing businesses so there are robust job opportunities available for the residents of Greater Phoenix.” Lewis sees Round 1 as having been a big help to businesses during a time of significant uncertainty. “It came at a time when businesses were concerned about making it the next month or so,” he says. He believes Phase II will also be helpful especially to those industries impacted the most, such as restaurants and hotels, but anticipates a much lower volume because, he shares, “a number of clients ended up fairing okay after restrictions eased and there was less uncertainty.” He notes the process for Phase II is much more structured in an effort to ensure that the businesses that need it the most will be able to obtain the funds. Relating that National Bank of Arizona has been able to create a significant number of new relationships as a result of PPP, he says, “We expect we will continue to obtain new relationships with businesses through Phase II.”
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Barr, of Local First Arizona, believes the greatest support comes from local financial institutions. Among the many challenges with the first phase of the first round of PPP funding was what he sees as a chronic issue with our financial systems that many small businesses were exposed to: “Too many big banks control our money and were not there to assist small businesses in a time of crisis.” While many businesses were able to obtain funding through the second phase of the first round of PPP funding, he notes this was heavily impacted by the efforts of local banks, credit unions, and CDFI’s who stepped up to support them. “And our federal government took notice; in fact, they enacted policies that safeguarded funds for local institutions to distribute in the second round: $15 billion set aside for CDFIs and $15 billion set aside for banks, credit unions and other federally insured lenders with assets below $10 billion. This is because these institutions are established in the community, have long-term relationships built with small businesses, and make more informed decisions based on our local market.” Jordan says Desert Financial Credit Union is particularly proud of how many loans were funded with relatively small balances, noting, “Many of those businesses did not have other outlets for assistance, as some other financial institutions appeared to focus on larger loan balances.” And he says Desert Financial is already actively funding additional loans in Phase II. “Even with vaccines starting to roll out across the nation, we know that small businesses will remain distressed for months to come, and this is one of the major ways that we can help with their financial well-being.” Dancsok says ACF recognizes the tremendous need of businesses for immediate relief. “We do understand our work in getting grants out the door did not help everyone that was in need,” she says. Confiding, “The longer-term Phase II is still somewhat unknown to us,” she says ACF is looking at longer-term recovery as it considers the impact on nonprofits and small businesses. She believes more financial support will be required and more consolidations will occur. “We continue to monitor the impact and work with our collaborators and partners to understand and adapt.” She names affordable housing as one area ACF is focused on, as it impacts everyone in the community.
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LOOKING AHEAD … As we look to the future, Molenda puts it very succinctly: “The vaccine is No. 1,” he says. Crediting the first phase PPP with helping retain jobs during the initial crisis phase of the pandemic, Molenda says, “The second phase will buy time for the vaccine rollout to enable the economy to recover and, hopefully, prevent a recession.” “We have been transparent since the precipice of COVID-19 that our ability to recover economically is contingent on the ability to control the virus,” Camacho says. He notes that COVID-19 cases have decreased [as of mid-February], and believes that, with vaccine distribution ramping up and more of the general public becoming inoculated, the economy will benefit. “Overall, we’re cautiously optimistic about the region’s economic outlook,” Camacho says, pointing out that, through December 2020, Greater Phoenix has recovered 85% of jobs lost during the most recent downturn and the UArizona Economic and Business Research Center predicts Greater Phoenix will regain all jobs lost by the end of 2021 with an overall growth rate of 4%. He notes, however, the recovery remains uneven. “Sectors such as leisure and hospitality, the government sector, professional and business services, and retail are still down. The unemployment rate in Greater Phoenix currently stands at 6.9%, down from a high of 12.5% in April 2020, but the unevenness in unemployment is consistent with recovery at large when looking at educational attainment and socioeconomic conditions, with those on the lower end of earning spectrum continuing to be most impacted.” “We are optimistic that, as we move deeper into 2021, the state and national economies are poised for strong growth as the threat of COVID-19 recedes into the rearview mirror,” says Jordan. Looking back first at the passage by the 116th United States Congress of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was signed into law by President Trump on December 27th — with $900 billion in additional COVID-19 pandemic assistance that included Phase II of the PPP program as well as expanded federal unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks — and observing that President Biden and Congress are currently debating the size and timing of additional stimulus, which could ultimately range as high as $1.9 trillion, he notes, “The fiscal stimulus, in addition to historically lowinterest rates, played a major role in helping cushion the economic blow that COVID-19 gave to our economy.” According to Professor Hobijn, there are concerns that the large amounts of liquidity being infused into the economy will result in inflation going forward. Noting that this did not happen after the 2008 crisis, he says, “As long as it is clear that this is a one-time infusion to offset a shortfall in demand, I am not that worried about the inflationary impact of the stimulus and the associated increase in federal debt.” Pointing out that markets also do not price in any increase in inflation going forward, he says one concern that remains is whether the increase in liquidity is pushing up prices — not of what
consumers buy, but of the assets that they and businesses own; that there might be asset price bubbles emerging in the stock and housing markets. “To the extent that these bubbles are not a direct threat to the financial system, they will probably not come back to haunt us,” he says, but cautions, “However, because of the unequal distribution of wealth, asset price increases disproportionately benefit the rich — and a side effect of the stimulus measures is an increase in inequality.” Hobijn characterizes the response to the pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis as putting out fires. He believes what is needed now is a focus on (re-)building the house, which involves long-term investments. “Infrastructure, both physical and digital; public health; education; social justice reform; and more equal opportunities as well as improved sustainability of many sectors are some of the investments we should focus on for the longer-term future of the economy.” Barr stresses the value of businesses, organizations and institutions procuring goods and services from local businesses in Arizona. “The larger shift we can make in localizing our spending, the larger impact it will have in stimulating our economy,” says, pointing out that services from office supplies and printing to information technology, phone services, accounting, human resources and payroll service providers, among others, can be sourced locally. “Additionally,” Barr says, “Local First Arizona is positioning our state to be competitive for additional federal funding that will become available this year through the Arizona Economic Recovery Center. While recruiting manufacturing and technology firms from out of state has been an economic development strategy for years, the recovery center will be focused on helping foster a competitive, healthy small business community.” Referring to small businesses — which employ 44.5% of Arizona’s private workforce — as the driving force behind consistent job growth and building strong, equitable communities across our state, especially in rural Arizona, he says, “The recovery center will position communities often overlooked for funding opportunities to be prepared for future stimulus.” Says Camacho, “On the business attraction side, there has never been more interest in Greater Phoenix than right now.” Sharing that, currently, 291 active prospects are evaluating the region, representing nearly 30,000 jobs and $24.5 billion in capital investment potential, he says, “There are major global shifts occurring as a result of the pandemic and Greater Phoenix is going to be one of those markets that emerges a winner.” Arizona Commerce Authority azcommerce.com Arizona Community Foundation azfoundation.org Business Development Finance Corporation bdfc.com Desert Financial Credit Union desertfinancial.com Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce phoenixchamber.com Greater Phoenix Economic Council gpec.org Local First Arizona localfirstaz.com National Bank of Arizona nbarizona.com W. P. Carey School of Business wpcarey.asu.edu
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he city of Phoenix made a $14 million investment to keep its small businesses operating. The city offered four grants for restaurants, small businesses with fewer than 25 employees, microbusinesses with five or fewer on the payroll and airport concessionaires. Phoenix was one of the few cities in the U.S. to include help for gig-economy workers and home-based businesses. The money for the programs came from the federal CARES Act distribution to local governments. “We’ve been able to keep businesses open and keep employees working through the pandemic,” says Christine Mackay, director of Phoenix Community and Economic Development. “These businesses wouldn’t have survived. They learned that Phoenix is here and we can help. We helped not only with money but with resources and connections for the businesses. We helped with accessing federal programs and finding new jobs for displaced workers, as well as helping companies find new employees.” The stimulus program by the city had measurable results. Phoenix braced for a significant loss of small businesses. “When the depth of the pandemic became apparent a year ago, we estimated we would lose between 20 and 25 percent of our businesses. That’s what economic experts were telling us,” says Mackay. “Through the opportunities the City Council created and the resources allocated to help businesses, we only lost about 11% of our businesses. That’s less than half what national economists were projecting for Phoenix.”
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Phoenix’s business assistance centerpiece was the $14-million Phoenix Small Business Resiliency Grants, four programs targeted to specific business needs. “Of all the projects I’ve worked in my 15 years with the City, this has been the most rewarding,” says Gretchen Wolfe, procurement manager for Phoenix Community and Economic Development. Wolfe took on the role of special projects administrator during the health emergency to lead the grant program. Wolfe and TeamPhoenix helped more than 2,500 companies. “Business owners thanked us, blessed us, cried tears of joy and relief with us, and told us this money let them keep their doors open and their employees working.” The pandemic changed the way Phoenix operated as a government. Employees with jobs who could function remotely have worked from home since March 2020. This March, the city will determine when they return to City Hall. “When the pandemic first became serious a year ago, Phoenix classified roughly 3,400 employees as eligible for teleworking. That cut the City Hall workforce by about a third. Combine that with many other Downtown companies sending employees to work from home, and the daytime population dropped,” Mackay says. “This had a terrible impact on many Downtown merchants, even after the closure orders were lifted in May. The bright side is that companies tell us they are planning to bring workforces back to the central city as soon as safely possible.”
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Overall, the city’s economy did not take the same hit seen elsewhere in the U.S. Employment in major industry sectors remained strong. “Retail, hospitality, dining were hard hit, but Phoenix has changed since the 2008 Great Recession. Declaring construction as an ‘essential service’ kept buildings going up and a major employment sector working. The construction industry consistently added jobs during 2020,” says Mackay. “In Phoenix, construction value was up 89% in 2020 over the same period in 2019. According to ConstructionDive, Phoenix was the only top 10 U.S. city where construction employment and activity were increasing in 2020 compared to the year before.” A lot changed from the Great Recession in 2008 when the construction and real estate sectors drove the economy — and their collapse hammered it to the bottom of an economic canyon. The health emergency in 2020 was different. “We saw increased hiring in the manufacturing, bioscience healthcare and technology sectors throughout the year,” Mackay says. “This is a major change in Phoenix’s employment distribution. Before 2008, we were heavy in retail, real estate and construction. Today, six of 10 are in business and financial services, manufacturing, bioscience healthcare or technology. That’s a complete flip in the character of the workforce from a decade earlier.” Mackay explains that construction activity is more responsive to the demands of the growing business sectors. “In 2008, construction and real estate were the economic drivers. That’s different today,” she says. “In February, we had 20 cranes towering over mid- and high-rise development in Downtown and Midtown Phoenix; that’s a historical record for the city. It also placed us third in the nation for that kind of construction activity.” Phoenix poured out its small business investment in two phases beginning in April 2020. “Phoenix and the Phoenix IDA got the first phase of grants into the marketplace rapidly,” Mackay says. “The city, Phoenix IDA and Arizona Community Foundation had $2 million into the hands of small businesses before the CARES Act became law. When the city received its federal money, the council allocated a second phase of $14 million for restaurants, small businesses, low-income neighborhood businesses and microbusinesses.” Phoenix is not claiming that it was definitive research, but city pored over national lists compiled by Inc. and Forbes about local government grants. That perusal showed that Phoenix invested more money with grants in keeping its small businesses open than any other U.S. city, according to Mackay. “The Council’s fast action meant that the number of businesses closing was less than half the number experts told us to expect,”
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she says. “We put much effort into finding resources and solutions for small businesses. It hasn’t stopped. In fact, this month, we’re opening the Phoenix Small Business Toolbox with even more resources for businesses.” After the CARES Act money arrived in city coffers, Phoenix offered another round of small-business grants. “The City was involved with the second phase of grant offerings with more than $14 million made available to small businesses,” says Wolfe. “The Phoenix Small Business Resiliency Grants Program had grants up to $10,000 for small businesses, restaurants, aviation vendors and microbusinesses. The average grant was around $5,000.” Businesses were able to keep going to keep workers employed with the funds. “We’re just starting to see the spending reports,” Wolfe says. “Businesses used the grants to make payroll, pay rent and utilities, revamp restaurants for safe dining requirements or to buy supplies to add pick-up and delivery, and used the money to replace depleted inventories hit by the economic slowdown.” The year ahead and into next year look good for the Phoenix economy. According to the Census Bureau, even with the pandemic, 130,000 people moved to Arizona in 2020, around 60,000 of them from California alone. The real estate website Redfin reported that its projections based on customer home purchases meant 80,000 people chose Greater Phoenix as a new home in 2020, more than any other U.S. city. “Here’s the challenge: We’re likely not going to see everyone hitting the point of breathing again until we hit full employment again in 2022,” Mackay says. “But I have to tell you, in our primary employment sectors, 2020 was a little pothole. Our industrial business is off the charts. Year-over-year, manufacturing is up 308%. We have some submarkets where tenants are clamoring for industrial space, and there are limited vacancies. We are seeing new, spec industrial office buildings coming out of the ground for the first time since the Great Recession.” Mackay points to data that Phoenix is one of the hottest markets in the U.S. The city’s population is growing from people choosing to move their careers to the city. “It’s why we’ve seen America’s largest city population gains for four years in a row,” says Mackay. “This growth is continuing, and our population is getting younger and better educated, according to the Census. We’re a top-three city in job creation, a top-five market in emerging biosciences and the second-best market for finding technology jobs.” City of Phoenix phoenix.gov
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PEOPLE ARE KEY
Adapting Content Strategies to Grow Employee Happiness If the team is happy and productive, the risk of turnover is controlled by Mike Metz
Since 2005, Mike Metz has led FATFREE in providing lean, strategic digital marketing solutions for clients of all sizes. FATFREE offers a full range of digital channels, from websites and ecommerce to social media, content development and CX. fatfree.co
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how many businesses work, but the need to retain talent is here to stay. With so many people working from home or on a modified schedule, many employers are finding their employees have new, unexpected needs and the requests to match. When it comes to dodging these frustrations and keeping employees happy, tapping into the creativity of an agency’s marketing or content team can make a big difference. It costs a lot less to keep an employee than it does to lose and replace one. With that in mind, companies are looking at the types of content or marketing projects they once designed for customers, and adapting them for their own employees in fun, inventive ways. In the end, if the team is happy and productive the risk of turnover is controlled. See how some of FATFREE’s clients and others have made this happen.
THE COSTS OF LOSING AN EMPLOYEE
On a practical note, preventing turnover isn’t just good for morale, it’s good for business. Consider the obvious, hidden and long-tail costs of losing one or even a handful of employees. There are immediate costs when employees leave, such as contractual payments like sick leave or vacation pay that may be owed. If their work is essential to day-to-day operations, someone will need to fill their shoes. Does this require paying overtime to existing employees? Perhaps work slows down a bit while the team adjusts to a new workload. Or maybe a freelancer is hired as a permanent replacement is sought. Training any new talent also takes time and materials. Lasting costs are a reality as well. Will the loss of a particular employee create customer service gaps? Missing deadlines
or sales can lead to losing customers or clients, and this inattention can harm any brand. What if an employee manages to take a client or two with him as he leaves? Both of these examples represent a serious potential loss of income.
UNDERSTANDING WHY TURNOVER HAPPENS
Once a company suspects that it has a turnover problem, it’s time to start asking the difficult questions in exit interviews. When an employee has decided to leave voluntarily (as opposed to, say, being laid off), don’t let him walk out without understanding why. There will be reasons that are outside of anyone’s control — maybe the employee is moving away or switching careers. But certain issues, if caught early, can be addressed. Did the employee find a better-paying job? Unless he’s given an attractive counteroffer, he’s probably leaving. Smart companies will take it as a reminder to ensure that employee salaries are compatible with the current job market. What if the reason for leaving is more difficult to quantify? What if someone’s leaving because he’s simply unhappy? Understanding employee happiness is vital to understanding voluntary turnover. Research from The Society for Human Resource Management indicates the reported level of employee happiness — especially with supervisors, but also co-workers — is the strongest indicator of who’s likely to leave. It’s stronger than the measurable things like benefits or even salary. The good news: It’s entirely within an employer’s power to start cultivating employee happiness, to do it today, and at a cost that is much less than losing a team member in the first place.
Research from The Society for Human Resource Management indicates the reported level of employee happiness — especially with supervisors, but also co-workers — is the strongest indicator of who’s likely to leave.
STRATEGIES FOR WORKING REMOTELY GET CREATIVE, AND INSPIRE EMPLOYEE HAPPINESS
If employee satisfaction depends on feeling like a connected, useful and valued member of the team, this can be difficult to build and sustain without a shared office space. However, the very tools a company uses to keep customers happy can be modified to keep employees happy, too. As workfrom-home culture becomes mainstream, we have seen how companies’ clients and others are going the extra mile for their employees. The Work-from-Home Wellness Kit: These days, the big, corporate gift basket is getting a makeover for employees. When a large law firm wanted to show its appreciation for its newest attorneys, the firm sent a wellness kit to each of them. Full of healthful snacks and branded items, the kit also included a deck of 100 self-care tips written specifically for first-year lawyers by leaders in the firm. This personal touch let them all know how much they were valued as a member of the team, and it reaffirmed their commitment to mentorship even though the first experience at the firm was working remotely. Virtual Story Time: A parent who has had to work from home for any length of time knows that relocating to a home office and adjusting to a new schedule is only half the battle. The other big challenge is taking care of children’s needs as they attend online school. With everyone working under one roof, the interruptions can be maddening. That’s why one company’s idea to offer virtual story time to their employees’ kids was so inspired. The chairman of the board and other company leaders sat down at their webcams to lead storytime, creating a series of videos featuring entertaining picture books. Kids and parents loved it, and leadership showed that they understood their employees’ childcare challenges and were willing to help out in a fun and creative way. Private Digital Yoga Lessons: When employees are commuting into an office, that tiny bit of exercise to and from work has benefits. But when an entire workforce is remote, employees are sitting more than ever, and all this inactivity can negatively affect one’s health. At the very least, people who sit most of the day burn fewer calories and will gain weight over time. Sitting for too long can also lead to poor circulation, inflammation and a gradual loss of muscle and bone strength. When an HR firm sought a way to keep its clients healthy, moving and connected, its solution was as thoughtful as it was effective. The firm hired a private yoga teacher to create a series of yoga videos, guiding people through full-body stretches that could be done from any desk. Clients were able to offer a stress-busting, healthful break from sitting all day, and employees were able to enjoy a shared experience as well. Respecting a Company’s Diversity: When a company reaches 100,000 employees, respecting the diversity within requires sincerity and visibility. One CEO came up with an entertaining way to highlight the experiences of the many Spanish-speaking employees in his company. He starred in a video series called “¿Que Pasa, Jim?” in which he went on site to meet with Spanish speakers across departments. Their discussions about ongoing projects, safety initiatives and human-interest stories gave these voices a spotlight in addition to sharing important information. Jim’s videos were widely appreciated and were far more impactful than simply distributing Spanish translations of internal, corporate communications. Companies spend a lot of time and money to create unique content programs for their customers or their clients. As the reality of a remote workforce grows — at least in the near term — there are fun and smart ways to repurpose these projects, turn them inward, and let employees benefit from them as well. By urging employees to briefly put aside their to-do lists in the name of building strong relationships, and staying connected with their teammates despite the distance between them, programs like these let leadership show that they’re serious about keeping employees happy.
Accounting Disrupted Accounting Disrupted: How Digitalization Is Changing Finance delivers a powerful analysis of the new technological forces buffeting the accounting profession and identifies key pathways to responding to the challenges. Al Bhimani, distinguished accountant, academic and author, shows readers how established business fundamentals are being eclipsed and that accounting has not been spared. The author makes a compelling case that accounting now faces a crunch: It needs to reshape itself from the core because conventional financial analysis is proving too cumbersome and slow for executives in digitalized organizations. In a straightforward and illustrated style packed with case studies and practical examples, he shows readers how big data, blockchain, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence can help accountants adapt to new realities. Perfect for finance leaders in both the private and public sectors. Accounting Disrupted: How Digitalization Is Changing Finance (Hardcover – Illustrated) Al Bhimani Wiley
192 pages On Shelves and Online
$34.95
No Pain, No Gaines That’s been true ever since he was a little pint-sized hustler selling candy and Capri Suns down at the public tennis courts in northeast Texas. Deep in his bones he has always known that hard work yields great results. On the cusp of launching into what might be the hardest work he and his wife, Joanna, have ever done — building a network — Gaines realized that none of it would be possible without his network of people. We’ve all got one. Today, it might be made up of one’s family, neighbors, the people one works with. But for a network that will help create a life of meaning, a life of joy and connection, it’s necessary to be intentional about choosing the people in it — people who are enlivened and electrified by the power of living according to their purpose, who are always in pursuit of lifelong learning, and who have a sincere belief that relationships are more than transactions. No Pain, No Gaines: The Good Stuff Doesn’t Come Easy (Hardcover) Chip Gaines Thomas Nelson
224 pages Available 3/16/2021
$26.99
The Wealth Hoarders For decades, a secret army of tax attorneys, accountants and wealth managers has been developing into the shadowy Wealth Defence Industry. These “agents of inequality” are paid millions to hide trillions for the richest 0.01%. In this book, inequality expert Chuck Collins, who himself inherited a fortune, interviews the leading players and gives a unique insider account of how this industry is doing everything it can to create and entrench hereditary dynasties of wealth and power. He exposes the inner workings of these “agents of inequality,” showing how they deploy anonymous shell companies, family offices, offshore accounts, opaque trusts and sham transactions to ensure the world’s richest pay next to no tax. He ends by outlining a robust set of policies that democratic nations can implement to shut down the Wealth Defence Industry for good. The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions(1st Edition) Chuck Collins Polity
One firm’s solution to keep its clients healthy, moving and connected was both thoughtful and effective: The firm hired a private yoga teacher to create a series of yoga videos, guiding people through full-body stretches that could be done from any desk.
240 pages Available 3/29/2021
$64.95
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En Negocios
Edgar R. Olivo es un educador empresarial bilingüe, asesor económico y colaborador de varios medios de comunicación. Es apasionado por la educación y comunidad. Está certificado en finanzas y análisis de datos y posee un título en negocios de la Universidad Estatal de Arizona.
Edgar R. Olivo is a bilingual business educator, economic advisor and contributor for several media outlets. He’s a nonprofit executive who is passionate about education. He is certified in finance and data analytics and holds a business degree from Arizona State University.
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PARA EDGAR R. OLIVO
LIDERAZGO / LEADERSHIP
Reducir la discriminación 8 sesgos que afectan sus decisiones de contratación
La diversidad, la equidad y la inclusión están ocupando un lugar central en el ambiente de trabajo ahora que una nueva Administración de la Casa Blanca ha ordenado todas las agencias federales para erradicar el racismo sistémico de programas e instituciones. Esta acción es muy importante; especialmente después de una era tumultuosa creada por la administración anterior que no valoraba la diversidad ni creaba oportunidades reales de avance económico para los trabajadores minoritarios y las empresas propiedad de minorías. Para los propietarios de pequeñas empresas que sienten curiosidad por cómo reducir la discriminación en su lugar de trabajo, el lugar más fácil para comenzar es evaluar sus prejuicios o sesgos inconscientes durante sus prácticas de contratación. Al comprender cuáles son, puede reducir la discriminación para tomar mejores decisiones sobre sus contrataciones y promociones o la selección de proveedores y socios. Sesgo inconsciente, también llamado prejuicio implícito, es una forma inconsciente de discriminación y estereotipos que se basa en el género, la raza, la sexualidad, la etnia, la capacidad o la edad. Es diferente a sesgo cognitivo, un patrón predecible de errores perceptivos que resultan en un malentendido de la realidad como culpar a los demás, confirmar sus propias opiniones con las mismas fuentes, atribuir el éxito a la suerte o asumir que todos comparten sus opiniones o creencias. Es la diferencia entre hacer juicios rápidos de un candidato por algo que no puede controlar y evaluar cuidadosamente las habilidades del candidato para el puesto que necesita llenar.
1. Sesgo de confirmación: Aquí es donde hacemos preguntas de entrevista irrelevantes y no esenciales que confirman y se ajustan a nuestras creencias, mientras pasamos por alto las señales de alerta que contradicen esa creencia. Esto generalmente aparece cuando un candidato es altamente recomendado y usted solo se enfoca en las buenas cualidades, a pesar de la realidad, después de todo, puede que no sea una buena opción para el puesto. La mejor manera de evitar esto es estructurando su entrevista con preguntas preparadas que se relacionen con las necesidades del trabajo. Esto le ayudará a comparar candidatos de forma justa. 2. Afecto heurístico: Este es un atajo que nuestro cerebro hace para tomar decisiones rápidamente basadas en nuestras emociones actuales. ¿Alguna vez se ha pinchado una llanta en el camino hacia su trabajo y de alguna manera eso arruinó el resto de su día? Para evitar que sus emociones afecten lo que piensa de un candidato, sea consciente de cómo se siente durante la entrevista y recuerde que está allí para ver si la persona encaja bien en el trabajo. 3. Efecto halo: Esto sucede cuando permitimos que un atributo positivo sobre un candidato nos ciegue de otros indicadores importantes. ¿Alguna vez ha entrevistado a alguien que fue a la misma universidad que usted y de repente se convierte en su mejor amigo? Queda encantado con ese hecho y no ve que no tienen la experiencia adecuada para el trabajo. Es bueno admirar los grandes logros de los demás, pero trate de concentrarse en las calificaciones del candidato para el puesto en su conjunto.
Las protestas en todo el país han puesto de relieve el racismo y la desigualdad en Estados Unidos. Se estima que la economía de EE. UU. perdió $16 billones como resultado de la discriminación contra los afroamericanos en 2020.
BY EDGAR R. OLIVO
ENGLISH TRANSLATION 4. Efecto cuerno: Cuando una cosa no tan atractiva de un candidato le hace incapaz de reconocer todas las cosas buenas que tiene a su favor. Un ejemplo es cuando un candidato le dice que abandonó la universidad o tuvo arrestos previos; su mente piensa de repente en lo peor de ellos. Las personas cometen errores y seleccionan decisiones que no siempre tienen sentido, pero eso no significa que no merezcan la oportunidad de ser entrevistadas para el puesto. 5. Sesgo de afinidad: Un tipo de sesgo inconsciente que se produce cuando preferimos candidatos con los que compartimos algo especial. Quizás el candidato compartió contigo que le gusta la misma música que a usted durante la entrevista. Tener algo en común es algo grandioso, pero no siempre indica que sea un buen empleado. 6. Sesgo de belleza: Un sesgo de belleza sin darse cuenta lo alienta a preferir candidatos atractivos, aunque la buena apariencia no lo convierte en un mejor empleado. A menos que trabaje como agente de talentos, la belleza por sí sola no es suficiente para contratar a alguien. Asegúrese de tener una entrevista estructurada que le ayude a tomar una decisión objetiva. 7. Sesgo de conformidad: El sesgo de conformidad ocurre cuando cambiamos nuestras elecciones para que coincidan con la opinión del grupo o de las personas que agradan. Esto sucede cuando ha tomado una decisión sobre el candidato A, pero se siente presionado a cambiar su elección porque los otros gerentes de contratación dijeron que les gusta el candidato B. Asegúrese de comunicar cómo se siente al grupo y expresar sus preocupaciones cuando sea necesario. 8. Sesgo de género: Esto sucede cuando mostramos preferencia por un determinado género basado en creencias arraigadas. El género no determina quién será un buen líder, gerente, seguidor o empleado. Este sesgo es complejo y generalizado. Para eliminar el sesgo de género, su empresa deberá crear iniciativas de contratación audaces para asegurarse de brindarles a los candidatos de diferentes orígenes una oportunidad justa. Esta lista es solo la punta del iceberg cuando se trata de cómo los sesgos inconscientes afectan nuestras decisiones, especialmente cuando contratamos candidatos. Un lugar de trabajo comprometido con la eliminación de la discriminación se beneficiará de trabajadores más felices, equipos productivos, y entornos armoniosos.
Reduce Discrimination 8 Biases That Affect Your Hiring Decisions Diversity, equity and inclusion are taking center stage in the workplace now that a new White House administration has ordered all federal agencies to root out systemic racism from programs and institutions. This action is very important; especially after a tumultuous era created by the previous administration that did not value diversity, nor create real economic advancement opportunities for minority workers and minority-owned businesses. For small-business owners who are curious how to reduce discrimination in their workplace, the easiest place to start is by assessing your unconscious biases during your hiring practices. By understanding what they are, you can reduce discrimination to make better decisions around hires and promotions or selecting vendors and partners. Unconscious bias, also called implicit bias, is an unconscious form of discrimination and stereotyping that is based on gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, ability or age. It is different from cognitive bias, a predictable pattern of perceptive errors that result in a misunderstanding of reality, such as blaming others, confirming your own opinions with the same sources, attributing success to luck or assuming everyone shares your opinions or beliefs. It is the difference between making snap judgments of a candidate for something they cannot control and carefully assessing the candidate’s skills for the job you need to fill. 1. Confirmation Bias: This is where we ask irrelevant, nonessential interview questions that confirm and conform to our beliefs, while overlooking red flags that contradict that belief. This usually appears when a candidate comes highly recommended and you focus only on the good qualities, despite the reality they may not be a good fit for the role after all. The best way to avoid this is to structure your interview with prepared questions that relate to the job needs. This will help you compare candidates fairly. 2. Affect Heuristic: This is a shortcut our brains take to make decisions quickly based on our current emotions. Have you ever gotten a flat tire on the way in to work and somehow that ruined the rest of your day? To avoid letting your emotions affect what you think of a candidate, be aware of how you feel during the interview and remember that you are there to see if the person is a good fit for the job. 3. Halo Effect: This happens when we allow a positive attribute about a candidate to blind us from other important indicators. Have you ever
interviewed someone who went to the same college as you and suddenly they become your best friend? You become charmed by that fact and fail to see they do not have the right experience for the job. It is a good thing to admire major achievements in others, but try to focus on the candidate’s qualifications for the job as a whole. 4. Horn Effect: This is when one not-soattractive thing about a candidate makes you unable to recognize all the good things they have going for them. An example is when a candidate tells you they dropped out of college or had prior arrests; your mind suddenly thinks the worst of them. People make mistakes and select choices that do not always make sense, but that does not mean they do not deserve a shot at interviewing for the job. 5. Affinity Bias: This type of unconscious bias occurs when we prefer job applicants that we share something special with. Maybe the candidate shared with you they like the same music as you do during the interview. Having something in common is a great thing, but it does not always signal they are a good hire. 6. Beauty Bias: A beauty bias inadvertently encourages you to prefer attractive candidates, even though good looks do not make someone a better employee. Unless you work as a talent agent, beauty alone is not enough to hire someone. Make sure you have a structured interview to help you make an objective decision. 7. Conformity Bias: Conformity bias occurs when we change our choices to match the opinion of the group or people we want to please. This happens when you have made up your mind about candidate A but feel pressured to change your choice because the other hiring managers said they like candidate B. Make sure you communicate how you feel to the group and voice your concerns where necessary. 8. Gender Bias: This happens when we show preference for a certain gender based on embedded beliefs. Gender does not determine who will be a good leader, manager, follower or employee. This bias is complex and pervasive. To eliminate gender bias, your business will need to create bold hiring initiatives to make sure you give candidates of different backgrounds a fair opportunity. This list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how unconscious biases affects our decisions, especially when we hire candidates. A workplace committed to eliminating discrimination will benefit from happier workers, productive teams and harmonious environments.
Protests across the nation have put a spotlight on racism and inequality in the United States. It is estimated that the U.S. economy lost $16 trillion as a result of discrimination against African Americans in 2020.
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Economy
DEVELOPING & GROWING BUSINESS DYNAMICS
Big Mistakes Small Businesses Must Avoid in 2021 Lack of financial planning and budgeting head the list by Gena Jones
Gena Jones is an attorney, CPA, Certified Tax Resolution Specialist and a Business Coach based in Chandler, Ariz. She represents clients before the IRS and helps entrepreneurs write their business success stories, ensuring they have the proper succession and estate plans in place. Jones has a master’s degree in management from Harvard University; and a master’s degree in tax law/taxation and a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. genajones.com
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Naturalist Charles Darwin famously said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives; it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” What is true for members of the natural world has never been more true for the small business owner. Stop-and-go government regulations and rapidly changing economic conditions have given small businesses plenty to adapt to this year, but these same conditions also provide many opportunities. Success is within reach, but it takes the right approach to avoid the pitfalls. Leaders must focus on revenue, but why a business fails to survive often has less to do with revenue and more to do with blind spots. Specifically, there are six common mistakes that generally lead to catastrophic business failure. Lack of financial planning leads to many problems, which often start before the business even generates any revenue. Startups are notorious for underestimating the capital needed for the first six to 12 months of operation. Last year provided unique funding opportunities with Paycheck Protection Program small business loans, but there were so many businesses that did not qualify due to lack of financial records. Many also had income tax returns that focused on creating a zero-dollar tax liability instead of accurately reporting the result of operations. Businesses must plan not only the occurrence and timing of financial inflows and outflows, but also the resulting tax and cash flow implications. Planning prepares leaders with the funds needed to pay tax liabilities and address in advance any forecasted capital limitations. Failure to budget can occur even when a business starts with the appropriate financial planning. Rapid growth can be one of the leading causes for lack of budgeting. Entrepreneurs frequently fail to use information they have on hand to build budgets that can inform decisions to invest or cut costs and empower their ability to scale. Cash flow woes are the first warning sign that a business needs to adjust its budget. Being prepared allows a business to continue operating successfully despite bumps in the road. In the end, a business will struggle to grow without proper budgeting. No marketing plan is a surprisingly common shortcoming. Counterintuitively, entrepreneurs with a big vision often
underfund marketing activities. Many of them have a few favorite tactics they plan to use, but a comprehensive marketing strategy is needed to help drive sales in highly competitive conditions. Entrepreneurs also erroneously view marketing as an expense instead of an investment, making it the first thing cut in tough times. Generally speaking, the marketing investment is directly related to a business’s projected increase in sales. If the expectation is conducting marketing activities will increase sales, then why cut them during tough times? A professionally prepared and wellfunded marketing plan will help ensure the business’s value proposition is sustainable in a boom or bust cycle. Lack of separate bank accounts for personal and business purposes is a frequent oversight for small business owners. They co-mingle funds, creating unintended financial, tax and legal liabilities. Business owners should seek professional accounting and tax advice to separate their accounts and correct the situation right away. Unqualified business advice is everywhere. Most business owners are instinctive leaders and frequently seek input from others for important decisions. However, the source of advice for a business owner is crucial. There are unintended consequences in taking strategy, tax and financial advice from family and friends instead of a qualified professional. It can hurt revenue and even create costly tax liabilities. Business owners should have a trusted inner circle from whom they receive guidance, but they must balance that with the counsel of a professional before making business-related decisions. Not understanding how and when to utilize an LLC is one of the most common new business blunders. There is an entrepreneurial boom taking place in conjunction with the growth of ecommerce across the country. Many follow online advice and form an LLC for their new business, but without understanding how an LLC is taxed. They file their returns incorrectly, creating tax debt and liabilities that sit like a ticking time bomb until uncovered by an audit from the IRS! It is important for the business to be properly structured upfront, but even if there is an unfavorable set-up, it still may be possible to get things corrected with qualified legal and tax advice.
Last year provided unique funding opportunities with Paycheck Protection Program small business loans, but there were so many businesses that did not qualify due to lack of financial records.
LAW MATTERS TO BUSINESS
Repurposing Real Estate Use?
Landlords looking to transform empty locations should first consider these contractual and regulatory restrictions by Courtney Beller
Courtney Beller serves as Carvana’s senior corporate counsel of Litigation, where she manages the company’s docket of nationwide litigation and arbitration matters. Before joining Carvana, she served as a director and vice chair of the Business Litigation practice area at the law firm of Fennemore. She litigated cases concerning intellectual property disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract and claims against state and local agencies in Arizona and Nevada. She handled cases for major real estate developers and helped health care clients navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape. carvana.com
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2020 saw a slew of retail bankruptcies. Many of these companies will emerge from bankruptcy with a much smaller physical footprint, shedding both debts and brick-and-mortar locations. What does that mean for all of those soon-tobe-empty locations? As you can probably guess, there is not an abundance of retail tenants to take their place. One answer has been for landlords to repurpose these empty spaces into industrial (think Amazon fulfillment centers) and mixed-use (high-end condos and hotels built within a shopping mall) projects. Tough times call for innovation, but many landlords and tenants seeking to transform their space may not be considering the contractual and regulatory restrictions that impact their attempts to pivot, finding themselves with more, not less, problems. So, what should landlords and tenants keep an eye out for?
modifications that would not have been realistic or possible just a year ago.
LEASE TERMS
RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS
Most leases specifically outline the allowable use(s) of the property for lease. For example, a tenant’s lease may require that it operate a retail storefront only, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most leases also prohibit the use and generation of, among other things, hazardous materials (the type regularly used in medical offices). For example, if a tenant is looking to transform his retail space into a 24-hour urgent care facility, numerous lease provisions might prohibit him from doing this. Lessees should review their lease to determine how it may impact their redevelopment plans and whether a new or amended lease needs to be negotiated. Landlords are keenly aware of the financial stress tenants are under. They also know that if they do not try to be flexible, they may find themselves with empty properties and no tenants in line to fill them. Tenants should approach their landlords with a comprehensive and easily digestible proposal for amending any necessary lease terms that demonstrates why their new direction benefits both parties.
LOAN AGREEMENT
Landlords often seek financing to acquire the real estate they rent out. Many loan agreements (and related documents) contain limitations or covenants concerning uses for the real estate being financed. Any disruption to rental income for redevelopment purposes or change in use may trigger a breach of one or more of those agreements. Landlords should review their loan documents carefully when deciding to make a change or talking with a tenant about making one. As with the relationship between landlords and tenants, lenders do not want to see borrowers default on their loans, leaving them to pursue deficiency judgments or foreclosures of retail and office space that may be difficult to resell. Therefore, lenders may be willing to make concessions or loan
Property developers sometimes record restrictive covenants concerning the use of real property (often a negotiated condition for project approval). These covenants outline limitations concerning the property, including size and height of the building(s) and scope of use (e.g., retail is allowed but not a sushi restaurant). Property owners should make sure to know about any and all previously recorded restrictions to determine whether their contemplated redevelopment is permitted. If it is not, they will need to develop a strategy to revise their plans or negotiate an amendment to the restrictions with any other property owners benefitted by them.
ZONING
Local municipalities govern allowed uses for real property. Just because a property is zoned for retail does not mean it is zoned to allow a mixed-use project, including residential. Property owners should check their property’s status and determine what steps, if any, are necessary to get their property rezoned. Cities and towns benefit immensely from locations that are open for business, including through generated sales tax revenue and job creation. They also want to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2008, when cities saw entire city blocks shuttered due to business closures. As such, local governments may be more willing to allow exceptions to existing regulations, allowing their economies to get back on track faster and with less disruption. Change and innovation is necessary and important, especially in the current economic climate. Savvy landlords and tenants will know the full scope of their right to change course and use that information to negotiate any amendments or zoning changes necessary to make it happen.
Many landlords and tenants seeking to transform their space may not be considering the contractual and regulatory restrictions that impact their attempts to pivot, finding themselves with more, not less, problems.
Social Impact
BUSINESS GIVES BACK
Cannabis Is Driving Social Change through 420 Skin Care and 420 Medibles Philanthropic effort spawned a business to support it
420 Skin Care and 420 Medibles products make customers feel good inside and out. Their soothing, all-natural ingredients can improve several skin conditions, all while helping the less fortunate. Fifty percent of the proceeds from sale of these products goes directly back into Start Living Recovery Home, helping homeless men and women get off deadly alcohol and opioids. 420-skincare.com
Tyler Butler (“Tyler Butler | Giving in Style”), founder and CEO of 11Eleven Consulting, is a corporate social responsibility practitioner and expert leader in the corporate citizenship space. She has served on numerous national and local boards and is often cited as a subject matter expert by Forbes, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report and more. 11elevenconsulting.com givinginstyle.net
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As a registered nurse, helping people came naturally to Marvina Thomas. She recognized that opioids were presenting real problems for her patients, serving only to foster an addiction and not providing the pain relief needed. As she saw her patients struggle with serious side effects and dependance, she found her true calling. Thomas set out to help those who were suffering and had little resources or solutions to help themselves. She wanted to support people as they worked through struggles with addiction. It was this mission that led to Thomas to launch a 501(C)3 nonprofit, Start Living Behavioral Health. With its origins in 2003, Thomas opened a recovery home to help homeless people kick their alcohol and opioid addictions to get their lives back on track. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide a positive environment where people can learn the basic skills of character, ethics, accountability, responsibility and relationships to prepare them for a better life. Thomas’s commitment to help people was so great, in fact, that in 2016 she recognized she would need to find an endeavor to finance her philanthropic ventures. As Thomas considered her options to maintain and grow her nonprofit, she realized what she needed to do. She set out to create a startup that would develop, fund and implement solutions to the social and cultural issues her charity was focused on. She would create her own social enterprise. Thomas sought to create a business that she could blend with her nonprofit. She wanted their goals to align and it was important to her that both endeavors would generate a positive impact on society. Through her social enterprise, she would further conversation on the topic of opioid addition and homelessness, while addressing the issue by introducing solutions and actual programs to combat the problem. This is how 420 Skincare and 420 Medibles came to be. These product lines were created to have a more sustainable way to help others beyond traditional philanthropic efforts. A portion of the proceeds benefits Start Living Behavioral Health, the 501(C)3 nonprofit recovery home for those fighting addiction that Thomas had launched. The goal for both is to provide services and resources to reintroduce patients to clean living. Thomas came up with her business when researching the benefits of cannabis. She began experimenting with CBD and THC from cannabis. “To support the group recovery home I started, I learned to make natural, organic soaps and other skincare products to help fund the group home and provide toiletries for patients at a lower cost. I added CBD oil from the cannabis plant as a natural healing ingredient in the soaps, creams and lotions to help with pain and anxiety. When I had a patient whose face was burned from a drug explosion use my soaps and creams to heal with an amazing new glow to her
The 420 Skincare and 420 Medibles product lines were created to enable Marvina Thomas to have a more sustainable way to help others beyond traditional philanthropic efforts.
face, I knew I had a new business that would make a difference in people’s overall well-being.” Even in the current volatile economy, 420 Skin Care and 420 Medibles has expanded. Thomas grew her lineup of THC-infused cookies, brownies, crispy treats and bars to give patients delicious options to help reduce pain and inflammation in familiar flavors without using opioid pharmaceuticals. With some ingenuity and creativity, Thomas was able to integrate her purpose with profit by creating businesses with giving as the driving force. For this reason, these businesses dedicate a portion of all sales to help those with mental illness and addiction issues by reintroducing patients to clean living. They do their best to not only lead by example but to lend a hand to the underserved in the communities they serve. This driving force of giving has made a significant difference in their profits and the continued success of the business. Thomas is also continuing her strides to make positive social change possible through her advocacy for greater diversity equity and inclusion. “As a woman of color, I do not see many entrepreneurs who look like me. I work tirelessly to mentor and inspire others to create their own opportunities, and find it extremely rewarding.” In fact, Thomas recently launched a new CBD skincare distributor program to create jobs and empower other women and people of color with a pathway into the cannabis industry known for high barriers of entry for BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).
Photos courtesy of 420 Skincare (top, top right)
by Tyler Butler
SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR BUSINES
Workplace
Communication Tips to De-escalate Conflict in the Workplace Strategies for leaders to use with others – and themselves by Doc Elliot
It’s inevitable. No matter what kind of work environment you’re in, there will be conflicts. The key to managing interpersonal conflicts in a workplace setting lies in the communication skills you use to defuse the situation and deescalate people when things get heated. Everyone handles conflict differently. Some shy away, avoiding a confrontation at all costs. Others face it head on, sometimes with too much abrasiveness. Conflict in the workplace can be a distraction, limit productivity and, potentially, lead to more serious workplace conflicts down the line. For me, conflict is a distraction, so I prefer to nip it in the bud as quickly and directly as possible. But not everyone thinks like me, which is something I always have to keep in mind, especially in the midst of a conflict. It is up to the leader, whether directly involved in the conflict or not, to help mediate and reach a solution to the best of his or her abilities. With that in mind, here are some tips for leaders to follow when they find themselves in the midst of a conflict: Take a step back. Once a leader has become aware of a conflict and has gathered the information, the first thing to do is step away from it. Not for too long — just long enough that it’s not super-fresh in his or her mind. This is especially key for those who may be directly involved in the conflict. For me, that freshness has often led to rash decisions I’ve made that were rooted in too much emotion. The stepping away can be accomplished by trying to get a little work done, meditating or reading something — the goal being to dull the initial sting of the issue. Those who can’t focus on something else could try writing down the details of the conflict. This may not sound like taking a step back but, at the very least, putting things down on paper can be cathartic. Practice empathy. This can be hard when one is directly involved, but it is important to practice empathy during a conflict. Leaders should really try to put themselves in everyone’s shoes and see things from where others are standing — even if it’s the leader, himself, with whom they’re upset. Trying to see the situation through the eyes of someone who is upset with me forces me to confront some of my weaknesses or shortcomings. Though this can be painful, knowing this information ultimately helps me avoid similar
conflicts in the future, and is, of course, key to personal growth in general. Even if there is a sense that one person is more “right” than someone else afterward, trying to understand everyone else’s feelings and motivations will help leaders figure out where the content truly lies and, therefore, how best to approach it. Evaluate the implications. Sometimes, when a conflict arises, it’s the result of a bigger or more serious one. Maybe a current disagreement over deadlines actually points to a pattern of tardiness, or there’s one employee who seems to be at the center of a number of workplace issues. If that’s the case and something bigger is brewing, the leader’s approach should be different from what it would be for a one-off incident. The leader will need to gather more information and perhaps talk to other people before beginning the problem-solving process. It’s important to understand the context and stakes before starting to talk to the people involved. A long-term problem requires a long-term solution. And speaking of that ... Take preventive measures. Once a conflict is resolved, it’s important to reflect and figure out how to avoid anything similar in the future. Conflict often impedes productivity, so the more one can prevent it, the better off everyone will be. This is another instance when writing things down comes in handy, even if it’s just for one’s own records. When doing so, it’s important to try to be as objective as possible, continuing to consider all sides. What led to the issue? What was the central issue? How was it resolved? Each conflict can be a learning experience for both the business’s leadership and the employees. Avoid playing the blame game. Resolving conflict is a great opportunity to help improve a situation and, ultimately, offers a way to create healthy relationships at work. It’s important, when one is in the heat of the moment and experiencing conflict, to avoid saying, “None of this is my fault.” By not taking responsibility for their part of the problem, leaders are not being resourceful in finding ways to improve the situation and mend the relationship. Workplace conflicts can and do happen. By taking the appropriate course of action, it’s possible to resolve professional issues and create a more harmonious place to for all employees.
The key to managing interpersonal conflicts in a workplace setting lies in the communication skills leaders use to defuse the situation and de-escalate people when things get heated.
COMMUNICATE TO DE-ESCALATE Additional tips discussed more fully online: • Avoid the need to be right. • Don’t attack someone’s character. • Don’t avoid conflict.
A nationally renowned Federal Crisis Negotiation Specialist, Doc Elliot is founder and president of Phoenix Training Group. Since 1976, Phoenix Training Group has been the nation’s leader in workplace violence prevention training, customizing effective anti-violence training programs for corporations across all industries. phoenixtraininggroup.com
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OUR SUBJECT IN-DEPTH
Three Ways to Revamp SEO in 2021 Businesses need to keep up to date with trends in search engine ranking by Mark Stewart
Mark Stewart, a former Fortune 50 leader, is founder of marketing and business accelerator Concept2Completion. Stewart is Vice-Mayor of the Chandler, Arizona City Council, and represents the Job Creators Network as the Arizona State Ambassador. He serves on the board of directors for the East Valley Partnership, National League of Cities Economic Development Committee and several other Arizona business boards. 2completion.com
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Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for creating online relevance and being digitally relevant in search engines. The coronavirus pandemic magnified how significant digital presence is these days. People are relying heavily on online information versus real-time in-person interactions. They want the latest information on hours of operation and how businesses are working to keep customers safe. So, folks are using search engines, maps and social media to learn as much as they can online. Now is the best time to revamp a website’s SEO and make sure the online content is up to date and optimized. There is no better time than now because Google, the world’s largest search engine, has several improvements for 2021. Here are a few ways to prepare for these changes and maintain online relevance.
CORE WEB VITALS ARE THE NEW RANKING FACTOR
New page experience signals measure how users perceive their interaction with a web page beyond its pure information value. Google is already using this as a factor in the Google Search ranking. The Core Web Vitals measure how users experience speed, responsiveness and visual stability. Google will factor in data like mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS and no intrusive interstitials (pop-ups) when presenting search results. According to Google, a page should open within three seconds. Even a one-second delay could deter impatient users. Compressing large files, minimizing HTTP requests and reducing the number of plugins are few easy ways to help the page load faster. Google shifted to mobile-first indexing in 2020, which predominantly uses the mobile version of indexing and ranking content. Hence, the focus on mobile-friendless only enforces the push for great mobile sites. When building a website, designing the mobile site first and then adapting to a desktop is one strategy to ensure the site is optimized for mobile searches. Google’s goal is to help users find relevant and quality sites online. There are various online tools, like Google Page Speed Insights, to test the website’s performance. Businesses should
consider meeting with a website developer or marketing team to ensure the site is updated appropriately.
RANKING PASSAGES COULD GIVE A BOOST
Google improvements include ranking passages or words on websites that provide the best answers to questions typed into search. While this may not be a huge change, it does present an opportunity to consider what a website’s content provides users. Using this phrasing and optimized SEO correctly will certainly help sites rank higher organically. Another strategy that will generate traffic to a website is to note popular industry or product questions and add those answers to website content. FAQ pages are a simple way to tackle questions and give longer-format answers, and Google will reward the website with a higher ranking for the effort.
VOICE SEARCH IS HERE TO STAY
In addition to the upcoming changes by Google, another factor to consider when updating SEO is voice search. According to Juniper Research, voice assistant devices will grow by 113% by 2024, and 55% of users use voice search to ask questions on a smartphone, according to Perficient. When searching for a business, voice assistants pull information from Google My Business, Yelp or Bing profiles to help find locations near the user. That means now is the time to have a strong presence on each platform and have accurate information. When updating a business profile, it’s important to take the time to include every detail possible. It’s not the time to do the bare minimum. That means including up-to-date information, a local phone number, adding business attributes, uploading photos and video, and more. When it comes to SEO, change is constant, so individuals and marketing teams must stay up to date on the latest changes and trends. As far as marketing goes, SEO is an essential pillar of a comprehensive strategy. Since 2021 will be a breakout year for many, it is important to give some attention to the website’s SEO and digital footprint.
One of the new search rankings factor from Google, the world’s largest search engine, is Core Web Vitals, a page experience signal that measures how users perceive their interaction with a web page beyond its pure information value.
OUR SUBJECT IN-DEPTH
Outdated Video Training Puts a Business at Risk Out with the monotone slide-show bullet points; in with storytelling by Maury Rogow
Businesses risk loss of revenue, loss of employee commitment and increases in key employee attrition. One solution is here for us to embrace: the new rules of engagement in training videos. Millennial and GenX value contribution, learning and challenge above financial gains. Businesses that deliver training in an outdated format or style can suffer from all three of the pain points above. This is just as true in healthcare and tech as it is in sales — boring has no place in training.
VIDEO TRAINING MUST BE SOMETHING NEW
Businesses should follow the same key rules as marketing videos in order to succeed. Engagement is the new standard. Video platforms engage employees because the content is more memorable than any outdated formats. Employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than to read a document, an email or a web article. They are also more likely to remember it — research has shown content retention of video-based material to be double that of a conventional training session.
EMBRACE NEW VIDEO AND TRAINING FORMATS
To be effective, training videos need to focus on three core aspects: length, engaging style and core story. Whether a business is training employees in their job function or teaching new sales and operational programs internally, employees will not pay attention or retain information if it is presented in lecture-type subject training. First, the key lessons must be short. Anything longer than three major take-aways per segment will lower retention. If there is a lot of material to teach, long-form lessons can be broken into chapters. We learn the most at the open and close; the midpoint is tertiary. If there is too much emphasis on multiple points, retention decreases. It’s best to create multiple three-act structured stories. Second, infuse animation, graphics, and fun. Yes, fun. This will open new synapses. Creation of new neural pathways increases retention. Fun has been an antonym of “training” video for decades, but to be successful, leaders need to adapt. Third, the story is the vehicle that delivers engagement. A good story is perhaps the most difficult aspect of every video. Anyone who has told a joke and had it fall flat understands how important it is to get the pieces of the story in the right order, and to use timing to accentuate points.
LEADERSHIP EDUCATION
If a business is successful engaging customers and prospective customers but its employees do not have the knowledge to help them, guide them and sell them, its brand
Research has shown content retention of video-based material to be double that of a conventional training session.
and company will fail. Great video training is on-demand and doesn’t need to wait for an instructor to free up a calendar. It allows companies to scale repeat at no cost. Investment in video-based training is an investment in a company’s future. Businesses should do what Hollywood does to grab attention.
THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Ninety percent of the movies and plays we know, and especially the Hollywood blockbusters, obey the Three-Act Structure. Act One: This is where we carefully establish our main character (the protagonist) and his or her world, and build empathy and relatability. If an audience can relate, we are engaged. For a training video, businesses can spend the first act establishing the world in which their product exists and there is an issue that is dark and foreboding. The audience is engaged in solving the problem. Act Two: Act Two begins in movies when the protagonist has experienced a life-changing event, and now he or she is off to face a new challenge. Think Harry Potter after he finds out he’s a wizard. Think Luke Skywalker after he finds the message from Princess Leia. They’re off to learn new things about the world and themselves. They are now acting on the “Call to Adventure.” Throughout Act Two, the protagonist encounters the antagonist (the person or thing that keeps the protagonist from achieving his or her goal). They’re going to go through ups and downs. They’re going to go through a journey of discovery and choices — some good, some bad. For businesses, consider what can be taught along this path, what useful tools are there to use and share? Act Three: At the end of Act Two, a film’s protagonist is at his or her lowest point. All hope appears to be lost. But in Act Three, our protagonist finds the strength to fight through and persevere — and, at the end, to get to that main goal that provides redemption or transformation. The caterpillar becomes the butterfly. Luke becomes the Jedi knight. A business’s customer becomes a savior to that business by using its product. That’s the Three-Act Structure. The question for businesses is how to improve their training videos and engagement with it.
Maury Rogow, video marketing expert and CEO of Rip Media Group, believes brands will thrive or die not because of the products they sell but because of the stories they tell. The company’s website offers the guide “The 6 Stories You Need to Make Money.” For the past 12 years, Rogow has served as Chief Story Officer of Rip Media Group, and has helped hundreds of brands such as Cisco, Ben & Jerry’s, Comcast and Harvard thrive through the power of story. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America, an author, speaker and trainer. ripmediagroup.com
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INVESTING IN COMMUNITY
Sustaining and Growing Your Fundraising Performance in 2021 Individuals and institutions are still giving by Richard Tollefson
LESSONS LEARNED: • Proactive, continuous, “360” communications are a must. • Continue personalized prospect and donor relations. • Pivot and adapt strategies as needed and let donors and prospects help guide that shifted strategy. • Adapt cultivation and solicitation practices and strategies accordingly. • Continue to ask, and allow for a natural extension of the gift decision time. • Other giving instruments may be critically important. • Technology is here to stay. Be creative in using it.
Richard Tollefson is founder and president at The Phoenix Philanthropy Group, an Arizona-based international consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations as well as institutional and individual philanthropists.
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If there is one key takeaway for philanthropy professionals from 2020, it’s that they have to be prepared to pivot quickly. With COVID-19, social unrest, market volatility, the elections and natural disasters, it was a year like none other. But even with the challenging landscape, there are professionals and institutions that were successful in sustaining and growing their fundraising performance. Many individuals and institutions still have money to donate, so continuing to ask for donations is imperative. Successful fundraisers learned to adjust their priorities, and relied on proactive communications, effective financial management, and personalized prospect and donor relations. They adapted their cultivation and solicitation strategies to optimize fundraising performance. What they experienced shines a light on ways to enhance performance in 2021. Antoinette Vojtech, executive director of principal gifts and campaign at Sacramento State University, determined that she and her fundraisers would not stop pursuing their goals in 2020. But they “paused” conversations with prospects and donors and shifted from in-person to Zoom meetings, depending on donor preference. When Sacramento State operations went virtual in March, Vojtech quickly reached out to her top 25 prospects. “I said ‘thank you for everything you have done for the university, I recognize our current challenges and I hope to see you soon.’ “I didn’t stop pushing the pedal and moving conversations forward,” she says. “People are still giving and gift conversations with my prospects continue to happen.” Vojtech reminds fundraisers to keep in mind that prospect and donor assets are changing. Donors are giving in more complex ways, says Vojtech. Donations are being made through donor advised funds, family foundations, closely held companies, conversions of assets and more. To accommodate their circumstances, she is applying a robust approach to structuring gift agreements. Another change she has seen 2020 is an increase in unrestricted gifts. As reporting stipulations and controls are loosened, promoting and accepting these types of gifts allows university leadership to be nimble in meeting the needs of students. Chevy Humphrey, the Hazel A. Hare president and CEO of the Arizona Science Center, immediately created an ecosystem of constant communication with constituents. Her tactics were: (1) Inform with transparency and accountability the staff, donors, partners and the public, to instill confidence in current and future operations; (2) tell how the Center is mitigating risk created by the pandemic; (3) reinforce the Center’s leadership in the local community and the global science center community; and (4) repeat. In March 2020, all donors, staff and the public received
consistent email communications followed by phone calls to donors and stakeholders to reinforce the email’s message. Monthly communication followed and Science Center fundraisers continued to make asks. “In March and April, we actually raised about $3 million, just from those emails and phone calls, for a COVID-19 fund that provided support for the Science Center,” Humphrey says. “We’re continuing to have those conversations, and it’s spread throughout the organization,” including board members and staff communicating with donors. Humphrey says donors and prospects want to know what the organization is doing and how they can help. They want to feel confident they are being informed about future plans. “Constant communication really pays off. It’s paying off right now especially during our annual fund campaign as well as our comprehensive campaign.” And, she adds, leadership matters. “Leaders must be consistent and visible, talking to donors in real time.” At Eastern Washington University, Lisa Poplawski Lewis, associate vice president of philanthropy and campaign director, maintained her team’s financial goals and performance metrics during the pandemic. One change was to have fundraisers work to educate and incentivize prospects to consider non-cash opportunities. “We had a lot of focus on cash giving in recent years, knowing that the market was doing well, that individuals and foundations still had money to give,” Poplawski says. But there was a definite shift in 2020. “People tend to think more long-term about themselves and tend to update wills during times like this. We talked to them about their wills, asked them if Eastern was in it and, if not, would they consider including Eastern in their will.” Lewis said her team was diligent about looking at new strategies, so that if there was a closed door in terms of cash gifts, they would be prepared to discuss the donor’s other assets. Perhaps the most important point to remember from 2020 is the resiliency of philanthropy, as evidenced in the Giving USA historical trend. While the economy may experience dips, philanthropy tends to have a strong upward movement.
Plenty of individuals and institutions have money to give. Continuing to ask for donations is imperative, but effective asks should be done in the proper context of COVID or societal issues.
WE VALUE WHAT WE OWN
2021 Genesis G90 Rarely does raw power deliver such a quiet, confident ride anywhere in the powerband. A new height in engineering, the G90’s sophisticated drivetrain, chassis and adaptive control suspension work harmoniously with its uniquely designed, ultra-rigid body structure. The result is exhilarating performance, near-effortless acceleration and precise handling. With even the slightest touch of the accelerator, the standard 365-horsepower twin-turbo V6 responds with immediate thrust — the beginning of a responsive, confident ride, accompanied by an unmistakable sound. And feeling. Even standing still, G90 exudes an athletic grace. Unmistakably powerful yet undeniably elegant, G90 balances the two within its distinct identity. G90 radiates presence as the diamond-inspired Genesis Crest Grille demands an audience, quad-LED headlights illuminate the road ahead and Nappa leather seats envelop occupants as the mobile sanctuary travels down the road on sound-absorbing, modern basket-weave wheels. Offering four on-the-fly drive modes, G90 delivers on ride style. The driver can choose “Comfort” for normal driving, “Sport” for dynamic performance or “Eco” to conserve fuel. The “Custom” mode, including the new “Rear Comfort” for enhanced smoothness, allows the driver to mix and match the powertrain, steering, suspension and AWD (if equipped) configurations.
2021 GENESIS G90 MSRP: $72,950 City: 17 mpg Hwy: 24 mpg Trans: 8-speed automatic 0-60: 5.7 sec.
The G90’s advanced technology moves its occupants in every way possible — surprising, captivating and indulging every rider in the car. While the Lexicon® premium audio and wireless device charging come standard, how they elevate the ride is anything but. One could almost get lost in the experience if not for the Heads-up Display and Surround View Monitor, both of which keep riders keenly aware of the moment they’re in and where it’s taking them. For the fourth consecutive year, Genesis brand ranked highest among all premium automotive brands in the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study, which examines new vehicle ownership experience. —Mike Hunter Genesis genesis.com
DON’T MISS OUT!
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Take a Fresh Breath Indoor air quality has taken on greater import in this COVID era. While they are not a replacement for air filtration systems, plants are more than an aesthetic reprieve for our eyes. Since NASA began researching ways to improve air quality for astronauts in closed
Spider Plants
Bamboo
Chinese Evergreen
environments in space, we’ve learned they can counter
A non-toxic choice in
Also non-toxic, bamboo
Carbon monoxide and
some of the toxins our made environment surrounds
more than 200 species,
plants remove many
benzene are two of the
us with — in addition to helping reduce stress and, of
this plant cleans the air
common indoor toxins
many toxins Chinese
while also releasing
evergreens eliminate.
moisture into the air.
And the plants add some
Photos courtesy of Genesis (top)
course, recycling our carbon-dioxide exhalations into the of formaldehyde and oxygen we need to breathe. If the indoor environment
xylene. It works well in
includes pets and small children, it would be wise to
a hanging basket and,
bright color as its leaves
discuss choices with staff at a plant nursery as some
an added plus, is easy to
in some varieties are shot
plants are toxic when ingested. —RaeAnne Marsh
care for.
through with a deep pink.
Genesis 5.0 (liter): Palpably powerful yet richly refined, the available 420-horsepower* V8 produces 383 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm.
45 MAR. 2021 INBUSINESSPHX.COM
MEALS THAT MATTER
SANTA FE ENCHILADA WITH SMOKED CHICKEN Mixed cheese, corn tortillas and smoked chicken with red sauce $15
Z’Tejas Continues to Sizzle Seasonal offerings spice up the classics menu by Robby Nethercut Jalapeno cream sauce, house rice and seasonal vegetables $19
SMOKED CHICKEN RELLENO Pecan, apricot, raisin, mixed cheese, green and red sauces, crispy jalapeno and onion coins, sour cream and cotija $17
Robby Nethercut is chief operations officer at Z’Tejas.
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Operating and maintaining a lasting restaurant is a challenge. As new establishments open, food and dining trends come and go; how do you continue to stay exciting and popular, even during a pandemic? Z’Tejas Southwest Grill has been shaking up margaritas and sizzling Southwestern food for more than 30 years in the Valley. We believe our team members and the indulgen t service we provide are a big reason why we continue to thrive. We aim to exceed expectations, dazzle guests and entice those who have never joined us to come in. The staff has always strived to create a family atmosphere where guests feel safe and comfortable while visiting Z’Tejas. During this unique period, the teams have taken every precaution to ensure the dining rooms and kitchens are clean and safe, aiming to go above and beyond the CDC guidelines for the coronavirus for indoor dining. Guests are required to wear a mask when not seated, tables have been spaced, we are seating up to only 25% capacity and menus are viewed via QR codes on an individual’s phone. Staff have their temperature checked at the door and daily health screenings are done, plus everyone wears a mask at all times in the restaurant. The chef-driven menu features Mexican classics like the Smoked Chicken Relleno stuffed with a mix of pecans, apricots, raisins and mixed cheese and layered with green and red sauces. The Shrimp Enchiladas, one of several enchilada options on the menu, with cilantro pesto, chile con queso and avocado crema, is a guest favorite, while the Grilled Salmon with jalapeno cream sauce and seasonal vegetables offers a bit more traditional option for fish lovers. The Catfish Beignets served with a cilantro slaw have been a staple on the menu for
Z’Tejas also offers daily happy hour specials welcoming guests from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. with a $5 house margarita, and discounts on all other margaritas, wine and beer.
years, and the Adobo Chorizo Meatloaf made with pork chorizo and ground beef and with a habanero barbeque glaze, shows off the Southwestern influence and flavors. Several times a year, a seasonal menu is released that highlights different ingredients and new dishes each with suggested drink pairings. There are also monthly specialty tacos such as braised short ribs or lobster and a “throwback” dish that revives an old favorite from past menus like Grilled Ruby Trout or the Smothered Burrito. Like its chef-driven menu, Z’Tejas has a carefully crafted cocktail list that uses the best ingredients and fresh-squeezed juices, hand mixing each drink to order. A new cocktail menu was launched in January that includes a Watermelon Strawberry Margarita, White Peach Margarita, Z’Colada, Ranch Water and several handcrafted zero proof drinks. Brunch served Saturdays and Sundays offers enticing options like the Steak and Eggs Chilaquiles, Green Chile Pork and Tamale Eggs Benedict and Berries French Toast. The restaurant is also excited to announce a new location will be opening in March in the Mercado del Lago plaza on Hayden Rd. and Via de Ventura. This beautifully designed space will include a 2,200 square-foot patio, large bar and a private chef’s table. Z’Tejas 7221 W. Ray Rd., Chandler (480) 893-7550 10625 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix (480) 948-9010 ztejas.com Photos courtesy of Z’Tejas
GRILLED SALMON
CELEBRATING OVER 30 YEARS OF SERVING THE WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS OF PHOENIX
Spring 2021 • nawbophx.org
A Message from the President I just returned from my first business trip since our world was shattered by the pandemic. It was, in many ways, just another business trip. But in other ways, it was so much more. I was meeting with a small group of international leaders. The goal: to inspire these leaders to break barriers. The pandemic has created so many new barriers. We began our time together with a simple icebreaker, sharing our highs and lows for the year. It was humbling to hear, even in this small group, the people whose lives and families have been touched and forever changed by this disease. It became apparent as we went around the socially distanced room to share our highs and lows that the theme for 2020 was survive. And yet, here we are. Conquerors. Because there will always be challenges, there will always be new difficulties. We have survived them before. They pass. This, too, shall pass. We are committed to breaking through any barriers to conquer fear and thrive. Together, we outlined how they will return to business, in many ways the same but in so many ways altogether different. We spent a full day planning and asking ourselves these questions: 1. “What will we do differently this year? We are smarter this year and we can begin with a plan that supports our current economies and restrictions. By taking some time to reflect on this, we can build a thoughtful, intentional plan that takes all we have learned in this past year and enables us to break through the barriers. For my client, we came up with five innovative strategies that will drive new revenue. 2. “What will we stop doing this year?” It’s a new world. Many of the things we did last year and even prior years are no longer effective. For this company, as it went into lockdown, it began to provide many webinars. The company’s clients buy from it for its technical expertise — and it was giving it away for free. The company’s leaders decided they were no longer going to give away the company’s knowledge for free. We tweaked a few things in their plan that will allow them to drive more revenue, and still offer impeccable knowledge and service to the company’s clients. This game-changer will enable them to be productive, not just busy. 3. “What will we keep doing?” We didn’t get where we are by not doing right things; these are often the reason that customers buy from us, and certainly the reason they stay with us. Let’s make sure we are clear about what we want to keep doing this year.
ABOUT NAWBO
It was wonderful to see the leaders, beaten down by all the challenges they have willingly tackled this year, begin to be inspired. As we planned for our future with realistic actions, it was as if you could physically see their spirits lifting. With each new strategy, each conversation, they could see their future and it wasn’t just surviving — they could now see the road ahead to thriving. How about you? Are you doing things the same way you ended 2020? Ask these questions of your own business. It’s a great team exercise. At the very least, I recommend that you, as the leader, spend some time contemplating what you have learned and the current state of your business. Then apply these questions. You will be amazed at the fruit that a few hours of reflection and intentional thought yield. Build a plan to thrive in 2021. With a clear, focused plan in place, these leaders were once again encouraged. As it inspired them, so, too, was I inspired. Our world will never look quite the same, the things we do won’t be exactly the same, but there is sunshine on the horizon. NAWBO® prides itself on being a global beacon for influence, ingenuity and action and is uniquely positioned to provide incisive commentary on issues of importance to women business owners. NAWBO Phoenix propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power.
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We provide opportunities to connect, collaborate, and cultivate through our events each month. Events are open to both members and guests. Check out our calendar at nawbophx.org and join us! Take advantage of this great opportunity to connect — we can’t wait to see you there!
Jean Briese
NAWBO Phoenix President Before launching her own business, Jean Briese spent 25 years creating and leading award-winning teams for a Fortune 10 technology firm. She is the president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Phoenix and a 2020 recipient of PBJ’s “Outstanding Women in Business.” During the pandemic, Briese was awarded a Bronze Stevie Award as “Solo Entrepreneur of the Year.” Briese speaks to worldwide audiences on how to unleash the power of your team and achieve breakthrough results.
For more infomation, visit www.nawbophx.org.
Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners 7729 E Greenway Rd. #300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 480-289-5768 • info@NAWBOphx.org
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Why I Should Have Known the Name of My Banker by Shellie Berry
It was a great idea. But then … the Great Recession. Houses and neighborhoods popped up everywhere. Freeways lengthened; highways expanded. Pharmacies, grocery stores and hospitals burst into existence. Demands arose for more schools, fire departments and roads. In the early 2000s, a record influx of families swelled the East Valley. The economy boomed as business owners filled commercial complexes. Business ownership is a mentality that runs in my family. In other words, I am an entrepreneur at heart, driven to fulfill perceived needs in my community. So, when I moved to Arizona in 2004, I saw a need in the East Valley and wanted to meet it. In 2008, Recess Kids Club opened in Mesa. It was a 5,000-square-foot indoor play place for kids that stayed open late into the evening and on weekends, and where parents could pay by the hour. It was exactly what the community needed as newly located families from all over the country had to settle into their new homes. Parents needed a safe place for their kids while they unpacked boxes. Realtors with kids needed to show homes to parents on weekends, and both needed childcare. The stayat-home mom with multiple kids needed a break every now and then. Sometimes, it was to get her nails done; other times, it was an OB/GYN appointment. Who could safely watch her kids play and give her peace of mind when she leaves them? Recess Kids Club. It was a great idea. But who knew the recession would be so … great? Soon and swiftly, houses foreclosed, neighborhoods folded, and realtors had to find other work. Recess Kids Club relied upon on the expendable income of its customers. There is nothing expendable in a recession. Sadly, in 2010, Recess Kids Club recessed permanently. When Recess Kids Club first opened, the big bank rolled out the red carpet. I received lots of attention. Bank accounts, payroll support, credit cards … you name it. But when hard financial times hit, I had no one to call or care. If only I had known a local bank and the name of my banker ... Today, I am a business development officer for Gateway Bank, a local, community bank that sees and cares about the people behind the
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business — their struggles, their challenges. Small-business owners need more than a bank to succeed; they need an experienced banker at a local bank who has a pulse on the local economy and is well-networked in the community. Gateway Bank’s culture is to journey with a small-business owner for the life cycle of their business, not through a single banking transaction. Sure, like any bank, we look at the business we work with. But more importantly, and distinctively, we get to know the business owner by their name. That is who Gateway Bank is and how we do business. Why should knowing you by name matter? Because when hard times hit, like — ahem — a global pandemic, a banker who cares to know your name is a banker who will care for your business. Gateway Bank has taken care of our business owners. They know us by name, and we know them, too. That matters and makes a difference when it comes to assistance for government funding, connections to other sources of capital, re-negotiating loan terms, and receiving access to more capital. Why should knowing the name of your banker matter? Because when hard times hit, like the recent surge of racial injustices toward Black Americans and its economic impact, Gateway Bank channels its emotions into
action, starting with Gateway’s president, James Christensen (gcbaz.com/news-and-resources/ safety-and-solidarity-message-from-presidentjames-christensen). Says Christensen, “We understand the unfortunate disparity in access to capital between Black- and White-owned businesses. The 2020 Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey noted that non-Hispanic Black owners are half as likely to have obtained bank funds as non-Hispanic White owners (23% vs. 46%, respectively). “Gateway’s inclusive, tenured team has deep experience and is always willing to listen, learn and consult with minority-owned businesses to help them access capital. If you or someone you know could use this support, please have them contact us. We’re here to serve the community.” You should know your banker’s name — or get to know one at Gateway Bank. It is a great idea. Shellie Berry and her husband, Bertrand, live in Gilbert, have three children, and started their own business with the help of Gateway Bank.
4 Marketing Pillars to Grow Your Online Sales in 2021 by Melanie Moscicki
Nearly 150 million people shopped online for the first time in the pandemic, according to an eMarketer report last year from “Insider Intelligence” (emarketer.com/content/global-ecommerce-2020), and it is predicted that the number of ecommerce buyers will only continue to rise. So much so that some industry insiders are dubbing 2021 as “The Year of Add To Cart.” With all the platforms, options and strategies available, deciding where to focus can often leave business owners in analysis paralysis. The truth is there isn’t “one” way to market your business. The right way is the one that fits your budget, your goals, and that you have the ability to execute properly. In planning out marketing in 2021, I’m recommending my clients focus on at least one of these four areas to maximize their online awareness, sales and, most importantly, their impact.
Re-Engaging Existing Customers
Re-engaging existing customers made up 30-40% of my clients’ annual sales revenue last year. If you aren’t seeing similar percentages, then this is an area you’ve got potential revenue waiting to be collected. Ways we’ve maximized re-engaging past customers are through email blasts in tandem with ads to past customers announcing new products, new sizes or items that are back in stock. Not in a position to add new products? Then it’s time to get creative and see if there are ways to bundle existing products and promote as new offerings.
One of the most important assets a business has is its list. As social platforms rise and fall and regulations change (or don’t), it becomes vital that businesses prioritize growing and cultivating their email list. Not only should you have a consistent strategy to grow your list (utilizing organic traffic, social channels or ads), but you also need to have a system in place to stay connected to your list. Emails should be a mix of user-generated content, education or information sent out at least once a week and then every six weeks have a promotion. If you aren’t currently running routine sales and your return customers aren’t generating 30-40% of your revenue, then this is your low-hanging fruit ready to harvest. Tip: Run paid ads to only your email list during promotions to maximize sales.
Video Awareness Ads
Online stores that have scaled to seven and eight figures have done so by consistently reinvesting 15-30% of revenue into paid traffic. When it comes to running paid ads to cold traffic, video is the most effective (if done correctly) and most affordable way to increase brand awareness and grow your audience. The twist to this year is we’re seeing user-generated video content perform the strongest. This is great news in that it frees business owners from having to be behind the camera. However, it can be a challenge if you don’t have a system in place to solicit the videos. One of the easiest ways to get started is to offer an incentive discount or dollars off a future purchase in exchange for a video testimonial. We do this through either a post-purchase follow-up email sequence or app. Tip: Don’t forget to guide them to share why they love it, why they bought
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from you, or how they use it. And advise them you will be using the video for future marketing.
Advertorials
Advertorial-style landing pages seem to be leading when it comes to conversions as of late. These are still “landing pages” but designed in a way that looks like an article or blog piece that are specific to ONE product. Perfect for top-line awareness, these pages need to speak specifically to who buys this product and then position it as the perfect solution though emotional-based “story-selling” sprinkled with testimonials and a couple of places to click through to your store and purchase. Starting with your best-selling product, you can build these out to utilize in your awareness ads as a CTA (call to action), to send to your email list during promotions or as content, or as retargeting ads for people who visit your store but don’t purchase. Chances are you may have one of these on lock already, but if not, I would suggest working the pillars from top down as priority to get you started. Lastly, I implore you to go all in on whichever pillar you chose to focus on this year. Halfway will not get enough results to make it worth your time, and as business owners that’s the one thing we just don’t have to spare. Melanie Moscicki is the founder of Social Manna LLC (socialmanna.com), a digital marketing agency that specializes in revenue generation for six- and seven-figure online eCommerce stores. She lives off coffee and true crime stories in Queen Creek, Ariz., with her family and enjoys reading and all things chocolate.
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7 Things to Do in the Post-Pandemic World to Grow Your Business by Nancy A. Shenker
We are still in the midst of challenging and fast-evolving times. Over the past months, we’ve all learned how to survive and thrive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty. As a woman business owner and former corporate executive, I’ve lived through several volatile eras and a massive influx in technology-based changes. Although the pandemic is radically different from other worldchanging incidents, I’ve learned some of the survival skills throughout the past 40 years have proven useful. Whether you’re a solopreneur or scaling-up an enterprise, these “rules” apply. 1. Be creative and agile. Replace phrases like, “We’ve never done that before” or “That doesn’t work in our industry” with a lexicon that encourages new ideas, breakthrough thinking and positivity. The world is moving faster than ever, and those who are late to the game or stuck in legacy processes are destined to fall behind. When you are hit with downturns or rejection, heal rapidly and spend your time and energy looking for the next opportunity. Although these difficult times can sometimes catapult even the most resourceful business
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owner into a dark funk, resilience is more important now than ever before. Staying hopeful, being honest about your issues, and engaging others in problem-solving are all steps toward success. 2. Invest in growth areas. Although that might seem counterintuitive when you’re belt-tightening, new ideas and relationships can lead to opportunities. Marketing, memberships in professional organizations, and subscriptions to time- and money-saving technologies are all good uses of your precious dollars. Study your P&L to channel unnecessary or redundant cost line items to those activities that contribute to growth. 3. Look to experts and collaborate. Outsourcing to professionals and independent contractors can be a very cost-effective way to expand your team while controlling overhead costs. Engage people who have expertise in specific areas you need or can bring a new set of eyes (and brain cells) to a tough challenge. Cross-generational collaboration is crucial these days. Younger and older professionals can bring a whole new perspective to your business challenges.
4. Master technology. The right types of automation can streamline your business operations, save you time and money in the long run, and give you insights that manual processes simply can’t. Human-centric technologies can: a. Expand marketing reach, b. Unearth solutions to business problems, c. Streamline routine tasks, d. Save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on paper and printing, e. Deliver better customer service, f. Speed up decision making, g. Connect you to potential customers and alliances globally, h. Enable you to meet a wide range of new professionals, i. Provide feedback on sales effectiveness, and j. Give you insights into customer behaviors (See #5). 5. Use data to your best advantage. Whether you’re analyzing your social media traffic and engagement, conducting research to find out what your prospects want, or gaining an understanding of new growth segments, turning big data into small meaningful steps is critical right now. 6. Learn from the disruptors and survivors. Get inspiration from companies that have transformed their industries (like Uber and Lyft did for the transportation world). You can also analyze those companies in your category that have survived and thrived for 30 years or more and look at the steps they took to transform and grow. 7. Become — and remain — curious. Make time every week to attend virtual workshops, read articles that apply to your challenges, and listen to experts. Turn your hour at the gym or drive time into podcast-listening minutes. Mastering new skills can also be critically important these days. Share your new learning with your team and colleagues. Self-care and self-development are essential to survival and growth. You can’t serve your customers and lead a team effectively if you’re in a constant state of anxiety and despair. Although we haven’t been able to gather live at conferences and trade shows, technology gives us 24/7 access to a wide range of people, resources and inspiration. Joining professional groups and building your own team of “virtual sherpas” can help you navigate volatile times and provide ideas for growth and prosperity. We’ll all emerge stronger, more resilient and with a whole new circle of business advisors and people who can help us succeed. Nancy A. Shenker (theonswitch.com) is a marketing innovator, brand builder, writer, speaker and self-proclaimed rule breaker. Over the course of her 40-year business and marketing career, she has been a C-level executive at major consumer and business brands (Citibank, MasterCard, Reed Exhibitions — ComicCon producers), an entrepreneur (theONswitch marketing) and a mentor to hundreds of small businesses at all stages. She has written four books that are available on Amazon.com (amazon.com/Nancy-A-Shenker/e/B005PNO6KC), publishes online women’s entrepreneur community sheBOOM (sheboom.com), AI/machine learning/robotics site EmbracetheMachine (embracethemachine.com) and travel and lifestyle site BleisureLiving (bleisureliving.com). She also wrote a column for Inc called Bots & Bodies (about the human side of tech) (inc.com/author/nancy-a-shenker), and is a regular contributor to Thrive Global (thriveglobal.com/authors/nancy-shenker) and Forbes (bit.ly/forbes-profile-shenker). A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, she completed graduate work at New York University (Book Publishing) and Kellogg (Executive Communications). She recently won a Killer Content Award for a lead-generating series she wrote for a fast-scaling tech company.
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Officers: President: Jean Briese President-Elect: Rosaria Cain Treasurer: Joy Cervantes Secretary: Dr. Nadia Brown Past-President: Angela Garmon Membership Chair: Kaitlyn Laney & Imelda Hartley Marketing Chair: Melanie Moscicki Programming Chair: April Tinhorn Corporate Partners Co-Chair: Dee Daniels Corporate Partners Co-Chair: Ashley Ament Neighborhood NAWBOS Chair: Julie Cook Success Circles: Amanda Schneider
Corporate Partners: CopperPoint Insurance Company Salt River Project Modluxe Phoenix Business Journal In Business Magazine Karianne Mundstedt Photography Wells Fargo Financial Potion Commerce Bank of Arizona Website Design Plus
National Partners: Merrill Lynch Bank of America Chubb Southwest Airlines Wells Fargo
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3 Dangerous Mistakes Women Make that Lead to Burnout by Jen Butler, M.Ed., B.C.C., D.A.I.S.
Women from all over the world contact me sharing the struggles of their daily lives. Inevitably, they use these three words to describe how they feel about their life: stress, overwhelm and burnout. After years of working with female professionals and talking to tens of thousands of women about what specifically stresses them out, I’ve identified the three dangerous mistakes women make that lead to burnout.
Mistake #1: Tolerate
What we tolerate we give permission to. So, the more women bite their tongues with family, friends, staff, vendors, bosses and colleagues, they are consistently giving others permission to continue bad behaviors regardless of how it impacts them, their lives or stress levels. Women also tolerate their slow personal and career growth for far too long, desiring efficiency and success but settling for chaos and flat satisfaction year after year. Massive mistake #1 is that women tolerate way too much for far too long.
Mistake #2: Ignore the Warning Signs
Stress isn’t your staff standing in a line outside your office wanting to ask you ridiculous questions, the pile of bills you stuff in a portfolio for the bookkeeper to decide which ones to pay, or the difficult staff you would rather dismiss than train. Stress is an internal, biological, physiological, chemical reaction that is part of your autonomic nervous system with clear and identifiable symptoms. Acute stress (low stress levels that spur you forward and enhance your awareness) has been shown to have positive effects on your lifestyle, while chronic stress (high stress levels with a continual release of cortisol over time) can be disastrous. Ignoring the warning signs of chronic stress leads to headaches, dry skin, forgetfulness, fatigue, mood swings, sleepless nights, indifference, depression and burnout. Consistently, women share how they have been feeling for months or years and it’s as if they are reciting from a medical journal on the consequences of stress. Since we can’t change what we don’t acknowledge, ignoring the warning signs of stress, mistake #2, is the same as sticking their head in the sand and waiting for burnout to take over.
Mistake #3: Going It Alone
There is a cultural attitude with women that is perpetuated and nurtured on social media, at seminars and in the halls at work. People call it “empowerment,” but many women interpret it as the need for going it alone and doing everything by themselves. In reality, it’s a conglomeration of other women’s fears, weaknesses, failures and judgments that virally and systemically search for more women with fractures in their confidence and small doubts in their abilities. Sadly, a giant wall is created that does nothing but hold a woman back from reaching out to others for support and stagnating her from success. The practice of building a life, career and/or business to success is a bell curve with a very small number of outliers able to rely solely on skill and a lot of luck to go about it alone. The majority of women idealize the outliers, spending tens of thousands of dollars to attend their workshops, copy their social media feeds, or buy their programs just to become like them, all the while continuing to listen to and conform to the cultural attitude that going
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about it alone is the standard expectation of a successful woman. This is the most dangerous mistake of all that will keep women stressed and lead them directly into burnout.
What to Do
Solutions to each of these mistakes are clear but not simple nor always easy to implement. 1. In order to stop tolerating, you need to know what you already tolerate. This coincides with the first step to Get SMaRT™ (Stress Management and Resilience Training), Know Your Stress. By acknowledging what stresses you out, you can create action plans full of appropriate coping methods to combat your unique stress. This is the first line of defense against burnout, stopping it before it even starts. 2. Becoming aware of your warning signs is the second step in the Get SMaRT™ process, Assess Your Stress, and warding off burnout. Until you know the severity of your condition, the level of impact it is having on your body and exactly what kind of stress you are experiencing, there is no way to make sure you are using the correct coping method. For example, you can’t exercise away psychological stress nor sleep away physiological stress. These are the wrong prescriptions for your diagnosis. 3. Step three in the Get SMaRT ™ journey is to Reduce Your Stress, which you can’t do by going it alone. It takes a network of the right tools, resources, information and people for you to learn from, share with, problem solve and lean on. Reducing your stress to stave off burnout is a result of intentional work with strategic implementation of defined coping methods.
Women who address these dangerous mistakes and implement strategic solutions to counterbalance their effects will ward off burnout and find passion again. To Get SMaRT, there can’t be a willy-nilly approach to habit formation. Women around the globe will want to know that there is a methodic way to Know~Assess~Reduce Your Stress™ and remain burnout-free forever. Jen Butler, M.Ed., B.C.C., D.A.I.S., has been working in the area of Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMaRT) for more than 30 years. She speaks to professionals all around the globe on the impact stress has on their lives and businesses. JB Partners (jbpartners.com) offers an array of tools, resources, and services through the SMaRT Club+ (jbpartners.com/membership-landing/) membership so you can go from BS excuses to “HOLY SH*T!” moments.
Giving Guide ARIZONA
Presents
Connecting business with our community
GIVE ON APRIL 6, 2021
Giving Guide ARIZONA
Now More Than Ever
To her role as CEO of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, Kristen Merrifield brings more than 18 years’ experience that includes leadership roles with the Arizona Small Business Association, the ASU Foundation and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Merrifield is an active participant in the business and nonprofit community in her roles as past president of the Arizona Society of Association Executives Board and active member of groups such as the American Society of Association Executives and the National Council of Nonprofits.
Nonprofits across Arizona are still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus, yet they consistently continue providing vital services, resources and even entertainment to communities across the state. Arizona Gives Day on April 6 offers an opportunity to reflect and to act in support of nonprofit agencies and the people who embrace and bring their missions to life. Presented by FirstBank, Arizona Gives Day is more than Arizona’s largest online fundraising event. It is a giving movement, uniting and celebrating nonprofits — big and small, new and established — through philanthropy by making a donation at AZGives.org. This year, Arizona Gives Day has never been more important. This 24-hour period of powerful giving raises awareness, connects the public and local businesses with vital nonprofits, and increases financial support for these incredible organizations. We expect more than 1,000 Arizona nonprofits to participate in Arizona Gives Day activities. Each organization, driven by compassion and commitment to a cause, has a mission and community worthy of support. Our goal at the Alliance is to unite, strengthen and advance Arizona’s nonprofit sector at a time unlike any other in our history. Our statewide survey of nonprofit organizations late last year showed that more than 60% of responding organizations projected net operating losses of between 10% and 50%. In 2021, we need to unite across the state in our mission to reinforce and sustain the future of Arizona’s nonprofits. Our partnership with FirstBank is motivated by its corporate commitment to philanthropy. FirstBank is driven by the hope that Arizona Gives Day inspires individuals and businesses to give back to causes in their communities, reminding people that giving even a small amount can help an organization survive in 2021. Arizona Gives Day allows each of us to make a difference in this pandemic crisis, while empowering others to do the same. By donating, you are investing in the future of Arizona by helping nonprofits make an impact in your community. On behalf of nonprofit organizations of every size in every community doing incredible work, thank you for your ongoing support.
ARIZONA GIVES DAY Since 2013, Arizona Gives Day has steadily increased the donations to local nonprofits. 2013: raised $1.110 million 2014: raised $1.393 million 2015: raised $2.055 million 2016: raised $2.84 million 2017: raised $2.74 million 2018: raised $3.2 Million
Sincerely,
2019: raised $3.6 million 2020: raised $6.1 million Total: more than $23 million
Kristen Merrifield, CAE, CNAP Chief Executive Officer Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
Giving Guide Presents
ARIZONA
About the 2021 Giving Guide We are pleased to offer the list of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
to give on Arizona Gives Day. By participating on this day, you
members who are participating in Arizona Gives Day coming
connect or even reconnect with a nonprofit to support its
up on April 6, 2021. In Business Magazine is proud to create
cause and become a true supporter of all that is important in
this Giving Guide to provide business owners and the more
our community.
than 36,000 subscribers of the magazine information on local nity
ss with our commu
Connecting busine
GIVE
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ON APRIL 6, 2021
MAR. 2021
Go Beyond Gives Day: We ask that you connect with your
nonprofits that they may work with to better our community.
nonprofit, and we challenge you to choose one or more
Our goal is to give these groups exposure for a full month prior
organizations to work with in this coming year. By volunteering
to Arizona Gives Day so that they may realize additional benefit
time, talent and treasure, your organization is likely to gain in
among the business community.
more ways that you might expect.
How to Give: We urge you, as a company or as an individual,
Thank you for giving back to our community!
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Arizona Businesses Are Key Partners in Arizona Gives Day 2021 The coronavirus pandemic has plunged many Arizona nonprofits onto a fiscal precipice. With help from local businesses this Arizona Gives Day, Arizona nonprofits can begin to recover. “Simultaneously, stressful financial times and job losses have increased the demand for services from nonprofits,” says Kristen Merrifield, CEO of the statewide Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. According to an Alliance pulse poll, responding nonprofits anticipate an average COVID-19-driven loss of $1,076,791 in revenue through the end of their fiscal year. In 2020 and early 2021, events and planned inperson fundraisers were canceled. Many nonprofits reported that individual donations dropped and revenue nosedived. Operating in a quagmire of plunging revenue and surging needs, cancellations due to COVID-19 have cost Arizona nonprofits nearly $53 million in lost revenue. When the federal tax laws changed — doubling the standard deductions — many individual taxpayers decided not to itemize their returns. The impact, unfortunately, was a significant drop in donations to nonprofits because there was no longer a financial incentive. “Nonprofits in Arizona and across the nation are stretched beyond all reasonable measures but continue to serve their communities despite unfathomable challenges. We will do all we can to support the effort to ensure the long-term survival of so many important organizations,” says Merrifield. Here’s where your business comes in! “With nearly 100 nonprofit Chamber members, the Greater Phoenix Chamber understands that bringing awareness and encouraging donations within our nonprofit community hit hard by the pandemic is more important than ever,” says Greater Phoenix Chamber CEO and President Todd Sanders. “Local nonprofits play a crucial role in the social and economic wellbeing of Phoenix, by helping our communities thrive
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through essential services and resources. As uncertain times during the pandemic persist, the future of our nonprofits must remain strong and the Phoenix business community’s support is crucial. Join us in giving back to our local nonprofits this year on Arizona Gives Day!” Arizona Gives Day was created to raise awareness, connect community members and increase financial support for Arizona’s nonprofits. Local Arizona businesses can help ensure a successful Arizona Gives Day in a number of ways: Employee Giving Page — Businesses of any size can participate in Arizona Gives Day by creating an Employee Giving Page at www.azgives.org/businesses. With a business fundraising page, businesses can include their philanthropy messaging, see total raised by employees by using a promo code at checkout, and even match employee gifts through the system if desired Sponsorship — Show your support for Arizona Gives Day as an official sponsor. A variety of sponsorship levels are available starting at $2,500 and can be further customized as needed. Encourage giving on your business’ social media platforms. Recognizing Arizona Gives Day and spreading the word on your platforms helps raise awareness. Look for posts from the Arizona Gives Day pages and Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits pages that you can share. Provide a matching gift. Provide a “matching” campaign gift of your chosen amount to a participating nonprofit two to four weeks prior to the start of Arizona Gives Day. It’s a great way to get a “shout out” from the nonprofit to its social media followers and donors while making a significant impact for an organization. Or provide a donation to increase the nonprofit incentive prize pool. Offer a discount on your products or services to customers who show a receipt confirming they gave to AZGives.org. For more information, visit AZGives.org.
About Arizona Gives Day Arizona Gives Day is a statewide 24-hour online fundraising event for Arizona’s nonprofit community. Started in 2013 to connect causes and supporters to enrich and empower Arizona and begin building a spirit of philanthropy among citizens, Arizona Gives Day helps raise awareness about Arizona nonprofits and the critical role they play in our communities and state. The program is run by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum. Since its inception, Arizona Gives Day has raised more than $17 million for nonprofits statewide. Join in creating a successful Arizona Gives Day 2020 and strengthening Arizona’s nonprofit community. azgives.org azgives.org/businesses
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
* indicates the organization is a member of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits.
* 100 Club of Arizona
* Alisa’s Angels Foundation
* Arcosanti | Cosanti Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/100club
Pima azgives.org/alisasangels
Yavapai azgives.org/arcosanti
3 Wings of Life
Alliance Française of Greater Phoenix
Arivaca Helping Hearts
Pinal azgives.org/3wingsoflife
390th Memorial Museum Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/afphx
Pima azgives.org/arivacahelpinghearts
* Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence Maricopa azgives.org/azcase
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting Maricopa azgives.org/azcir
* Altered Tails
Arizona Advocates for ExOffenders
Pima azgives.org/390thmemorialmuseum
Maricopa azgives.org/alteredtails
Maricopa azgives.org/aafeo
* Arizona Center for Rural Leadership, Project CENTRL
* A Stepping Stone Foundation
Alwun House Foundation
Arizona Animal Welfare League
Maricopa azgives.org/asteppingstone
Maricopa azgives.org/alwunhouse
Maricopa azgives.org/aawl
Maricopa azgives.org/centrl
AARF ANIMAL RESCUE and SANCTUARY
* Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels
* Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network
Yavapai azgives.org/aarfanimalrescue
Abbie School Pima azgives.org/abbieschool
* ACLU Foundation of Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/acluaz
* Addiction Haven Inc. dba Arizona Recovers Maricopa azgives.org/arizonarecovers
Agape Adoption Agency of Arizona, Inc.
Maricopa azgives.org/ amandahoperainbowangels
American Cancer Society Arizona
* Arizona Association for Environmental Education
Maricopa azgives.org/acsarizona
Maricopa azgives.org/aaee
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Arizona Association of Conservation Districts
Maricopa azgives.org/aifdemocracy
Pima azgives.org/aacd
* American Red Cross of Arizona
Arizona Bach Festival
Maricopa azgives.org/redcross-az
Maricopa azgives.org/arizonabachfestival
Amistad y Salud
Arizona Baptist Children’s Services
Maricopa azgives.org/agapeaz
Pima azgives.org/clinicaamistad
Agape House of Prescott
Amity Foundation
Yavapai azgives.org/agapehouseprescott
Pima azgives.org/amityfoundation
* AGR Foundation DBA Sol Dog Lodge and Training Center
AMWA
Pima azgives.org/soldoglodge
Agua Fria Food & Clothing Bank Maricopa azgives.org/ aguafriafoodandclothingbank
Aid to Women Center Maricopa azgives.org/aidtowomencenter
Aimee’s Farm Animal Sanctuary National (US) azgives.org/ aimeesfarmanimalsanctuary
Ajo Community Health Center dba Desert Senita Community Health Center Pima azgives.org/dschc
Maricopa azgives.org/aatn
Maricopa azgives.org/amwaaz
Andy Hull’s Sunshine Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/andysunshine
Angel Charity for Children, Inc. Pima azgives.org/angelcharity
Animal Rez-Q, Inc
Pima azgives.org/abcs
ARIZONA BEAGLE RESCUE Maricopa azgives.org/azbeaglerescue
ARIZONA BEAGLE RESCUE Maricopa azgives.org/azbeaglerescue
* Arizona Broadway Theatre Maricopa azgives.org/azbroadway
* Arizona Burn Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/azburn
Apache azgives.org/animalrezq
* Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children
Anthem Pets Animal Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/azcancerfoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/anthempets
Anti Animal Cruelty Campaign Inc Maricopa azgives.org/ antianimalcrueltycampaign
* Arizona Caregiver Coalition Maricopa azgives.org/azcaregivercoalition
* Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue Coconino azgives.org/arizonacattledogrescue
* Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/acbvi
Arizona Dance Coalition Pima azgives.org/azdancecoalition
Arizona Enneagram Association Maricopa azgives.org/ arizonaenneagramassociation
* Arizona Family Health Partnership Maricopa azgives.org/ arizonafamilyhealthpartnership
* Arizona Foundation for Women Maricopa azgives.org/afw
Arizona Golden Rescue Maricopa azgives.org/arizonagoldenrescue
* Arizona Greyhound & Animal Rescue Fund DBA Arizona Heartfelt Hounds Pima azgives.org/azheartfelthounds
* Arizona Hands & Voices Maricopa azgives.org/arizonahandsandvoices
Arizona Health Care Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/azhca
* Arizona Heart Foundation, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/arizonaheartfoundation
Arizona Helping Hands Maricopa azgives.org/azhelpinghands
* Arizona Housing Coalition Maricopa azgives.org/azhc
»
These listings are up to date as of February 19, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Arizona Museum of Natural History Foundation
* Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped (ARCH)
* Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP)
Maricopa azgives.org/azmnh
Maricopa azgives.org/archaz
Pima azgives.org/azyp
Pima azgives.org/ arizonalandandwatertrust
* Arizona Musicfest
* Arizona Science Center
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Maricopa azgives.org/azmusicfest
Maricopa azgives.org/azscience
Pima azgives.org/desertmuseum
* Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS)
Arizona Native Scholastic Enrichment Resources Foundation
* Arizona Small Dog Rescue
* Arizona’s Children Association
Maricopa azgives.org/azsmalldog
Maricopa azgives.org/arizonaschildren
Arizona State Parks Foundation
* Arouet Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/ arizonastateparksfoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/arouet
* Arizona Sustainability Alliance
Pinal azgives.org/artmobileaz
Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors Pima azgives.org/azjfon
Arizona Land and Water Trust
Maricopa azgives.org/alwaysaz
* Arizona Lions Vision and Hearing Foundation of Multiple District 21 Maricopa azgives.org/arizonalionsvisionand hearingfoundation
Arizona Maine Coon Cat Rescue Inc Maricopa azgives.org/azmccr
* Arizona Master Naturalist Association
Maricopa azgives.org/anserfoundation
Arizona Oncology Foundation Pima azgives.org/ arizonaoncologyfoundation
Arizona Opera Maricopa azgives.org/azopera
Arizona Pug Adoption & Rescue Network Maricopa azgives.org/aparn
Pima azgives.org/azmasternaturalist
ArtMobile-AZ, Inc
Maricopa azgives.org/azsustainabilityalliance
Arizona Technology Council Foundation DBA SciTech Institute Maricopa azgives.org/scitechinstitute
Arizona Theatre Company Pima azgives.org/arizonatheatre
ARTS EXPRESS INC Pima azgives.org/arts-express
Assistance League of Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/alphx
Aster Aging, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/aster
»
Spotlight On:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona For more than 65 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters
(“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in Maricopa County
of Central Arizona has operated under the belief
and Pinal County. We develop positive relationships
that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed
that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives
and thrive in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters makes
of young people. BBBSAZ is able to provide our
meaningful, professionally supported matches
services at no cost to more than 1,500 youth each
between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children
year thanks to donors like you.
Who we are Organization Name: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona Location: Maricopa & Pinal Counties Phone: (602) 264-9254 Website: bbbsaz.org Locations in Metro Phoenix: 1 Headquarters City: Phoenix Year Established in Phoenix: 1955 Local Top Exec: Laura Capello Number of Years with Organization: 19 Type of Services: Youth mentorship Specialties: Mentorship, Education Support, Access to Resources
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
* indicates the organization is a member of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits.
* Audubon Southwest
Be Kind Project
Maricopa azgives.org/audubonsouthwest
Maricopa azgives.org/bekindproject
Boys & Girls Club of the Gila Valley
Catalina Foothills HS Band Boosters
Graham azgives.org/bgcgilavalley
Pima azgives.org/cfhsbandboosters
Aunt Ritas Foundation
Beacon Group
Maricopa azgives.org/auntritas
Pima azgives.org/beacongroup
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
Catholic Charities Community Services
Aviva Children’s Service
Ben’s Bells Project
Pima azgives.org/avivatucson
Pima azgives.org/bensbells
Maricopa azgives.org/bgcs
Maricopa azgives.org/catholiccharitiesaz
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson
* CEDO
Pima azgives.org/bgctucson
Pima azgives.org/cedointercultural
* Boys to Men of Greater Phoenix
* Center for the Future of Arizona
Maricopa azgives.org/ boystomengreaterphoenix
Maricopa azgives.org/arizonafuture
* Ayuda Smiles, Inc. aka Ayuda of Southern Arizona, Inc.
* Benevilla (Sun City Area Interfaith Services Inc)
National (US) azgives.org/smilesforveterans
Maricopa azgives.org/benevilla
* AZ Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
* Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona
Maricopa azgives.org/acesdv
Maricopa azgives.org/bbbsaz
* AzAEYC
* Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona
Maricopa azgives.org/azaeyc
* Boys to Men Tucson
Central Arizona Animal Search and Rescue
Pima azgives.org/boystomentucson
Yavapai azgives.org/caasr
Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue
Central Arizona Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (CAZAGO)
Pima azgives.org/soazbigs
Maricopa azgives.org/bhrr
* Black Canyon Heritage Park
Branch International
Yavapai azgives.org/bcheritagepark
Maricopa azgives.org/branchinternational
Pima azgives.org/ crediblemeds4safemedsuse
BLOOM365
Brighter View Foundation (TAPAZ)
Maricopa azgives.org/bloom365
Maricopa azgives.org/brighterviewfoundation
AZK9 Rescue
Boost A Foster Family
Camp Colley Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/azk9rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/boostafosterfamily
Maricopa azgives.org/campcolley
* Bag It
Border Community Alliance, Inc.
Camp Not-A-Wheeze Corp.
Pima azgives.org/bagitcancer
Santa Cruz azgives.org/ bordercommunityallianceinc
Maricopa azgives.org/campnotawheeze
Borderlands Produce Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/ cnacerpreventionresearchfund
* AZCEND Maricopa azgives.org/azcend
AZCERT
Ballet Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/balletaz
Ballet Tucson Pima azgives.org/ballettucson
* Ballet Yuma
Maricopa azgives.org/ borderlandsproducerescue
* Borderlands Restoration Network
Yuma azgives.org/balletyuma
Santa Cruz azgives.org/ borderlandsrestorationnetwork
Balsz Community Education Foundation
* Boxer Luv Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/balszfoundation
Barrow Neurological Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/supportbarrow
BASIS Charter Schools Maricopa azgives.org/basisschools
* Be A Leader Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/bealeader
Maricopa azgives.org/boxerluv
Boy Scouts of America, Catalina Council
Cancer Prevention Research Fund
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern Arizona Pima azgives.org/ candlelighterschildhoodcancer
Canine Companions for Independence
Maricopa azgives.org/cazago
Central Arizona Land Trust Yavapai azgives.org/centralarizonalandtrust
Central Arizona Shelter Services Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/cassaz
Cerebral Palsy Hope Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/cphopefoundation
Cervical Cancer Prevention and Assistance Maricopa azgives.org/ cervicalcancerpreventionassistance
* CGA Inc. Pinal azgives.org/casagrandealliance
CHD Families of Tucson Pima azgives.org/chdtucson
National (US) azgives.org/ caninecompanionsforindependence
Cherished Tails Senior Sanctuary Pinal azgives.org/cherishedtails
CareGiver Training Institute
* Child & Family Resources
Pima azgives.org/catalinacouncil
Pima azgives.org/cgti
Pima azgives.org/childfamilyresources
Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Vista
* Caris Sports Foundation
* Child Crisis Arizona
Cochise azgives.org/bgcsv
Maricopa azgives.org/carissportsfoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/childcrisisarizona
»
* Casa de los Ninos Pima azgives.org/casadelosninos
These listings are up to date as of February 19, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Children’s Emergency Medical Fund Maricopa azgives.org/ childrensemerencymedicalfund
Children’s Museum of Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/ childrensmuseumofphoenix
Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church. Maricopa azgives.org/lamesaministries
Christian Family Care Maricopa azgives.org/cfcare
* Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence Maricopa azgives.org/noabuse
Cienega Watershed Partnership Pima azgives.org/cienega
* Circle the City
* College Bound AZ
* Community Gardens of Tucson
Maricopa azgives.org/circlethecity
Maricopa azgives.org/collegeboundaz
* Civitan Foundation, Inc.
* Colorado Plateau Foundation
Pima azgives.org/ communitygardensoftucson
Maricopa azgives.org/civitanfoundation
Coconino azgives.org/ coloradoplateaufoundation
* Community Legal Services, Inc.
* Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum
Maricopa azgives.org/clsaz
* Colten Cowell Foundation
Companion Pets in Crisis
Yavapai azgives.org/clarkdalemuseum
Maricopa azgives.org/coltencowellfoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/companionpetsincrisis
Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
* Common Sense Media
Compass Affordable Housing, Inc.
Maricopa azgives.org/commonsense
Pima azgives.org/ compassaffordablehousing
Pima azgives.org/sonorandesert
* Cochise Canine Rescue Cochise azgives.org/cochisecaninerescue
Community Cats, Inc.
Conservation Legacy
Yavapai azgives.org/cattyshackrescue
National (US) azgives.org/conservationlegacy
* Coconino Humane Association
* Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
Coconino azgives.org/coconinohumane
Pima azgives.org/communityfoodbank
Maricopa azgives.org/controlaltdelete
Colibri Center for Human Rights
Community Food Connections
Pima azgives.org/colibricenter
Maricopa azgives.org/dtphxfarmersmarket
* Cook Native American Ministries Foundation
* Control Alt Delete, LLC
Maricopa azgives.org/cooknative
»
Spotlight On:
New Pathways for Youth When youth are provided a safe, nurturing environment and are tended to with care, their capacity for growth is powerful. But in the communities we serve, youth experience poverty and four times the adversity of their peers. At New Pathways for Youth, we guide youth as they discover renewed outlooks on life and
realize unwritten possibilities for their futures, through a holistic, research-based development program and 1:1 mentoring within community groups. Our program is proven to generate remarkable outcomes for the youth we serve, from greater high school graduation rates to increased personal wellness and prevention of harmful behaviors.
Who we are Name: New Pathways for Youth Local Office: Phoenix, Arizona Phone: (602) 258-1012 Website: npfy.org Locations in Metro Phoenix: 1 Headquartered: Phoenix Year established in Phoenix: 1989 Local Top Executive: Christy McClendon No. of Years with Firm: 7 Type of Services: Holistic youth development program, case management and 1:1 mentoring in community groups Specialties: Research-based holistic curriculum and individualized actionplanning tailored to each youth in our program
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
americanministriesfoundation
Corbin’s Legacy Maricopa azgives.org/corbinslegacy
Coyote TaskForce Pima azgives.org/coyotetaskforce
CPLC De Colores Domestic Violence Programs Maricopa azgives.org/cplc
* Crisis Response Network Maricopa azgives.org/crisisnetwork
* Crossroads Mission Yuma azgives.org/crossroadsmission
* Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies Maricopa azgives.org/cummingsinstitute
Dancesequences Inc. Pima azgives.org/dancesequences
* Daring Adventures Maricopa azgives.org/daring-adventures
David’s Hope Maricopa azgives.org/davidshopeaz
* Defenders of Children Maricopa azgives.org/defendersofchildren
Desert Dolls Empowerment Project Maricopa azgives.org/desertdolls
* Desert Foothills Land Trust, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/dflt
Desert Labrador Retriever Rescue, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/ desertlabradorretrieverrescue
Desert Star Community School Yavapai azgives.org/desertstarschool
Desert Survivors, Inc. Pima azgives.org/desertsurvivorsinc
* Detour Company Theatre Maricopa azgives.org/detourcompanytheatre
* indicates the organization is a member of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. Diabetes Aid Prevention Fund Maricopa azgives.org/ diabetesaidpreventionfund
* Diana Gregory Outreach Services Maricopa azgives.org/dianagregory
* Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona Pima azgives.org/diaperbank
Diving Devil Dogs of Arizona
* Educational Enrichment Foundation
* Family Promise - Greater Phoenix
Pima azgives.org/eeftucson
Maricopa azgives.org/familypromiseaz
El Grupo Youth Cycling
* Fans Across America Charitable Foundation
Pima azgives.org/elgrupocycling
* Elevate Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/elevatephoenix
Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse
Maricopa azgives.org/fansacrossamerica
* Fearless Kitty Rescue Maricopa azgives.org/fearlesskittyrescue
Feed My Hungry Children
Pima azgives.org/emergecenter
Maricopa azgives.org/feedmyhungrychildren
* Emerson Theater Collaborative
Feeding America’s Children
Yavapai azgives.org/etc
Maricopa azgives.org/feedingamericaschidren
Downtown Radio KTDT 99.1 FM
Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary
Feeding America’s Hungry Children
Pima azgives.org/downtownradio
Pima azgives.org/equinevoices
* DreamCatchers Foundation
Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters
Maricopa azgives.org/ feedingamericashungrychildren
Maricopa azgives.org/divingdevildogs
* Down Syndrome Network Maricopa azgives.org/dsnetworkaz
Maricopa azgives.org/dreamcatchers
* Dress for Success Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/dressforsuccessphoenix
* Duet: Partners In Health & Aging
Feeding God’s Children
Yavapai azgives.org/ericmarshfoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/feedinggodschildren
Erik Hite Foundation, Inc.
Feeding Hungry Children
Pima azgives.org/erikhitefoundation
Maricopa azgives.org/feedinghungrychildren
* Esperanca, Inc.
Feeding Matters
Maricopa azgives.org/duetaz
Maricopa azgives.org/esperanca
Maricopa azgives.org/feedingmatters
* Early Childhood Scholarship Fund
Esperanza Dance Project
Flag Velo d/b/a Flagstaff Biking Organization
Maricopa azgives.org/ earlychildhoodscholarshipfund
Earn to Learn Pima azgives.org/earntolearn
East Side Elves Maricopa azgives.org/eastsideelves
* East Valley Children’s Theatre Maricopa azgives.org/evct
* Easterseals Blake Foundation Pima
* Eastside Neighbors Volunteer Program Pima azgives.org/envptucson
* Echoing Hope Ranch
Pima azgives.org/esperanzadanceproject
* Eve’s Place Inc Maricopa azgives.org/evesplace
* Everybody Matters Maricopa azgives.org/everybodymatters
Everyday Heroes & Hounds Maricopa azgives.org/everydayheroeshounds
Extended Hands Food Bank
Coconino azgives.org/flagstaffbiking
Flagstaff Community Band Coconino azgives.org/flagstaffcommunityband
* Flagstaff Master Chorale, Inc Coconino azgives.org/masterchorale
* Flagstaff Symphony Association Coconino azgives.org/flagstaffsymphony
Maricopa azgives.org/ehfb
Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona
F.O.R. Maricopa
Maricopa azgives.org/florencecrittenton
Pinal azgives.org/formaricopa
Family Involvement Center Maricopa azgives.org/31147
* Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project Pinal azgives.org/firrp
Cochise azgives.org/echoinghoperanch
These listings are up to date as of February 18, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Friends for Life Animal Rescue
* Friends of the Verde River
* GEM Environmental
Maricopa azgives.org/friendsforlife
Yavapai azgives.org/verderiver-az
Yavapai azgives.org/gemenvironmental
* Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary
* Friends of Pima Animal Care Center
Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center
Generation Justice
Maricopa azgives.org/foreverlovedpetsanctuary
Pima azgives.org/friendsofpacc
Coconino azgives.org/fwac
* Foster Arizona
Friends of Saguaro National Park
* FullCircle Program Inc
Maricopa azgives.org/fosterarizona
Pima azgives.org/friendsofsaguaro
Maricopa azgives.org/fullcircle
Foundation for Blind Children
* Friends of SV Animal Shelter Inc.
* Furnishing Dignity
Maricopa azgives.org/seeitourway
Cochise azgives.org/ friendsofthesvanimalshelter
Maricopa azgives.org/furnishingdignity
Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter
Maricopa azgives.org/furniturebank
* Foothills Food Bank and Resource Center Maricopa azgives.org/foothillsfoodbank
Foundation for the Conservation of Arizona’s Wildife Maricopa azgives.org/wildlifefortomorrow
Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation Pima azgives.org/foxtucson
* Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/freeartsaz
Navajo azgives.org/holbrookanimalshelter
* Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library Maricopa azgives.org/scottsdalelibraryfriends
* Friends of the Tubac Presidio and Museum, Inc. Santa Cruz
Maricopa azgives.org/genjustice
Gesher Disability Resources, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/gesher
Gianna’s Force of Hope Pima azgives.org/giannasforceofhope
Gift of Adoption Fund
Furniture Bank, Inc.
National (US) azgives.org/giftofadoption
* Future Forward Foundation, Inc. Pinal azgives.org/futureforwardfoundation
* Gabriel’s Angels Maricopa azgives.org/gabrielsangels-az
* GAP Ministries Pima azgives.org/gapmin
* Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona Graham azgives.org/ gilawatershedpartnership
Gilbert Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc Maricopa azgives.org/ gilbertchamberfoundation
»
Spotlight On:
one·n·ten
one·n·ten was founded in 1993 and provided a unique opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth to connect, socialize and receive support for navigating community resources. Our services have diversified since then, but our goal is the same. We enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ youth through programs that promote selfexpression, self-acceptance and healthy life
choices. one·n·ten is the largest organization in Arizona providing comprehensive services to LGBTQ+ and allied youth age 11 to 24. We deliver on our commitment to this population through daily activities at our youth center and signature programs in housing, education, wellness and leadership. Last year, services and support were provided to more than 750 young people.
Who we are Organization Name: one•n•ten Location: 1101 N. Central Ave., Suite 202, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: (602) 400-2106 Website: onenten.org Locations in Metro Phoenix: 1 Headquarters City: Phoenix Year Established in Phoenix: 1993 Local Top Exec: Nate Rhoton Number of Years with Organization: 5 Type of Services: From weekly discussion groups to fun, social networking events, we create a safe space, mentally and physically, for LGBTQ+ youth of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Specialties: Housing and Homelessness Services; Life Skills, Education, and Workforce Readiness; Health and Wellness through Emotional, Physical and Mental Well-Being; Leadership Development
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Gilbert Historical Society/HD SOUTH Maricopa azgives.org/hdsouth
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona
* indicates the organization is a member of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. * HandsOn Greater Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/handsonphoenix
* Harvest Compassion Centers
Home Fur Good Animal Rescue and Placement Maricopa azgives.org/homefurgood
* Homeless Youth Connection
Pima azgives.org/girlscoutssoaz
Maricopa azgives.org/ harvestcompassioncenter
* Girls on the Run serving Maricopa & Pinal Counties
* Healing Hearts Animal Sanctuary INC
* Homeward Bound
Maricopa azgives.org/gotrmpc
Maricopa azgives.org/healingheartsaz
Gompers Habilitation Center
Heart Disease Prevention Institute
Maricopa azgives.org/gompers
* Good Shepherd Healing Ministries Horse Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/ heartdiseasepreventioninstitute
Pinal azgives.org/goodshepherdhealing ministrieshorserescue
Heidi’s Village
Gospel Rescue Mission
Heirloom Farmers Markets
Pima azgives.org/grmtucson
Pima azgives.org/heirloomfm
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project
* Helen’s Hope Chest
Coconino azgives.org/ grandcanyonwolfrecoveryproject
Greater Green Valley Community Foundation Pima azgives.org/ggvcf
Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/ phoenixchamberfoundation
* Greater Phoenix Urban League Maricopa azgives.org/gphxul
Green Valley Concert Band, Inc. Pima azgives.org/greenvalleyconcertband
* GreenLight Solutions Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/greenlightsolutions
Habitat for Humanity Tucson Pima azgives.org/habitattucson
Maricopa azgives.org/heidisvillage
Maricopa azgives.org/helenshopechest
Helmet Peak Volunteer Fire Department Pima azgives.org/helmetpeakvolfire
* Help in Healing Home Foundation, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/helpinhealinghome
* Helping Hands for Freedom Maricopa azgives.org/helpinghandsforfreedom
* Helping Hands for Single Moms Maricopa azgives.org/ helpinghandsforsinglemoms
Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary Yavapai azgives.org/heritageparkzoo
Highlands Center for Natural History Yavapai azgives.org/highlandscenterorg
HALO Helping Animals Live On
* Hillel Jewish Student Center at Arizona State University
Maricopa azgives.org/halorescue
Maricopa azgives.org/asuhillel
* Handi-Dogs, Inc.
Home for New Beginnings Inc
Pima azgives.org/handi-dogs
Yavapai azgives.org/home4newbeginnings
Maricopa azgives.org/hycaz Maricopa azgives.org/homewardboundaz
House of Refuge Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/houseofrefuge
* House of Refuge Sunnyslope Maricopa azgives.org/refugesunnyslope
* Human Services Campus Maricopa azgives.org/humanservicescampus
* HonorHealth Foundation
* Humane Society of Central Arizona
Maricopa azgives.org/honorhealth
Gila azgives.org/humanesocietycentralaz
* Hoofsnhorns Farm Sanctuary
* Humane Society of Sedona
Pima azgives.org/ hoofsnhornsfarmsanctuary
Yavapai azgives.org/humanesocietyofsedona
HOPE
* Humane Society of Southern Arizona
Pima azgives.org/hopearizona
Pima azgives.org/hssaz
HOPE Animal Shelter
* Humane Society of the White Mountains
Pima azgives.org/hopeanimalshelter
* Hope Lives - Vive La Esperanza Maricopa azgives.org/hopelives
Hope Pregnancy Resource Center Coconino azgives.org/hopeprc
* HopeKids Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/hopekids
Hopi Education Endowment Fund Navajo azgives.org/ hopieducationendowmentfund
* Hopi Relief Maricopa azgives.org/hopirelief
* Hopi Tewa Women’s Coalition to End Abuse Navajo azgives.org/hopitewa
* Horses Help Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/horseshelp
* Hospice of the Valley - Phoenix, AZ Maricopa azgives.org/hov
House of Broadcasting, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/houseofbroadcasting
Navajo azgives.org/hswm
* Humane Society of Wickenburg Maricopa azgives.org/ humanesocietyofwickenburg
Hummingbird Society Yavapai azgives.org/hummingbirdsociety
Hunkapi Programs, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/hunkapiprograms
IMPACT for Enterprising Women Maricopa azgives.org/ impactforenterprisingwomen
Institute for Mental Health Research Maricopa azgives.org/imhr
* Integrated Community Solutions to Active Violence Events (ICSAVE) Pima azgives.org/icsave
Interfaith Community Services Pima azgives.org/icstucson
* International School of Tucson Pima azgives.org/ internationalschooltucson
These listings are up to date as of February 18, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Irish Cultural and Learning Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/azirish
Ironwood Pig Sanctuary Pima azgives.org/ironwoodpigs
Jackpot Ranch Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/jackpotranchfoundation
* Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/ japanesefriendshipgarden
* Jaxon Foundation Inc Maricopa azgives.org/jaxonfoundation
* Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) Maricopa azgives.org/jfcs
JFCS of Southern Arizona Pima azgives.org/jfcstucson
JLB Project Inc
* Kids in Focus
* Law Matters
Coconino azgives.org/jlbproject
Maricopa azgives.org/kidsinfocus
Pima azgives.org/lawmatters1030
Joni and Friends
Kids Playing For Kids
Leadership West
Maricopa azgives.org/joniandfriendsarizona
Maricopa azgives.org/kidsplayingforkids
Maricopa azgives.org/leadershipwest
* Junior Achievement of Arizona
Kids Unlimited
Leading For Change
Maricopa azgives.org/jaaz
Pima azgives.org/kidsunlimited
Maricopa azgives.org/leadingforchange
* Justa Center
* Kids’ Chance of Arizona
LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund
Maricopa azgives.org/justacenter
Maricopa azgives.org/azkidschance
Pima azgives.org/alliancefund
Karuna Horse Rescue, Inc.
Kino Border Initiative, Inc.
Lions Camp Tatiyee, Inc.
Pima azgives.org/karunahorserescue
Santa Cruz azgives.org/kinoborderinitiative
Navajo azgives.org/lionscamptatiyee
Keep Sedona Beautiful, Inc.
* KXCI Community Radio
* Literacy Connects
Coconino azgives.org/keepsedonabeautiful
Pima azgives.org/kxci
Pima azgives.org/literacyconnects
* Keepers of the Wild
Lauren’s Institute for Education (LIFE)
Literacy Volunteers of Coconino County
Maricopa azgives.org/ laurensinstituteforeducation
Coconino azgives.org/thinkliteracy
Mohave azgives.org/keepersofthewild
* Keogh Health Connection Maricopa azgives.org/keoghhealth
* Live & Learn Maricopa azgives.org/liveandlearn
»
Spotlight On:
Phoenix Children’s Hospital No parent is prepared for their child to have a serious injury, spend years in chemotherapy or be born with half a heart. The fear and uncertainty of the journey is great. That’s why Phoenix Children’s Hospital is committed to delivering world-class care for families in Arizona and
beyond. Your gift allows Phoenix Children’s to invest in state-of-the-art technology, innovative new clinical programs and family-centered care, ensuring that we can be there for every child who needs us, in every way that matters. Donate today at GivetoPCH.org.
Who we are Name: Phoenix Children’s Hospital Local Office: 1919 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85016 Phone: (602) 933-4483 Website: GivetoPCH.org Locations in Metro Phoenix: More than 40 inpatient and outpatient facilities across the Valley Headquartered: Phoenix Year established in Phoenix: 1983 Local Top Executive: Robert L. Meyer, President and CEO No. of Years with Firm: 17 Type of Services: Phoenix Children’s offers a wide array of services across Arizona, including inpatient, emergency and urgent care, and outpatient specialty care Specialties: Phoenix Children’s delivers care across more than 75 pediatric specialties, including cardiology, cancer and blood disorders, neonatology, neurology and trauma
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Living Hope Cancer Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/livinghopecancerfoundation
* Living Streets Alliance Pima azgives.org/livingstreetsalliance
Lost Dogs Arizona
* indicates the organization is a member of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. * MIKID - Mentally Ill Kids In Distress Maricopa azgives.org/mikid
Miracle Center Pima azgives.org/miraclecenter
National Safe Haven Alliance Maricopa azgives.org/ nationalsafehavenalliance
* Native American Advancement Foundation Pima azgives.org/ nativeamericanadvancement
Maricopa azgives.org/lostdogsarizona
Mission of Mercy Arizona Health Partnership Fund
* Lost Our Home Pet Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/missionofmercyaz
Native American Disability Law Center
* Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona
Coconino azgives.org/ nativeamericandisabilitylaw
Maricopa azgives.org/lostourhome
Lowell Observatory Coconino azgives.org/lowell
Lupus Foundation of Southern Arizona Inc. Pima azgives.org/lupusfoundationsoaz
Lura Turner Homes, INC Maricopa azgives.org/luraturnerhomes
* Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest Maricopa azgives.org/lss-sw
* Make Way for Books Pima azgives.org/makewayforbooks
* Malpai Borderlands Group Inc Cochise azgives.org/malpaiborderlandsgroup
March of Dimes Inc
Pima azgives.org/mobilemealssoaz
Mohave County Community College Foundation, Inc. Mohave azgives.org/mccfoundation
* More Than A Bed Pima azgives.org/morethanabed
Morning Star Leaders, Inc Maricopa azgives.org/msl
Multiple Sclerosis Education Foundation Inc.
* Native Seeds/S.E.A.R.C.H. Pima azgives.org/nativeseeds
* New Life Center Maricopa azgives.org/newlifectr
* Newborn Kitten Rescue Maricopa azgives.org/newbornkittenrescue
No More Deaths / No Más Muertes Pima azgives.org/nomoredeaths
North Country HealthCare
Maricopa azgives.org/msefphx
Coconino azgives.org/northcountryhealthcare
Musculoskeletal Orthopedic Research and Education (MORE) Foundation
NorthBridge College Success Program
Maricopa azgives.org/more-foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/northbridgeaz
Northern Arizona Alzheimers and Dementia Alliance
Maricopa azgives.org/marchofdimes-arizona
* Musical Instrument Museum MIM
MASK (Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids)
Maricopa azgives.org/mim
Maricopa azgives.org/maskmatters
Musical Theatre of Anthem, Inc
* Northern Arizona Immigration Legal Services
Maricopa azgives.org/musicaltheatreofanthem
Coconino azgives.org/immigrationnaz
NAMI Southern Arizona
Northern Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society
* McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Maricopa azgives.org/ mcdowellsonoranconservancy
Mesa Historical Museum Maricopa azgives.org/mesahistoricalmuseum
* Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Inc Maricopa azgives.org/ metropolitanyouthsymphony
* Midwest Food Bank NFP Maricopa azgives.org/midwestfoodbank
Pima azgives.org/nami_southern_arizona
* National Assistance Dogs, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/nadiassist
* National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development Maricopa azgives.org/ncaied
* National Kidney Foundation of Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/azkidney
Coconino azgives.org/nazada
Coconino azgives.org/nazpioneers
* Northland Pioneer College Friends and Family Inc Navajo azgives.org/npcfriendsfamily
* Northwest Valley Connect Maricopa azgives.org/northwestvalleyconnect
notMYkid Maricopa azgives.org/notmykid
* NourishPHX (Formerly ICM Food & Clothing Bank) Maricopa azgives.org/nourishphx
* Oakwood Creative Care Maricopa azgives.org/oakwoodcreativecare
* Oasis Sanctuary Foundation, LTD Cochise azgives.org/the-oasis
* OdySea Aquarium Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/ odyseaaquariumfoundation
ONE Community Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/onecommunityfoundation
One Love Pit Bull Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/oneloveaz
* One Small Step/Clothes Cabin Maricopa azgives.org/clothescabin
* One Step Beyond, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/osbi
* one∙n∙ten Maricopa azgives.org/onenten
Operation Homefront Maricopa azgives.org/operationhomefront
* Orchestra Northern Arizona
* Northern Arizona Restorative Justice
Coconino azgives.org/orchestrana
Yavapai azgives.org/narj
* Other Side Ministries
Northern Jaguar Project Pima azgives.org/northernjaguarproject
Northland Family Help Center Coconino azgives.org/northlandfamily
Maricopa azgives.org/othersideministries
* Our Family Services, Inc. Pima azgives.org/ourfamilyservices
* Our Neighbors Farm and Pantry Graham azgives.org/ourneighborsfarm
These listings are up to date as of February 18, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
* Owl & Panther
Parkinson’s Foundation
* Payson Senior Center
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Pima azgives.org/owlandpanther
Maricopa azgives.org/parkinsonsfoundation
Gila azgives.org/paysonseniorcenter
Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixchildrens
PACC911 (Phoenix Animal Care Coalition)
* Paw Placement of Northern Arizona DBA High Country Humane
Pei People Shar Pei Rescue Inc
Phoenix Chorale
Pima azgives.org/peipeople
Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixchorale
* People Who Care, AZ
* Phoenix Conservatory of Music
Yavapai azgives.org/peoplewhocareaz
Maricopa azgives.org/pcmrocks
* Peoria Diamond Club
Phoenix Fire Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/peoriadiamondclub
Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixfirefoundation
Pet Allies Inc.
Phoenix Guitar Society
Navajo azgives.org/petallies
Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixguitarsociety
Pets In Need Action League (dba P.I.N.A.L.)
* Phoenix Herpetological Society
Maricopa azgives.org/pacc911
* Pappas Kids Schoolhouse Foundation Pinal azgives.org/pappaskidssf
* Parent Aid Child Abuse Prevention Center, Inc.
Coconino azgives.org/highcountryhumane
Paw Placement: A Helping Hand for Pets Maricopa azgives.org/pawplacement
Paws Patrol Inc
Pima azgives.org/parentaid
Pima azgives.org/greenvalleypawspatrol
* Parents of Addicted Loved Ones-PAL
* Pawsitive Friendships
Maricopa azgives.org/palgroup
Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance Pima azgives.org/pmdalliance
Maricopa azgives.org/pawsitivefriendships
* Pawsitively Cats, Inc Pima azgives.org/pawsitivelycats
Payson Area Habitat for Humanity Gila azgives.org/ paysonareahabitatforhumanity
Pinal azgives.org/pinalpets
Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixherp
* Pets on Wheels of Scottsdale
Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA)
Maricopa azgives.org/petsonwheelsscottsdale
Maricopa azgives.org/phica
»
* Phoenix Boys Choir Association Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixboyschoir
Spotlight On:
Read Better Be Better Founded as a response to Arizona’s literacy crisis, Read Better Be Better (RBBB) is an after-school reading comprehension and leadership program designed to help students become better readers, leaders and learners. Arizona is ranked 45th in the nation for childhood literacy and 48th for Pre-K–12th education. RBBB’s mission is to connect young readers and youth leaders to inspire a love of literacy and learning. To do this, RBBB pairs a 2nd- to 4th-grade “Reader” with a middle school to high school “Leader,” allowing the Leader to improve their leadership skills while helping their Reader improve their literacy skills. For more information, or to sign up for our free 6-week program, please visit readbetterbebetter.org/our-program.
Who we are Organization Name: Read Better Be Better Location: Greater Phoenix School Districts Phone: (602) 374-8695 Website: readbetterbebetter.org Locations in Metro Phoenix: 67 schools in 10 districts Headquarters City: Phoenix Year Established: 2014
INBUSINESSPHX.COM
Top Exec: Sophie Allen-Etchart Number of Years with Organization: 7 Types of Services: After-school and at-home literacy and leadership programming Specialties: Leadership Development and Empowerment; Literacy and Reading Comprehension; After-School Programs; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Youth Programming; Youth Engagement
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
* Phoenix Performing Arts Center, Inc. dba Herberger Theater Center Maricopa azgives.org/herbergertheater
* Phoenix Pride Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixpride
Phoenix Public Library Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixlibraryfoundation
* Phoenix Rescue Mission Maricopa azgives.org/phoenixrescuemission
Phoenix Revitalization Corporation Maricopa azgives.org/ phoenixrevitalizationcorporation
Pima Council on Aging Pima azgives.org/pcoa
Plan B Foundation Inc Yavapai azgives.org/planb
Planet Help 2001, inc Maricopa azgives.org/planethelp2001
* Planned Parenthood Arizona Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/plannedparenthoodarizona
Playworks Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/playworks
* Positive Paths Maricopa azgives.org/positivepathsaz
* Power Over Predators Pima azgives.org/poweroverpredators
* Prescott Valley Performing Arts, Inc. Yavapai azgives.org/ prescottvalleyperformingarts
* Prescott YMCA of Yavapai County Yavapai azgives.org/prescottymca
Puente Human Rights Movement Maricopa azgives.org/puenteaz
Puppies And Kittens Rescue Fund
Round Valley Animal Rescue
Maricopa azgives.org/ puppieskittensrescuefund
Apache azgives.org/roundvalleyanimalrescue
Quality Connections Inc.
Yavapai azgives.org/runninw
Coconino azgives.org/qualityconnections
Rainbow Service Dogs, Inc. Pima azgives.org/rainbowservicedogsinc
Runnin’ W Wildlife Center INC.
* Rusty’s Angels Sanctuary Maricopa azgives.org/rustysangelssanctuary
Science For All, LLC c/o Arizona Technology Council Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/scienceforall
* Science Voices Maricopa azgives.org/sciencevoices
Scottsdale Arts Maricopa azgives.org/scottsdalearts
* Raising Special Kids
Rustys Morningstar Ranch for adults with Autism
Maricopa azgives.org/raisingspecialkidsorg
Yavapai azgives.org/rustysmorningstarranch
Maricopa azgives.org/scp
Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation Inc.
* Ryan House
Scottsdale International Film Festival
Maricopa azgives.org/ranchofeliz
* Rebuild Superior, Inc. Pinal azgives.org/rebuildsuperior
* Recovery Empowerment Network Maricopa azgives.org/renaz
Maricopa azgives.org/ryanhouse
SAAVI Services for the Blind Pima azgives.org/saavi
* Sandra Day O’Connor Institute For American Democracy Maricopa azgives.org/oconnorinstitute
* Red Feather Development Group
* Santa Cruz Valley Art Association
Coconino azgives.org/redfeather
Santa Cruz azgives.org/tubacarts
Redeemer Christian School
Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance
Maricopa azgives.org/redeemerchristianaz
Reid Park Zoological Society Pima azgives.org/reidparkzoo
Rescue Me Tucson Inc. Pima azgives.org/rescuemetucson2020
Rialto Theatre Foundation Pima azgives.org/rialtotheatre
Rockstar Rescue Maricopa azgives.org/rockstarrescue
* Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/rmhccnaz
* Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona, Inc. Pima azgives.org/rmhctucson
* Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children Maricopa azgives.org/rosieshouse
Pima azgives.org/santacruzheritage
* SARSEF Pima azgives.org/sarsef
Satori, Inc. Pima azgives.org/satorischool
Save Our Schools Arizona Network
Scottsdale Community Partners
Maricopa azgives.org/scottsdalefilmfestival
Scottsdale Leadership Maricopa azgives.org/scottsdaleleadership
Scottsdale Sister Cities Association Maricopa azgives.org/ scottsdalesistercitiesassociation
* Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services Maricopa azgives.org/starsaz
* Sedona Arts Center Inc Coconino azgives.org/sedonaartscenter
Sedona Community Food Bank Yavapai azgives.org/sedonafoodbank
Sedona International Film Festival Yavapai azgives.org/sedonafilmfestival
Maricopa azgives.org/ saveourschoolsarizonanetwork
* Seed2Life International
Save The Animals
Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona
Maricopa azgives.org/savetheanimals
Maricopa azgives.org/sharingds
* Save the Family Foundation of Arizona
Shemer Art Center and Museum Association, Inc. (SA
Maricopa azgives.org/savethefamily1
Maricopa azgives.org/shemerartcenter
Save the Scenic Santa Ritas
Shoebox Ministry
Pima azgives.org/scenicsantaritas
Maricopa azgives.org/shoeboxministry
Maricopa azgives.org/seed2lifeinternational
* School Connect Maricopa azgives.org/schoolconnectaz
These listings are up to date as of February 18, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
Sierra Vista Veterans Memorial Improvement Foundation Cochise azgives.org/svvmif
* Six Strings Acoustic Inc Maricopa azgives.org/sixstringsacoustic
* Southwest Lending Closet Maricopa azgives.org/swlc
Southwest Oasis Labrador Rescue Pima azgives.org/southwestoasislabrescue
* Sky Island Alliance
* Southwest Shakespeare Company
Pima azgives.org/skyislandalliance
Maricopa azgives.org/swshakes
* Smiles and Beyond
* Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center
Maricopa azgives.org/smilesandbeyond
* Soldier’s Best Friend
Maricopa azgives.org/southwestwildlife
Maricopa azgives.org/soldiersbestfriend
* St Augustine Medical and Research Center
* Sonoran Arts League
Maricopa azgives.org/staugustinemedical
Maricopa azgives.org/sonoranartsleague
Sonoran Institute Pima azgives.org/sonoraninstitute
Sonoran Prevention Works Maricopa azgives.org/sonoranpreventionworks
* SOUNDS Academy Maricopa azgives.org/soundsacademy
Sounds of the Southwest Singers, Inc.
* St. Joseph the Worker Maricopa azgives.org/stjosephtheworker
* St. Mary’s Food Bank Maricopa azgives.org/stmarysfoodbank
* Stand for Children Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/standaz
* Stardust Building Supplies Maricopa azgives.org/stardustbuildingsupplies
Maricopa azgives.org/ soundsofthesouthwestsingers
* Stepping Stones of Hope
* Southern Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (SAZAEYC)
* Steps of Love
Pima azgives.org/sazaeyc
Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption Pima azgives.org/sagreyhoundadoption
Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra Pima azgives.org/sasomusic
* Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center Maricopa azgives.org/sarrc
Southwest Folklife Alliance Pima azgives.org/southwestfolklife
* Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalition Maricopa azgives.org/swiwc
INBUSINESSPHX.COM
Maricopa azgives.org/steppingstonesofhope Maricopa azgives.org/stepsoflove
* StreetLightUSA Maricopa azgives.org/streetlightusa
* Stuck Community Acupuncture Coconino azgives.org/stuckflagstaff
Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research Maricopa azgives.org/studentssupporting braintumorresearch
* Support My Club Maricopa azgives.org/supportmyclub
* Teen Challenge of Arizona, Inc. Pima azgives.org/tcaz
* Teen Lifeline
The Tucson Alliance for Autism
Maricopa azgives.org/teenlifeline
Pima azgives.org/tucsonallianceforautism
Tempe Chamber of Commerce Foundation
* The Welcome to America Project
Maricopa azgives.org/tempeleadership
* Tempe Historical Society Maricopa azgives.org/tempehistory
The Animal League of Green Valley Pima azgives.org/talgv
The Arboretum at Flagstaff Coconino azgives.org/thearb
The Arc of Mohave County
Maricopa azgives.org/wtap
* TheaterWorks Maricopa azgives.org/theaterworks
Theatre Artists Studio Maricopa azgives.org/thestudiophx
* Theatrikos Theatre Company Coconino azgives.org/theatrikos
* Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK)
Mohave azgives.org/mohaveco_arc
Pima azgives.org/traktucson
The Arizona Partnership for Immunization
Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT)
Maricopa azgives.org/whyimmunize
Pima azgives.org/trotarizona
The Arizona Pet Project
TigerMountain Foundation
Maricopa azgives.org/azpetproject
Maricopa azgives.org/tigermountainfoundation
* The Be Kind People Project
* Time Out, Inc.
Maricopa azgives.org/bkpp
Gila azgives.org/timeoutinc
The Fetch Foundation
TMM FAMILY SERVICES
Maricopa azgives.org/thefetchfoundation
Pima azgives.org/tmmfamilyservices
The Freedom Library, Inc.
Tombstone Small Animal Shelter
Yuma azgives.org/freedomlibrary
* The Hearth Foundation Pima azgives.org/thehearthfoundation
* The Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter Pima azgives.org/hermitagecatshelter
* The Hopi Foundation Navajo azgives.org/hopifoundation
The Mini Time Machine Museum Pima azgives.org/ theminitimemachinemuseum
* The Primavera Foundation, Inc. Pima azgives.org/primavera
* The Social Justice + Engineering Initiative
Cochise azgives.org/ tombstonesmallanimalshelter
Touch of Hope Maricopa azgives.org/touchofhope
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Maricopa azgives.org/tgen
* Transplant Community Alliance Maricopa azgives.org/ transplantcommunityalliance
* Treasures 4 Teachers Maricopa azgives.org/treasures4teachers
* Trees Matter Maricopa azgives.org/treesmatteraz
»
Maricopa azgives.org/sjei
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Giving Guide ARIZONA
* Tu Nidito Children and Family Services Pima azgives.org/tunidito
Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus Pima azgives.org/boyschorus
* Tucson Audubon Society Pima azgives.org/tucsonaudubon
Tucson Botanical Gardens Pima azgives.org/tucsonbotanical
Tucson Cold Wet Noses Fosters, Inc. Pima azgives.org/tucsoncoldwetnoses
* Tucson Fire Foundation Pima azgives.org/tucsonfirefoundation
Tucson Girls Chorus Pima azgives.org/tucsongirlschorus
Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, Inc (TIHAN) Pima azgives.org/tihan
* Tucson Jazz Festival Pima azgives.org/tucsonjazzfestival
* Tucson Jazz Music Foundation Pima azgives.org/ tucsonjazzmusicfoundation
Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block Pima azgives.org/tucsonmuseumofart
Tucson Values Teachers Pima azgives.org/tucsonvaluesteachers
* Tucson Wildlife Center, Inc. Pima azgives.org/tucsonwildlife
* Twisted Tails, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/twistedtails
Tynkertopia, Inc. Coconino azgives.org/tynkertopia
U.S.VETS-PHOENIX Maricopa azgives.org/usvets
* Unified Arizona Veterans Inc.
* Watershed Management Group
Maricopa azgives.org/unifiedarizonaveterans
Pima azgives.org/watershedmg
* United Cerebral Palsy Association of Central Arizona, Inc. (UCP of Central Arizona)
* We Care Tucson Pima azgives.org/wecaretucson
Maricopa azgives.org/ucpofcentralaz
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
* United Food Bank, Inc.
* World Affairs Council of Arizona dba Global Ties Arizona Maricopa azgives.org/globaltiesarizona
* Xico Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/xicoinc
* Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters
Maricopa azgives.org/unitedfoodbank
Maricopa azgives.org/ scottsdalemuseumofthewestinc
Yavapai azgives.org/yavapaibigbrothers
United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY, Inc)
Whispering Hope Ranch Foundation
Yavapai azgives.org/yavapaicasaforkids
Maricopa azgives.org/unityinc
Maricopa azgives.org/whrf
* United Way of Northern Arizona
Wild Animal Preservation Fund
Coconino azgives.org/nazunitedway
Maricopa azgives.org/ wildanimalpreservationfund
* United Way of Yuma County
Wild At Heart, Inc
Yuma azgives.org/liveunitedyuma
Maricopa azgives.org/wildatheart
USA Clydesdale Preservation Foundation
Wild Life Sanctuary Fund
Maricopa azgives.org/usacpf
Maricopa azgives.org/wildlifesanctuaryfund
Valley of the Sun JCC
* Wildfire
Maricopa azgives.org/jewishphoenix1
Maricopa azgives.org/wildfireazorg
Verde River Institute, Inc.
* Wildhorse Ranch Rescue
Yavapai azgives.org/verderiverinstitute
Maricopa azgives.org/wildhorse
* Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition
* Will to Walk Foundation
* Verde Valley Humane Society Inc Yavapai azgives.org/ verdevalleyhumanesociety
* Verde Valley Sanctuary Yavapai azgives.org/verdevalleysanctuary
Verde Valley School Yavapai azgives.org/vvsaz
* Veterans Heritage Project Maricopa azgives.org/veteransheritage
Vision With Wings Maricopa azgives.org/visionwithwings
* Waste Not, Inc. Maricopa azgives.org/wastenotaz
Yavapai College Foundation Yavapai azgives.org/yavapaicollegefoundation
* Yavapai Humane Society Yavapai azgives.org/yavapaihumane
Yavapai Regional Medical Center Foundation Yavapai azgives.org/yrmc
YMCA of Southern Arizona National (US) azgives.org/tucsonymca
You Matter Too Maricopa azgives.org/youmattertoo2017
* Young Arts Arizona Ltd. Maricopa azgives.org/youngartsaz
TOGETHER WE’VE HELPED ...
Maricopa azgives.org/will2walk
Yavapai azgives.org/vvcaregivers
Yavapai CASA for Kids PV
Willow Wish
Maricopa azgives.org/willowwish
Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation Maricopa azgives.org/wingedhope
* Youth On Their Own Pima azgives.org/yoto
* YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix Maricopa azgives.org/ywcaaz
Zeriah Foundation Maricopa
kittens & kiddos, veterans & veterinarians, azgives.org/zeriahfoundation Women’s Health Innovations of ranches & rescues, corgi & cacti, Zuri’s Circle Arizona single parentsMaricopa & seniors, Maricopa future farmers & first responders, azgives.org/zuriscircle azgives.org/whiarizona students & stargazers ... WHICH CAUSE WILL YOU SUPPORT ON APRIL 6? Arizona Gives Day is an annual day of online giving that’s raised $23 million for Arizona nonprofits since 2013. Find your cause and make an early donation today.
AZGIVES.ORG BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA NONPROFITS & ARIZONA GRANTMAKERS FORUM
These listings are up to date as of February 18, 2021, at 5:30 p.m.; registration continues to be open after press time of this March issue of In Business Magazine. Every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of press; however, we apologize if any Alliance members were missed in putting this list together.
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Allen-Etchart, Sophie, 65
Capello, Laura, 57
Lewis, John, 22
Rodriguez, Miguel, 18
Alper, Patty, 68
Collins, Chuck, 33
Lewis, Lisa Poplawski, 44
Rogow, Maury, 43
Bailey, Dana, 10
Dancsok, Lisa, 22
Mackay, Christine, 32
Sasz, Ethan, 18
Ballard, Becky Bell, 10
Davis, Helen, 17
McClendon, Christy, 59
Shenker, Nancy A., 50
Barr, Thomas, 22
Elliot, Doc, 41
Merrifield, Kristen, 54
Simpson, Terry, 13
Basile, Louis, 12
Gaines, Chip, 33
Metz, Mike, 34
Stewart, Mark, 42
Beller, Courtney, 38
Gentry, Patti, 16
Meyer, Robert L., 63
Thoene, Kate, 10
Berry, Shellie, 48
Hammond, Nick, 14
Molenda, Gary, 22
Thomas, Marvina, 40
Bhimani, Al, 33
Hobijn, Bart, 22
Moscicki, Melanie, 49
Tollefson, Richard, 44
Birgen, Bill, 14
Huckins, Mike, 22
Nethercut, Robby, 46
Utsunomiya, Kyu, 9
Briese, Jean, 47
Humphrey, Chevy, 44
Nicholls, Norm, 16
Vanosek, Antonette, 20
Butler, Jen, 52
Jones, Gena, 36
Padleford, Rick, 15
Vojtech, Antoinette, 44
Butler, Tyler, 40
Jordan, Steven, 22
Picus, Jon, 14
Watson, Sandra, 22
Camacho, Chris, 22
Kaufman, Andrew, 11
Rhoton, Nate, 61
11Eleven Consulting, 40
Concept2Completion, 42
420 Skin Care and 420 Medibles, 40
ConceptuallySocial, 9
International Association of IT Asset Managers, 20
Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, 54
Desert Financial Credit Union, 22
Alper Portfolio Group, 68
Desert Financial Wealth Management, 7
Arizona Commerce Authority, 2, 22, 70 Arizona Community Foundation, 22, 39 Arizona Gives.org, 3 Arizona Science Center, 44
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, 57
JLL Healthcare Solutions Group, 16
Realty Executives Commercial, 15 Rip Media Group, 43
Kiterocket, 69
Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children, 10
Divvy, 6
Local First Arizona, 22
Sacramento State University, 44
Eastern Washington University, 44
MIT Sloan School of Management, 12
SAVRpak, 14
Ecep Han, 14
National Association of Women Business Owners – Phoenix, 47
Social Manna, 49
First Bank, 8 Fulton Homes, 12, 16
BioLife Avondale, 18
Gateway Bank, 48
Business Development Finance Corporation, 22
Genesis, 45
Cake, 37
Jive, 8
Read Better Be Better, 65
Diversified Partners, 16
FATFREE, 34
Arizona@Work, 2
JB Partners, 52
Phoenix, City of, 32
Graycor Construction Company, 15
National Bank of Arizona, 22 Navitus Health Solutions, 12 New Pathways for Youth, 59 Nintex, 13 One-n-ten, 61 OptumCare, 19
Camelot Homes, 12
Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, 22
Carvana, 38
Greater Phoenix Economic Council, 22
Phoenix Children’s Hospital, 63
Cavanagh Law Firm, The, 17
Homeless Youth connection, 10
Phoenix Philanthropy Group, The, 44
Colliers International in Arizona, 15
Homie, 12
Phoenix Training Group, 41
In each issue of In Business Magazine, we list both companies and indivuduals for quick reference. See the stories for links to more.
Paradigm Laboratories, 18
Bold listings are advertisers supporting this issue of In Business Magazine.
SunCap Property Group, 15 UnitedHealthcare, 5 Veyo, 12 ViaWest Group, 15 W. P. Carey School of Business, 22 Waste Not, 10 Wildflower, 12 Worldwide Jet, 11 Z’Tejas, 46
69 MAR. 2021 INBUSINESSPHX.COM
A CANDID FORUM
BY
Now is the Time to Launch a Mentorship Program
Benefits extend far beyond the classroom by Patty Alper
Patty Alper, author of Teach to Work, is president of the Alper Portfolio Group (teachtowork.com), a marketing and consulting company, and is a board member of both the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (www.nfte.com) and US2020(www.us2020.org), the White House initiative to build mentorship in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. Alper’s own mentorship experience has been written up in Philanthropy Magazine, Forbes, Washington Post, The New York Times, Time, Huffington Post and others. She consults with community colleges and universities in developing mentor programs.
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INBUSINESSPHX.COM
When I consult with corporations and higher education institutions about establishing mentorship programs, I’m often asked about the benefits. Let me take a brief moment to tell you the bevy of reasons that your company should consider such a program — and why now is a better time than ever before. First, why me? As I researched and drafted my book, Teach to Work: How a Mentor, a Mentee, and a Project Can Close the Skills Gap in America, I closely studied corporate/academic mentorship partnerships across the country. I drew on my experiences as an entrepreneur, as well as three decades working directly with youth and my creation of the mentor model used by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. As well, I joined the board of US2020, the White House initiative to build mentorship in STEM careers, and I have been appointed to the corporate committee for Million Women Mentors. My own mentorship experience has been written up in a host of respected publications. Through all these experiences, I have found one thing to be true: When corporate mentors are introduced to a classroom environment and mentor and mentee are given a project to do together (Project Based Mentorship®), something special happens. For the first time, students begin to connect the dots between what they are learning from textbooks and teachers and they begin applying new skills to real-world experiences as coached by real-world, industry mentors. They witness first-hand through this special, intergenerational relationship that strategizing and hard work can yield results. Students begin to associate a tangible outcome with measured impacts — and by doing so gain new confidence and employable skills. Bonds start to form across a generational divide, as well as between the classroom and the corporation. But the benefits extend far beyond the classroom. Consider, for example, Accenture. In 2016, when I interviewed Jennifer Heflin, a senior manager at Accenture, she told me Accenture’s corporate mentorship program, Skills to Succeed, successfully equipped hundreds of people from underserved communities with the skills they needed to get a job or build their own businesses. Students learned to code, and Accenture took on many of its mentees as interns and eventual employees. In the process, Accenture grew deeper connections with partners and beneficiaries, listening to and observing the skills that were needed. And over 10 years, Accenture helped its employees — as well as many others — acquire those skills,
working with partner schools such as KIPP DC, a public charter school organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., in its Skills to Succeed program. 3M shared a similar story. There, 15,000 employees serve more than 200,000 volunteer hours every year. When I interviewed Kim Price, then vice president of the 3M Foundation, she said the company is committed to “making the communities prosper where we prosper.” As part of its community involvement, 3M has committed to fostering the next generation of innovators, and it works to create future scientists by supporting students and educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The company is particularly involved in local schools in St. Paul, Minn., home of 3M’s headquarters — a decision supported by then chief executive officer, Inge Thulin. He had personally requested a focus be made in inner-city schools on the east side of St. Paul when he came on board in 2012. Some of the ways 3M is making an impact include: • The 3M Visiting Wizards program brings 3M employees into elementary schools to spark student interest in science through intergenerational, fun experiments. • 3M STEP (Science Training Encouragement Program) provides 3M lab internships to local students. • 3M employees help students succeed through e-mentoring, mock interviewing and science fairs. Approximately 1,500 local students receive science fair mentoring and judging from 3M employees each year. • 3M offers engineering camps and hosts student field trips. I have written extensively about the numerous benefits corporations, their employees and the institutions they impact all benefit from the win/win/win situation. But perhaps retired Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said it best: “I do not believe any company in America can build a sustainable, enduring enterprise by just embracing profitability. Employees today want to work for a company that they trust. They want to be part of something larger than themselves. And they want to go home at night and share with their friends and family that they are proud of what the company stands for.” Mentorship programs provide hope; they give employees a more meaningful purpose and relevant outreach experiences; and mentorship has proven to develop essential career and leadership skills in both the mentors and mentees.
When corporate mentors are introduced to a classroom environment and mentor and mentee are given a project to do together (Project Based Mentorship®), something special happens. For the first time, students begin to connect the dots between what they are learning from textbooks and teachers and they begin applying new skills to real-world experiences as coached by real-world, industry mentors.
Stay Healthy. Return Smarter. Return Stronger. With public health top of mind, Arizona is moving forward safely and responsibly together.
Since the start, the state of Arizona has worked hard to keep Arizonans safe and healthy while slowing the spread of COVID-19. By continuing to follow the data and recommendations of public health officials, we can safely move forward with the next steps of Arizona’s economic recovery. And as our state’s businesses gradually reopen their operations, the Arizona Commerce Authority is here to continue offering tools and resources for families, workers and businesses to return stronger.
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