April 2018 Issue of In Business Magazine

APR. 2018

2018 Business Healthcare Services Guide

Innovations in

Healthcare

Advances are changing the way we do business

Chat Bots: The

New HR Managers

Air Quality on Productivity Work-Arounds for Facebook Algorithm $4.95 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

THIS ISSUE Arizona Technology Council

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APRIL 2018 COVER STORY

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Innovations in Healthcare

In Business Magazine explores some of the advances that are taking place on numerous fronts, as industry insiders share their experience and expertise on new options and focus areas business can address to benefit their workforces.

Plus: Virtual doctor visits move solidly into the mainstream.

FEATURE

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Chat Bots Are the New HR Managers

Automating can make HR more personal, explains tech entrepreneur and innovator Beerud Sheth.

Pam Kehaly, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, introduces the “Healthcare” issue.

Healthcare

MAGAZINE

Services

Guide

APR. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2018 Busine ss

Innovati

HEALTHCARE

Healthcons in are Advances

are changing

the way we

do business

Chat Bots:

New HR

The Managers

APRIL 2018

Air Quality Productiv on ity Work-Aro Facebook unds for

• INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Algorithm

THIS ISSUE

Arizona Technology

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Council

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PARTNER SECTION Spring 2O18 • aztechcouncil.org

IN THIS ISSUE 2 The Sporting Life

Arizona Technology Report

Arizona Technology Council: The Voice of the Technology Industry

President’s Message

When it comes to career opportunities, everyone deserves a chance.

That’s the message a group of Arizona 3 Science for All Technology Council members and I took Tax credit supports STEM efforts in to Washington, D.C., recently as we met Title I schools with lawmakers and their staff on Capitol 4 Tech Champion Steven G. Zylstra, Hill as part of the annual CompTIA DC President and CEO, Arizona Council CEO gets national honor Technology Council Fly-In. (More details on page 4 of this from peers section.)

5 Arizona Science Bowl In meetings throughout the day, we Students compete for chance to shared our concerns about workers shine in national spotlight lacking the skills needed to sustain a new economy built on technology. The state of this “skills gap,” as it is known, were detailed in a 2017 report issued by the The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona’s premier trade association for trade association CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association). For example, science and technology companies.

96 percent of the 600 IT and business executives surveyed believed too many workers lack advanced skills.

Phoenix Office However, instead of telling members of the Arizona delegation to just fix it, we 2800 N. Central Ave., Suite 1530 offered a ready-made solution. We asked them to cosponsor the bipartisan Championing Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: 602-343-8324 • Fax: 602-343-8330 Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology (CHANCE in Tech) Act info@aztechcouncil.org that was introduced in both the House and Senate last summer.

The proposal would provide hands-on, real-world upskilling by creating educational Tucson Office and job opportunities for high school students, early college STEM students, and The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park postsecondary students. It would encourage high schools to redouble their career 9040 S. Rita Rd., Ste. 1150 (near I-10 & Rita Rd.) training efforts, ensuring students are provided with a strong STEM and IT career Tucson, AZ 85747 technology curriculum and diverse career pathway counseling. Additionally, it would Phone: 520-382-3281 • Fax: 520-382-3299 create an intermediary body to drive industry-led, public-private partnerships to prepare tucson@aztechcouncil.org a bigger pipeline of tech professionals.

Why is the measure focused on technology? If you think about it, which MANAGEMENT AND STAFF industry is not touched by technology? The gross output of the sector Steven G. Zylstra President + CEO exceeds that of legal services, automotive, airline, motion pictures, hospitality Leigh Goldstein COO + Vice President, Programs + Events and restaurants, to name just a few examples. Additionally, the skills are Linda Surovick Director, Finance + Administration highly transferrable, as 80 percent of technology jobs are standard to related Lauren Witte Director, Marketing + Communication jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and others.

Deborah Zack Senior Director, Membership Services Brian Krupski Director, Membership Services Even better, the public-private partnership created would be industryLaura DeGeorge Executive Assistant to President + CEO led, not just another program dictated by government. And no new taxpayer Jeff Sales Executive Director, Southern Arizona Regional Office dollars would be needed. In the last budget, $90 million was set aside for Jamie Neilson Operations Manager, Southern Arizona Regional Office apprenticeship activities, which could be used to help fund the bill.

Don Rodriguez Editor It was a pleasant surprise for our group to learn in our meeting with Rep. Ron Schott Executive Emeritus, Phoenix Kyrsten Sinema that she already was aware of the proposed CHANCE in Tech Don Ruedy Executive Emeritus, Tucson Act. In fact, she immediately agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

Justin Williams Executive Emeritus, Tucson As for the others we met that day, we worked to bring them up to speed ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL FOUNDATION on the issue as we made our case. Fortunately, they all seemed to believe they Jeremy Babendure, Ph.D., Ex.ecutive Director could support the measure based on what they heard from us and committed Kelly Green, Director, Arizona Operations to have their staff study it further. A “maybe” is still better than a “no.”

Marisa Ostos, Director, Arizona SciTech Festival Kaci Fankhauser, AmeriCorps VISTA All we want is a CHANCE. Committee quickly moves into new arena of eSports

WHO WE ARE

Kal Mannis, AZ Rural and International Initiatives Sabrina Foy, Accounting Assistant

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

aztechcouncil.org

1

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Arizona Technology Council

SPECIAL SECTION 2018

Business Healthcare Services Guide

Associations & Government Employee Benefits Consultants Dental Insurance Individual & Group Health Insurance Hospitals Urgent Care Workplace Bundled Health Programs Workplace Ergonomics Workplace Wellness April

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Join us for our healthcare event on April 27, 2018 • www.inbusinessphx.com

49

Guest Editor

12

Feedback

Brian Allery, Dr. Kishlay Anand and Angela Fair respond to In Business Magazine’s burning business question of the month.

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Briefs

“The Silent Office Productivity Killer: Indoor Air Quality,” “3-D Home Tours by Phone,” “More to Act! With,” “AZBlue on the Go,” “Looking Good,” “Ancient Healing Form Now Health & Beauty Mega Brand” and “Hot Brick-and Mortar Franchise: Tech Repair”

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By the Numbers

Middle market firms boost economies in metro areas nationwide. How do Metro Phoenix cities rank?

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“Making Wait Time Engagement Time” and “Champion for the State’s Tech & Innovation Community”

18

33

Books

New releases give fresh insights on business thinking.

34

From the Top

Alexi Venneri makes Digital Air Strike a powerhouse in maledominated industry.

38

Assets

2018 GMC Terrain Denali Plus: Travel mugs ensure sipping pleasure on the go.

40

Power Lunch

Gino’s East – from Chicago to Phoenix Plus: Celebrity chefs do lunch, too.

Roundtable

Marketers can use the new Facebook news feed algorithm to advantage.

ON THE AGENDA

CRE

“2018 Self-Storage Investment Forecast,” “Major National Tenant Space for SW Phoenix,” “Downtown Tempe Gains Lifestyle Hotel” and “White Horse Accents the Outdoors”

20

Legal

Attorney explores how businesses can avoid turning workers compensation claims into bad-faith lawsuits.

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Startups

Technology

“Smart Home Growth Explodes” and “Broadband Carriers: Making Smart Connections?”

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DEPARTMENTS

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22

Healthcare

“Hereditary Cancer Gene Testing,” “F.I.T. for an Apple Watch” and “Medical Marijuana: Establishing Standards”

35

Spotlight

Workforce Symposium — Arizona Association for Economic Development Capacity Workshop — Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits

36

Calendar

Business events throughout the Valley

2018 Business Healthcare Services Guide

APR. 2018

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According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the U.S. spent $3.4 trillion on healthcare in 2016, 19 percent of which was borne by business. Driven by inflation costs of medical products/services and an aging population, that figure is projected to accelerate from 4.6 to 5.6 percent per year, reaching $5.5 trillion by 2025.

WHO’S TAKING CARE OF YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH?

The ambulatory service is just as important as the surgeon, and the private practice is just as important as the public hospital. No matter which side of the business you’re on, you need someone to take care of your financial health.

National Bank of Arizona® is here for you. We have financial solutions for every type of healthcare professional and provider. Stop by your local branch to learn more.

NBAZ.COM | A division of ZB, N.A. Member FDIC © 2017 ZB, N.A.

“

I would definitely refer other business owners to Stearns Bank. It’s a perfect fit for those who want to have a close relationship with their bank.

”

April 2018 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, Interim Chief Executive Officer Arizona Small Business Association Central Office (602) 306-4000 Southern Arizona (520) 327-0222 www.asba.com

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Doug Bruhnke, Founder & President Global Chamber® (480) 595-5000 www.globalchamber.org Julie S. Cook, President NAWBO Phoenix Metro Chapter (480) 289-5768 www.nawbophx.org

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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 Gay & Lesbian 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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April 2018

VOL. 9, NO. 4

Publisher Rick McCartney

Editor RaeAnne Marsh

Art Director Benjamin Little

Contributing Writers Oyvind Birkenes

Dr. Thomas Biuso John Chang Jeff Hunter Mike Hunter Alexis Kinsay Beerud Sheth Melissa Simpler Geri Stengel Robert Vaught Greg Vigdor Steven G. Zylstra ADVERTISING

Operations Louise Ferrari

Business Development

Priority Healthcare INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESSES AND THEIR PEOPLE Friday, April 27, 2018 • 11:00a - 1:30p Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel

Join us for this 8th annual event Healthcare has become a priority for businesses as they revamp and improve opportunities for employees. Each year we bring the top local talent together for the most comprehensive symposium on the subject of business and healthcare.

Don’t miss this important event!

Individual Lunch: $65 Sponsor Table of 10: $1,000 Corporate Sponsorships Available

Inform Us: Send press releases and your editorial ideas to editor@inbusinessmag.com.

Kristina Sabetta, LMSW Executive Director Mental Health America of Arizona

Panelists Include: Mike Tilton Vice President Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Hugh Lytle Founder, Chairman and CEO Equality Health

Amber Gilroy COO Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Frank Benedetto Market Head of Sales Banner | Aetna

Register today at inbusinessphx.com APR. 2018

Events Amy Corben

More: Visit your one-stop resource for everything business at www.inbusinessphx.com.

For a full monthly calendar of business-related events, please visit our website.

Keynote Speaker:

David Berg Chairman Redirect Health

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Louise Ferrari Camron McCartney Kelly Richards Parker Shipe Cami Shore

President & CEO Rick McCartney

Editorial Director RaeAnne Marsh

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Corporate Office InMedia Company

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www.inmediacompany.com Vol. 9, No. 4. In Business Magazine is published 12 times per year by InMedia Company. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to InMedia Company, 515 E. Grant Road, Suite 150, Phoenix, AZ 85004. To subscribe to In Business Magazine, please send check or money order for one-year subscription of $24.95 to InMedia Company, 515 E. Grant Road, Suite 150, Phoenix, AZ 85004 or visit inbusinessphx.com. We appreciate your editorial submissions, news and photos for review by our editorial staff. You July 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. © 2018 InMedia Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine July be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission by the publisher.

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PAM KEHALY, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF ARIZONA (BCBSAZ)

A Healthy Industry

Healthcare is changing rapidly, and many of the innovators pushing the boundaries of how patients access care and what kinds of care they receive are making breakthroughs right here in our community.

With medical costs trending 6 to 7 percent higher each year, business owners are looking for new ways to contain costs while improving the health and productivity of their employees.

Many of yesterday’s discoveries are driving value today — from telemedicine to networks built upon value-based care. Similarly, many of the innovations discussed in these pages will become standard practice in the years ahead, improving health outcomes while, in some cases, driving down the cost of care.

This issue’s cover story explores innovations in healthcare, from breakthroughs in how care is provided to expanded definitions of wellness, as many in the industry share their expertise and insights with In Business Magazine editor RaeAnne Marsh.

As healthcare evolves, so must the laws that govern it. New laws are being promulgated that try to keep up with some of the changing dynamics around healthcare. April’s Healthcare page presents an article that discusses the impact of a proposed medical marijuana law that has been working its way through the Arizona State Legislature.

The Legal feature also touches on workers compensation, with the goal of helping employers avoid having those claims turn into bad-faith lawsuits.

Smart home technology is the focus of this issue’s Technology page. And a longer feature looks at how technology is impacting HR practices, examining the role of chat bots in many HR functions.

And finally, the Healthcare Services Guide for Business is a comprehensive guide for executives, human resources professionals and others who are interested in offering more in the way of benefits, healthcare and wellness programs.

With articles on a variety of topics that impact business, from what’s happening in the local startup community to options for lunching with or without a client, In Business Magazine strives to help strengthen business in Greater Phoenix. I am pleased to help present this issue, and hope you will enjoy the information in the following pages.

As president and chief executive officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), Pam Kehaly is responsible for the strategic direction and financial health of the 1,500-employee company.

She is committed to supporting BCBSAZ’s mission by helping residents across the state achieve optimal health.

With more than 30 years in the health insurance industry, Kehaly has developed an expertise in collaborating with doctors and hospitals to align financial incentives for better outcomes. Prior to joining BCBSAZ, she served as president of Anthem Inc.’s West Region and Specialty business.

Sincerely,

Rick Weekly McCartney Podcast ® hosted by

LISTEN NOW Join us for interesting, informative and inspiring conversations with top local businesspeople in the Greater Phoenix area.

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Pam Kehaly President & CEO Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

CONNECT WITH US:

Healthy Workplace As we are learning, healthcare is becoming a true

This month, we are very pleased to introduce as

“pillar” in running a company — of any size. There is so

our Guest Editor Pam Kehaly, the new CEO of Blue

much resting on what employees want and what it will

Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. Pam is a true leader

take to keep costs down and retain talent. Healthcare

in the industry and is working tirelessly to advance

is perhaps the single most important element in

healthcare services for business and their people. We

capitalizing on those concerns. In Business Magazine

thank her for leading this healthcare issue. Blue Cross

is taking healthcare very seriously as an ongoing part

Blue Shield of Arizona is our hometown insurance

of the publication so that employers are informed and

company and it is doing great things to support our

kept abreast of the many changes and opportunities.

business community.

Healthcare

MAGAZINE

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APR. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2018 Busine ss

Innovati

HEALTHCARE

Healthcons in are Advances

are changing

the way we

do business

Chat Bots:

New HR

The Managers

APRIL 2018

Air Quality Productiv on ity Work-Aro Facebook unds for

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—Rick McCartney, Publisher

Let us know what you think of this issue of In Business Magazine. Email our publisher at feedback@inbusinessmag.com.

Story Ideas/PR: editor@ inbusinessphx.com Business Events/ Connections: businessevents@ inbusinessphx.com Marketing/Exposure: advertise@ inbusinessphx.com Visit us online at www.inbusinessphx.com

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VALLEY LEADERS SOUND OFF

What programs or aspects of your healthcare benefits are you finding to be the most important to your employees?

FEEDBACK QUESTION: Let us know what you want to know from the Valley’s top business leaders. editor@inbusinessphx.com

For all past Feedbacks go online to inbusinessphx.com and see what Valley executives think on various business topics.

APR. 2018

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BRIAN ALLERY

KISHLAY ANAND, M.D.

ANGELA FAIR

VP of Employee Success and Administration WebPT Sector: Healthcare

Founder and CEO Akos MD Sector: Healthcare

Senior Vice President, People & Performance Redflex Sector: Technology

At WebPT, our Employee Success and Culture teams approach each year’s strategic planning with our Live Better team commitment in mind. In 2017, we initiated more than a dozen programs to address everything from physical health to financial health, and we continually work to improve these based on employee feedback.

Traditionally, one of our most popular (and longest-standing) initiatives is the Alive Transformation Challenge (ATC), which is similar to television’s “Biggest Loser” competition but focuses more on committing to sustainable, positive lifestyle changes. Last year, we also began providing WebPT employees with memberships to the Headspace meditation app, which has been an important addition to our healthcare benefits program.

WebPT webpt.com Brian Allery, an Organization Development Certified Professional who has held executive positions in several companies, has more than 20 years of progressive and comprehensive experience in the areas of operations, shared services, finance and budgeting, information systems, human resources, benefits administration, and supply chain and facilities management. He graduated from Ashford University with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, and is also a certified fitness trainer and injury specialist.

Our employees unanimously say that easy access to the healthcare provider via telemedicine is what they find most helpful. This is consistent with what we hear from our customers as well. They value the prompt access to healthcare more than almost anything else because finding a timely and convenient appointment has been the biggest challenge for most employees.

Traditional medicine will always be there, but telemedicine will complement traditional medicine by bringing the healthcare provider to you, the patient, through the convenience of a smart device. Of course, telemedicine cannot be used for serious or life-threatening conditions; however, most people seek healthcare for relatively minor and stable conditions, many of which can be treated safely through telemedicine as an alternative way of consulting with a healthcare professional.

Most of our employees are tech savvy and they understand that it’s inevitable that technology will be an integral part of everything in our lives, including healthcare. Healthcare will be more accessible and promptly available to those in need, and the ultimate result will be a healthier society.

Akos MD akosmd.com Akos founder and CEO, Dr. Kishlay Anand is a board-certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist. He is president of Arizona Cardiovascular Institute, a cardiovascular outpatient surgery center, and serves on the board at Cardiovascular Consultants, the largest integrated cardiovascular group in the Phoenix area. Dr. Anand’s charitable work includes being the chairman and founding partner for Prayatna, a voluntary organization that promotes health awareness and patient welfare.

Sign up for the monthly In Business Magazine eNewsletter at www.inbusinessphx.com. Look for survey questions and other research on our business community.

At Redflex, traditional healthcare plans are only part of the picture. We proactively encourage healthy behaviors on numerous fronts to improve employee wellbeing, satisfaction and productivity.

Not only do our team members reap health and financial benefits, but our efforts have helped foster a greater sense of community.

For instance, WellSteps is a Web-based incentive program that encourages healthy habits year-round. Employees log activities, such as exercise and healthy eating, to earn points that can be redeemed for rewards and even health plan savings. We find it creates camaraderie among employees, as well as opportunities for employees to motivate one another. Similarly, “Walking Wednesdays” is highly popular and directly impacts a positive workplace culture. In this program, employees pledge to walk a mile or more during lunch. They are entered into a drawing for free days off.

In addition to encouraging healthy physical behaviors, we use Freshbenies to help the company and employees save money through their health benefits.

This program identifies the best prices for healthcare procedures and prescriptions, and it provides data to negotiate costs with providers and insurers.

Redflex redflex.com Angela Fair leads Redflex’s worldwide talent team on three continents. She has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, benefits and compensation, health, HRIS and safety fields, among other industries. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, as well as certification in Human Resources and Workplace Safety.

QUICK AND TO THE POINT

BYTES

by Mike Hunter

3-D Home Tours by Phone A free Zillow 3D Home app allows agents to use the camera on their iPhones to easily create a 3-D walkthrough of a property listing. Consumers can then view a home’s layout as if they were physically there.

After participating in the app’s closed beta test,

The Silent Office Productivity Killer: Indoor Air Quality Employee productivity can make or break a company. Outside distractions like social media and cell phone use instantly come to mind, but there’s an enormous threat inside the office that’s often misunderstood and overlooked: indoor air quality (IAQ). In fact, poor air quality is so detrimental to employee performance that a recent Harvard study found cognitive function greatly decreases when harmful pollutants inhabit the air (hbr.org/2017/03/ research-stale-office-air-is-making-you-lessproductive).

Carbon dioxide most commonly comes from the air we exhale and causes headaches and drowsiness, and high levels of the gas are directly correlated to low productivity and significantly lower brain function — something to consider in most offices, where the windows do not open and our day-to-day reality is being in meeting rooms with the doors closed.

Everyone has felt the CO2 slump — yawning and being restless at 2 p.m. every afternoon.

It’s most likely because of heightened carbon dioxide levels and it directly affects work performance. Another threat we’re faced with are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), vapors that come from everyday items commonly found throughout the office (paint, carpeting, furniture, cleaning products) that cause a variety of health problems — from throat irritations to liver and kidney damage or cancer, depending on the level of exposure. Lastly, Radon is an invisible gas and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and kills approximately 58 people per day in the

United States. It comes from the ground and can enter the workplace through the pipes, sink, drains and cracks in a building´s foundation.

While IAQ poses a serious health risk, especially in crowded workspaces, it is manageable if employers are armed with the right knowledge.

Maintaining healthy IAQ requires attention to the office’s ventilation system and outside air supply. Outside air is typically delivered through a building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, with a properly maintained filter that decreases pollutants.

However, many HVAC systems require modifications and should be inspected to ensure they are working properly. While maintaining the system is an excellent first step, air quality fluctuates and should be monitored daily with the use of a smart indoor air quality monitor. When looking for the right device, every employer should consider the pollutants that are being monitored (from radon to CO2), ease of the technology and remote monitoring options. While some of the options for maintaining good IAQ may seem pricey, the Harvard study mentioned above estimates that the productivity benefits from doubling the ventilation rates are $6,500 per person per year — plus, the benefit of improving workplace happiness is priceless.

—Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings (airthings.com/us/, a Norway-based tech company that develops and manufactures both professional and consumerfacing technologies that help people monitor and analyze radon and other dangerous indoor air pollutants

HomeSmart is now extending the value of the cost- and time-saving tool for its agents in the Phoenix market who want to use interactive home tours to market their listings. The integration will be made available across the entire HomeSmart network when 3D Home is rolled out nationwide by Zillow. homesmart.com zillow.com/marketing/3d-home

More to Act! With The newest addition to the Act! CRM software portfolio from Scottsdale-based Swiftpage, is Act! Premium Plus, which will enable small and medium-sized business to further tailor their CRM to meet the unique needs of their business, market, and industry. This is achieved through the all-new Custom Tables Manager and Industry Templates features, which allow companies to bring complex data sets, unique business processes, and specialized industry practices together in Act! to better manage their business. act.com

AZBlue on the Go Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona members can take helpful plan information with them wherever they go with the AZBlue Mobile app, available for Apple devices and Android phones and tablets.

The app allows users to send an instant message or call BCBSAZ at the touch of a button, and includes coverage summary of plan deductibles for the member and dependents as well as a snapshot look at limits and amounts met for individual, family, in-network and outof-network deductibles. azblue.com

Air quality is not just a recent concern. Benjamin Franklin is on record on the subject: “I am persuaded that no common air from without is so unwholesome as the air within a close room that has been often breathed and not changed.” bit.ly/works-of-benjamin-franklin

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QUICK AND TO THE POINT

LOOKING GOOD

Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy ACHIEVEMENTS

Homebuilder Honored Camelot Homes, a third-generation homebuilder in Scottsdale, has received several honors in the 22nd Annual HomeBuyers’ Choice Awards 2018 from Eliant, ranking it a Top 5 Winner. Based on the results of more than 106,000 surveys completed by recent homeowners from more than 140 major homebuilders across the U.S., Camelot received top honors for Purchase Experience, Design Experience and Percentage of Sales from Referrals (all in the medium volume category). camelothomes.com

Most Innovative Best Western Hotels & Resorts was named one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR category in Fast Company’s 2018 rankings. The Best Western Virtual Reality Experience (BWVRE) uses virtual reality to reinvent the way guests view and shop for hotels, and its I Care® Every Guest Every Time employee training leverages virtual reality to transform communications between front desk staff and guests. These initiatives positioned Best Western as the first company of its size and scale to utilize this cutting-edge technology in these ways.

Giving 323 Percent P.B. Bell, a local real estate firm that focuses on apartment communities, has been named the largest donor to the Arizona Multihousing Charitable Foundation for the third year running. In 2016, P.B. Bell raised $3,194 on behalf of AMCF — making 2017’s donations of $10,324 a marked increase of 323 percent. “The fact that we’re seeing such a jump in donations is clear evidence that P.B. Bell residents and employees are all-in when it comes to helping our community,” says P.B. Bell CEO R. Chapin Bell. pbbell.com

Nonprofit Gives To commemorate 60 years in business, EPI-HAB Phoenix, Inc. is donating a total of $60,000 to local nonprofits in the coming months. Itself a 501(c) 3 organization, EPIHAB is totally self-sufficient while providing meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with epilepsy and other challenges. Donations include $6,000 to Camp Tatiyee, a summer camp in the White Mountains of Arizona that caters to individuals with special needs.

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every Modern Acupuncture franchisee owns multiple licenses, which is very rare and a strong indicator of their confidence in our business model as well as a bright future for acupuncture in the U.S.” Hale says that some of the biggest wins that have propelled the company’s growth have been bringing on credible partners in the acupuncture and medical space from the start to ensure the brand would not just be attractive to consumers, but would also be taken seriously by licensed acupuncturists looking for work and by medical professionals who are now realizing the importance of natural methods for pain relief in light of the opioid epidemic.

The company has international interest but plans to concentrate on its expansion in the U.S. before exploring international partners. It’s also on track to be sold out of all regional development opportunities in the U.S. by year end.

—Mike Hunter Modern Acupuncture modernacupuncture.com

The uBreakiFix location recently opened in Mesa is the 13th in Arizona for the company and the first for franchisee Shane Sizemore, who plans to open eight additional uBreakiFix locations throughout the area. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and former engineer and corporate pilot, Sizemore opened the store with the help of friend Tyler Logsdon.

“I love that uBreakiFix places such enormous emphasis on customer service,” Sizemore says. “After researching all the competitors and meeting with the founders of uBreakiFix, I knew they were the best in the industry and that our core values were aligned.

I’m excited for uBreakiFix to become the go-to resource for all of the Mesa community’s tech repair needs. As a veteran, it is important to give back to the community by offering discounts to first responders and active duty service members as well as participating in various volunteer organizations.”

Ranked No. 18 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® in 2018, uBreakiFix was founded in

A list of "Happiest Cities in America" released by finance website WalletHub ranked Scottsdale No. 14 for 2018. wallethub.com/edu/happiest-places-to-live/32619/

2009 by millennial duo David Reiff and Justin Wetherill, a 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

The pair later partnered with Eddie Trujillo to transition their Internet-based brand to a brick and mortar tech repair alternative that was quick, affordable, and provided a quality customer experience. Since its inception, the company has grown organically without investors or consultants. The fast-growing technology repair brand provides same-day repair service of all electronics, specializing in cell phone repair and computer repair, at its more than 365 locations across North America. —Mike Hunter uBreakiFix ubreakifix.com

Photo courtesy of uBreakiFix

PHILANTHROPY

APR. 2018

Modern Acupuncture™, a Scottsdalebased franchise concept transforming the alternative medicine market and acupuncture industry, has opened eight locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, North Carolina and Texas since its official launch in August 2016. Seven more locations are currently under construction and scheduled to open in the first quarter of this year, with a total of 55 to 60 operating by the end of 2018.

“In what seemed like the blink of an eye, we propelled from a vision and startup into one of the fastest-growing national franchises overnight,” says Modern Acupuncture CEO Matt Hale. “In reality, it’s taken a tremendous amount of work. We have been fortunate to, essentially, handpick extremely successful and experienced franchisees and regional developers to help us grow the brand the right way. If you look at the portfolio of our franchise partners, most everyone is a serial, multi-unit developer of other nationally recognized and respected franchise concepts. Additionally,

Hot Brick-and-Mortar Franchise: Tech Repair

bestwestern.com

epihab.org

Ancient Healing Form Now Health & Beauty Mega Brand

METRICS & MEASUREMENTS

Middle Market: Economic Clout Middle market firms boost economies in metro areas nationwide

By Geri Stengel

There is a reciprocal relationship between middle market firms (businesses generating between $10 million and $1 billion in revenues) and the metropolitan areas in which they operate, as uncovered by the Middle Market Power Index: Best U.S. Metropolitan Areas for Middle Market Firms from American Express and Dun & Bradstreet. Metro areas provide infrastructure and talent that attracts companies, and employees are drawn to certain metro areas by their perceived culture, quality of life and opportunities. At the same time, middle market companies offer a critical foundation for metro areas looking to maintain or strengthen their economy.

“We hypothesized that there is an important relationship between middle market firms and the metro areas in which they operate, but the findings from this report really show how close and interdependent that relationship is,” says Brendan Walsh, executive vice president of American Express Global Commercial Payments, which provides solutions for travel and everyday business spending, cross-border payments, global currency solutions and business financing. “When metro areas have a strong middle market presence they are able to rebuild faster, stay more competitive, and provide for a dynamic local economy.”

WHERE MIDDLE MARKET FIRMS SHINE BRIGHTEST

While large cities and their surrounding areas have diverse talent pools, university hubs and the capacity to attract people from other states and countries, smaller metro areas also have a crucial characteristic that is generally not shared by their larger counterparts — affordability. This plays a role in these cities’ high rankings for metrics such as middle market dominance, economic clout, employment vitality, and minorityowned/women-owned businesses.

“The metro areas with the strongest middle market presence are in many cases not the most obvious,” says Nalanda Matia, senior director of the econometrics practice at Dun & Bradstreet. “It’s no surprise that New York leads the nation in many of the metrics we analyzed related to sheer numbers, but it was interesting to see how well geographies such as St. Louis and San Diego performed in middle market dominance. This can provide important guidance for similar markets as they evolve in the months and years ahead.”

Middle market firms are key to a resilient economy. These firms have a natural advantage: They are substantial enough to have the human and capital resources needed to withstand hard times (averaging 293 employees and generating $51.6 million in revenues), yet small, agile and nimble enough to take advantage of new opportunities.

MIDDLE MARKET STATS FOR PHOENIX-MESASCOTTSDALE Number of MMFs 1,987 Average number of employees/firm 267 Average revenues/firm $49,752,353 Revenue per employee $186,001

Top 10 Metropolitan Area Rankings By: Number of Firms

Employment

Revenue

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (20,153,634 population)

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (9,512,999)

2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (13,310,447)

3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (7,233,323)

4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

5. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (6,772,470)

5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MDWV

5. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VAMD-WV (6,131,977)

6. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJDE-MD (6,070,500)

7. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

8. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (4,679,166)

8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DEMD

8. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

9. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (4,297,617)

9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

9. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (5,789,700)

10. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

13. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (4,661,537)

16. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

15. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ Source: Middle Market Power Index, amex.co/mmpi

The top 25 most populous metropolitan areas house 40 percent of nation’s middle market firms, account for 326 employees per firm on average and generate roughly $54 million in revenue, according to the Middle Market Power Index. amex.co/mmpi

Geri Stengel is an American Express OPEN research advisor.

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. americanexpress.com Dun & Bradstreet, supplies data, insights and analytics to connect prospects, suppliers, clients and partners. dnb.com

To read the full Middle Market Power Index, visit http://amex.co/mmpi

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ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS

Making Wait Time Engagement Time A mobile messaging and marketing automation technology that delivers dynamic mobile pages through text messaging, BrightGuest is a local startup founded by Ryan Quinn in August 2014.

Quinn came up with the idea for BrightGuest some years ago waiting for dinner at a restaurant that had a long wait. The restaurant gave him a coaster pager that he stared at for far too long, and he recalls thinking there could be an interactive layer added to the wait that leveraged his engagement. “One of the biggest problems for marketers today is capturing attention,” he observes.

Addressing this void, Quinn also wanted to give brands a frictionless channel to connect with their audience on their mobile phones without requiring an app download. With text messaging cementing itself as the dominant form of mobile communication, he decided to use the standardized Short Message Service as the communication channel but saw a need to take it “beyond the bubble” and empower marketers to create personalized customer journeys — with no coding experience required.

The biggest challenge in starting and growing BrightGuest has been “the art of knowing when to say no,”

Quinn shares. Acknowledging the importance of finding the right launch partner who will give insider secrets about how to solve fundamental problems everyone in the market is facing, he explains such a relationship can easily veer into the path of trying to do whatever it might take to solve all the problems.

But he notes that many of those problems fall outside the startup’s direct value proposition and serve only to sculpt the product into a perfect solution for that launch customer — but not scalable to the entire market. Says Quinn, “Learn to say no to requests that are out of scope for the rest of your market, or your startup will become an unscalable custom software consultancy for your launch customer.”

—RaeAnne Marsh BrightGuest brightguest.com

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The purpose of recently launched invisionAZ is to help the state’s technology and innovation community grow. Its threepart goal is to help early-stage and startup businesses gain access to capital; enhance the technology ecosystem with the right technical workforce through mentoring, accelerators and education; and to raise Arizona’s profile as a welcoming environment for startups.

Inception to launch was realized in just one year, as invisionAZ grew from last year’s Technology Summit — the inaugural event of a now-annual summit from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A near-term issue for invisionAZ now is to help drive through legislation to create a first-of-its-kind FinTech sandbox to encourage innovative financial products.

Companies would apply to come into the sandbox to test, without burdensome regulatory requirements, such as licenses, explains John Ragan, COO of the Arizona Chamber, with participation at the discretion of the attorney general.

Glenn Hammer, Gov. Doug Ducey, Michael Crow (l to r)

“The sandbox would allow capital to come in for early-stage and startup companies — and possibly for those further along,” he says.

—RaeAnne Marsh invisionAZ invisionaz.org

"Arizona is consistently recognized as a top market for entrepreneurship and technology job growth," said Governor Doug Ducey, lauding the formation of InvisionAZ to advance the state's reputation as the best place to test, launch and scale new ideas.

Photos courtesy of BrightGuest (top), invisionAZ(bottom)

Champion for the State’s Tech & Innovation Community

Ways To Keep Your Money Safe 1 Secure checks and bank statements as carefully as you would cash.

Fraud Prevention, Your First Line Of Defense.

In today’s world, criminals have more ways than ever to steal your money.

2 Implement banking services that help spot—and stop—fraud in real time.

Whether it’s online through cyber attacks or in person, you have to safeguard your business against all kinds of threats.

A strong fraud prevention strategy can help you protect the financial integrity of your business.

At Bank of Arizona, we offer a variety of fraud prevention services that can help you detect and prevent criminal activity. Call us today to discuss how we can help you fight fraud.

Bill Halsted | 602.808.5331 | www.bankofarizona.com

© 2017 Bank of Arizona, a division of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC.

3 Make sure the same person isn’t authorizing, receiving and reconciling financial transactions. Even if you have a small staff, rotate responsibilities periodically.

PROPERTY, GROWTH AND LOCATION

2018 Self-Storage Investment Forecast Nationally, the self-storage industry is entering a period of maturity as supply-side pressure begins to impact fundamentals. Underlying demand for storage space remains strong; however, aggressive development activity over the past two years is starting to overtake absorption. Moving forward, nationwide vacancy and rent growth may soften amid greater competition, particularly in construction-heavy metros.

The retirement and downsizing of baby boomers coupled with the continued emergence of millennials will support the need for self-storage space in the coming years. This demand will only strengthen as these generational forces unfold, providing a positive long-term tailwind for the market.

The strength of the apartment market could positively impact self-storage demand as the smaller average residence size offered by rentals encourages the use of storage space.

Furthermore, strong small-business optimism may underpin additional commercial usage as lower tax obligations and high expectations about the future of the economy incentivize expansion.

The major self-storage REITs have become more conservative on the acquisition front amid growing industry headwinds.

While high-end properties in quality locations will still be actively pursued, REITs may shift their focus to expanding their third-party management business. Management partnerships with existing private owners and new development has been an effective strategy used by REITs to control more assets while avoiding direct upfront purchase.

Self-storage financing remains available; however, underwriting standards are tightening in the face of oversupply risk, lower revenue growth expectations and greater regulation. Construction loans will be especially scrutinized as lenders continue to show resistance to suboptimal deals and inexperienced sponsors.

Phoenix, as a top metro for self-storage construction last year, welcomes a reduced volume of space in 2018, yet deliveries still exceeds 800,000 square feet. The completion of roughly 300,000 square feet in and around Scottsdale steers this year’s finalizations. Inventory stands at 28 million square feet and 5.7 square feet per capita.

The metro absorbs a wave of new supply for a fourth consecutive year, slightly reducing vacancy to a 7.4 percent, a five-year low rate. Consistent demand for storage units stems from continued population growth, allowing operators to increase the average rent by nearly 6 percent following a double-digit gain in 2017.

—John Chang, first vice president, national director of Marcus & Millichap Research Services (www.marcusmillichap.com)

GET REAL

by Mike Hunter

Westin Tempe will stand a stone’s throw from the campus of Arizona State University, one of the top five colleges in the nation. The location is walking distance to Sun Devil Stadium, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s spring training stadium is a 10-minute drive with other Spring Training facilities nearby. The hotel site will complement the growing headquarters and executive offices of many Fortune 500 companies including: Microsoft, State Farm, Morgan Stanley, KPMG, Silicon Valley Bank and LifeLock.

APR. 2018

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Major National Tenant Space for SW Phoenix With demand for premier, modern industrial space continuing to rise, the Southwest division of Graycor Construction Company has completed 710,000 square feet of shell and tenant improvement space for Prologis Inc., a global leader in logistics real estate. The new space, located within Prologis Riverside Distribution Center and Prologis Park Riverside, paves the way for three major tenants to relocate or expand within Southwest Phoenix’s Buckeye Road corridor. graycor.com

Downtown Tempe White Horse Accents Gains Lifestyle Hotel the Outdoors The Westin Tempe, being developed by

Camelot Homes, a third-generation

Las Vegas-based CAI Investments, has

homebuilder in Scottsdale, has opened

broken ground in the heart of Downtown

three models for White Horse, an iconic

Tempe. Eighteen stories, with 290 rooms,

new, gated community of 50 half-acre lots

the multi-million-dollar hotel is planned

representing the pinnacle of Camelot’s 45-

to feature state-of-the-art guest rooms

plus years of experience in luxury homes.

and corridors, with custom-designed

The light, bright and modern homes reflect

elements and artwork, as well as energy

a true paradigm shift in new home design

conservation practices. Its more than

with more outdoor space, options and

14,000 square feet of convention space

flexibility to raise the standard of luxury

and meeting rooms is expected to be a

living. Homes range from 4,000 to 6,000

magnet for events in the Tempe area when

square feet. camelothomes.com

it opens late next year. caicap.com

“Tempe has the second-highest hotel occupancy rate in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area,” Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell told attendees at February’s groundbreaking of the new Westin Tempe.

Photos courtesy of Graycor Construction Company, CAI Investments, Camelot Homes (bottom, l to r)

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

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YOUR BENEFIT IN BUSINESS

WELL WELL WELL

by Mike Hunter

Hereditary Cancer Gene Testing Of the new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in 2018, as many as 10 percent will be the result of an inherited gene mutation. Insight into hereditary risk would enable an individual to consider steps, such as more frequent screening, to potentially detect cancer in an earlier, more treatable stage.

Sonora Quest Laboratories, Arizona’s leading provider of diagnostic testing and information services, now offers three new lab tests that can enable patients to understand their risk and take appropriate changes in lifestyle, through the guidance of their healthcare provider, to reduce their risk. These tests include BRCAvanatge®, which tests for genes associated with BRCA-related breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, and GIvantage™, which tests for risk of hereditary colon and gastric cancers.

The new lab-developed tests, available through Sonora Quest’s parent company, Quest Diagnostics, feature a 34-gene panel called MYvantage™ that includes several genes not widely found on existing cancer risk panels. Emerging evidence suggests that the presence of certain mutations of these genes may heighten an individual’s likelihood of developing certain types of breast, ovarian, endometrial and other cancers. sonoraquest.com/hereditarycancer

F.I.T. for an Apple Watch UnitedHealthcare is adding a new incentive to its popular UnitedHealthcare Motion, a digital wellness program that provides people with access to activity trackers that can enable them to earn up to $1,000 per year by meeting certain daily F.I.T. (measurement of frequency, intensity and tenacity) walking goals. To date, participants have collectively walked more than 180 billion steps and earned nearly $30 million in rewards. Now, those rewards may also include an Apple Watch.

People enrolled UnitedHealthcare Motion will be able to receive and start using Apple Watch after paying only tax and shipping, with the option to apply program earnings toward the full purchase price of the device. Program participants will be able to own the world’s No. 1 smartwatch in as little as six months by meeting daily walking goals. The new program is available in Arizona to employers of all

Medical Marijuana: Establishing Standards With bipartisan support in place, Arizona Senate Bill 1420 should end up as law, and while this paves the way for medicinal use of marijuana in the state, healthcare providers — and dispensaries — will have strict regulations to follow.

SB 1420 passed the Arizona State Senate by a vote of 27–3 in late February, and the Arizona State House of Representatives held a hearing Wednesday, March 21. The proposed bill defines medicinal marijuana as an agricultural commodity in agreement with the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The product would be subject to the regulations of SB 1420 (Arizona Medical Marijuana Act) beginning January 1, 2019, in addition to any future rules adopted by the department of agriculture.

According to provisions, the director of the department of agriculture may adopt any rules regarding cultivation of marijuana and testing by independent third-party laboratories. The laboratory providing testing for the department must be certified to analyze medical marijuana.

The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act would require the department of agriculture to test all medicinal marijuana products for chemicals used in production in addition to testing for the presence of mold at facilities. This process would ensure correct labeling and that the disclosure

sizes. unitedhealthcaremotion.com

APR. 2018

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The booming wearable device market is expected to quadruple to 430 million units by 2022, up from 118 million in 2016.

document included with the product reflects any chemicals used in the production of the marijuana and the actual contents of the product.

The proposed bill also requires that the department of agriculture establish protocols for the inspection of premises for sanitary conditions for storage and processing of medical marijuana while checking for the existence of mold.

Further, the department is required to establish remediation requirements for facilities found to be in violation of any regulations during inspection.

The department of agriculture will be vested with power to enter any property cultivating medicinal marijuana at reasonable times to ascertain compliance with the bill and any rules or orders adopted.

Other terms of the bill would require nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries and designated caregivers to ensure the products are packaged in childproof containers and issued to registered qualifying patients with name and registry ID card number clearly printed on the label. In addition, the provider would have to include a written disclosure with the product that lists the chemical compounds used in the cultivation of marijuana.

—Jeff Hunter, shareholder with Renaud Cook Drury Mesaros, PA (rcdmlaw.com), on the Medical Malpractice and Healthcare Litigation team

Gallagher & Kennedy The prime location for attorneys who know real estate law and how to get deals done.

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INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESS

TECH NOTES

by Mike Hunter

Smart Home Growth Explodes Amazon has Alexa integrations with more than 4,000 devices, enhancing everything from bathroom mirrors and shower heat to car automation.

Google jumped into the voice-controlled computing market a bit later, but already boasts integration with 1,500-plus devices, and plans to lever age its Android smartphone market share to win over customers.

Amazon is not only intent on delivering groceries to the customer’s door with its purchase of Whole Foods, but it already rivals Netflix in spending on video and music content services, shelling out $4.5 billion on its content business last year, compared to Netflix’s $6 billion. ecobee4 thermostat Comes with built-in Amazon Alexa Voice Service $249

Nest Cam IQ Indoor Comes with built-in Google Assistant $299

Sonos One Comes with built-in Amazon Alexa Voice Service $199

Melissa Simpler is CEO and co-founder of Affinegy, which helps carriers deliver high-speed Wi-Fi capacity to smart homes along with critical device management — autoconfiguration, real-time auditing and update management — to dozens of smart hardware devices from numerous different vendors. affinegy.com

APR. 2018

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BY MELISSA SIMPLER

Broadband Carriers: Making Smart Connections?

Today’s consumer is increasingly connected.

Credible analysts report that there are now an average of 10 connected devices per home — and there will be more than 50 by 2020. It’s not just smartphones that are connected: it’s tablets, TVs, smart locks, smart lights, Web cams, environment sensors, security systems, fitness bands, smart thermostats, robotic floor cleaners, video doorbells and more. Both Amazon and Google went on acquisition sprees, vying to buy up this technology to strengthen their own future plans to increase their presence in smart homes.

But what are those plans? Amazon and Google are competing to provide a single platform for today’s smart home that not only offers novel automated conveniences, but also ease of installation and use. It’s a market that broadband service providers — communal, regional and national — are positioned to own themselves, especially as their Internet service adds the speed of service, reliability and security assurance for these connected services.

AN OPEN OPPORTUNITY

At least one standout broadband service provider is not standing still. Comcast is looking to turn its Xfinity into a kind of “home operating system” promising to bring smart home automation controls to hundreds of devices connected to its Xfinity broadband service.

Comcast has long invested in voice-controlled computing around its video services and is extending that investment to external “Works with Xfinity” partners to power automated smart home experiences. With a verbal “good night” command, Xfinity, for example would lock all doors, turn off lights, adjust thermostats and arm the home-security system. It’s a battle for the wallet. Who will win it?

BROADBAND PROVIDERS’ EXISTING ADVANTAGE

Broadband providers are uniquely positioned to own this market. They have that enviable direct relationship with the customer, which comes from the physical interface they have with customers — the trucks that roll to turn on the Internet service, the help desk agent who resolves their connectivity problem, the retail counter or agent who helps them with billing and upgrades. Secondly, broadband providers are inherently trusted as they are not making money off their customer’s data being sold to third parties. Additionally, it is the broadband provider’s infrastructure that gets and keeps the customer connected.

The opportunity is what the industry has called “the smart pipe,” and it’s the broadband operator’s fundamental business to own and operate. But if they sit on the sidelines in this dynamic IoT market, these broadband providers risk becoming the “dumb pipe,” relegated to a commoditized role of providing merely the transport layer of the smart home platform.

A market advantage opportunity is discovered.

A 2017 Gemalto survey of 10,500 consumers evidenced that 65 percent of consumers are concerned about a hacker controlling their IoT device, and 60 percent of these are concerned about their data being leaked. Furthermore, of 1,050 businesses surveyed, only 57 percent encrypt the data they capture or store via IoT devices. Finally, on average, four of every five consumers surveyed in this study agree that the amount of data collected by IoT makes privacy and security a key challenge and need.

The call to action is here. Broadband providers can leverage the customer awareness driven in the market today to launch a variety of connected and smart services that subscribers want and will preferentially buy from the broadband provider’s trusted brand.

A survey released last October from Gemalto, a world leader in digital security, found that, in terms of the level of investment in security, IoT device manufacturers and service providers spend just 11 percent of their total IoTbudget on securing their IoT devices. bit.ly/gemalto-survey

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LAW MATTERS TO BUSINESS

Workers Comp Damage Control Avoid turning workers compensation claims into bad faith lawsuits

by Robert Vaught

Healthcare

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Robert Vaught is a partner in Quarles & Brady’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. He regularly counsels human resources and risk management personnel regarding Title VII, ADEA, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, wage and hour matters, hiring and discipline issues and wrongful discharge and bad faith complaints, and represents employers in related proceedings in state and federal courts, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, and state administrative agencies. quarles.com

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Arizona’s workers compensation system helps employees who are injured on the job receive necessary medical care and treatment. Injured workers’ claims are processed through the Arizona Industrial Commission. The ICA not only processes claims, but also resolves legal disputes that may arise concerning issues of compensability, continuing benefits, loss of earning capacity and others.

During this process, injured workers might allege that insurance carriers, adjusters or employers have handled their claims in bad faith. These claims can take many forms, but typically involve allegations that a claim was either denied without reasonable basis, or that it was accepted but subsequent benefits were unreasonably delayed or denied.

In many states, these bad faith claims must be resolved exclusively within the administrative agency tasked with processing workers’ compensation claims. Employees cannot file separate lawsuits in state or federal court.

Arizona is not one of those states.

In Arizona, workers can bring separate “bad faith” lawsuits against carriers, third-party administrators, employers and the individual adjusters responsible for investigating their workers compensation claims. Workers can file these lawsuits at any time during the life of a claim, and the lawsuits can continue even after the underlying claim is resolved. In addition, the type and amount of monetary damages available in bad faith lawsuits can far exceed policy limits, and can include statutory penalties, interest, attorneys’ fees, emotional distress and punitive damages. Jury verdicts can reach into the tens of millions of dollars.

In Arizona, bad faith can occur when an insurer (or selfinsured employer) intentionally denies or fails to administer a workers compensation claim without a reasonable basis.

What is reasonable can depend on the circumstances. Many cases contain allegations that the insurer failed to properly investigate the claim. This can involve everything from not interviewing relevant witnesses to not timely requesting or reviewing medical records to denying or delaying scheduled treatment to unreasonably late payment of benefits.

Even those employers who are not self-insured can be held liable for bad faith under an “aiding and abetting” theory.

Workers claim their employers, though not directly responsible for administering or paying benefits, know the insurers are acting unreasonably, and assist in that unreasonable conduct by downplaying or dismissing the initial injury report, sending false or inaccurate information to the insurer, or by otherwise not cooperating in the investigation.

Given the significant potential liability for bad faith, what can be done to minimize risk?

First, employers should conduct a thorough and timely investigation. Denying a workers compensation claim is not, in and of itself, bad faith. But failing to conduct a reasonable investigation, or denying a claim without reasonable

In 2015, an Iowa jury awarded a plaintiff $25 million in punitive damages for an insurer's alleged bad-faith denial of a workers compensation claim.

justification, can be. Adjusters should gather all the information needed to effectively and fairly evaluate the claim.

This means timely identifying and interviewing witnesses, gathering and reviewing medical records and following necessary leads. Adjusters should be prompt and courteous in their communications with injured workers and keep them reasonably informed of significant developments in the claim.

To that end, adjusters should work diligently to overcome language barriers that may exist.

Second, employers need to understand that documentation is critical. Potential defendants must do more than simply act reasonably in their handling of a workers compensation claim — they must be able to prove they acted reasonably.

The adjuster’s claim file is one of the first things that will be turned over to plaintiff’s counsel during litigation. The file should clearly document what steps were taken as part of the investigation, and when. For example, dates and summaries of conversations with the injured worker, witnesses and medical providers should be recorded. Documents in the file should be date stamped when received.

Third, if a carrier opts to deny coverage for the specific claim, comments in the claim file should be consistent with investigation results and the ultimate decision to deny.

Clearly state all reasons the claim is being denied, citing policy language if possible. The level of detail will vary depending on the circumstance, but the denial and supporting documentation in the file should be as specific as practicable.

Although it may not always be possible to avoid bad faith litigation, knowing that these claims exist, and taking reasonable steps to investigate and manage a claim, are important first steps in minimizing potential liability.

Innovations in

Healthcare Advances are taking place on numerous fronts

by RaeAnne Marsh

Remote patient monitoring allows patients to securely transmit health information electronically to healthcare providers, and wearable devices can collect and transmit useful information that includes heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and blood glucose levels. Following up on these general observations, Glenn Dean, president and CFO of MeMD, adds, “As technology is developed and these monitoring devices become less expensive, usage among consumers will increase, giving healthcare providers real-time access to important health information, thereby improving care while bringing independence to patients.�

Technology, however, is not the only frontier spawning innovation in healthcare. An important arena of innovation is our attitude toward the use of healthcare and an expanding openness toward broader issues that affect health and well-being.

MIND MATTERS Mental health, in particular, has begun to shed some of its stigma. Dale Parsons, L.C.S.W., director of therapy services of St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center, observes, “With one out of five Americans living with a mental health condition, there is a strong probability that employers will be impacted by its workforce’s mental health issues.” The health of a company’s workforce and the company’s bottom-line are inextricably linked, he says, pointing out that mental illness is the single greatest cause of worker disability in the U.S., 62 percent of missed workdays can be attributed to mental health conditions, employees with untreated mental health conditions use nonpsychiatric healthcare services three times more than those who do get treatment, and depressed employees are 20–40 percent more likely to become unemployed because of their condition.

Mental Health America recently launched an Arizona chapter, and its executive director, Kristina Sabetta, reports, “According to research by Harvard University Medical School, untreated mental illness costs the U.S. at least $105 billion in lost productivity each year.”

Barriers between employees and treatment for mental health and substance use disorders were created by annual and lifetime visit or dollar limitations, frequent denials and obsolete rules, Parsons relates. The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008 (www. hhs.gov and www.cms.gov) was passed to ensure that health plans and insurers offer mental health and substance use disorder benefits comparable to their coverage for general medical and surgical care.

Sabetta and Parsons offer concrete steps employers can implement to promote mental wellness care in the workplace.

These range from helping employees recognize they’re experiencing a mental illness to creating an environment that eliminates bullying and stigmatizing of co-workers with mental health issues. Employers can offer reasonable accommodations in the same way they accommodate an employee with a back injury, Sabetta says, such as providing a safe work station or approving a leave of absence. Parsons suggests employers develop a company culture that recognizes employee and team contributions, and openly communicates appreciation to workforce members for meeting targets and goals. More details are available in the online version of this article, at www. inbusinessphx.com.

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TELEHEALTH COUNSELING MeMD’s Dean sees online therapy as the next frontier in telehealth, explaining it fills a critical gap in counseling services. “According to Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 100 million Americans live in areas where behavioral health services are severely limited. Oftentimes, people must travel long distances or wait months to see a provider.

Telehealth changes that,” he says. “Not only does it remove geographical barriers, but it increases confidentiality and decreases time away from work. This is why employers are now jumping on board, offering online therapy as a part of their benefits packages.” Online therapy connects patients with licensed behavioral health professionals via a computer or mobile device, 24/7. Patients can speak with a therapist about a variety of emotional and mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, substance misuse, marital and family problems, grief, eating disorders and more.

“The service can help improve productivity, satisfaction and loyalty. It enables employees to remain present and productive in the workplace and at home,” Dean says.

The fact that urgent-care medicine has become accepted as a trusted method to receive quality care has made it more likely that those seeking behavioral health services will utilize telehealth for the convenience and privacy it provides, Dean says.

Another issue for those seeking therapy is measurement — and Dean notes this is not limited to virtual solutions.

To address this, MeMD utilizes a scientifically developed measurement and outcome-based model to assess progress and track improvements over time. “With MeMD, those who request a therapy session are prompted to complete the Behavioral Health Screen. This is a multi-dimensional assessment tool that allows patients to self-report issues, and the advanced scoring mechanism uses algorithms to rank their symptoms and risk factors across 16 domains,” Dean says. “MeMD members can complete the assessment before treatment commences, once therapy is complete and at any time during treatment, allowing members and their providers to measure progress and track improvement.”

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FOCUS ON THE FRAMEWORK Another category ripe for innovation is musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), according to Kathleen Gramzay, founder of Kinessage® Self Care, who cites the United States Bone and Joint Initiative’s The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States, Third Edition (www.boneandjointburden.org) in pointing out that one in two adults — or 126.6 million — are affected by MSDs. “That’s twice the rate of those with chronic heart and lung conditions, and seven times the 18.8 million diagnosed with diabetes.”

She works with businesses to include a holistic, non-drug, self-care approach that applies a philosophy similar to improving cardiovascular, respiratory and diabetic conditions by focusing on nutrition and exercise. “Many chronic musculoskeletal pain and mobility conditions can be alleviated by self-activating the body and mind’s innate intelligence to reset itself,” she says. “Empowering individuals with the knowledge to partner with the body and mind gives them the ability to release chronic pain and tension at the moment as well as release long-held chronic tension patterns to prevent injury and help prevent them from reoccurring.” This also, she notes, makes them better partners in their own healthcare, as they know what they can do on their own and when they need to see a professional. “The innovative shift is one from old-model conditioning that relief comes from outside the body — such as drugs or office visits — to one of working with the body and tapping into its built-in pain relief and self-healing system.”

DISRUPTING DELIVERY? Direct Primary Care is a form of healthcare delivery model spreading around the country that Redirect Health co-founder and Chairman of the Board David Berg, D.O., believes would disrupt a lot of huge money — if it ever got big enough. “More and more forward-thinking companies realize that DPC needs to be the foundation of their employee health plans,” he says. “These are the companies that are aware they need to protect themselves from the perverse profit incentives in healthcare. “ Apple, Bezos, Buffett and JP Morgan were in the news earlier this year for their stated objective of starting a healthcare company for their own employees that would focus on simplicity and transparency. But Dr. Berg, while noting, “There are a lot of good people, but they work in a system that preys on the employer’s wallet when one of their employees is sick, injured or just scared,” points out, “Did you notice the 5-percent loss of healthcare share prices and the entire DOW the next day? JP Morgan had to backtrack because of its insurance and healthcare clients. I believe Jeff Bezos has a better chance of disrupting healthcare than anyone. However, I doubt Warren Buffett would want to do it because it would harm Berkshire’s share price – and he has a fiduciary to his shareholders the last I heard. I can’t even imagine how JP Morgan can do it.”

According to Dr. Berg, a new DPC software platform by Hint.com combined with new communication software like Spruce Health is allowing that trend to

Some Say Virtual Doctor Visits Won’t Work. Here’s Why They’re Wrong.

In 2017, a well-publicized RAND Corporation study presented a startling conclusion. It found direct-to-consumer telehealth may not save money because it may increase health care utilization due to ease of access. In fact, researchers estimated an 88 percent increase in the use of specific healthcare services among patients studied.

With findings that seem contrary to years of other research, the study got a lot of play, raising important questions for corporate health benefit programs: Should our company promote plans that offer telemedicine (often called telehealth, virtual visits or remote care)? Or should we urge people to stick with in-person care?

But it’s important to put the findings in context of the study’s methodology: • RAND compared medical claims costs for telehealth users with costs for people seeking in-person care within just one diagnosis group (respiratory illness). The telehealth user group amounted to fewer than 1,000 patients over a 10-month period.

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accelerate. The DPC model allows member patients to avoid much of the irritation and nickel-and-dime-ing seen with traditional insurance-centric care. Add chiropractic, labs, proactive outreach programs for common chronic conditions and 24-hour concierge access in multiple languages, and you’ll see huge disruption of traditional healthcare cost structures by lowering the need to pay insurance co-pays and deductibles, and hospital costs that typically go down 30-50%.

While predicting that technological advances will transform in the fields of stem cells, genomics, proteomics, AI, robotics, 3-D printing, quantum computing, VR and many more exponential technologies, Dr. Berg asserts, “But healthcare delivery model disruption that bypasses the big healthcare status quo companies, as DPC does, will be the most fought against.”

He founded his company on the approach he had implemented successfully as CEO of Arrowhead Health Centers, simplifying healthcare for its target customer of small and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies by removing complexities — notably, co-pays and deductibles.

“And when we did,” Dr. Berg says, “along went the associated irritation. But also the expense of a credit card machine, and the merchant account fees, and the cash drawer, and the time needed to balance the cash drawer, and the codes for the charges, and the statements, and the envelopes, and the person licking the stamps for the envelope, and the billing department, and the billing computer, and the audit protection, and the recoup risk. Even the customer service calls trying to explain a bill or explanation of benefit statement from the insurance company goes away.”

• The study did not look at the bigger picture of telehealth’s holistic benefits, including workplace productivity and time savings for patients and care providers.

• The study also did not consider telehealth’s role in addressing a doctor shortage that is expected to be nearly 50,000 by 2020 and more than 100,000 by 2030.

TELEMEDICINE NO LONGER MEANS TELEPHONE Originally, telehealth or telemedicine meant just that: healthcare delivered over a telephone line, and mainly to people in rural areas with few hospitals or specialists. Even in 2011, the year RAND’s study started, some of today’s most successful direct-to-consumer telehealth services didn’t exist. Neither did much of the technology that enables video visits.

Today, though, people can go online or log into a special medical app on their phone, tablet or computer for a private, secure, face-to-face online visit. Using live video, a doctor, physician assistant or other clinician sees and hears the patient’s concerns and symptoms and prescribes treatment or other steps. Care can happen anywhere with Wi-Fi or data access, at the consumer’s convenience and, in many cases, 24/7. Whether the consultation is with a national telehealth service or a personal doctor, today’s telemedicine enables people to get an unexpected health concern or chronic condition addressed in just a few moments.

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‘WELLNESS’ EXPANDS Emily Noll, national director wellness solutions for CBIZ, speaks to trends she sees in employer wellness in 2018, which include a continuing focus on enhancing corporate culture, delivering management training, and expanding programs to cover multiple facets of individual well-being — Purpose/Career, Physical Health, Financial Health, Community and Social Health — to provide employees with a personally meaningful experience and supportive work environment. Specific programs that employers are offering are communication and resiliency training, education on how to be a savvy healthcare consumer, financial education, more flexibility or subsidies for health programs that fit with employees’ work/life schedules and help them master and enjoy skills, workplace policies and design that encourage movement, access to healthy fuel for their bodies, and a balance among privacy or quiet space and social interaction.

WHERE VIRTUAL VISITS PAY OFF Thousands of studies have looked at the value of this kind of remote care, especially for chronic conditions, follow-up after hospitalization and some types of behavioral health. The cost savings have prompted the federal government and all 50 states to adopt at least some telehealth care for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Virtual visits make sense when an in-person medical appointment is inconvenient or impossible, such as during the employee’s workday, after physician office hours or on the weekend. Virtual care can help with minor, nonemergency medical conditions like a bladder or urinary tract infection, respiratory or sinus infection, pinkeye, rash, stomachache, diarrhea or migraine headache.

For those with chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease, telehealth can make regular check-ins with their personal doctor easier, helping them stay on top of their health. Tele-behavioral health is in particularly high demand due to the added privacy of being “seen” in one’s own home.

Several benefits are fueling the growing demand for virtual care.

Time savings: There is no travel time, and little to no downtime from work.

Citing a time-usage study published in JAMA, American Well points out that virtual visits save 106 minutes per visit on average, compared to in-person care.

Affordability: Most consumers pay about $50 to $75 for a virtual visit. If their health plan covers the visit, their plan provisions typically apply, including

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

“Companies shouldn’t underestimate the value of employee input and the development of champions across job functions within the organization,” she says. “Employee well-being committees with an executive sponsor, defined membership requirements, training, and recognition, are more effective than those led by an HR team member simply delegating tasks.” Managers, too, play a decisive role in well-being programs, and can make or break their effectiveness, so a critical element is tools and training for managers on how they can help their employees thrive.

Key to any successful well-being program is collaboration, and this includes vendor partners, such as dental carriers, Employee Assistance Programs, financial advisors and health plans. She cautions employers, however, to keep control of their own strategic plan. “Employers who pivot to any one vendor or give up ownership of their strategic plan can easily lose their identity and be forced into a box that limits opportunities for members of their workforce,” she says.

Noting that employees are facing stress on many levels, Noll observes that, when their company acknowledges that challenge, reduces the stigma associated with getting help and fosters intrinsic motivation, their workforces engage in

well-being programs at a higher level. While a recent AARP lawsuit against the EEOC raised concerns among employers about regulations that impact their ability to offer incentives in exchange for participation in wellness programs, Noll suggests employers seek guidance from their benefits consultants and legal counsel on these matters and begin exploring if and how parts of their well-being programs may need to be tweaked to continue to comply with EEOC and several other laws that regulate these programs with the goals to include everyone in opportunities to improve health.

“There has been credible research that shows employees stay with companies, and supervisors, that care. Employees do their best work, they are more creative, productive and have better customer relations, when they show up to work happy and with the energy needed to perform at optimal levels.”

CBIZ cbiz.com Kinessage® Self Care kathleengramzay.com/kinessage MeMD memd.me Mental Health America of Arizona mhaarizona.org Redirect Health redirecthealth.com St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center stlukesbehavioralhealth.org

co-payments or co-insurance. Their payments also may count toward

a professional online and then get back to business while the child

their annual deductible. That’s far less expensive than a $150 visit to

rests at home. She’ll avoid taking a half-day to drive to urgent or

an urgent care center or a trip to the ER, which generally costs $1,700

emergency care — and spending significantly more — to be told to

or more.

wait it out.

Shorter wait times: When NewYork-Presbyterian’s Emergency

More importantly, the person who does have bronchitis can get

Department rolled out an on-site virtual care option, the wait time for

symptoms checked right away, day or night. He’ll be alerted to visit

lower-urgency ER visits plummeted from 2.5 hours to 40 minutes.

his regular doctor in person promptly — possibly avoiding having

Lower ER usage: Doctor on Demand, a telehealth provider, says about 50 percent of its patients would have gone to an emergency room or urgent care if they hadn’t accessed a video visit. Such costly and time-consuming care settings are best avoided for non-urgent situations.

WHY VIRTUAL VISITS WILL FLOURISH The earliest telemedicine technology involved a telephone

his condition degenerate into pneumonia and require a weeks-long recovery.

HOW TELEHEALTH CAN HELP BUSINESSES The upshot? When it comes to care utilization and cost, it’s important to look at the big picture, not a single study. Numerous studies have drawn conclusions that differ from those of the RAND research. In fact, data analyses of a much larger population (1.8

or spotty video connection. Today’s virtual technology, however,

million people) found that virtual care saves money — while resolving

enables care providers to clearly see symptoms like rashes, for

people’s health issues with just one visit in 90 percent of cases.

example, and take note of body language and a person’s appearance.

Moreover, virtual care helps people get the care they need when

Telehealth’s possibilities are especially compelling for employers.

Unplanned employee absences can amount to more than 20 percent

they need it, instead of second-guessing themselves — and possibly

of payroll costs each year. — Thomas J. Biuso, M.D., MBA, senior

waiting until they need more serious treatment. The distracted

medical director for the West Region of UnitedHealthcare and a

worker who wonders if her kid’s cold is actually bronchitis can ask

practicing hospitalist at Tucson Medical Center

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PEOPLE ARE KEY

Chat Bots Are the New HR Managers Automating can make HR more personal

by Beerud Sheth

Chat bots will continue to transform virtually every business function, from marketing to sales to customer support. One of the other areas where we’ll see a major transformation is Human Resources.

HR teams have a very challenging job with seemingly conflicting objectives: keeping employees focused and working hard while also keeping them happy and satisfied. HR teams are often held accountable for employee retention and churn without the ability to manage them directly. HR is expected to have a finger on the pulse of a very large employee base while operating with a very small team. HR teams find their responsibilities are vast and the goals are high — there’s rarely enough time or resources to do justice to it all. A lot of their time is invested in managing routine processes, which impacts the focus on higher-priority activities. Teams have limited time left over to offer employees the individual attention they need when handling sensitive personal issues. Even more reduced is the ability to proactively engage with employees, to guide and mentor them through their career paths.

Chat bots can help the HR professionals by dramatically amplifying their capabilities. Chat bots can help HR teams stay on top of the substantial responsibilities and achieve the impossible goals they have.

MINDING THE ROUTINE

Weekly Rick Rick Podcast ®® McCartney Podcast McCartney hosted hosted by by

LISTEN NOW: Join us for interesting, informative and inspiring conversations with top local businesspeople in the Greater Phoenix area.

Listen now at inbusinessphx.com.

Beerud Sheth is cofounder and CEO of Gupshup, the world’s most advanced bot and messaging platform.

It enables developers to quickly and easily build, test, deploy and manage chat bots across all messaging channels. gupshup.io

APR. 2018

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Chat bots can streamline complex processes that involve coordination with multiple individuals. For example, recruiting activities such as identifying and screening candidates, scheduling interviews and managing the recruiting life cycle for candidates and hiring managers can be substantially automated with chat bots. Chat bots are very good at having simultaneous conversations with multiple candidates, hiring managers and HR managers to drive closure.

Unlike simple process automation, chat bots can also be embedded with a little more intelligence to know when to escalate a situation for human intervention. For example, a candidate with a counter-offer and a decision deadline can be handled differently from other candidates. Chat bots can also re-activate old candidate databases and continuously refresh them by engaging in a continuous conversation with candidates. In fact, a startup called RoboRecruiter, built on the Gupshup platform, has developed a chat bot for automating the end-to-end recruitment process, with amazing results and improvements in productivity. Chat bots that keep in touch with employees can also be particularly useful in managing internal placements for large organizations, as discussed below.

Routine processes often consume a disproportionate amount of the HR manager’s time, and this is another area chat bots can help automate. Employee onboarding and orientation, for example, is ripe for automation; new employees account for a higher number of HR queries that can be easily automated.

Even regular processes such as attendance tracking, goal

To Bot or Not? Unlike simple process automation, chat bots can be embedded with a little more intelligence to know when to escalate a situation for human intervention.

tracking, performance review, employee surveys, leave balances and more can be substantially automated. A company called QuickWork has built chat bots that are automating HR and related business processes for many enterprises.

To be clear, even though most companies use HR systems to automate many tasks, chat bots make existing systems much more user-friendly than before, dramatically increasing the usage and compliance. It’s a lot easier and simpler for a user to chat with an HR bot (e.g., just send a chat message like, “I’m calling in sick tomorrow” or “what’s my leave balance?” or “approved”) than to log into the HR system and navigate through a structured, form-based menu for even the smallest of tasks.

ACCESS AND ANSWERS

Chat bots help HR become much more accessible to employees. They can provide instant, accurate responses to common queries. The more complex queries can be automatically escalated for human review and response.

Automating the frequently asked queries frees up HR teams to personally handle the more complex ones, which enables them to respond and intervene quickly in sensitive situations. This is especially useful during phases of change-management when businesses roll out major changes in organization or strategy.

These changes lead to a large number of employee queries in a very short time that have to be addressed very quickly to prevent issues from festering. The increased accessibility is particularly valuable to employees in remote locations, away from headquarters, who are deprived of the ability to have corridor conversations with HR teams.

Chat bots enable HR teams to engage with each employee on an individual, one-on-one basis consistent with their

BETTERING YOUR BUSINESS

personal situation and issues. A chat bot can maintain regular, proactive contact with each employee throughout the year to detect any issues that need to be escalated for human engagement. Tools such as natural language processing and sentiment mining can help chat bots detect anger, frustration, de-motivation, exhaustion and related issues. Based on these observations, chat bots may pull in an HR professional for human engagement. Chat bots may also proactively recommend vacation time, clubs and activities, or other resources available within or outside the organization. Chat bots may, optionally, help employees be physically active and healthy by recommending and tracking their daily exercise routines.

PERSONAL CONNECTION BY BOT

Chat bots can provide professional guidance and mentorship to each employee. Investing in the career growth of each employee is perhaps the highest ROI effort for HR teams and business organizations. Chat bots can develop customized learning and development plans for each individual. This can include both soft and hard skills that are required for professional success. Chat bots that are in regular touch with employees can help optimize internal placements in large organizations. Chat bots that come across good employees in unhappy roles can recommend other roles or teams to them. It’s better to transfer that employee to another team internally than lose him or her to another company. Chat bots can reinforce the culture of the organization by recommending appropriate developmental courses. Chat bots can assess employee skills and recommend courses and modules that employees can subscribe to. Chat bots can also connect them to mentors within the organization.

Chat bots can enable HR to become a source of competitive advantage for the organization. By tightly linking the organization from top to bottom and side to side, chat bots enable organizations to be more tightly coordinated and nimble. CEOs get full visibility into the organization and a stronger ability to steer it in the right direction. While sports teams surround their players with a phalanx of support, from personal trainers, conditioning coaches, counselors, doctors and physical therapists to support staff and admin staff — to optimize individual performance — such luxury is not available to most business organizations and their “players.” Chat bots can fill this huge gap by essentially becoming, to quite an extent, the friend, adviser, counselor, guide, therapist, strategist and more. Of course, it will take substantial technology for chat bots to be trained to their full potential, but that is becoming increasingly feasible.

Of course, there are important issues around privacy and confidentiality that must be addressed. However, HR conversations, by their very nature, tend to involve sensitive and personal information.

These issues can be suitably addressed by providing users and organizations adequate control over their data. Organizations and employees will have to rethink the “social contract”: How much information stays private to the employee and how much is shared with the employer? Who has access to what data and how much of it can be used for making decisions? How do we avoid dystopian “big-brother” scenarios while optimizing individual and organizational performance?

These are important issues that need to be thought through.

The challenges notwithstanding, the massive potential of chat bots to enhance individual and organizational performance is too big to ignore.

The opportunity is undeniable. Essentially, the chat bot can be an alwayson, highly engaged, extremely personalized companion — the perfect HR manager. HR teams that adopt chat bots will find themselves getting clo ser to successfully accomplishing the many impossible tasks and conflicting goals that their organizations place on them.

To Bot or Not? Automating the frequently asked queries frees up HR teams to personally handle the more complex ones, which enables them to respond and intervene quickly in sensitive situations.

Legacy in the Making Most of us are familiar with the traditional way of looking at legacy: something preserved in the past. This book, however, celebrates an active, dynamic form of “modern legacy,” seen through the eyes of a select group of extraordinary men and women who are pursuing their enduring ambitions in the age of now. More than caretakers of the past, these modern legacy builders are also the authors of a vital today and tomorrow. Rather than leaving their legacies behind them, they are looking ahead to harness their long-term ambitions and inspire others to help carry them forward. These are not static, traditional legacies. These are legacies in the making.

Legacy in the Making: Building a Long-Term Brand to Stand Out in a Short-Term World Mark Miller and Lucas Conley

276 pages

McGraw-Hill Education

$28

On shelves and online

Gracious and Strong From the first female executive vice president of Walmart Inc., Gracious and Strong reveals what it means to rise above the most uncertain leadership challenges and make essential hard-right decisions. We’ve all faced an unexpected left turn, the types of challenges that can be completely life-changing and put one in survival mode, causing one to question the core of who one really is. When challenges strike, often it’s our response to the event that determines our outcome. Learn how to make hard-right decisions that lead to life-changing opportunities. This book will help readers navigate obstacles while becoming an authentic leader who helps others navigate their lives, too.

Gracious and Strong: How to Rise Above the Unexpected Left Turns of Life and Leadership Celia Swanson

176 pages

Clovercroft Publishing

Available: 4/1/2018

$24.95

Leading Clarity Leading Clarity offers a bold proposal that changes the trajectory of one’s business and leadership. Today’s business environment is more complex than at any time in history, with greater ambiguity, chaos and uncertainty.

Too often, individuals and organizations become bogged down with competing priorities and the constant press of daily demands. This book provides a proven, time-tested strategy that has brought dynamic results to hundreds of organizations of all scopes and size. Informed by in-depth research conducted by the Deutser team — made up of business strategists, social scientists, organizational psychologists, innovation specialists and designers — the framework and methodologies presented will align focus and drive organizational performance Leading Clarity: The Breakthrough Strategy to Unleash People, Profit, and Performance Brad Deutser Wiley

272 pages Available: 4/10/2018

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APR. 33 2018 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

MINDING THEIR BUSINESS

Alexi Venneri: From Kitchen Table to Enterprise Prevailing through hard work, foresight and persistence in a male-dominated industry

by Steven G. Zylstra WHATEVER IT TAKES Alexi Venneri instills a “whatever it takes” attitude when it comes to serving Digital Air Strike clients and helping fellow employees. This approach translated into a reward system for employees who go above and beyond for the company and its clients through the “Whatever it Takes (WIT)” Award. This award helps to recognize the efforts of employees while creating a supportive and friendly company culture. Employees can even nominate their co-workers for going above and beyond for clients and one another.

Each month a half dozen individuals are chosen to be honored with prizes, ranging from cash and special parking spots to receiving a WIT glass desk trophy. In February, more than 30 employees were rewarded with an all-expenses-paid cruise through the Bahamas.

Steven G. Zylstra is president and CEO Arizona Technology Council.

APR. 2018

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Alexi Venneri was born an entrepreneur. She lost her mother at a very young age, so she took the lead with her younger brothers while her father worked long hours as a doctor.

Inspired by the stories she’d grown up hearing of the businesses her grandfather built and how depressions and wars didn’t deter him, she set up lemonade stands, built her own board games and wrote plays to then charge adult relatives to watch the performances she and her brothers would put on.

From childhood to adulthood, she was always a leader.

Venneri’s “whatever it takes” spirit made her a powerhouse, even in male-dominated sectors like professional sports, technology and automotive. She earned her B.A. in marketing, business and tourism from the University of Calgary, and went on to immigrate to the U.S. and then hold titles like chief marketing officer, vice president and president from Seattle to New York to Phoenix.

Then, in 2010, right after her business partner decided to close the advertising agency she was running for him, due to one of the worst recessions in American history, Venneri identified an opportunity to leverage emerging social networks to help businesses market better, faster and cheaper. “I instantly saw the advantage of using social media for business,” she says. “Working with the largest privatelyheld dealership group, I saw first-hand the positive impact fully managing the social networks had on organic search results and consumer satisfaction. My approach was to show business owners how managed social and reviews boosted all other advertising while helping reduce overall marketing budgets that were still heavy with traditional advertising.”

This led her to co-found Digital Air Strike, now a leading social media and reputation management firm in the United States and Canada, right at the kitchen table of her half-built Phoenix home that was on the brink of a short sale. “While some thought it risky to start a business during the recession, I saw a way for business owners to communicate even more with their customers in a new way all at a lower cost than other channels.” After just eight years in business, Digital Air Strike has continued to grow revenue and its client base as well as expanding the vertical markets it serves.

“From day one, I focused on prudent financial stewardship,

creating a dynamic inside sales team, building innovative products, focusing on client loyalty and establishing a workhard culture, all while recognizing our team for all their great work,” says Venneri. “This helped us get and stay on a steady growth path and even thrive during tough economic times.”

The company now employs more than 170 people based in four offices and has just completed its first acquisition.

Venneri exemplifies “lead by example.” As a veteran female leader, Venneri easily recognizes the benefits of having more women in leadership roles. She sees women demonstrate resilience, creativity and entrepreneurial passion every day, and cultivates these outstanding qualities by mentoring women into management, C-suites and board-of-directors roles.

“A crucial factor in the growth of a business is the people you surround yourself with,” Venneri says, emphasizing that a strong team of like-minded individuals who are committed to excellence is the cornerstone of success.

Some of Venneri’s first employees were graduates right out of college, and she continues to hire recent college graduates today. She helps them learn what it takes to become a highquality employee and nurtures them to become leaders themselves. Even though Venneri typically works 10- to 12-hour days, as do most entrepreneurial founders, she never runs out of time to teach and is known as a patient mentor who inspires her employees and local women through mentoring programs to be the best they can be. She has also created an extensive culture of giving back through “DAS Cares,” which selects at least one charity every month to support.

The importance of innovation also drives the work culture Venneri has created, as she reimagines the shape of things and puts creative individuals into action. She has directed her team to develop technology to stay ahead of the market. Venneri and her team have developed several new key digital marketing platforms, such as Mission Control, an omnichannel listening platform to gather and respond to consumer feedback, and Mobile Review Surge, a new texting platform to solicit feedback from customers while they are still onsite at a business. These and more innovative products, including social recruiting and artificial intelligence messaging, led to more than 300 percent growth for Digital Air Strike over the past four years.

What began at Venneri’s kitchen table is now a thriving enterprise that helps thousands of businesses — including seven of the largest automobile manufacturers — engage with their consumers on social media, improve and protect their online reputations, and respond better to customer questions.

BY MIKE HUNTER

APRIL 2018

Rick Weekly McCartney Podcast ® hosted by

Susan Kenny Stevens, Ph.D.

Arizona Association for Economic Development

Economic & Workforce Development Symposium

Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits

Workshop: Investing in Your Nonprofit’s Capacity

Tues., April 10 | 8:30a – 1:15p

Thurs., April 26 | 8:30a – 2:30p

Under the title “Future So Bright, Must Wear Shades,” the Arizona Association for Economic Development’s symposium program is a vital mix of speakers and opportunity to mingle for meaningful table talk with the other attendees.

Keynote speaker Joseph Bocanegra, vice president of customer success for ZipRecruiter — the No. 1 job search app on Android and iOS — will discuss non-traditional approaches to attracting talent. Trevor Stokes, workforce program manager for the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, will share the latest statistics on the state’s labor force and how the data can be accessed.

The symposium will also feature a panel discussion on “The New Norm – Where the Workforce is Coming From.” The panelists will be Ian Rourke, vice president of workforce development for Pima Community College; Mark Paratore, economic development specialist for the City of Scottsdale; and Kim Owens, executive director for YearUp. They will share unique ways they are making a difference in our future workforce. Jessica Pierce, executive director, Arizona’s Career Connector, will serve as moderator.

Additionally, Richard Wilkie, CEcD, AZED Pro, director of economic development for the City of Casa Grande, will provide a manufacturing update on Lucid Motors, an electric car company, and its plans to build a multi-milliondollar plant in Casa Grande that will employ a workforce of 2,000 by 2022. He will discuss how the community is collaborating in preparing the workforce for the high-tech positions.

—Mike Hunter

Using seven lifecycle stages to describe predictable growing pains nonprofits experience at each stage of organizational development, this session will present a practical way to think about and approach nonprofit capacity. Speaker is Susan Kenny Stevens, Ph.D., a highly sought-after nonprofit management consultant.

The workshop is based on Dr. Stevens' award-winning book Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity and is ideal for executives and board members of nonprofits small and large, seasoned or just starting out. In addition to learning about an organization’s capacity using the four “table legs” and developing a personalized Capacity Improvement Plan, nonprofits will work on a case study that reinforces the educational content and receive a do-it-yourself diagnostic tool for assessing each organization’s own capacity.

After the workshop, nonprofit CEOs will send a questionnaire to CEOs and executive directors of attending organizations asking for capacity improvement plans, both short- and longterm, and current Lifecycle Placement.

Participants who complete the follow-up Capacity Improvement Plan administered by the Alliance will be eligible for an hour-and-a-half consultation from a trained and experienced nonprofit lifecycle consultant with the purpose of clarifying and providing direction on capacity improvement goals. A final questionnaire will be sent some months later to track progress.

Organizational registrations are available for teams of CEO/ executive director, board chairs and incoming board chairs, and other key staff team members. The CEO/executive director must attend. It is ideal if the board chair or one board member would be present, but not required. There is a three-ticket minimum and a five-ticket maximum per organization that will be strictly enforced. Registration is limited to approximately 15 to 20 organizations.

—Jennifer Purcell

Members: $75; non-members: $100; after 12p on April 5: $125 Phoenix Country Club 2901 N. 7th St., Phoenix aaed.com

Members: $45; non-members: $69 Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center – Band Building 300 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix

APRIL 2018

arizonanonprofits.org

S M T W T F S

LISTEN NOW Join us for interesting, informative and inspiring conversations with top local businesspeople in the Greater Phoenix area.

Listen now at inbusinessphx.com.

SAVE THE DATE

Upcoming and notable ‘The Future is Now – Setting Arizona’s Trajectory’ May

2

Wed. – Fri., May 2 – 4

AAED’s annual conference will feature educational programming plus the EDDE Awards banquet. aaed.com 5th Annual Arizona Food and Farm Forum May

8

Tues. – Wed, May 8 – 9

Held at The Farms at Agritopia, the forum’s aim is to influence the way Arizona feeds itself and does business locally. localfirstazfoundation.org/ azfoodforum 25th Anniversary Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame Dinner May

Thurs., May 10

10

The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Presenting Sponsor the Scottsdale Charros will honor the people and organizations who have contributed so greatly to the legacy of making the City of Scottsdale one of the “best cities to live” in the nation. scottsdalechamber.com

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16 17 18 19 20 21 22 APRIL 2018 NOTABLE DATES 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Sun., April 1 — Easter 30

Sat., April 7 —Passover (Ends)

Tues., April 17 — Tax Day Sun., April 22 — Earth Day

APR. 35 2018 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

APRIL 2018 Tues., April 3

Wed., April 11

11:30 – 1:15p

Hats Contest & Lunch West Valley Women

Economic Club of Phoenix

The Annual Hats Contest & Lunch. Prizes will be awarded for the best vintage, all about me, decorated by hand, so beautiful and judge’s choice hat. Come join West Valley Women, where one can experience the Art of Networking.

Terri Kelly is president and CEO of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Gore is known for products that solve tough technical challenges in demanding environments, including GORE-TEX® fabric and minimally invasive medical devices and cables used in space exploration, among other advanced technologies. Kelly serves on the board of directors for the Nemours Foundation — one of the nation’s leading children’s healthcare systems — and on the board of trustees for the University of Delaware, and is a member of the Management Executives’ Society, G100 and the International Women’s Forum.

Members: $30; non-members: $35 Arizona Broadway Theatre 7701 W. Paradise Ln., Peoria westvalleywomen.org Wed., April 4

Mon., April 9

8:00a – 11:30a

Negotiating a Deal with Private Equity Private equity transactions often present unique issues, particularly when they buy only part of a business. Take a deep dive into agreement terms, negotiations and closing the deal. Learn the management structure and voting rights. Understand methods of dividing the income from the business. Apply tax structures and working capital reserves in theory for evaluation. The instructor for this session will be Rick Lieberman, chairman of Corporate, Securities & Finance Development with Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC. Free ASBA Business Education Center

4600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

asba.com 1

1:00p – 4:30p

7th Annual AZ-NIGP & GCCNIGP Reverse Trade Show

Arizona Small Business Association

11:30a – 1:30a

Executive of the Year Award Luncheon

Mesa Chamber of Commerce Designed specifically for the small business, n ew startup business, local “Mom & Pop” shop, and historically underutilized business owner/operator.

$85

$15 in advance; at the door: $20

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

Mesa Convention Center, Building C

5350 E. Marriott Dr., Phoenix

201 N. Center St., Mesa

wpcarey.asu.edu/economic-club

mesachamber.org 4

5

7

9

Sat., April 7

10

9:30a – 11:30a

Strategic Business Introduction

10:00a – 1:00p

More Sales in Less Time- Successful Prospecting And Selling Techniques For You And Your Sales Team Arizona Technology Council “More Sales in Less Time – Successful Prospecting And Selling Techniques For You And Your Sales Team” will cover how prospects gain the upper hand during the sales process, why traditional sales approaches turn you into an unpaid consultant, why most prospecting methods are ineffective, how to avoid wasting time preparing proposals that won’t win any business, and more. The Sandler seven-step sales process is a way to break the rules and sell more, more easily. Find a better way. Get more prospects. Close more deals. Save more time.

Members: free; non-members: $47

11:00a – 1:00p

Signature Education Lunch North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

eWomenNetwork Phoenix/ Scottsdale

Thurs., April 5

Tues., April 10

11

This is a business development experience with an intimate group of dynamic women. Attendees will benefit from the “Wisdom Circle” process. Hosted

by Karen Russo of The Money Keys.

Members: $50; non-members: $75 Pathways of Grace 1428 E. Northern Ave., Phoenix ewomennetwork.com/chapters/phoenixscottsdale-511

Featured Guest Speaker: MaddieRose Holler, Miss Arizona 2017.

Holler is a journalism and mass communication major at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School and The Barrett Honors College. Inspired by her father’s 20 years of service in the U.S. Navy and her brother’s active duty service, she embraced her service platform Supporting Our Military and Their Families. Working with a number of charitable organizations in the valley, she currently serves as President of Military Family Support Group, an Arizona 501c3 that is dedicated to assisting our nation’s troops by providing them with individually packed care packages.

Members: $20; non-members: $25; at the door: $30 at the door (cash only) Location tba northphoenixchamber.com

Wed., April 11

8:00a – 11:30a

You Have an Idea, Now What?

Arizona Small Business Association

2800 N. Central Ave., Phoenix

The traditional startup journey is flawed. Attendees will learn how to create their own path to entrepreneurial success; determine if an idea is market-worthy; learn how to validate an idea, ensuring market fit; and discover methods to reduce risk to the venture. Instructor will be Rick Stoddard, partner with Coplex.

aztechcouncil.org

Free

Arizona Technology Council

ASBA Business Education Center

APR. 2018

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INBUSINESSPHX.COM

For more events, visit “Business Events” at www.inbusinessphx.com

4600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

Please confirm, as dates and times are subject to change.

asba.com

Tues., April 17

Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

Chandler Chamber of Commerce

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams will share updates from the City of Phoenix Police Department, and an overview of how public safety officials are working with business and community leaders to contribute to an increasingly strong region. A panel discussion with community and business leaders will examine the ways in which we can work together to ensure our communities remain safe, connected and prosperous.

In addition, a behind-the-scenes presentation from the Phoenix Police Department will showcase how officers are trained and taught to adapt to a multitude of situations.

Each month’s speaker is an expert in his or her field who will offer insight and answer questions on topics vital to success in today’s business world.

Members: $35; non-members: $75

25 S. Arizona Pl., Chandler

Wed., April 18

7:30a – 9:00a

4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix

phoenixchamber.com

Mixer: Community Banking Month

Tip Club, Inc.

Local First AZ

Powerful business networking event comes with a unique twist: a structured format that allows for spotlight introductions followed by a “lightning round” so connections are made instantly.

Free for first-time guests

The gathering welcomes local businesses and their employees to create meaningful, genuine connections that build trust, loyalty and business opportunities, in a fun, casual setting. This month's mixer is celebrating Community Banking Month, with representatives from local banks and credit unions and #MoveYourMoney.

Northwestern Mutual – 1st Floor, Anchor Centre Lounge

Free

2201 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix

The Newton

tipclub.com

localfirstaz.com

13

17

Members: $5; non-members: $10 Chandler Chamber Office chandlerchamber.com

6:00p – 8:00p

Phoenix Business Networking Event

Fri., April 13

Noon – 1:00p

Ask an Expert

Musical Instrument Museum Tues., April 17

Tues., April 24

9:00a – 10:30a

Valley Voices Presents Activating Community Engagement

300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix

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24 Tues., April 24

7:00a – 9:00a

8:00a – 9:00a

First Friday Networking Breakfast

Coffee with the Mayor 2018

Glendale Chamber of Commerce

Chandler Chamber of Commerce

This month’s speaker will be United Blood Services, speaking on the topic of Bloodhound University: How We Collect Blood to Serve Valley Patients. The monthly event always closes with a raffle.

Enjoy coffee with Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny at the Chamber office. It is a great way to find out what is going on in the city for businesses and community.

Members: $20; non-members: $60

Free

Cuff Restaurant

Chandler Chamber of Commerce

5819 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale

25 S. Arizona Pl., Chandler

glendaleazchamber.org

Tues., April 17

Tues., April 17

Leveraging Technology to Keep Your Competitive Edge

8:00a – 11:30a

Build a High-Performance Culture through Effective Leadership

11:30a – 1:00p

Arizona Technology Council and Sonoran Integrations

Attendees will learn how to motivate employees through useful goal setting, create overall company goals and action items, coach direct reports effectively, and establish employee responsibility for critical outcomes. The instructor will be Mary Henry, managing partner with Impetus Solutions, LLC.

Technology and consumer’s attitudes are greatly shifting businesses’ go-to market strategies toward a customer success model. This session will focus on utilizing IoT integrations to everyday business tools in order to obtain five-star ratings. Attendees will learn how to prepare their business to take advantage of the significant IoT advancements we are seeing in the marketplace today. Lunch is included.

Free

Members: free; non-members: $15

ASBA Business Education Center

Galvanize

4600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

aztechcouncil.org

Arizona Small Business Association

chandlerchamber.com

515 E Grant St, Phoenix

asba.com

If your event is directed to helping build business in Metro Phoenix, please send us information to include it in the In Business Magazine events calendar. Full calendar online. events@inbusinessmag.com

APR. 37 2018 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

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2018 GMC TERRAIN DENALI MSRP: $37,600 City: 22 mpg Hwy: 28 mpg Trans: 9-speed automatic 0-60 mph: 6.8 sec.

2018 GMC Terrain Denali The all-new Terrain Denali is designed to deliver performance of the highest level. The 2.0-liter Turbocharged Gas engine delivers premium responsiveness and efficiencies.

With 252 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, this nine-speed machine will dart through traffic and impress in rough terrain.

A midsize SUV, the Terrain Denali is luxury and utility in one. Bold styling, a powerful stance and exclusive features announce the next chapter of design from GMC and set a new standard for compact SUVs. The signature C-shaped lighting and headlamps provide brilliant LED light to help cut through darkness and fog, while C-shaped lighting on the tail lamps complete Terrain Denali’s strong design from front to back.

Terrain’s new design is elevated by Denali-specific chrome accents like chrome body side molding on the lower door, chrome roof rails, door handles and side mirror caps.

The Terrain Denali takes first-class comfort and versatility to the next level. Intricate design details throughout the interior deliver distinctive Denali style, including the French-stitched, leather-appointed seats and the embroidered Denali logo on the headrests. Real burnished aluminum accents and front aluminum sill-plates add to the exclusive Denali styling. The

Joltin’ Joe Many of our days at the office start with our favorite brew of caffeine as a necessary jolt to kick ourselves into gear. Here are some travel mugs that can help give a boost to that commute from home to office — and keep that drink handy for hours on the desk.

—RaeAnne Marsh

APR. 2018

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INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Bose Premium 7-Speaker Sound System produces premium sound throughout the entirety of Denali’s spacious cabin. The Rear Vision Camera System will alert the driver to everything around it, and the available built-in 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot lets passengers stay connected to the Internet. The new fold-flat front passenger seat can accommodate items up to eight feet in length along a front-to-back flat load — truly demonstrating “utility” in SUV. —Mike Hunter GMC gmc.com

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Denali Moniker: The Denali nameplate started as the top-of-the-line version of the GMC Yukon for the 1999 model year. “Denali” is derived from the traditional, native name of the tallest mountain in North America, which is also the name of the national park that surrounds the mountain as well as a state park.

Photos courtesy of GMC (top, left), Contigo, Ziloes, Thermos (bottom)

Healthcare

APR. 2018

IN BUSINESS

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SAME FIRM, NEW NAME. THE FRUTKIN LAW FIRM IS NOW RADIX LAW.

The word Radix in Latin means “root”: the root of a tree, the root of knowledge, or the root of a number.

Our new name reflects our values. We are a business law firm that knows the law, helps our clients pursue opportunities and deal with challenges, and we are rooted right here in Arizona.

15205 N. Kierland Blvd., Suite 200 Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Phone: (602) 606-9300 radixlaw.com

KFNX Exclusively Features Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage Ranked Top Ten Shows in the Country

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MEALS THAT MATTER

BY RAEANNE MARSH

Gino’s East – from Chicago to Phoenix

ZUCCHINI SPIRAL PASTA Zucchini noodles, pesto, mushroom, cherry tomato, Romano $10

GINO'S SUPREME Pepperoni or Italian sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms $20

Gino’s East of Chicago brought a little of its namesake city with it when the pizza parlor expanded into Phoenix. The walls are hung with pictures of the city’s iconic landmarks.

But there’s still plenty of room for the brand’s signature décor element: guests’ signatures and personal messages scrawled on every visible wall surface — even such seemingly inaccessible spots as the topmost stretches at the ceiling edge. Guests embraced the opportunity so eagerly that the Phoenix store, which opened just over a year ago, is already on successive layers of the management-encouraged graffiti.

A few strategically placed big-screen TV’s afford sports viewing to all the seats in the house, whether in the main dining room, the smaller room behind it, or the lounge and its patio extension.

There’s plenty of variety on the menu — including items that may be surprising, such as beignets for dessert — but the family-owned operation is justly well known for its distinctive deep-dish pizza. The crust is more reminiscent of corn bread than the common stretched yeast dough, and retains is fluffy, flaky character even reheated. Tasty sauce and a flavorful mix of cheeses — also proprietary recipes — are in perfect proportion to complement rather than overwhelm one

another. Recognizing a “deep dish boom,” the owners added an extreme version of the deep-dish pizza, DeepAF — featuring 33 percent more dough, 75 percent more cheese and double the toppings — to the lineup last year.

Lunch specials aside from pizza include an Italian beef sandwich, a turkey club and hot salami, each served on its own special bread and with a salad and drink — accommodating lunch hour schedules with a promised 15-minute prep time and the convenience of a call-ahead option.

Gino’s East brought in Eddie Matney, an award-winning chef and a leader in the local culinary community, as a kitchen consultant to contribute R&D on quality and tweaks to improve flavor. “We’re not as corporate out here,” says Dalton Derenne, general manager of the Gino’s East Arizona location.

Phoenix joins a limited geography for Gino’s East of Chicago.

Outside of Chicago, the restaurant previously had locations only in Wisconsin, Texas and Mexico.

Gino’s East of Chicago 3626 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix (602) 441-0704 ginoseast.com

Celebrity Chefs Do Lunch, Too The Valley is known for many celebrity chefs — too many to mention, in fact. Here are a few of their lunch hot spots to tempt the palate and likely allow patrons to engage with the on-property celeb chef himself. (They are also all longtime community supporters who

APR. 2018

40

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Geordie’s Restaurant and Lounge

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thin-crust pizzas to homemade pastas, his

2501 E. Telawa Trail, Phoenix

chorizo broth, pulled chicken, rock shrimp

dishes are not to be missed. The paninis

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5700 E. McDonald Dr., Scottsdale

3930 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix

(480) 607 2300 • sanctuaryoncamelback.com

(602) 224-0225 • vincentsoncamelback.com

The crust-topped-by-tomato-sauce-topped-by-cheeses-topped-by-other-toppings order of flat-bread pizza is turned upside-down for deep-dish pizzas as the longer baking time required for the thicker crust could cause the cheeses to burn if they were on top.

Photos courtesy of Gino's East of Chicago (top, far left), Vincent Market Bistro (right)

work with hundreds of local nonprofits to help raise money.)

Spring 2O18 • aztechcouncil.org

IN THIS ISSUE 2 The Sporting Life

Arizona Technology Report

Arizona Technology Council: The Voice of the Technology Industry

President’s Message

When it comes to career opportunities, everyone deserves a chance.

That’s the message a group of Arizona 3 Science for All Technology Council members and I took Tax credit supports STEM efforts in to Washington, D.C., recently as we met Title I schools with lawmakers and their staff on Capitol 4 Tech Champion Steven G. Zylstra, Hill as part of the annual CompTIA DC President and CEO, Arizona Council CEO gets national honor Technology Council Fly-In. (More details on page 4 of this from peers section.)

5 Arizona Science Bowl In meetings throughout the day, we Students compete for chance to shared our concerns about workers shine in national spotlight lacking the skills needed to sustain a new economy built on technology. The state of this “skills gap,” as it is known, were detailed in a 2017 report issued by the The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona’s premier trade association for trade association CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association). For example, science and technology companies.

96 percent of the 600 IT and business executives surveyed believed too many workers lack advanced skills.

Phoenix Office However, instead of telling members of the Arizona delegation to just fix it, we 2800 N. Central Ave., Suite 1530 offered a ready-made solution. We asked them to cosponsor the bipartisan Championing Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: 602-343-8324 • Fax: 602-343-8330 Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology (CHANCE in Tech) Act info@aztechcouncil.org that was introduced in both the House and Senate last summer.

The proposal would provide hands-on, real-world upskilling by creating educational Tucson Office and job opportunities for high school students, early college STEM students, and The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park postsecondary students. It would encourage high schools to redouble their career 9040 S. Rita Rd., Ste. 1150 (near I-10 & Rita Rd.) training efforts, ensuring students are provided with a strong STEM and IT career Tucson, AZ 85747 technology curriculum and diverse career pathway counseling. Additionally, it would Phone: 520-382-3281 • Fax: 520-382-3299 create an intermediary body to drive industry-led, public-private partnerships to prepare tucson@aztechcouncil.org a bigger pipeline of tech professionals.

Why is the measure focused on technology? If you think about it, which MANAGEMENT AND STAFF industry is not touched by technology? The gross output of the sector Steven G. Zylstra President + CEO exceeds that of legal services, automotive, airline, motion pictures, hospitality Leigh Goldstein COO + Vice President, Programs + Events and restaurants, to name just a few examples. Additionally, the skills are Linda Surovick Director, Finance + Administration highly transferrable, as 80 percent of technology jobs are standard to related Lauren Witte Director, Marketing + Communication jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and others.

Deborah Zack Senior Director, Membership Services Brian Krupski Director, Membership Services Even better, the public-private partnership created would be industryLaura DeGeorge Executive Assistant to President + CEO led, not just another program dictated by government. And no new taxpayer Jeff Sales Executive Director, Southern Arizona Regional Office dollars would be needed. In the last budget, $90 million was set aside for Jamie Neilson Operations Manager, Southern Arizona Regional Office apprenticeship activities, which could be used to help fund the bill.

Don Rodriguez Editor It was a pleasant surprise for our group to learn in our meeting with Rep. Ron Schott Executive Emeritus, Phoenix Kyrsten Sinema that she already was aware of the proposed CHANCE in Tech Don Ruedy Executive Emeritus, Tucson Act. In fact, she immediately agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

Justin Williams Executive Emeritus, Tucson As for the others we met that day, we worked to bring them up to speed ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL FOUNDATION on the issue as we made our case. Fortunately, they all seemed to believe they Jeremy Babendure, Ph.D., Ex.ecutive Director could support the measure based on what they heard from us and committed Kelly Green, Director, Arizona Operations to have their staff study it further. A “maybe” is still better than a “no.”

Marisa Ostos, Director, Arizona SciTech Festival Kaci Fankhauser, AmeriCorps VISTA All we want is a CHANCE. Committee quickly moves into new arena of eSports

WHO WE ARE

Kal Mannis, AZ Rural and International Initiatives Sabrina Foy, Accounting Assistant

aztechcouncil.org

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

1

Set of the Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship

The Sporting Life

Committee quickly moves into new arena of eSports Say “Fiesta Bowl” and college football comes to mind. But when the organization that even has staged national championships wanted to enter the arena of competitive video games, its leaders sought help from a new part of the Arizona Technology Council: the eSports Subcommittee of the Game Industry Committee.

Fiesta Bowl organizers were looking for help drawing awareness to its new Overwatch Collegiate National Championship — the first partnership between a college football bowl organization and a game publisher, says Executive Director Mike Nealy. The top four North America college teams for Overwatch — a team-based, online video game — competed Feb. 17 at Arizona State University. “The Council helped promote our event to its members and tangential audiences, which led to a packed house and a passionate group of cosplayers (who dressed as their favorite game characters) at the event,” he says. “The Council is a valuable resource when entering this arena.”

Not a bad endorsement considering the eSports Subcommittee had just launched in October, only nine months after the Game Industry Committee came into being. “Our proactive approach identified eSports as a hot industry that is here to stay,” says Brian Krupski, the Council’s director of membership services who also serves as

2

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

staff liaison to the committee.

The Committee was created to serve as a platform for software developers, game designers, technology decision makers, educators and game enthusiasts to learn about the trends and advances in the industry, and to collaborate, partner and share information with the Arizona technology industry. Companies such as Waden Kane Game Studios, Rare Labs and Microsoft were among the companies that readily became involved. Leading the committee as cochairmen are Ben Reichert, founder of Game CoLab, and Alan Gershenfeld, president and co-founder of E-Line Media.

While the early focus was the game industry, Krupski says by fall eSports topics started to dominate many of the committee meetings. That led to changing the monthly meeting calendar to alternate between the game industry and eSports. In addition, he says, “We started elevating eSports to [outside agency] levels, having economic development folks involved in our group discussions to put it on their radars as a potential new economic sector in tech.”

Such an impact was evident with the Overwatch competition. “We’ve heard that our event was seen by others in college athletics as a huge moment in raising the profile of collegiate eSports,” Nealy says.

“This partnership has expanded the Fiesta

Bowl’s brand into new audiences to share our community impact and really to do what we do best: bring major events to the state of Arizona.”

Such results are not entirely surprising.

“Leagues are being formed, rules are being structured, business models are being tested out,” Gershenfeld says of eSports. “It’s an incredible time for innovation.” For example, he says, a university like Arizona State University could have its business students studying new models for eSports while other departments could be looking at complex technology that not only goes into the games but ensuring the games work as a sport.

In conversations with eSports team owners at a conference recently, Gershenfeld says there was some conjecture of Phoenix becoming a destination for eSports athletes to do training on those occasions when they come together. “I think there’s an opportunity for what Phoenix and Florida did with spring training for baseball to do an analogy for eSports that’s unique to our city,” he says.

Can Gershenfeld see the committee playing a role? “Absolutely,” he says without hesitation. “It’s really just talking to the owners, talking to the players and seeing if there would be a demand for this — what type of infrastructure, what would make it really exciting, what would enable it to build into a movement.”

New Director at the Helm of SciTech Festival

Science for All

Tax credit supports STEM efforts in Title I schools The Chief Science Officers (CSO) program was launched to help sixth- through 12thgraders in Arizona and beyond ultimately develop technical and employability skills through STEM activities. However, this collaborative initiative of the Arizona Technology Council Foundation and Arizona Commerce Authority may be only scratching the surface to help develop the potential of students in some schools in involved with CSO. Science for All is a new qualifying charitable organization that will enable CSO to provide services currently out of reach for member schools that are considered Title I, referring to those institutions with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families that receive financial assistance to help ensure all students meet challenging state academic standards. “There’s a lot of potential to raise charitable giving dollars and have them go towards Title I communities that the CSOs are in and support those CSOs,” says Jeremy Babendure, executive director of the Arizona Technology Council Foundation.

Donations to Science for All qualify for a dollar-for-dollar Arizona charitable tax credit, which is a reduction of the taxpayer’s income tax liability compared to a deduction that reduces a taxpayer’s income that would otherwise be taxable. The maximum credit per year is $400 for taxpayers filing as single, head of household, or married filing separately; and $800 for taxpayers filing as married filing jointly.

Currently, about two out of every three CSO schools in Arizona are considered Title I, Babendure says. “There’s a heck of a lot more that we could start working with” for the schools through Science for All, he says. For example, funds could support a coordinator who could focus on the student CSOs in the Title I schools to help cultivate their soft skills.

“Having the ability to have somebody who could be on the ground doing that and spending the intimate time with those to make that happen could be a good use of that money,” he says. Another possibility is covering the costs of field trips to STEM events and other opportunities.

While a donation to Science for All may result in both a state income tax credit and a federal income tax deduction, consult a tax professional for advice about your specific situation. For more information, go to www.scienceforallaz.org.

aztechcouncil.org

For anyone who has even been to an event staged as part of the Arizona SciTech Festival, there’s a good chance that Marisa Ostos has been right there, too. “I think she’s done more, seen more events, gone to more events than anybody around,” says Jeremy Babendure, Arizona SciTech’s executive director. “She just has passion for it.”

It’s fitting Ostos marks her sixth year with the festival — starting as an intern while attending Arizona State University — as the director of the statewide phenomenon that this year is expected to draw more than 450,000 attendees. Of the promotion from her previous role as assistant director, Ostos says, “It was exciting to hear that I had the opportunity to help steer the SciTech Festival in a direction that I thought would really help to become even more amazing than it already was with Jeremy’s vision.”

She certainly has the grounding for the job, having served in such roles as manager of the festival’s volunteer and STREET Team, as well as community liaison between the festival and its more than 100 signature events and community partners. Her background also has helped, as she comes to the organization as an interdisciplinary studies/psychology and history major after switching from molecular bioscience. “I always had a base in the sciences,” she says.

The position also gives her the chance to continue witnessing the festival’s impact firsthand. For example, when doing STEM activities as part of community outreach, she has seen entire families touched. While parents don’t really like to get involved with the experiments initially, “after a while they sometimes are the ones who become more gung ho about trying out everything.” Still, it’s hard to believe anyone could be more gung ho than Ostos.

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

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Tech Champion

Council CEO gets national honor from peers Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, was named a 2018 Tech Champion by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the world’s leading technology association.

Zylstra was recognized for his leadership in championing technology policy in Arizona and his commitment to the Council and its members, and his civic and community affairs.

“This is a tremendous honor for the Arizona Technology Council and myself,” says Zylstra. “The work that the Council does is critical to the continued growth of Arizona’s technology sector. I am very thankful for this recognition of our success, as well as the impact that CompTIA has on technology at the international, national and state levels.”

The Tech Champion awards recognize leaders and legislators who are outstanding advocates for the technology industry and have shown consistent support for this vital

economic sector. The award was presented to Zylstra during an awards dinner at CompTIA’s annual DC Fly-In. “Under Steve’s leadership, the Arizona Technology Council has made the Grand Canyon State a top destination in the country for technology companies and cutting-edge innovation,” says Elizabeth Hyman, executive vice president, public advocacy, CompTIA. “His work pushing for R&D tax credits, increased workforce training and substantive tax cuts are just a few of the reasons tech companies are flocking to Arizona. CompTIA has worked with Steve for nearly a decade, and we are honored to present him with the Tech Champion Award.”

In 2017, he was instrumental in getting lawmakers to pass pro-business and progrowth legislative initiatives, including the extension and continued expansion of the R&D Tax Credit program until 2021 to give Arizona

Lawmakers Hear from Tech-Focused Constituents A group of Arizona Technology Council members recently had the chance to let their voices be heard when they walked the halls of Congress to meet with members of the Arizona delegation and key staff members during the 2018 CompTIA DC Fly-In. The annual event brings together more than 100 solution providers, vendors and other IT professionals to discuss industry trends, issues and legislation in both state houses and the nation’s capital. CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) is the world’s leading technology association, with approximately 2,000 member companies.

Leading the Council’s group was Steven G. Zylstra, its president and CEO. He was joined by: • David Bolman, provost of Tempe-based University of Advancing Technology, who also is a member of the Council’s board of directors • Laken Ferreira, associate government affairs manager at Axon • Ana Greif, program manager at Pima Community College

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ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

• Joe Marvin, president of Goodyear-based Prime Solutions Group • Michael Rockford, founder and CEO of Chandler-based RadialSpark • Victor Serna, principal of Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler • Kelly Sharp, chief marketing officer of RadialSpark The highlight of the two-day event was the series of Feb. 14 meetings on Capitol Hill. The Arizona members met with: • Republican Sen. Jeff Flake • Rep. Andy Biggs, R-District 5 • Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-District 7 • Rep. Paul Gosar, R-District 4 • Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-District 3 • Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-District 9 • Katherina Dimenstein, legislative director for Rep. David Schweikert, R-District 6 • Bryan McVal, legislative director for Rep. Martha McSally, R-District 2 • Xenia Ruiz, legislative director for Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-District 1

the top R&D tax credit in the entire nation.

Zylstra also rallied the state’s technology community to lobby for the recapitalization of the Angel Investor Tax Credit, which resulted in $10 million being put back into the program with the goal of boosting state investments.

His award was presented by Skip Newberry, CEO of the Technology Association of Oregon and chairman of the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA). In addition, Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., were named 2018 Tech Champions to recognize their efforts in Congress.

Pictured (l to r): Victor Serna, Joe Marvin, Michael Rockford, David Bolman, Laken Ferreira, Rep. Paul Gosar, Steven G. Zylstra, Kelly Sharp

Pictured (l to r): Rockford, Sharp, Bolman, Sen. Jeff Flake, Zylstra, Serna, Ferreira, Marvin, Ana Greif, Legislative Assistant Brian Canfield

Pictured (l to r): Marvin, Sharp, Rockford, Ferreira, Serna, Rep. Andy Biggs, Zylstra

Arizona Science Bowl

Students compete for chance to shine in national spotlight Quickly: From the LEAST to the MOST, what are the three most abundant elements in a G-type star?

If your answer was hydrogen, helium and carbon, move to the head of the class.

That’s an example of one of the easier questions you might have faced as a contestant in the High School Division of the Arizona Science Bowl, the regional event of the National Science Bowl presented recently by the Arizona Technology Council Foundation and Solugenix Corporation.

Coming in first was the team from BASIS Chandler, which will advance to the National Science Bowl finals April 26-30 in Washington, D.C. “I am proud to oversee a department that provides such a unique and empowering opportunity for our nation’s students, and I am honored to congratulate BASIS Chandler in advancing to the National Finals, where they will continue to showcase their talents as the top minds in math and science.” says U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, whose department sponsors the national competition.

The National Science Bowl brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a fastpaced, question-and-answer format to solve technical problems and answer questions on a range of science disciplines. To reach this level, more than 9,000 high school students and 4,500 middle school students were expected to compete in 65 high school and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl tournaments.

In the Arizona high school competition, second place went to BASIS Mesa, and Hamilton High School in Chandler finished third. They were among 32 teams from throughout the state that competed, says Crystal Kolosick, digital marketing specialist at Solugenix, who serves as regional coordinator

Winning team from BASIS Chandler

for the Arizona Science Bowl. The high school question categories were biology, chemistry, earth and space science, energy, mathematics, and physics.

The middle school tournament was scheduled to be held March 10 (which is after the print deadline for this April issue) with 26 teams. “We actually have three teams that are going to be coming from Nevada to participate in our event because they don’t have an event in Nevada,” says Kolosick. The middle school question categories are to be life science, physical science, earth and space science, energy, mathematics, and general science.

The top 16 high school teams and the top 16 middle school teams in the national finals will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments. More than 275,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl in its 27-year history.

If you think this all means a lot of questions need to be developed and asked, you are right. Just imagine the size of the books that need to be compiled for judges to use in the competitions. At least, that’s what has been happening in Arizona — until this year.

Kolosick says the high school contest marked the debut of converting the files to PDFs and uploading them to tablets used by the eight moderators and eight rules judges.

“Rather than using up all this paper we decided to go paperless, reduce our footprint a bit and also save ourselves lots of headaches” in assembling question books, she says. “Moderators were able to get the questions ahead of time in a PDF format and rehearse, and we benefited from it because we were able to save a lot of time and money by making it all digital.”

In addition, organizers in Arizona have been working on an app to make the scorekeeping and timekeeping functions more integrated and completely digital, Kolosick says. At the end of each round, the app would transmit the scores so those not in the same room as the competitors see the scores immediately. The first real-time trial for the app is planned for one of the competition rooms of the March middle school tournament. “It’s kind of a very streamlined way of doing it, so we’re kind of excited about that,” she says.

New Operations Manager Named in Tucson Jamie Neilson has joined the Arizona Technology Council as its new operations manager, Southern Arizona based at its office in Tucson.

In her role, Neilson will oversee the Council’s operations in Pima County, as well as play an essential part in planned expansion into Cochise, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties.

She brings with her experience gained previously as retail general manager and buyer for shops at Loews Ventana Canyon and Westin La

aztechcouncil.org

Paloma resorts in Tucson, where duties included hiring, training and evaluating all staff members. Neilson also had been studio manager and photographer for JonWolf Photography in Tucson, where she was in charge of staff and daily operations.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in media art at Montana State University-Bozeman.

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

5

Mentoring Matters

Committee refocuses to support startup community Sometimes a person looking for advice only wants to talk with someone who has “been there.” That’s especially true in the technology community when entrepreneurs are trying to just get past the startup phase in the life cycle.

With that in mind, the Arizona Technology Council has launched VentureShip to provide mentoring by members who are startup founders. In short, the people who have been there. The startup phase is “certainly not as sexy as I think a lot of people think it is, and [the mentors] understand the real struggles such as the time away from your family,” says Lauren Witte, the Council’s director of marketing and communication.

The Council helped secure mentors for free one-on-one meetings staged at the recent Startup Week PHX, where mentees ranged from people in the idea phase to people in the

scale and growth phase, Witte says. “I even mentored a student who was there to get a sense of what the startup community has to offer,” she says. The activity made it fitting that VentureShip was unveiled there during the Council’s appreciation mixer for the more than 100 mentors available during the week.

Actually, VentureShip is a relaunch of what formerly had been the Council’s Startup and Entrepreneurship Committee, only this time sharpening the focus toward serving an advisory board. “There are so many organizations in the Valley that are working to support the startup community, so we were trying to figure out where there might be some gaps,” Witte says. “We’re really trying to build a strategic and robust mentor network of true founders who know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur.”

The new direction coincides with the arrival of a new chair for the committee, Kimberly Roland, who is director of entrepreneurial programs at the Better Business Bureau of Central, Northern and Western Arizona. With Roland coming on board, Witte says, committee members felt the time was right for an update of the committee’s brand to help recruit more members.

The result is a new logo and even a tagline that is a slight play on the nautical theme implied by the word “ship”: No one should chart their course alone.

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ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Summit Speakers to Highlight State of Cybersecurity

Tech Titans

Pictured (l to r): Eugene Jaramillo, Dr. Randall Porter, Calline Sanchez, Daman Wood

Council adds four directors to board The Arizona Technology Council has added four new members to its board of directors with leadership experience ranging from healthcare to defense.

Appointed to the board were Eugene Jaramillo, deputy to the vice president of RMS supply chain management, Raytheon Missile Systems; Dr. Randall Porter, director, Barrow Acoustic Neuroma Center; Calline Sanchez, vice president, IBM; and Daman Wood, chief operating officer, MDSL. All were elected unanimously to serve three-year terms by other board members at their quarterly meeting in January.

“These tech titans are tremendous additions to our board and we look forward to working with them,” says Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. “Their diverse ranges of experience and technology backgrounds will be an important asset to the Council as we continue to advance our agenda designed to make a positive and lasting impact on Arizona’s technology industry.”

Jaramillo supports subcontract management, general procurement, production control, property management, supplier engineering, logistics activities and supplier program management at Raytheon Missile Systems. He previously held leadership positions at Boeing Company in quality assurance, supplier quality, production and operations. He has more than 30 years of experience in the defense and aerospace industry, driving quality and improving customer satisfaction on key programs involving multiple customers and technologies.

Porter has published more than 75 peerreviewed papers and 30 chapters in major medical textbooks and has spoken at more than 100 professional meetings throughout the country. He completed medical school at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and his residency and fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

aztechcouncil.org

Sanchez is responsible for worldwide development of IBM’s Enterprise Storage Systems, including DS8000, physical/virtual tape and backup/archive solutions. Previously, she was vice president of IBM Systems Storage Program Management. Sanchez led a worldwide team of program managers, engineers and scientists representing locations worldwide to deliver the IBM Systems Storage product portfolio. She has a B.S.B.A. in management information systems, a B.A. in communications and an MBA with an emphasis in finance — all from The University of Arizona.

Wood has worked in multiple technology organizations with a primary focus on telecommunications. He is responsible for managed services and global operations across the organization at MDSL, a leader in global technology expense management and market data management solutions. Wood previously was the lead executive for Vonage’s nationwide service delivery operations. He also served as the head of operations for Telesphere, leading all operational aspects for the company before it was acquired by Vonage in 2015.

Besides the organizations represented by the new members, companies represented on the Council’s board include AccountabilIT; Alerion Capital Group; Alliance Bank of Arizona; American Express; APS, Aspect; ASU Knowledge Enterprise Development; Avnet; Ballard Spahr; BeyondTrust; CISCO; Cox Communications; EY; Honeywell Aerospace; Indecomm Global Services; Insight Enterprises; Intel; JVP Strategic Consulting; LaneTerralever; MSS Technologies; PADT; PayPal; Phoenix Art Museum; Phoenix Business Journal; Quarles & Brady; Ryley Carlock & Applewhite; Securaplane Technologies; Solugenix; Symantec; TGen; Research, Discovery & Innovation at The University of Arizona; Uber Technologies; University of Advancing Technology; Vonage Business Solutions Group; and Wells Fargo Bank.

As “smart cities” and “connectivity” become part of a new tech-based vocabulary, there is another term that usually becomes part of the conversation: cybersecurity.

These topics will be in the spotlight when the Arizona Technology Council hosts its 2018 Cybersecurity Summit on May 3. The fourth annual event will be held in conjunction with the Arizona Commerce Authority and Arizona Cyber Threat Response (ACTRA) at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas, 6333 N. Scottsdale Road.

The Cybersecurity Summit will offer an opportunity for government and business leaders to learn about the threats, vulnerabilities and consequences related to data security and privacy matters. The forum will provide actionable solutions, as member organizations of the Council and ACTRA showcase their resources, products and services geared toward helping protect intellectual property and customer data.

Besides panel discussions, presentations and a sponsor expo, the event will feature keynote speakers and topics that include: • Alan Tatourian, chief security architect, Intel Automotive Group – Securing Future Connected Vehicles and Infrastructure • Paul Shaaf, Cyber Squad special agent, Phoenix FBI Division – The FBI’s Perspective on the Changing Cyber Threat Landscape • Salim Hariri, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Arizona – Resilient Smart City Services: How we can build smart city services (utility grids, finance, IoT, etc.) that can tolerate cyberattacks, malicious faults/accidents or natural disasters For Council, ACTRA and AZ InfraGard Members, the cost for the day will be $50.

For nonmembers, the cost will be $75.

To register, go to aztechcouncil. memberzone.com/eventregistration/ register/3735.

ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT

7

CYBERSECURITY SUMMIT ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

REGISTER TODAY

MAY 3, 2018

Featuring keynote speakers Special FBI Agent Paul Schaaf, Salim Hariri from the UofA, and Alan Tatourian from the Intel Automotive Group.

$50 for AZTC/ACTRA/AZ Infragard Members $75 General Admission

2018

Business Healthcare Services Guide

Associations & Government Employee Benefits Consultants Dental Insurance Individual & Group Health Insurance Hospitals Urgent Care Workplace Bundled Health Programs Workplace Ergonomics Workplace Wellness April

27

Join us for our healthcare event on April 27, 2018 • www.inbusinessphx.com

Embracing culture.

Empowering health.

Equality Health is the nation’s leading integrated health delivery system focused solely on improving care for diverse communities through culturally sensitive providers and programs that improve access, quality, and trust.

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The new culture of care equalityhealth.com

BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE 2018

What a Difference a Year Makes

When I wrote to you last April, our country was in the depths of the most heated healthcare debate in a decade. At the time, Congress had just introduced the first of several legislative attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association strongly opposed these efforts, which would have inflicted deep, devastating cuts to Arizona’s Medicaid program — jeopardizing healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans and placing great financial risk and burden on our healthcare system and overall economy.

After a string of similar failed congressional efforts — plus a recent victory for Medicaid Restoration in the Arizona Supreme Court — it appears Medicaid is, at least for the time being, safe. So…what’s next? You might be wondering. Rest assured: Improving access and coverage will never stop being a priority for us at AzHHA. But there’s another, equally important aspect of healthcare that deserves our attention.

I’m talking about quality. Our country is fortunate to have some world-class healthcare providers, and there have been amazing innovations and medical breakthroughs within my lifetime. Still, an unfortunate reality in healthcare remains: Too often, things go wrong.

This issue of patient safety was brought into the spotlight with the 1999 release of the Institute of Medicine’s eye-opening report, “To Err is Human,” which asserted that as many as 98,000 deaths occur in America’s hospitals each year as a result of preventable medical errors. It also made clear that the problem is not bad people in healthcare — it’s that good people are working in bad systems that must be made safer.

I’m proud to say that Arizona is among states where progress has been most notable. In 2006, Arizona hospitals led early efforts to implement a statewide, uniform system of color-coding patient wristbands to help reduce confusion and possible medical error.

Similar leadership efforts continue to this day, including here at AzHHA. In the last few years, we have tackled an array of major hospital quality problems. Most of our focus has been aimed at reducing allcause harm through the Partnership for Patients initiative. Through this work, participating hospitals have prevented nearly 1,000 patient harms since October 2016 for a total estimated cost savings in excess of $10 million.

Improving quality in healthcare is fundamental to achieving better health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs for Arizonans. We all have a stake in seeing that happen — and AzHHA will continue to play a leading role in ensuring that it does.

As always, thank you to In Business Magazine for continuing to provide this valuable Healthcare Services Guide to Arizona business owners and executives.

Sincerely,

Greg Vigdor has served as the president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) since March 2013. Over his more-than-35-year career, he has been nationally recognized for advancing health through policy leadership. Evidence of his work in Arizona includes the passage of Medicaid Restoration, and being laser focused on quality care improvement efforts and activities supporting AzHHA’s vision of making Arizona the Healthiest State in the Nation.

Priority Healthcare INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESSES AND THEIR PEOPLE

PRIORITY: HEALTHCARE Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel April 27 | 11:00a - 1:30p inbusinessevents.com

Greg Vigdor President and CEO Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association

2018

Business Healthcare Services Guide

About this Guide With healthcare front and foremost on the mind of many business owners and executives, and recognizing that Associations & Government Employee Benefits Consultants Dental Insurance Individual & Group Health Insurance Hospitals Urgent Care Workplace Bundled Health Programs Workplace Wellness Workplace Ergonomics

healthcare and wellness programs involve the whole community working together, the editorial staff of In Business Magazine has compiled the 2018 Business Healthcare Services Guide. Presented on the following pages are listings of companies in the healthcare industry, organized by category.

Join us for our event on April 27, 2018 • www.inbusinessphx.com

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APR. 2018

51

2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE Associations & Government Many associations and government healthcare services give specific information on policies, open enrollment dates and services provided that may help employers understand the many options.

Below is a list of local organizations.

Arizona Dental Association 3193 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale (480) 344-5777 azda.org

Arizona Foundation for Medical Care 2700 N. Central Ave., Suite 810, Phoenix (602) 252-4042 azfmc.com

Arizona Health Care Association 1440 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix (602) 265-5331 azhca.org

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) 801 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix (602) 417-4000 azahcccsa.gov

Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association 2800 N. Central Ave., Suite 1450, Phoenix (602) 445-4300 azhha.org

Arizona Medical Association

Employee Benefits Consultants Using a consultant to work though options and the many plans can alleviate much of the confusion surrounding healthcare these days. We have included a list of brokers and firms that are reputable and have a tremendous amount of experience working with business to provide plans and ensure compliance.

Arizona Benefit Consultants, LLC 6245 N. 24th Pkwy., Suite 201, Phoenix (602) 956-5515 www.arizonabenefitconsultants.com

Benefits By Design 4500 S. Lakeshore Dr., Suite 300, Tempe (480) 831-7700 benefitsbydesignaz.com

Blue Water Benefits Consulting

Connect Benefits 1818 E. Southern Ave., Mesa (480) 985-2555 connect-benefits.com

Employee Benefits Exchange 2730 S. Val Vista Dr., Suite 132, Gilbert (480) 839-6100 ebxaz.com

FBC Services, Inc. 14201 N. 87th St., Scottsdale (602) 277-8477 fbcserv.com

Focus Benefits Group 4120 N. 20th St., Suite B, Phoenix (602) 381-9900 focusbenefits.com

Health Insurance Express, Inc. Superstition Marketplace

7848 E. Davenport Dr., Scottsdale (480) 313-0910 employeebenefitcompliance.com

1155 S. Power Rd., Bldg. 101, Mesa (480) 654-1200 healthinsurance-express.com

Breslau Insurance & Benefits Paul Breslau

Horizon Benefits Group

8362 E. Via de Risa, Scottsdale (602) 692-6832 breslauinsurance.com

6245 N. 24th Pkwy., Suite 216, Phoenix (602) 957-3755 horizonbenefits.com

»

810 W. Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix (602) 246-8901 azmed.org

Arizona Pharmacy Association 1845 E. Southern Ave., Tempe (480) 838-3385 azpharmacy.org

Maricopa County Medical Society 326 E. Coronado Rd., Phoenix (602) 252-2015 mcmsonline.com

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APR. 2018

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE 2018

Moving Health Forward Together At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) we’ve learned a powerful lesson over the years — the best way to predict the future is to create it. And we’ve been busy doing just that — creating the future by moving health forward.

With 75 plus years of serving Arizona businesses and the nationwide reach of the Blue plans, we are putting our extensive insights, long-standing provider relationships and proven clinical results to work for businesses like yours: • Insights — through insights, we anticipate your employees’ health needs so they have a better health journey.

• Relationships — through our relationships, we are making healthcare services more effective and challenging the status quo in the way healthcare is delivered.

• Results — through a focus on results, we are taking actions that lead to improved quality of life and lower healthcare costs.

With a multigenerational workforce, pressure on medical costs, growth of new treatments and concerns about societal health, BCBSAZ is accelerating change so that we have better healthcare starting now.

Focus on What Matters to You We know that healthy employees lead to a more competitive benefit program for your company. That’s why we focus on helping your employees stay well and providing additional care to those who need it.

As the largest local insurance company in Arizona, we deliver health insurance products, related services and networks to more than 1.5 million customers.1 In a recent satisfaction study, 92% of those surveyed reported they were satisfied with our products and services.2 We offer: • Medical Plans — PPO or HMO plans with a wide range of deductibles, including high deductible health plans that work with a health savings account (HSA).

• Dental Plans — Standard plans include 100% in-network coverage for diagnostic and preventive services.

• Additional Products and Services — Life, short-term disability, long-term disability, critical illness, accident, cancer, COBRA services and a vision-savings program through Vision Care.3 A Partner You Trust Companies like yours need a partner leading the way, innovating, and creating that future, not simply reacting to it. BCBSAZ is that partner. We’re helping to create a future where people get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. That is a future we can all look forward to.

Better Healthcare Consumers 73% of consumers agree they could make better health decisions if they knew the cost of medical care before receiving

it.4 BCBSAZ has tools for members to help them manage their healthcare like never before. Our treatment timeline and cost estimator provides detailed information that your employees can use to make informed healthcare decisions.

1. Some plans are not offered or underwritten by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

2. The Customer Study and Group Benefits Administrator Study were conducted in 2015 by Thoroughbred Research, an independent research company.

3. Vision Care is not insurance, it is an independent company that provides discount eye services and products.

4. 2014 NerdWallet Health Study.

BCBSAZ is an Arizona nonprofit corporation and independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

AT-A-GLANCE Company Name:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Local Phone:

(602) 864-5792

Toll-Free

(800) 232-2345 ext. 5792

Website:

azblue.com/ employersandorganizations

Established Locally:

1939

ADVERTISING PROFILE

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APR. 2018

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2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE Dental Insurance Getting the right coverage means truly investigating the best plans and supplemental plans. Here is a list of area companies offering dental insurance that have a great reputation and plan options for individuals and groups.

American Dental Plan 1645 E. Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix (602) 265-6677 arizdental.com

Benefits By Design 4500 S. Lakeshore Dr., Suite 300, Tempe (480) 831-7700 benefitsbydesignaz.com

Breslau Insurance & Benefits Paul Breslau 8362 E. Via de Risa, Scottsdale (602) 692-6832 breslauinsurance.com

Delta Dental of Arizona 5656 W. Talavi Blvd., Glendale (602) 938-3131 deltadentalaz.com

Matsock & Associates 2400 E. Arizona Biltmore Circle, Phoenix (602) 955-0200 matsock.com

Individual & Group Health Insurance Knowing what plan is right for your employees and understanding who is managing that plan can make all the difference for your company. We have included below a list of reputable and experienced insurance companies, many of which you will be familiar with, that can guide your organization to the perfect group or individual plans.

Aetna 4645 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Phoenix (800) 225-3375 aetna.com

Amenda Insurance Associates Ltd. 5046 E. Redfield Rd., Scottsdale (480) 284-6400 douglasamenda.com

American Family Insurance Multiple agents Valley-wide (877) 777-4804 amfam.com

Benefits By Design 4500 S. Lakeshore Dr., Suite 300, Tempe (480) 831-7700 benefitsbydesignaz.com

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona 2444 W. Las Palmaritas Dr., Phoenix (602) 864-4899 azblue.com

Bowman & Associates 16042 N. 32nd St., Bldg. A, Phoenix (602) 482-3300 bowmaninsurance.com

Breslau Insurance & Benefits Paul Breslau 8362 E. Via de Risa, Scottsdale (602) 692-6832 breslauinsurance.com

Cigna Multiple locations Valley-wide cigna.com

Farmers Insurance Group Kara Anspach 7077 E. Marilyn Rd., Suite 125, Scottsdale (480) 998-8070 farmersagent.com/kanspach

Glass Financial Group 4455 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 260D, Phoenix (602) 952-1202 glassfinancialgroup.com

HealthNet 1230 W. Washington St., Suite 401, Tempe (602) 286-9194 healthnet.com

Humana Health Insurance of Phoenix 20860 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 400, Phoenix (480) 515-6400 humana.com

Reseco Insurance Advisors Todd Newton 7901 N. 16th St., Suite 100, Phoenix (602) 753-4250 resecoadvisors.com

State Farm Arizona Multiple agents Valley-wide (877) 331-8261 statefarm.com

UnitedHealthcare 1 E. Washington St., Suite 1700, Phoenix (800) 985-2356 uhc.com

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2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE Hospitals Many of the healthcare providers listed below are part of specific networks or have created their own network to lower costs for businesses and individuals with the intent to provide all needed services for the patient.

Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital 1930 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix (602) 532-1000 abrazohealth.com

Abrazo Arrowhead Campus 18701 N. 67th Ave., Glendale (623) 561-1000 arrowheadhospital.org

Abrazo Central Campus 2000 W. Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix (602) 249-0212 phoenixbaptisthospital.com

Abrazo Maryvale Campus

Banner Desert Medical Center

5102 W. Campbell Ave., Phoenix (623) 848-5000 maryvalehospital.com

1400 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa (480) 412-3000 bannerhealth.com/desert

Abrazo Scottsdale Campus

Banner Estrella Medical Center

3929 E. Bell Rd., Phoenix (602) 923-5000 paradisevalleyhospital.com

9201 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix (623) 327-4000 bannerhealth.com

Banner Baywood Medical Center

Banner Gateway Medical Center

6644 E. Baywood Ave., Mesa (480) 321-2000 bannerhealth.com/baywood

1900 N. Higley Rd., Gilbert (480) 543-2000 bannerhealth.com

Banner Boswell Medical Center

Banner Heart Hospital

10401 W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City (623) 832-4000 bannerhealth.com/boswell

6750 E. Baywood Ave., Mesa (480) 854-5000 bannerhealth.com

Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center

Banner Ironwood Medical Center

14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West (623) 524-4000 bannerhealth.com

37000 N. Gantzel Rd., San Tan Valley (480) 394-4000 bannerhealth.com/ironwood

Welcome John Bolce to our Arizona Team 30-Year Industry Professional

LP Insurance Board Member/Vice President and Cardinals fan!

Property & Casualty Risk Management Employee Benefits Workers’ Compensation Healthcare Professional

»

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BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE 2018

Breslau Insurance & Benefits Due to the Affordable Care Act, the majority of employer-based health insurance renewals will be worked on in the 4th Quarter for a December or January effective date. In addition to the Banner/Aetna initiative, there are several pioneering Arizona alternatives that should be considered with your health agent. One of these is the EMI Industry Specific Pools coordinated by Arizona Benefit Plans. Another is using EverydayCare options form Redirect Health that pair with level funding or indemnity coverage.

UnitedHealthcare and Arizona Care Network have announced new 2018 options to improve benefits and provider access.

Blue Cross is also rolling out new and improved options. Finally, Level-Funded group health is available from most health insurance companies and is now available down to two employees from National General Insurance.

The complexities of businesses dealing with health insurance, employee benefits, payroll,

workers compensation, 401(k) plans, and human resources increase each year.

Paul Breslau is now using his 25 years’ experience in the Arizona health insurance and benefits arena, to match the best agents and providers to business and their Human Resources staff. Prior to starting his own agency, he worked at Aetna, Samaritan Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare in various roles. He is well-qualified to help businesses assemble a first-class team for their December or January health insurance renewal as well as a review of 401(k) plans, workers compensation, payroll, etc. The hard-dollar savings combined with improved benefits and service will surprise you.

Paul Breslau is president of Breslau Insurance & Benefits Inc. His certifications are Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), Registered Employee Benefit Consultant (REBC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL).

“An October start is essential to review health insurance and employee benefits and implement smoothly for a December or January effective date.

Please contact me as soon as possible to start discussions with leading experts on our team.”

AT-A-GLANCE Company Name:

Breslau Insurance & Benefits, Inc.

Office Address:

8362 E. Via De Risa Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Phone: Website: Established Locally: Top Plans:

(602) 692-6832 breslauInsurance.com 2000 UHC, BlueCross, Aetna, Principal, Redirect Health

ADVERTISING PROFILE

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2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center

Cardon Children’s Medical Center

Gilbert Hospital

2946 E. Banner Gateway Dr., Gilbert (480) 256-6444 bannerhealth.com

1400 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa (480) 412-5437 bannerhealth.com

5656 S. Power Rd., Gilbert (480) 984-2000 gilberter.com

Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center

Honor Health Deer Valley Hospital

5555 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale (602) 865-5555 bannerhealth.com

1955 W. Frye Rd., Chandler (480) 728-3000 chandlerregional.org

Banner University Medical Center Campus

Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center

1111 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix (602) 839-2000 bannerhealth.com

Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center 14200 Celebrate Life Way, Goodyear (623) 207-3000 cancercenter.com

3555 S. Val Vista Dr., Gilbert (480) 728-8000 mercygilbert.org

Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center 350 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix (602) 406-3000 stjosephs-phx.org

19829 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix (623) 879-6100 jcl.com

Honor Health John C. Lincoln Medical Center 250 E. Dunlap Avenue, Phoenix (602) 943-2381 jcl.com

Honor Health Osborn Medical Center 7400 E. Osborn Rd., Scottsdale (480) 882-4000 shc.org

“Healthy Employees Are Productive Employees” Reduce your Company’s overall Healthcare Cost…

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Thanks, boss.

Dental is the third most requested benefit.

Small businesses need to stay competitive. Let us help. Delta Dental® has flexible, affordable dental plans for 2 to 24 employees. A leader in dental care, we have the largest network of dentists and we make doing business with us easy – with 99.9% of claims paid within 10 business days.

Here’s how dental helps you stay competitive: Attract the best talent Retain your best workers Healthy employees are more productive Your employees are asking for dental, and we can help you offer it.

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2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE

Expert Employee Benefit Consultants Offering Uncommon Strategies With Cambridge Benefit Solutions (CBS), you can optimize your employee benefit program 365 days a year — not just once a year at renewal!

Cambridge Benefit Solutions develops comprehensive employee benefit strategies that allow employers to better sustain the rising costs of health insurance.

ENHANCED TRADITIONAL MEDICAL PLANS By combining different types of plans, tailored networks, consumer directed health plans and contribution strategies, CBS can design a customized benefit program that saves employer and employee costs.

UNCOMMON MEDICAL PLAN STRATEGIES Industry specific health plan purchasing groups allow small and mid-sized employers to band together to purchase group health plans at rates similar to large corporations.

Self-funded and level-funded plans offer employers plan transparency and the potential of premium surplus credits.

WELLNESS PROGRAMS Corporate wellness programs have many benefits. Did you know they can have a significant financial impact? By implementing corporate wellness programs and encouraging employee engagement, employers can significantly reduce health insurance costs.

Depending on the carrier and group participation, larger employers can save 6–8 percent on annual renewal rate increases while smaller employers can offer employees 7–15 percent premium discounts.

Work with an employee benefit consultant who has your company’s best interests in mind.

The team at Cambridge Benefit Solutions offers many strategies and programs designed to help companies reduce the increasing costs of annual health plan renewals.

“Work with an employee benefit consultant who has your company’s best interests in mind. The team at Cambridge Benefit Solutions offers many strategies and programs designed to help companies reduce the increasing costs of annual health plan renewals.”

AT-A-GLANCE Company Name: Office Address:

Cambridge Benefit Solutions 2450 S. Gilbert Rd. Suite 109 Chandler, AZ 85286

HEALTH ADVOCACY PROGRAMS Contract with a team of health professionals to help employees understand their benefits, save money on healthcare and prescriptions, resolve billing errors and schedule appointments. Employers can see claims savings and increased negotiating power.

Phone: Website: Top Plans:

(480) 883-3309 cbsarizona.com Enhanced T raditional Plans, Uncommon Medical Plan Strategies, Health Advocacy Programs, Wellness Programs

ADVERTISING PROFILE

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Enrolling all generations.

Open Enrollment Everyone deserves clinical expertise with humankindness. With your choice of doctors and specialists, you’ll be surrounded by people who truly care about you and your family’s health.

So this year during Open Enrollment, choose a plan that includes Dignity Health’s physicians and hospitals. Enroll in humankindness at dignityhealth.org/my-home/affordable-care-act.

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2018 BUSINESS HEALTHCARE SERVICES GUIDE Honor Health Shea Medical Center Shea Medical Center 9003 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale (480) 323-3000 shc.org

Maricopa Medical Center 2601 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix (602) 344-5011 mihs.org

Mayo Clinic Hospital 5777 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix (480) 515-6296 mayoclinic.org

Mountain Vista Medical Center 1301 S. Crismon Rd., Mesa (480) 358-6100 mvmedicalcenter.com

Phoenix Children’s Hospital 1919 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix (602) 933-1000 phoenixchildrens.org

St. Luke’s Medical Center 1800 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix (602) 251-8100 stlukesmedcenter.com

Urgent Care

One Health Alliance Urgent Care 7 Valley Locations (855) 887-4368 onehealthurgentcare.com

Phoenix Children’s Hospital Urgent Care 4 Valley Locations (480) 922-5437

phoenixchildrens.com/urgent-care Urgent Care Extra Multiple Valley Locations urgentcareextra.com

Workplace Bundled Health Programs In focusing on creating the perfect plan for your company, local providers offer direct benefits that your organization may rely on to ensure a strong healthcare program and policies for your employees.

There are many companies working to orchestrate alternative healthcare plans and consulting to customize healthcare benefits programs and policies for companies.

These organizations below offer consulting, program development and direct care programs for businesses of all sizes.

Absolute Health 8360 E. Raintree Dr., Suite 135, Scottsdale (480) 991-9945 absolutehealthaz.com

Healthcare Solutions Centers 4831 N. 11th St., Phoenix (602) 424-2101 hcsonsite.com

LifeCore Group P.O. Box 10264, Glendale (602) 235-2800 myhealthdividends.com

Arrowhead Health Centers Multiple locations (623) 334-4000 arrowheadhealth.com

Workplace Ergonomics

Walk-in, face-to-face, brick-and-mortar urgent care facilities remain an important element in the healthcare system, even as virtual options expand.

Wellness includes how our bodies function in our work spaces. and is therefore greatly impacted by the physical elements of that space. These businesses provide solutions, from chairs to desks to lighting — and beyond.

FastMed Urgent Care

Ergoguys Products

Multiple Valley Locations (480) 545-2787 fastmed.com

5622 W. Orchid Ln., Chandler (602) 354-4190 ergoguys.com

NextCare Urgent Care

ESI Ergonomic Solutions

Multiple Valley Locations (888) 958-2128 nextcare.com

Workplace Wellness

4030 E. Quenton Dr., Suite 101, Mesa (480) 517-1871 esiergo.com

Goodmans Interior Structures 1400 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix (602) 263-1110 goodmansinc.com

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Arizona Dental Insurance Service, Inc. dba Delta Dental of Arizona: DDAZ-0150-rev0317

We are working to make Arizona the Healthiest State in the Nation!

If you are passionate about healthcare in our state, subscribe to our Healthiest State Blog www.AZHealthiestState.org It's FREE!

Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association

2800 N Central Ave, Ste. 1450 Phoenix Arizona 85004 602-445-4300

Allery, Brian, 12

Gross, Christopher, 40

Neilson, Jamie, 45

Simpler, Melissa, 22

Anand, Dr. Kishlay, 12

Guerithault, Vincent, 40

Noll, Emily, 26

Sizemore, Shane, 14

Bell, Chapin, 14

Hale, Matt, 14

Ostos, Marisa, 43

Stengel, Geri, 15

Berg, David, D.O., 26

Hariri, Salim, 47

Parsons, Dale, 26

Stevens, Dr. Susan Kenny, 35

Birkenes, Oyvind, 13

Hunter, Jeff, 20

Perry Rick, 45

Swanson, Celia, 33

Biuso, Thomas J., M.D., 29

Jaramillo, Eugene, 47

Porter, Dr. Randall, 47

Tatourian, Alan, 47

Conley, Lucas, 33

Kehaly, Pam, 11

Quinn, Ryan, 16

Vaught, Robert, 24

Dean, Glenn, 26

Krisay, Alexis, 66

Ragan, John, 16

Venneri, Alexi, 34

Derenne, Dalton, 40

Krupski, Brian, 42

Roland, Kimberly, 46

Vigdor, Greg, 51

Deutser, Brad, 33

MacMillan, Beau, 40

Sabetta, Kristina, 26

Walsh, Brendan, 15

Fair, Angela, 12

Matney, Eddie, 40

Sanchez, Calline, 47

Witte, Lauren, 46

Gamzay, Kathleen, 26

Miller, Mark, 33

Schaaf, Paul, 47

Wood, Daman, 47

Gershenfeld, Alan, 42

Nealy, Mike, 42

Sheth, Beerud, 32

Zylstra, Steven G., 41

1100 KFNX, 39

Digital Air Strike, 34

Mesa Chamber of Commerce, 36

SRP, 19

Affinegy, 22

Dignity Health, 61

Modern Acupuncture, 14

St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center, 26

Airthings, 13

Economic Club of Phoenix, 36

National Bank of Arizona, 7

Stearns Bank, 8

Akos MD, 12

elements, 40

North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, 36

Swiftpage, 13

Alliance Bank of Arizona, 3

Enterprise Bank & Trust, 25

P.B. Bell, 14

Thermos, 38

Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, 35

EPI-HAB Phoenix, 14

Pinnacle Bank, 67

Tip Club, Inc., 37

American Express, 15

Equality Health, 50

Polsinelli, 25

U.S. Department of Energy, 45

APS, 4

eWomenNetwork Phoenix/Scottsdale, 36

Prologis Inc., 18

uBreakiFix, 14

Arizona Association for Economic Development, 35

FBI, 47

Quarles & Brady, 24

UnitedHealthcare, 5, 20

Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 16

Fiesta Bowl, 42

Radix Law, 39

University of Arizona, 47

FirstBank, 10

Raytheon Missile Systems, 47

Vincent Market Bistro, 40

Gallagher & Kennedy, 21

Redflex, 12

WebPT, 12

Geordie’s Restaurant and Lounge, 40

Redirect Health, 26, 55

Wells Fargo, 46

Gino’s East of Chicago, 40

Renaud Cook Drury Mesaros, P.A., 20

West Valley Women, 36

Arizona SciTech Festival, 43

Glendale Chamber of Commerce, 37

Serendipit Consulting, 66

Westin Tempe, 18

Arizona Small Business Association, 36, 37

GMC, 38

Snell & Wilmer, 2

Zillow, 13

GoContigo, 38

Sonora Quest Laboratories, 20

Ziloes, 38

Arizona State University, 42

Graycor Construction Company, 18

Sonoran Integrations, 37

Arizona Technology Council, 36, 37, 41

Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, 37

Arizona Diamondbacks, 9 Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, 51, 64

Bank of Arizona, 17 Barrow Acoustic Neuroma Center, 47 Best Western Hotels & Resorts, 14 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, 11, 13, 53, 66 BMO Harris Bank, 23 Breslau Insurance & Benefits, 57 BrightGuest, 16 CAI Investments, 18 Cambridge Benefit Solutions, 60 Camelot Homes, 14, 18 CBIZ, 26 Chandler Chamber of Commerce, 37 Cyber Security Summit, 48 Delta Dental, 59 Delta Vision, 63

Gupshup, 32 Healthcare Solutions Centers, LLC, 58 HomeSmart, 13 IBM, 47 Intel Automotive Group, 47 invisionAZ, 16 Jive, 8

® Kinessage Self Care, 26

Local First AZ, 37 LP Insurance Services, 56 Marcus & Millichap, 18 MDSL, 47 MeMD, 26 Mental Health America of Arizona, 26

In each issue of In Business Magazine, we list both companies and indivuduals for quick reference. See the stories for links to more.

LISTEN NOW: Join us for interesting, informative and inspiring conversations with top local businesspeople in the Greater Phoenix area.

Listen now at inbusinessphx.com.

Bold listings are advertisers supporting this issue of In Business Magazine.

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A CANDID FORUM

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Capitalize on New Facebook News Feed Algorithm

Keep it social on the social platform

by Alexis Krisay

Healthcare

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IN BUSINESS

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we do busines s

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Alexis Krisay is a partner and president of marketing for Serendipit Consulting, a public relations, marketing, branding and eventplanning firm she cofounded that specializes in franchise, real estate, healthcare, fitness and wellness. serendipitconsulting.com

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Recently, Facebook announced some significant changes to its news feed algorithm that will, ultimately, affect both users and businesses. According to reports, Facebook’s executive team saw that news articles and marketing ads were creating an imbalance in the platform, drowning out all the personal moments people had to share. The new algorithm aims to correct this imbalance, essentially bringing Facebook back to its initial purpose as a communication platform between family and friends.

However, as Facebook is one of the world’s largest distributors for news and online ads, many companies that rely heavily on it as their primary source of traffic will be negatively impacted by these changes. Companies must tweak their strategy if they want to drive traffic and attempt to engage their audience. Below are a few ways businesses can overcome and take advantage of the new Facebook news feed algorithm.

Utilize Facebook live and video content. Live video took the world by storm in 2016, disrupting the way brands engage with their online audience. According to streaming experts, 80 percent of brand audiences would rather watch a live video or video content than read an article or blog. Consumers prefer watching video content as they feel more engaged with the brand. With the new algorithm change, this higher rate of engagement can play in a company’s favor if the video, live or recorded, encourages discussion amongst viewers in the comments.

Create a community through Facebook groups.

Facebook provides users an opportunity to create and participate in Facebook Groups built around a particular community or topic. Companies can utilize these groups by hosting the group on their business page, as well as posting content that is more likely to reach a highly engaged target audience who opted into the group on their own. This makes

users more likely to pay attention to posts and opt in to receive notifications.

Shareable content is key. Users who enjoy a video, photo or article, for example, are likely to hit the share button and show that content to their network. Facebook views a post share as the highest metric of engagement because the user is saying, “I enjoyed this content, and I think my friends will, too.”

Considering Facebook is pushing for user experience over ads and news placements, encouraging the business’s following to share its page’s content is an excellent way for a business to increase the organic reach of its content.

Budget for pay-to-play. For a while now, Facebook has been a pay-to-play platform. However, with the new algorithm change, companies can expect an even more drastic decline in the organic reach of their content. It will be increasingly vital for businesses to budget more money for ads and boosted content. Because Facebook will be showing less sponsored content to users, the cost of these ad placements will dramatically increase. It is important businesses make sure their ads still feature content that encourages engagement amongst their audience for the ad to maximize its potential, such as asking questions, telling compelling stories, providing valuable insight and producing authentic visuals through photos and videos.

Ultimately, Facebook has made it more challenging for businesses of all shapes and sizes to market and advertise their brand on the social platform organically. With user experience being more important than ever, it’s essential that brands understand they are not competing with other businesses. Instead, they are competing with personal moments shared through friends and family. Businesses that want their content to be seen need to make it personal, interesting and able to spark conversations.

With more users on social media than ever before, businesses can’t afford to miss out on the opportunities available on these platforms. However, as networks like Facebook continue to evolve, companies must keep up with the algorithm changes if they want to remain relevant. Organic reach is on a rapid decline, with many marketers calling the latest update “Facebook Zero.”

Come home to local banking.

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Here’s to 10 years as your hometown bank.

Bank local. Bank Pinnacle.

Creating an exceptional experience!

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Phoenix 602.995.6565

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