November 2018 issue In Business Magazine

NOV. 2018

2019 Business Owner’s Lending Guide

Conscious Capitalism How ‘conscious capitalism’ is elevating the economic system to higher plane

SMBs’ (Surprising) Wealth of Assets

Brands Beware in Politically Polarized Market

Outsmart the

‘Smart’ Workplace $4.95 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

THIS ISSUE National Organization of Women Business Owners – Phoenix

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NOVEMBER 2018

COVER STORY

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Capitalism Is a Social Force

And “conscious capitalism” elevates the economic system to higher plane. In Business Magazine explores the growing phenomenon with first-hand accounts from local business leaders.

FEATURES

32

Owner’s

MAGAZINE

Lending Guide

NOV. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2019 Busine ss

CONSCIOUS

Consciou Capitalisms

CAPITALISM

How ‘conscio is elevating us capitalism’ the econom system ic to higher plane SMBs’

NOVEMEBR

(Surprising) Wealth of Assets Brands Politically Beware in Polarized

2018 • INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Market Outsmart the ‘Smart’ Workplac

THIS ISSUE

Get a year of In Business Magazine Subscribe now at inbusinessphx.com

PARTNER SECTION CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF SERVING THE WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS OF PHOENIX

Winter 2018 • nawbophx.org

Want a Board Seat? Earn It.

by Ronit Urman

ABOUT NAWBO

We host networking and education events throughout the valley each month, open to both members and guests. Check out our calendar at nawbophx.org and join us!

Take advantage of this great networking opportunity by bringing business cards and making connections.

Assessing value goes well beyond the dollars and cents in bank accounts. Susan Talbott looks at the many aspects of business operations as she brings to light a wide array of assets that contribute to the business’s value.

“New System Lessens Need for Amputation,” “Predictability and Affordability in Healthcare Coverage,” “Oral Care: Effective, Gentle, Vegan” and “Offering Ongoing Support beyond Insurance”

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It’s Lonely at the Top – and at the Start

Amber Miller offers insights on an important aspect of leadership in her “beginner’s guide to delegating.”

Ronit Urman

DEPARTMENTS

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Guest Editor

Brian Mohr, president of Conscious Capitalism – Arizona Chapter, introduces the “Conscious Capitalism” issue.

12

Feedback

Justin Grossman, Kate Hickman and Joel Strom respond to In Business Magazine’s burning business question of the month.

NAWBO Phoenix President Designated Broker Urman Enterprises LLC

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For more infomation, visit www.nawbophx.org.

Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners 7729 E Greenway Rd. #300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 480-289-5768 • info@NAWBOphx.org

1

nawbophx.org

Healthcare

Technology

“Product Marketing Platform Disrupts,” “Personal Assistant App Launches in Phoenix” and “JDA’s Brave New World of Retail”

$4.95 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

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NAWBO Phoenix propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power.

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National Business Organization of Women Owners – Phoenix

I have never taken the easy path. Not when I immigrated at age 16 from Israel. Not when I began my career in commercial real estate as one of the only women in the industry. Not when I took the helm of National Association of Women Business Owners this past June. So it’s no surprise for those who know me that I am not in favor of the proposed legislation in California to legislate that a required number of women should serve on public businesses originating in California.

We need to earn it. If we want equality in the boardroom, we need to get there with our brains, not a quota. We are strong and we are smart. We do not need a handout from the government. Besides, do you really want a board seat because the law requires someone of your gender? Doesn’t that take something away from the achievement? Do we want the trophy even though we didn’t win the competition? There is nothing free in life. I do realize that 22 percent of Fortune 500 board seats are occupied by women. But there are other inequities, as well. Only 20 percent of law firm equity partners are women while 23 percent of U.S. Senators are women. Should we legislate these areas as well?

As we always stress at NAWBO, women need to network. Who you know will get you in the door. What you know will keep you there. This legislation takes us backward.

Forcing companies to accept women is government overreach. What’s next? Are we to legislate board assignments (and hiring in general), by age, ethnicity, orientation or gender identity? I really have to wonder: Doesn’t California have other issues to deal with?

The truth is, it’s just good business to hire the most capable person for a job or a board seat — regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. We want equal opportunity under the law, not a quota mandated by the law.

We need to educate our young people to get a leg up on their competition for jobs with education. We need to encourage our young women to consider fields where math, science and engineering are prevalent.

That’s what gets you in the door. That’s what gets you in the boardroom.

I think back to my early days in the boardroom. I was involved with all aspects of the financials. I often faced boardrooms filled with only middle-aged men. Back then, I thought they were old! I was a cute 30-something and it was difficult for them to take me seriously; often, they did not address questions to me, only to my husband. So, I overcame these obstacles and used humor to break the ice. I made sure that I was well prepared and moved forward with confidence.

Over my career, I have seen women break through countless barriers in business. We don’t need another one. Remember our rallying cry: #SmashTheGlass! It’s our theme for the year. It’s our hashtag. It’s what NAWBO stands for.

Why Small-Business Assets Matter

NAWBO NEWS

43 National Organization of Women Business Owners – Phoenix

SPECIAL SECTION 2019

Major Banks Community Banks

Briefs

“Cannabis Kitchen Debuts,” “Transform Enterprise Collaboration,” “Team Work,” “Disruptive Work Behavior?”

“Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy,” “First-of-Its-Kind Home Center from Chase” and “Opioids as a Workforce Issue”

15

By the Numbers

Where does Arizona fall in the striking growth of womanowned businesses since 1972?

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Startups

“Mobility Solution Faced Challenges in Manufacturing and Marketing” and “TAP AZ Gives Financial Guidance to New Nonprofits”

Credit Unions Lending Institutions & Resources

51 2019 Business Owner’s Lending Guide

18

CRE

“Phoenix Sets Strong Pace in Data Center Market,” “Chandler Corporate Center Completed,” “Optima Kierland Offers Customizable Condos” and “Tempe to Gain a Canopy by Hilton”

24

Legal

Attorney offers an employment law perspective on “smart” usage in today’s increasingly “smart” workplace.

33

Books

New releases give fresh insights on business thinking.

34

From the Top

Kathy Sweet sees her event management business as an opportunity to advocate for her clients and community.

40

Assets

2019 Infiniti QX50 Luxe Plus: New promo product is designed to stick on and stand out.

42

Power Lunch

Giordano’s – It’s All about the Pizza Plus: It is once again time to enjoy patio dining.

66

Roundtable

Peter Horst discusses how, in today’s politically charged environments, brands can survive a polarized market.

ON THE AGENDA

35

Spotlight

Best of the West Awards Dinner — WESTMARC ASU Economic Forecast Luncheon — Economic Club of Phoenix

36

Calendar

Business events throughout the Valley

NOV. 2018

6

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

There is a strong market for “convenience services” businesses. According to a recent study from Finder US, Americans are spending $177 billion each year on convenience services such as delivery — especially food delivery — driving, handiwork, pet needs and subscription boxes. finder.com/cost-of-convenience

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Nov. 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 Steven G. Zylstra, President & CEO Arizona Technology Council One Renaissance Square (602) 343-8324 www.aztechcouncil.org Doug Bruhnke, Founder & President Global ChamberÂŽ (480) 595-5000 www.globalchamber.org Ronit Urman, President NAWBO Phoenix Metro Chapter (480) 289-5768 www.nawbophx.org Anne Gill, President & CEO Tempe Chamber of Commerce (480) 967-7891 www.tempechamber.org Our Partner Organizations are vested business organizations focused on building and improving business in the Valley or throughout Arizona. As Partners, each will receive three insert publications each year to showcase all that they are doing for business and businesspeople within our community. We encourage you to join these and other organizations to better your business opportunities.

The members of these and other Associate Partner Organizations receive a subscription to In Business Magazine each month. For more information on becoming an Associate Partner, please contact our publisher at info@inbusinessmag.com.

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce ahwatukeechamber.com Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry azchamber.com Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce azhcc.com The Black Chamber of Arizona phoenixblackchamber.com Chandler Chamber of Commerce chandlerchamber.com Economic Club of Phoenix econclubphx.org Glendale Chamber of Commerce glendaleazchamber.org Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce phoenixchamber.com Greater Phoenix 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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© Enterprise 2018

Nov. 2018

VOL. 9, NO. 11

Publisher Rick McCartney Editor RaeAnne Marsh

Art Director Benjamin Little

NATIONALLY RANKED.

LOCALLY FOCUSED.

Contributing Writers Tamara Barkdoll

Zac Dunn Michael Hollauf Peter Horst Mike Hunter Jeff Kirke Amber Miller Claire Natale Morten Hellesøe Poulsen Susan Talbott ADVERTISING

Enterprise Bank & Trust was recently ranked number 14 out of 161 nationally-ranked banks1. And while we’re proud of that fact, it’s just part of who we are. Whether your focus is on your business, your family or the quality of life in your community, you’ll find us there. We’re committed to supporting dreams, securing financial futures and delivering on community investment.

Operations Louise Ferrari

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Learn more at enterprisebank.com/phoenix

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www.inmediacompany.com Vol. 9, No. 11. In Business Magazine is published 12 times per year by InMedia Company. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to InMedia Company, 1 N. 1st Street, Sixth Floor, 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, 1 N. 1st Street, Sixth Floor, 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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Conscience in Capitalism

In many ways, Arizona has been leading the country with the concept of incorporating social good into business. Some of our local business owners were among the first to gain “B Corporation” certification when nonprofit B Lab initiated its licensing program. And, effective January 2015, Arizona pioneered a law that allowed businesses to incorporate as a “benefit corporation” — enabling them to specify a general public good as a central purpose in its articles of incorporation and thus giving their leadership legal standing against potential challenges by company stakeholders who may question the financial impact of decisions.

The history of “social good” in business can be traced back to the introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility. Born in the late 1950s, CSR’s early incarnation was widely viewed as a way for businesses to atone for their everyday sins. Fast forward 60 years, today’s practice of “social good” is more than a bolt-on corporate department comprised of a small team of passionate societal do-gooders. It’s a fundamental philosophy or mindset that is integrated into the fabric of the business. And make no mistake about it, businesses that focus on doing well and doing good are not allergic to profit. In fact, there’s growing evidence that businesses which practice Conscious Capitalism are outperforming their peers in every way, including the bottom line (see McKinsey’s Corporate Horizon Index report).

Today’s consumers are more informed than ever before and continue to vote with their wallets and choose businesses that align with their values. And today’s workforce is placing a high premium on working for an organization that exists for a purpose beyond just making money.

If attracting the best talent and winning more customers/clients is a priority for your business, Conscious Capitalism is a common-sense framework that deserves your immediate attention.

The cover story on Conscious Capitalism that starts on page 26 gives a close-up look into several businesses in our community that have fully integrated the concept of “social good” into their operations. These are businesses in a variety of industries, and of different sizes. Some were founded on their social purpose; for others, it was an evolution. Their stories are compelling.

Also in this issue is a feature article on finance that looks at a business’s worth in greater depth than simply bank balances. Focusing in particular on small business, Susan Talbott discusses many different types of assets that comprise a business’s true valuation.

The speed of technological change strains legal and moral responses to keep up. Attorney Tamara Barkdoll discusses issues employers are currently dealing with in regard to the many “smart” devices available to their employees. Delegating is a subject covered in depth in another feature that goes into both the why and the how. Smaller articles look at innovative changes coming out of local and locally based businesses, B2B and B2C, in the magazine’s regular departments of Startups, Healthcare, Technology and more.

This November issue also includes the annually updated Lending Guide, a business owner’s resource for sources of business financing.

I am pleased to have helped bring you this November issue of In Business Magazine. Please enjoy the read.

As the president of the Arizona Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Brian Mohr is focused on helping the Arizona business community practice capitalism with both a longterm view and a stakeholdercentric orientation; a model of business that creates prosperity for all. Mohr is on the global board of trustees of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., a member of the board of directors of the Better Business Bureau of the Pacific Southwest, and anticipating the launch of his first book, Hiring on Purpose – How the Y Scouts Method is Revolutionizing the Search for Leaders.

Rick Weekly McCartney Podcast ® hosted by

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

Listen now at inbusinessphx.com.

Sincerely,

Brian Mohr President • Conscious Capitalism – Arizona Chapter

Good Business Doing good. It means more than just profit and power. In today’s

bottom line — although studies show that

world where we are being more “conscious” about what we say, what

doing good elevates profitability.

we do, how we see others, doing good in business has moved to the

We want to thank Brian Mohr for leading

forefront for many. Doing well by your employees in our competitive

this issue of In Business Magazine. His

world and the last recession may contribute to why businesses are

efforts to engage businesspeople to pay

focusing on doing good beyond charity, employee picnics and bonus

attention to the benefits of profiting in

structures. It has elevated to a way of doing business. It is a way of

business in a way that engages all stakeholders is catching on and

energizing community, identifying individuals and what empowers

bringing a noted change to the ways we are doing business in the

them, and making conscious decisions to affect more than just the

Valley and beyond. —Rick McCartney, Publisher

Owner’s

MAGAZINE

Lending Guide

NOV. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2019 Busine ss

CONSCIOUS

Consciou Capitalisms

CAPITALISM

How ‘conscio is elevating us capitalism’ the econom system ic to higher plane SMBs’

NOVEMEBR

(Surprising) Wealth of Assets Brands Politically Beware in Polarized

2018 • INBUSINESSPHX.COM

THIS ISSUE

National Business Organization of Women Owners – Phoenix

Market Outsmart the ‘Smart’ Workplac

e

$4.95 INBUSINESSPHX.COM

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Get a year of In Business Magazine Subscribe now at inbusinessphx.com

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

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VALLEY LEADERS SOUND OFF

What is a social “good” you align your company with, and how do you support it?

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.

NOV. 2018

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JUSTIN GROSSMAN

KATE HICKMAN

JOEL STROM

CEO meltmedia Sector: Digital Agency

Senior Vice President, Treasury Management Sales Manager Alliance Bank of Arizona Sector: Banking

CEO Interface Force Measurement Solutions Sector: Product Development

At meltmedia, we believe social good comes in many shapes, and we have built a community that supports not just employees, but their families, friends, clients, colleagues, and community and professional organizations. As such, we host multiple annual social events where partners, children and friends are invited and celebrated as part of our employees’ lives (such as family movie night, kid-friendly Halloween parties and an annual winter holiday party). We also sponsor local causes like Phoenix Design Week and Arizona State University student workshops and hackathon, and support several organizations by donating office space to Tech Ladies, Phoenix Drupal User Group, Health Technology Forum and others for meetups and events.

Personally, I’ve become very involved in entrepreneurship, mentoring dozens of business owners through Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and coaching startup founders through accelerator programs.

We are a people-first organization and have chosen to align our social good with the local community. We believe by supporting local we can help make a positive impact not only in the lives of our stakeholders, but also the community at large. meltmedia meltmedia.com As CEO of meltmedia, Justin Grossman has played a key role in the vision and growth of the company. Under his leadership, meltmedia has grown to Phoenix’s No. 1 agency for Web design and app development, and has earned five consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies.

Lifting up our communities is important to the people of Alliance Bank of Arizona, and we live this core value in many ways to enhance the quality of life in Arizona.

Alliance Bank’s efforts reach from our signature support for education to strong involvement in the arts, affordable housing, health, family services, community and economic development, animal welfare and much more.

Alliance Bank’s philanthropic work in education in Arizona is extensive and broad-based. In 2017 alone, Alliance Bank donated $1.4 million to primarily support better educational opportunities for low-income individuals.

This May, for the third year in a row, Alliance Bank employees also helped boost financial literacy for Roadrunner Elementary School students. On Junior Achievement Day, 61 of our bankers shared important skills with more than 100 students at this Title I school in Phoenix, which serves low-income families.

We also sizably support — both in funding and employee involvement — more than 15 other Arizona education nonprofits, which include College Success Arizona, Junior Achievement, Support Our Schools AZ, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County and Arizona Women’s Education and Employment Inc. Alliance Bank of Arizona westernalliancebancorporation.com/ alliance-bank-of-arizona-home Kate Hickman is senior vice president, treasury management sales manager, for Alliance Bank of Arizona, a division of Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, where she serves nonprofits, political and Local First Arizona clients throughout the state.

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

Interface is extremely passionate about partnering with local Arizona communities. Our company is a 50-yearold technology manufacturing business that’s been headquartered in Arizona since its founding. Because of our roots, we feel it’s essential to focus our social good initiatives right here at home. After supporting a variety of causes, we recently narrowed our focus to organizations that help children.

Supporting multiple initiatives over the years, we realized our employees are most passionate about helping kids in any way possible. We want to create ample opportunity for them to do so.

Current Interface social impact programs support Arizona Foster Care, the Salvation Army and the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Interface employees recently donated 450 backpacks full of supplies to Arizona Foster Care, in addition to supporting the Christmas Angels by hand-selecting gifts for children in need.

We also provided a supporting donation for Phoenix Children’s Hospital to have kids design our Christmas cards. We were thrilled to work with these organizations and are committed in our social impact programs to helping more Arizona kids in the years to come.

Interface Force Measurement Solutions interfaceforce.com Joel Strom, CEO of Interface, Inc., joined the world’s trusted leader in technology, design and manufacturing of force measurement solutions in 2015. Interface guarantees the highest quality performance of load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors, wireless telemetry, instrumentation and calibration for clients who are the who’s who in aerospace, automotive and vehicle, medical devices, energy, test and measurement, and industrial manufacturing.

QUICK AND TO THE POINT

Cannabis Kitchen Debuts The largest medicinal cannabis facility in Arizona resides locally in Guadalupe. Newly remodeled and expanded, the 12,000-squarefoot Mint Dispensary, with an extensive selection of retail products, also debuted last month the first cannabis kitchen of its kind in the country.

The new kitchen offers a complete menu of artisan burgers, pastas, pizza and other cannabis-infused meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — that patients can order to go.

The recipes were created by local, classicallytrained Chef Carylann Principal, whose background includes working among the “who’s who” of New York’s social elite and, more recently, several local establishments, who incorporated her knowledge of nutrition into her own successful battle with cancer — and who accepted the challenge when approached with this revolutionary concept. Along with freshly-made menu items, the new kitchen has a barista, a juice bar, gelato and a wide assortment of pastries.

The inspiration for the kitchen? “We wanted to redefine the medicinal cannabis experience,” says Eivan Shahara, CEO of The Mint Dispensary, explaining that, while marijuana edibles can be an easy way to get medicated on the go, many patients also want fresh and healthy snacks and infused meals. “In addition to giving patients in Arizona the widest array of medicinal cannabis products under one roof, we can now provide fresh meals and food options, which is important for seriously ill patients who are turning to medicinal cannabis to address a variety of illnesses, from cancer and epilepsy to Alzheimer’s disease. We wanted to use our knowledge about food and nutrition to help people.”

Says Chef Principal, “There are many differences in the marijuana we can use to put into our food/products, butters, oils, etc. … At The Mint Dispensary, we will be very carefully customizing the dosage of the THC for the food.” (Cannabinoids found naturally in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC,

BYTES

Transform Enterprise Collaboration POPin, a collaboration platform for leaders and executives designed to help drive organizational alignment through anonymous forums and conversation, has integrated its collaboration app with Microsoft Teams, the hub for teamwork in Microsoft Office 365. By leveraging POPin, business leaders will be able to solicit candid and anonymous feedback that builds Chef Carylann Principal

creates a psychoactive effect; cannabidiol, or CBD, does not.) Noting that products may have either cannabis butters or oils, depending on the particular food item and what fits best, she adds, “Different strains of cannabis have their own significant terpene profiles that bring surprising flavor to whatever they are incorporated into.”

Chef Principal and her five-member team will prepare a steady stream of foods during the dispensary’s regular operating hours — from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Catering services for large medicated events, as well as occasions such as weddings, birthdays and funerals will be offered starting in midNovember. The Mint Dispensary will also introduce home delivery and offer speciallymade holiday meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day. In all instances, medicinal cannabis cards will be needed for the number of people who will be served.

Among Shahara’s plans for this location are an educational area where patients will be able to participate in free cooking classes (to start this upcoming holiday season) and flower-growing rooms with windows that will allow patients to see the cultivation process.

—RaeAnne Marsh The Mint Dispensary themintdispensary.com

trust, exposes confusion and fosters engagement among employees — within the Microsoft Teams environment. With POPin, business leaders leverage a host of innovative tools: voice of employees, anonymous crowdsourcing, and comprehensive analysis and reports.

—Mike Hunter popinnow.com

Team Work MeisterTask is an agile task management tool for teams, enabling users to create an unlimited number of projects, assign tasks and track work to completion, via Kanban-style project boards. With workflow automations and the ability to collate all project resources and communication in one central place, teamwork is truly collaborative and productive.

Known for its distinctive design, MeisterTask has been listed as a top app by the Apple App Store and Google Chrome Web Store since launching and is available in-browser and via apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. — Michael Hollauf, co-founder meistertask.com/apps

Disruptive Work Behavior?

Believing that “a company can’t fix what it doesn’t know is broken,” Warble offers a lifeline that lets any U.S.-based employee with an active work email anonymously report nine different types of disruptive work behavior directly to the offender’s boss — because, after all,

Photos courtesy of The Mint Dispensary /Zee Peralta

they are the ones who are both personally motivated and hold the authority to resolve issues. No company sign-up is required, but additional options exists for companies who want to take an even more proactive role. The female-owned business launched this past June. —Mike Hunter warble.work

The most important distinction to make between cannabis flowers and concentrates is potency, explains Eivan Shahara, CEO of The Mint Dispensary. “While bud potency tends to range between 10-25 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a concentrate typically falls between 50-80 percent. THC is the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high.” themintdispensary.com

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QUICK AND TO THE POINT

LOOKING GOOD

Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy ACHIEVEMENTS

MEB Management Services Honored with National Award MEB Management Services, one of Arizona’s prominent woman-owned firms, was awarded the Accredited Management Organization of the Year Award at the Institute of Real Estate Management’s Global Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The prestigious honor by the MEB team coincides with the 20thanniversary of the firm, which provides management services to all types and qualities of multifamily assets. mebapts.com

PHILANTHROPY

Amazon School Grants Help Fight Child Hunger Amazon surprised 130 second graders at Eliseo C. Felix School in Goodyear with a banana-themed celebration to kick off the school’s new breakfast-in-the-classroom program benefiting more than 500 students, delivered by associates from Amazon’s Goodyear fulfillment center — one of several events nationwide aimed at addressing a gap in the federal free breakfast program, with Amazon working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. amazon.com

Lyft Donation Assists Domestic Violence Survivors Lyft has partnered with the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence to remove a key barrier for survivors fleeing abusive situations: transportation. The rideshare company is donating a yearlong rideshare credit of $20,000 to AZCESDV, to assist Arizona shelters in providing safe transportation for victims escaping domestic violence situations.

And, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month (October), Phoenix-area Lyft drivers collected donations of much-needed supplies for local domestic violence shelters. lyft.com

Cigna Fights Hunger More than 500 Cigna employees packaged 125,280 meals for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance as part of the Cigna Fights Hunger program, working in hourly shifts on assembly lines in Cigna’s Phoenix office.

Cigna and its employees have partnered with SMFBA for 20 years to help local families in need. To date, Cigna employees have prepared more than 2.6 meals through #CignaFightsHunger, a project run

by Cigna-funded global nonprofit Feeding Children Everywhere. cigna.com

NOV. 2018

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First-of-Its-Kind Home Center from Chase Chase has debuted its Chase Home Center, a concierge homebuying resource, at the Scottsdale Hilton Village (on Scottsdale Road just south of Lincoln). “The Home Center is a new concept that connects local area home buyers with expert advice and state-of-the-art technology,” says Lawrence Bailey, head of retail sales for Chase Home Lending. “We know our customers, especially first-time homebuyers, need inperson advice, in a comfortable environment, from a trusted source. An educated buyer is an empowered buyer.” However, use of the facility is not restricted to Chase customers but is open to the general community. The Home Center is also an ideal location for realtors to host clients and take advantage of the facility’s resources.

The Home Center, located inside the existing Chase branch at 6155 N. Scottsdale Road, provides highly accurate, advanced and complete home search tools — even 3-D and virtual reality home tours — under one roof to create

a convenient experience for the homebuyer, plus a team dedicated to helping them discover and close on their ideal home. Along with a comfortable lounge and meeting areas with monitors, Chase Home Center offers free Wi-Fi, a coffee bar and well-furnished kids play area.

The Home Center’s concierge services are available for extended hours to answer all questions — like how to choose a neighborhood, how to choose a home and how to start the mortgage process — drilled down to hyperlocal neighborhood information. There is even access to an underwriting department for a quick answer to questions of qualifying. —Mike Hunter Chase Home Center chase.com/hiltonvillage

Opioids as a Workforce Issue Drug use by the American workforce is at its highest rate in more than a decade. Recently, national attention on drug misuse has focused on prescription opioids. In Arizona, opioid overdoses have increased by 74 percent since 2014. Opioid prescription medications are both a health and safety issue in the workplace. Companies of all sizes have an important role in promoting the health and safety of employees and managing risk in the workplace.

The opioid epidemic creates unique challenges for employers. Drug free workplace programs, including drug testing and policies about prescription drug use in the workplace, need to be looked at. Employers who have strong policies, health benefit programs and a culture that creates a safe and healthy environment enabling both employees and companies are the ones that thrive.

Opioid misuse by employees can impact the workplace in a number of ways, including the cost of healthcare and workers’ compensation insurance. The average workers’ compensation claim for lost time can be about 900 percent higher for workers using opioid painkillers compared to claims where no opioid painkillers were used.

Employers should examine their current policies and make necessary adjustments to respond to the growing drug epidemic and

ensure employee safety. Businesses should develop a workplace policy and share resources with employees about prescription painkillers, and update their drug-free workplace programs and structure benefits to address opioid misuse.

In 2017, Arizona began tracking opioid overdoses and have discovered that at least two people die each day as a result of opioid overdose.

In order to make an impact and help save lives, it will take all of us — insurers, doctors, employers and government regulators standing together in the community. Utilizing proper risk management procedures when hiring or drug testing employees can help employers keep their employees safe and manage drug use in the workforce.

—Jeff Kirke, vice president of employee benefits at the Scottsdale office of Holmes Murphy (www.holmesmurphy.com), a privately-held insurance brokerage whose focus is providing the cumulative knowledge and experience that make insurance and businesses work better

SmartAsset’s fourth annual study on the best cities in America for conferences ranks Phoenix tenth in the country, tying with Columbus, Ohio. Key for Phoenix are affordability and convenience, with the airport less than seven miles from downtown and the average hotel room at only $115 per night. http://bit.ly/2AqS6cj

METRICS & MEASUREMENTS

Woman-Owned Businesses Record 3100 Percent Growth Report explores entrepreneurial differences 1972 to 2018

by RaeAnne Marsh

Nationally, the number of women-owned businesses increased a dramatic 31 times since 1972 — from 402,000 to 12.3 million in 2018. Employment during that time grew 40-fold, from 230,000 to 9.2 million, and revenues rose from $8.1 billion to $1.8 trillion — 217 times greater. Noting this information from the recently released eighth annual State of WomenOwned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express, gives the historical perspective of three generations, American Express research advisor Geri Stengel says, “Women have been becoming entrepreneurs by the droves.”

In this year’s annual report, American Express for the first time looked back to 1972, which was the first time the U.S. Census Bureau provided data on minority- and woman-owned businesses. Considering just the numbers, woman-owned businesses that generated revenues of more than $1 million increased 46 percent over the past 11 years versus 12 percent of all U.S. businesses. While these high-earning firms make up only 1.7 percent of all woman-owned businesses, they now account for 68 percent of total employment and 69 percent of revenue among all woman-owned businesses. Also, while the share of woman-owned businesses leapt from 29 percent in 2007 to 40 percent in 2018, the proportion of total employment and revenues for all businesses grew by only a few percentage points.

What are some of the realities of the people inside the statistics? Some differences are securely tied to gender and minority status. “Women earn less in the workplace, so they are less likely to have saved money to start their business,”

Stengel says. And there is a difference between necessity entrepreneurship and opportunity entrepreneurship. An opportunity entrepreneur sees a need in the marketplace and believes she is the right person to fill that need. These entrepreneurs are more likely to be successful than necessity entrepreneurs, according to Stengel, who explains that the necessity entrepreneur is more likely to go back into the workforce when the economy improves. “Through the recession and recovery of 2007 to 2018, there was tremendous growth in all woman-owned businesses (58 percent), but especially among women of color (163 percent). The reason was necessity entrepreneurship; women of color were more likely to have lost their job or needed to supplement their existing job.”

Others are generational differences, which, Stengel points out, apply to men as well as to women. “In name and self-perception, millennials are the most entrepreneurial. In reality, they are the least.” This is due, she explains, to student debt — of which baby boomers have the least, with Gen X falling in the middle.

“Successful entrepreneurs tend to start later in life — late 30s into their 40s — as that is when you have accumulated business experience and connections that can help you succeed, as well financial resources.” Noting that in addition to connections that help access capital, they would have saved money to bootstrap their business, Stengel adds, “Millennials would have saved less money because they are still paying off student debt.”

State of Women-Owned Businesses Report https://amex.co/2RGhkKu

Trend in Growth of Women-Owned Firms by State, 2002-2018 Total US

2002

2007

2012

Number of Firms

6,489,483

7,793,139

9,878,397

11,313,900

7,146,229

7,579,876

8,431,614

8,976,100

Employment Sales ($000)

2016 (est.)

2017 (est.)

$940,774,986 $1,202,115,758 $1,419,834,295 $1,622,763,800

Arizona

% Change 2007-2018

2018 (est.)

% Change 2017-2018

11,615,600

12,280,200

57.6%

5.7%

8,985,200

9,184,500

21.2%

2.2%

$1,663,991,700 $1,757,210,100

46.2%

5.6%

Number of Firms

109,748

138,080

182,425

203,200

202,900

212,100

53.6%

4.5%

Employment

128,926

147,392

144,906

149,500

147,900

150,200

1.9%

1.6%

Sales ($000)

$15,761,202

$21,795,502

$22,692,789

$24,669,700

$24,035,000

$25,119,400

15.3%

4.5%

Trend in Growth of Women-Owned Firms in Top 50 Metropolitan Areas, 2002-2018 Phoenix

2002

2007

2012

2016 (est.)

2017 (est.)

2018 (est.)

% Change 2007-2018

% Change 2017-2018

Number of Firms

70,816

83,379

121,689

136,700

138,300

144,500

73.3%

4.5%

Employment

89,408

102,518

102,632

106,500

105,700

107,800

5.2%

2.0%

Sales ($000)

$11,478,738

$15,911,873

$16,545,275

$18,040,900

$17,750,500

$18,627,800

17.1%

4.9%

Source: 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report from American Express (https://amex.co/2RGhkKu)

Arizona currently has an estimated 12,280,200 woman-owned businesses, employing 9,184,500 and attributing to roughly $1,757,210,100,000, according to a comprehensive report recently released by American Express that analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners and factors in relative changes in Gross Domestic Product. https://amex.co/2RGhkKu

WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESSES LOCALLY According to the eighth annual State of WomenOwned Businesses Report recently released

by American Express, Arizona is ranked 11th in growth of number of woman-owned firms since 2007, with a 53.6 percent increase; 46th in growth of jobs created; with a 1.9 percent increase; and 51st in growth of firm revenues, with a -0.1 percent decrease.

Phoenix is ranked 16th in growth of number of woman-owned firms among the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, with 73.4 percent increase over the past 11 years; 45th in growth of jobs created, with a 5.2 percent increase; and 41st in growth of firm revenues, with a 17.1 percent increase. https://amex.co/2RGhkKu

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BY RAEANNE MARSH

ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS

Mobility Solution Faced Challenges in Manufacturing and Marketing Surf Media Inc., the tech startup that places tablets in rideshare vehicles for the entertainment of passengers and the promotion of businesses and brands, has acquired Vicinity Enterprises LLC, creators of hyper-local Vicinity magazines and Vicinity Mobile.

“Local residents and visitors, especially those who use rideshare services, want to stay connected in their own neighborhoods and vicinities around their hotels,” says Rick McCartney, founder and CEO of Vicinity Enterprises. “And local businesses want to connect with them through a reliable and trustworthy format. Surf will provide that bridge so that millions of local passengers may connect as they arrive at their destinations or plan their lives locally.”

Surf features the “Best in Town” business directory that integrates with the high-quality, curated content, entertaining videos, movie trailers, music and games already found on Surf tablets.

In addition to having a featured profile in the business directory, local businesses have the opportunity to create video campaigns and brand experiences to gain exposure and present offers to consumers. ridewithsurf.com

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modify vehicles to make them easily accessible and drivable by those who are mobility impaired.”

Another challenge lay in marketing and selling a high-end electric mobility vehicle to customers who, in many cases, do not have the opportunity to see and test drive before purchasing. Addressing this, Lemay has created dozens of videos showing all the features and capabilities of the TerrainHopper. “If there is something they want to see and we don’t have a video of it, we will try our best to make one and send it to them. We want our customers to have as much information as possible to make the decision on what TerrainHopper and options work best for them.”

Says Lemay, “We have learned a lot over the last eleven months and any challenges we had to overcome are well worth it given the wonderful people with amazing stories we’ve had the opportunity meet and work with.”

—RaeAnne Marsh TerrainHopper USA terrainhopperusa.com

TAP AZ Gives Financial Guidance to New Nonprofits One good idea can change the world, but it’s the power to execute it that makes all the difference.

For Arizona Facts of Life, a nonprofit that helps young women find healthy solutions to life’s challenges, founder Yolanda Robinson knew the impact she could make if only she had the resources and the know-how. But with the daunting world of 501(c)(3) regulations and grant applications facing her down, she wasn’t sure her cause would ever see the light of day. Then Robinson discovered TAP AZ, and everything changed.

The Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona, an affiliate of Vitalyst Health Foundation, offers emerging nonprofits and coalitions an early leg-up by providing an array of accounting and financing services. By developing budgets and fundraising plans for organizations, TAP AZ acts as an outsourced CFO, getting new ventures off the ground and creating opportunities for them to expand while helping them avoid the administrative hurdles nonprofits face on start-up.

Often, that’s the age or budget requirements government and

philanthropic agencies have for awarding grants. Under TAP AZ’s umbrella, young nonprofits can reach a level it might take them years to achieve otherwise.

“With full fiscal sponsorship, a group doesn’t even need a checking account,” says George Redheffer, associate director of sponsored projects at TAP AZ. “We cut checks, pay bills, apply for grants. We do all the back-office work.”

For an organization like Arizona Facts of Life, the grantspecific services were a game-changer. While initially unsuccessful at applying for government funds, since partnering with TAP AZ, the organization has received a number of grants from the Arizona state government as well as a tribal youth grant. “TAP AZ gave us the resources we needed to succeed,” says Robinson.

Information on launching a coalition or nonprofit and on applying to become a sponsored project is available on the TAP AZ website.

—Zac Dunn TAP AZ tapaz.org

Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona is an affiliate of Vitalyst Health Foundation, formerly St. Luke’s Charitable Health Trust, born of a desire to help coalitions of small and midsized nonprofit agencies develop the skills and resources to increase organization capacity to address health and social issues. tapaz.org

Photo courtesy of TerrainHopper USA

GROWTH MODE FOR TECH STARTUP SURF

The off-road mobility vehicle was a life-changer for wheelchair-bound Todd Lemay (who suffers from brittle bone disease). “I purchased a TerrainHopper for myself from the UK. It allowed me to go places I had not been able to go before, and the positive reaction from people when I was out in it was overwhelming. … I wanted to bring the TerrainHopper to the U.S. to give other people the opportunity to experience the new-found freedom that I now had.”

He founded Tempe-based TerrainHopper USA LLC in November 2017. For the next steps, he had to go beyond his previous experience as a serial entrepreneur. “I have always started and been involved with service-based businesses where all you need is an office, phone number, business cards and a service to sell.” The new endeavor required procuring parts from different suppliers, working with various metal shops to fabricate more than 100 different custom TerrainHopper parts, and coordinating with his counterparts in the UK to ensure everything was to the original TerrainHopper specifications. “All this had to be done while, at the same time, obtaining and learning how to read CAD drawings, procuring the correct tools and equipment that we need, and designing and building a production line to assemble the TerrainHoppers,” he recalls.

“To overcome some of these challenges, I have surrounded myself with knowledgeable, hard-working people who understand our goal to build the most capable and highestquality mobility vehicles that will improve people’s lives. We also partnered with a local fabricator whose core business is to

Thanks, boss.

Dental is the third most requested benefit.

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PROPERTY, GROWTH AND LOCATION

MAGAZINE

Lending Guide

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Consciou Capitalisms

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How ‘conscio is elevating us capitalism’ the econom system ic to higher plane SMBs’

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(Surprising) Wealth of Assets Brands Politically Beware in Polarized

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DATA CENTERS’ NATIONAL TRENDS • Strong demand has resulted in more than 474 MW of capacity under development in the primary U.S. markets, nearly 55 percent of which is preleased.

• U.S. data center investment volume reached $7 billion in H1 2018, inclusive of singleasset, portfolio and entity-level transactions.

• H1 2018 investment activity was balanced between transaction types, as opposed to in 2017, when investment was driven by entity-level transactions. Single-asset and portfolio transactions accounted for 48 percent of total volume in H1, compared to only 27 percent in 2017. http://bit.ly/cbre-datacenter-report

According to the new U.S. Data Center Trends Report released by CBRE this past September, tight supply in major U.S. data center markets, including Silicon Valley, has led occupiers to expand into Phoenix. We now have record levels of data center construction underway — 61.4 megawatts (MW) currently under construction, with more than 120 MW announced for future buildout. Expansions and new facilities are underway from providers such as CyrusOne, Aligned Data Centers, Iron Mountain and EdgeCore.

With a total inventory of 212.9 MW, Phoenix is the fifthlargest data market in the country. Among the attractions often cited for its attraction as a base for data centers is the fact that we are generally not prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. However, while data centers provide a large number of jobs, they are not necessarily a boost to the economy as the jobs are mostly low-wage.

Phoenix recorded 32.5 MW of net absorption in the first half of 2018, second to only Northern Virginia (100 MW) in terms of the most active data center markets. Phoenix is followed by Dallas/Ft. Worth (19.1 MW, Silicon Valley (10.6 MW) and Austin/ San Antonio (9.8 MW).

a 117,000-square-foot office that can support more than 700 jobs. Located at 350 N. McClintock Drive, the building is adjacent to Chandler Fashion Square, and is easily accessible from the Loop 202 South

Developed by VanTrust on 11-acres, the Class A office project was constructed

by Layton Construction Company and designed by Butler Design Group. The building features a two-story glass entrance; its structural systems consist of precast concrete perimeter bearing walls and steel frame superstructures. VanTrust plans to develop the remaining 15 acres of land. vantrustre.com

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

by Mike Hunter

Chandler Corporate Optima Kierland Tempe to Gain a Center Completed Offers Customizable Canopy by Hilton VanTrust Real Estate’s recently Driftwood Acquisitions & Development Condos completed Chandler Corporate Center is broke ground in September on Canopy by

Fria Freeway.

18

CBRE Group, Inc. cbre.com

GET REAL

Mountain Freeway and the Loop 101 Agua

NOV. 2018

“As new and existing providers look outside of supplyconstrained markets, they continue to find the Phoenix market attractive for its strong incentive programs, lower operating costs and favorable climate,” says Mark Krison, senior vice president with CBRE’s Phoenix office. “With Phoenix’s inventory growing at a rapid rate, the metro will continue to be able to accommodate the strong demand from hyperscale and enterprise users.”

Looking at data centers nationally as an investment market, Pat Lynch, senior managing director of CBRE’s Data Center Solutions, says, “While 2018 investment volume may not reach 2017’s record-setting investment of more than $20 billion, we still expect the investment market to produce strong results, driven by sale/leasebacks from enterprise users, cloud users looking for development partners and a continued influx of new investors into the data center sector.”

He notes, that, with end-users continuing to migrate their IT needs to the cloud to save costs and for added flexibility, “We do not expect to see a slowdown in demand from cloud users in the near future.”

—Mike Hunter

With expected completion in 2020, Optima Kierland broke ground this summer on the second tower of its condominium homes, across from Scottsdale Quarter.

Floorplans in the 12-story tower range from approximately 776 to 2,704 square feet, and customization is available floor-to-floor and wall-to-wall; uniquely,

residences can be combined both vertically and horizontally. New amenities include a movie theater, Zen garden, children’s play area and running track on the Skydeck.

Optima reports it already has an interest list of more than 5,000 potential residents for this second tower, including existing first-tower residents looking to purchase an additional home in the second. optimakierland-condos.com.

Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Silicon Valley and Austin/San Antonio saw the most leasing activity in H1 2018. http://bit.ly/cbre-data-center-report

Hilton Tempe Downtown University Area, located in the heart of Tempe across from Arizona State University. The 14-floor, 198-room hotel — a lifestyle brand that embraces its locale to provide guests with authentic and unique local experiences — is slated to open by January 2020 and feature a lobby-level café, a gym, more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space, and a rooftop pool.

Driftwood Hospitality Management, DAD’s affiliate, will manage the hotel. DAD is an innovative hospitality industry leader with decades of experience and a strategic focus on hotel and resort acquisitions. canopybyhilton.com • dadlp.com

Photos courtesy of VanTrust Real Estate, Optima Kierland and Driftwood Acquisitions & Development (l to r)

Owner’s

NOV. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2019 Busine ss

Phoenix Sets Strong Pace in Data Center Market

YOUR BENEFIT IN BUSINESS

New System Lessens Need for Amputation More than 200 million people worldwide, including 8.5 million Americans, suffer from Peripheral Artery Disease, leading causes of which include smoking, diabetes and obesity . In the U.S. and Europe alone, PAD is responsible for approximately 240,000 amputations every year — and nearly one-quarter of these patients die within 30 days and almost half within a year of their amputation. Arizona has one of the highest percentages of patients who suffer from PAD. Comprehensive Interventional Care Centers is the first in Arizona to offer patients the DABRA System, a groundbreaking technology, to treat PAD, making DABRA available at the practice’s offices in Gilbert and Flagstaff.

The DABRA Catheter and Laser is Ra Medical Systems’ minimally-invasive excimer laser and disposable catheter system that breaks down plaque to its fundamental chemistry, such as proteins, lipids and other chemical compounds, eliminating blockages by, essentially, dissolving them without generating potentially harmful particulates.

“DABRA enables me to quickly and easily treat arterial blockages caused by peripheral artery disease. It’s so gratifying to help my patients walk pain-free again and in many cases prevent a threatened amputation,” says Joel R. Rainwater, M.D., interventional radiology endovascular specialist and CICC’s chief medical officer. ciccenters.com

Predictability and Affordability in Healthcare Coverage Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona recently launched an administrative services solution with the potential of delivering more predictability and affordability for businesses that prefer a self-funded model for their health benefits.

This new Balanced Funding solution allows qualifying businesses with 15 or more enrolled employees to pay a fixed monthly amount — which includes the cost of administrative services, stop-loss insurance and all claims coverage — rather than having payments fluctuate based on claims. The program offers enhanced transparency, with monthly reports that allow businesses to track healthcare trends and costs throughout the year. If annual claims are more than what the business has paid, no additional dollars are owed — and businesses have the ability to earn dollars back if claims are lower than expected. azblue.com/BalancedFunding

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Offering Ongoing Support beyond Insurance Scottsdale Recovery Center recently launched its Lifetime Therapy, designed to be an affordable addiction aftercare program for clients to receive continual treatment for life. This revolutionary one-of-a-kind program helps those patients conquer common life stressors that could otherwise trigger a relapse.

Explaining that it isn’t uncommon for insurers to treat the minimum as a maximum — meaning they won’t cover beyond the minimum required stay and deny additional time and treatment, even if it is recommended by a professional — Chris Cohn, founder and owner of Scottsdale Recovery Center, says, “Although a patient may have benefits to go to a substance abuse treatment facility, the insurance company might not authorize them to access that level of care.

“Some insurance companies don’t understand the full extent of therapy that individuals need during and after recovery to have a successful sobriety.” Cohn notes that facilities battle insurers to cover longer stays and continued therapy for patients because, in a situation without medical treatment, insurers often don’t feel the need

to cover the client and allow them the ability to afford further support.

People who have gone through a medical detox or a 28-day treatment program may have a hard time reconnecting with their real self and adapt to a new lifestyle in society. With SRC Lifetime Therapy, clients are able to receive ongoing support, medical checkups, emotional learning tools and life skills training.

SRC built this program to be a long-term affordable solution for those that have private insurance companies that might not cover outpatient treatment. Lifetime Therapy gives clients the opportunity for extra support whenever a person needs it. Lifetime Therapy molds around the convenience of a person’s schedule, and offers traditional and holistic the rapies to choose from, for a lifetime. Substance abuse and mental health disorders don’t evolve over night and don’t go away in one day, neither does recovery. Lifetime Therapy allows those to stay plugged into their sobriety and find new sober friendships. —Mike Hunter Scottsdale Recovery Center scottsdalerecovery.com

Oral Care: Gentle, Vegan The oral care products from Rowpar Pharmaceuticals serve not only the general consumer but those with special needs as well.

ClōSYS is its innovative oral healthcare line, with products that are alcohol-free, sulfate-free and pH balanced. Says James Ratcliff, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Rowpar, “We are pleased to know that our products can be used by patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, have genetic disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Crones disease or lichen planus, or are taking drugs that may lead to oral sores and inflammation, such as osteoporosis medications.” Additionally, with its strict No Animal Testing policy, ClōSYS products are 100-percent vegan. Testing, however, is rigorous, and Ratcliff points out ClōSYS products carry the ADA Seal of Acceptance, which not all oral care products do.

Also important, Ratcliff notes, is what ClōSYS doesn’t do: It doesn’t interfere with the healing process as do many oral care products based on alcohol, Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), chlorhexidine (CHX) or triclosan. “We want people to know not only that they are using the most effective oral care products available but also ones that don’t burn or sting or stain, that don’t

kill the bacteria in the yogurt you just ate, and don’t kill the bacteria that help you digest foods.”

Founded by Ratcliff’s father, Perry A. Ratcliff, D.D.S., a pioneer in the field of periodontology and dental research, Rowpar is a local company with a national and international reach. Part of the Scottsdale “Cure Corridor,” it has provided internships to students at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona and has built research relationships with A.T. Still and Midwestern University Schools of Dentistry. Says Ratcliff, “There is a great pool of experienced talent in Arizona from which we have built a dedicated team to build the ClōSYS brand. Along the way, we have learned and been supported by efforts to build the technology and bioscience sectors of the Arizona economy, by the efforts to establish life science and healthcare sectors in Phoenix and Scottsdale.”

—RaeAnne Marsh ClōSYS closys.com

Fewer than one in five healthcare executives has seen cost reductions of more than five percent in any priority area in the last year. This is one of many concerning findings in Kaufman Hall’s new “2018 State of Cost Transformation in U.S. Hospitals and Health Systems: Time for Big Steps” report. kaufmanhall.com

Photo courtesy of ClōSYS

WELL, WELL, WELL by Mike Hunter

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INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESS

Product Marketing Platform Disrupts It’s estimated that 94 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have yet to adopt product information management systems. Product information management tools (PIMs) act as an umbrella, enabling businesses to manage information required to market and sell products through numerous distribution channels; a huge number of small retailers are still relying on Excel to manage their product content and price lists. Having their product content organized and centralized will provide them with invaluable data, enabling them to better compete with larger retailers and succeed in the online world. That was our impetus in creating Plytix.

The PIM industry is currently growing at a 25.3-percent compound annual growth rate. That’s mainly driven by new businesses adopting a PIM, rather than expansion from existing PIM users. We also believe growth in the in the coming year will be driven by SMEs. Plytix specializes in product marketing systems, and we believe the platform is a gamechanger in that it enables SMEs to grow four times faster at an estimated 84-percent improved efficiency rate.

Plytix is a disruptive product marketing platform that currently has more than 1,000 users. It is also software agnostic and can create endpoints to any system, making it easily integrate-able with any content management system, ecommerce or enterprise resource planning programs. Plytix PIM can integrate with other types of software, including catalog management, business process management and data quality. Its core functionalities are a searchable database, product variation control, product feed creation and digital asset and file management.

Plytix was recently selected by the European Union to be part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

—Morten Hellesøe Poulsen, CEO and co-founder of Plytix plytix.com

Personal Assistant App Launches in Phoenix On-demand personal assistant app ZINKN launched last August, providing Valley residents an easy-to-use tool to request on-demand or scheduled help with a wide range of personal services such as errands, household tasks, transportation and family care. The app also provides contract jobs for workers, called “People Share™ Providers,” looking to supplement their income.

ZINKN founder and CEO, Michael Vogler, plans to grow the business within the Phoenix market, then begin expanding nationwide in the first half of 2019. “By the end of 2018, our goal is to hire 500 contracted providers within the Greater Phoenix area,” he says. —Mike Hunter zinkn.com

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JDA’s Brave New World of Retail JDA Software’s supply chain software is changing, if not the face of retail, then its behind-the-face. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more is a physical, in-person demonstration worth?

JDA recently unveiled a world-class JDA Customer Experience Center, located at its global headquarters in Scottsdale, that will serve as a dynamic lab space showcasing tangible, hands-on technology innovations.

The 13,200-square-foot JXC will serve as a space for customers to see, touch and interact with future supply chain innovations.

“Our vision for a connected, intelligent and autonomous supply chain is fueled by the innovations showcased in the JXC, leveraging the best in artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive computing, augmented reality and robotics,” says Desikan Madhavanur, executive vice president and chief development officer at JDA. “Now, customers can experience these in person, firsthand, when they visit our headquarters, and we can strategize with them on how to apply these innovations to their future digital supply chain projects.”

In a lab space dubbed “the Lighthouse,” the new JXC showcases JDA Luminate™ nextgeneration solutions and enhancements to JDA core products that embrace digital edge technologies like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, as well as innovations created with JDA’s technology partner ecosystem.

Working with JDA partner FourKites and others, JDA Luminate™ ControlTower showcases dynamic transportation use cases, illustrating how a connected ecosystem of partners, social, news, events, and weather signals drives more profitable transportation decisions.

Also showcased is a collaboration between ReTech Labs and JDA — leveraging JDA’s AI, deep learning, product recognition and advanced mobile technologies — that enables video capture of an actual planogram along with the ability to compare it to the digital plan. Visitors will be able to identify product compliance opportunities, including out-ofstock conditions, and track their resolution.

Another demonstration allows visitors to use a VR headset and handgrips to manipulate a planogram as if they are in a

SUPPLY CHAIN ‘DISNEYLAND’?

physical merchandising layout room. Users can virtually map and manage a digital planogram, accelerating planning and execution activities.

Conversational computing is the heart of a demonstration from JDA and Theatro of the world’s first voice-controlled mobile platform for the hourly workforce.

Moving from the virtual to the real world, Locus Robotics is featured at JXC with its autonomous robots that move selected products from one area of a facility (a warehouse or a manufacturing plant) to another area for shipping or further manufacturing. With average installation of just two weeks, these robots do not require the traditional facility floor mapping that might take three or four months to complete but make use of a tracking program for the items. And the Locus robots are able to independently navigate obstacles to move product from one location to another. This increases productivity and reduces repetitive human tasks and fatigue.

Soft Bank Robotics’ Pepper, a humanoid customer assistance robot, actually is changing the face of retail — it can interact with customers. JXC offers a demonstration in which the visitor, acting as a customer, can ask Pepper if a shoe is available in a desired size. Pepper, having complete access to JDA’s inventory and supply chain information, answers the customer with information regarding inventory available at the store, another store or even an option to have the pair of shoes delivered to the customer’s home. Its knowledge of inventory even allows it to show the customer other shoes that might suit that customer.

Virtual visits to the JXC are also possible, thanks to technology by iBeam that will allow viewers to virtually “beam” into the JXC and experience some of the demonstrations through their devices.

—RaeAnne Marsh JDA Software jda.com

The JDA Customer Experience Center showcases robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other Edge innovations that will transform future supply chains.

Photo courtesy of JDA Software

TECH NOTES

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LAW MATTERS TO BUSINESS

Outsmarting the Smart Workplace An employment law perspective on ‘smart’ usage

by Tamara Barkdoll

Smart technology can help employers forge a more motivated, efficient and effective workforce. But these devices also pose significant employment-law risks. While employee privacy concerns are one common issue, others are less obvious.

Following the tips below can help employers avoid being caught off guard by addressing these legal risks early on.

BE VIGILANT AND PROACTIVE

Tamara Barkdoll, J.D., M.B.A, is a Colorado licensed attorney in the Employment Law Services Department of Employers Council (formerly Mountain States Employers Council), a nonprofit association with more than 3,000 employers in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Employers Council provides advice, counsel, information, representation, training and education in all aspects of the employment relationship.

As a staff attorney, Barkdoll defends Employers Council’s member organizations before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. She counsels organizations on a wide variety of employment issues that arise in today’s working world, including issues associated with wage and hour, leave and privacy. employerscouncil.org

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Just as technology is both ever-emerging and ever-changing, so too are the legal requirements and guidance around smart technology. Geographic location of employer location is key, because states, and even localities, can have their own requirements beyond federal law. This means that employers must stay abreast of evolving laws and proactively change practices and policies in response. Reading pertinent legal briefings and the news daily, attending legislative and business briefings like the ongoing sessions offered by Employers Council, and reviewing surveys on industry trends are just a few examples of tools that can help leaders stay on top of and plan for any changes in requirements for smart technology.

Wearables — Productivity and Safety: Some employers require certain employees, such as fulfillment-center workers, to wear productivity wearables (devices attached to the body such as to the neck, head, arms or hands). The employers argue that productivity wearables can help employees become more efficient by freeing their eyes and hands from monitors, keyboards and scanners. Some employers require drivers and heavy equipment operators to use safety wearables. Employers argue that safety wearables pose less invasion of employees’ privacy than in-cab cameras, for instance, and promote safety by alerting employees and their employers to signs of fatigue, such as drooping eyelids or nodding off. A common challenge with mandatory employee use of both productivity and safety wearables is that, if an employee has legitimate job-related performance issues and also has a health-related condition that could affect job performance, this might trigger the interactive process and possible reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disability Act. Additional federal, state, and local laws could also apply.

Wearables — Health: Some employers offer health wearables, like Fitbits and other health tracking devices, as part of their voluntary wellness programs. These devices provide employee-specific health data, which employers can use to negotiate better health insurance rates on employee health plans. However, it’s important to understand that when employers possess health data linked to specific employees, they are at greater risk of health-related claims for discrimination in employment. Using a third-party aggregator to ensure all health information is provided on an anonymous, mass basis is one way to reduce this risk.

Wearables — Smartphones: Many employers provide smartphones to employees. The inherent functionality of

these devices — coupled with apps employees install — can lead to unintended sharing of personal and confidential information with other parties. One example is Strava’s Heat Map app used by online fitness enthusiasts. This app caused massive military security breaches last year when service members used the app while stationed at secret military installations worldwide. The app tracks and publicly displays the location of app users on the Internet, and in doing so it inadvertently disclosed the location of the installations.

Ensure there are clear policies in place for employees when using a company-provided phone for personal use.

Car Infotainment Systems: These are another potential source for caution and concern. Employees often sync smartphones to company or employee car infotainment systems. Unlike smartphones, infotainment systems typically do not have robust security and safety measures, nor is their software updated as frequently. The systems download and store information, including confidential employee and employer information, which can be accessible not only to future users of the same vehicle but to hackers as well.

Employers with company car infotainment systems should check with the manufacturers to determine their infotainment software updating practices and safety and security protocols.

GPS: Many smart devices come equipped with GPS location tracking. Some states and localities simply prohibit employer use of GPS on smart devices to track employees altogether.

Some locations allow employers to track employees with written consent so long as the use is for legitimate business reasons and balances the employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy. It is important to note that even in cases where this is true, the nature of consent can still vary by location. Being familiar with the laws surrounding GPS location tracking in every state or locality where the company operates is imperative.

The risks posed by functions and apps should encourage both employers and employees to check the security settings on their smart devices and individual apps and adjust them as appropriate from the default settings. It is important for organizations, as well as employees, to read and fully understand privacy and user agreements before agreeing to their terms for third-party smart technology.

Employers can reap many benefits from the use of smart technology. However, in order to make appropriate, wellinformed and law-abiding decisions, policies and practices for their organizations regarding smart technology, employers must be knowledgeable of not only the benefits but also the varying applicable law and potential employment law risks.

Strava’s Heat Map app used by online fitness enthusiasts — which tracks app users and publicly displays their location on the Internet — caused massive military security breaches last year when service members used the app while stationed at secret military installations worldwide.

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Capitalism Is a

Social Force ‘Conscious capitalism’ elevates the economic system to higher plane

by RaeAnne Marsh

“Capitalism” has taken a hit in modern times — as “money lending” did in earlier centuries — with a lot of press focusing on the negative, and the extremes. Neither, of course, is inherently evil. The appeal of capitalism is taking an idea or opportunity and capitalizing on it; developing a benefit from it. Certainly there is potential for that to yield great wealth or influence to individuals, and there are countless examples of that in history.

But a business founder using a successful capitalistic endeavor for a broader benefit is also not new.

Today, though — to get away from any of the negative connotation the word “capitalism” has taken on — the term “conscious capitalism” is being used to identify the latter philosophy. Entrepreneurs and business leaders are following capitalism’s precepts for success, but with a conscious consideration of how their business’s practices and/or output can benefit the people or the world around them.

Pushing this movement forward are many entrepreneurs and business leaders in our community, some of whom — like Ray DelMuro, Randy Gibb and Adam Goodman, whose voices are among those showcased below — also contribute by serving on the board of directors of the local chapter of Conscious Capitalism. In Business Magazine is pleased to share their stories.

LAUREN BAILEY Chief Executive Officer Upward Projects Sector: Restaurants upwardprojects.com

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? Our mission is simple: to make people feel good. But, unlike traditional companies, we don’t believe that success starts with taking care of the customers. We start by first taking care of our employees and their needs, then our vendors and, lastly, our guests. That’s because we know that, to make our guests feel great, our team has to feel great. It’s a little like a car: The car isn’t going anywhere without the gas, and our team is what moves the needle on that.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS? We did it unconsciously in the beginning. We were addicted to making feel people feel better than they did when they walked in the door.

As we grew, we just put more intention behind it, learned to scale and systemize and make sure everyone on our team is aligned with that goal. This includes creating a board of directors for each location, whose members are chosen by the staff and meet quarterly with all general managers, regional directors and the executive team. They are the voice of the store and its individual employees to bring up improvements and register complaints as well as suggestions and ways we can improve each store, from new menu items or promotions to ways we can collaborate better. Furthermore, we’ve created an email reporting system to give all employees the power to speak directly and anonymously with the leadership team. To us, it’s like a smoke detector: There might not be a fire, but it provides a warning that we need to dig in and go deeper.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? Our five core values are woven into nearly everything we do: hiring systems, performance reviews, messaging, real estate decisions; everything. Being an important part of the community and creating a gathering place where people have their most special moments is not lost on us, and we stay focused on the foundation of these values to deliver that experience each and every time.

We express our five core values in the way we live them: 1) Investing in, celebrating, educating and empowering our people; 2) running the company not like a bureaucracy, but like a roundtable where everybody has a voice; 3) striving to always have a cutting-edge employee and customer experience, never allowing ourselves to settle or stop thinking how can we be better; 4) making innovation a primary focus — we are always looking for the next coolest thing; and 5) getting the correct systems in place.

We love when people think it’s easy; we’re doing it right. The best businesses are like ducks gliding smoothly across the water, but what you don’t see are the feet paddling furiously under the water.

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RAY DELMURO Founder and CEO Refresh Glass Sector: Manufacturing refreshglass.com

DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS AND ITS SOCIAL MISSION.

Refresh Glass actively partners with the community to divert thousands of wine bottles every week that would have otherwise been thrown away, working toward our 10 Million Bottle Rescue Mission. Once collected, we then transform the bottles into fun and functional glassware and décor such as planters, candle holders and vases.

Current bottle count: 1,250,000-plus rescued (We keep a counter updated on our website.)

Among the many venues that use our glasses are Wolfgang Puck, Hyatt, 4 Seasons, Sheraton, Marriott, Kimpton, Ritz Carlton and Francis Ford Coppola Winery. We also custom engrave on our glasses for corporations, pro sports teams, universities and charities to create an impactful gift that will be used and talked about for years to come.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS?

I left my career as an engineer with an aerospace company because I wanted to make products that — in addition to their pure utility and function — were pieces of art, while, at the same time, were helping the community. My company was conceived from the outset with a belief in conscious capitalism and offering multifaceted solutions that generate both revenue and community benefit at the same time.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS?

In the early years of Refresh Glass, we had messaging that really worked to help our customers understand how they play a part in our rescue mission. We came to find that by emphasizing client gifters’ relationshipbuilding strength through glasses that are personalized and everyday usable, and glasses that add to the design and guest experience, we are better able to satisfy our customers’ core business needs — and rescue more bottles than when we emphasized the mission alone.

So, we support our core goal by using the emotional, functional and concurrent altruistic combination our products represent to solve real market needs. We integrate our mission through our client focus that permeates our internal operations as well. In addition to our client engagements, we also have fun donating our blems to Habitat for Humanity for their sale and use, and we have a happy hour series that has raised more than $10,000 since 2013 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. We also are using the help of Gompers special-needs and disabled team members to assist us when we have project-based work. Our real goal is to be a part of the community even though we now sell hundreds of thousands of glass product across the country annually.

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

DR. RANDY GIBB Dean, Colangelo College of Business Grand Canyon University

ADAM GOODMAN

Sector: Education

Chief Executive Officer

gcu.edu/colangelo-college-of-business.php

Goodmans Interior Structures Sector: Office Design

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? As an educational institution, the Colangelo College of Business focuses on instilling a new wave of businesspeople with the belief that capitalism and social good can and should co-exist in business endeavors. We are part of a global initiative that is tackling head-on the image of capitalism as a negative construct by changing the tide in business through a steadfast focus on conscious capitalism ideals — business can elevate humanity.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS?

Answering this requires putting the development of our curriculum into historical context.

While capitalism and free market principles have brought more people out of poverty and created a world that is more prosperous than ever before, a 2016 poll conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics found only 19 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 identified themselves as “capitalists” — and only 38 percent of that group said they “supported capitalism.”

Our students do not feel that way at all about capitalism. GCU students recognize how business is truly a force for good, and profits generated the right way and re-invested in all stakeholders can positively change a community. We have very intentionally integrated conscious capitalism principals into a number of undergraduate and graduate courses.

Often, business schools are blamed for not doing enough to graduate impactful and ethical leaders. New graduates are adept in accounting, economics, management and marketing, but this is no longer enough. Business schools must also develop entrepreneurs and young professionals who want to contribute to society in a significant way, and we established the Colangelo College of Business with that purpose via ethics and servant leadership.

HOW DOES YOUR CURRICULUM HELP STUDENTS LEARN TO INTEGRATE A COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL ITS BUSINESS DECISIONS? The concept of conscious capitalism is exactly as its name implies. It’s operating a business with a higher purpose. Capturing value and solving a problem for society.

It’s investing in the company’s culture, employees, environment and community. It’s a commitment to fostering economic growth while serving others.

While the word “profit” seems to have taken on a negative connotation within our society, it’s important to understand that, before there can be charity, there must first be prosperity. For a business to impact society, it must be financially stable and profitable.

At Grand Canyon University, our conscious capitalism curriculum prepares students to use business as a force for good, using the university itself as Exhibit A in this valuable lesson. GCU’s growth in the past 10 years has been remarkable, but it has used that growth to make huge investments in its West Phoenix community. Through a $1.6-million safety initiative with the Phoenix Police Department, a groundbreaking tutoring program that is impacting underserved students at 80 inner-city K-12 schools, a scholarship program that has provided 300 scholarships in the last three years to kids whose families couldn’t afford college, a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to renovate 700 homes in the Canyon Corridor, and the creation of new businesses that employ residents in our neighborhood, GCU is using its position as a major employer in Phoenix to transform the surrounding community.

Our students in the Colangelo College of Business are proud to be part of an institution where entrepreneurism and innovation are lived-out every day. Our ColangeLopes have embraced the principles as they align with their own heart to serve through business.

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

goodmans.com

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? The purpose of Goodmans is to make an impact on the community.

It is why we exist. It is also why people want to work at Goodmans.

Heck, it’s the reason I get out of bed in the morning.

We have this expansive view because our perspective on our stakeholders is different from most businesses. As the owner of Goodmans, I am decidedly not our only stakeholder. We view our employees, suppliers, customers, industry, environment and the community as also being stakeholders. This means the company has a responsibility to use our assets, talent and resources to the benefit of the entire ecosystem.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS? As the third generation to operate the family business, I found myself intellectually engaged but not necessarily fulfilled. I went through a series of reflective exercises to discover my own purpose and concluded that I am driven by the opportunity to build community. I spent a few years thinking through how to reposition the company’s purpose so it aligned with my own.

It turns out, that was the easy part. The next step was inspiring 250 people — many of whom had worked at Goodmans longer than I had been alive — to believe in our purpose. That took some time.

That explains how the community became a stakeholder. We elevated the status of the other stakeholders out of decency, ethics and integrity. We have seen too many companies leverage the needs of one stakeholder (customers, suppliers, employees or the environment, for example) to benefit another stakeholder (ownership, for example). That paradigm might thrive in the shortterm, but it will never survive the long-term. I’m interested in the long-term.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? Our leadership team considers all our stakeholders when we make decisions on investment, personnel, resources, infrastructure, technology, policies and so on. When acquiring a warehouse, for example, we think through how surplus capacity can be used to help reduce human struggle for employees, lower the cost of government for taxpayers, elevate nonprofits, support foster children and so on.

That might seem like an exaggeration, but I assure you all of those factors, and more, were considered.

The stakeholder model challenges our leadership team to think beyond the dollars and cents of a decision to evaluate whether an investment fulfills our purpose. At Goodmans, we don’t think in terms of months or quarters or even years. Our vision is in terms of decades.

Admittedly, that’s an easier perspective for a 64-year-old company relative to a startup. I must credit the hard work of my parents and grandparents that gave me the luxury to move up Maslow’s hierarchy to think less about survival and more about fulfillment.

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GARY JABURG President and Managing Partner Jaburg Wilk Sector: Law jaburgwilk.com

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? Our social mission is to “Uniquely improve the lives of our clients our employees and community.” A socially conscious business takes into account and truly cares about all of its stakeholders. This means its sole focus is not just about maximizing profits for its shareholders. Stakeholders are defined broadly as the various constituencies that interact with the business, including employees, vendors and the broader community. A socially conscious business focuses on “doing the right thing” in all circumstances.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS?

We have always been a law firm that focused on providing outstanding legal advice by finding the smartest and most efficient way to achieve our clients’ objectives in a cost-effective way. As our company matured, so did our social mission. We were a conscious capitalist company before we knew they existed!

Doing the right thing and investing in our community by giving back has been in Jaburg Wilk’s DNA for more than 25 years. When we were introduced to the conscious capitalism movement, we realized that our culture, purpose and leadership aligned with its tenets. We were already investing in our community both financially and with our time. In 2007, we formalized that commitment when we formed and initially funded The Jaburg Wilk Foundation, which has since provided more than $400,000 in supportive funding to local nonprofits.

When one of our employees has a cause he or she is passionate about — and is actively involved in — the foundation is able to financially support that cause.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? Since attorneys are paid by the hour, there is often a tension between doing what is right for the client and earning more revenue for the firm. We always provide our clients with honest advice, even when it is adverse to our financial interest. The best example is how we often talk clients out of litigation, or do our best to settle a matter if litigation has already commenced.

We encourage and provide the resources to our employees to improve their skills — and marketability — while knowing this means that some of our non-attorney employees will leave us as there may be more advancement opportunities at another company. To invest in our employees’ future employability is the right thing to do. Our people invest in one another through a robust mentoring program that includes mentoring groups even though there is no specific financial reward for mentoring. We provide multiple inhouse seminars and training in both hard and soft skills as well as paying for seminars and workshops. Jaburg Wilk has an Education Assistance Program and pays up to $5,500 annually for qualified advanced education for employees.

The span of employee philanthropy encompasses community service work, various drives, financial contributions and nonprofit support through board service and committee support. Whether employees are contributing time, money or resources, they are encouraged and rewarded. The firm’s Give a Day, Get a Day program provides up to eight hours of paid time annually for volunteer activities. In 2017, more than 400 volunteer hours were given, which did not include board service or pro bono activities.

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DR. HEIDI JANNENGA Co-Founder and President WebPT Sector: Healthcare webpt.com

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? Our mission at WebPT is to empower rehab therapists to achieve greatness in practice, and we approach everything we do through that lens. That means we’re on the frontlines with our members, working to understand their biggest challenges and their workflows so we can prioritize product updates, innovations and rollouts. We do this through Member Moonwalks — in which we visit and shadow our member clinics — and by actively seeking feedback on an ongoing basis through NPS surveys and one-on-one conversations.

Education and advocacy are also at the center of this. We host an annual business summit, Ascend, dedicated to rehab therapy business, and have a robust library of educational webinars, guides, blog posts, and reports. In fact, WebPT has become the third-most-sought resource for information related to the physical therapy industry. On the advocacy front, we’re working to empower therapists to embrace a direct-access mindset and own their roles as first-line providers for patients with neuromusculoskeletal conditions. We do this by providing them the latest innovation, participating in things like PT Day on the Hill, and speaking to PT students and organizations throughout the country about the importance of advocating for the profession.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS? Initially, we created WebPT to solve a problem I had in my individual clinic.

I was the clinic director for a multi-site operation, and I discovered that documentation and transcription were our biggest expenses. I began looking for a cost-effective, cloud-based solution, but I kept coming up short, because there wasn’t anything like that on the market. So, my co-founder and I teamed up to build something. After implementing it in my clinic, others started asking about it. We then conducted market research and discovered 80 percent of physical therapists were still using pen and paper to document. It was at this point that we knew we had to scale the software for the industry at large.

So, the social mission and the product developed concurrently. We saw it as a mission-critical piece of software that could help advance the profession in so many ways.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? At WebPT, we follow the tenets of Conscious Capitalism, which means service of a deeper purpose and stakeholder integration are integral to what we do. We believe all stakeholders — employees, customers, partners and the community — should have a voice in shaping the future of WebPT. To that end, we are very intentional about staying close to our members, shadowing them in their clinics to better understand their workflows, and seeking feedback to help us prioritize product innovations and feature rollouts. Our purpose is also upheld by our core values, which we use as guideposts for all business decisions — from hiring to acquisitions to expansions — and to inform product innovations. We also incorporate our values into everything we do, from the common language used every day in meetings to job descriptions and performance reviews. Every WebPT-er is hired, shaped and reviewed by our core values. Our purpose and values truly are the bedrock of our company.

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

MIKE JONES

DR. DANIEL OPENDEN President and CEO

CEO

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

Resound

Sector: Nonprofit

Sector: Professional Services

autismcenter.org

resoundcreative.com

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S SOCIAL MISSION? Our world is better when we all strive for authenticity, candor and clear communication; our relationships of every kind become deeper, more valuable and more significant for all. And our ability as human beings to make others’ lives better becomes that much easier when we understand our own selves. In light of that, our purpose at Resound is to help individuals and organizations fully uncover what makes them intrinsically remarkable (because they really are), so that they communicate their most authentic self to the world and build more-lasting, more-value-producing relationships to make our world a better place for everyone.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS? At some level, identity and the remarkableness of human beings has been at the heart of our organization since Day One (in 2009). My business partners and I founded the company on these principles, though it has taken us time to fully understand our own identity in such a way as to communicate it clearly. We really had to practice our own process that we use with our clients to be able to fully communicate with clarity our core purpose and mission.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? Our purpose has become a rallying cry throughout our organization. We remind ourselves of it constantly through a lot of internal messaging. I think this is the first step in really integrating any mission: Make it clear and then repeat it everywhere. But moving beyond pure communication, it has to be internalized into the specific roles and responsibilities in our organization.

That requires us to make it a part of hiring and team member development processes. For example, in our hiring and continual development, we use a number of personality and behavioral assessments to help every team member better understand their remarkable identity and ways in which to further live out their lives with authenticity. It isn’t just about striving for this purpose with our clients but really making it an extension of any relationships we build. And then we call each other on it. We’ve developed a culture of trust that allows us to be candid with one another — knowing that we’re each looking out for the best interest of the other. When we’re not authentic ourselves, we point it out.

We also give back to our communities in pursuit of our social purpose. We know that not every person or organization can (or should) afford our full process. So we’ve developed programs to make our services more accessible to nonprofits, startups and individuals who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford our full consulting services. Two examples: Twice a year, we work with a community nonprofit and provide our full identity workshops and consulting services at cost. And then we’ve taken our workshop curriculum developed for leadership teams of larger organizations and re-engineered it as a multi-company, fast-paced, DIY-style half-day workshop to provide our identity development tools at a much more affordable rate for smaller organizations and individuals.

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center’s mission is to advance research and provide a lifetime of support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.

AT WHAT POINT IN DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS DID YOU DETERMINE THIS? (OR PERHAPS THE SOCIAL MISSION CAME FIRST, AND YOUR BUSINESS WAS BUILT AROUND IT?) SARRC’s social mission came first and is why we were founded, and we’ve built a great business to support it. This is evident in the changes to our revenue mix over the last eight years. Up until 2010, 70 percent of SARRC’s revenues were from philanthropic sources while only 30 percent was earned.

Fast-forward to 2017, and roughly 72 percent of our revenue was earned and 28 percent was contributed, representing a complete flip in our revenue stream while actually raising more philanthropic dollars. Nonprofit or not, we are a business and we need to run as an effective business to sustain organizational growth so we can continue to serve the needs of children, teens and adults with autism, and their families.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION INTO ALL YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS? While we have remained grounded in our mission for more than 21 years, SARRC’s dynamic vision — people with autism meaningfully integrated into inclusive communities — directs the types of opportunities we pursue as well as those we don’t. We’re focused on the people we serve through our programs, services and research; cultivating and empowering our inclusive community; and creating sustainable programs that contribute margins that can be reinvested into our mission.

For example, SARRC’s Community School is an inclusive preschool program across two campuses where typically developing children and children with ASD learn alongside each other in a blended classroom model. The Community School is checking all the boxes: producing great outcomes for children with ASD; helping us build community among typically developing students in the classroom; and contributing revenue back to the organization — meaning we can do good, drive outcomes and build community without having to rely on fundraising to do so, subsequently allowing us to allocate profits and philanthropy either to other underfunded programs or to invest in our continued growth. Therefore, we’re currently making plans to scale SARRC’s Community School statewide, serving more children with and without autism and building new inclusive communities throughout Arizona.

SARRC is taking proactive steps to provide students with autism the support they need to experience a curriculum, classroom and extracurricular activities like their typically developing peers, and enabling adults with autism to compete for the same employment opportunities as their colleagues. At the same time, SARRC remains committed to fostering community action by preparing, educating and empowering educators, healthcare professionals, employers and influencers, to name a few, so they, too, encourage opportunities for people with ASD.

NOV. 2018

31

FUNDAMENTALS OF FUNDING

Why Small-Business Assets Matter Assessing value goes well beyond the dollars and cents in bank accounts

by Susan Talbott

Susan Talbott, MSFS, CPA, PFS, ChFC®, CASL®, is a founding partner of Tempe-based Pinnacle Financial Advisors, which assists individuals, families and businesses with financial planning and wealth management.

She is a registered representative offering securities through United Planners Financial Services, a member of FINRA and SIPC; and advisory services through Seros Financial, LLC. Pinnacle Financial Advisors, Seros Financial and United Planners are independent companies. teampinnacle.net

NOV. 2018

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INBUSINESSPHX.COM

When getting to know small-business owners, financial planners typically ask about their company’s value at that point in time. Unfortunately, many times, their first inclination is to share their latest bank statement or the amounts of various checking, savings and investment accounts owned by the company. While these are terrific indicators of cash-at-hand value, for many companies in the Valley, especially small businesses, assessing value goes well beyond the dollars and cents that are sitting in bank accounts.

As a company grows, it becomes increasingly important to identify all assets — the seen and unseen — and use them to provide an accurate snapshot of a company’s value. Additionally, knowing the scope and size of all assets can help a company employ and deploy them to create even greater worth.

Business assets are essential to the effective operation of every small business. From heavy machinery and computer systems to trade secrets and patented ideas, assets run the gamut and can include anything to which a dollar figure can be assigned. Even businesses that primarily offer services, such as financial planning, marketing, accounting or legal counsel, have important assets that help comprise the overall value of the company.

WHY DO ALL ASSETS MATTER?

If there is one thing every small-business owner must task himself with, it is having a comprehensive grasp of all business assets. Identifying and understanding value is vital to preserving, maintaining and protecting business-essential assets, as well as efficient disposition of idle assets.

Oftentimes, business owners may see items such as computers and equipment as an expense — something they initially bought and are now spending money to maintain.

However, smart business owners should understand how these assets contribute to, or detract from, profit and the overall value and operational flexibility of their company. This insight provides opportunity for:

Office equipment such as computers, laptops, furniture and more — anything idle or no longer needed — can help a business create cash flow or quick liquid assets through sales.

• O ptimal deployment of assets that contribute to margins and profit; • Efficient disposition of, and cash recovery from, unused assets; • Tax strategies that depreciate assets and, accordingly, reduce income tax; • Preparation for asset replacement cycles and potential depreciation recapture; • Superior analysis of lease versus buy decisions; and • Lending availability using assets as collateral.

These are just some examples of the power of having a global view of business assets. At the end of the day, assets are essential to generating revenue, optimizing business value and enabling efficient business operations. The more business owners use this information to their advantage, the more wellpositioned the small business is for success.

IDENTIFYING A BUSINESS’S ASSETS

Before analyzing the impact of an asset, it is important to identify the different types that exist in a small business. Real and tangible assets, such as computers, equipment and cash, are the ones that immediately come to mind.

However, it’s the intangible assets that are often not recognized and are often difficult to place a dollar value upon.

For instance, intangible assets can include patents, trade secrets or goodwill. A business’s intellectual property is often a critically important asset, since it is the know-how needed to profitably develop, produce and deliver the services or products to the clients. A business’s intellectual property is often very hard for competitors to replicate and is often a reason why a larger firm buys a smaller firm: It is easier and, likely, less expensive to purchase that know-how than it is to develop it from scratch. Once acquired, that intellectual property can be leveraged many times over by the larger firm because of its greater economies of scale. As a result, the

BETTERING YOUR BUSINESS

Heart and Hustle

value of the know-how to the larger firm as measured in profits generated can be much greater than the value to the smaller firm, and the larger firm may be willing to pay much more to reflect that greater value.

Growing up in South London as a first-generation Brit to immigrant parents, Patricia Bright learned she’d have to hustle and work harder than other people to get what she

PUTTING A VALUE TAG ON ASSETS

As previously mentioned, many traditional assets are initially recorded on the company books at cost, which is the price a company paid for them when purchased. Nevertheless, the value of such assets will invariably change over time. Some assets may appreciate in value based on market conditions, scarcity or innovative uses of the asset. Other assets may depreciate in value over time, due to age, use and rapidly evolving technology.

Once assets are identified, excellent business records are essential so that business owners can properly track value. It is important to keep track of true value to help create supporting documentation for financial statements or tax returns and determining borrowing power when using them as collateral. Similarly, tracking value helps managers and owners understand how readily company assets can be converted to cash if needed, and the overall estimated value of the business if it were to be sold.

Very often, asset records need to be tracked in accordance with multiple methodologies. For example, there may be one set of rules and standards for financial accounting, in accordance with GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). There may be another, separate, set of IRS rules for tax reporting. Similarly, business valuation approaches have their own standards and practices for valuing the assets of a business.

These tracking methods are each for different purposes and each may be expected to employ different rules, standards, formulations and other factors, yet they are equally important. This is why it becomes vital for a small business to seek the help of an accountant or financial planner. They can put a stake in the ground on valuating these items, as well as their increasing or decreasing value.

LEVERAGING ASSETS BEYOND THEIR INTENDED USE

While every small-business owner knows that cash in the bank can be reinvested to help it grow, companies can leverage their assets in unexpected ways to generate income or value for the organization.

For instance: • While construction companies and operators of heavy equipment often purchase machinery to use on the job site, equipment that is not being used can often be rented or loaned out to generate income. Vacant space in an owned office complex can be leased out to generate income. In certain cases, even leased spaces can be sublet to renters, provided lease terms allow for this.

• Office equipment such as computers, laptops, furniture and more — anything idle or no longer needed — can help a business create cash flow or quick liquid assets through sales.

• Even intellectual property can be “loaned” by way of speaking opportunities — both paid and unpaid — that can not only generate cash value but also reputation value in the industry.

needed. Fast forward 20 years and Bright is host of one of the fastest-growing lifestyle YouTube channels in the UK, a multi-award-winning content creator with a following of more than 3 million spanning the globe, and a GLAMOUR magazine cover girl for their first biannual issue. Now, for the first time, Bright shares her secrets of success. Packed with practical, straighttalking advice for anyone thinking about ditching or supplementing their 9 to 5, Heart & Hustle will show the reader how to find purpose, create and grow a sidehustle and develop his or her personal brand to make it to the top.

Heart and Hustle: What it takes to make it to the top Patricia Bright

250 pages

HQ

Available: 11/15/2018

$25.99

Crypto Economy In late 2008, under the long shadow cast by the most severe economic crisis in generations, a revolutionary new form of currency was quietly being shaped. That once-obscure money was known as Bitcoin, and today it is the highestvalued digital coin. And, though consumers continue to scramble to cash in on the trending currency, the technology behind Bitcoin — known as Blockchain, which allows the currency to bought and sold without regulation by a government — remains a mystery to the public. In Crypto Economy, Aries Wanlin Wang provides the definitive blueprint for understanding how Bitcoin, Blockchain and other digital technologies are disrupting traditional financial institutions and forever changing the world of commerce.

Crypto Economy: How Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Token-Economy Are Disrupting the Financial World Aries Wanlin Wang

148 pages

Skyhorse Publishing

Available: 11/20/2018

$21.99

Design Thinking at Work The result of extensive international research with multinationals, governments and nonprofits, Design Thinking at Work explores the challenges organizations face when developing creative strategies to innovate and solve problems. Noting how many organizations have embraced “design thinking” as a fresh approach to a fundamental problem, author David Dunne challenges many of the wild claims that have been made for design thinking while exploring how this approach can be applied in practice. Design thinkers constantly run headlong into challenges in bureaucratic and hostile cultures. Through compelling examples and stories from the field, Dunne explains the challenges they face, how the best organizations, including Procter & Gamble and the

The key is to not focus too narrowly on defining an asset. With small businesses, every tangible item and intangible element needs to be valuated to not only accurately measure the business’s value but also to help it grow, create efficiencies and stimulate growth. Oftentimes, businesses have no clear picture of the true worth of their organization, leading to potential missed opportunities and barriers to ongoing growth.

Even intellectual property can be “loaned” by way of speaking opportunities — both paid and unpaid — that can not only generate cash value but also reputation value in the industry.

Australian Tax Office, are dealing with these challenges, and what lessons can be distilled from their experiences.

Design Thinking at Work: How Innovative Organizations are Embracing Design David Dunne Rotman-UTP Publishing

232 pages Available: 11/24/ 2018

$32.02

2018 33 NOV. INBUSINESSPHX.COM

MINDING THEIR BUSINESS

Kathy Sweet: Executing Events ‘because’

Event management advocates for client and community

by Claire Natale

because LIVES UP TO ITS NAME With because, co-owner Kathy Sweet realizes her dream of a business that would bring the community together while also giving back.

Since her 15,000-squarefoot event space opened in April 2016, it has raised more than $50,000 for local charities. It has been able to do that because 10 percent of what a client spends on each event is donated to a local Arizona charity.

Clients can choose from one of seven charities because has partnered with: Arizona Humane Society Children’s Cancer Network Chrysalis Hustle PHX Owl Love You Forever Phoenix Rescue Mission, Vet Tix

NOV. 2018

34

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Kathy Sweet dared to ask, “What if?” and then took a risk to make her dream a reality. While drive, vision and determination are critical to Sweet’s successes, she knows that people are the true catalysts of a business’s performance and growth.

In 1990, Sweet and her husband, Dave, started automätik, a training and events company that works primarily in the automotive space. Working in a variety of venues — retail spaces, hotel ballrooms and even off-road sites — Sweet often encountered unreasonable obstacles when executing events. She found herself asking, “Why are there so many rules?” and began dreaming about a venue that was userfriendly, customer-focused, employed easy-to-work with staff, provided plug-and-play audio/visual, and offered other flexibilities that would allow customers to host the event they wanted. Sweet also wanted to start a business that was focused on giving back to nonprofits, as her family strives to help make a difference in the community. With that focus, the Sweets opened an event space in 2016 and named it “because.” For every event booked at because, the event client selects a local cause that will receive 10 percent of the total amount spent. Nonprofits that book their event at because get 10 percent back to their own charity.

Sweet’s management principles balance organic and fluid against structured, with all of that governed by what seems reasonable.

“One must have empathy, because ‘stuff happens,’” Sweet says. Her approach is to “deal with the situation, be honest, make apologies when necessary, and make things right as best as you can.” She learned this lesson when her business was in its infancy. She found that being able to put herself in someone else’s situation eased a lot of stress and helped her foresee possible issues that might arise at an event. What it comes down to, Sweet explains, is to “make it about them and what they want, not about you and what you want.”

At the same time, Sweet knew she needed a level-headed approach, flexible but fair. She focused on developing the best team as opposed to trying to curate the best “family” environment — building great chemistry among them by making sure everyone understood the organization’s vision,

Committed to fostering beauty within our city, because provides 3,000 square feet of free gallery space to local artists to display and promote their work.

worked toward common goals and supported one another.

Those elements, with an applied focus on providing exemplary customer service experiences, is what has helped Sweet’s businesses thrive.

Along those lines, Sweet sets clear expectations. “As a leader, you can’t be afraid to inspect what you expect,” she says.

Another key strategy has been the MBWA principle (management by wandering around). Sweet has found that a casual tour through the workspace and checking in on the team goes an incredibly long way, allowing her to interact with employees, ensure teammates are working in sync and confirming to her employees that each has the support he or she needs. Staying this close to the business operations has enabled her to learn quickly when something is not working out well and to see opportunities to make a potentially huge impact by just switching up responsibilities between team members.

With her balanced approach, Sweet also knows it is important to be an example to employees as well as clients.

It’s not unusual to see Sweet pitching in and rolling up her sleeves even picking up trash in the parking lot. Additionally, the donation model at because allows clients to choose which charity they donate to (from a list of seven selected by the Sweet’s). By getting clients personally involved in selecting the “cause” that receives the give back, they become familiar with a charity they may not have known about before.

From the beginning, Sweet has surrounded herself with great people and gave them the freedom to do their job.

She looks for people who love helping people. But that isn’t enough; excellent communication skills are very important along with attention to detail and integrity. She tries to identify employees who will take initiative and will jump in when they see something needs to be done. “As a business owner, you just can’t do everything or be everywhere,” she says. “You need skilled, trustworthy people. There is too much to do in running a business to do your job and someone else’s.”

Sweet runs her business on what she calls “The Platinum Rule”: Do to others as they would have you do to them. “It’s not about us. It’s about our clients,” Sweet says. because because.care

BY MIKE HUNTER

NOVEMBER 2018

Economic Club of Phoenix

55th Annual ASU Economic Forecast Luncheon Wed., Nov. 28 | 11:15a – 1:15p WESTMARC

Best of the West Awards Dinner 2018 Thurs., Nov. 15 | 5:30p – 9:00p The spotlight will be shined on businesses and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the economic development, image and lifestyle of the West Valley at this annual awards dinner presented by WESTMARC — the Western Maricopa Coalition —a public-private partnership of the 15 communities, the business community and the educational sector in the West Valley.

An emcee will keep the program lively as anticipation builds for the announcement of each award winner, which will be made following a video presentation about each finalist. The videos are created by none other than the Arizona Cardinals production team. Finalists have been narrowed to two for each of the awards. The Economic Engine Award finalists are ISM Raceway and City of Surprise Railplex. For the Excellence in Innovation Award, finalists are City of Surprise AZ TechCelerator Global Concierge Services Program and Speak Up, Stand, Save a Life Conference. Two awards for Quality of Life Enhancement are given, one for community and one for education. Abrazo West Campus and Mission of Mercy are finalists for the former; Midwestern University and Arizona Charter Academy for the latter.

Awards will also recognize individuals for their contribution to the community. Herman Orcutt, of Orcutt Winslow (ret.) will be presented the Inspiration in Leadership Award; Sharon Harper, of Plaza Companies, the Regional Advancement Award; and Cheryl Covert, of the City of Avondale, the President’s Choice Award.

Members: $250; non-members: $300 University of Phoenix Stadium 1 Cardinals Dr., Glendale

With the event’s signature mix of national and local information, top national and regional experts will present their economic forecasts and advice at the Economic Club of Phoenix’s annual economic forecast luncheon.

Speakers will be John H. Cochrane, RoseJohn H. Cochrane Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, among numerous other academic titles and positions; Bart Hobijn, professor of economics at the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU; and Lee R. McPheters, Ph.D., research professor of economics and director of the JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center at the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU. Cochrane’s monetary economics Bart Hobijn publications include articles on monetary policy and the fiscal theory of the price level.

His finance publications include the book Asset Pricing, and articles on dynamics in stock and bond markets, the volatility of exchange rates, the term structure of interest rates, the returns to venture capital, liquidity premiums in stock prices, the relation between stock prices and business cycles, and option pricing when investors can’t perfectly hedge. He Lee R. McPheters, Ph.D. recently created the Coursera online course “Asset Pricing” covering first year PhD Asset Pricing.

Hobijn, who has served as member of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ technical advisory committee, joined the Economics Department at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in the summer of 2015. Hobijn is an applied macroeconomist, whose special interests are technological progress and economic growth, price measurement, and labor market dynamics.

Dr. McPheters is Research Professor of Economics in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and director of the school’s JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center. The Center maintains the Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast and Greater Phoenix Economic Forecast websites. Dr. McPheters also oversees the Job Growth USA website that tracks employment for all industries in the U.S. states and metropolitan areas. Dr. McPheters, who has published numerous articles in books and professional journals on various topics that include immigration, executive compensation, monetary policy, international business cycles, and issues in law and economics, will focus on what’s driving economic growth in Arizona and what it means for jobs, wages and housing going forward.

Rick Weekly McCartney Podcast ® hosted by

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

Listen now at inbusinessphx.com.

$125

westmarc.org

Phoenix Convention Center

NOVEMBER 2018

100 N. 3rd St., Phoenix

wpcarey.asu.edu/economic-club

S M T W T F S 1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 NOVEMBER 2018 NOTABLE DATES 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Sun., Nov. 4 — Daylight Saving Time Ends 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Tues., Nov. 6 — Election Day

Mon., Nov. 12 — Veterans Day (observed) Thurs., Nov. 22 — Thanksgiving Day

2018 35 NOV. INBUSINESSPHX.COM

NOVEMBER 2018 Tues., Nov. 6

8:00a – 11:30a

Your Customers’ Digital Journey to Your Brand Arizona Small Business Association Before a prospective customer clicks on a digital ad, they have likely had approximately three interactions with that brand. This session will help businesses understand the customer journey, so they can better tailor their digital marketing to increase the results of their current tactics and drive customers to their business.

Free

Thurs., Nov. 8

4:00p – 8:30p

ASBA Business Education Center

20th Annual State of the City

2018 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation Awards/Tech Showcase

4600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

Arizona Technology Council

Tempe Chamber of Commerce

asba.com

The Governor’s Celebration of Innovation is the Arizona Technology Council’s annual awards gala in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority that honors technology leaders and innovators from across the state. This year’s event will consist of a strolling dinner and Tech Showcase followed by a theater-style awards program.

The Tech Showcase companies consist of award finalists, sponsors and AZTC partners — more than 50 companies showcasing their innovations, culture and future here in Arizona.

Fri., Nov. 2

7:15a – 9:00a

Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell will be sharing his thoughts on the local social and economic climate along with his vision for the growth and future of Tempe and Arizona. This event provides a valuable opportunity to enjoy a breakfast with civic, business and political leaders of the Valley.

Wed., Nov. 7

8:00a – 9:30a

Elite Networking Breakfast Phoenix Metro Chamber of Commerce Fun, fulfilling and refreshing networking breakfasts.

Members: $50; general public: $65

Members: free if purchase a meal, otherwise $5; guests: $10 if pre-registered, $15 at the door.

Marriott Resort Phoenix Tempe at The Buttes

Blue Agave Mexican Cantina

Phoenix Convention Center – West Building, 3rd Floor

2000 W. Westcourt Way, Tempe

7000 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix

100 N. 3rd St., Phoenix

tempechamber.org

phoenixmetrochamber.com

aztechcouncil.org

2

6 Fri., Nov. 2

Members: $125; non-members: $150

7

8

7:30a – 11:00a

Thurs., Nov. 8

Procurement Expo

Build a High-Performance Culture through Effective Leadership

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

Arizona Small Business Association

Attendees will learn how to become a preferred vendor for local school districts, colleges, municipalities, the State and other large corporations. Presented by the Small Business Council, this expo will include representatives from more than 30 organizations sharing their common procedures and processes for procuring vendors.

Attendees will learn how to motivate their employees to get the results they want through useful goal setting.

Free ASBA Business Education Center

Members: $25; non-members: $35 The Elegant Barn

4600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

1221 N. Greenfield Rd., Gilbert

asba.com

gilbertaz.com Fri., Nov. 2

8:00a – 9:30a

Friday Forum – Strengthen Your Customer Relationships Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce

Thurs., Nov. 8

4:00p – 5:30p

Put Your Business Idea in Motion Maricopa Small Business Development Center

Free

Program will cover the critical questions an entrepreneur needs to ask, and the tools and resources needed to make a “Go” or “No Go” business start decision. During this interactive session, participants will be given short activities to apply what they learn to their business idea. This program is intended for new entrepreneurs and first-time business owners who have not yet opened their doors for business. The session does not include information related to legal structure, tax or licensing information.

Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce

Free

7501 E. McCormick Pkwy., Scottsdale

Maricopa SBDC – Estrella Mountain; Ocotillo Building

scottsdalechamber.com

maricopa-sbdc.com

Providing best practices for small-business owners to utilize their customer data to evaluate, plan and execute driving additional revenue, Swiftpage Act! LLC will demonstrate how to strengthen customer relationships.

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INBUSINESSPHX.COM

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

8:00a – 11:30a

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

3000 N. Dysart Rd., Avondale

Tues., Nov 13

Fri., Nov. 30

11:00a – 1:00p

11:30a – 1:30p

Signature Education Lunch

Women in Leadership Luncheon

North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

Chandler Chamber of Commerce

Featured guest speaker is Capt. Pete Lumianski, USN (Ret.), director of the USS PHOENIX (SSN-702) Cold War Monument Foundation, which is working to build a monument in a downtown City of Phoenix park that commemorates the role of the USS Phoenix in helping end the Cold War. Capt. Lumianski spent 24 years in the Navy as a helicopter pilot and leader-manager. He earned an MBA in management, and, over the past 27 years since moving to Phoenix, has held positions in the hospitality industry.

Monthly meetings include keynote speakers addressing topics from how to get more out of networking opportunities and how to lead from where you stand to improving the bottom line while still having fun.

Members: $20; non-members: $25; at the door: $30 cash only

63 E. Boston, Chandler

Deer Valley Airport Restaurant

chandlerchamber.com

Members: $25; non-members: $35 SoHo 63

702 W. Deer Valley Rd., Phoenix

northphoenixchamber.com

13

Thurs., Nov. 15

Strategic Business Introductions

Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

eWomenNetwork: Phoenix/Scottsdale

The monthly NetMixers are an opportunity for clients, potential clients, partners and friends to network with other Chamber and community members.

This intimate networking event focuses on new client acquisition, marketing and promoting one’s business, connecting with needed resources, and providing help and guidance for one’s business.

Free

Members: $50; non-members: $85

Cookie Brokers

Starbucks

1325 Grand Ave., Phoenix

14369 W. Bell Rd., Surprise

phoenixgaychamber.org

ewomennetwork.com 15

7:00a – 9:00a

Thurs., Nov. 15

9:30a – 11:30a

Chamber NetMixer

14

Wed., Nov. 14

Sun., Nov 18

5:30p – 7:30p

18

21

30

11:30a – 1:30p

Business Over Breakfast

Luncheon

Glendale Chamber of Commerce

Economic Club of Phoenix

This weekly event is a great opportunity for members to come together over breakfast, make new connections, hear from excellent speakers, exchange leads and referrals, and build relationships to help grow their business.

Speaker is James (Jim) Fish Jr., president and CEO for Waste Management Inc., as well as a member of its board of directors. Fish earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business and an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago. He is also a certified public accountant.

Members: $20; non-members: $60

$85

Old Country Buffet

Camelback Golf Club

17125 N. 79th Ave., Glendale

7847 N. Mockingbird Ln., Scottsdale

glendaleazchamber.org

wpcarey.asu.edu/economic-club Thurs., Nov. 15

Wed., Nov. 21

7:30a – 9:00a

5:30p – 7:30p

Business After Hours

Business Diversity Summit

Tempe Chamber of Commerce

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Members of the business community come together to enjoy a night of food, drinks, conversation and network development during this casual mixer.

Spotlighting the growing contributions of minority-owned businesses in Arizona, event includes the 7th annual inductions into the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence, recognizing companies that do at least $1 million of business with minority-owned suppliers, and the presentation of the annual Phoenix Minority Business Enterprise Awards. $75 Phoenix Convention Center

Members: free; non-members: $10 The Graduate Tempe 225 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe

100 N. 3rd St., Phoenix

tempechamber.org

azhcc.com

Owner’s

MAGAZINE

Lending Guide

NOV. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2019 Busine ss

CONSCIOUS

Consciou Capitalisms

CAPITALISM

How ‘conscio is elevating us capitalism’ the econom system ic to higher plane SMBs’

NOVEMEBR

(Surprising) Wealth of Assets Brands Politically Beware in Polarized

2018 • INBUSINESSPHX.COM

THIS ISSUE

National Business Organization of Women Owners – Phoenix

Market Outsmart the ‘Smart’ Workplac

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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

2018 37 NOV. INBUSINESSPHX.COM

OUR SUBJECT IN-DEPTH

It’s Lonely at the Top – and at the Start A beginner’s guide to delegating

by Amber Miller

According to Richard Branson, the billionaire CEO and founder of Virgin Group, “If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to learn to delegate.”

Starting a business — managing clients, networking, trying to balance long work hours with family life — can be a daunting task. But more and more people in Arizona are doing it — and many of them are doing it alone. According to Gaebler.com, an independent resource for entrepreneurs, there are approximately 396,318 small businesses in Arizona (bit.ly/gaebler-sbaz). Of that number, 107,018 have employees while the remaining 289,300 are businesses whose owners have no employees.

Launching and running a small business can be fulfilling and rewarding, but it can also be lonely at times and stressful.

When does so much become too much — and when do business owners need to get help?

For many years, I was in a corporate position overseeing sophisticated marketing and technology projects. While I was comfortable in my “cushy job,” my dream, like so many other entrepreneurs, was to make a bigger difference not only professionally but also for my family.

In 2004, I discovered the relatively new field of virtual assisting. I knew immediately that this was a viable business opportunity. It was clear to me, from speaking with area smallbusiness owners, just how overwhelmed they were with daily tasks. I was also learning this first-hand, having just founded my own company. I quickly realized that, unless I operated my business more efficiently, my earnings would be forever tied to a finite number of billable hours per day.

WHY MANY ENTREPRENEURS HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME DELEGATING

Amber Miller is the founder and chief delegation diva of Smart to Finish Office Solutions, a full-service business solutions company based in Mesa that provides virtual assistance with operations management, product launches, online marketing, webinar management and Infusionsoft and Simpero application support to companies internationally. smarttofinish.com

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For some business owners, especially in startups, the decision to not delegate is a financial one. They may not have the consistent revenue stream needed to offset the costs of hiring employees.

Even more often, however, an entrepreneur may not know exactly what needs to be done, or may feel that no one has the expertise to execute a task as well as he or she can. This fear of “loss of control” can be debilitating and often prevents business owners from getting support.

In this case, the “take charge” attitude that can make a business owner successful can get in the entrepreneur’s own way, resulting in lost sales and stifled growth!

THE WARNING SIGNS

What typically happens when an entrepreneur is overextended is, “balls are dropped” in terms of day-to-day operations. When tasks that used to be handled promptly are not getting done, calls are not being returned, once-happy clients are not so happy — these are all clues that processes are beginning to go awry. While a missed call may, at first seem

inconsequential, this easily leads to bigger things getting lost in an ever-growing shuffle.

Watch out for: Customer complaints. Are clients suddenly complaining about work quality or responsiveness?

Missed deadlines. Are important deadlines being missed, resulting in loss of business and/or other opportunities?

Reputation. Are customers not calling as frequently? Are referrals beginning to dwindle?

Losing the passion or feeling burned out. Is the business that once inspired such enthusiasm now becoming a chore?

Feeling isolated. Have attending family functions and professional events become a thing of the past?

Health. Are there such problems as loss of sleep, inability to concentrate or weight gain?

A “yes” to any of the above signals it’s time to make a shift.

A DELEGATION INTERVENTION: BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF ‘LETTING GO’

In order to begin to delegate , every business owner needs to identify the tasks that are consuming the majority of his or her time. This starts with making a list of all activities being done each day. Write it all down.

Second is to make the conscious effort to let go of items on that list that others can do more easily and cost-effectively.

There are many resources more than happy to take calls, balance books, respond to emails and perform other menial and even complex tasks. The task list will help in zeroing in on what is distracting from the main objective of creating a sustainable business, and from that the business owner can focus research on available services.

This is not a one-and-done procedure. Delegation needs to be a habit. A good practice is to set-aside 10 minutes each morning to determine what can be outsourced for that day. By changing focus from a “to do” list to a “what others can do list,” the process will become second nature. Making delegation a priority each day can help any business thrive.

According to statistics published in 2017 by the Small Business Administration, approximately one-fifth of business startups fail in the first year and half of all employer establishments fail within five years. Only about one third survive 10 years or more. bit.ly/sba-faq-2012

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WE VALUE WHAT WE OWN

BY MIKE HUNTER

2019 Infiniti QX50 Luxe

2019 INFINITI QX50 LUXE MSRP: $39,400 City: 24 mpg Hwy: 31 mpg Trans: Continuously Variable Transmission 0-60: 5.5 sec

The all-new 2019 Infiniti QX50 was designed with one thing in mind: the driver. This mid-sized SUV has every innovation and has been carefully designed to inspire, enhance and fulfill discerning enthusiasts. This engine is the world’s first production-ready Variable Compression Turbo. Capable of physically transforming for any compression ratio from 8:1 (performance) to 14:1 (efficiency), the 268-hp 2.0-liter VCTurbo Engine seamlessly responds to unpredictable driving conditions on demand.

This car is loaded with technology, design elements and pure luxury — impressive inside and out. The human touch is alive in every aspect of QX50’s tasteful cabin design — from its open-pore wood accents to the tailored leather stitching.

Elegant surfaces and a driver-focused design come together to form the well-appointed interior. Featuring a generous selection of carefully balanced materials, the cabin creates an exceptionally calming environment for every drive.

Innovations abound. Originally developed for fighter jets, QX50’s head-up display projects a semi-transparent readout of key information onto the lower windshield. With important details like speed, navigation and warnings closer to your

field of view, it’s easier to stay aware without distraction. The QX50’s signature LED headlamps blend technology with a sense of humanity. Both functional and refined, their steady illumination pierces through all conditions, day or night.

QX50 offers an impressive 65.1 cubic feet of cargo space — enough for a weekend getaway for the whole family.

Combined with its motion activated lift gate, QX50 allows for loading and unloading with ease.

Infiniti infinitiusa.com

Stick On and Stand Out Something new in promotional items is a custom wood sticker.

Toast, which makes unique covers in wood or leather for tech devices from laptops to cell phones, recently added these stickers to the company’s product line of covers that allow companies to fully showcase their logo in a creative way — and add any other Crafted from real ash, bamboo, walnut or reclaimed ebony veneers, Toast’s new wood stickers are available in four wood choices, can be completely customizable (including shape and size) and can be laser etched to include logos, business information

NOV. 2018

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and any other elements the business would like to include on the

are ideal for swag items at shows, to use as business cards or to give

stickers. The graphic design artist at the shop will work one-on-one

as corporate gifts. Each sticker is finished by hand and is backed with

with the business to create the look they are going for. The stickers

high-quality 3M adhesive that packs staying power. toastmade.com

At the core of QX50’s driver assistance technologies is ProPILOT Assist. Helping ease the fatigue and frustration that come from lengthy travel, it uses a combination of radar and optical systems to monitor the vehicle ahead of the car and the lane markers, and then helps keep QX50 centered in its lane and a set distance from the traffic in front — even around curves.

Photos courtesy of Infiniti (top and far left), Toast (bottom)

information they want to get across.

Personal best Banner|Aetna offers real market differentiators designed to enhance the way health care is delivered and received. banneraetna.com Banner|Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company and Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc. Š2018 Banner Health And Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC 2017552

MEALS THAT MATTER

Oct. 4 – Dec. 31

Street Taco Pizza, exclusive at Arizona and Nevada restaurants: tacostyle ingredients layered over a light, crispy, extrathin crust.

Pepperoni Pizza Fries: a savory blend of pepperoni, house-made meat sauce, a melted mix of four cheeses and herbs over a heaping serving of Parmesan shoestring fries.

Giordano’s – It’s All about the Pizza At Giordano’s, pizza is the main event. Yes, the menu includes other offerings, but, as Giordano CEO Yorgo Koutsogiorgas explains, they support the main course. “Giordano’s is narrowly focused. Our business is pizza.”

Serving the Chicago-style deep-dish dish pizza, Giordano’s has its own distinctive style: stuffed. In its version, “stuffed” does not mean an overly bready product but, rather, ingredients as the central layer between thin layers of crust, with the tomato sauce as topping. Koutsogiorgas likens it to a souffle; ultimately, the top crust essentially disappears in the baking while helping keep the filling of cheeses and add-ins moist and lively.

The cheese is what really sets Giordano’s apart. It’s fresh and flavorful, and does not have the common salty aftereffect of a residual thirstiness that leaves the diner craving something to drink for hours after eating. According to Koutsogiorgas, Giordano’s cheese is the most expensive in the market; it is an artisan cheese sourced directly from its producer in dairy-famous Wisconsin.

Attention to Giordano’s “true ingredients” promise of all-natural includes pizza’s other main ingredient: tomatoes.

Giordano’s’ come from Mendocino County, California, chosen for their lower acidity and higher moisture content — making them noticeably sweeter in flavor.

Rounding out the menu are salads, sandwiches, appetizers and a few classic Italian dishes that include spaghetti, lasagna and chicken parmesan.

Giordano’s first came west to Arizona four years ago, with a food truck traveling cross-country from Chicago to Mesa to be part of the Chicago Cubs’ spring training. It opened a standing restaurant two years later, in Peoria, and recently opened one in Phoenix near Paradise Valley Mall. The new location even boasts a revolving door at the entrance (with a single-door entrance next to it, for the more faint of heart).

Inside is bright and cheerful, with a window that lets patrons watch the pizzas being made. There’s bar-style seating (no, there’s no bar) and a spacious dining room as well as patio seating.

While everything is made from fresh — not frozen — ingredients, there are frozen pizzas conveniently at hand by the cashier’s stand to pick up and take home for another day, in addition to the standard hot take-out option.

Giordano’s 12811 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix • (480) 666-8160 16222 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria • (623) 208-4330 giordanos.com

It’s Patio Season Our weather makes patios di rigueur for restaurants here, but some are reason unto themselves for choosing where to breakfast, lunch or dine.

Apple Pan Pie: roasted apples baked into a flaky pastry crust, topped with a drizzle of caramel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chelsea’s Kitchen

Snooze – Tempe

Carlsbad Tavern

Shaded by an enormous canopy from the

Near ASU’s main campus and offering a

A perfect microclimate for the desert, the

venerable mesquite trees and dominated

wide view of the plaza outside Harkins

patio is really a courtyard, semi-shaded by

by a grand brick fireplace, this patio feels

Theaters, this is a laid-back patio great for

trees and shade structures, with a water

far removed from the bustle of traffic on

people-watching.

feature and a South-of-the-Border vibe.

nearby Camelback Road.

615 S. College Ave., Tempe

3313 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale

5040 N. 40th St., Phoenix

(480) 355-1934

(480) 970-8164

(602) 957-2555

snoozeeatery.com

carlsbadtavern.com

chelseaskitchenaz.com

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Giordano’s first foray into Arizona was by food truck, following their home team, the Chicago Cubs, out here for Spring Training in 2014.

Photos courtesy of Giordano's (top and far left), LGO Hospitality, Snooze and Carlsbad Tavern (bottom, l to r)

GIORDANO’S SEASONAL SPECIALS

BY RAEANNE MARSH

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF SERVING THE WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS OF PHOENIX

Winter 2018 • nawbophx.org

Want a Board Seat? Earn It.

by Ronit Urman

ABOUT NAWBO

I have never taken the easy path. Not when I immigrated at age 16 from Israel. Not when I began my career in commercial real estate as one of the only women in the industry. Not when I took the helm of National Association of Women Business Owners this past June. So it’s no surprise for those who know me that I am not in favor of the proposed legislation in California to legislate that a required number of women should serve on public businesses originating in California.

We need to earn it. If we want equality in the boardroom, we need to get there with our brains, not a quota. We are strong and we are smart. We do not need a handout from the government. Besides, do you really want a board seat because the law requires someone of your gender? Doesn’t that take something away from the achievement? Do we want the trophy even though we didn’t win the competition? There is nothing free in life. I do realize that 22 percent of Fortune 500 board seats are occupied by women. But there are other inequities, as well. Only 20 percent of law firm equity partners are women while 23 percent of U.S. Senators are women. Should we legislate these areas as well?

As we always stress at NAWBO, women need to network. Who you know will get you in the door. What you know will keep you there. This legislation takes us backward.

Forcing companies to accept women is government overreach. What’s next? Are we to legislate board assignments (and hiring in general), by age, ethnicity, orientation or gender identity? I really have to wonder: Doesn’t California have other issues to deal with?

The truth is, it’s just good business to hire the most capable person for a job or a board seat — regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. We want equal opportunity under the law, not a quota mandated by the law.

We need to educate our young people to get a leg up on their competition for jobs with education. We need to encourage our young women to consider fields where math, science and engineering are prevalent.

That’s what gets you in the door. That’s what gets you in the boardroom.

I think back to my early days in the boardroom. I was involved with all aspects of the financials. I often faced boardrooms filled with only middle-aged men. Back then, I thought they were old! I was a cute 30-something and it was difficult for them to take me seriously; often, they did not address questions to me, only to my husband. So, I overcame these obstacles and used humor to break the ice. I made sure that I was well prepared and moved forward with confidence.

Over my career, I have seen women break through countless barriers in business. We don’t need another one. Remember our rallying cry: #SmashTheGlass! It’s our theme for the year. It’s our hashtag. It’s what NAWBO stands for.

NAWBO® prides itself on being a global beacon for influence, ingenuity and action and is uniquely positioned to provide incisive commentary on issues of importance to women business owners.

NAWBO Phoenix propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power.

nawbophx.org

We host networking and education events throughout the valley each month, open to both members and guests. Check out our calendar at nawbophx.org and join us!

Take advantage of this great networking opportunity by bringing business cards and making connections.

Ronit Urman

NAWBO Phoenix President Designated Broker Urman Enterprises LLC

For more infomation, visit www.nawbophx.org.

Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners 7729 E Greenway Rd. #300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 480-289-5768 • info@NAWBOphx.org

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NAWBO NEWS

First Impressions Matter Why your body language is important

by Barbara Chatzkel

You have only one chance to make a first impression. Decisions about doing business with you or trusting you are made almost instantaneously. As a business person, much of your day is spent giving and receiving information.

But what first impression are you giving and why is it important?

Research findings show that: • People form their first impression of you very quickly. The statistics range from one-tenth of a second, to three seconds, to seven seconds, to ten seconds.

• When you walk to the front of the room to begin a presentation, the audience has formed strong first impressions before you even say, “Good morning.”

• The information used to form that first impression is overwhelmingly nonverbal. Depending on the situation, your nonverbal presence accounts for between 60 percent and 93 percent of first impression data.

• “You have only one chance to a make a first impression” rings true.

And it is hard to change that first impression.

Think About: As a savvy businesswoman, you spend significant time ensuring your “brand image” reflects your mission, vision and values. But do you spend the same amount of time making sure your body language sends the same focused message? You are your company’s biggest marketing campaign — make sure your body language reflects your message.

Understanding and mastering business body language helps you present your message as effectively as possible. It also provides you with the tools to understand the person across from you and whether or not her words match her body language broadcasts.

Business body language, nonverbal communication that transmits information, is comprised of five “broadcast centers.” In order of importance, they are: 1. Face 2. Feet and Legs 3. Arms 4. Torso 5. Hands

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Each of the five broadcast centers sends out its own strong signal, yet each of those messages is only part of the whole. It requires combining the spoken word, the appearance and all the different body language signals to decipher the full message. If you see only my hands moving, you’ll get some sense of my message and my emotions, but it is only a fraction of the full story.

Body Language Tip: If there is dissonance between what a person is saying and what her body is broadcasting, go with the body language signals. In general, body language doesn’t lie.

An example of a contradiction is a person saying words that seem to mean agreement but shaking her head from side to side — a strong visual message that says “no.” If you were not observing the person during your conversation, you could have taken action based on perceived agreement when the body language signals were a definite “no.”

Another example of the importance of observing body language: You are standing and speaking with several people and one individual is saying she supports the viewpoint you are proposing, but when you look down at her feet, the feet are not pointing directly at you but are rather at a 30-degree angle. The feet and legs don’t lie; what they are saying is the person “has left the room” and is no longer engaged in the conversation, and you cannot expect her support. The real message could have been missed if you weren’t observing the body language, which was speaking more loudly than the words.

Becoming aware of your body language and the body language of others is the first step in becoming a body language pro. Over the next several months, take time to observe others’ body language in different situations — in an open office setting, at a networking function, during a sporting event, or in a presentation. Note the similarities and differences in the situations.

Connect with Barbara, The Body Language Pro. Let me know what you observed and what lessons you learned in your “body language field trips.” www.thebodylanguagepro.com

Hired the Wrong Website Person?

Four steps to find the right one

by Brandy Lawson

You’re not alone if you’ve hired the less-than-perfect (okay, maybe completely wrong) person to work on your website, help with getting found on Google or run your social media. It sucks. It’s frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When it comes to choosing the perfect digital marketing partner, there has to be a fit. Not just the basic do-what-you-say-you’re-going-to, or show-up-to-meetings kind of stuff. The person working with you on your website, email campaigns, et cetera, has to feel like a natural extension of your team and your business. Someone who “gets” you and your mission in the world. Someone who understands how to use the power of marketing to fuel your business. Really, this applies to anyone you hire, but it’s missioncritical with digital marketing.

Here are four ways to make sure your next partnership is with someone who can bridge the technical gap for you and will successfully take you and your business to the next level.

Step 1: Define ‘Success’

When you think about a project that’s on your plate, what would a successful outcome look like? Do you need to promote an event? Great.

How many people need to be there? Do you need an update to your website so that it looks good on mobile?

Your job is to get really specific on what that success looks like for this one particular project or task. What is the outcome you want? Seriously, don’t worry about the how; you need to define the finish line. Grab hold of that vision and keep it in your mind as you move forward.

Step 2: Talk to More than One Potential Digital Marketing Partner

Smart entrepreneurs don’t just latch onto the first person they meet.

There are plenty of people out there who have the specialties you need, so ask around.

Whatever route you take, talk to at least two and maybe three specialists about your project. Give them a breakdown about what you want. Get information on how they will help you meet your goals. Figure out if you can create strong communication with them. Honestly, keep talking to different people until you find one that “feels” right. Yes, that is non-scientific, but if you are going to be working with this person, you don’t want to dread having conversations with her.

Step 3: Be Picky

Deadlines are challenging, and we all face them. Obviously, we think about services based on a pending need, and likely there’s a specific timeline involved. Be careful, because deadlines can cause you to make hurried choices on your digital marketing provider. Snap decisions rarely end well.

Look at your calendar and assess your plans for this quarter, for next quarter. Then start looking for professionals to help early on. When you give yourself the time to be picky, your chances of success go way up. It’ll pay off in the long run, and you won’t find yourself stuck with the wrong digital marketing partner.

nawbophx.org

If your gut tells you “no,” listen! You owe it to yourself, your team and your business to be discerning about who helps represent you to the world.

Even if there’s a deadline looming.

Step 4: Choose a Digital Marketing Partner Who Brings Value

There are providers who know how to help with digital marketing tasks. And then there are resources who provide value at every turn. The latter is who you want as your digital marketing partner. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know because, honestly, there are areas outside of our expertise. We need to trust the people we choose to join our team.

After you’ve defined what success is on this project, you should be able to share that with your digital marketing partner, who will take that and translate it into best practices.

You want a partner, a consultant and an expert who can give you custom solutions based on your business and goals, not an order-taker.

Who Is Your Perfect Digital Marketing Partner?

When looking for the best fit to expand your team and help you accomplish your important projects, choose someone who sees your business, understands your goals, offers constructive and useful feedback, and can offer the right insights to help you progress. Keep this in mind and never suffer “hire remorse” again.

Brandy Lawson is the founder of FieryFX, a boutique digital agency, a speaker and a chief online officer-for-hire. Her mission is to help influential women leaders maximize their impact and success by making the right digital decisions for their business. For more information, visit fieryfx.com.

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NAWBO NEWS

Engage Your Workers, Increase Your Productivity

by Wendy McLellan

Do your workers seem bored and listless, as if they’re just going through the motions? “Yeah,” you say, “but I can’t do anything about it. Work is work. At least they get a paycheck.”

But all work — or at least all workplaces — are not created equal.

Whether or not you think you should have to engage your workers, you do. Engaged workers are more efficient workers, according to experts like Ali Robins of Officevibe. Benefits of engaged employees include greater retention, higher customer satisfaction, increased sales and larger profits.

How do you create greater employee engagement? It’s not an exact science. It’s part entertainment, part development and learning, and a lot of recognition. Workers who feel valued give more to their companies, and companies show they value their employees by giving them a say in what they do and how they do it.

Employee engagement is inspired to a great degree by making the company’s values the employees’ values, and this can happen only if the employee understands the company’s values. Has your company shared its values, its mission and its vision with the staff ? If not, why not?! This is the first step to employee engagement. These values determine the company’s why, how and what for. If employees don’t understand these basic principles, how can they fulfill them?

To keep matters simple, depending on the size of the company, one person or committee should be in charge of employee engagement. And note that not every employee is going to be excited about these activities.

Some introverts feel the “cheerleader stuff ” is a waste of time. Respect their views, try to engage them, but don’t make the engagement activities oppressive or a requirement of continued employment. And, as the owner or manager, do not micromanage the engagement activities. That is a surefire way to sabotage the program from the beginning.

Here are some ideas for engaging employees so they understand the vision and values of the company and, in return, increase their own creativity, productivity and value.

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1. Clearly specify and share the company’s values. Create slogans, phrases and fun pictures, anything to get the value message out to the staff. Post them on the walls, blog and vlog them on the Intranet, and talk about them in meetings. Remind the staff often of the company’s values, mission and vision. Do not think that putting the information out there once in a companywide email is going to do the trick. This message needs to be consistent and constant. And make sure the leadership walks the talk!

Let me repeat — the leadership must walk the talk. If the employees think there is a double standard, nothing (and I mean nothing) you do toward engagement will help your employee relations.

2. Recognize company values. Every month, recognize the employee who best represents one of the company’s core values. Set them up as an example and publicly acknowledge them for their actions. This does two things: It gets the values out in the open, and it establishes another important aspect of employee engagement — recognition.

3. Have teams create their own sets of values. Have teams create a team culture, based on two or three commonly agreed-upon values or ground rules of the larger company. This can help nurture and speed up team bonding and create friendly competition among teams.

4. Encourage personal projects. Give employees time to pursue company-related projects of their own design (in small windows, a couple of hours max). They could include team-crossing projects or projects conducted outside the office (all should be work-related). This could include charity work and volunteering opportunities that align with the company’s values.

Projects and initiatives such as these encourage creativity and energy flow.

5. Assign a buddy/mentor for every newcomer. Being new is tough and can be frustrating, especially if the employee is worried about always “bugging” her new boss. Assign a buddy/mentor to build a relationship with someone who has more experience and can help guide the newcomer.

This way, the newbie can better adapt and grow as part of the team and the mentor feels as if he or she is giving something back.

6. Have themed office days. This is an entertainment initiative, which can bring fun into the workplace and (easily and inexpensively) increase employee loyalty. Ideas include sweats and slipper day, beach day, dress as your favorite superhero day, funky socks day, and holiday-themed ideas.

You can hold decorate-your-cube/station contests, bring-your-[insert object/ pet/person here]-to-work day, and so on.

7. Have team photos. Have photos of your team members on a wall or frame them around the office. These can include group photos, funny photos, events photos or candids. This way, employees literally see themselves as an important part of the team. They recognize themselves.

8. Can’t raise salaries? Increase perks. Is the issue truly just the salary the staff is receiving? Are your salaries comparable with competitors? If not, can you provide perks to offset the lower salary? Comp time? Onsite daycare? Split shifts? Stock options? Earlier 401(k) vesting? Get creative.

9. Recognize and encourage innovation. You might have heard some inspiring ideas around the office. What about that project that came together so well and had some amazing improvements that no one initially thought of? Find out who came up with that idea. Give her a friendly, “Good job!” and recognize the Innovator of the Month publicly for going the extra mile.

10. Celebrate achievements and people. Big or small, achievements are the solid proof that the work people are putting in has meaning. No one can go through tasks and assignments for months, or even years, without burning out. Refill their energy tanks with recognition and celebrate their hard work. Also celebrate and acknowledge birthdays, promotions, retirements, newcomers and so on. It’s a great way to show the staff they matter. But be efficient about time. Keep it quick and simple. Celebrate all the birthdays for the month on the last Friday of the month, for example.

Otherwise, the celebrations become a distraction, not a reward.

11. Ask for feedback. One of the best measures of employee engagement is whether the employees feel heard. When employees know their ideas are taken seriously, they are more apt to go the extra mile. Consider a 360 review, whereby the employees evaluate the leaders.

But be upfront from the beginning. Sometimes, employee feedback can be hard to implement — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for the staff ’s opinion. Keep it simple and treat their feedback with respect. Their feedback is essential to growth.

12. Try some unusual employee engagement ideas. Think outside the box. It is often the small things that can make a big difference. Try having colored mugs, stress-busting toys, a random brownie day — the ideas are endless and as off-the-wall as the imagination allows. Spontaneity creates positive energy and motivation.

13. Empower your employees. Nothing creates a greater sense of responsibility and ownership than having the power to decide. Don’t be afraid to let team members be their own leaders. It’s a great way to build trust, whereas the opposite, micro-management, merely builds resentment and even paranoia.

14. Encourage learning. Challenge and support employees to expand their knowledge and develop their skills further. Consider cross-training.

Not only will cross-training provide you a motivated and well-prepared workforce, but you’ll see an increase in employee morale. It’s always more interesting to do someone else’s work, right? Allow time for continuation training and learning. Work this time into their goals, their daily routines, and so on. Do not punish the staff for taking time to learn new skills.

15. Make sure people have all the resources they need. Nobody likes to work for a Scrooge who counts every piece of paper that goes in

nawbophx.org

the recycling box. Equip your employees with the tools and systems they need. Make their jobs easier, not more difficult. If they are on the phone half the day, get them a headset. Don’t make them sign with their blood to get new pens and legal pads. If they need to have multiple windows open on their workstations, get them that second (or third) monitor. This way, you’ll encourage them to invest their energy into doing great work instead of wasting precious time searching for supplies or griping about the lack thereof. Don’t give them the opening to blame their lack of production on bad or missing equipment and supplies. Trust your staff with the resources.

Don’t make them jump through triplicate hoops. If they feel your trust, they will be more loyal to their leaders and the company.

16. Ask the people who really know employee engagement.

Employee engagement is a fairly new business concept. Don’t be afraid to go to the experts. Consider hiring a professional consultant who specializes in engagement to help you build a solid strategy.

17. Build long-term engagement. Don’t settle for a quick fix. Develop a long-term employee engagement strategy with clear objectives and action steps for at least a year out, then re-evaluate and build on it. Make this new program part of your company culture, brand and reputation.

18. Watch out for engagement overload. Can a workplace be too much fun? Yes. If every day is a “fun” day, then team members will come to expect these activities and develop a “what have you done to entertain me lately” attitude. These activities will no longer be a reward but an entitlement. If you notice your workers putting more time, energy and creativity into their engagement activities than into their actual work, then you have engagement overload. That’s why your engagement strategies should always have a good mix of entertainment, learning and development, and recognition.

Try and Try Again

Employees are a company’s greatest asset, and often their highest expense. Keeping them engaged is the key to keeping your attrition to a minimum. This list of possible engagement activities and initiatives is based on my experience and knowledge of the workforce. However, what works for one company or department might not work for another company or department. That shaving-cream fight might not be a great idea in the server room of a tech-heavy office. And what works for one person may not work for another. Give those introverts in your company the chance to opt out. Better yet, find an aspect of the activity at which they might excel. If they don’t want to enter the office-wide ping pong challenge, for example, ask them to create and track the brackets. Or let them explore the personal development rather than the entertainment track. For engagement strategies to work, they should involve as many team members as possible without overburdening them. Try new approaches and adapt existing ones until you find the perfect expression of your employee engagement strategy. Your bottom line will thank you.

Wendy McClellan is the founder and CEO of Structure for Success, LLC, an HR consulting firm. Structure for Success works with companies that do not have their own HR team, or their HR needs support. They provide a wide range of services, from workforce strategic planning to training, hiring and basic HR duties. Further information on the firm can be found at their website www.structure4success.com.

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NAWBO NEWS

Now Is NOT the Time for ‘Business as Usual’

by Ali Brown

Recently, I sent out an email to my clients urging them to make one simple change.

I asked them to stop trying to be normal.

Why? If you’re having challenges in your business right now, or if you’re hitting up against something again and again, it’s likely due to the fact that you are trying to do business as usual.

Even if things are going well for you right now, this is not a time for being “normal” in any industry.

Technological advances, consumer demands and increasing expectations are all combining to accelerate progress faster than ever before. Entire industries are being thrown into disarray within brief windows of time by one single new idea being introduced (e.g., Uber vs. the taxi industry, shave clubs vs. giant toiletry companies, boutique fitness studios vs. traditional gyms).

If you keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, you’re going to wake up one morning to a rude new reality sooner or later. Or, at the very least, you’ll have gotten really, really bored.

The upside to all this is we are now being forced to become very creative in what we are doing.

Especially for those of us who have been in the game a long time, we are naturally being forced into innovation.

If you remember how, think creatively. I use the word “remember” because it’s something we’re born with but soon forget as we are immersed in schools and institutions that drive it out of us, then workplaces and entire industries that do the same.

The biggest realization I had last year while working with my clients — typically, seven- or eight-figure entrepreneurs — was seeing these leaders try to solve problems or evolve their businesses with the same formulas that created them.

You can make moderate progress with the same thought processes, but you won’t create true breakthroughs (or, as I’m calling them lately, “breakouts,” as it’s more of an escape from your current thinking).

It’s a critical time for us to regain our creative thinking skills.

I recently hosted a two-day intensive workshop on this topic, but I’ll boil it down to these three keys: Space. If you are constantly in execution mode, you can’t receive ideas. Go through your schedule and carve out dedicated time each week for your brain to be free. If this seems incredibly hard, try for just one unscheduled morning or afternoon a week.

Stimulation. If you are immersed only within your industry and work, you simply won’t receive fresh ideas. Attend a conference outside your field, take yourself on a date to a new gallery or exhibit, book a trip to new, or even just pick up a magazine you’d never typically read.

Experimentation. If you don’t try things that aren’t proven — or are even risky — new ideas are useless. With the increased visibility the online world brings, we’ve become more intimidated to try something new as we fear all will see if it fails. But we’ve got to regain that adventurous spirit and remember why we likely got into business for ourselves in the first place.

Ali Brown is CEO of We Lead, host of Glambition Radio®, a speaker on women’s business leadership, and an angel investor in woman-led ventures. For more information, visit www.alibrown.com.

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6

NAWBO NEWS

Today’s War for Talent – How Do You Keep Your Best Employees?

by Laurie D. Battaglia

The meeting was unexpected — your right-hand person, the one you’ve been grooming to take on your role someday, just gave notice.

You didn’t see it coming. She seemed happy at work. As a matter of fact, she told you so in the last one-on-one meeting two months ago.

She was recruited on LinkedIn, by a competitor who made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. And now you have two weeks to figure things out, and make plans to hire, onboard and train her replacement. But it will be a long time until that replacement is up to speed and fully functioning.

Statistics say that it will cost you about 200 percent of her salary to replace her in the soft costs involved in getting her replacement ramped up.

More if she’s a key employee.

What would you do if this happened to you later today? Are you ready?

Competing in Today’s Job Market

If your company is hiring, you probably have stories about how hard it is to find the right people, how sometimes prospective employees are “ghosting” you by not responding or showing up for interviews or work itself, and how difficult it is to retain your best people.

The national unemployment rate is 3.9 percent for August 2018, and that means your best employees may be looking for work, and not with you.

How do you keep your top talent satisfied and engaged at work? Foster a sense of belonging.

People want to feel like they belong at the job and workplace they’ve chosen. It’s a feeling or intuitive hit, not always logical, that tells us if we’re in the right place or not.

Here are some things that erode the sense of belonging for employees: 1. They don’t feel like their opinion is valued. When they speak up, no one listens. Or no one asks them for their opinion if they remain quiet. They are talked over in meetings, and disregarded when they speak.

2. Their talents and skills that they bring to the job are not, or no longer, valued. Sometimes it’s a change of leadership with different standards or the company makes a culture shift.

3. Candor is not valued by the team or company. Problems are talked around, rather than talked about. Conflict is quickly shut down, rather than valued for bringing problems and issue to the surface.

4. Employees feel like they can’t bring all of themselves to work. They cover who they really are to fit in. The masking is difficult to maintain, and your top performers will go where they can be fully themselves.

More workplaces are rewarding this, and they are your competition.

What Can You, the Leader, Do?

There are simple things that you, the leader, can do every day.

First, check your own biases about how the workplace “should” be. Our own experiences color how we lead and what our expectations are. Will your leadership work well in the future, given the diversity of experiences, race, religion, sexual orientation and identity, and political leanings that are prevalent in our workforce of today? Expecting people to fit a mold is archaic in today’s workplace, and it keeps women, people of color, LGBTQ people and others out of the conversations that matter at work. nawbophx.org

Second, treat people like they want to be treated. As a great mentor once said to me, “Not everyone thinks like you.” At Aligned at Work®, we’ve developed a model for effective work/life integration. It explores the things that are important to people, like vocation, relationships, finances, wellbeing and spirit, from each one’s perspective.

As a leader, you can help people explore what makes them tick, if they don’t already know. Trust comes from getting to know someone well, and it’s usually the things that we like outside of work that cause us to bond with co-workers.

Here are five things that you can do, today or tomorrow, to retain your best performers: 1. Encourage role experimentation. Allow people to intern in different roles and to take on projects that stretch them. This is how we determine what works for each of us.

2. Create community among team members. Help team members bond in their daily work by allowing time for them to get to know each other better.

3. Help team members understand the benefits your company provides. Most don’t understand their 401K, their health benefits, or other parts of their total compensation package. Ask your human resources contact to speak at a team meeting or bring in someone from the company who manages your 401K. Educate yourself and others.

4. Allow people to be who they are, to the greatest extent possible.

Outdated dress codes and workplace practices should be examined for relevance in today’s marketplace. Use the power you do have to make it a better, more inclusive place to work.

5. Be a respectful, inclusive and approachable leader. Little things make a difference, like saying “hello” and “goodbye” and sharing employees’ milestones. People want to see your humanity and they will reward you with their trust.

Laurie D Battaglia is CEO of Aligned at Work® in Scottsdale, Ariz. Companies hire her when their people problems are creating profit problems. For more information, visit www.AlignedatWork.com.

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NAWBO NEWS

What Leadership Style Propels Your Success?

by Cindy Gordon

Spending many years of my professional life in a very male-dominated industry — public accounting — then opening my own business as a leadership development and business coach, I have become very aware of two prominent leadership styles in the business world. Both have their merit. However, to build a highly successful business, leaders can’t always rely on one approach to bring out the best in their people. The first step is to understand the differences between the two approaches and know which is more suited to each person you work with. The success of each person is the responsibility of the leader!

The Masculine Leadership Approach

This style works well for the person who is driven by competition and getting ahead of others. People are focused on “climbing the ladder of success.” The hierarchy within the organizational structure reflects the achievements of people. Work hard, get results, and you’ll increase your chances of being promoted and climb to the next rung on the ladder. Your achievements and experiences are always gauged on the rungs of the ladder.

Feedback tends to come in a structured manner, usually on an annual basis — yes, companies still do that! Negative feedback comes on a regular basis throughout the year. Negative feedback is seen as a motivational tool.

Think about the highly driven sales person. If you are confronted about not meeting your monthly quota, you will be more inspired and determined in the future. Positive feedback mostly comes from the amount of money you make and can be directly linked to the amount of money you generate for the business.

Operational people tend to be seen as less important than sales people. Internal relationships and collaborations are developed to achieve transactional goals. For example, someone from the sales team may have no contact with people in accounting, unless they can’t close a deal because of credit issues. This situation will bring the members of the two teams together to resolve the issue. Once accomplished, the communications will stop until another issue comes up.

Emotions are a sign of weakness. They can also be interpreted as a sign of incompetence — the inability to keep up with the others. Emotional resilience is key, especially since most of the verbal feedback can focus on the negative.

Overall, the masculine leadership approach is survival of the fittest. For someone to thrive in this environment, he or she should be highly competitive, have the ability to not take things personally and be compensated based on his or her efforts. Otherwise, this approach can reduce productivity and the care a person has for the quality of his or her work.

The Feminine Leadership Approach

The female leadership approach starts with authenticity. These leaders tend to be self-aware and are motivated to build relationships with their staff. Their passion and personal core values are driving forces for their success. They believe that when people love what they do and thrive personally, the company benefits overall. Emotional connections are a driving factor for success, and the leaders work to build bonds on a personal and professional level with their team members.

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NAWBO NEWS

The feminine leadership approach brings people together to brainstorm, collaborate and communicate. This enables the group to participate in the development of ideas and plans for success, so they have buy-in. Problems, challenges and failures are growth opportunities and opportunities for collaborations. Listening to the viewpoints of others plays a large piece in the leadership style — ensuring all voices are considered.

Accomplishments and wins are seen as outcomes of the group. The tendency toward collaboration makes dealing with emotions important.

Whether though conversations about “How did that make you feel?” or “What is upsetting you?” or noticing the emotions or stress level of a situation, sensitive topics are dealt with and not ignored.

Feedback is given constantly. Encouragement, praise and recognition are provided to team members in formal and informal ways. This doesn’t mean negative feedback is ignored. Instead, it is delivered in a supportive manner that encourages growth and learning.

This leadership style works well for people who are motivated by helping others and serving a meaningful business purpose. Research has shown that companies that use this leadership approach outperform their competitors, have higher employee engagement levels and are employers of choice!

Do you work in a masculine or feminine leadership environment? What challenges are you dealing with — financially, with staff, with stakeholder — that could change by changing your leadership style? Remember, the success of the company and your people are your responsibility. If things aren’t going the way you want them to, maybe it’s time for you to make a change in how you lead!

Cindy Gordon is the owner of Business Rescue Coaching.

Cindy works with people who want to inspire themselves and their team members to leave a memorable mark on others while building financially successful businesses. For more information, visit www.businessrescuecoaching.com.

2019

Major Banks Community Banks Credit Unions Lending Institutions & Resources

Keeping Small Business Up and Running

The U.S. Small Business Administration has changed and modernized our lending programs to keep pace with our growing economy. SBA loan-making has long been a healthy sign for a good economy because the credit market is one of the foundations for ensuring the availability of financing for small businesses trying to establish themselves, grow and create new jobs throughout Arizona.

A year ago this past September, the SBA introduced Lender Match, a free online referral tool that brings together entrepreneurs and SBA lenders to help increase access to capital. It is designed to make it easier for entrepreneurs to connect with potential lenders by allowing a small business to fill out a quick online form, without registration, and connect with lenders usually within 48 hours. Lender Match is available to all SBA 7(a) and 504 lenders across Arizona, and the great news is that it is working.

With other changes, such as a 504 Loan with a 25-year maturity, the economy looks good. The purpose of the 504 Loan Program is to provide long-term financing for the purchase or improvement of land, buildings and major equipment. Loans are made by lenders in conjunction with Certified Development Companies that are regulated by the SBA to promote economic development within the community.

The 25-year 504 Loan term complements the 10- and 20-year Debenture that has been available since 1986. Small businesses and the lending industry have emphasized the need for an affordable, fixed-rate instrument with a term-to-maturity more closely resembling other longer-term mortgages. The option for extending the payment cycle by an additional 60 months gives small-business borrowers the opportunity for lower monthly payments, which can significantly help their cash flow.

With all the news this fall regarding the damage faced in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, it is always a good time for business owners to think about preparing for a disaster that can affect their business.

When most of us think of a disaster, we think of a hurricane, earthquake or tornado. But Arizona’s monsoon season (think about this past October’s rainfall) can create havoc, and, as we have seen in the past, forest fires can also create tragedy. Small-business owners are well-advised to back up records, store data off-site and develop a continuity-of-operations plan to get their business back up and running as soon as possible. If you have hired new employees in the last year, now is a great time to make sure they are aware of the operational and procedural priorities of your business. This will allow them to better assist you in coming back online should a disaster occur.

Owning and running a successful business requires a great number of skillsets. Most business owners do not possess all of the skills required and must rely on others for help. That is why we hire an attorney for legal guidance or buy insurance through an insurance broker. Every stage of business growth can bring new challenges. In Arizona, we are fortunate to have the Arizona Small Business Development Center Network, the SCORE Association and our two Women’s Business Centers to help small-business owners get the business advice and guidance they need to be successful entrepreneurs. Counseling by any of the aforementioned organization is always free of charge. Take advantage of it, because your business success is our nation’s business success. Also, when your business grows and it becomes time to hire that next employee, remember that most business owners never have a regret when they hire a Vet. It is exciting for me to participate again this year with In Business Magazine as they launch the Small Business Lending Guide, because it is such a useful directory for local and area businesses.

BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE

Robert Blaney has served as the district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration for the State of Arizona since 1998. His varied experience includes work as a federal agent, police officer, vicepresident of an insurance brokerage and district director for the late Congressman Jack Kemp. He is a native of western New York and a graduate of the State University College of New York at Buffalo.

Robert Blaney District Director

2018

U.S. Small Business Administration, Arizona District

About our Guide: Funding is consistently among the top concerns shared by our readers.

As part of our “Banking” issue of In Business Magazine, our editorial staff has compiled this annual Business Lending Guide. This guide is a listing of local lenders, contacts and resources that will assist business owners in finding lending opportunities. We contacted federally and state-chartered banks, credit unions and selected other lenders and resources to provide information about the variety of loans or assistance programs they offer locally. This guide will be available online and through our partner organizations until November 2019.

INBUSINESSPHX.COM

Our list is compiled of institutions based here locally who responded to our questionnaire by press time. Please check the information, as contacts and phone numbers may change throughout the year. Many of the institutions have multiple locations throughout Arizona; this guide lists their main office in the Greater Phoenix area. To participate or advertise in our 2019/2020 guide, please contact us at info@inbusinessmag.com or visit our website at www.inbusinessphx.com. © 2018 InMedia Company, LLC.

Major Banks

Community Bank

s

Credit Unions

Lending Institution

s & Resources

NOV. 2018

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BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE BANKS Alerus Bank 17045 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85255 Contact: Rob Schwister Phone: (480) 905-2430 Website: alerusfinancial.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans, term loans, lines of credit Alliance Bank of Arizona 1 E. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Contact: Austin Harris Phone: (480) 609-2949 Website: alliancebankofarizona.com Types of Loans/Services: corporate banking, commercial real estate lending, public finance, business and professional banking, SBA lending, treasury management services, nonprofit financing, equipment financing

Arizona Bank & Trust 2036 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Troy Norris Phone: (480) 844-4558 Website: arizbank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial loans, including lines of credit, equipment, real estate, construction Arizona Business Bank 2600 N. Central Ave., Ste. 2000 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Contact: Kyle Kennedy Phone: (602) 240-2700 Website: azbizbank.com Types of Loans/Services: revolving lines of credit, term loans, letters of credit, real estate, SBA loans Bank of America, NA 201 E. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Contact: Small Business Banking Phone: (888) 287-4637 Website: bankofamerica.com Types of Loans/Services: lines of credit, term loans, SBA lending

Common Pitfalls in Banking for Small-Business Owners and How to Avoid Them What every business owner should know

Statistics show that most small businesses fail within the first five years, and oftentimes the biggest mistakes are related to finances and often avoidable.

Receiving the right advice and guidance from a seasoned financial advisor is crucial to helping business owners succeed and companies stay afloat.

Alliance Bank of Arizona, a division of Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bank, is widely considered the go-to business banking resource in Arizona offering a full spectrum of deposit, lending, treasury management and online banking products and services, plus superior, personalized service to meet the needs of local businesses.

A banker today should be seen as a partner at the table, not just someone to help you get a loan. If you’re a growing business, you should take advantage of your relationship with your banker to discuss cash flow, inventory management and all aspects of your business.

To help educate entrepreneurs, Alliance Bank offers a list of common pitfalls of small business banking and how to avoid them (throughout this Lending Guide).

—Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

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Enterprise Bank & Trust was recently ranked number 14 out of 161 nationally-ranked banks1. And while we’re proud of that fact, it’s just part of who we are. Whether your focus is on your business, your family or the quality of life in your community, you’ll find us there. We’re committed to supporting dreams, securing financial futures and delivering on community investment.

Learn more at enterprisebank.com/phoenix

Member FDIC 1. Bank Director, 3rd Quarter 2017, Volume 27, Number 3

BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE Banks (con’t)

Pitfall #1

Not having a relationship with your business banker.

It is important to have a banker who knows you and your business to help make the best financial decisions. Your banker is well versed in all of the financing options available to your business and will be the best ally to get you up and running in the most efficient and financially responsible way.

How to Avoid It: Whether you’re starting your business, thinking about expanding or just looking for sound advice, your first step should be to make an appointment with your banker. Be prepared to discuss previous financial information, current finances and the goals for your business.

When your banker has all of the details, he or she will be able to point your business in the right direction, connect you with the right people within the bank and advise as necessary on the next steps. By involving your banker in a consulting role, you are given the best financial tools to manage your business.

—Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

Bank of Arizona, a division of BOK Financial 16767 N. Perimeter Dr. Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Contact: Business Banking Department Phone: (602) 808-5331 Website: bankofarizona.com Types of Loans/Services: revolving lines of credit, real estate lines of credit, equipment or vehicle term loans, real estate term loans, construction financing, equipment leasing, SBA loans

lines of credit, commercial real estate lending, working capital financing, residential construction, energy lending, business leasing, business credit cards BMO Harris Bank 1 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85012 Contact: Don Satiroff Phone: (602) 650-3850 Website: bmoharris.com Types of Loans/Services: business and corporate lending, lines of credit, equipment leasing, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, SBA & community development loans, treasury management services

BBVA Compass Bank 4010 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018 Contact: Dominique Morales Phone: (602) 522-2580 Website: bbvacompass.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans,

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BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE BNC National Bank 20175 N. 67 Ave. Glendale, AZ 85308 Contact: Scott Spillman Phone: (602) 508-3760 Website: bncbank.com Types of Loans/Services: revolving lines of credit for short-term operating needs, working capital loans, term loans for business equipment, commercial real estate loans, SBA loans, 504 commercial real estate loans, business agricultural loans, letters of credit Comerica Bank 425 S. Mill Ave. Tempe, AZ 85281 Contact: Holly Pennington Phone: (480) 966-0846 Website: comerica.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial property loans, business lines of credit, business loans, credit cards Commerce Bank of Arizona 4110 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 120 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Contact: Chris Webster Phone: (480) 253-4511 Website: commercebankaz.com Types of Loans/Services: all types of business loans, including lines of credit, equipment loans, acquisition financing, commercial construction, commercial real estate, SBA loans Enterprise Bank & Trust 3900 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 180 Phoenix, AZ 85018 Contact: Zach Morrison Phone: (602) 824-5700 Website: enterprisebank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial loans, equipment, real estate, construction, SBA loans, lines of credit First Fidelity Bank 6232 N. 32nd St. Phoenix, AZ 85018 Phone: (602) 912-5555 Website: ﬈.com Types of Loans/Services: revolving lines of credit, commercial real estate, residential real estate, equipment, SBA, oil & gas production loans, commercial leasing

First International Bank & Trust 2231 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Ben Jarman Phone: (480) 946-2967 Website: firstintlbank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lending, SBA loans, mortgages FirstBank 4925 N. 20th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016 Phone: (602) 667-6900 Website: efirstbank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial real estate, construction, SBA loans, lines of credit, residential real estate Gateway Bank 6860 E. Warner Rd. Mesa, AZ 85212 Contact: James L. Christensen Phone: (480) 358-1000 Website: gcbaz.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lending Goldwater Bank 2525 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 1100 Scottsdale, AZ 85016 Contact: Jon Edwards Phone: (480) 281-8200 Website: goldwaterbank.com Types of Loans/Services: business lending, mortgage lending, consumer lending Great Western Bank 1721 N. Arizona Ave., Ste. 1 Chandler, AZ 85225 Contact: David Telya Phone: (480) 732-0732 Website: greatwesternbank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial and consumer loans JPMorgan Chase 201 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Contact: SBA Lending Department Phone: (800) 242-7324 Website: chase.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lending, SBA lending

Johnson Bank 3131 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 100 Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Cathy Camacho Phone: (602) 381-2100 Website: johnsonbank.com Types of Loans/Services: lines of credit, commercial mortgages, equipment leasing, SBA loans KS StateBank 5110 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85012 Contact: Frank Coumides Phone: (602) 332-7828 Website: ksstatebank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial loans to small and mid-sized businesses for equipment, real estate, expansion Meadows Bank 2141 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 120 Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact (business lending: Alex Schaffer Phone: (602) 474-5001 Website: meadowsbank.bank Types of Loans/Services: construction, building purchase, office build-out, equipment, working capital, lines of credit, SBA 504 & 7(a), cash management, account analysis, online/ mobile banking, remote deposit, direct deposit, lock box

Metro Phoenix Bank 4686 E. Van Buren St., Ste. 150 Phoenix, AZ 85008 Contact: Michael Morano Phone: (602) 346-1800 Website: metrophoenixbank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lending MidFirst Bank 3030 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Barb Bandura Phone: (602) 801-5000 Website: midfirst.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans, business express loans, business lines of credit, business term loans, commercial real estate lending, business equipment lease financing Mutual of Omaha Bank 9200 E. Pima Center Pkwy.

Scottsdale, AZ 85258 Contact: Kevin Halloran Phone: (480) 458-2249 Website: mutualofomahabank.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, SBA, mortgage, personal and association lending

Pitfall #2

Not having a business plan or anticipating cash needs for seasonality or growth.

A business plan allows you as the owner to prioritize your objectives and plan accordingly for the future. This plan could include projected growth in revenues, employee needs and necessary cash needs that will impact the business. A business plan also allows the bank to have a perspective on the future plans and cash or capital needs of your business.

How to avoid it: Discuss with your banker the short- and long-term goals for your business. Look at different scenarios for growth or seasonality and how those scenarios will affect your need for cash. Your banker will be able to give you a better idea of the plans that should be put in place to meet your requirements. You should also talk to your banker about having a back-up plan should there be unexpected changes in your business, to ensure the end-goal is still going to be attainable. Bringing your “intellectual capital” and financial capital together will increase the probability of success and provide sustainable options for your business.

—Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

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Pitfall #3

Lack of quality accounting and financial information.

As a business owner, you need to be able to track revenue, expenses, inventory and receivables; calculate profitability; and generate financial statements, especially if you are applying for a loan. It is important to have access to and utilize qualified accounting or bookkeeping resources not only to help you have appropriate accounting and inventory control, but to maintain the accounts receivable and payable systems that track financial information and produce financial statements. Accurate financial statements are crucial to obtaining a loan and to managing your business.

How to avoid it: Invest in an accounting system or bookkeeping system at your business, or hire a bookkeeper or accounting service to produce periodic financial reporting, including profit and loss statements and balance sheets. Secure online banking systems and bill pay systems that integrate with your accounting or bookkeeping systems are critical to seamlessly producing monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and will assist with tax return preparation. —Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

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National Bank of Arizona 6001 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Mike Casa Phone: (602) 235-6000 Website: nbarizona.com Types of Loans/Services: consumer, residential real estate, commercial, corporate, treasury management, commercial real estate, wealth management, nonprofit, energy lending

Pinnacle Bank 14287 N. 87th St., Ste. 123 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Contact: Tim Romano, Scott Willits Phone: (480) 609-0055 Website: pinnaclebankaz.com Types of Loans/Services: lines of credit, equipment loans, term loans, real estate construction loans, standby letters of credit, SBA loans

PaciďŹ c Premier Bank 5055 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85018 Contact: Richard Endicott Phone: (602) 992-5055 Website: ppbi.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lines, SBA, USDA, solar, SFR pools, Arizona Commerce Authority, industrial, treasury management products

Republic Bank of Arizona 645 E. Missouri Ave., Ste. 108 Phoenix, AZ 85012 Contact: Ralph Tapscott Phone: (602) 277-2500 Website: republicbankaz.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, SBA loans

Parkway Bank 11011 N. Tatum Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ 85028 Contact: Michael Doan Phone: (602) 765-8501 Website: parkwaybank.com Types of Loans/Services: business loans, SBA financing

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BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE Stearns Bank N.A., Arizona 9225 E. Shea Blvd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Contact: Tom Hosier Phone: (480) 314-4200 Website: stearnsbank.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans, commercial and construction lending, equipment finance and leasing, USDA rural development loans UMB 2777 E. Camelback Rd., Ste 100 Phoenix, AZ 85018 Contact: Sean Scibienski Phone: (602) 912-6720 Website: umb.com Types of Loans/Services: term/ installment loans, business line of credit, SBA loans, commercial loans

U.S. Bank SBA Division Regional Office 2222 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: SBA Division Administrative Office Phone: (800) 431-7101 Website: usbank.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans, lines of credit, equipment leasing, term loans, agricultural loans, quick credit, commercial real estate Washington Federal 2196 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 100 Phoenix, AZ 85016 Contact: Scott Stemm Phone: (602) 553-7434 Website: washingtonfederal.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial lending, commercial real estate financing, lines of credit, term loans, business credit cards, SBA loans

Wells Fargo Bank 100 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 Contact: Jennifer Anderson Phone: (602) 378- 5133 Website: wellsfargo.com/biz Types of Loans/Services: business loans of all types, including real estate, lines of credit, equipment, SBA West Valley National Bank 2111 E. Highland Ave., Ste. B-150 Phoenix AZ 85016 Contact: Debra Ingle Phone: (480) 429-6750 Website: wvnb.net Types of Loans/Services: SBA 7(A), SBA 504, working capital, owner occupied real estate, A/R lines of credit

Visit us online at www.inbusinessphx.com to see more on each lender, including contacts and areas of expertise.

CHECK IT OUT ONLINE

Western State Bank 7001 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 1000 Scottsdale, AZ 85253 Contact: Shane Randall Phone: (480) 596-0883 Website: westernbanks.com Types of Loans/Services: commercial term loans, commercial lines of credit, construction lines of credit, lease financing, corporate credit cards, agricultural loans

Major

Comm

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Lending

Institut

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Banks

Banks

Union

s Resour ces

The 2018/2019 edition of the In Business Magazine Business Owner’s Lending Guide will be available on our website through October 2019.

Helping Local Businesses Control Their Own Destiny Since 2006

We want to help local businesses control their own destiny by providing exceptional financial services delivered by local residents.

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NOV. 2018

2019

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BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE CREDIT UNIONS Arizona Central Credit Union 2020 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Contact: Jeffrey Frank Phone: (602) 523-8342 Website: azcentralcu.org Types of Loans/Services: SBA loans, commercial real estate loans, lines of credit, term loans Credit Union West 350 E. Dunlap Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85020 Contact: Business Service Center Phone: (602) 631-3200 Website: cuwest.org Types of Loans/Services: business loans Desert Financial Credit Union 148 N. 48th St. Phoenix, AZ 85034 Contact: Herb Ramirez Phone: (602) 663-8674 Website: desertfinancial.com Types of Loans/Services: working capital financing, equipment loans, owner-occupied real estate, commercial real estate OneAZ Credit Union 2355 W. Pinnacle Peak Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85027 Contact: Mark Taber Phone: (602) 467-4262 Website: oneazcu.com Types of Loans/Services: term loans, unsecured lines of credit, commercial real estate mortgages, business vehicle loans, business credit cards, business overdrafts TruWest Credit Union 1345 W. Warner Rd. Tempe, AZ 85284 Contact: Daniel Desmond Phone: (480) 441-5900 Website: truwest.org Types of Loans/Services: business loans, secured and unsecured lines of credit, business credit cards, commercial real estate lending, equipment financing

ALTERNATIVE LENDING Altima Business Solutions 1820 E. Ray Rd. Chandler, AZ 85225 Contact: Andre Wilson Phone: (480) 264-5150 Website: altimabusinesssolutions.com Types of Loans/Services: angel and venture capital, private equity, merchant funding, equipment leasing, factoring, contract financing FSW Funding 4530 E. Shea Blvd., Ste. 142 Phoenix, AZ 85028 Contact: Robyn Barrett Phone: (602) 535-5984 ext. 1 Website: fswfunding.com Types of Loans/Services: choose or add lines of credit, letters of credit, factoring, asset-based lending Liquid Capital 8679 E. San Alberto Dr., Ste. 201 Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Contact: Joel Gottesman Phone: (480) 473-2105 Website: liquidcapitalcorp.com/ principals/en-us/az/jgottesman/ Types of Loans/Services: factoring, purchase order and inventory finance, exports, Quick Pay programs Sir Mortgage & Finance 4040 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 210 Phoenix, AZ 85018 Contact: Greg Sir Phone: (602) 954-6677 Website: sirmortgage.com Types of Loans/Services: residential, commercial and construction loans Southwestern Business Financing Corporation 3200 N. Central Ave., Ste. 1550 Phoenix, AZ 85012 Contact: Teresa Maldelin Phone: (602) 495-2185 Website: swbfc.com Types of Loans/Services: SBA 504 financing

Visit us online at www.inbusinessphx.com to see more on each lender, including contacts and areas of expertise.

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Pitfall #4

Internal or external bank account fraud.

As a business owner, you should pay close attention to potential fraud on your bank accounts. By maintaining control on access and security to all accounts and transactions, fraud risk can be minimized.

How to Avoid It: There are many options available to limit access to your business accounts. Meet with your banker to ensure that you have the latest technology available to prevent unwanted access to your accounts and the appropriate level of approval authorities to generate transactions both within the company and prevent unauthorized access from external hackers. Diligent daily review of all your transactions is critical. Accurate and secure payment systems are crucial to the success of your business, and their value cannot be overstated.

—Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

LENDING RESOURCES ACCIÓN P.O. Box 41237, Tucson, AZ 85717 Phone: (520) 305-2185 Website: us.accion.org Types of Services: loans, lines of credit, management services, investment, governance Arizona Commerce Authority 118 N. 7th Ave., Ste. 400 Phoenix, AZ 85007 Phone: (602) 845-1200 Email: smallbiz@azcommerce.com Website: azcommerce.com Types of Services: business-growing strategies, market research, licensing information, statewide resource information, workforce assistance Arizona Loans for Assistive Technology Institute for Human Development University Affiliated Program Northern Arizona University 300 W. Clarendon Ave., Ste. 475 Phoenix, AZ 85013 Contact: Martha Lewis Phone: (602) 776-4670 Website: aztap.org Types of Services: loans for persons with disabilities to purchase assistive technology, training and technical assistance; equipment reutilization; Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities program

Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation 275 N. Gateway Dr. , Phoenix, AZ 85034 Phone: (602) 286-8950 Website: ceigateway.com Types of Services: incubator startup and early-stage companies, access to facilities space, mentorship opportunities, business development resources, weekly educational seminars open to the public, and more Industrial Development Authority (IDA) of Maricopa County c/o Maricopa County Administration Office 301 W. Jefferson St., 10th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85003 Contact: Greg Ghalfi Phone: (602) 690-8996 Website: mcida.com Types of Services: conduit financing, project financing, manufacturing facility bonds Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) 635 E. Broadway Rd., Mesa, AZ 85204 Phone: (480) 258-6927 Website: nedco-mesa.org Types of Services: alternative financing programs for new and startup businesses, entrepreneur education, loan readiness assessment, business credit repair, loan application assistance

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214.987.8889 | www.bokfincancial.com David DeCero | 480.835.3055 www.bankofarizona.com © Arizona, aCorporation. division of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC.by BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. BOKF, NA is a subsidiary of BOK Financial Corporation. © 2018 2018Bank BOKofFinancial Services provided INBUSINESSPHX.COM

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BUSINESS LENDING GUIDE LENDING RESOURCES (con’t)

Pitfall #5

Managing the profitability of the business for tax purposes.

One attractive income tax strategy is trying to reduce tax liability by reducing the taxable income of the business through various tactics. While this may result in lower tax liabilities in the current period it can also reduce or eliminate reported income, which is typically the number used when qualifying for a loan.

How to avoid it: Talk to your accountant and banker when you are considering deferring recognition of income, pre-paying expenses, expensing items that could be capitalized or accelerating depreciation for tax purposes. These strategies should be considered in balance with the need to meet debt service coverage and other loan requirements.

—Sherri Slayton, executive vice president of Alliance Bank (www.alliancebankofarizona.com)

City of Phoenix Expand Program 200 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 Contact: LaSetta Hogans Phone: (602) 262-6005 Website: phoenix.gov/econdev Types of Services: assistance in finding loans for businesses, collateral reserve deposits Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) 2828 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1093 Phone: (602) 745-7250 Website: score.org Types of Services: resources, templates and tools to assist entrepreneurs in developing tools and plans

Small Business Administration (SBA) 2828 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800 Phoenix, AZ 85004-1093 Contact: Robert Blaney Phone: (602) 745-7200 Website: sba.gov Types of Services: loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses Small Business Development Center (SBDC) 2411 W. 14th St., Tempe, AZ 85281 Phone: (480) 731-8720 Website: azsbdc.net Types of Services: assistance for small businesses in every stage of development, SBA loan assistance, free one-on-one business counseling, workshops and training programs

Visit us online at www.inbusinessphx.com to see more on each lender, including contacts and areas of expertise.

Helping you keep the wheels of business turning As a small business owner, you keep the wheels turning in our country. That's why BBVA Compass is committed to the success of the small businesses like yours. Whether you are just starting out or positioning your business for growth, our seasoned banking professionals provide financing solutions that really work for you. Give us a call today.

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BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank, a member of the BBVA Group. Compass Bank, Member FDIC.

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Alternative Lending Equals Financing Success Liquid Capital of Arizona provides innovative financing solutions for startup, established and middle-market businesses.

Our solutions enable us to meet a broad range of businesses’ needs: Asset Based Lending credit facilities for wellestablished small and middlemarket companies.

Factoring Accounts Receivable purchase of invoices to accelerate cash receipts.

Inventory Finance Program

Purchase Order Finance

funding for up to 100% of inventory of all types.

funding for the manufacture of pre-sold products.

Export and Import Finance

Credit Insurance

Cash Advance Programs

all programs apply to both domestic and export business.

convenient pay-as-you-go credit insurance under our own policy.

for earlier-stage companies.

The Liquid Capital network consists of more than 60 independently owned businesses (Principals) operating throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong, sharing a common platform for credit administration and systems. The Liquid Capital Principals have funded more than $3 billion since inception.

Joel and Natalie Gottesman have been Principals in Arizona for nine years.

During this time, Liquid Capital of Arizona has been a consistent leader in funding volume within the Liquid Capital network.

In commenting about the success of Liquid Capital, Joel indicates that “we provide very effective working capital solutions for our clients and help them reach their full growth potential.” He also notes that his company is the funding source and that “we have our own funds deployed alongside our client’s funds.”

During his career, Joel has been a practicing attorney and bank executive, with successful leadership roles and board of director experience. He earned a B.S. in Business from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota School of Law. Co-owner Natalie Gottesman makes sure that Liquid Capital clients’ daily financing needs are handled on a timely and efficient basis. During her career, she has been a speech/language pathologist in hospital clinical settings. She has also sold residential real estate.

Natalie received a B.S. in Education from Miami University and an M.A. in Speech/Language Pathology & Audiology from Cleveland State University.

Natalie and Joel Gottesman, co-owners

9304 E. Raintree Dr., Suite 120, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (480) 473-2105 www.az.liquidcapitalcorp.com ADVERTISING PROFILE

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Bailey, Lauren, 26

Gibb, Randy, Dr., 26

Krison, Mark, 18

Ratcliff, James, 20

Bailey, Lawrence, 14

Goodman, Adam, 26

Lawson, Brandy, 45

Redheffer, George, 16

Barkdoll, Tamara, 24

Gordon, Cindy, 50

Lemay, Todd, 16

Robinson, Yolanda, 16

Battaglia, Laurie D., 49

Grossman, Justin, 12

Madhavanur, Desikan, 22

Shahara, Eivan, 13

Blaney, Robert J., 53

Hickman, Kate, 12

McLellan, Wendy, 46

Stengel, Geri, 15

Bright, Patricia, 33

Hobijn, Bart, 35

McPheters, Lee R., Dr., 35

Strom, Joel, 12

Brown, Ali, 48

Horst, Peter, 66

Miller, Amber, 38

Sweet, Kathy, 34

Chatzkel, Barbara, 44

Jaburg, Gary, 26

Mohr, Brian, 11

Talbott, Susan, 32

Cochrane, John H., 35

Jannenga, Heidi, Dr., 26

Openden, Daniel, Dr., 26

Urman, Ronit, 43

Cohn, Chris, 20

Jones, Mike, 26

Poulsen, Morten Hellesøe, 22

Vogler, Michael, 22

DelMuro, Ray, 26

Kirke, Jeff, 14

Principal, Carylann, 13

Wang, Aries Wanlin, 33

Dunne, David, 33

Koutsogiorgas, Yorgo, 42

Rainwater, Joel R., 20

1st Bank, 8

Driftwood Acquisitions & Development, 18

Maricopa Small Business Development Center, 36

Economic Club of Phoenix, 35, 37

Mayo Clinic, 67

Employers Council, 24

Meadows Bank, 58

Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, 26

Enterprise Bank & Trust, 10, 55

MEB Management Services, 14

SRP, 5

eWomenNetwork: Phoenix/Scottsdale, 37

MeisterTask, 13

Stearns Bank, 54

meltmedia, 12

Structure for Success, 46

Mint Dispensary, The, 13

Surf Technologies, 10, 16

FSW Funding, 56

National Association of Women Business Owners – Phoenix, 43

Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona, 16

Gallagher Kennedy, 7

National Bank of Arizona, 23

Tempe Chamber of Commerce, 36, 37

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, 36

North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, 37

TerrainHopper USA, 16

Aligned at Work®, 49 Alliance Bank of Arizona, 2, 12, 52 Amazon, 14 American Express, 15 Arizona Diamondbacks, 9 Arizona Facts of Life, 16 Arizona Small Business Association, 36 Arizona technology Council, 36 Bank of Arizona, 61 Banner Aetna, 41 BBVA Compass, 62 Because, 34 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, 68 BMO Harris Bank, 25 Body Language Pro, The, 44 Business Rescue Coaching, 50 Carlsbad Tavern, 42

FieryFX, 45 FourKites, 22

Giordano’s, 42 Glendale Chamber of Commerce, 37 Goodmans Interior Structures, 26 Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, 37 Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 37 Holmes Murphy, 14

Optima Kierland, 18 Phoenix Metro Chamber of Commerce, 36 Pinnacle Financial Advisors, 26 Plytix, 22 POPin, 13 Quarles & Brady, 4

Snooze, 42 Soft Bank, 22

Theatro, 22 Toast, 40 U.S. Small Business Administration, Arizona District, 53 UnitedHealthcare, 21 Upward Projects, 26 Urman Enterprises, 43

CBRE, 18

Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 35

Chase, 14

Infiniti, 40

Refresh Glass, 26

Chelsea’s Kitchen, 42

Interface Force Measurement Solutions, 12

Republic Bank of Arizona, 64

W. P. Carey Schol of Business, Arizona State University, 35

Resound, 26

Wallbeds ‘n’ More, 39

ReTech Labs, 22

Warble, 13

Rowpar Pharmaceuticals, 20

We Lead, 48

JLL, 19

Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, 36

WebPT, 26

Liquid Capital, 63

Scottsdale Recovery Center, 20

Locus Robotics, 22

Smart to Finish Office Solutions, 38

Lyft, 14

Snell & Wilmer, 3

Cigna, 14 CMO Inc., 66 Colangelo School of Business, Grand Canyon University, 26 Comprehensive Interventional Care Centers, 20 Conscious Capitalism – Arizona Chapter, 11 Delta Dental, 17

Jaburg Wilk, 26 JDA Software, 22 Jive, 8

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

Ra Medical Systems, 20

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

VanTrust Real Estate, 18 Vicinity Enterprises, 16

West Valley National Bank, 59 WESTMARC, 35 ZINKN, 22

2018 65 NOV. INBUSINESSPHX.COM

A CANDID FORUM

BY

Brands Under Fire How brands survive a polarized market

by Peter Horst

MAGAZINE

Lending Guid e

NOV. 2018

IN BUSINESS

2019 Busi ness Own er’s

CONSCIOUS

Consciou Capitalisms

CAPITALISM

How ‘consc ious capita is elevat ing the econolism’ system to higher mic plane SMBs’

NOVEMEBR

(Surprising) Wealth of Assets Brand Politically s Beware in Polarized

2018 • INBUSINESSPHX .COM

THIS ISSUE

National Business Organization of Women Owners – Phoenix

Market Outsma ‘Smart’ Workprt the

lace

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Peter Horst is a Fortune 500 Chief Marketing Officer and has led teams at Hershey, Capital One, TD Ameritrade and others. He has developed iconic and award-winning marketing campaigns and products across many industries. As founder of marketing consultancy CMO Inc., Horst advises organizations of all sizes on brand and marketing strategy. A highly rated keynote speaker, Horst is the author of the bestselling book Marketing in the #FakeNews Era. cmoinc.com

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Nike. Starbucks. Patagonia. Nordstrom. Uber. Budweiser.

Pepsi. NFL. What do these brands have in common?

They’ve all been at the center of a firestorm of social and political controversy, poster children for the risks brands face today as they sit squarely in the crosshairs of a politicized marketplace. The news seems to carry a new story every day of another brand caught up in an overnight crisis.

Anyone with responsibility for the health of a company’s brand and reputation needs to understand these new risks to adequately prepare for them.

NEW REALITY

Brands now operate in a new reality, characterized by massive polarization — political, economic, cultural, geographic. There has been, also, a cratering of trust in every public institution — government, media, business and even NGOs. An increase in fear levels across the board add energy and anxiety into the mix.

As a result, people are more politically active than ever — made easier than ever with the help of social media. Activist consumers and interest groups have also discovered the power of leveraging brands in their agenda — threatening boycotts or other actions to drive a response.

NEW EXPECTATIONS

On top of this new reality, brands now face new expectations. In a world where people don’t trust the government to fix the world’s problems, they increasingly look to corporate America to be a part of the solution — to make a difference, not just soup or soap or software.

The expectation to engage only brings with it more brand risk — the possibility that any definitive point of view will alienate as many people as it attracts. In a polarized society, there’s no more comfortable middle ground where a brand can please everyone.

So what’s a company to do?

NEW RULES

Like it or not, large and small businesses need to acknowledge this new reality and embrace the new rules of stewarding brand and reputation in turbulent times.

The first rule in this environment is, get clear about company values, beliefs and purpose. These not only provide

the basis for how to engage, but they also act as a moral compass for company actions. Good sources for inspiration are the founder’s original vision, the passions and beliefs of leadership, the concerns of employees and the issues that naturally connect to the business.

The values definition step is critical for all organizations, even if they choose to not publicly engage in social/political issues. A company can’t control whether or not it is dragged unwillingly into a public debate by, for instance, an employee action, an activist consumer or a Presidential tweet. Without a grounding in core values, a company suddenly in the glare of the spotlight will be caught flatfooted and unprepared to respond, often leading to a brand crisis. This is exactly what happened to the NFL when it was engulfed by the kneeling controversy, without an effective response in terms of policy or communications for more than 18 months.

Next, a company must determine which issues to address.

Appearing insincere and opportunistic by jumping on the bandwagon of a social problem can drive fierce backlash — as it did with the Pepsi Kendall Jenner ad showing her stopping a near-riot with a can of soda. Any issue a brand wants to engage in must satisfy three filters: it’s important to society, it’s relevant to the brand’s business, and the brand has permission and credibility in that dialogue.

Finally, leadership must determine what posture it wants to adopt with respect to broader societal issues. Many wrongly assume that it’s a binary choice between leaping fully into a hotly polarizing stance and remaining paralyzed. This leads many to fail to even take the step of defining their core values.

There is a spectrum of ways that companies can approach the broader world, gradually increasing the likelihood that some will respond positively and others negatively to the company’s message. The choices range from quietly living by brand values, publicly expressing a higher purpose, taking on a tension-filled issue without taking a specific polarizing stance, and adopting a clear position on a hotly debated issue.

Whatever choice a company makes in engaging in the broader social and political arena, its leadership can best assure the ongoing health of its brand and reputation by going through the process of understanding the new realities that surround it, grounding in the core values that should drive their choices, and thoughtfully engaging in relevant issues in a way that reflects leadership’s appetite for reputational risk and customer relevance.

Recent research shows that 66 percent of consumers want companies to engage in social and political issues. And it’s not just starry-eyed millennials: Sixty-two percent of consumers 55 and older also say they want to hear from brands on the big issues of the day.