TechConnect Magazine Winter 2024 Edition: The Aerospace, Aviation + Defense Issue

Arizona: Where innovators turn for what’s next.

Something big, bold and exciting is happening in the Grand Canyon state. Cutting-edge companies are launching, testing and scaling new technologies in Arizona. Our culture of innovation, highly skilled talent pool, lean regulatory environment, and affordable operating costs provide the perfect platform for business growth and success. Beyond being a place where you can achieve your professional goals, Arizona also provides a lifestyle that allows you to achieve your personal goals. With year-round sunshine, endless outdoor activities, and a positive outlook, we play as hard as we work. It’s this perfect balance that makes life better here.

THE AEROSPACE, AVIATION + DEFENSE

IN THIS ISSUE

01

02

Innovation launches from Planet Arizona Publisher’s Letter

Triple Threat

Arizona offers opportunities in aerospace, aviation & defense

Below the Surface Team to seek new solutions for aircraft performance, defense applications Foundation for the Future UArizona, Raytheon expand collaboration through hypersonic R&D

A Different View Project targets protecting supply chains in real time

Connecting the Dots

Educator uses examples of her aerospace work to teach students

Blueprint for Success

Steps for developing a heavyindustry marketing plan

Natural Healing

Study focuses on keeping blood cancers, solid tumors in check

Canine Consideration Study focuses on how COVID-19 impacts dogs in diverse settings

A New Wave

Arizona Innovation Challenge awardees profiled

WINTER 2023

PUBLISHERS

Sandra Watson

Steven G. Zylstra

EDITOR

Don Rodriguez

EXECUTIVE

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Alyssa Tufts

MAGAZINE DESIGNED BY:

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Maddie Santiago

EMAIL techconnect@aztechcouncil.org

For queries or customer service, call 602-343-8324

View more of TechConnect: aztechcouncil.org/techconnect

TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, 2800 N. Central Ave. #1530, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Entire

Publisher’s Letter

INNOVATION LAUNCHES FROM PLANET ARIZONA

It’s no surprise that people move to Arizona because of the climate.

And it’s likely no surprise that the weather also has been a factor when aerospace, aviation and defense contractors and their suppliers have opened facilities here over the years. The clear blue skies were a draw for the company that set up a division in Phoenix in the early 1940s, clearing the way for what ultimately became Honeywell Aerospace. Four decades later, the first Apache helicopters were produced at a manufacturing plant in Mesa that later would be owned by Boeing.

But when Virgin Galactic told the world that its new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta class spaceships would be in Mesa, weather wasn’t mentioned.

Arizona’s being “a growing innovation hub” was cited as a key reason by the company’s president of Aerospace Systems at the time. According to Swami Iyer, “This will allow us to accelerate progress from conceptual design to production to final assembly at scale as we capitalize on the many advantages Mesa and the Greater Phoenix area offer.” No surprise there. Readers of TechConnect already know from our content that Arizona has become a place where innovation thrives.

But it also helps to have organizations like the Phoenixbased Arizona Spaceport Alliance working to help bring the players to the table. The nonprofit is focused on establishing and supporting world-class spaceport options in Arizona for the general benefit of the state and its residents, as well as championing the needs of commercial space businesses in

Steven G. Zylstra is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and SciTech Institute.

Arizona. For those who don’t know, a spaceport is a groundbased facility for launching or receiving spacecraft.

As for the talent with their eyes focused on the sky, Arizona’s universities already are at work on that part. The University of Arizona Space Institute serves as an umbrella-organization to facilitate the work of UArizona’s space-oriented researchers by providing seed grants for major missions and other space projects in development, coordinating technical staff, and helping to build the necessary infrastructure.

At Arizona State University, researchers and students are engaged in dozens of active space missions, both in flight and in development. At the center of it all is the School of Earth and Space Exploration, where students are trained to work on scientific missions that include exploring planets, the moon, asteroids, the solar system and the universe.

Space is just a piece of the puzzle. As mentioned earlier, there is plenty of activity here that is focused on aerospace, aviation and defense with some cross-industry overlap as well. As you turn the pages, you will even meet some earthbound innovators.

All have found successes as they explore what Planet Arizona has to offer

TRIPLE THREAT

Arizona offers opportunities in aerospace, aviation & defense

Aerospace and defense. Actually, make that aerospace, aviation and defense.

For the longest time, A&D has been commonly known as two industries joined at the hip. One seemed to exist only when mentioning the other.

But in Arizona, it’s the trio of industries—A,A&D if you will—where innovation has constantly evolved to help quickly transport and protect us and what we hold dear. Here are some examples of companies that have developed what is new and different in the sectors. While they may not all be household names, each is making an impact on its own.

Aerospace

NASA has given Tucson-based Phantom Space Corp. the thumbs up to launch four CubeSat Launch Initiative missions as part of the space agency’s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare launch services contract. CubeSats—cube-shaped satellites—are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The CubeSats could launch as early as 2024 on Phantom’s Daytona, a mass-manufactured expendable two-stage rocket

capable of reliable transport of satellites and other space cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. Mass-manufacturing techniques allow Daytona to be the most efficient and cost-effective small payload rocket in the world.

Phantom also is creator of Laguna, a reusable two-stage rocket. Mass manufacturing techniques and reusability allow the Laguna to be the most cost-effective satellite constellation launcher.

Moving from propulsion to the driver’s seat, teams from Tempe-based KinetX have been calling the shots when it comes to getting up close and personal with asteroids.

Several members of KinetX’s OSIRIS-REx navigation team were on hand in September for a mission-wide team ceremony at Space Center Houston to mark the successful transport of an asteroid sample to earth. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) had made its way back with samples of asteroid Bennu collected in 2020.

KinetX is also home of the flight dynamics team assigned to Lucy, a spacecraft that in November successfully performed its close flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh. (In fact, the flyby was close enough to determine Dinkinesh is not one but two asteroids!) The team continues to track and reconstruct the trajectory during and beyond the encounter.

Phantom Space Corp.’s Daytona rocket

Also making their way through space are deployable spacecraft antennas created by Tucson-based FreeFall Aerospace to enable telecommunications and remote sensing. The systems are compact, lightweight and high-performance, enabling them to be just right for commercial and defense applications from Earth orbit to the moon and beyond.

FreeFall Aerospace antennas offer different features, including inflatable, mesh for orbital relays, and positioning, navigation and timing between the earth and moon.

One example is FreeFall’s OrbCast inflatable antenna system that can provide small spacecraft with an order of magnitude increase—a range of magnitude extending from some value to ten times that value—in data return with minimum cost and complexity.

Working behind the scenes is Tempe-based Delta Technology, which has been tapping into its industrial automation expertise in process innovation and high-quality standards to use robotics and automation in creating products for aerospace companies. Aerospace parts must be precisely produced to Delta Technology’s highest quality standards, often with exotic materials that have higher strength and are lightweight. And increasingly automation is used to improve manufacturing competitiveness.

Aviation

Closer to earth, Tucson’s Universal Avionics has made a name for itself as a leading manufacturer of innovative commercial avionics. One recent example is the Federal Aviation Administration’s granting supplemental type certification approval for AerAware on the Boeing 737NG, an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) powered by Universal Avionics’ ClearVision.

FreeFall Aerospace’s mesh orbital relay antenna

In short, EFVS shows a pilot artificially displayed elements on top of real-world views, such as the horizon and runway. Universal Avionics’ achievement marks the first EFVS to achieve a 50% reduction in minimum visibility requirements and the first aircraft to be certified with a complete dual-pilot EFVS solution featuring a wearable heads-up display to help overcome low visibility.

Defense

In Mesa, Serastar Technologies is serving the needs of military by developing Secure Tactical Information Distribution Network systems, the first tactical, on-the-move video streaming platform that features high-efficiency video coding. That translates into the ability to deliver secure video (picture in picture), audio (voice over internet protocol), and Key-Length-Value metadata with embedded and integrated analytics.

When called into duty, the patented systems are compact enough—about the size of a shoe box—to be quickly installed into a Stryker combat vehicle, and easily integrated into M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and other ground-based and airborne platforms. The systems can function and even thrive in dense urban areas and complex terrain.

Tucson-based Applied Energetics recognizes that threats can come in a variety of forms, especially those that are improvised. The company’s high-energy, ultrashort pulse lasers can

counter improvised threats based upon ability of the pulsed optical source to engage targets at the speed of light with tunable effects.

Applied Energetics’ products can also be used for force protection. Its optical sources can enable improvements in remote sensing, including chemical and biological agent detection at long distance, identifying and neutralizing dangerous pathogens, and disrupting, disabling or destroying the electronics on a remote target.

A,A&D

A company with a presence in all three fields is Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PacSci EMC), with facilities in Chandler and the trademarked motto of “When Milliseconds Matter.” PacSci EMC has designed and manufactured pyrotechnic and energetic material devices and integrated systems that operate precisely the moment they are instructed—down to the millisecond.

In action, that means its cartridge actuated devices and linear explosives products have helped put astronauts on the moon, launched satellites in space, safeguarded commercial aircraft and their passengers, ejected pilots in mid-air, enabled missiles to hit their targets, and protected military personnel.

With such a wide spectrum of capabilities, Arizona companies stand ready to help when the mission calls for acting fast and smart in peacetime or on the battlefield.

BELOW THE SURFACE

Team to seek new solutions for aircraft performance, defense applications

BY MONIQUE CLEMENT

Airplane wings are typically made of smooth metal surfaces—a design that has worked well for decades on aircraft ranging from commercial airliners to fighter jets. However, materials science and manufacturing advances have created new opportunities to engineer more sophisticated aircraft surfaces that interact with and control airflow in new ways.

Experimental methods of flow control typically use active solutions, such as adding jets or other moving parts. However, active solutions add weight, complexity, cost and require more energy use.

Yulia Peet, an associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, is leading a team of researchers to explore passive methods of flow control.

The team aims to gain a new understanding of how turbulent air flows interact with surfaces. The researchers will then design specially engineered metamaterials that influence flows in ways that can achieve high performance gains without the drawbacks of active solutions.

Metamaterials are engineered solids with repeating patterns, designed to exhibit combinations of properties that don’t exist in natural materials. The intervals and shapes of the precise patterns and the substances a metamaterial is made of can be designed to interact with waves by absorbing, blocking or amplifying certain frequencies.

“We will generate a lot of new knowledge about these materials’ interactions with fluids such as airflow,” Peet says. “We’re trying to take it a step further by not only characterizing the fundamental physics but also seeing if we can go all the way through to fabricating those materials and testing them.”

Peet is collaborating with Lorenzo Valdevit, a professor of materials science and engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, Irvine, and Kenny Breuer, a professor of engineering at Brown University, to study this new use of metamaterials for aerospace applications. The research team is supported by a three-year, $2.25 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research National Science Portal Initiative to accelerate multidisciplinary scientific research of critical need to the U.S. Department of Defense, including new solutions for interactions between air and surface materials. The opportunity also focuses on increasing the diversity of people involved in research and the aerospace and defense workforce.

Disrupting flows for better performance

Peet brings expertise in characterizing and modeling the physics of flows and how they interact with materials. For this project, she was inspired to look more closely at flow separation and how this often-detrimental aspect of aerodynamics can be mitigated for improved performance.

When a plane is flying, it essentially makes the air “stick” to it as the airflow follows along a wing surface. Certain changes in turbulent airflow or the angle of flight can cause the flow to separate from the wing surface. When this happens, an aircraft can lose lift or experience increased drag or other undesirable effects.

One way to influence flow and suppress separation is by harnessing the frequencies present in the airflow. Like sound waves, air motions contain waves of different frequencies that result in different pressure signals on surfaces. “We can optimize these interactions to make air vehicles move faster or consume less energy or make them quieter,” Peet says.

However, there isn’t a lot of information available about exactly which frequencies to target and how the team can alter them to interact with flow separation in useful ways.

“It’s a very difficult phenomenon to study and characterize all of these interactions between materials and fluids, especially when the fluids are turbulent like during an aircraft flight,” Peet says. “Computers have not been powerful enough and numerical methods haven’t been developed to the point that we need them to be. Now we’re starting to enter an era when this research becomes possible.”

Once Peet and the research team better understand which frequencies lead to separation, they can figure out how to create specially designed resonant metamaterials that can influence these frequencies.

Valdevit will explore how to design mechanical metamaterials that influence flow across combinations of frequency ranges never targeted before. The challenges Valdevit sees for this task involve designing metamaterials small enough for use on an aircraft that can also interact with the frequencies the team identifies as good targets for controlling separation.

Breuer, an experimental fluid dynamics researcher, is among the first to create and use cyber-physical systems—which integrate real and simulated components—to study interactions between flows and surfaces.

Diversifying the minds solving engineering challenges

In addition to generating new knowledge and solutions, the research team is pursuing strategies to bring a broader mix of people into research, government and industry careers.

“The diversity of minds is strengthened by this call from the National Science Portal Initiative,” Peet says. “We want to make sure we are not losing out by not engaging underrepresented populations because they can provide new ways of looking at things. Educating more people means we have better-qualified personnel to do the work.”

The National Science Portal Initiative funds historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and minority serving institutions to build their research capacities. ASU is a Hispanic-serving institution, and UC Irvine is designated an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution as well as a Hispanic-serving institution. Brown University has many programs in place to recruit researchers from diverse backgrounds, including the Leadership Alliance.

“It means a lot that we are now able to receive support to advance this minority population and build up capacity here that otherwise might not have been possible,” Peet says.

The team plans to engage, train and educate underrepresented students, professionals, Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and the wider aerospace and defense industry.

Breuer, Peet and Valdevit will use their strengths in engaging diverse learners to offer research opportunities for underrepresented students. They’ll also leverage partnerships with Edwards Air Force Base and General Electric as well as forge new partnerships with Air Force scientists and industry to share their research findings.

Monique Clement is a lead communications specialist for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

ASU researcher Yulia Peet (left) works with student Anushka Subedi in the university’s high-performance computing facilities.

Photographer: Erika Gronek/ASU

FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE

BY CAROL STEWART

UArizona, Raytheon expand collaboration through hypersonic R&D

Ideally situated in the heart of aerospace and defense industry, The University of Arizona offers a unique array of resources— including world-renowned researchers and specialized facilities— dedicated to breaking new ground and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

The university is partnering with industry and government to tackle the most pressing aerospace issues of today and the needs of tomorrow. Groundbreaking aerospace engineering in the domain of hypersonic technology pushes the boundaries of speed and efficiency in the design and propulsion of vehicles that operate at velocities exceeding five times the speed of sound.

Developing advanced hypersonic technologies requires a combination of expertise and rigorous testing. UArizona has the equipment necessary to test high-speed equipment while understanding the implications of high-speed flight and maneuvering vital to national defense.

Industry giant Raytheon is expanding its long-established collaboration with the university to support both immediate and future research and development needs.

Leveraging UArizona’s wind-tunnel facilities through faculty research contracts, Raytheon is deepening its engagement with the institution to accelerate technological advancement. Having one of the few hypersonic tunnels available in the United States, the university is quickly becoming a hub for distinctly skilled students, researchers and professionals.

Raytheon’s productive relationship with UArizona spans decades and is very broad with connection to multiple colleges, including engineering, science and education. The company contributes more than $200,000 in grant money and funds numerous research and development projects, including wind tunnel test time, to understand how applied materials react in various environments, commercial flight and even space travel.

The university holds the top position in hiring effectiveness for Raytheon. The company typically hires more than 150 graduates annually, with its internship program acting as a feeder to employing engineers as soon as they complete their degrees.

Raytheon recently expanded into the new University of Arizona Tech Park at The Bridges, just minutes from the university’s

main campus. The new space provides the ideal location for collaboration with university and government agencies to develop next-generation technology.

Raytheon’s expansion is the result of a $6.5 million capital investment that will create more than 100 high skill jobs—mostly engineers along with functional support from supply chain management, contracts and finance.

“Southern Arizona continues to be an attractive destination for our company to grow, largely because of our partnership with The University of Arizona,”

Says Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon. “This latest expansion will not only strengthen our connection with them but with the broader community at-large.”

Raytheon is the first corporate tenant, leasing about 14,000 square feet at the multitenant building in the park called The Refinery. The company shares a secure floor with UA Applied

Research Corp., a nonprofit that handles national security projects for government and industry.

The building’s name, The Refinery, emphasizes its proximity to the talent and sharp minds that can be mined from the university. Raytheon hires a record number of UArizona graduates at all skill levels, with an emphasis on engineering and other higher-wage, technical positions.

The company is also one of the largest tenants at the UA Tech Park in southeast Tucson since establishing its operations there in 1993. The park has served as an ideal business location for the company for years, and the same world-class team is invested in its success at the new location.

This burgeoning collaboration between industry and university not only stimulates economic growth in Tucson but also mitigates the brain drain of UArizona graduates. It establishes a focal point for hypersonic research, offering the region the chance to lead national research initiatives and advance technology.

Carol Stewart is vice president, The University of Arizona –Tech Parks Arizona.

Cutting the ribbon marking Raytheon’s expansion into The Refinery is (from left) John Otto, senior director, Raytheon; Wes Kremer, president, Raytheon; Robert C. Robbins, president, The University of Arizona; Carol Stewart, vice president, The University of Arizona – Tech Parks Arizona; and Matt Jensen, partner, The Boyer Company, development partner of The Refinery.

A DIFFERENT VIEW

Project targets protecting supply chains in real time

BY CECILE LEBLANC

Thanks to U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, the Department of Defense (DoD) funded a project protecting supply chains and their critical infrastructure. These essential networks keep the nation and its economy running.

“The pandemic and ongoing global conflicts have highlighted the vulnerability of our supply chains, which is why I’ve advocated for advanced technology to deepen the understanding and ability to leverage these networks,” Kelly says.

Titled the Supply Chain Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Platform (SCRIMP), the project is being led by a team from Northern Arizona University with collaborators across the country. Funded at $8 million for year one, SCRIMP will work with technology known as fused global data analytics and visualization, allowing for the complex analysis necessary to visualize and interpret supply chain data.

Benjamin Ruddell, professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS), is the NAU lead. SICCS assistant research professor Richard Rushforth and FEWSION program director Lisa Whelan are on the leadership team developing SCRIMP.

FEWSION: A supply chain visualization tool

FEWSION uses big data to map U.S. food, energy and water (FEW) supply chains. Ruddell founded the FEWSION project, which was funded in 2016 through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

In 2019, the FEWSION team allowed users to see FEWSION maps by launching FEW-View, the nation’s first public-facing supply

chain visualization tool. FEW-View has supported emergency management and policy response through several hurricanes, a trade war, the Western water crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The timely introduction of FEW-View attracted interest from the homeland security, defense and policy communities, which led to this collaboration between the FEWSION team and the DoD. SCRIMP will build on FEW-View technology to meet the nation’s urgent requirements for rapid, accurate information.

SCRIMP: Real-time snapshots of supply chains

SCRIMP will address several key limitations of the original FEWSION work, says Rushforth. “We’re moving our work from annual snapshots at the county level that are a couple of years old to high-resolution, real-time information to aid planning, forecasting and risk management,” he says. “Because of this, we’ll have to reimagine how we visualize and interact with our data to facilitate informed decision-making.”

This project builds on the groundbreaking achievements of the FEWSION group by developing an open-source intelligence data science technology to map and forecast global supply chains. The potential applications for SCRIMP technology include supply chain and critical infrastructure resilience, national defense, homeland security, and environmental sustainability.

“With each crisis we endure as a nation, there are lessons learned and data gathered to help us prepare for the next event,” Whelan says. “Taking FEW-View to the next level (with SCRIMP]) will provide leaders and decision-makers a critical resource to aid in preparedness and security of supply chains.”

Cecile LeBlanc is a marketing content writer at Northern Arizona University.

Professor Benjamin Ruddell with a FEWSION map

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Educator uses examples of her aerospace work to teach students

BY MADISON ROBINSON Kendra Kim

manufacturing processes to world-class standards. Her work at Collins is a testament to the organization’s commitment to making a lasting impact on the aerospace industry, emphasizing global connectivity and protection.

Meet Kendra Kim, a dedicated professional whose fervent passion for technology has propelled her into the dynamic intersection of education and industry. Throughout her remarkable journey, Kim has made substantial contributions to shaping the future of technology, leaving an indelible mark on both academic and industrial landscapes.

In her multifaceted role at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT), Kim serves not only as an educator but also as a curriculum developer, specializing in robotics and embedded systems. Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of technologists is palpable as she skillfully bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and its real-world applications.

Kim’s enthusiasm transcends the confines of the classroom, extending into cutting-edge technologies.

An architect of innovation, she actively engages students in exploring the vast possibilities presented by the latest advancements.

One noteworthy endeavor is the special topics space course, a unique educational experience designed to challenge students to think creatively and collaboratively. This course pushes them to leverage their diverse skill sets, encouraging them to accomplish extraordinary feats like launching rockets or controlling gliders. Transcending academia, Kim has played a pivotal role at Collins Aerospace, where she contributes significantly to elevating

What sets Kim apart is not just her technical expertise but also her innate ability to seamlessly connect the dots between education and industry. Her favorite aspect of working at UAT is witnessing the tangible application of classroom learning to realworld scenarios across multiple industries. This bridge between theory and practice is crucial in preparing the next generation of technologists to excel in their careers, providing them with a holistic understanding of their field.

Kim’s proudest accomplishment lies in her role as a knowledge provider to future cohorts of technologists who will undoubtedly shape and improve the world. Her advice to aspiring tech enthusiasts is both simple and profound: apply the knowledge you gain. In a world that values creative, out-of-the-box thinkers, Kim emphasizes the importance of practical application to gain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Kim stands as a living testament to the power of passion in driving innovation. Her journey beautifully encapsulates the symbiotic relationship between education and industry, showcasing how one can seamlessly complement the other to create a future fueled by technological advancements.

As Kim continues to make strides in the ever-evolving tech landscape, her story inspires others to embrace their passion and contribute meaningfully to the world of innovation.

Madison Robinson is digital marketing manager at the University of Advancing Technology.

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

Steps for developing a heavy-industry marketing plan

Marketing for complex products in heavy industries like aviation and aerospace requires thoughtful strategies that carefully consider the unique buyers and the buying process. Products or services requiring large-scale investments lead to decision-making that is often more methodical and timeconsuming due to analysis and needed approvals from multiple, diverse stakeholders.

BY RENEE YEAGER

In these industries, sales teams often need a deep understanding of considerations including complex technical specifications, engineering principles and industry standards. They must navigate and ensure compliance with intricate regulatory frameworks and safety standards, which may vary across regions. Additionally, the financial investment in heavyindustry projects is substantial, leading to a high level of risk and scrutiny that can make the sales process more challenging.

Marketing can fill a unique role in helping to facilitate complex sales processes by providing valuable messaging, materials and touchpoints throughout the buyer journey.

These assets, strategies and sales tools developed specifically to support this unique selling situation can be beneficial.

Brand Building

Establishing and maintaining a strong brand presence is vital in highly competitive markets such as heavy industry. The first step is to understand and build buyer personas for the stakeholders involved in the buying process, including their

priorities, motivations and drivers for decision-making in your favor. From there, marketing teams work hard to create a positive perception of the company, emphasizing reliability, innovation and safety in their materials.

Customized Collateral

With multiple stakeholders involved in the buying process, tailoring marketing collateral to address different personas and their specific concerns can be beneficial. By providing high-level, benefit-oriented materials as well as detailed product documentation and specifications for those who require in-depth information, you make it easier for buyers to access the information they need to support their specific evaluation process.

Segmented Marketing Campaigns

Developing targeted marketing efforts for different stakeholders involved in the buying process ensures relevant messages are communicated to address their interests specific to your products. Build a targeted email list and engage with potential customers through newsletters, product updates and industry insights. Also, seek to understand where these stakeholders go to get information, which may include industry publications or journals, thought leader blogs, industry analysts or simple web searches. Make sure these channels and strategies are included in your marketing mix.

Search Engine Optimization

Your marketing strategy should include search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure your website and content are leveraging relevant keywords used in your industry. When your

online presence is easily discoverable by potential customers searching for industry-related solutions, you boost the odds of marketing success.

Social Media Engagement

Social media can be a great way to build your brand and reputation through content including thought leadership, industry engagement and company news. It is also one commonly used resource to research and vet vendors, so it is important to have a professional and up-to-date presence in your targeted social media channels. Leverage the channels that are most used by your audiences, such as LinkedIn. Share relevant content, participate in discussions and showcase your expertise to attract followers and build brand awareness.

Videos and Interactive Demos

Product videos, interactive online demos and virtual experiences bring your product to life for your buyers through enhanced visualization. Video ensures your sales messaging is consistent across different interactions and presentations and helps build a coherent brand image. It also helps ensure all potential customers receive the same key information about your product or service. Virtual demos and experiences enable users to interact with essential features and see how the product addresses their unique needs. These assets can be easily shared and accessed online, making it particularly valuable in complex sales scenarios where potential clients may be geographically dispersed.

Customer Success Stories

Sharing real-world success stories and testimonials from existing customers who have successfully benefited from

a product is the best sales tool possible. These endorsements enhance credibility, garner trust and bring a real-world view to the value of your offering. While it can be highly challenging to secure customer testimonials in highly regulated industries or with government customers, it is well worth the effort. Once you are able to secure approval to develop a success story, be sure to follow the required approval process and address data privacy and security concerns.

In-Person Events and Trade Shows

Attending and participating in industry-specific events and trade shows helps you meet your buyers in-person where they go to get information. Exhibiting or speaking at these events gives you the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about your products and provide live demos enabling potential customers to experience them firsthand. The networking opportunities at these events can help build and expand relationships with potential customers, suppliers and partners. Marketers have a saying when it comes to events: Go big or go home. Leverage your marketing team or agency to make sure your brand shows up strong against competitors at any event you attend.

Marketing for heavy industry serves crucial functions aimed at promoting products, building brand awareness and establishing relationships within a highly specialized and competitive market. By combining these strategies, you can create a comprehensive marketing approach that effectively communicates the value of complex products, addresses customer concerns and guides potential customers through the decision-making process.

Renee Yeager is CEO and co-founder of Yeager Marketing, a B2B technology industry marketing firm.

NATURAL HEALING

Study focuses on keeping blood cancers, solid tumors in check

BY STEVE YOZWIAK

Cancer patients whose leukemia returns after initial treatments have few options and a poor prognosis, but a first-in-Arizona clinical trial opening at HonorHealth Research Institute is giving hope to those with this all-too-common blood cancer.

“This treatment is different from previous treatments as this does not involve cytotoxic chemotherapy … and the debilitating side effects associated with it,” says Dr. Rizwan Khawaja, a physician in the Cancer Research Division of HonorHealth Research Institute and the principal investigator of this clinical study.

Instead, under a clinical trial, an experimental drug called KT235 targets and degrades a protein known as MDM2. Loss of MDM2 then allows a common gene called TP53 to produce a tumor suppressor protein known as P53, which can help prevent the cancer from growing out of control.

“In this study we are hoping to harness the natural function of P53 to achieve disease control without the use of chemotherapy,” Khawaja says.

KT235 has been used by HonorHealth Research Institute since May 2023 to treat solid tumors as part of this clinical trial. In October, the trial was opened to patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia or high-grade myeloid malignancies

after a pharmacologically active dose had been determined. It is intended to address a number of different cancers.

The P53 protein, known as the “guardian of the genome,” is commonly found throughout the body in the nucleus of cells where it binds to DNA and helps regulate the cell cycle and cell division. When DNA is damaged by agents such as toxic chemicals, radiation or ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight, P53 plays a critical role in determining whether the DNA can be repaired or if the damaged cell should self-destruct. By stopping cells with mutated or damaged DNA from dividing, P53 helps prevent the development of tumors.

P53 also is the most commonly mutated protein in the body. Once altered, P53 can no longer bind to the cell’s DNA, allowing DNA damage to accumulate in cells that then grow and divided to form a cancerous tumor.

Three primary blood cancers—lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia—combine to kill more than 57,000 Americans annually. This clinical study eventually could involve more than 60 patients who would be dosed every 3 weeks for as many as 2 years.

“Our next step will be to study this drug in larger number of patients with various types of blood and solid cancers,” Khawaja says. “Besides learning more about possible side effects and recommended doses, I hope that the trial will show cancer can be controlled by this novel mechanism.”

Steve Yozwiak is the senior research science writer at HonorHealth Research Institute.

CANINE CONSIDERATION

Study focuses on how COVID-19 impacts dogs in diverse settings

Scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, recently launched a comprehensive surveillance study aimed at determining potential exposures and risk factors leading to SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection in dogs that live and work in different settings.

Led by researchers in TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division (TGen North) in Flagstaff, the study has already enrolled 300 of its intended 1,000 dogs across Arizona and the Southwest. Examples of intended animals include companion dogs, dogs in shelters, police and scent detection dogs, dogs residing in tribal communities, and therapy dogs.

The TGen One Health team recently partnered with Phoenix Children’s Hospital to enroll both animal-assisted therapy dogs and security dogs from the hospital.

Many studies have demonstrated that SARSCoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can infect dogs, but there are no reported cases of dogs transmitting the virus to people.

This new investigation builds upon previous work conducted by TGen to assess the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on dogs and other animals. This study specifically focuses on the types of interactions that dogs have with humans, their environments and other species, including companion animals, livestock and wildlife.

“We have teamed up with One Health collaborators at the local and national levels to better understand the risks different populations of dogs face in their day-to-day lives,” says Hayley Yaglom, a genomic epidemiologist who leads TGen North’s One Health team and this study. These collaborators include dog owners/handlers, veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, academic partners, therapy dog organizations and canine training centers.

Study participation for dogs includes collection of a nasal swab and a small blood sample by a trained veterinary professional. TGen North scientists test the samples for the virus and for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Yaglom adds, “We anticipate translating our findings into tailored guidance for public health, veterinary professionals and people interacting with dogs in various settings. We value the engagement of the One Health community and appreciate the willingness of dog owners and handlers to participate in this research.”

The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to support One Health surveillance and coordination.

Those interested in participating in the study are asked to email the team at 1K9study@tgen.org. Dog owners/handlers are asked to complete a one-time survey about their dog(s), including demographic information, health history, interactions with people and other animals, and the home environment of the dog(s).

Hayley Yaglom, genomic epidemiologist, TGen North’s One Health team

A NEW WAVE

Each year, the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC) awards up to $150,000 to the most innovative companies seeking to commercialize new technology that creates sustainable and growing businesses in the state of Arizona.

Winning companies leverage the awards to grow their businesses and facilitate the state’s economic development goals. The AIC has been serving Arizona’s startup ecosystem since 2011, resulting in more than 2,700 applications and 130 awarded companies that are driving Arizona’s innovation ecosystem forward.

We are proud to feature five of the 2023 Arizona Innovation Challenge awardees. An additional five will be profiled in the next issue of TechConnect.

Imagine monitoring your vital signs on your smartphone, tablet or laptop. Visualize being able to virtually try on different hair colors, wigs or extensions. Think about the possibilities of being represented in the virtual world by a hyperrealistic digital human version of yourself.

These are among the 2D and 3D facial AI applications enabled by AlgoFace, a Carefree-based startup founded in 2021 by tech-savvy entrepreneurs Andrew Bart and Taleb Alashkar. Their computer vision and facial AI company has created ethical technology that detects the unique attributes of human faces but does not discover the identity of its subjects or store data about them.

“It’s just endless, limitless what we can be doing with this technology,” Bart says. “The business is a new category being built right now.”

The company is off to a great start: It was a 2023 awardee of the Arizona Commerce Authority’s (ACA) Arizona Innovation

Challenge, a business-plan competition for emerging tech-and-innovation startups. The AIC award came on the heels of AlgoFace’s graduation from the Fuel Accelerator Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Cohort sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation. AlgoFace also received support from the ACA’s FAST program, which is designed to help entrepreneurs and startups advance commercialization opportunities.

“We realize the value of being included in a cohort of exceptional technology entrepreneurs and being provided with education, support and resources,” says Bart, an entrepreneur, investor and advisor in Arizona for nearly 25 years. “Coming off one and being accepted into another accelerator program will help our story to be told.”

AlgoFace, with 23 team members, has raised $3.2 million and is projecting more than $1 million in 2024 revenue.

Its cornerstone customers include Samsung, which uses its technology to create digital avatars that mimic human appearance and emotions, and Beauty Industry Group, which uses it for virtual try on of hair extensions.

AlgoFace: Powering trusted facial AI and advanced technology solutions

AlgoFace Co-founder CTO Taleb Alashkar, PhD

AlgoFace Co-founder CEO Andrew Bart

“Our stake in the ground is providing ethical, trusted face AI with high quality performance, using technology that is private by default,” he says. “We are not face recognition. We don’t do face ID or face matching. We do face AI analysis.”

Bart couldn’t be happier doing business in Arizona because of its notable amenities—among them, a business-friendly environment, cost of living and an abundance of high-quality talent.

“Heading into 2024, the hairs on my neck and arms are standing up,” he says. “We are ready to hire sales, marketing and customer success staff to take our technology out to the market in a very big way.”

Homer Farms: Repurposing food waste, growing produce, saving water

In a central Phoenix warehouse roughly the size of two NBA courts, as many as 50,000 heads of organic red and green leaf lettuce, gray-blue kale, peppery arugula, and fragrant mint, cilantro and basil grow on any given day in metal racks stacked nearly to the ceiling.

This vertical farm is owned and operated by three Arizona State University alumni whose seed of an idea in 2018 took root last year and now is poised to yield water savings—up to 30 million gallons annually—in arid Arizona, where water conservation is top of mind.

“We started talking about opportunities in sustainability and, with 70% of fresh water in Arizona being used for agriculture, we thought addressing that would be significant,” says Zhihao Chen, an ASU chemistry instructor who co-founded Homer Farms with Chad Geelhood and LeeSa Geelhood. “And we knew, of course, that Arizona is a kingdom of lettuce.”

The entrepreneurs began designing their proprietary equipment—seven-tier hydroponic growing modules, artificial lighting, special reservoirs and environmental control systems— and went one big step further. They figured out how to convert food waste—from the partial hot dog you tossed after the ASU football game to the veggies your Sun Devil dumped in the dorm cafeteria—into a liquid fertilizer used in their pesticideand herbicide-free growing operation.

“Anything edible—dairy, meat, veggies, ice cream—we can process, and we don’t care if the food is contaminated because our system removes contaminants,” Chen says.

Homer Farms collects organic waste from ASU’s dining halls and sporting and other public events on campus. Every day, 2,200 pounds of food waste is processed into fertilizer, which feeds Homer Farms produce and is sold to local nurseries, tree farms and backyard gardeners.

A year-round supply of the company’s lush, fresh vegetables is available to customers, such as the Arizona Community Hub, produce company SunFed, ASU’s Pitchfork Pantry and local restaurants.

Chen and Chad Geelhood, assistant director of ASU’s Environmental and Resource Management Program at The Polytechnic School, sought help early from Arizona’s economic development brain trust. They repeatedly entered Homer Farms in the Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), the Arizona Commerce Authority’s (ACA) business-plan competition for emerging tech-and-innovation startups. They collected valuable feedback, advice on seeking funding and encouragement to keep moving forward.

The persistence paid off, as Homer Farms was named an awardee in the 2023 AIC, one of the largest startup competitions in the country. Their award will go toward new equipment, operations and business mentoring.

Chen credited Homer Farms’ success, in part, to support from the city of Phoenix and other local governments. Arizona’s reputation for embracing innovation, a business-friendly mindset at the ACA, and workforce development programs at the universities and community colleges also have been invaluable.

The company has 12 employees and plans to expand to a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Arizona and grow 1.5 million heads of lettuce this year. It also will perform research and development on a potential new crop: mushrooms.

Homer Farms Co-founder Zhihao Chen

A NEW WAVE

Macula Vision Systems: Automating microscopes to rapidly, accurately and affordably diagnose infectious disease

The inflection point of Oleg Gusyatin’s idea to develop an accurate diagnostics device that could save time, money and space in clinical laboratories came after the crush of a global pandemic.

He observed labs drowning in COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction tests and predicted facilities soon would face severe labor shortages and added pressure to deliver rapid, precise test results while also cutting costs.

“COVID showed the gaps and the needs,” says Gusyatin, a former senior algorithms engineer at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory who co-founded Macula Vision Systems in Tucson in 2021. “Labs needed a scalable solution that isn’t expensive or huge or slow. It had to have clinical smarts built in to assist humans and not create more burdens on them.”

The startup’s answer is a patent-pending automatic microscope with image sensor technology that relies on inexpensive computer hardware and software algorithms. Macula Vision Systems uses numerical reconstruction and AI algorithms to generate high-resolution digital images and automatically analyze data.

Gusyatin says the technology will replace optical testing that uses big, expensive cameras and microscopes, and is laborintensive and error-prone.

“We’ve taken very high-end optics and mechanics and recast

it as a computer science problem then deployed that on our device,” he says.

Compared to typical automated microscopy imaging scanners priced at over $100,000, the Macula Vision Systems product will be priced at a fraction of that, Gusyatin says.

“There are systems like ours being used for research purposes and some in clinical pathology,” he says. “But we’re starting out in infectious diseases, a space that needs affordable and quick solutions and where no one else is.”

The company sees the opportunity to improve screening for tuberculosis, blood infections such as sepsis, and even cancer while easing massive labor shortages in this area of health care.

“Since COVID and even before, medical lab technicians have been exiting the field due to burnout and retirement, and there’s a lack of on-site training programs,” Gusyatin says. “Our technology automates what’s always been done manually.”

The startup received a National Science Foundation small business grant and landed incubator space in Oro Valley from The University of Arizona Center for Innovation. Its device is being evaluated by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and will start clinical trials later this year, with FDA approval anticipated in 2025.

Macula Vision Systems was a 2023 awardee in the Arizona Commerce Authority’s (ACA) Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), one of the largest business-plan competitions in the country for innovative startups. The AIC award will be leveraged for market research, sales strategies and commercialization.

“They gave us very useful, honest feedback in every stage of the competition, which forced us to sit down and think about what we were doing and why,” he says of the AIC. “I’m a conservative engineer and not a salesperson, so this really helped.”

Joining Gusyatin as co-founders are his former colleagues at a Tucson diagnostics company, Alena Shamsheyeva, Kyle Spafford and Richard Stahl.

Marcula Vision Systems Co-founder Oleg Gusyatin

Nobel Works: Making fire, saving fuel, powering the world

In a world powered primarily by fossil fuels that carry environmental and economic costs, the race to invent new combustion devices has been tested mostly in government and university labs with big research teams and budgets.

But a Tucson startup is in the chase, too, having designed, built and tested prototypes that promise to boost engine efficiency. Next up: integrating into trains, planes, and automobiles—and even ships and power plants.

“We are the only private company dedicated exclusively to this technology,” says James Villarreal, a former Raytheon engineer and president of Nobel Works. “We’re developing a new type of combustor, a rotating detonation engine (RDE) that is as much as 25% more efficient than typical combustion.”

Rotating detonation is a form of supersonic combustion in which virtually any type of fuel can be supersonically ignited in a continuous series of detonation waves along a circular channel. Nobel Works’ technology introduces a supersonic shockwave that is fed by fuel pressure and electronic controls so that it keeps combusting at supersonic speeds.

Villarreal is a born engineer, having taken apart his parents’ VCR, snipping wires and laying the parts on the table when he was about 6. It did not as easily come back together.

“I’m happier when I’m building or designing, creating new things, breaking things and trying to figure out why,” says Villarreal, who has degrees in aerospace engineering from Arizona State University and teaches rocket propulsion at The University of Arizona.

Villarreal has kept an eye on RDE technology for more than a decade and noticed a substantial jump five years ago in resources dedicated to the technology by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, NASA and others.

In 2021, he founded Nobel Works, named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel who bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize. Villarreal wanted “to get back to my roots making fire for a living.”

Nobel Works was immediately invited into Shell’s GameChanger business accelerator for early-stage tech startups. That led to a Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Early on, Villarreal reached out to the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) for support and potential funding. He was enrolled in its Virtual Accelerator and paired with an expert business coach.

Nobel Works also was named one of the state’s top 10 emerging tech-and-innovation startups in the ACA’s 2023 Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC). With that award, the company will invest in demos and system integration.

“We have fired multiple classes of RDEs and it’s exciting watching a test-fire but to get to commercial applications, we need to integrate these devices into rockets, turbines, etc.,” he says.

Nobel Works is sponsoring a UArizona student group to put its engine on a rocket to be launched this year and wants to install a clean-burning hydrogen RDE into a small gas turbine to generate power. Villarreal is “embracing the lessons from Alfred Nobel, and not solely focused on defense applications,” but that means tackling the challenges of commercializing the technology.

“Otherwise,” he says, “they are just expensive flame throwers.”

Nobel Works President James Villarreal

OXbyEL Technologies: Treating harmful contaminants in water, including ‘forever chemicals’

The widespread use of so-called “forever chemicals” has led to extensive environmental contamination worldwide, including a significant portion of the United States’ drinking water sources. These perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) cannot be broken down with conventional water treatment and are a considerable emerging public health threat in addition to the nation’s already stressed groundwater resources caused by drought and the intensifying climate crisis.

Arizona-based OXbyEL Technologies has developed a groundbreaking decontamination solution for PFAS-polluted water and wastewater that not only cleans water without chemicals, emissions or harmful secondary waste but can also produce usable hydrogen for the fast-growing hydrogen clean energy economy.

The company was a 2023 awardee of the Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), the Arizona Commerce Authority’s (ACA) business-plan competition for emerging tech-and-innovation startups.

OXbyEL co-founders Ed Ricci and Colleen Legzdins met in 2017, when they were each providing consulting services to an oil and gas refinery involving its wastewater treatment requirements.

It was that fateful meeting when Ricci learned of Legzdins’ pioneering technology and its unmatched application for

eradicating a broad range of pollutants in water. In 2018, the pair formed OXbyEL Technologies and developed its proprietary technology known as a total organic fluorine (TOF) electrolyzer, which is destructive to all PFAS compounds and precursor chemicals.

“PFAS are undoubtedly society’s most vexing pollutants because not only are they incredibly resistant to degradation, but they are linked to a number of health risks, including cancer, organ dysfunction and developmental issues,” explains Ricci. “We’re thrilled to be on the path forward for commercializing this radically new approach in electro-oxidation technology that effectively eradicates PFAS and co-pollutants from water and wastewater in multiple customer and business market segments.”

OXbyEL’s technology is capable of eradicating PFAS in a matter of minutes and is low cost, energy-efficient and scalable. It also treats a full range of chemical constituents affecting water. Under a U.S. Air Force contract, OXbyEL will be treating affected groundwater at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.

As an AIC awardee, one of the largest startup competitions in the country, OXbyEL has big plans for leveraging its opportunities and building strategic business relationships within the ACA’s network and across the state.

“Arizona has increasingly attracted large international corporations in the tech industry, including major semiconductors, gas and chemicals, and electric vehicles,” notes Ricci. “These are the types of partnerships OXbyEL is looking to build relationships with to provide wastewater treatment solutions.”

Ricci adds, “There are a number of Arizona municipalities and private well systems that are affected by PFAS, as well as other contaminants. This will be an additional focus for our customer development work in the ACA’s Venture Ready Accelerator and as we commercialize our systems.”

OXbyEL Technologies Co-founder Ed Ricci

NEW MEMBERS

ALIO provides software development services for complex software requirements using cutting edge technology for both open source, .NET and cloud services. alioit.com

ALP LAW provides corporate and transactional, health care compliance, employment, and trust and estates legal services for individuals to large corporations. alplawgroup.com

ARTEMIS TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

specializes in providing topnotch solutions to clients in the semiconductor, electronics, aerospace and defense, and various other dynamic markets. artemis-ts.com

ASSOCIATION RESERVES is the nation’s leading provider of the most accurate, easy-to-understand reserve studies available, making the present less stressful and the future more secure for clients. reservestudy.com

AZ TECH FINDERS is a recruitment and executive search firm that can help find the right opportunities in IT, human resources and finance. the-finders.com

BC AUTOMATION provides transformative automation solutions in challenging manufacturing environments for an aggressive return on investment. bcautomation.io

BLACKTHORNE SECURITY CONSULTING is a specialized security consultancy offering boutique consulting for merger and acquisition cybersecurity assessment, rapid integration and objective-based red team services. blackthorneconsulting.com

BREVIR SOLUTIONS is a precision executive engineering firm that analyzes, diagnoses and solves corporate challenges by using its vast expert network to swiftly tackle identified business issues. brevir.com

CISO GLOBAL was designed from inception to bring talent together from cybersecurity, compliance, remediation and secured managed services practice areas for a comprehensive solution set. ciso.inc

CONSULATE OF CANADA in San Diego is dedicated to building upon its successful partnership, expanding shared prosperity and working together on the issues that unite Canada and the United States. tradecommissioner.gc.ca

DARWIN RESEARCH GROUP helps clients understand the changing health care ecosystem and how they can be successful and profitable in a new era through research, publications and consulting services. darwinresearch.com

DE-CIX NORTH AMERICA provides premium interconnection services and operates several carrier and data center-neutral internet exchanges.

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DEEPSEAS combines world-class cyber threat detection and response with industry-leading analysts, tailored threat intelligence and accredited incident responders. deepseas.com

DIGITANITY uses experience in IT consulting and staffing to empower customers with turnkey solutions to employ international teams without the need for an entity. digitanity.com

DIGITECH SERVICES combines insights and skills to transform clients’ processes and strategies, and in turn, their company. digitechserve.com

To join the Arizona Technology Council, a member-supported group representing the interests of the state’s technology ecosystem, visit www.aztechcouncil.org.

NEW MEMBERS

ENTERPRISE NETWORKS

SOLUTIONS offers a deep bench of engineering talent that focuses on design, configuration, installation and support for enterprise network infrastructures. ens-az.com

GENTECH is a community tech hub managed by brilliant techs with backgrounds in engineering, IT support, computer science and programming who are always exchanging ideas and learning. gentechsupport.com

GREENLINK HCM offers industryleading human capital solutions with qualities that clients expect: efficient, accurate, scalable and secure. greenlinkhcm.com

HAWKINS DESIGN GROUP is a professional consulting engineering firm specializing in electrical, lighting, sustainable design, commissioning and energy audit services. hawkinsdg.com

IMA SALT LAKE CITY is committed to a cutting-edge, personalized approach to safeguarding the assets that matter most: business, employees, bottom line. diversifiedinsurance.com

IMATCH TECHNICAL SERVICES specializes in providing information technology professionals with expertise in project management, architecture design, development test, implementation and more. imatch.comindex.html

JENKINS INTERNATIONAL is a leading IT consulting firm that provides top-notch solutions to businesses of all sizes. jenkinsinternational.com

LATIMER CONTROLS is building cutting edge utility-scale control systems that enable standalone dispatchable solar power. latimercontrols.com

LEGACY WEALTH MANAGEMENT provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, families and institutional clients. legacy-wm.net

MAGENIUM SOLUTIONS is an IT services firm dedicated to delivering technology solutions that solve problems and move business forward. magenium.com

MERITAGE HOMES’ mission is to design and build homes that are innovative, built with care and superior craftsmanship, and deliver enduring value.

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MINTROPY specializes in providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection consulting engineering services nationwide.

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MOLLITIAM SOLUTIONS provides boutique IT resiliency consulting services from an experienced practitioner’s perspective while still offering the academic expertise of a consultant.

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MORPHOS AI’S mission is to initiate a paradigm shift in the artificial intelligence landscape, equipping businesses and communities with intelligent solutions that not only adapt but also anticipate change. morphos.ai

MOSER CONSULTING is a technology solutions company focused on five practices: big data, managed services, IT consulting services, application development and learning services. moserit.com

NEWGEN BUSINESS SOLUTIONS is an Oracle NetSuite solution provider and developer specializing in the event industry.

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NIMBUS CONSULTING is a cloudobsessed consulting firm with a legacy of Big 5 consulting and led by a seasoned team with global experience serving large businesses. nimbusconsulting.tech

NUCLEUSTEQ empowers businesses to leap into the future with digital and data transformation through core focus areas of big data, cloud, analytics, blockchain, automation and mobility.

nucleusteq.com

OZZI helps travelers compare safety ratings of destinations, find safer areas to book accommodations, and explore confidently with local advice and real-time alerts.

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PIPELINE AZ isn’t just another job board but a career development and exploration platform designed to create more pathways to indemand Arizona careers.

pipelineaz.com

PRACTICEVANTAGE CONSULTING focuses on solutions to help federal government and commercial clients in their digital transformation journey and is powered by innovative cloudbased technologies and emerging delivery methodologies. practicevantage.com

SOUTHWEST ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENCE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that advances improvement and excellence in organizations, communities and individuals. swae.org

TANGO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE is a brokerage dedicated to providing expertise in buyer and tenant representative services. tangocommercial.com

TCO STRATEGIES specializes in enhancing company culture in the manufacturing industry using its Culture Compass assessment and action plans to drive employee engagement, retention, and business growth.

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TELEDYNE PHOTOMETRICS’ imaging forms an unrivalled collective of expertise across the spectrum and decades of experience.

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TESSELL is a databased as a service platform for startups and established enterprises by bringing together the benefits of cloud elasticity, utility economics, and enterprise-level governance and security. tessell.com

THE BOSCH GROUP is a leading global supplier of technology and services with its operations divided into four business sectors: mobility, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology. bosch.us

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CAST) offers rigorous and nationally recognized programs leading to coveted University of Arizona technology and social science degrees. azcast.arizona.edu

THINK BOX HQ is a full-service software development company focused on utilizing emerging technologies and the newest programming languages. thinkboxhq.com

USAA’S mission has been to provide a range of financial services to the military community and their families usaa.com

VANTAGE FINANCIAL provides its clients with value-added technology financing solutions based on longterm client and partner relationships built on exceptional service, creativity, and integrity. vantagefncl.com

VIASAT is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are.

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VISKA CONSULTING drives business productivity, growth and scalability by identifying challenges and crafting inclusive, effective solutions.

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WELLNESIS PROJECT features T. Dorje Immanuel’s comprehensive design advice that draws upon a diverse set of paradigms, including feng shui from ancient China and building techniques from Japan. designsxdorje.com

WISER ADVISOR GROUP’S multifamily office firm focuses on wealth management for families, business owners and nonprofits. wiser-advisor.com

YELLOWCROSS is a dedicated telemedicine consultancy serving medical groups and facilities across the United States. yellowcross.com

To join the Arizona Technology Council, a member-supported group representing the interests of the state’s technology ecosystem, visit www.aztechcouncil.org.