Inside Tucson Business, April 23, 2021 by Times Media Group

Local Development Board of Supervisors opposes Tucson Water’s planned rate increase

Page 2 April 23, 2021

Volume 29• Number 9

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TECH TALK

Biosphere serves central role in new UAFrance partnership Page 14 COVID RECOVERY

Checking In Late

BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE O’Halleran discusses loans, legislation

Page 4

Leisure tourism recovering in Tucson while convention travel remains low Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business / Page 7

UNIVERSITY STUDY

WORKPLACE CHALLENGES Black women face unique stereotype

Page 9 BOOK OF LISTS

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS Convention and Meeting Facilities

Page 15

PEOPLE IN ACTION

REAL ESTATE

Local promotions, hires and awards Page 3

Medical technology company building facility in Tucson Page 8 ON THE MENU

Get Banhdicted!

Vietnamese restuarant off to a strong start

Page 12

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Inside Tucson Business is published 26 times per year (once every other week on Fridays) plus the Book of Lists in January. Cost is $1 per single issue, $50 for 26 issues, $85 for 52 issues and $105 for 78 issues. The Book of Lists is included in annual and multi-year paid subscriptions. Back issues from within the past 12 months are $1 each. Delivery is available by U.S. Postal Service.

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Board of Supervisors opposes Tucson Water’s planned rate increase for unincorporated residents Austin Counts Inside Tucson Business

he Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to pass a resolution opposing Tucson Water’s proposed differential rate increase for customers living in unincorporated Pima County during their meeting on Tuesday, April 6. Supervisor Matt Heinz and Supervisor Adelita Grijalva voted against the resolution. Supervisor Rex Scott said he brought forth the resolution for several reasons. Most notably, Scott believes the rate increase is based on trying to get unincorporated areas to either incorporate or be annexed by the closest municipality, not because it costs more to deliver water to unincorporated residents. A majority of the Tucson Water customers who would be affected are in Scott’s District 1. “The city has decided as a means of generating additional revenue for the utility that they are going to charge higher rates to people who live outside the city limits, but only if they live in unincorporated Pima County,” Scott said. “Roughly 34% of Tucson Water customers live outside the city limits and about 28% of that is unincorporated Pima County, while the other 6% is in Marana, Oro Valley or South Tucson.”

Scott said the City of Tucson is pushing the higher rates because “they think it will encourage annexation or incorporation.” The freshman Democrat, first elected in 2020, also said the proposed differential water fees not only violate the utility’s costof-service model on how Tucson Water sets its rates, but it would also go against a 1979 intergovernmental agreement between the city and county. Under that IGA, the city agreed to deliver water throughout the county at no extra cost as long as the county maintained the area’s wastewater services. “Charging higher rates to people outside the city limits would set a dangerous precedent because there are some areas within the city that are at elevation levels the same as areas outside of the city limits,” Scott said. “There is really no better two words to describe what’s being proposed than ‘unfair’ and ‘inequity.’” County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said he also views the city’s proposed differential rate increase as a violation of the 1979 IGA. While the Tucson City Council has not yet approved the proposed differential rates, Huckelberry foresees a 30% to 50% increase for certain Tucson Water customers in unincorporated Pima County should it pass

later in the month. “This is a really discriminatory practice where you’re having two types of rates applied to the same customer class and the only differentiation is their geographical location,” Huckelberry said. “To add to its unfairness, the folks who are going to have to pay the added increase don’t even get to vote for the policymakers.” If the city does decide to set differential water rates during their upcoming April 20 meeting, Huckelberry said the county will be looking at what options are available to oppose the increase. “We prefer that a utility stand on its own cost basis and not be used as what some would call a cash cow. Cost of service is something really fundamental to the utility rate structures and charging a differential rate to the same customer class falls way outside the cost of service,” Huckelberry said. “This is really a way to gather additional revenues and potentially use them for other uses besides sustaining the utility, which is really inappropriate.” Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz, a Democrat who was elected last November, voted against the Board’s resolution to oppose the proposed differential rate increase because he believes city residents have been subsidizing the county’s water for too long.

See Water, P14

WEEKLY TOP

BY LISA LOVALLO

Protect your business from cybersecurity threats

mail scams, financial fraud and computer hacking have increased during the past year while so many worked and learned remotely. Some of the advanced scams have become more difficult to detect, leaving employees unsure of what is real and what is fake. Follow these steps to enhance cybersecurity and protect your business from potential threats. 1. Establish a VPN. A virtual private network uses encryption and secure tunneling to protect your employees’ online communications and data transfers while working anywhere on a secure network. 2. Password management. Require employees to select strong, complex passwords for their company devices. Aim for at least eight characters with a capital letter and symbol included. Also, encourage employees to use separate passwords for devices and web logins. 3. Protect sensitive data. Keep data such as employee records, SSNs, health and credit card information off laptops and mobile devices. If you need to transfer sensitive data, always use an encryption service. 4. Install security software. Now is a good time to ensure your employees have security software installed on their work devices. Keeping security software current is a great line of defense against viruses and malware. 5. Secure your website. Hackers are invisible and fast, and can be detrimental, especially if your website houses customer details and credit card information.

Ensure your website is protected by a web application firewall or security applications. 6. Back up your data. If you don’t do so already, it is imperative that you back up data on a regular basis in case you are a victim of cybercrime and need to erase and re-install your data. Cox Business offers peace of mind with Security Suite and Online Backup solutions. 7. Monitor accounts. Keep a careful watch on your accounts – especially financial – for unusual or unauthorized activity. 8. Update software often. If your company uses software like Zoom for communications, be sure to have employees update their software to new versions as soon as they release to ensure maximum security. 9. Offer training. Help your employees recognize email scams and better protect company data by offering training through webinars. Regular trainings will equip employees with the right tools and knowledge to quickly detect a threat and respond according to industry best practices. 10. Create an incident response plan. Create a plan for if your business does become a victim of cybercrime. Include instructions for how employees can elevate the incident to the next level of leadership or IT personnel. ITB Lisa Lovallo, a Tucson native, is the Southern Arizona market vice president for Cox Communications, leading a team of 250+ Southern Arizona Cox employees. Reach her at lisa.lovallo@cox.com.

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Children’s Action Alliance’s board of directors recently chose David Lujan to serve as the organization’s president and CEO. Lujan has led CAA through the development of a new three-year strategic plan since the start of 2021. He joined the alliance as the inaugural director of The Arizona Center for Economic Progress in 2016, with the purpose of advancing policies that create fairer tax codes that raise the revenue needed for an economy that puts people first, builds thriving communities, and provides better economic opportunities for all Arizonans. In a statement, board chair Brint Milward said, “The board is very pleased that CAA will be in the capable hands of David Lujan, who over the past five years has done a wonderful job as director of the AZ Center for Economic Progress.” David Lujan For more than 20 years, Lujan has worked in helping craft public policy, including serving as a former member of the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives. He has also worked as an attorney for a nonprofit assisting abused and neglected children and as an assistant attorney general advising the School Facilities Board.

Clint Sundt

Scott Robb

Jesse Blum

Rachel Ligtenberg

Joshua Stanley

Golder Ranch Fire Chief Randy Karrer has appointed Golder Ranch Deputy Chief Scott Robb to Assistant Chief. His promotion is effective immediately and he will be assigned to oversee operations. “Chief Robb’s leadership style is one of empowerment and innovation and that’s what our growing organization needs,” said Fire Chief Randy Karrer. Robb started his career as a reserve firefighter in 1999 with the City of South Tucson and Golder Ranch Fire District. In July 2001, Robb was able to secure a full-time position with Golder Ranch Fire District where he steadily moved up through the ranks from firefighter to deputy chief. He graduated from Grand Canyon University in October 2013.

Jesse Blum has joined Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR’s market-leading industrial team. He specializes in large-scale and long-term positioning for real estate ownership, site selection and competitive analysis for users, and disposition of investment properties in greater Tucson. Following a distinguished academic path within economics and regional development, Blum began his career at Grubb & Ellis in 2008, followed by more than seven years with CBRE. To carve a niche within a competitive environment, Blum combined his analytical training with market dynamics to provide unique insights and opportunities for his clients.

The Western National Parks Association is pleased to announce it has appointed Rachel Ligtenberg as a new member to the organization’s board of directors. Ligtenberg studied biology at Humboldt State University and went on to hold many different leadership positions within REI, including director of visual merchandising, regional vice president, and vice president of retail operations. Within these roles, she earned many awards and accolades, including the Outdoor Industry Women’s Coalition (now Camber Outdoors) Pioneer Award and the REI Leadership Award. Ligtenberg has also served on several nonprofit boards and committees, including Camber Outdoors, Lake Washington Girls Middle School and Passages Northwest.

Coldwell Banker Realty is excited to spread the news that Joshua Stanley has associated with their Tucson/ Foothills office as an affiliate agent. “I got into real estate because I wanted to help people find their dream home,” Stanley said. “I decided to affiliate with Coldwell Banker because they provide tools that allow me to better serve my clients and grow my business.” Prior to joining the real estate company, Stanley was an agent with My Home Group Realty. He holds a Bachelor of Science in management.

Sundt Construction is pleased to announce Clint Sundt will serve as the operations manager for Sundt Renewables, a subsidiary of the company. He will oversee construction operations for the subsidiary’s growing portfolio of renewable power projects across the country. “As Sundt Renewables continues to grow, we’re excited to have an experienced leader like Clint on our team,” Sundt Renewables president Tom Dodson said. “His extensive construction knowledge and strong client relationships will help us continue to grow in the solar industry.” A 30-year construction industry veteran, Sundt has held numerous roles within the company and is a descendent of its founder, Mauritz Martinsen Sundt. Since joining the construction company in 1994, Sundt has worked on office facilities, mixed-use projects, water and wastewater projects, and mining projects ranging from $7 million to over $145 million. Most recently, he served as the business development manager for the Industrial Group’s mining, power and energy sectors. His leadership helped to secure nearly a billion dollars in mining and water project work. Sundt had served in the United States Army for 25 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He earned his bachelor’s degree in construction engineering with a minor in industrial engineering from Montana State University.

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Local Congressman hears from businesses hammered by COVID Christina Duran Inside Tucson Business

ongressman Tom O’Halleran heard feedback from businesses as he took a tour of Oro valley on the afternoon of Monday, April 5. O’Halleran (D-AZ01) met with Oro Valley businesses, who received funds through the Paycheck Protection Plan and other funding through the CARES Act. The meeting, organized by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, included six small business owners, Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield, and other members of Oro Valley council. O’Halleran wanted to hear from businesses as well as inform them of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, recently passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on March 11. “I’m here to get your input and to let you know a little bit about what’s going on and to talk a little bit about the future and how we’re going to work together as a country,” said O’Halleran. Many of the businesses present had applied for the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) first offered as part of the CARES Act in March 2020 and some applied for the second round after legislation expanded the program in December. The American Rescue Plan Act would provide an additional $7 billion to PPP and $15 billion for emergency grants for small businesses through the

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program During the meeting, business owners informed O’Halleran of the difficulties they faced attempting to apply for these programs. Southern Arizona Neuropsychology Associates founder and Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr. Jill Caffrey detailed the roadblocks in filing for the second round of PPP, when her application was flagged for fraud. She said she had been able to apply for the first round with no issues, but during the second round her application entered by Ready Capital failed to go through. Caffrey tried to get help from the Small Business Administration, but was told she would have to go through the initial lender. Caffrey had submitted more than 120 tickets to Ready Capital hoping for a response. She informed O’Halleran on Monday that she has since been able to transfer her application to a community banker, who is now helping her through the process. In order to safeguard against fraud cases, which they saw increase during the first round, the Small Business Administration took longer to process applications. Previously the SBA processed applications almost instantaneously. “I’m desperately in need of those funds to allow me to cover this,” said Caffrey, whose business is barely starting up again. She emotionally re-

counted the hardships faced during the pandemic, but was grateful for the OVSafeSteps program, created in collaboration between the Town of Oro Valley and the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. The program provides reimbursement using $1 million in CARES Act funding to local businesses for expenses on personal protection equipment (PPE), marketing and advertising, and professional and technical consultation services. Qualifying businesses could receive up to $4,500 in reimbursement. The application deadline was April 1 and has provided $714,000 to about 214 businesses as of Thursday, according to Oro Valley assistant town manager Chris Cornelison. The program is still working with approximately 40 businesses that applied by the deadline and those using the interpreter language services. Funds should be fully allocated by May, said Cornelison. The Oro Valley Chamber also gave out $75 gift cards to local businesses for their employees. Caffrey recounts receiving 10 gift cards for her clinic so her employees could buy groceries. The Chamber also bought $50 restaurant gift cards and donated them to people in the community. Noble Hops was one of those restaurants. Owner Suzanne Kaiser spoke with O’Halleran as he toured Oro Valley businesses from Harvest Restaurant to El Conquistador Tucson.

decrease in demand or a lack of funding. On the contrary, Kaiser said the demand is there and Noble Hops, one of three restaurant locations continues to increase. With warm spring weather, that O’Halleran visited, ongoing vaccination efforts has had a different expeand a foundation of regurience from many other businesses, but one Kaiser lars, Noble Hops, with its believes is shared by other large patio, has seen more restaurants. business. The problem is a Last March, Noble Hops lack of staff. closed their indoor dining Kaiser found most of rooms, while still offering the staff they laid off a year takeout, then opened at ago, who received unabout a quarter of their employment during that capacity in May, and is now time, returned, but about running at half capacity. a month ago, when the After nearly a decade in $1400 stimulus check was business, Kaiser believes distributed, that’s when Noble Hops would have they had a problem. survived last year without “Well it’s not even a matthe help, but with a large ter of qualified, because debt. we’re willing to train, it’s “We’ve been in business having anybody even apply so long, we’ve got a level for jobs,” said Kaiser. She of ability,” said Kaiser. believes people are also “Banks will give us money, looking at other opportuwhich they won’t necessar- nities in the area that may ily do to most restaurants, pay more. “The other problem is unless they’ve been in business a while. So we’ve that Amazon has impacted got a line of credit for the Tucson businesses with the amount of employees they business and that’s what we would have used, but it need and what they can would have put us in debt.” afford to pay,” said Kaiser. “There’s no way we can However, Noble Hops compete with that. We can’t received both rounds of pay anybody $30 an hour, PPP, the first round was unless it’s some of our forgiven and the second managers.” round is currently in the In 2019, Amazon built first 24 weeks. The funds a fulfillment center at the must be used during this Port of Tucson and in period in order to apply for loan forgiveness. They March announced they would be building a distrialso received funding through the Economic In- bution center. The starting jury Disaster Loan (EIDL) pay for Amazon employees whether full or part-time program, both the grant is $15 an hour and is seen and the loan. by local officials as an Noble Hops also reopportunity for job growth ceived a total of $4,500 through the OVSafeSteps in Tucson. However, the competiprogram. The issue now is not a tion is not only Amazon. TROUBLE FINDING WORKERS

Kaiser said she is competing for staff with other restaurants, which are also experiencing the staff shortage. “We can’t drive more than we can do,” said Kaiser. “There are fewer restaurants right now, so the demand is higher, and all the restaurants are in the same boat, trying to find staff.” With 90 to 95 employees, Kaiser said they would need another 10 to 15 to accommodate the amount of business they have, which is still at 50% capacity. In order to try to bring in more staff, Kaiser said they are offering a cash benefit for anybody at the company who brings in someone and then that person would also receive a cash benefit if they stay a certain amount of time. Kaiser expects they’ll be hiring for a while. “I know we’ve hired a number of people in the last week and I know we’ve lost a number of people in the last couple of weeks, so we’re always hiring,” said Kaiser. Harvest Restaurant owner Reza Shapouri also told O’Halleran, employment is the biggest challenge. Shapouri said he used to put an ad on Craigslist and receive about 30 or 40 responses. Then he would carefully select a few for interviews and pick out the best. “Now we put an ad, and I’m doing it every week, and we get maybe one or two with no qualifications, and they don’t even show

See O’Halleran, P6

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O’Halleran: OVSafeSteps, Paycheck Protection Plan, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Continued from P4

up,” explained Shapouri. “It’s a totally different labor market right now for this industry.” He said the experience is the same for everyone he knows, recalling how even iconic Tucson restaurants have closed, such as Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, which closed its doors in June and in October announced they would not reopen. VITAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS Shapouri told O’Halleran that the assistance from OVSafeSteps, PPP, and EIDL were vital to his restaurant’s survival. “We lost money,” he said. “Because of (the programs), we made it here now.” That sentiment was shared by other businesses. My Gym Children’s Fitness Center owner Kevin Wichers said they closed in March and transitioned to online. When they were slowly reopening, they had to close again due to the Governor’s order but also flooding. During one weekend, the business next door, which had closed and moved out, had a water line break. “Nobody was around and it just flooded us out,” recalls Wichers. Wichers expects their loss was about $50,000 from the water leak, but considering the business was down at about 87% during the pandemic, he

estimates they lost about $200,000 conservatively last year. “I would have shut down last June. My lease actually expired last June and I had to really think to myself ‘Do I want to continue doing this process, continue doing this job for three more years, at least in the middle of the pandemic?’” asked Wichers. “So I signed a new lease in June, and there’s no way I’d still even be here today if it wasn’t for the PPP loans and the EIDL loans.” Wichers applied for both rounds of PPP, which he said covered about a quarter or a third of the $200,000 expected loss. He also applied for the EIDL loan, which he said has kept him going. While Wichers experience applying for PPP was much smoother, he had to do it on his own. “It was all just trial and error. Long nights, long days of just putting information together and just staying by the phones, jumping on the email,” said Wichers. “You have to be willing to put in the time to get the loans.” Wichers also received a little more than $3,500 from the OVSafeSteps program and an additional $2,500 through an emergency relief grant. Some funding he did not even actively look for. Local First Arizona contacted Wichers and covered two months of his rent, simply asking for the invoice from his renter. Despite the bottom

Photo by Christina Duran

Harvest Restaurant owner Reza Shapouri speaks to O’Halleran during his visit: “Now we put an ad, and I’m doing it every week, and we get maybe one or two with no qualifications, and they don’t even show up. It’s a totally different labor market right now for this industry.”

line still down by 60%, Wichers said the business is picking back up. In January they had zero people enrolled in classes and as of April are up to 80. “Business is increasing, still losing money but getting better, and have the funds still kind of set aside to push us through this,” said Wichers. Wichers believes his business would be okay, but if a third round of PPP becomes available, he would apply as the future remains unclear. “I might be okay but you just know that they’re saying we’re heading into the fourth wave now and it’s like ‘God bless, when is this going to end?’” exclaimed Wicher. “My

staff is all vaccinated. We use protective gear all day long, but you just don’t know. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.” Helen Thoenes, a new business owner of GRITfit gym and a recipient of $42,000 in PPP, EIDL loan and OVSafeSteps funding, said at the meeting Monday without the funding “we just would not have made it.” Thoenes said she is in a much better place from many other businesses present at the meeting, without children or employees dependent on her for income, and was able to decide not to take pay. “I still have no idea what money came from the town, what money

came from my grants, what money came from the federal government–I did actually know that part–but it’s very hard to keep track,” said Thoenes. She did recognize the work of Oro Valley Economic Development Specialist Margie Adler, calling her a hero. “We would not have received a good portion of the money that we got had you not pestered us,” Thoenes told Adler, who attended the meeting. O’Halleran said the big takeaway from his visit was “on the whole, the PPP worked” once they adjusted it by July, but he said he was still concerned about the future. “How do we address

things going forward, especially for the restaurant industry but also other small businesses, to not only keep them in business, as we go along further on COVID?” said O’Halleran. “These businesses are part of the core of the community, and we want to make sure they can open up again.” The American Relief Plan would create a $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund to offer support to restaurants and bars with fewer than 20 locations that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, with $5 billion set-aside to target smaller establishments that made fewer than $500,000 in 2019 revenue. ITB

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Leisure tourism recovering in Tucson while convention travel remains low Jeff Gardner Inside Tucson Business

orrelation is not causation, as the old adage goes, but Arizona’s lowest COVID numbers in months are a welcome sight to the Tucson tourism industry. Local hotel rooms are filling and community events are more common — but there’s a ways to go before travelers to Tucson reach a pre-pandemic level, even though the town has seen a decent number of visitors over the last year. “We still had a fair amount of people coming for leisure travel, even throughout the pandemic,” said Dan Gibson, senior director of communications for Visit Tucson. “It never fully went away.” According to Gibson, travel to Tucson would fluctuate with COVID. During times when Arizona was deemed the worst hotspot for the virus in the nation, and even the world, tourism understandably waned. However, with cases currently low and many tourists pent up after more than a year of quarantine, local hotels are seeing the largest number of tourists since phrases like “social distancing” entered the public vocabulary. “This February and March, we’re really seeing the numbers jump significantly,” Gibson said. “They’re moving quite a bit. This February was the first month we’ve had occupancy in hotels cross 50% since the beginning

of the pandemic. It was hovering in the 40% and 30% depending on the month, but we just got to 52% occupancy. We don’t have the March numbers yet, but by all accounts it will be 60% or above. There were even some hotels that sold out for Spring Break. It’s really remarkable that people are coming back in pretty significant numbers.” However, a major draw for Tucson hotels is events and conventions, such as the annual Gem and Mineral Show. These types of events are still heavily impacted, with the Pima County Health Department still mandating masks and recommending reduced group sizes. The central Tucson Gem and Mineral Show hosted by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society was cancelled for 2021, but multiple smaller events are still running across town. While the overall Gem and Mineral season can see more than 50 separate events, this year’s number is around 20, with reduced capacity and audience. “That was a real hard hit for our community. There’s a really large international audience, both in vendors and visitors, and that’s functionally zero,” Gibson said. “We fill a lot of hotel rooms with that kind of business, and when that kind of business comes back, you’ll really see the market fully return. But until then, that’s the catch.” Another major hit for

Local hotels like the Arizona Inn are enjoying an increased number of leisure tourism, thanks to a variety of hospitality options and Tucson’s outdoor recreation. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Inn

visitor numbers was the University of Arizona’s greatly altered 2020 school year, one without an in-person homecoming or family weekend. “Every year when the UA football schedule comes out, I mark off those weekends because I know I can’t get journalists hotel rooms,” Gibson said. But Gibson is optimistic this year’s UA fall semester will return to its role as a community driver as in years past. Already UA is planning for in-person graduation commencement over a week-long period in May. UA President Robert C. Robbins also announced plans to offer most classes fully

in-person for the fall 2021 semester, which starts in August. These plans fall in line with the national music and theatre touring industry, which has local venues like Rialto Theatre and Fox Theatre planning a return to live concerts this fall. But a dominating element of the pandemic, and one that is likely to persist in some form even after the great “return to normalcy,” are options for virtual engagement. Even typically in-person events like this year’s Tucson Folk Festival and the gem show offered options for online streaming. In his work with Visit Tucson, Gibson says event

organizers and hotels list having fast WiFi for virtual engagements as one of their top concerns. “I think most events and conventions are going to have some sort of a virtual element. We’ve proved that it’s doable. And if somebody is not ready to fly or has other things going on, people have that option,” Gibson said. “There’s something greatly accessible about it. But if there’s a chance that I’m never on Zoom again, that’s fine with me. The fatigue is real. And I think that people are so eager to travel really means there’s this pent up desire to explore. I think a lot of that will come roaring back.”

While there is still a ways to go, Tucson is faring better than similarly sized vacation markets thanks to our wide variety of outdoor options, such as easy access to Saguaro National Park. Earlier this year, the Marana Visitor Center was even designated an official “Arizona Visitor Information Center” by the Arizona Office of Tourism. “Traveler’s priorities have changed over the last year, of course, and we’re seeing more visitors in our drive markets because people are less likely to be flying,” said Laura Cortelyou, tourism and marketing manager for the Town of Marana. “Right now we’re actually well-positioned to see people who want to get into a national park and be outdoors.” The Arizona Visitor Information Center network includes more than 50 locations throughout the state. According to the AOT, designated AVICs help promote local Arizona communities as well as regional and statewide attractions, destinations, dining options and hospitality amenities. “We’ve been outperforming places like San Francisco and Austin through the pandemic,” Gibson said. “I think that’s partially because we have so much outdoor stuff. You can have an experience here where you don’t see that many people. If you’re not ready for that person-to-person experience, you can still have a vacation here.” ITB

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

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Global medical technology company building facility in Tucson Austin Counts Inside Tucson Business

n international medical technology company is planning to build a new state-of-the-art facility in Tucson by 2022 that will serve as the company’s supply chain hub and the last stop for manufacturing and sterilization before their goods hit the market. BD—Becton, Dickinson and Company—is set to invest $65 million on a 120,000-square-foot facility that will spread across 32 acres on the northeast corner of Valencia and Kolb Road. The company expects to add 40 new jobs to the local economy and

is looking for engineers, scientists, quality-control specialists and other skilled positions. Regional economic development coordinator Sun Corridor, Inc. projects this investment should have a $122 million economic impact over the next decade. “We’re thrilled to welcome BD to Tucson,” said Mayor Regina Romero. “Tucson’s strategic location, coupled with our tech companies, university, workforce and proximity to Mexico, were key strengths that led to this successful outcome for our region.” Tucson was chosen due to the city’s location between several of the

company’s major manufacturing plants and three distribution centers. BD also chose to build their new facility in Ward 4 because the area incorporates existing and planned industrial areas, according to Alexandre Conroy, executive vice president of BD’s integrated supply chain. However, this facility will be unlike any other in BD’s possession—it’s expected to meet or exceed the most stringent environmental guidelines and will serve as a template for the company’s other sites internationally, said Conroy. “Tucson is the ideal

location for critical infrastructure and was selected after a careful review of a number of alternative locations in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico,” Conroy said. “Arizona’s favorable business climate, the strength of its workforce and Tucson’s centrality to other parts of BD’s supply chain were key factors in the decision.” BD employs more than 90 medical device and health care technology manufacturing and sterilization facilities around the world and considers sustainable operations paramount in their culture.

investment was purchased for $1,943,210. Dave Hammack, Principal, and Retail Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. Wayne Krentel with Le Brothers Investment, Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, CA., represented the buyer. Envision Assets, LLC purchased 7,590 square feet of office space located at 8700 E. Tanque Verde Rd. in Tucson. The multi-tenant office complex was purchased from The Scott Alan Krenzer and Karen Ann Murphy Living Trust for $1,000,000. Ryan McGregor, Office Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the buyer in this transaction. Gordon Wagner and David Blanchette, CCIM, with NAI Rick Borane of VOLK Company represented Cray- Horizon, Tucson, represented the seller. croft Car Lot LLC in the Equilibrium Villas, LLC purchase of approximately purchased a 5,844-square47,588 square feet of land foot multifamily property located at 1679, 1701 and located at 3127-3143 N. Fon1709 South Craycroft Road tana Ave. in Tucson. Fontana from Steven J. McManus Court Apartments, a 12-unit for a purchase price of apartment complex, was $400,000. purchased from DAMCO Jeramy Price of VOLK Company handled a sale be- Arizona Properties, LLC for $700,000. Allan Mendelstween Jett’s Pantano, L.L.C berg, Principal, and Conrad as seller and The Wong Martinez, Multifamily Family Limited Partnership Specialists with Cushman & as buyer for approximateWakefield | PICOR, reprely 35,926 square feet of sented both parties in this land with an approximately transaction. 561 square foot building Bernice Investments, LLC located at the northwest purchased 3.89 acres of incorner of 22nd Street and dustrial land located at 3555 Pantano Road (7889 East E. Corporate Dr. and 5230 22nd Street). The purchase S. Bantam Rd. in Tucson. price for the property was The vacant land parcel was $305,000. purchased from F & R FleetRichard Fantozzi purchased the brand-new Dollar wood, LLC for $688,137. Stephen D. Cohen, PrinciGeneral from DCM Develpal, and Industrial Specialist opment Company, LLC, located at 2295 N. Highway with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the sell90 in Huachuca City, AZ. er in this transaction. Dean The single-tenant, NNN

Sales

Cotlow with Cotlow Company, represented the buyer. La Bodega Quatro Hermanos, LLC purchased an 8,100-square-foot industrial warehouse building located at 1502 E. 20th St. in Tucson. The single-tenant property, located on 0.30 acres, was purchased from Gould Family Properties, VIII, LLC for $517,500. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. Sumer Enterprise, LLC purchased 4.62 acres of vacant industrial land, located at 5025 E. Nebraska St. in Tucson, from Roy H. Rogers Foundation, LLC for $277,500. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. DCM Development Company, LLC purchased 1.25 acres of vacant land located at 9527 E. Highway 92 in Miracle Valley, AZ. The commercially zoned parcel was purchased from Teigan, LLC for $165,000. Dave Hammack, Principal, and Retail Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the buyer in this transaction. Enrique N. Diaz and Cindy Beltran purchased a 0.79 acre land parcel, located at 344 E. Prince Rd. in Tucson, from JJ88 Choi, LLC for $135,000. Rob Tomlinson, Principal, and Retail Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. George Hayduke with Westar Mortgage & Realty Corporation, represented the buyer.

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APRIL 23, 2021

Black women face unique challenges in the workplace, according to new study Christina Duran Inside Tucson Business

helsea G. remembers an awkward conversation with a

boss. “I was sat down by a boss once, I was told that ‘The girls don’t think you like them because you never smile,’” said Chelsea, who requested anonymity for this story. “Oh my God, why do I have to have this big huge smile on my face all the time?” This was Chelsea’s first job out of college, already a year or two in the company. She was recently promoted and involved in social media and graphic design. She said she hears the comment often from men, but it was surprising that the comment was made by other women. Chelsea, a black graphic designer working with a Chicago company fulltime, started her career back in 2009, in her 20s, but didn’t realize her experiences back then were probably tied to the “angry black woman” stereotype until a decade later. “I am a pretty stoic person. I’ll be the first to admit that,” said Chelsea. “So I just was like ‘Oh gosh, something must be wrong with me.’ I didn’t really think that maybe my actions are being

perceived as a certain way because of my skin color. I don’t think I made that connection until I was much older and I was able to reflect on it more and hear about other people’s experiences and it was like, ‘Oh, OK, wow, so maybe that’s kind of what I was going through.’” At the same job, her male coworker in marketing told her coworker and friend “he hopes to never ever have to work with me again, because I think I know everything, I have too many opinions, apparently,” recalls Chelsea. “It was just such a shocking thing to hear,” said Chelsea. “I’m often told, even to this day, I carry myself very professionally. I’m certainly not a combative person in my opinion, with anyone, so, I feel like maybe a little bit of that was maybe him perceiving my opinions as being too assertive and direct but maybe also the fact that I was a woman probably had something to do with it, so it’s like a double whammy so to speak.” Prior to her current job, Chelsea was also told she was “blunt” when she delivered feedback. In her field, Chelsea has not had the opportunity to work with other black women and said she can count the number of black people she’s en-

countered in her career on less than one hand. She called the “angry black woman” stereotype a “TV drama sort of stereotype” and cannot recall ever seeing a black person act “in what I would actually consider an aggressive and hostile manner in the workplace.” “It just seems more like giving subtle opinions is sufficient enough to just be looked at negatively,” said Chelsea.

xperiences like Chelsea’s are not new and researchers from the University of Arizona, Hofstra University and the University of British Columbia studying anger in the workplace honed in on the “angry black woman” stereotype and black women face greater barriers because of it. The study, “Race and reactions to women’s expressions of anger at work: Examining the effects of the ‘angry Black woman’ stereotype,” co-authored by Daphna Motro, Jonathan Evans, Aleks Ellis and Lehman Benson III, is set to be published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The study is part of a larger body of work that looks at the effects of different emotions in the workplace, said Ellis, head of the Department of

Management and Organizations at the Eller College of Management in the University of Arizona. Ellis said studies have shown that people view women more negatively when they express anger, because it doesn’t conform with the role expectations for women. “We just expect women to kind of be more communal, more caring and expressions of anger kind of violate those expectations,” said Ellis. They noticed that in the U.S. Fortune 500

list there were zero black female CEOs at the time, despite making up 7 percent of the workforce, said the study’s first author, Daphna Motro, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Hofstra University in New York. “We thought there’s barriers for black women in the workplace that other women or other men don’t necessarily face,” said Motro. “We thought potentially one of these barriers is this stereotype that’s unique to black

females.” They introduced the “angry black woman” stereotype as a potential barrier to black woman’s abilities to gain leadership roles. “The ‘angry black woman’ stereotype basically suggests that black women are seen as aggressive and hostile in their interactions with other people,” said Ellis. They found the stereotype is constantly reinforced by the media. See Workplace, P10

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APRIL 23, 2021

Workplace: UA, Hofstra, University of British Columbia study and only the back of the supervisor’s head could Motro recalls seeing be seen. an article, describing The video study Meghan Markle, Duch- had 302 undergraduess of Sussex, as “a ate business students thorn against the sweet enrolled in business English rose petal that is management courses Mrs. Kate.” at a large university in Other examples insouthwestern United clude Serena Williams States. The participants at the 2018 U.S. Open, had an average age of where she was fined about 21 years old and for breaking her tennis almost half were female. racket, or coverage of Over half were white, Michelle Obama and non-Hispanic, 21.5 perVice President Kamala cent were Hispanic, 12.3 Harris. percent Asian, 4 per“What’s interesting is cent African-American/ that as a leader, express- Black, and 5.6 percent ing anger can actually other. help you at work. So Before watching the if you get angry at an video, participants read employee who is doing a copy of Jordan’s CV, something unethical, which described him as for example, other a “resourceful grocery people actually see that store manager with great in a positive light,” said experience in directing Ellis. “But what we’re and managing store suggesting here is that staff.” there may be bias against In the video, particwomen, and in participants watched Jordan ular black women when react either with anger they express anger at or neutral to his/her suwork.” pervisor’s feedback that They conducted two his/her performance as experiments both study- general manager had ing the way an emobeen “unsatisfactory” tion, in this case anger, and had “not achieved impacts the evaluation the goals that upper of a worker. For the management had set for first experiment, they him/her.” brought in actors in When displaying antheir 20s to play the role ger, Jordan’s tone would of “Jordan,” a grocery increase, he/she shoutstore manager, who was ed and yelled at their either white or black supervisor, he/she would male or white or black furrow their brow, female, receiving negabang fists down on the tive feedback from their table, throw hands up direct supervisor, always in outrage, and shift a white male. This inter- frequently in their seat. action was videotaped For the neutral acting, Continued from P9

Jordan made the same statements but with an even tone and minimal gestures. The emotions were meant to be portrayed the same across the board After watching the video of Jordan receiving performance feedback from their direct supervisor, participants evaluated Jordan on three criteria: perceptions of internal causality, performance evaluation, and leadership capability. The first asked participants to think about how much Jordan’s reaction to feedback was internal or external. They found most participants attributed a black woman’s anger to internal causes, to who she is as a person. “If you expressed anger at work I wouldn’t be likely to say, ‘Oh well she’s just an angry person.’ I might say, ‘Well you know maybe she had a hard day at work or maybe something happened,’it was something about the situation,” said Ellis. “But for an African American woman, for a Black woman, an expression of anger is more likely to elicit internal attributions where I say ‘Oh well clearly, she’s just an angry person.’” The second criteria asked participants to rate Jordan’s performance as an employee. Motro said the questions would ask how likely it is that the

employee will advance in the company and if they will succeed. Overall all employees, despite gender or race, were rated around two out of seven in the scale, with women rated lower than their male counterparts and Black women rated lower than all others. Finally, participants were asked to rate Jordan’s intelligence, competence, confidence and competitiveness, traits associated with a capable leader, Motro explained. They found participants rated white females as more capable leaders than white males, but Black males more capable leaders than Black females; however overall they were all rated fairly low as capable leaders, averaging a rating of around three or four.

rom these results, Ellis said they decided to focus the study on women in the second experiment, as Black men were not as affected. They also looked to identify if the “angry Black women” stereotype was “activated” when participants listened to a person become angry, Motro said. The second experiment asked 253 participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk–average age of about 36 years old, about half female, and almost 70 percent

white non-Hispanic–to imagine they were a sales representative at a marketing company called “Insight Marketing.” They were instructed to listen to an audio recording of another female (Black or white, non-Hispanic) employee with “their” company, who came to speak with them, but were not told the topic of conversation in advance. They gave participants information about the employee, including name, gender, and race and before listening to the audio clip, participants read the employee’s CV. In the audio clip, participants received feedback from either Lakeisha Wilson, the Black employee or Claire Wilson, the white employee, about how they consistently show up late to work, emphasizing the unprofessionalism of arriving late, not taking any excuses and that next time “there would need to be a serious discussion about their future.” To display anger, the actor portraying Lakeisha/Claire would use a stern and hostile tone to sound annoyed and indignant, raising their voice throughout the clip. While in the neutral portrayal, Lakeisha/Claire’s tone was calm and same throughout without increases or decreases. Following the audio clip, participants were

again asked to evaluate internal causality, employee’s performance and leadership capability; however, this time around they also asked participants the degree to which they think Black individuals as a whole are “loud and aggressive, hostile and violent.” “What we found was that individuals who heard that a Black female was getting angry, they were more likely to say that black individuals were loud and aggressive and hostile and violent,” said Motro. “That’s what we would call an activation of that stereotype, because now those individuals are...actually rating traits associated with black individuals more highly than others, even though the behavior is exactly the same. So, the idea is that the stereotype is activated, now it’s more likely to inform our behavior, it’s come more to the forefront of our mind, and it’s more likely to lead to those perceptions of internal causality.” In the final results of this study, on average, participants attributed Black female’s displays of anger to internal factors higher than the white female’s anger and rated the Black female displaying anger almost a whole degree lower in performance. Participants also evaluated Black women displaying anger

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as less capable leaders, rating them lower than the white female displaying anger. Ellis made clear that “this is an unfounded stereotype, and there’s no evidence that Black women are actually more angry than other groups.” Despite the barriers women, especially Black women, face in attaining leadership roles with the “think leader, think male” bias, Ellis said we are in a better place than 20 or 30 years ago, and studies have shown people react positively to women’s leadership styles, even a little more than men’s. “One of the reasons is that the types of styles that people react pos-

APRIL 23, 2021

itively to are more in line with how women approach work, and so people react really well to women leaders,” said Ellis. In order to combat the stereotype, the researchers advocated for diversity and inclusivity training, as research has shown identifying the stereotype makes people less likely to be influenced by it. “There’s a lot of research suggesting that once people are actually aware of stereotypes, they’re kind of usually less likely to influence our behavior, because we’re aware that we have this tendency to, kind of, evaluate, depending on the stereotype, evaluate this person more

negatively, but once you’re aware of it, it’s less likely to affect you,” said Motro. Motro hopes more studies can be conducted to bring attention to different stereotypes and address the unfair barriers minority populations face because of them. “This is kind of an emerging field so it’s really important to us to hopefully spark interest in other stereotypes that maybe affect other populations, other minorities,” said Motro. “Once we bring attention to those stereotypes we can start working on chipping their negative influence away.”

uring the George Floyd protest, Chelsea worked for a company that posted one of the “black squares” on social media to demonstrate solidarity, some might argue performatively. She was shocked to see an outpouring of outrage from former employees who denounced the company as they had experienced racism in the workplace during their time there. Chelsea said she had a good experience, but was disappointed with the response from the company since the Social Media Department was ignoring the comments. “How can I feel comfortable and know that the company is going to

have my back, if you’re going to pretend that this stuff never happened,” said Chelsea. She did bring it up, but was told “they’ll think about it” and nothing was done. “I know people say, ‘We can talk about it’ but a lot of companies don’t want to talk about it. So I certainly think that’s an extremely important first step, learning how to amplify the voices of other people,” Chelsea said. She hopes companies would bring people in to have a conversion, beyond just the “mandatory HR diversity workplace training that you have to do, because there’s not a conversation when you do that

it’s just like a mandatory sort of thing.” As opposed to others’ experience, Chelsea is grateful that she has seen significant upward mobility in her career and does not feel the need to change because of a stereotype. “That’s all the more reason why I don’t feel like I need to tone myself down just because one person perceived my behavior to be a certain way when the general consensus seems to be that I am a very capable person,” Chelsea said. “So, hopefully, other women. No matter what their ethnic background is, they don’t feel like they have to quiet themselves, just to shine in the workplace.” ITB

element, with the AZ Special with Vietnamese ham and pork belly holding the bestseller position. “This one is the staple banh mi, and if you’ve never had a banh mi, this is the go-to,” he said. Vongtheung starts the process by brining pork belly for 24-48 hours in a secret sauce, steaming it for four hours, and chilling it for six hours. It’s then sliced before it lands on the baguette and goes into the oven. Other versions include lemongrass beef, barbecue pork, chicken, and tofu, as well as a breakfast banh mi with eggs and pork belly. Two new versions, with spicy Laotion sausage and Vietnamese meatballs, are expected to hit the menu in “Keep it simple, keep it easy, and focus on what you do best. Our specialty is banh mi, so we’ve decided not to the next few weeks. expand our menu beyond these six to 10 sandwiches,” said Banhdicted co-owner Don Vongtheung. Courtesy photo The couple’s business philosophy is straightforward. “Keep it simple, keep it easy, and focus on what you do best,” he said. “Our specialty is banh mi, so we’ve decided not to expand our menu beyond these six to 10 Matt Russell overall business philosophy. sandwiches.” for the banh mi sandwich Special to Inside Tucson Business When they first opened “The banh mi experience was reignited when they the restaurant, Vongtheung is all about the bread, and hammered out a deal on a t’s been described as a and Nguyen were kicking we wanted ours to be the new restaurant called banh mi boom when an out 10 pounds of pickled best,” he said. After samBanhdicted. information technology vegetables each week. Now pling breads at seven local “Kim was living in San executive partnered with a they’re up to 100 pounds Diego around that time, and bakeries, they gave their real estate professional last every few days. That’s quite whenever she’d come to Tuc- business exclusively to La fall to respond to a paucity son for a visit, I’d ask her to Baguette Bakery, which they a spike over a six-month peof local purveyors of Vietriod of time, which suggests bring me 10 banh mi sand- claim is “distinct from the nam’s street food staple. that their business model is rest of the herd.” wiches from A Chau, one But without previous working. “These baguettes, made of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant experience, what “If you love what you do, by an amazing local family, restaurants,” said Vongthecould they offer to patrons believe in what you do, and ung, co-owner of Banhdict- are lighter and softer than who would bring certain listen to your customers, expectations for authenticity ed, 1980 W. Orange Grove standard banh mi breads,” the money will come,” said he said. “Typical banh mis Road. “There aren’t many to their door? Could it be Vongtheung. And come it can be a little hard and generations of wisdom from good banh mi shops here has, as the number of Tuccrumbly, but ours maintain and that started the idea for the Southeast Asia commuson’s certifiably Banhdicted an interior softness even our new restaurant.” nities where their respective continues to grow. ITB after they’re toasted.” Vongtheung and Nguyen families have deep roots? Banhdicted features six opened quietly last October Contact Matt Russell, whose day Yeah, that’ll do it. versions of banh mi on its but it didn’t take long for job is CEO of Russell Public CommuKim Nguyen, whose lines to start forming at the menu, each with the classic nications, at mrussell@russellpublic. family hails from Vietnam, com. Russell is also the publisher of and Don Vongtheung, who counter. Vongtheung attrib- line-up of pickled carrots and daikon radishes, utes the strong response to OnTheMenuLive.com as well as the came to the United States their nod to tradition, their liver pate spread, cucumber, host of the Friday Weekend Watch from Thailand, are both jalapenos, and cilantro. multiple variations on the segment on the “Buckmaster Show” first-generation Asian The protein is the pivotal banh mi theme, and their on KVOI 1030 AM. Americans. Their passion

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These Vietnamese sandwiches are so good, you may become Banhdicted

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APRIL 23, 2021

Independent bottling company showcases Whiskey Del Bac in spring 2021 release totally new,” Polonski said. “Whereas a lot of craft distilleries were doing things like making bourbon in n East Coast bouplaces bourbon has never tique bottling been made, they [Whiscompany focused on key Del Bac] were makreleasing unique Amering whiskey with smokey ican whiskeys produced mesquite, which has never by independent distillers been done anywhere.” has chosen three single Polonski said he and malt spirits from Tucson’s Ganley-Roper visit every Whiskey Del Bac to be facility they work with to a part of the company’s get a “sense of place” and offerings this spring. a better understanding of Staying true to the the distillers’ dedication 200-year-old Scottish to their craft. While in bottling tradition, Lost Tucson, the duo tasted Lantern searches the more than 15 different country for one-of-awhiskeys, aged in small kind regional whiskeys 15 gallon casks, before to bottle and distribute choosing the top three to through certain retailers be added to their five-botand their online shop, tle spring line up (New LostLanternWhiskey.com. York Distilling Company Co-founders Nora and Balcones Distilling Ganley-Roper and whiskey from Waco, Texas are also journalist Adam Polonski featured in this seasonal said they added the Old offering). Pueblo whiskey distill“This is a unique er due to their unique opportunity to present a process of using mesquite comparison of the casks smoke in production of coming out of Whiskey Del their spirits. Bac,” Ganley-Roper said. “When I worked for “We think you can learn Whiskey Advocate, I got a lot about a distillery by to know Whiskey Del Bac trying several single barthrough covering a lot of rels side-by-side.” American whiskeys that When Lost Lantern were starting to rise up. chooses a whiskey to botI thought this [Whiskey tle, the spirit is transferred Del Bac] was one of the from the barrel it was aged most interesting whiskeys in to a stainless steel cask I’ve encountered because so the whiskey will not it was doing something continue to mature. Austin Counts

Inside Tucson Business

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What Lost Lantern customers get is the exact whiskey varieties Polonski and Ganley-Roper tasted when they visited the distillery in 2019. Each of the three offerings is limited to 66 bottles of very rare whiskey that can’t be reproduced due to the reactions that take place inside the wooden cask while maturing. “We knew we wanted to choose a few selections from Whiskey Del Bac because their cask format is smaller in size and we wanted to make sure there would be enough bottles to go around with the cask,” Ganley-Roper said. “We realized we had a pretty cool opportunity with selecting three different casks, in that we

APRIL 23, 2021

could specifically speak to the different aspects of Whiskey Del Bac.” Each of the three single whiskey casks from the distiller was made with 100% malted barley, with 60% of the barley smoked with mesquite wood, and they have different flavor characteristics. All three of Lost Lantern’s offerings from Whiskey Del Bac are unique and differ from one another. Single Cask #5 is 129.2 proof and features a very savory and smokey flavor with herbal notes that balance the spirit. Single Cask #6 (130.6 proof) has more fruity notes with a slightly spicy but rich smokey flavor Whiskey Del Bac is known for. Single Cask #7 (122.2

proof) is a departure from the previous two whiskeys due to its bold oak flavor that incorporates spicy and herbal notes. Single Cask #5 and Single Cask #6 both were aged in a second-fill American oak cask for 18 to 22 months and Single Cask #7 was aged in a new oak cask for only a year before being bottled, according to Stephen Paul, president of the board of directors for Hamilton Distillers, the makers of Whiskey Del Bac. “Whiskey #7 is darker in color because it’s new oak and has a bigger, bolder taste compared to the other two,” Paul said. “It’s more different than the other two, than the other two are different from

each other.” Ganley-Roper said they view Single Cask #7 as an entry for Bourbon and rye drinkers to enjoy what Whiskey Del Bac produces. “It has more of those oak tones, caramel and spice that Bourbon and rye drinkers find in the whiskeys they love,” Ganley-Roper said. “It’s super fun to taste these next to each other, but it also allows people who like different styles of single malt to find something that speaks to them within the Whiskey Del Bac portfolio.” ITB For more information or to purchase a bottle (or all five of this season’s offerings), check out lostlanternwhiskey.com.

“We knew we wanted to choose a few selections from Whiskey Del Bac because their cask format is smaller in size and we wanted to make sure there would be enough bottles to go around with the cask,” said co-founder Nora Ganley-Roper. Courtesy photo

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APRIL 23, 2021

Water: Heinz and UA’s latest foreign exchange, local grant Grijalva vote against wins and a nutrition app on the horizon resolution TECH TALK

Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

ith a major research university right in our backyard, a strong military presence and innovative companies throughout the metro region, there’s often a plethora of interesting science and technology news to be found in Southern Arizona. Here’s a breakdown of the most interesting recent developments. From Pima to Paris. The University of Arizona has entered into a partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research to establish an international research center that will focus on environmental, data and climate science. The new “France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges” is based at UA and will utilize each establishments’ science strengths: CNRS’ telescopes, particle accelerators and large-scale research facilities across five continents; and UA’s expertise in the fields of optical sciences, data science and environmental research. But what made UA the ideal partner for CNRS is Biosphere 2, the large greenhouse-like facility north of Tucson, which is “the only place in the world where scientists can simulate climate change and study its effects on entire ecosystems in one location.” Though UA and CNRS have previously collaborated on multiple projects, UA says the new Institute will tackle issues such as sustainability and resilience in arid lands; how biomes connect and

Biosphere 2 will serve as a research location for the University of Arizona and French National Centre for Scientific Research collaboration: the France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges. Courtesy photo.

respond to global change; the nature of dark matter and dark energy; and equitability in the digital revolution. “Global challenges simply require global solutions,” said UA president Robert Robbins. “Working in partnership provides our institutions the opportunity to create and innovate in unique ways that we could not attempt or accomplish on our own... We look forward to the center being a hub of global collaboration for the Americas – a point of entry and exchange with the rest of the world and for our hemisphere.”

na reflectors.” Paramium Technologies’ work aims to enhance access to the internet by increasing prototyping capabilities for antenna designers. Their core product is freeform curved metal panels created with electromagnetic thermoforming technology that both heats and presses the panels. The process uses hybrid effects of localized induction heating and electromagnetic force. According to Paramium, the adjustable panel molds adapt to the desired shape without machining or hardware changes. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion Furthering Fabrication. that supports fundamental The National Science research and education Foundation recently across all fields of science awarded local startup and engineering. Paramium Technologies a $250,000 Small BusiConsumption Calendar. ness Innovation Research The Centers for Disease grant to conduct research Control rank obesity and its associated complications and development on as the second leading cause “efficient manufacturing methods for radio anten- of preventable death in the

United States (second only to smoking), accounting for 18% of deaths among Americans aged 40 and 85. Overconsumption of saturated fats and sugar rank among the primary causes for obesity, but research aimed at improving health can be impeded due to limitations in accurately tracking people’s food intake. To solve this disconnect, the University of Arizona is developing a dietary assessment app that will help participants of nutrition studies more accurately track their saturated fat and added sugar intake. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded UA Health Sciences a five-year, $3 million grant to develop the app, which will prompt participants throughout the day to report their meals from a list of commonly consumed foods and beverages that contribute the greatest amounts of saturated fat or added sugar in the American diet. Researchers will use the data for a more accurate picture of food consumption, allowing them to make better recommendations to improve health and wellness. According to UA, traditional nutritional studies used mobile apps to deliver “brief, automated surveys to participants periodically throughout the day. These assessments are generally study-specific and not optimized for widespread use in the research community.” This new app is considered the first research-quality, fully automated mobile dietary assessment tool that can be used by researchers to collect dietary data within an “ecological momentary assessment” basis. ITB

Courtesy photo.

Continued from P2 “The vast majority of incorporated municipal residents have been subsidizing for decades the relatively lower water rates that are enjoyed by folks in the Catalina Foothills,” Heinz said. “This was probably not an appropriate policy in the first place. So, I see this as a kind of corrective action, a reasonable and equitable one that’s been done over time to kind of help balance things out.” Interim Assistant City Manager Tim Thomure said there are three main reasons the city would want to add differential rates to Tucson Water’s fee structure—equity, loss of money and maintaining the water supply as the climate is changing. Thomure was the director for Tucson Water before moving on to the city manager’s office earlier this year. “If something happened to Tucson Water’s finances, like a pandemic with a moratorium on shut-off, which caused revenues not to be collected, it’s the City of Tucson’s Gener-

al Fund that bears that risk,” Thomure said. “Our region also loses tens of millions of dollars of state shared revenue every year because of the high percentage of residents we have in unincorporated areas. Lastly, the city has been extending its water resources outside of its jurisdiction not only with no return on investment but no revenue back to the city itself.” The interim assistant city manager said there is a difference of opinion between the city and county in regards to the 1979 IGA. From the city’s perspective, Pima County is obliged to maintain the region’s wastewater whereas the city doesn’t have a “reciprocal requirement to serve outside this jurisdiction.” “There’s a lot of folks who assert that there is an obligation, but there is not. Reviewing the IGA makes that clear,” Thomure said. “There is a lot of history here and I’m not saying that [the county] is completely incorrect, but it’s not an obligation.” ITB

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APRIL 23, 2021

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3,300 1,888 1,320

N/A

Golf, spa, various restaurants, Starbucks, pools, lazy river, jogging, hiking, bike trails, electric car charging stations, valet, guest laundry, business center, Wifi, retail shop, golf pro shop

AZ Sonora Desert Museum, Pima Dan Carraher Air & Space Museum, AZ Historical Mark Ochoa Society, Titan Missle Museum, Reid Dean Callahan Park Zoo, etc.

2005

Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain 15000 N. Secret Springs Dr. Marana, AZ 85658

(520) 572-3000 tusrz.leads@ritzcarlton.com www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/arizona/dovemountain

40,000

700 854 600

Spa, Golf, Tennis, Pool, Water Slide, Hiking, Biking, Game Room, Ranger Station, Indoor & Outdoor Event Venues

Arizona-Sonora Dessert Museum, Biosphere 2, Arizona State Museum, Catalina State Park, Tohona Chul Park, Tucosn Botanical Gardens, Tucson Museum of Art

Kevin Kelly

2009

Ramada by Wyndham Tucson 777 W. Cushing Street Tucson, AZ 85745

(520) 239-2300 sales@tucsonramada.com tucsonramada.com

14,000

250 N/A 250

N/A

Wes Clark Mary Brashear

1972

Ramaday by Wyndham Viscount Suites Tucson East 4855 E Broadway Blvd Tucson, AZ 85711

(520) 745-6500 larrycesare@viscountsuite.com viscountsuite.com

13,200

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

ATM, Pool, Jacuzzi, Guest Laundry Facility

N/A

Larry A Cesare

1986

The University of Arizona Museum of Art 1031 N. Olive Rd. Tucson, AZ 85721

(520) 621-7567 artmuseum@arizona.edu artmuseum.arizona.edu

12,604

N/ A

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

1955

Reid Park Zoo 3400 E Zoo Ct Tucson, AZ 85716

(520) 791-3204 info@reidparkzoo.org ReidParkZoo.org

8,000

N/ A

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

1967

Arizona Inn 2200 E. Elm St. Tucson, AZ 85719

(520) 325-1541 catering@arizonainn.com arizonainn.com

4,450

200 200 150

N/A

1930

Monterey Court 505 W. Miracle Mile Tucson, AZ 85705

(520) 207-2429 office@montereycourtaz.com montereycourtaz.com

4,000

100 0 100

cafe/catering/bar/performance stage

Gem & Mineral Show

Greg J Haver

2012

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Tucson Williams Center 5335 East Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85711

(520) 745-2700 TUSTW_DS@Hilton.com www.TucsonWilliamsCenterSuites@DoubleTree.com

1,800

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

Mike Sharkey

1979

Reid Park Zoo 3400 E Zoo Ct, Tucson, AZ 85716

(520) 881-4753 info@reidparkzoo.org reidparkzoo.org

1,800

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

Nancy Kluge

1975

Southern Arizona Water Color Guild Art Gallery 5420 E. Broadway Blvd #240, In the Plaza at Williams Centre Tucson, AZ 85711

(520) 299-7294 president@southernazwatercolorguild.com www.southernazwatercolorguild.com

1,316

N/ A

N/A N/A N/A

N/A

Kay Sullivan

1967

La Posada Lodge and Casitas an Ascend Hotel Collection 5900 N. Oracle Rd. Tucson, AZ 85704

(520) 887-4800 laposadalodge@outlook.com laposadalodge.com

1,100

100 50 100

25 minutes -17.4 miles

N/A

Ramsin Barkhoy

2002

Sonesta ES Suites Tucson 6477 E. Speedway Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 721-0991 ejimenez@sonesta.com www.sonesta.com/tucson

878

50 50 50

N/A

Ellen Jimenez Jim Hinkley

1985

Holiday Inn Express Tucson Airport 2548 E. Medina Rd. Tucson, AZ 85756

(520) 889-6600 hietusmr@gmail.com hiexpress.com/tucson-airport

325

12 0 0

.08

Breakfast

Pima Air Museum Desert Diamond Casino 2

Jackie M Pesina

1997

Ranked by the total meeting space & exhibit square feet Ranked information is provided by business representatives at no charge and is ranked alphabetically in case of ties. Other businesses were contacted but either declined or did not respond by deadline. There is no charge to be included in Inside Tucson Business listings. N/A=not provided WND=would not disclose NL=not listed last year NR=listed last year but ranking criteria not provided

APRIL 23, 2021

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM