PANDEMIC RECOVERY “PAST THE WORST OF IT” UA researchers stops COVID reports

Nonessential border travel ban to be lifted after nearly 20 months

Kimberly Silverio-Bautista

Cronkite News

Fully vaccinated non-essential travelers will be allowed to cross the U.S. border from Mexico starting in November, ending nearly 20 months of pandemic restrictions that were choking businesses in border communities.

No specific date was given for when the restrictions will be lifted, but the long-awaited announcement was welcomed by area officials, who have been repeatedly disappointed in their hopes that nonessential travel would be allowed to resume.

“It’s a great start and we’re really elated to be able to have friends, be able to return back to visit us here in business, and throughout the state of Arizona,” Douglas Mayor Donald C. Huish said Wednesday, Oct. 13.

He was particularly pleased that the new rule would take effect in time for people to cross the border for holiday shopping and visiting.

The new rule, announced last week by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow nonessential travelers to cross at land borders from Mexico and Canada if they have proof of vaccination, reversing a ban on nonessential travel from those countries that began in March 2020.

Essential travelers, like commercial truckers, health care workers and others, have been allowed to cross the border during the pandemic. But they will also need to produce proof of vaccination beginning in January if they wish to continue crossing, under the new policy.

In a statement announcing the change, the Department of Homeland Security said the January date was designed to give essential travelers “ample time” to get the vaccine, while creating a uniform standard for vaccination “for all foreign nationals traveling to the United States—whether by air, land or ferry.”

Businesses and residents of border communities had long complained that people crossing at land ports of entry were being held to a stricter standard than people who flew to the U.S., where nonessential travel has more often been allowed. Besides stopping many family visits, the restrictions also cut off many businesses on one side of the border from their customers on the other.

Calls to local business groups were not immediately returned Wednesday, Oct. 13, but Garrick Taylor, the spokesperson for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, said he is aware businesses were harmed by the restrictions and many were not able to recover because of the pandemic. Businesses in the border sector “that have been able to survive are very pleased with this decision,” he said.

That was echoed by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, who welcomed Tuesday’s announcement.

“For border communities, including Southern Arizona, these indeterminant border closures have caused great financial hardship to borderland residents and businesses that rely on the influx of tourism and trade for their livelihoods,” Grijalva said in a prepared statement.

The ban, which was first put in effect on March 24, 2020, was extended monthly as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened. Local officials were hoping this summer for the policy to be lifted as COVID-19 cases fell, but DHS kept extending it every month as the delta variant of the coronavirus started to drive up cases and deaths again.

The current extension is set to run through Oct. 21. It is not clear yet how far into November the department might extend the restriction.

Huish attributed the change to the increased availability of vaccines, the upcoming holiday season and “continuous pressure” from elected officials in Arizona and the other states on the southern border.

He said that 5,700 people currently cross the border in his town every day, and he expects that number to jump 20% once the restrictions are lifted, “due to the fact that they have not been allowed to cross for such a long period.” Huish thinks the change was delayed until November to give Customs and Border Protection time to prepare for that surge.

“I think that’s why the delay to officially allow that is to November, so that they can be able to have the proper staffing and proper protocols in place,” Huish said.

He also said that local officials hope to see as many as 15,000 daily crossers during the holiday season.

“We as a city will of course benefit economically, but will also benefit as family members being able to once again be able to see each other more frequency, especially during this wonderful holiday season,” he said.

Photo by Andrew Franklin/Customs and Border Protection

ITB Continued from P2

7. Drive purpose. Employees should be motivated and inspired to produce quality work. A successful company culture should be purpose-driven to engage employees, and unite them around a cause. 8. Get connected. Use technology to encourage open lines of communication. A company intranet, CEO blog or project management tool is a great way to centralize information. Leverage business-grade internet service from Cox to help power these tools.

9. Break routines.

Help your employees recharge by encouraging them to learn something new, shadow another employee with a different job, or give them time to work on a project outside of their normal, everyday tasks. 10. Refresh often. Review the successes and failures within your company frequently, and analyze how the outcomes were influenced by the corporate culture. Be willing to make changes where necessary.

Lisa Lovallo is the Southern Arizona market vice president for Cox Communication, leading a team of more than 300 Southern Arizona employees. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Lisa was a team player early on as student body vice president and played on the university’s women’s basketball team. Reach her at lisa.lovallo@cox.com.

Trulieve deal to acquire Harvest finalized, creating nationwide cannabis empire

David Abbott

Special to Inside Tucson Business

The $2.1 billion acquisition of Harvest Health & Recreation by Florida cannabis behemoth Trulieve Cannabis Corp. has finally been consummated, creating the largest marijuana company in the U.S., with a combined 149 dispensaries and operations in 11 states.

Harvest has 39 operating shops in five states, including one in Tucson at 2734 E. Grant Road, and was the first operator to sell adult-use marijuana in the state after the Arizona Department of Health Services gave the green light to legal sales in Arizona on Jan. 22.

“We are excited to move forward as part of Trulieve,” Harvest co-founder and CEO Steve White wrote in a recent email to the Tucson Local Media. “The combined organization has the resources and talent to continue expanding access to cannabis and deliver outstanding customer experiences.”

The deal was initially announced on May 10 and completed on Oct. 1, several weeks after the Harvest board voted to move forward, after a roller coaster of public relations headaches that never really threatened the deal, but were troubling enough for Trulieve to mention in a January filing with the Security Exchange Commission.

Trulieve’s problems started in 2015, when the U.S. Grand Jury for the North District of Florida began an investigation into T.J. Burnette, husband of the company’s President and CEO Kim Rivers, in connection with alleged corruption by “local officials” in Tallahassee, Florida.

In 2017, Rivers was subpoenaed about Burnette’s activities, related to her involvement with Tallahassee’s Community Redevelopment Agency and “political contributions [she] made through an associated business.”

Rivers was not the target of the investigation nor charged with any crimes, according to the SEC filing, but in August 2021, Burnette was convicted of five of nine federal corruption-related charges in a highly publicized Florida trial, according to a report in the Tallahassee Democrat.

In addition to the Florida problems, Harvest was at the receiving end of a handful of investor lawsuits, but they were all dismissed prior to the board vote to move forward with the deal.

“Anytime there’s a significant public transaction, there are certain plaintiffs’ law firms that, almost as a matter of course, file lawsuits,” White said in a Sept. 23 interview with Tucson Local Media. “It’s a fairly common, very routine thing that happens ... almost kind of a tax that you pay, because of our open legal system, so [it’s] not a big deal.”

The acquisition positions Trulieve to become a nationwide force to be reckoned with, if and when federal legalization happens. According to the press release announcing the deal, Trulieve and Harvest have “cash equivalents” of $289 million and $71 million, respectively, as well as Trulieve’s recent $350 million in debt financing and Harvest’s $55 million received from the sale of its Florida license that was a condition of the deal.

Cannabis has also given Tempe native White a lot of political clout, both in Arizona and Florida. In the runup to last year’s election that legalized adult-use marijuana, he donated $1.8 million to help Prop 207 pass.

White will continue to be a player in the marijuana business and will continue to advocate for expanded pot legalization.

“I will be staying on at Trulieve as part of the executive team working to continue building out the organization,” he said. ITB

The TMWA includes a threeyear deadline to sue; whereas the Arizona Department of Labor will only investigate wage claims brought within one year and if the amount sought is less than $5,000; whereas the U.S. Department of Labor imposes a 2-year deadline unless the employer acts willfully, then it expands to 3-years. • The TMWA imposes double damages regardless if the mistake was innocent or not. • The TMWA establishes an entirely new regulatory authority called the City Department of Labor Standards (“CDOLS”). This new agency must investigate all claims within 60 days. On paper this seems fair, but the proponents acknowledge that the CDOLS will be staffed with three or four people who must investigate claims almost immediately. This is simply not feasible when compared to the Arizona Civil Rights Division which has a one-year deadline to investigate claims. • The CDOLS will be paid in whole or in part through additional fees levied against businesses and/or increases to existing license taxes, license fees, or other levies. • CDOLS will be empowered with the right to inspect payroll and time records and levy civil penalties of up to $100 per employee, per day, for any violation, plus back pay and double damages (i.e., liquidated damages). CDOLS can also revoke, suspend, or decline to renew any business license for repeat violations. • The TMWA limits payroll deductions available pursuant to existing state and federal law. • The TMWA restricts use of certain payment methods for payroll. • The TMWA allows employees or advocacy groups to file lawsuits on behalf of the City of Tucson in certain circumstances and seek double damages and civil penalties of up to $100 per day, per employee for alleged violations.

Other than that, the new TMWA is a fair and reasonable law. The unwary voter will open Pandora’s box via new lawsuits and claims that will cost taxpayers and employers untold fees, costs, etc. Not to mention that prospective business owners will shun Tucson for more employer-friendly places like Phoenix.

While an increased minimum wage makes sense on its face, the TMWA will create more problems than it will solve. The better action is to vote down TMWA, allow free enterprise and competition to push up wages, which is already occurring in our community, and to enact laws that address the plethora of issues and concerns that the TMWA proponents attempt to surreptitiously enact under the guise of a minimum-wage increase.

B OF A HIKES MINIMUM WAGE TO $21; AIMING FOR $25 BY 2025 Deal to preserve Vistoso Golf Course grounds coming together but fi nancial donations needed

Bank of America raised its U.S. minimum hourly wage to $21 as a next step in the company’s plans to increase to $25 by 2025, according to a news release.

In May, the company also announced that all of its U.S. vendors are now required to pay their employees dedicated to the bank, at or above $15 per hour.

In the past four years, Bank of America raised its minimum hourly wage to $15 in 2017; in 2019 it rose to $17 and in 2020, to $20 — one year ahead of schedule.

Alexandra Pere

Inside Tucson Business

Aer 18 months of collaborative eff orts between The Conservation Fund, Preserve Vistoso and the Town of Oro Valley, most of the defunct Vistoso Golf Course will be purchased for $1.8 million om Romspen Vistoso LLC, a Canadian non-bank mortgage lender.

Conservation Fund Southwest Director Mike Ford said they have until the end of the year to raise $1.8 million through community donations.

Ford said they would go back to community members who previously pledged $1.6 million last October when initial negotiations fell through.

“The long and short of it was there was a disagreement with respect to value at that time, what they thought it was worth, and what I was willing to pay or was able to pay,” Ford said. Ford told Romspen he was happy to revisit the deal if they changed their mind. The Town of Oro Valley asked Ford to come back in April 2021 to resume negotiations and seal the deal. This time he was successful. “Once we secure the property, once we purchase it and close on it, the community is assured it will be protected in perpetuity,” Ford said “We would never sell it, we would never develop it under any scenario.” TCF will place a conservation easement on the property a er purchase. A conservation easement is a legal agreement that permanently protects property for conservation. Ford said this guarantees the $1.8 million given by community members isn’t wasted. This protection is exactly what community members in Oro Valley have been working towards. When the Vistoso Golf Course closed in 2018, community members later formed the nonprofi t Preserve Vistoso in 2019. Preserve Vistoso and its supporters made it abundantly clear they wanted the golf course to be protected om development.

In March 2020, Romspen fi led a general plan amendment with Oro Valley to rezone the property to sell to developers. This is when Rosa Dailey, a founding member of Preserve Vistoso, sought out Ford’s help. With the help of Ford and TCF, the community can now look towards raising $1.8 million to purchase the golf course.

Preserve Vistoso Board Member Patricia Sturmon is optimistic about the current fundraising campaign.

“When we had the fi rst bid om The Conservation Fund last year, we had a very active fundraising campaign and we raised a lot of money,” Sturmon said. “We are going back to a lot of the same people and asking others to donate.”

Ford said he was “urging everybody—we’ve got to raise the $1.8 million.”

Purchasing the property will preserve Vistoso’s Sonoran desert habitat and provide a recreational space to 30 neighborhoods adjacent to the golf course. The property has six miles of paved trails, restrooms, trail underpasses, and petroglyphs. The property is currently open for recreational use.

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ITB

Find more information about donating to Preserve Vistoso at: preservevistoso.org.

OCT 22, 2021 9

The Meading Room offers sweet alternative in Arizona’s wine country

A mother-daughter team opened The Meading Room in Sonoita in September 2019. Photo by Alexandra Pere.

Alexandra Pere

Inside Tucson Business

Honey combined with water and yeast produces one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known to man: mead. Remnants of mead were discovered in ancient Chinese pottery om around 7000 BCE and more examples come om the ancient Greeks, Scandinavians, Egyptians, and Celtic people.

This boozy ancestral wisdom was repackaged for modern audiences by Kylie Daniels and Barbara Christianson.

This mother-daughter team opened The Meading Room in Sonoita in September 2019. Christianson is a retired Raytheon engineer and Daniels is an experienced winemaker with a degree in fi ne arts om the University of Arizona. Their collective skills produced a venue with jaw-dropping views and fl avorful re eshments.

The main building is surrounded by rolling hills and 360-degree views of distant mountain ranges. Daniels and Christianson worked hard to build the property to their liking. Almost everything was built by their own hands and all of their beverages are handcra ed in their production room.

When they fi rst considered opening a business in Arizona wine country, the team wanted to stand out among the competition. Daniels said mead is incredibly versatile and Christianson had a skill for creating interesting fl avor combinations.

“You can add just about anything and you can create super complex fl avors,” Daniels said. “We just did our ‘new fashion,’ which was a spin on the ‘old fashion’ and it was avocado blossom, orange blossom honey, cherries, and then aged on a barrel that had bourbon and tempranillo port.”

Their beverage off erings change seasonally due to product availability om other local businesses. Daniels’ favorite mead is the Breakfast Club, which was developed with locally roasted Brazilian cold brew. Christianson developed a hatch green chile margarita that delicately balances spicy and sweet fl avors.

But the pandemic would test their business strategy only a few months a er opening. Like most small businesses during the pandemic, The Meading Room had to shut down and the team wondered if they were going to make it in wine country.

“One of the biggest hurdles I had was we didn’t have a huge social media following yet so when everything was shut down and we’re trying to push online orders, I just didn’t have that much of a reach,” Daniels said.

Christianson and Daniels revamped their business by expanding their outdoor space, moving the focus om the inside. They landscaped a grassy courtyard, added walkways, built a chicken coop, a butterfl y garden, and plenty of outdoor seating options.

Christianson said they even changed their serving procedures to mitigate the transmission of the virus.

“A er COVID, we switched over to fl ights so we put them on a tray and people could take them outside and separate,” Christianson said.

With all of these changes, The Meading Room has increased production every month to keep up with demand.

“Within the two years we’ve been creating, we’ve had so much demand in the tasting room that we’ve increased our production by fi ve times,” Daniels said.

They also work with locals to provide events in their courtyard. They recently held a Chile Festival with live music, chile roasting and a barbecue.

Christianson said they are planning a Christmas market for the holidays and will host a local play for Halloween. A Patagonia acting group will perform Heidi’s Monkeys om Oct. 28 to Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The play is advertised as psychological horror and costs $10 at the door.

The Meading Room became a surprising success during the pandemic thanks to Daniels and Christianson’s responsive business strategy.

“You know, Kylie and I are both very creative, we like the fun of trying to come up with new things and try diff erent ideas out,” Christianson said. ITB