BUSINESS
THE MESA TRIBUNE | DECEMBER 26, 2021
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Couple left corporate work to make pizza BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
R
ight before the pandemic hit, Nani and Harold Pickell decided they were done with corporate America. He worked for Kroger/Frys Food Stores and Coca-Cola in the supply chain industry for many years and she had spent a decade in the travel, technology and marketing industry. They were searching for new opportunities and after six months bought the Twisted Pies pizza restaurant near Val Vista Drive and Main Street in March 2020. “We’ve never owned a business,” explained Nani. “We never owned a restaurant and don’t have a business background. We were able to look at a few different places and this one popped up.” “It was Harold’s dream to own a business and I followed along.”
Nani and Harold Pickell gave up their corporate lives to own Twisted Pies pizzeria in Mesa. (Melody Birkett/Tribune Contributor) “My dream was being able to call my own shots,” said Harold. “Second, I wanted
to be able to give back to the community and do some good things. When we had a
grand opening, our first thing was to donate to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. It was a no-brainer. Our daughter was a micropremie so we respect the NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and it was nice to give back that way.” The couple’s two adult children, Tyson and Megan, also work at the restaurant. In addition, Pizza Master Evan Coon continued with the coiuple after ownership of Twisted Pies transferred to them. “He’s an amazing young man,” said Nani. “He does magic with these pizzas. He’s the one – with all of his patience and knowledge – who trained all of us.” The original owners opened Twisted Pies in 2016. Nani said they decided to keep the same name. “We thought it was a great name. It’s a method of how we make pizza.” While the couple kept the same menu
see TWISTED page 17
McCarthy Building Companies had some holiday fun earlier this month as the installed the final beam atop the new Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, affixing a little Christmas tree to the girder. (Courtesy McCarthy Building Companies)
Banner Gateway tower work reaches landmark TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
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orkers building the new Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert hit a milestone recently,
affixing the final girder to its steel skeleton on Higley Road. McCarthy Building Companies topped the $243-million tower expansion project by placing the last beam on the five-story
structure. The expansion essentially will double the medical center campus’ size, addressing what spokeswoman Stephanie Jarnagan called the “growing needs for women’s ser-
vices and cancer care” through an expanded diagnostics and treatment area. The project also expands parking on the site.
see BANNERpage 16
