HOT TOPICS

Startup Cup Highlights Arizona Universities’ Push to Turn Innovation Into Enterprise
On stage at Arizona State University’s SkySong campus, student entrepreneurs presented their market-ready business ventures, showcasing how Arizona’s public universities are helping students turn innovation into enterprise. Some pitched new approaches to improving health care delivery, and others shared their ideas to improve sustainability or new ways to use … [More]

CEO Advocacy Group Names New Chair, Board Officers
Greater Phoenix Leadership, the state’s premier CEO business advocacy organization, announced the election of Simer S. Mayo as Chair of the Board for a two-year term spanning 2026 to 2028. Exiting as Chair is Ken Van Winkle, Vice Chair of Womble Bond Dickinson, who served in the role from 2024 to 2026. Ken Van Winkle has been a member of GPL since 2009 and joined … [More]

ASU, GoDaddy Launch National Program for College Athletes
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, announced a new collaboration with SPORTx at Arizona State University and GoDaddy that lays the foundation for student-athlete education and activation opportunities relative to Name, Image and Likeness. SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy will be recognized as NACDA's Annual and Convention sponsor … [More]

Phoenix Riders to Get Early Access to Waymo’s Newest Autonomous Vehicle
Waymo will begin offering select riders fully autonomous trips in its new Ojai vehicles in the coming weeks, introducing the first public rider experience powered by the 6th-generation Waymo Driver. The Ojai represents a new rider-first vehicle platform designed specifically for fully autonomous ride-hailing and builds on Waymo’s experience serving more than 20 … [More]

Copper Corridor Town Approves Landmark $20M Water Pact
The Town of Superior Town Council has unanimously approved a landmark water agreement with Resolution Copper, securing a long-term, more than $20 million water mitigation commitment designed to protect and enhance the community’s water future. “For the past several years, our town worked vigorously to ensure that Superior’s water future is protected,” said … [More]
Arizona Anchors New Southwest Talent Hub for Semiconductor Industry
At a press event at JA BizTown, the Arizona Commerce Authority, in partnership with the National Network for Microelectronics Education, SEMI Foundation, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), announced the designation of NNME Southwest as an official NNME Regional Node—one of the nation’s anchor hubs for semiconductor workforce development. The National … [More]
TOP STORIES

Lower Basin States Strike Water Deal Backed by Phoenix Business Leaders
Leaders from the Greater Phoenix business and economic development community are applauding a landmark three-state agreement between Arizona, California, and Nevada to proactively reduce water consumption from the Colorado River. This collaborative proposal, aimed at conserving an additional 3.2 million-plus acre-feet of water through 2028, demonstrates that the Lower … [More]

Global Semiconductor Services Firm Adds 67 Acres to Peoria Site
Amkor Technology, Inc. reinforced its commitment to expanding Advanced semiconductor packaging and test capabilities in the United States through continued investment in its Arizona manufacturing footprint. Located within Peoria’s Innovation Core, Amkor’s campus is being developed on a 104-acre site designed to support large-scale, leading-edge semiconductor … [More]

Dignity Health to Open 300K-SF Campus at Cardinals’ North Phoenix HQ
Dignity Health announced a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art medical campus at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Loop 101 in North Phoenix—the future site of the Arizona Cardinals' new performance and business headquarters. Last September, the Cardinals announced the purchase of a 217-acre property at that location, where the team's 30-acre performance … [More]

Buckeye Mega Site Hits Market with $1B Economic Promise
The Phoenix office of JLL announced that it will market Grand View Arizona, an infrastructure-rich, fully entitled, 2,500-acre mega site in Buckeye, Arizona – ranked one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. over the last decade. With the scale to accommodate large-scale, sophisticated manufacturing uses, the project is projected to become a leading employment … [More]
FEATURED STORIES

Volunteerism Is Emerging as a Business Imperative
Every May, Mental Health Awareness Month brings an important conversation back into focus. Businesses post statistics, share supportive messaging and encourage people to prioritize wellbeing. The bigger question is what happens next: what does meaningful action actually look like? The expectation is shifting from acknowledging community challenges to participating … [More]

Extreme Heat Can Disrupt the Tech Small Businesses Rely On
Summers in Arizona mean more customers on patios, employees working from trucks and job sites, digital menus, payment systems, security cameras and Wi-Fi that have to keep running. But the sunshine and heat that define the season can also work against technology, both outside and inside a business. Phones, outdoor TVs, laptops, speakers, security cameras, routers and … [More]

AI Sales Tax Missteps Could Leave Refunds on the Table
Sales taxes have come a long way since 2018, the year the Supreme Court’s landmark Wayfair decision opened the door for states to charge sales tax on purchases, even if the seller has no physical presence in the taxing state. Since then, sales tax responsibility and compliance have evolved considerably - expanding the definitions of “product”, “service”, and what it … [More]
LATEST ISSUE

Data Centers in the Desert: W(h)ater You Worried About?
As data center development expands across the Phoenix region, questions about water use have moved quickly from engineering discussions to the center of public conversation. For an industry built on reliability and efficiency, the challenge is clear: How can digital infrastructure scale responsibly in one of the most water-conscious regions in the United States? Few … [More]

Artificial Intelligence Is Powerful – But It Cannot Replace a Lawyer’s Judgment
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the practice of law. From drafting contracts to analyzing discovery, AI tools can complete in minutes what once took hours. For businesses under pressure to move quickly and control costs, the appeal is obvious. But as powerful as these tools are, they cannot replace one essential component of legal representation: … [More]
LIVE AND LEARN

JINYA Ramen Explodes with Diversity
“Irasshai!” There’s no mistaking the hospitality as every guest is welcomed with this Japanese greeting upon entering the restaurant. And the “Arigato” when they leave expresses appreciation for their visit. That’s only to be expected. After all, opening a ramen bar was the expressed dream come true for Daradee Olson, who fell in love with the dish in its many … [More]

Assets … Risk … Catch the New CAPTCHA Scam?
We’ve all seen those “CAPTCHA” boxes that ask us to click on pictures of traffic lights or crosswalks to prove we aren’t a robot. Scammers are using a convincing CAPTCHA scam to trick us into handing over the keys to our computers. Usually, a security check just asks us to click a button. However, in this new “bait-and-switch” scam, the webpage says there’s an error … [More]

2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 SUV
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC remains one of the clearest examples of what the midsize luxury SUV segment is supposed to do. It has real power, substantial interior space, and the kind of road presence buyers in this category still expect, but it does not try to turn itself into something more extreme than it needs to be. The turbocharged inline-six gives it … [More]
PHILANTHROPY
Babbo Supports Pancreatic Cancer Research
Babbo Italian Eatery recently hosted its fifth annual Baseball for Babbo Day of Giving, with all seven Valley locations donating 100% of profits to the Seena Magowitz Foundation in … [More]
Studio North America Donates Event Services
The Studio North America recently helped fuel Phoenix Children’s Foundation’s philanthropic mission by serving as the official event producer for the foundation’s signature … [More]
Arizona Association of REALTORS® Donates to Housing Fund
The Arizona Association of REALTORS® has awarded a $29,000 donation to the Arizona Housing Fund, with $14,000 of the donation funded from proceeds of AAR’s Homes for All specialty … [More]
POSITIONS

Education Advocacy Organization Expands Leadership Team
Education Forward Arizona announced that Ricardo Lopez Valencia, a respected executive, strategist and civic leader with more than 30 years of experience across education, … [More]

Publicly Traded Wellness Franchisor Names Board Director
The Joint Corp., the nation's largest franchisor of chiropractic care through The Joint Chiropractic network, announced the election of Milind Pant to its Board of Directors. Mr. … [More]

Phoenix Names Next Chief Financial Officer Following National Search
The City of Phoenix has selected Katie Gregory as its next Chief Financial Officer, following a national recruitment process. Gregory will begin her role on June 15, 2026, … [More]
ACHIEVEMENTS

Scottsdale-Based Multifamily Co. Marks 50 Years in the Valley
On May 10, 1976, Phil Bell started a small multifamily real estate company focused on superior property management and quality apartment homes. This month, P.B. Bell celebrates 50 … [More]

Employee-Owned Construction Co. Celebrates 40 Years
A.R. Mays Construction, one of Arizona’s most established commercial general contractors, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1986 by Adam Mays, the company … [More]
Local PR Firm Named a ‘Best in U.S.’
Scottsdale-based 10 to 1 Public Relations, a public relations firm offering strategic communications services, has been named by Provoke Media to its annual list of the 100 Best … [More]













