Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to bringing Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for the state, releases new data highlighting Arizona's need for improved civic engagement in partnership with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at The Flinn Foundation. As it stands, Arizona ranks … [More]
Three Phoenix Businesswomen Announced as 2023 Athena Award Recipients
The Greater Phoenix Chamber announced the 2023 ATHENA private sector, public sector, and young professional award recipients at its 36th Annual ATHENA Awards. Melody Lewis, Owner & Founder, Indigenous Community Collaborative, was awarded the 2023 ATHENA Award in the private sector. Jeri Royce, President & CEO, Advance Community, earned the 2023 ATHENA Award in the … [More]
Celebrity-Backed Chicken Franchise Brings the Heat to Phoenix, Again
Dave’s Hot Chicken, a Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant from Southern California, is set to open its second location in Phoenix this week, and has plans to open several more in the coming months. Dave’s Hot Chicken has gone from a scrappy, late-night pop-up to being the fastest growing restaurant chain in the nation. Come this Friday, November 17, Phoenix residents will … [More]
Small Business Employees Report 50% Higher Levels of Satisfaction at Work
A new report released by the BambooHR Employee Happiness Index shows employee satisfaction at work continues to erode in the third quarter of 2023 except among employees working at America’s smallest companies who are the happiest in the nation. As reported yesterday by Axios, the study finds scores around, “happiness at work remain relatively high among small business … [More]
ACA Announces Finalists for the 2023 Arizona Innovation Challenge
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) announced 15 finalists have been selected for the 2023 Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC). The finalists will advance to the final round of the competition, after which judges will select up to 10 companies as AIC awardees for 2023. The AIC is designed to advance innovation and technology commercialization opportunities in Arizona by … [More]
Phoenix Becomes an A-Lister in Environmental Action
Phoenix has been recognized by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as one of 119 cities across the globe that is taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency. Thanks to the environmental efforts implemented by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the City, Phoenix received an A … [More]
Hawaii Coffee Brand Franchise Expands Footprint in Greater Phoenix Market and Beyond
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, a leading coffee franchise renowned for its premium sourcing of Hawaiian coffees and memorable cafés, announces two multi-unit signed development agreements in the greater Phoenix, Arizona market. A five-store deal will bring locations to the Chandler and Gilbert areas over the next five years. Alongside this development, is a three-unit agreement that … [More]
Fastest-Growing Pet Franchise Opens 250th Location
Phoenix-based Dogtopia, the nation's leading dog wellness franchise, has achieved yet another milestone with the opening of its 250th dog daycare center. The brand recently surpassed 500 signed franchise agreements in the U.S. and was one of 40 brands featured in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious List of Smartest-Growing Franchises, solidifying its dominance as the largest … [More]
Phoenix-Based Pest Fertility Control Co. Announces Reverse Stock Split
SenesTech, Inc., the leader in fertility control to manage animal pest populations, announced that it intends to effect a reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1 post-split share for every 12 pre-split shares. The reverse stock split will become effective at 4:01 p.m, Eastern Time, on November 16, 2023. The Company's common stock will continue to be traded on … [More]
Post-Pandemic Dining Traffic Stabilizes in American Downtowns, Phoenix Near 2019 Levels
Square released the latest edition of its quarterly Restaurant Industry Report, which uses data across Square’s food and beverage sellers to examine dining trends and shifts in both consumer spending and restaurant wages. As restaurants continue expanding their offerings to include meal kits, branded merchandise, and more, some eateries are now offering prix fixe … [More]
Arizona-Based Organizations Team Up to Provide Financial Education to Students
Gnosis IQ, an Arizona-based artificial intelligence software company that predicts and tracks student academic success and empowers the well-being of students, is thrilled to announce that it is partnering with Desert Financial Credit Union to provide financial literacy education to schools and families in Arizona. Through this partnership, Desert Financial Credit Union offers … [More]
Holiday Sales Expected to Cool This Season, Phoenix on ‘Nice’ List
Holiday retail sales growth is expected to moderate this season following two explosive years for consumer spending, according to CBRE’s annual Holiday Retail Trends Guide. Inflation, lower savings rates, rising credit card debt and resumption of student loan payments have all affected both consumer budgets and confidence. Year-over-year retail sales in the Q4 holiday period … [More]
Arizona’s Largest Resort Names Tech Platform to Manage Its Operations
VAI Resort, the upcoming largest hotel and entertainment destination in Arizona, is gearing up to open its doors in 2024 with the support of Oracle Cloud. With Oracle’s OPERA Cloud hospitality management platform combined with Oracle NetSuite, VAI will be able to unify its core data and operations on a single, secure infrastructure. This will empower VAI with the tools and … [More]
Dignity Health Global Education Announces Strategic Rebrand to Improve Healthcare Staffing Shortage Crisis
Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE), a leading workforce development solutions provider, is announcing its strategic rebrand to OpusVi. This rebrand signals a renewed commitment to its mission of developing transformative workforce solutions to expand and elevate the care workforce by providing quality access at scale with its healthcare partners. A recent survey from the … [More]
Inflation and Labor Struggles Continue to Hinder the Small Business Economy
The Small Business Economic Trends survey shows small business owners are not feeling optimistic in the current economic environment. The Optimism Index decreased 0.1 points in October to 90.7, marking the 22nd month below the 50-year average. The last time the Optimism Index was at or above the average was December 2021. “This month marks the 50th anniversary of NFIB’s … [More]
More Than One-Third of Home Sellers Are Giving Concessions to Buyers
Sellers are handing out freebies to woo buyers, who have become increasingly likely to back out of deals as mortgage rates have climbed
Home sellers gave concessions to buyers in 35% of U.S. home sales during the three months ending Oct. 31, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That’s little changed from 35.9% one year earlier but up from 27.6% two years earlier. This is according to data submitted by Redfin buyers’ agents across the country, going back through … [More]
Survey Shows Engineers Have Reached a Turning Point, Many Are Now Looking at What Comes Next
Engineers are at a turning point when it comes to navigating the design and supply chain disruptions of the last several years, according to findings from Avnet. The leading technology distributor released its third annual Avnet Insights survey, which has been keeping a pulse on engineers’ sentiments and strategies around existing industry and market conditions. The 2023 survey … [More]
Inflation Reduction Act Compliance Brings Apprentice Program to Four New Solar Projects in Arizona and Texas
McCarthy Building Companies Inc. recently began construction of four new large-scale solar projects located in the Southwestern United States and are targeting Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) compliance. The projects, which are in varying stages of construction, will bring a combined total of over 1GW of renewable energy to communities in Arizona and Texas once fully … [More]
