According to NFIB’s monthly jobs report, over half (51%) of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in July. Forty-four percent (86 percent of those hiring or trying to hire) reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill, up 1 point. Fifty-two percent of construction firms reported few or no qualified applicants and 37% cited … [More]
New Movement Launches to Help Drive More Local Spending, Reviving Main St. Economies
To help drive more progress in the recovery of all small businesses and their communities across the U.S. and Canada, Alignable.com is launching #MyMoneyStaysLocal today. #MyMoneyStaysLocal is a grassroots movement encouraging business owners and community members alike to spend more money on purchases close to home. The movement was created to raise awareness of how … [More]
Road to Recovery: A Look Sector by Sector
Businesses’ first reaction to COVID-19-related disruption was to retrench and protect — actions that were, essentially, reactive. While that may have been the wisest move in the short-term, it is no way to sustain a business over the long-term. Even businesses that were proactive in their response must adjust to new realities in the economy and the business community going … [More]
Hardening in the Insurance Market
With the recent surge in coronavirus cases across Arizona and other parts of the country, COVID-19 remains a significant challenge for businesses, creating additional uncertainty and potential risks for their people and operations. Though a return to pre-COVID normalcy is unlikely anytime soon, businesses nevertheless must carefully and thoughtfully assess their unique risks as … [More]
Robert Blaney, U.S. Small Business Administration, Arizona District
Much has changed since March of this year. What to wear to work today is probably not the first thought of the morning. Telework has become the norm for many and questions and probable answers about reopening abound. Small-business owners are always well-advised to back up records, store data off-site and develop a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) to get their business … [More]
A Vegetable’s Journey
For more than a century, the United States has been a major producer of vegetables and fruits, with total agricultural exports — to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and many other countries — valued in 2018 at $140 billion. Domestic sales aren’t as rosy. As COVID-19 shuttered restaurants, hotels and school districts around the country, farmers in Arizona and around the U.S. … [More]
The Rebuilding of Our Economy: Industry Leaders Speak Out on COVID-19
Businesses of every size and in every economic sector have been restructuring their operations, their business model and, in many instances, their products and services. On our website and through our In Business Dailies, we’ve shared the stories of individual companies that have put new focus on helping their community — businesses as well as individuals — better survive the … [More]
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Selects Polsinelli Shareholder Melissa Ho to Serve Four-Year Term on Arizona State Advisory Committee
Polsinelli Shareholder Melissa Ho has been selected by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to serve a four-year term on the Arizona State Advisory Committee (SAC). In this role, she will provide advice and recommendations to the Commission about allegations of voting rights deprivation; race, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, and national origin … [More]
Q3 Market & Economic Update
Economic growth for the year in Arizona is expected to match or outpace the national average. Job growth did slow to 1 percent in August, which may be due to a seasonal aberration, but overall was up 2.3 percent year over year and is now trailing the nation at large by just a single percentage point. Employment gains in Phoenix and Tucson, specifically, both clocked in at 2.3 … [More]
Q1 Market & Economic Update
Arizona’s performance is expected to remain moderately strong, picking up steam over the next year in new jobs, population, and income growth. Job growth beat the national average last year, but like other gains across a wider spectrum of data, it looks weaker when compared to the state’s historical performance over a 30-year period preceding the financial crisis from … [More]
Q4 2015 Market and Economic Update
Arizona’s economy continues to show solid but measured growth heading into the new year, according to the Arizona Economic Outlook from Eller College of Management’s Economic and Business Research Center. Job growth in the state is largely driven by improvements in the Phoenix area, while by the end of Q3, the Tucson metropolitan statistical area had generated basically no net … [More]
Arizona Agriculture in 2013
Last month, the 2012 Census of Agriculture mailed forms to farmers and ranchers nationwide asking them questions relating to all areas of farming and ranching operations, including production expenses, market value of products and operator characteristics. In 2007, Arizona was seen as a major agricultural state, ranking third in the nation for total value of vegetables, melons … [More]
