Sitting in a comfortable leather chair by the baggage claim area inside the terminal at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, in the lounge that recreates one of his company’s designs, homebuilder Doug Fulton is talking to a Canadian couple who has just arrived from Toronto. The CEO of Tempe-based Fulton Homes informs the couple the life-sized living room they are lounging in is part … [More]
Construction Supply Company in Expansion Mode
Flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators, which opened a 6,239-square-foot store in Scottsdale this fall, finds the Metro Phoenix market is “one of the shining stars in performance” in its operations, according to Jim Davis, vice president of sales. The company has 280 stores, with locations in almost every state nationwide. Since opening its first store in Phoenix — its 19th … [More]
New Golf Enterprise Focuses on Business Women
Women represent a huge new potential market for the golf industry, and the PGA’s Connecting with Her initiative for the industry-wide Golf 2.0 growth strategy attests to that organization’s interest in tapping into it. Entrepreneur Shawn Jardine recognized the void out of personal experience; recently launched Diva Golf in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and has chosen Phoenix as the … [More]
Services Is Growth Focus of Business
Many companies look at services as a strategy for growth and profitability — even companies whose business is built around a product. The Center for Services Leadership, established in 1985 at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business, has involved many of Arizona’s biggest companies to study this growing trend. The Center’s recent creation of an executive committee of the board is … [More]
Sustainability Profits in Money and Morale
Mesa-based Crescent Crown Distributing, one of the nation’s largest distributors of alcoholic beverages, is reaping profits in morale as well as bottom line benefits due to the sustainability features it incorporated into its new 335,000-square-foot facility. James Moffett, president of Crescent Crown, says the company had been working toward the goal of being more energy … [More]
Bytes: November 2012
e-Marketing Can Be Rewarding PinningRewards, a grass-roots marketing and product distribution system, has helped Wizard Industries and a fast-growing number of other brand owners get their products into new retail markets. As the system has proven increasingly successful for its founding company, PinningRewards provides an array of functionality for varied types of … [More]
Employers Anticipate Employee Pay Increase
Employers in Arizona reported they anticipate pay increases in 2013, says a study completed by Mountain States Employers Council released in early October. Arizona employers project the highest increase of the three states surveyed, with an anticipated 2.8 percent pay increase in 2013. Survey findings were collected from 580 organizations in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming and … [More]
A Japanese Tavern: Nobuo at Teeter House
Asking guests to leave common expectations of Japanese cuisine at home, Nobuo Fukuda, the talent behind this award-winning restaurant, innovates and creates some amazing dishes for lunch at this historic Phoenix-home-turned-eatery. A James Beard Award winner and named “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine a while back, Fukuda translates his Japanese heritage with … [More]
A Hot Choice: Gourmet Soups
As temps come down, it seems like the soups come out. Enjoy gourmet meals in a bowl at some of the Valley’s best lunch spots. Options abound and flavors come together. AJ’s Fine Foods — Valley-wide Known for gourmet foods and products, AJ’s is also home to a bistro that offers no less than six soups each day. Homemade daily, soups range from Cheese Broccoli and Minestrone … [More]
Client Appreciation: Give the Gift
A sign that times are changing is that client gifts are back and in a big way. Retailers are reporting increased activity, so get on it and show some appreciation. Here are some top gift ideas for this holiday season. Charity of Choice Give the gift of charity with JustGive.org. This e-card service can e-mail, print or direct mail a gift card to one’s client. Set the amount … [More]
Pure Venom: 2013 Viper SRT
Set to debut in December, the new Viper SRT is a complete redesign by Chrysler engineers to offset the fear many had with the original model that was plagued with maintenance problems from day one. This new machine is expected to truly impress and begin again the race to build the next generation of American ultra sports cars and win out over the well-known European … [More]
Ryan House: Quality of Life to Sustain Families of Children with Life-threatening Illness
Golfers get to eat their way around the golf course Saturday, Dec. 1, on Ryan House fundraiser Gourmet Golf. “It’s an entertainment and food event, not just a golf tournament,” says Rusty Dees, a member of Ryan House Board of Directors and co-chair of the second annual golf tournament. At every third hole, a celebrity chef — whom Dees describes as “among the most recognizable … [More]
Arizona Burn Foundation: Easing Burn Victims’ Traumas
Standing 10 to 12 feet high and stunningly adorned, the live Christmas trees towering in the Camelback Inn’s ballroom for the Holiday Festival of Trees on Dec. 8 will generate bidding among the evening’s guests that will provide nearly one-third of the Arizona Burn Foundation’s annual operating budget. Climactic as the auction is — last year, one bidding war got up to $30,000 … [More]
Feedback: November 2012
Question: What are the most important subjects or skills you feel our educational system and institutions should be concentrating on to prepare a work force that will sustain our economy? Andrew F. Morrill President Arizona Education Association Sector: Education We hear a lot about the importance of STEM academic areas (science, technology, engineering and math) as … [More]
Bob Meyer’s Vision Revitalized Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Some business consultants, faced with the challenge of trying to save a children’s hospital that is $48 million in debt and with barely any cash on hand, would have suggested declaring bankruptcy or selling. Not Bob Meyer. Thanks to his visionary approach, in the eight years Meyer has been with Phoenix Children’s Hospital — starting out as interim chief executive officer in … [More]
Robert Sarver, Western Alliance Bancorporation
The economy in Arizona is steadily recovering and banks have increased lending to businesses. The past four years have been tough for big and small business alike, and there is no question that financial institutions have been tested through what has been the worst economic cycle since the Great Depression. Banks that have had access to capital and were proactive navigating … [More]
E-mail: Is It Casual Conversation or a Binding Contract?
In the good ol’ days of e-mail, the biggest downside was the occasional virus or an obscure spam invitation to support an even more obscure Nigerian military commander. Oh, how times have changed. Now, seemingly innocuous e-mail exchanges between business and client (or employee and a vendor) regarding a potential contract could be considered legally binding … “We Got a Deal … [More]
