Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy ACHIEVEMENTS More Laurels for Wisdom Natural Brands Industry publication Progressive Grocer chose Wisdom of the Ancients® Organic Yerba Maté Hibiscus Tea as one of its 2019 Editors’ Picks Top New Product awards, and Prevention magazine recognized SweetLeaf® Liquid Stevia Pumpkin Spice Sweet Drops™ in the top … [More]
Competitors Build on Collaboration
“I've definitely realized that there is more than enough business to go around,” says Dallin Harris, founder and president of Skyhook Interactive, discussing an “agency forum” group he takes part in within a larger business owners’ organization. It’s an unexpected assembly. Explains Harris, “In normal EO [Entrepreneurs’ Organization] forums, we try to stay away from our … [More]
Avnet Cares, Accelerating Community Growth
In today’s fast-paced world, time has become the most valuable of assets. As demands on schedules become more and more taxing, the one asset we are not able to replenish, time, has become a preferential way for companies and individuals to give back. Since the company’s inception in 1921, helping others through service has been an integral component to Avnet’s company … [More]
Merging Culture and Strategy
Previous articles explored the concepts of capacity as the ability of an organization to perform and the importance of creating a culture where high-performance teams deliver mission and impact to all stakeholders. With these in place, all is operating well. But can success be sustained as the future is navigated? This requires thinking and acting strategically. For many, … [More]
Brian Cassidy, CCGB Architects
Greater Phoenix is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, so it’s no surprise that there is nothing static about our business community. With a strong core of major corporations and a thriving startup community, business here is continually pushing new boundaries. One way I believe we can help our own businesses to grow is to support other businesses in our … [More]
Feedback: February 2020
What are you doing to nurture leadership within your organization? Calvin Goetz Founder and President Strategy Financial Group Sector: Finance In order to nurture leadership within our organization, I focus on creating systems and processes for each role within the firm. That way, each person has a clear understanding of their role and expectations, and their teammates … [More]
Stop the Overwhelm
Doing more with less has been the obstacle for many organizations, entrepreneurs and employees. Unfortunately, it’s taken a toll on productivity and has even led to stress, overwhelm and burnout in the workplace. Following are some tips to being more productive while eliminating the downsides. Schedule email time. E-mail inboxes are a big anxiety trigger. One way to … [More]
Discount Tire Appoints Dean Muglia as Chief Executive Officer
Discount Tire announced the promotion of Dean Muglia to the role of chief executive officer. Muglia served as the company’s chief corporate officer and succeeds Michael Zuieback, who will retain the role of executive chairman for the company. Muglia’s career includes 31 years in leadership positions with Discount Tire. He was first recruited by founder Bruce T. Halle to head … [More]
Get ‘Smart’: Greater Phoenix Cities Lead the Way
Having a lot of information doesn’t necessarily equate to being smart. With all our “smart” devices that generate mountains of data, what makes a difference in our lives is what we do with that information. Cities take that concept to a greater scale, benefitting both residents and business. In fact, in terms of growing and attracting business, Chris Camacho, president and … [More]
Restoring Wholeness through Mindfulness
As we have seen from parts one and two of this series, trauma fragments a leader’s ability to thrive relationally, cognitively and emotionally. The new science of trauma has consistently shown that when unresolved trauma is present, logic and reason become hijacked, creativity and innovation are thwarted, emotional intelligence is inhibited, and relationships become a source of … [More]
Build Capacity with High-Performance Teams
Capacity is about performance. An organization’s structure embodies its culture by defining how people work together; that is, what performance means, what is valued and what is measured and celebrated as success. When people bring their hands, hearts and minds to their work, the groundwork is laid for building capacity. Individual contribution is important; however, it is when … [More]
Payment Processing Advantages beyond Just Accepting Credit Cards
Accepting credit cards offers tremendous convenience for a business’s customers. But it can provide more than just that; it can facilitate growth in ways that may change the business drastically. Increase upselling — Cash-only payment makes upselling difficult to impossible in most cases. However, if a business accepts credit cards and uses a hassle-free payment processor, … [More]
Santana Equipment Expands Office for its Arizona Operations
Santana Equipment Trading Company, a leader in the used material handling equipment market that celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, recently opened a new retail/rental space for its Arizona clientele. Mesa Forklift, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Santana Equipment, is located near Superstition Freeway and South Country Club Drive. The company opened Santana Equipment … [More]
Looking Good – 2019 Holiday Season Standouts
During the holiday season, our focus was on local standouts in philanthropy. Sprouts Volunteers Build Learning Gardens The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation recently led a National Day of Service for Sprouts team members nationwide. Here in Phoenix, furthering Sprouts’ significant financial contributions, Sprouts team members refreshed the garden area at Spaces of … [More]
FLI-ing Right into Sustainability Challenges
When nothing is certain, anything is possible. All it takes for someone to be successful is to find their passion, build a coalition, and work until they transform the future. Alice Murphy and Mark Hansen took this advice to heart when they founded FLI Right last April. “FLI Right is on a mission to transform the future with transformative technologies that aim to support … [More]
rePurpose Disrupts the Waste Cycle
“We believe in recycling as a solution for today, and reduction and redesign as solutions for tomorrow,” says rePurpose co-founder Svanika Balasubramanian. “At rePurpose, we are building a global movement of conscious consumers and businesses going #PlasticNeutral by supporting waste workers worldwide.” The company was founded last year with a mission to provide simple, … [More]
The Best States to Launch a Startup
Uber, Snapchat and even Facebook — these each started as a small startup, some with hardly any financing behind them. A simple business idea can often blossom into something much greater and successful; however, sometimes it can seem that the odds are against it. After all, 20 percent of businesses fail in their first year, 30 percent in the second and 50 percent within … [More]
Are Your Exempt Employees Paid Enough?
Almost every business has workers who are classified as exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The most common exemptions, often referred to as the “white collar” exemptions, are for executive, administrative and professional (EAP) employees. For the past 15 years, the minimum salary for such employees has been $455 … [More]
