Accommodating hard-of-hearing or deaf employees need not be the intimidating effort many employers anticipate, points out Sue Kay Kneifel, statewide coordinator of the Arizona Department of Security’s Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services, which has made educating employers on this workforce issue its focus this year. In Arizona, 1.145 million people age 20 and older are … [More]
Apt Apps
Top apps are a best practice when on the run and using mobile devices and tablets. Here are some that we have found to be most useful. Dropbox Nothing new here, but anyone not using Dropbox is likely not truly working mobile. It is the place for photos, documents, videos and other files. The files are safely backed up and available everywhere and on all devices. … [More]
Financially Serving the Hispanic Market
There’s more to serving the Hispanic market than simply translating messaging into Spanish. Language is a component, “but you need cultural relevance,” explains Luis Soto, a driving force in Vantage West’s recent designation of “Juntos Avanzamos” (“Together We Advance”) from Texas’s Cornerstone Credit Union League. “Vantage West is the first credit union outside the … [More]
The Expanding ATM Network
Allpoint recently added QuikTrip as a retail partner to serve the Phoenix area. The company works with banks and credit unions to provide surcharge-fee ATMs to the institutions’ customers at convenient, premier retail locations — the kind of well-known and trusted retail brand names that are already part of people’s daily routines. Financial institutions are moving to a … [More]
New Model in Real Estate
A new model of real estate brokerage firm debuted in the Valley earlier this year. Local real estate entrepreneur John N. Vatistas created Launch Real Estate with, initially, a handful of personally selected top-producing real estate brokers. “While it is common among traditional real estate brokerages to house agents of varying skills sets and experiences, from novice to … [More]
Making Change through Innovation
Changemaker Challenge is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from all four Arizona state university campuses to make a difference in local and global communities through innovation. Students can win up to $10,000 to make innovative project, prototype, venture or community partnership ideas happen. This year, more than $40,000 was handed to several … [More]
Top Temp Talent
BlueCrew’s on-demand staffing platform automates the screening and matching of the most-qualified and -trusted candidates to the right jobs. Its algorithms empower employers to cut through the clutter of thousands of temporary job candidates to hire top temporary talent at the click of a button for positions that include movers, drivers, forklift operators, warehouse staff, … [More]
Global Payments
Bitwage combines cloud, mobile and blockchain technology to make international payments faster and simpler. The average to pay employees, freelancers and contractors across borders is five days and 8 percent. With Bitwage — founded in 2014 by a team of former Oracle employees — wage payments can be as fast as same day and as low as 1 percent. Companies can use Bitwage to pay … [More]
Talent Captured
Social apps have defined the way we communicate and form relationships, and HR leaders are beginning to adopt day-to-day technology to complement this 21st-century platform of communication. One area that has been slow to adopt to the changing times is recruitment. Addressing this is getTalent, a talent relationship management engine that helps HR teams build a strategic, … [More]
Entrepreneurial Lifestyle
SOHO Scottsdale, designed in collaboration by renowned architect Bing Hu of H&S International and Irene Clary of Catclar Investments, is a first- of-its-kind, mixed-use, live-work residential project designed for the professional or entrepreneur. These stylish, modern live-work units are uniquely dual-zoned; giving owners the ability to enjoy the lifestyle North Scottsdale … [More]
‘Millennial Mindset’
Contour on Campbell Ave. represents a new typology in condominium communities, with amenities catering not to a particular age group but to the homebuyer looking for a specific urban lifestyle, and Liv URBN and design partners Gould Evans Associates keep locale-centric design and neighborhood integration at the fore of their decision-making on this project. “We think of our … [More]
Whiskey Row with Aggie Roots
Ground has broken on a new Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in downtown Gilbert that has been designed to connect with the town’s agricultural roots. “We were influenced by Gilbert’s agricultural roots and the feeling of a barn or trading post,” says Artie Vigil, architect and urban designer with AV3 Design Studio of Phoenix. The new restaurant will include patio, dance floor and … [More]
Contracting Assistance Is ‘Win-Win’ for Small Biz & Government
The Defense Logistics Agency’s Office of Small Business Programs administers a unique program designed to assist small businesses as they navigate government contracting. The Procurement Technical Assistance Program was created in 1985 to provide specialized training and assistance to small businesses to help increase their participation in government contracts at local, state … [More]
Marketing: Live from Mesa Chamber
“Mesa Morning Live” is far from your typical chamber networking event, although it does include a mix-and-mingle, breakfast and a few table presenters. But the core of this successful program that the Mesa Chamber of Commerce puts together every month is informative entertainment that’s professionally produced and broadcast live (and archived on YouTube) for the benefit of … [More]
Mentions’ Online Monetary Measure
The algorithm, called PR Value, shows the monetary value of mentions in articles on news sites, blogs and forums and in social media messages, using several real-time factors. Says Toine Verheul, CEO of Coosto, “We believe that PR Value lets professionals make better brand decisions. Until now, it wasn’t possible to soundly assess what the return on investment is for marketing … [More]
Workplace Emergency Communications
Share911.com is the world’s first workplace emergency management platform that enables communication, collaboration and continuity of operations before, during and after an emergency. Share911.com is a private and secure Web-based application that allows people who work together to share critical information during an emergency. This real-time information increases response … [More]
Tomo Connects
In today’s society, we have evolved from exchanging business cards to exchanging social media information. TOMO! Mobile Application was developed as a solution to exchange social media information more conveniently and efficiently. The app will also be utilized as a tool within small businesses and universities/colleges and will allow users to link their various social media … [More]
Leadership Makes an Impact
Graduating 50 or so candidates each year, Valley Leadership advances them to true leaders by connecting them to the community and accelerating their pursuit to become strong leaders within their organizations and for our community as a whole — to effect change and make a difference. Whether the individuals are working in the for-profit or nonprofit sector, Valley Leadership … [More]
