Each year, we interview some of the Valley’s top leaders to give our readership some insight into what they see in the coming year for business. This year, we asked some hard-hitting questions of 21 top leaders who are truly entrenched in building our economy, developing policy, managing people and growing business through innovations that have demonstrated a real positive … [More]
Is Every Company a Tech Company?
Technology is indisputably an economic driver as a sector. Is it also a driver of successful growth in other sectors? “The technology industry is critical to economic growth in any community today because it not only produces high-wage jobs, but also supports many other industries,” says Eric Miller, principal and co-owner of Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies and … [More]
Mental Health & the Workplace
“Aside from a worker shortage, arguably the most significant issue facing employers is mental health,” says Peggy Chase, president and CEO of Terros Health. This reality has forced into the open a topic once too stigmatized to be spoken about. Arizona ranks 47th in the U.S. for access to mental health care, according to Sandra Zebrowski, M.D., corporate medical director of … [More]
Leadership & Achievement: Celebrating 2021 Women of Achievement
Women are in more prominent leadership roles than ever before, with the first woman in the White House as an elected officer — Vice President of the United States. The strengths they bring to the business world are proven in studies of businesses’ success in all segments of the economy. With such women in our community often eschewing the spotlight for themselves to, rather, … [More]
Coming Back: How Marketing Will Build (Back) Business after COVID
The term “new normal” is bandied about quite a bit these days. And, indeed, the consensus seems to be that consumers’ relationship with companies they turn to for goods, services and information has evolved in new directions from what was understood and accepted as recently as January of last year.Some businesses, we know, have done exceedingly well over the past year with new … [More]
Greater Expectations: New Economic Opportunity in Arizona
There is tremendous opportunity in Greater Phoenix to grow business and continue diversifying our economic and employment base that will bring opportunity for our residents and move our innovation-centered economy forward. Supporting this assessment, Chris Camacho, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Economic Council, says, “To meet the increasing demand, buildings continue to … [More]
Fun Is Our Business: 10 Companies Tell What It Took to Survive in a Year That’s Been Anything but Fun!
Over the past year — more than a year! — we’ve learned how much we owe to the “essential workers” who ensure we have the goods and services to keep ourselves alive. With light beginning to shine at the end of a long and lonely tunnel, we can begin to feed our souls with another component that has had to take second seat: fun. Going to the movies, to the ballgame, to a fine … [More]
CRE: What’s the Big Picture?
Interest in Metro Phoenix’s commercial real estate industry spans not only all its segments but naturally draws in most of the rest of the business community as companies need space for their operations. Perspective on the state of the market and its future varies by the angle from which involvement stems, and In Business Magazine explores those viewpoints of investors, whose … [More]
Health & Your People
“The COVID pandemic has turned the healthcare industry upside down," says Brian Riveland, M.D., Arizona medical director at Devoted Health. That’s true of every aspect of life as we’ve experienced it, of course. In healthcare, delivery has had to rapidly adapt and change to meet the needs of patients with disparate income levels, social circumstances, and a wide range of … [More]
Stimulus: What Is the REAL Impact?
Between the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and its Economic Injury Disaster Loan & Advance Programs, a total of $13.18 billion in federal financial support has flowed into our state to help small businesses during the pandemic, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Just over 96,000 Arizona PPP loans have been approved in all rounds … [More]
Making Sense of It All: Business, the Law and COVID-19
The observation of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon attorney Otto Shill, “The primary concern of business owners today is to keep their respective businesses viable,” can hardly be disputed. Most business owners are adapting to current market circumstances that may be limiting or altering the way they interact with their customers. In addition, many businesses are facing … [More]
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Time Is Now
Businesses may try to operate from the stance that the growing awareness of bias — racial, ethnic, cultural, sexual or other discrimination — is a social issue outside the world of their internal actions. Some businesses, however, are already operating from a heightened awareness of responsibility internally, to their workforce, as well as externally, to the society they are … [More]
13 Top Valley Leaders on 2021! Where do we go from here?
With the new year just on the horizon and the economy still on quicksand waiting for the political dust to settle, businesses are preparing their budgets and plans for 2021. Although we are, in many ways, still in unprecedented times, experience remains the “crystal ball” that savvy business leaders rely on to adapt their strategies and guide their businesses. In Business … [More]
As Business Changes, So Will Our Healthcare
Only a few years ago, the big issue regarding healthcare was how much responsibility an employer should or could take for his or her employees. Insofar as its economic impact registered, the focus was on small-business owners. The current pandemic has pushed healthcare issues into broader debate: impact on and responsibility of the individual; impact on and responsibility of … [More]
Pandemic Emphasizes Importance of Employee Wellness Programs
Employers know that healthy employees are a company’s best ambassadors in the community. Whether a business is large or small, a strong employee wellness and safety program is paramount to a productive work force. At Abrazo Health, we’ve always had a comprehensive benefits program that supported employee wellness, and have offered resources for crisis support for individuals … [More]
Testing Is Part of the Plan
As today’s environment continues to suffer a shifting landscape regarding COVID-19, there are actions, policies and programs employers can implement to address the needs of their employees — starting with a safety plan to minimize risk of contracting the disease. An effective COVID-19 safety plan addresses three things: physical environment, employee testing and access to … [More]
For Health, Wellness and Safety, Communication Is Key
As employers work to reopen or ramp up their operations, they face the challenge of creating a work environment that helps to prevent new outbreaks while working to support employees impacted by COVID-19. A recent Cigna study found that one in seven COVID patients who were hospitalized have still not been able to return to work two months later — meaning that employers need to … [More]
Local Groups Establish Public-Private Partnership to Help Phoenix’s Latino Communities Fight COVID-19
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it quickly became apparent that underserved, vulnerable communities would be hit the hardest and suffer the most. Unfortunately, the pandemic’s rapid sweep across Phoenix’s Latino community has confirmed this grim reality — and it’s been the same for most communities comprised of people of color across the nation. For example, data … [More]
