Tales of usurers make for enduring literature (Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is a notable example), but it’s an indisputable fact that commerce would not exist without reputable financial institutions and loan opportunity. Of course, banking has evolved to be much more than a lending resource. For instance, as Toby Day, chairman of the Arizona Bankers Association and … [More]
Strength in Numbers: How Healthcare is Evolving for Business
Healthcare coverage — that’s a big issue for employers these days. And, with the open enrollment period upon us, now is the time many employers are trying to look into the near future to make the best choices for their company and their employees. The challenge is the change that the healthcare landscape is still undergoing. “The biggest impact we think employers will see is … [More]
What Difference Does Leadership Make?
“What difference does leadership make” may sound like a rhetorical question, but there’s value in understanding how our community continues to advance and improve opportunities for residents and businesses. To go beyond simply wanting something to making it happen requires purposeful decision making and a broad view of the impact. Working with Valley Leadership, which our Guest … [More]
Our Food Scene: Making ‘Authentic’ the New Norm
Our pocket of paradise has more than a fair share of celebrity and award-winning chefs spicing up the culinary scene, but what of the restaurateurs whose vison drives the development of our restaurant industry? The Valley is blessed with a plethora of innovators intent on creating unique dining experiences for residents and visitors alike. In these pages, In Business Magazine … [More]
Success by Example: Q&A’s from Local Greats
Small business is thriving in our state, and in Metro Phoenix specifically. Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University have programs focused on fostering entrepreneurialism; many of the Maricopa County community colleges are also active in this space with specialized programs, notably GateWay Community College‘s incubator, Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation; and … [More]
Remaking Economic Development
An extensive study by The Brookings Institution underscores shortcomings of the traditional approach, highlights successful emerging strategies, and, effectively, shows how Greater Phoenix is positioned for growth The lackluster economy is delivering a humbling lesson about economic development: Top-line growth doesn’t ensure bottom-line prosperity. Yet, in too many … [More]
Commercial Real Estate: Is Multifamily Moving the Market?
What’s most visible of commercial real estate in metropolitan Phoenix is the multifamily market. Dennis Desmond, senior managing director of JLL in Phoenix, puts the number of units currently under construction at 6,000. This strength has been a trend as we’ve recovered from the recession. “Multifamily, as a segment of commercial real estate, is the No. 1 driver of growth for … [More]
Healthcare and Good Business
The paced roll-out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is, for the most part, a fait accompli. But many businesses are still wrestling with myriad considerations in implementing programs for the greatest benefit to their company and their employees. And what worked a year ago might not be the best option as their situation changes and as new options become … [More]
Invest in Our Community!
Nonprofits are businesses. That’s obvious, of course, to anyone who has served on a nonprofit organization’s board of directors. They have to operate in the black in order to continue to fulfill their mission. It’s “the mission” that takes center stage in most discussion about impact and purpose with respect to nonprofit organizations. And that’s understandable, given that … [More]
A Spectacle!
The Valley plays host to a multitude of events and entertainers, drawing crowds of locals and visitors alike: car enthusiasts, comic-con fans, baseball spectators, golf connoisseurs, runners and football devotees making the trip to support their home teams. These happenings play a positive role on the Valley’s economy, providing business to the Phoenix Metropolitan area. … [More]
Business & Our Legislature: Is this Relationship Working?
Receptive Republican majorities and an aggressive, persuasive private sector are making sure that business needs are being heard loud and clear at the state capitol — perhaps louder and clearer than at any other time in recent years. Evidence of a successful relationship, lobbyists and business-related organizations say, is legislation that fosters economic development, … [More]
Creating Jobs: ‘Simple’ Solution For Our Economic Success
Job creation has been one of the strongest indicators of the health of an economy. But numbers tell only part of the story, as the technological, global and demographic forces wreak changes on the business employment environment. According to November’s federal jobs report, 271,000 new jobs were created nationwide in October, with 4,700 of those jobs added in Arizona. Since … [More]
Business Strategies
Businesses create revenue and income relative to how they utilize assets. When a business owner goes into the marketplace to try to raise money, the bigger the business’s asset base, the better its position to do so — whether it needs to buy things to sell or make things to sell, says Michael Denning, Ph.D., professor of practice, marketing, at the W. P. Carey School of … [More]
Workplace Healthy: Making ‘Employee Experience’ Impact Your Business
Employees do their best for employers who do their best for their workforce. An environment that fosters a healthy attitude results in stronger employee engagement and, ultimately, productivity. And this healthy work environment encompasses employee benefits, company culture and physical space in addition to wellness programs. For those who wonder what motivates and entices … [More]
Doing Good by Business
Philanthropy wasn’t just an element added to the business when Robert Thornton launched Paper Clouds Apparel eight years ago; it was the foundation on which his business model was built. Captivated by the drawings of a special needs child, he conceived the idea of developing a line of T-shirts featuring designs by special needs children and donating half of the company’s … [More]
Back to Basics 2.0
No one is good at everything. So, with the many hats a business owner must wear, some will be in the comfort zone and some in an area of actual expertise. All, however, require attention. Whether a business founder continues to actively handle all responsibilities personally or is able to delegate certain roles in the company’s organization, it remains important in any … [More]
Tech Sectors: The Technology Advantage, Sustaining Arizona’s Economy
Jobs in the technology sector are among the best-paying, and therefore help to raise the economy generally. There is also a multiplier effect, as each single technology-sector job creates more than four jobs in the broader community. Creating the jobs and the work force to fill them, then, has become an important focus of economic development from the local to the statewide … [More]
Office, Retail, Industrial & Multifamily: A Look at Commercial Real Estate as an Economic Measure
As an economic indicator, commercial real estate touches those big indicators — money and employment. As the industry continues its comeback from the down days of the Great Recession, commercial real estate developers point to many positive factors supporting the current healthy slate of new projects. Metro Phoenix is seeing some product types coming back more than others, … [More]
