COVID-19 has exacerbated the funding problems businesses face, highlighting the need for change. The disruptions that 2020 brought left most small businesses reeling. Owners and would-be entrepreneurs found themselves faced with various issues regarding business capital funding, and although it’s tempting to lay the blame solely at lenders’ feet, that would be unfair. Small … [More]
Arizona Passes Prop. 207 to Become the 13th State to Legalize Marijuana
At the end of last year, Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 207, legalizing recreational marijuana in our state. So, what happens next? According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, the law will allow limited marijuana possession, use and cultivation by adults 21 or older; amend criminal penalties for marijuana possession; ban smoking marijuana in … [More]
Customer Benefits Come from Credit Union Acquiring Bank
Arizona Federal is the only Arizona-based credit union with SBA PLP status. We were able to obtain this designation through the acquisition of Pinnacle Bank just one year ago. Pinnacle was a community bank I was proud to stand up back in 2005. Arizona Federal had obtained the designation by exhibiting a successful track record of processing small business loans and by … [More]
Education-Related Businesses Are Addressing the Pandemic
COVID-19 will change how we live -- some of it forever — and education may be one of the more affected areas of life. Out of necessity, K-12 schools, colleges and universities have transitioned to remote “virtual learning.” Teachers and instructors are now communicating with students via personal computers, and lesson plans have been altered to online formats. Despite these … [More]
The R&D Tax Credit: An Overlooked Tax Saving Opportunity for Architects and Engineers
By designing impressive new buildings and developing solutions for challenging structural issues, architects and engineers serve as beacons of growth and innovation in society. Yet, many architecture and engineering firms do not realize that their routine activities may qualify them for a powerful opportunity to significantly boost their bottom lines: the Research and … [More]
FinTech for Banking and Investing
As technology continues to play an increasingly dominant role in daily life, FinTech has followed suit, equipping the banking industry with tools that makes it more efficient and customer-oriented than ever before, according to Don Garner, CEO of Alliance Bank of Arizona. “Although nothing can replace an expert banker who has a close relationship with a customer and understands … [More]
A Vegetable’s Journey
For more than a century, the United States has been a major producer of vegetables and fruits, with total agricultural exports — to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and many other countries — valued in 2018 at $140 billion. Domestic sales aren’t as rosy. As COVID-19 shuttered restaurants, hotels and school districts around the country, farmers in Arizona and around the U.S. … [More]