Lectric eBikes founders Levi Conlow and Robby Deziel, both 24, met in in middle school playing video games. Fast forward 12 years: Their electric bike company is barely a year old and already has more than 12,000 purchases, earning ElectricBikeReview.com’s Top Choice Award for Best Folding Electric Fat Tire Bike of 2020. The company is expected to hit more than $13 million … [More]
Alkaline Water’s Richard Wright Leads a Wave of Growth amidst Turbulent Times
With its rapid-fire growth and national brand awareness, Richard A. Wright knew it was time his Alkaline Water Company make another bold move: The Arizona-based business that produces bottled alkaline water, flavored-infused waters and CBD-infused waters recently announced its investment in complete brand refresh. A less bullish brand leader might have postponed such an … [More]
Stan Sipes Builds Veyo’s Niche in Transportation Industry
“As a critical component of the healthcare industry, Veyo is doing all we can during this [COVID-19] crisis to ensure access to care while continuously evaluating and implementing responsible policies that protect our constituents, our partners, our people and the public,” says Stan Sipes, whose leadership at Veyo has driven innovative advances for the company. Since … [More]
Mike Greenawalt: Powering Rosendin’s Charge
As a young man, Mike Greenawalt was a self-proclaimed gearhead who loved working on cars and hanging out in the metal shop at Sunnyslope High School. He went on to college, but quickly discovered he missed working with his hands and dropped out to start an apprenticeship with the Phoenix Electrical JATC (Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee) and IBEW Local 640. “My … [More]
Suzette Smith: The Future Is Fermented
Growing up on a farm in rural Georgia, Suzette Smith learned the great art of garden-to-table cooking at an early age. Her parents were modern-day pioneers who left the city and moved the family to the country. Smith harvested the garden, which was the foundation for her passion of whole food nutrition. From soil to seed, she has stuck to the basics when it comes to food and … [More]
Peter Holt: Bringing Alternative Pain Management to the Masses
When Peter Holt assumed the mantle of CEO at the Joint Corp. in June 2016, he knew the company had enormous upside potential. “It was clear to me there was an incredible opportunity to build the company’s culture from the ground up,” he says. “My primary responsibility was to improve our relations with our franchise community and at the same time make our portfolio of corporate … [More]
Fired Pie Founders Expand with Relevance
Doug Doyle Fred Morgan It’s rare to find a locally owned and operated fast casual chain that has grown as quickly as Fired Pie without becoming a franchise. In 2013, Fired Pie exploded on the dining scene as the first fast-casual pizza and salad restaurant of its kind in Phoenix. For the past six years, Fired Pie co-owners Fred Morgan and Doug Doyle have navigated the … [More]
Shannon Quagliata: Op for App for Open Houses
On a quiet summer afternoon in 2017, then-realtor Shannon Quagliata sat in an empty open house and couldn’t understand why there were no interested homebuyers insight. The open house signs and directions she had organized led directly to the house and still it was deserted. What she didn’t know was that, while her client’s property was very popular and had all the components to … [More]
K.C. Kanaan: Making NEMT More than Just a Ride
When K.C. Kanaan’s parents lost their ability to drive, Kanaan began looking for solutions to help his aging parents maintain their independence. But after extensive searching, he discovered a lack of reliable transportation, assistance and companionship services that his parents required. “My siblings and I became their lifeline to the world. My parents relied on us for … [More]
Trish Gulbranson: From Novice to No. 1 in Skin Care
As a way to help women and men feel as young and vibrant on the outside as they do on the inside, Trish Gulbranson founded Derma Health Skin & Laser. In just 15 years, Tempeheadquartered Derma Health has become the No. 1 provider of facial fillers and Botox in the Southwest and is ranked as a top 1-percent med-spa in the nation. More than 50,000 patients have received … [More]
Gerrit Steenblik: Strengthening Ties with Important Foreign Trade Partner
With fluency in the French language and experience in international law, Gerrit Steenblik was pleased to accept the office of French Honorary Consul when the French Foreign Ministry offered it to him 19 years ago. France is an important source of foreign direct investment in Arizona and Metro Phoenix. Citing data from Anubhav Bagley at Maricopa Association of Governments, … [More]
Ted Anderson: Creativity and Relationships
Success isn’t about rigidly adhering to a plan at any cost. As Ted Anderson, president and founder of ANDERSON Advertising + PR, will tell you, building a legacy brand requires constant evolution, and so does advertising. “With the ever-changing landscape of our industry, and that of our clients’ industries, I’ve found that there is no single ‘right’ way forward,” he says. … [More]
Staying Local during Multimillion-Dollar Marijuana Buyouts
I like to think that we’re in an era when the small business rules the roost. Being a small business in 2019 not only allows for versatility, mobility and scalability, but it also allows business owners to be in total control of their creative direction, expansion plans and advertising initiatives. What’s most important to me, though, is that maintaining a small size gives me … [More]
Ryan Hibbert: Causing a Riot in Hospitality
Ryan Hibbert knows what it takes to be successful in the hospitality industry. It was in 2010 when the Arizona native co-founded Riot Hospitality Group, a Scottsdale-based hospitality management company dedicated to evolving the typical restaurant landscape into one that provides unique and meaningful experiences. Nearly a decade and 12 venues later, Hibbert and his team … [More]
Pamela Griffin: Moving Court Reporting to a Wider World of Business
As any business owner knows, it is easy to get stuck in the day-to-day grind of delivering an established menu of goods or services to clients who have come to expect them. But standing firm with the status quo can be a slippery slope and a surefire way toward decline for any entrepreneur. Need proof? You can make a call on your smartphone without a switchboard operator, … [More]
Drena Kusari: Helping Lift Lyft
As the first female general manager for Lyft, now overseeing both the Southwest region and Hawaii, Drena Kusari attributes the growth and success of the business at the local level to strong community ties and relationships developed with partners. This is a sensibility she brings naturally to her position. Kusari was born and raised in Kosovo. Kosovo, which became … [More]
Kathy Sweet: Executing Events ‘because’
Kathy Sweet dared to ask, “What if?” and then took a risk to make her dream a reality. While drive, vision and determination are critical to Sweet’s successes, she knows that people are the true catalysts of a business’s performance and growth. In 1990, Sweet and her husband, Dave, started automätik, a training and events company that works primarily in the automotive … [More]
Sara Silver: Challenging the Status Quo in Business Tech
When Sara Silver started her career in the ’80s, she was usually the only woman in the room. She was also a recent college graduate, so she kept a low profile, focusing on learning as she began to navigate her career. “I never really thought much about it,” says Silver. She admits, “I don’t really consider myself a woman in tech — just a person in tech.” However, Silver has … [More]
