Rudy Parga is Managing Shareholder of the law firm Ryley Carlock & Applewhite. He has a broad commercial and employment litigation practice, and previously led the firm’s Litigation group. Parga is named in multiple editions of Best Lawyers® and Southwest Super Lawyers®, and has garnered recognition locally as well. He is also frequently acknowledged for his community … [More]
Rick Murray, Arizona Small Business Association
Small business is big in Arizona. It is both an economic force and an important employment producer, and comprises 97 percent of all businesses in the state. Contributing to this is the level of entrepreneurship here. In recent years, Arizona has been ranked by such respected sources as the Kauffman Foundation and Fast Company as the No. 1 state for entrepreneurial activity. … [More]
John Solheim, Karsten Manufacturing Corp./PING, Inc.
Manufacturing in the Valley runs the gamut from large fabrication facilities to small “mom and pop” shops like we once were when we first began making putters in my dad’s garage. Manufacturing is an economic engine that supports other industries as diverse as hospitality, construction and healthcare. For some, the word “manufacturing” may conjure up images of conveyor belts, … [More]
Jane L. Morris, A.A.E., Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority
Phoenix is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, and it is coming back strong after taking a bad hit in the wake of the housing collapse five years ago. The Valley is diversifying its economy and creating multiple centers as economic engines. At Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, we’re working strategically to keep this “economic engine” running strong … [More]
Linda Hunt, Dignity Health Arizona
With all the debate over healthcare, an aspect that gets little attention is the role of the healthcare consumer. But the more engaged the individual, the better the health outcome should be — and when this is translated to the workplace, employers are finding that engaging employees in their healthcare impacts the company’s healthcare benefits cost. The question is, how do … [More]
Mark B. Bonsall, Salt River Project
Providing the energy that enables businesses to succeed and commerce to thrive is vital. Utilities such as Salt River Project (whose history is rooted in the provision of water and hydroelectricity) have the power — literally — to help deliver economic growth to the Valley, and it’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Looking ahead, the emphasis in the utility industry … [More]
Bob Parsons, GoDaddy
One of Arizona’s economic strengths is its wealth of entrepreneurial activity. In fact, our state ranks among the highest in the nation for start-up enterprises. Businesses span the gamut from service to high-tech. Entrepreneurs from all walks of life start and develop businesses, feeding our economic engine with the fuel it needs to grow. This entrepreneurial activity … [More]
Governor Janice Brewer, State of Arizona
Since the statewide economic slide of the recent recession, Arizona economic development agencies and business leaders have focused on diversifying the state’s economy beyond the boom-and-bust industries of tourism and construction. Efforts have ranged from identifying sectors built around the “knowledge worker” whose employment helps drive an economy forward and upward to … [More]
Patricia Reiter, Rob and Melanie Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives
We’ve come a long way from just a couple of decades ago when “going green” was a choice companies or individuals made in spite of the cost involved. If you define sustainability as economic prosperity, environmental resilience and social justice — or, more simply, the future we want — businesses and organizations in Arizona are leading the way. Today, as businesses operating … [More]
David Bruno, DHR International
On the subject of jobs, the rhetoric can get very heated as numbers are cited and calls to action urged. Arizona’s unemployment figures during the recession were near the top in the nation, and in the recovery some sectors are complaining of not enough workers. But numbers do not define the bottom line in today’s employment picture. Arizona is seeing growth today in almost … [More]
Paul Hickman, Arizona Bankers Association
Capital to start a business, capital to grow a business — capital is the essential element in any business endeavor. The types of sources that businesspeople can turn to are varied, and access to funding has become increasingly complicated. But it’s not just the final borrower who is facing these challenges; issues are impacting lending institutions as well, while they continue … [More]
Jim Ward, The Phoenix Symphony
Culture is what defines us as a people, as a community. Here in the Valley of the Sun, culture surrounds us in great variety — including performances by world-class artists and paintings that sell for millions of dollars. This issue of In Business Magazine takes a look at how arts and culture live in the fabric of our community. Whether or not you enjoy the aesthetic benefit … [More]
Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona
We’re living more and more in a global economy, and local companies have opportunities to expand and grow by connecting outward to new markets. But there is economic strength and other benefits to be derived by encouraging business interaction within the local community. The “buy local” movement has definitely taken hold in Arizona. Consumers are now actively seeking out … [More]
Jeffrey Pruitt, Tallwave
Small business is touted as the backbone of our economy. And Arizona is ranked No. 1 among the 50 states on the respected Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. Taking these two realities in tandem gives a very positive outlook for our statewide economy — and an even stronger one for the Valley, with its preponderance of business incubators hosted by municipalities, … [More]
Charles Vermillion, OneNeck IT Services Corp.
Technology is sometimes portrayed in the media for its man-vs-machine role in workplace job losses. But it is also touted as an economic growth sector — in fact, it is one of the areas Arizona’s leaders have identified as key to the state’s development of a sustainable, strong, high-wage-based economy. A number of organizations, including the Arizona Technology Council, are … [More]
Elliott D. Pollack, Elliott D. Pollack and Company
The Valley’s real estate market can be as hot as its summer temperatures, and has been an integral part of Metro Phoenix’s growth in the last 15 years to twelfth-largest metropolitan area in the country. When the real estate market slows, the region’s entire economy feels it, which is why a healthy real estate market is of such concern to those who study the economy. What is … [More]
Michael Kennedy, Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A.
Here in Arizona, we have the year-round privilege of being able to root for our home-town team, as Metro Phoenix is host to professional teams for baseball, football, basketball and hockey. Not to mention such major events as Waste Management Phoenix Open, the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star Game and NASCAR. But sports has value far beyond entertainment. As an industry, the business … [More]
Betsey Bayless, Maricopa Integrated Health System
The healthcare landscape of Arizona is undergoing a dramatic change. Whether you are an individual recipient of healthcare benefits or an employer weighing the best healthcare options for your business, the bottom line is we are navigating uncharted waters. While there has been much speculation on how President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act will … [More]
