Daniel Mahoney, Snell & Wilmer

Greater Phoenix is now home to some major events, from the home-grown Waste Management Phoenix Open to Spring Training, including events we have to beat out other locations for the privilege to host, like the Super Bowl, the College Football National Championship and the Final Four. This isn’t just headline entertainment; it’s an industry that involves businesses ranging from restaurants and catering to security, construction and valet services — all of which benefit from these tremendous events.

Many of these events, such as the Waste Management Phoenix Open, generate not only a significant economic impact on the community but also large sums of charitable contributions to the community. The Thunderbirds, the host organization of the WMPO, has contributed more than $102 million back to the community in charitable donations to date, including more than $9 million last year alone. Additionally, for the last couple of years the WMPO has been used by the Governor and the Arizona Commerce Authority as a venue for hosting out-of-state CEOs who are considering investing in Arizona or moving their companies here. These are just some of the examples of how these events are supporting and growing our community.

Exploring the business impact of events and entertainment, Kaleigh Shufeldt spoke with many of the people who work in this realm to understand the impact. Among these are Derrick Hall, president and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks (and a fellow Thunderbird!), and those who promote events and the region, such as Rachel Pearson, VP of the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. And, of course, the impact goes much deeper and broader than direct revenue — these events bring jobs and more.

To help you present your own special events for your business, In Business Magazine has compiled its annual Meetings & Conventions Guide for this issue.

In this issue, also, attorneys discuss what the opening of diplomatic relationships with Cuba may mean for businesses and how they can navigate opportunities within the constraints of the still-in-effect Cuba embargo. A couple of trends are covered in a feature for HR and healthcare, respectively — the increasing implementation of telecommuting, especially important as millennials exert their growing impact on business, and reliance on health exchanges as companies put together their health benefits packages. This issue closes with its “Roundtable” feature on a new kind of business culture, as Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman shares his experience running an international corporation to continued success even through the global recession by treating everyone in its far-flung employee force like family.

There is so much more in this issue of In Business Magazine, and I know you’ll find useful information as it covers a multitude of business concerns. I’m pleased to help bring this issue to you, as we all work to improve our businesses and the community we are part of.

Sincerely,

Daniel McEvers Mahoney

Partner and Co-chair, Snell & Wilmer, Venture Capital and Private Equity Industry Group

Chairman, 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament 

Dan Mahoney is a partner in the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer and is co-chair of the firm’s venture capital and private equity industry group. His practice is concentrated in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities, venture capital and private equity, corporate law, and advising corporate boards. Dan’s clients operate in a variety of industries, including biotechnology and life science, software, Internet, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing and transportation. Mahoney is also chair of the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open.