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]
Steven G. Seleznow, Arizona Community Foundation
Arizona is home to a wide range of highly effective and even nationally recognized charitable organizations, giving businesses a variety of ways to support the community through philanthropic investments and activities. Successful companies — whether family-owned businesses or large corporations — recognize the value of aligning their charitable giving with strategic business … [More]
Founding Collaborative Intelligence & Innovation on ‘Purpose’
A new intelligence is required in workplaces today. It’s collaborative intelligence, or, as we prefer to call it, We-Q™. We-Q is not how smart or emotionally developed we are as individuals; rather, it is how intelligent we are mentally, emotionally and socially as a collective — and it is a crucial skill for all kinds of business in the digital age. The reality of this … [More]
Creative Management Transforms People into Profits
When faced with any given challenge, the natural human response is, “What’s in it for me?” Consider the banking fiasco, the granddaddy of “What’s in it for me?” Our country watched in horror as executives paid themselves outrageous bonuses while their companies were failing. These senior managers felt no remorse at slashing their workforces and abandoning their customers … [More]
Counsel for Business
An attorney is an important asset to a business at every stage, whether it is just beginning or has been running for many years. A lawyer’s expertise can help a business that is starting up with everything from employee agreements to exit strategies; if there is a product involved, a lawyer can help secure a patent or protect intellectual property. No small role is just having … [More]
New Labor Rules Spur Uptick in Union Activity
Recent years have seen tremendous evolution in labor law — more than in preceding decades, according to Joe Clees, a shareholder in the Phoenix office of Ogletree Deakins and a past chair of the Employment and Labor Law Section of the Arizona State Bar. It is, however, a realm that is particularly susceptible to change, says Clees, explaining that change is based on the party … [More]
The Importance of Market Research
It’s no secret that corporations reap great dividends by conducting market research. They use facts and figures and focus-group results to develop products, explore new markets, test messaging and establish brand positioning. Nonprofits, however, haven’t typically been as quick to embrace market research, often relying instead on tradition, assumption, staff experience and … [More]
Daniel Lieberman, M.D.: Creating a Shorter Route to Relieving Pain
A notable feature in surgeon Daniel Lieberman’s recently opened Phoenix Spine Surgery Center gives visual manifestation to his innovative approach to healthcare: It’s the patient experience delineated in a clearly marked path in the tile floor. As one visitor expressed it to him, “This makes you feel like the whole thing is under control, and that allows you to really … [More]
A Digital Approach to Employee Training
Training a new employee is a lengthy process. Recognizing that this can be especially burdensome for small businesses, local entrepreneur Chris Ronzio recently launched Trainual, a Web-based software geared toward small businesses to make the training process easier. Because the software is Web-based, it affords convenient access from any location at any time. “Building the … [More]
A New, More Secure Payment Method
“It’s been something that’s been in the works for quite some time now,” says Scott Shedd, referring to the upcoming switch from traditional credit and debit cards to EMV cards. Shedd is the information security consulting manager for WGM, an IT company located in Scottsdale that analyzes technology risks and compliance. The noticeable difference between a traditional card … [More]
Pay-in-Advance Meals
Restaurants are starting to use technology to cut their losses from reservation no-shows through a ticketing system similar to that for theater performances, pioneered in 2011 by Nick Kokonas; diners will not be able to change reservations or get refunds, but can give their reservation to someone else. Kokonas’s “Tock” also provides restaurants with other commercial business … [More]
Amazon Opens for Business
Amazon recently launched Amazon Business with features tailored to businesses. It was designed as a response to business customers wanting an experience at work similar to how they shop at home, according to Prentis Wilson, vice pr esident of Amazon Business, who says it offers “features and back-end integration businesses need to save time and money.” … [More]
LifeLock Program for the Workplace
LifeLock’s recently launched product, LifeLock Benefit Elite™ identity theft protection, was created specifically for employers and brokers to offer as a benefit for employees. It is designed to help detect potential fraud, including issues with a 401(k) account, and bring it to the attention of the employee through alerts within the company’s network via email, text or phone. … [More]
Healthcare Grows Business
Healthcare and bioscience have been targeted by state and municipal economic development agencies as among the key industries to build a strong and sustainable economy. Venture-backed competitions focus on identifying startups that have potential to bring revenue and employment, and give them a leg up toward realizing success. Two startups that recently gained that edge are … [More]
Cure Corridor Going Strong
The healthcare sector continues to be a strong element in the local economy. It’s an area the City of Scottsdale has focused on specifically for its economic development, branding intersecting stretches of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard the “Scottsdale Cure Corridor.” Businesses in that corridor have chalked up numerous economic-impacting milestones this year. Medical … [More]
A/C Efficiency: Winds of Change
Effects of the new seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) for air conditioning implemented last January by the U.S. Department of Energy are being felt all along the channel, from manufacturer to distributor to contractor to purchaser. Noting that the previous change, in January 2006, had met with considerable resistance in the industry, Dan Burke, chairman of Goettl Good Guys … [More]
Accounting on the Go
FreshBooks is working with Apple to deliver a made-for-business app to allow small-business owners to run their business and invoice their clients from anywhere, using a mobile device that can fit into their pocket. Also available are enhanced security features Touch ID and Passcode, currently available for download from the App Store. … [More]
Translation, Please
Translate Your World, developers of across-language communication software, has released new software that enables almost anyone to converse in real-time across 25 different languages. There has never been anything like Translate Your World. Just go to a webpage and talk. The words of each speaker are instantly translated into the other language, to appear as subtitles or be … [More]
