Green is good, we all agree. That is, it’s better as a business to be more resource efficient, less polluting, and generally more thoughtful about our impact on the environment. But how much is all this green goodwill really accomplishing when it comes to protecting our environment, combating global warming and, yes, producing profits? The Phoenix Suns have been fairly good … [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]
The Plus Side of Bankruptcy
Although some people think bankruptcy is a death knell for businesses, it is actually a vital part of our economic system. Bankruptcy can allow a reorganized business to emerge stronger and better positioned to compete in the market. In fact, at its core, bankruptcy rewards entrepreneurship. Bankruptcy provides a safety net for businesses, which face economic challenges, to … [More]
Today’s Luxury Home Market
Phoenix-area home prices have been rising since hitting a low point in September 2011. The median single-family-home price rose 32.7 percent — from $150,000 to $199,000 — from last September to this September, according to the most recent report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU. The average listing price of luxury homes — generally defined as those valued at … [More]
Ethics, Accounting and Whistleblowing
The award of more than $150,000 to a whistleblower that was announced this past October by the Securities and Exchange Commission calls attention to what some see as a shortcoming in the whistleblowing provision of the Dodd-Frank Act enacted in 2010: An employee can go directly to the SEC to report an alleged violation instead of informing his employer first. With the SEC … [More]
Explode Sales with Targeted Online Marketing
The Internet has accelerated strategic target marketing to a new level. We have access to virtually any type of information at our fingertips. Combining this with expert analytics, marketers today can create, evaluate and redeploy targeted campaigns at light speed. In the “old” days, the best advertisers could hope for was to promote their company via media that created content … [More]
Lynne King Smith: Carving a Niche in Tickets
Mesa-based TicketForce is a force to be reckoned with. In 2012, the privately-held company sold $52 million in tickets in the U.S. and Canada. TicketForce is a business-to-business company that facilitates the sale of event tickets nationwide and in Canada. Locally, some of TicketForce’s clients include the Herberger Theater, Tempe Center for the Arts, Firebird Raceway and … [More]
Get Paid Fast & Comply
BillingTree, one of the leading on-demand payment processors, has launched its online Compliance Suite™ to inform and educate businesses and organizations about the latest laws, regulations and guidelines and how they impact payment policies and procedures. … [More]
Employer Benefit with EBX
Recognizing its unique position to help employers understand the coming changes to the healthcare industry, Gilbert, Ariz.-based Employee Benefits Exchange Corp. (EBX) is offering a free consultation to educate employers on the requirements and responsibilities that will be effective on Jan. 1, 2014, going forward. During the consultation, EBX can help individual participants … [More]
License to Do Business in AZ
A Guide to Taxes for Arizona Business, an online publication, is designed to help Arizona businesses comply with the state’s basic tax and licensing requirements. In addition to describing the types of licenses and taxes that are applicable in Arizona, a few other agencies that impose taxes and require licensing are identified. Businesspeople can check compliance or use this … [More]
APS YouTube Channel for Business
As the Solana Generating Station goes online, APS demonstrates the power of its new renewable energy plant and produces several videos promoting it, demonstrating the power of renewable energy and educating business owners and others on the benefits of sustainability. … [More]
Major Construction Project Breaks Ground in Tempe
Six hundred thousand square feet of new office space is just the beginning for the Tempe project that will have its official groundbreaking this month at Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Road. At completion, Liberty Center at Rio Salado, being developed by Liberty Property Trust, will offer more than 1 million square feet of office, flex and light industrial space on the 100-acre … [More]
Teens in Business Build iPhone Repairs Company
Combining his expertise in marketing and hers in repairing electronic devices, teen entrepreneurs Alex Leiphart and Jessica Atkinson launched iPhone and iPad repair business Appleite in October. Having an idea for a business is not what sets them apart from other teens, they believe; the differentiator is knowing how to put the business together. Operating Appleite out of … [More]
International Culinary Store Franchise Expands to Arizona
Less than a year after opening their first Arizona store of the international Oil & Vinegar franchise in Scottsdale, Jessica and Mike Winn opened their second in Chandler this past October. They relocated to the Valley two years ago after buying the franchise rights to the entire state — a decision based on their experience as owners of an Oil & Vinegar franchise in … [More]
Customer Experience Has Market Impact
Research from Watermark Consulting and Forrester Research tracked the six-year stock performance of companies on Forrester’s Customer Experience Index. Even during the recession years of 2007-2012, customer experience leaders averaged double-digit gains in stock performance, besting customer experience laggards by an impressive margin. This is not a coincidence — the better a … [More]
Equity Deduction Window Is Closing
Equipment financing “is an active market,” says Michael Brown, president of Washington Federal’s Equipment Finance Division, headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., which has experienced tremendous growth in the six years since the nearly-century-old institution added the product to its portfolio. And this month is ripe to see even more activity in this area in the final weeks before … [More]
2014 Acura MDX All-Wheel Drive
This seems to be the year that car manufacturers are presenting their redesigned and rethought smaller SUV class. It is a big market, undoubtedly due to the options for professionals, heads of households and those living alone who need it all. The MDX has gone through many changes over the years, and in 2014 has seemed to have landed on what is being lauded as a viable … [More]
Executive Makeover
There is no doubt that the office phone, computer and office chair are as critical to one’s success as are the top hires within one’s company. Here are our picks for the top-of-the-line accessories that will mean true success. DW Pro 2 Headset by Sennheiser Aimed at professionals who need flexible yet fail-safe wireless solutions that are comfortable to wear and … [More]
