Not so many years ago, the lament in and about the local business community was lack of access to investment money. “It has emphatically changed within the last 10 years, but, most notably, the last three years. Capital has become democratized and much more mobile, so no longer is it so heavily concentrated in New York and San Francisco,” says Chris Camacho, CEO of the … [More]
Zach Ferres, Coplex
It was only a few years ago when the Valley was a venture capital wasteland. That has turned around — thanks in large part to the high-profile successes of Infusionsoft and WebPT. Each big tech success story spawns greater interest and capital for the local tech ecosystem; some of the bigger tech exits have been Carvana, LifeLock, HealthiestYou and Tuft & Needle. Almost … [More]
Unlocking Your Company’s Hero Potential
An idea can come from anywhere, or anyone — from the C-suite to the mailroom. Leaders don’t have a monopoly on innovation and strategic ideas. However, many people are afraid to innovate because they’re afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to fail! Throughout my career, I’ve bought and sold more than 250 business and handled billions of dollars in transactions, and one of … [More]
The 5 Most Cringe-Worthy Privileged Data Breaches of 2018
Privileged attack vectors and stolen personally identifiable information (PII) obtained have been a constantly paired news item throughout 2018. In 2019, we can expect privileged attack vectors to continue to reign as the No. 1 root cause of breaches for both consumer and business data theft. Below, I have compiled my list of the top-five most noteworthy breaches for this … [More]
Handshakes Speak for You
Have you ever wondered what your handshake says about you? Your handshake is like your business card. It conveys your confidence, credibility and influence without a single word being spoken. Studies have shown this one simple gesture can enhance a social situation and make a positive impact on others. In our culture, a handshake accompanies almost every introduction and … [More]
Transform from Rust-Belt to High-Tech
Many rust-belt company CEOs blame their company’s failure on everything under the sun: automation, offshore labor, AI and even their own employees. What these CEOs don’t realize is, the No. 1 reason their company failed had to do with themselves — they decided to live in “happy land” and live off the successes of yesterday. They chose to ignore the margins and new technology; … [More]
Merger in Sight?
In November 2017, the United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T’s $85-billion purchase of Time Warner. The lawsuit was eye-opening and sent significant ripples across legal and business landscapes. In particular, the suit showed an inclination of the federal government to block a large merger between two companies that were not direct … [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]
Employee Financial Wellness and the Company Bottom Line
New research quantifies the improvements in employee retirement preparedness which generate ROI for an employer by reducing the costs of delayed retirements. The “Special Report: The ROI of Improving Employee Retirement Preparedness,” from Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank, found that, for a 50,000-employee company, this could lead to a savings of $65 million or … [More]
Top Business Challenges During Political and Economic Uncertainty
Operational efficiency, obtaining new customers and talent acquisition are the top priorities for businesses going into 2019, according to a recent Enterprise Bank & Trust Think Tank survey. Heading into 2019, business is ripe with opportunity; however, political and economic landscapes present a lot of uncertainty and angst for business owners. With privately held … [More]
Luxury Wing Debut at Scottsdale Fashion Square
Scottsdale Fashion Square is showing how to make a grand entrance. What was an unobtrusive side of the mall partially hidden behind the old Camelview Theatres has been renovated as a wide courtyard fronted by — a staple amenity for a luxury destination — a valet stand, and leading to a striking, two-story glass entry to the mall’s new luxury wing. A ribbon-cutting was … [More]
Scottsdale Fashion Square’s Past and Future
Scottsdale Fashion Square has evolved incrementally as the retail industry — and the market — have changed since the property’s earliest days in the 1960s when it was a small, open-air center anchored by Goldwater’s department store. Highlights of many key changes over the years include building a two-story retail bridge to connect two separate retail properties into one that … [More]
IT Challenges for Growing Enterprises
Rapid business growth is a universal goal, but the inability to scale infrastructure and resources can easily become a growth inhibitor. Whether it’s e-commerce, CRM or deploying and managing employee devices, growth places strain on IT resources, with employees, endpoint devices and operating systems growing faster than IT staff. With every new period of growth or … [More]
IT Challenges: When to Lean on Automation
In every business, there are repetitive processes that take valuable time away from supporting growth or, worse, lead to burned out IT staff, frustrated employees and unhappy customers. The first step is to identify where these repetitive processes live in IT, which could be: Deploying new devices, operating systems or patches Tracking or managing software licenses … [More]
Send-to-Site Medical Care
It’s a new business on an old model: The doctor makes house calls. DispatchHealth equips its medical teams with all the tools necessary to bring healthcare to a person’s home by packing up essentially 70 percent of an emergency room. CEO and co-founder Mark Prather, M.D., MBA, notes the team — referred to during the height of flu season as the “Traveling Flu Crew” — arrives … [More]
Advancing Whole-Body Donation
Science Care, the world’s largest whole-body donation program, is a Phoenix-based company founded 18 years ago to address the shortage of human tissue for research and education. “Doctors needed a safe way to train from a well-respected and documented provider of non-transplantable human tissue for research and education,” says CEO Brad O’Connell. “After an extended period of … [More]
BCBSAZ Motivating Health and Wellness
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona recently launched Get Fit. Don’t Quit, a health and wellness program as part of its mission to make Arizonans healthier. BCBSAZ teamed with fitness icon Jake “Body By Jake” Steinfeld in this effort to empower Arizonans to live a healthier lifestyle. The program is built around the idea that small steps lead to big payoffs, and shows people fun, … [More]
Overcome Recruiting Challenges
Hiring challenges abound across many of Arizona’s industries. With low unemployment and more companies dipping into the talent pool, it can be difficult to find skilled talent. Here are tips to help a business take a focused approach and improve its chances of landing the best talent. Don’t skimp on compensation. Offering a good salary and benefits is an advantage, but it’s … [More]
