A start-up is an idea, a corner of the garage, the spare bedroom and every spare minute. The Great Recession may have been Arizona’s start-up booster. “There were suddenly a lot of people with great ideas and no jobs,” says Setheraman “Panch” Panchanathan, ASU’s senior vice president for the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development. “They didn’t have much more to lose, so … [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]
Insurance: Quietly Supporting the Economy
It’s not too often that Arizona State University President Michael Crow is joined by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to say, “Welcome to the neighborhood!” But when ASU’s new neighbor is looking to occupy 2 million square feet of office space valued at $600 million, who can blame the duo for leading the welcome wagon? The planned regional headquarters for State Farm Insurance … [More]
Facebook or Face Time? Communication Approach Matters
Technology has made many aspects of modern living more convenient and “connected,” but the pendulum has swung too far. This “technology takeover” is not without consequence. Misunderstandings abound. Relationships stagnate. Trust is at an all-time low. And all of these issues are at least partially due to the fact that genuine human connections are becoming a thing of the past, … [More]
Spot Business Opportunity in Tomorrow’s Economy
Some of today’s largest, most recognizable companies may not be around after the next several years. To succeed, company leaders must not only be able to innovate, they must recognize opportunity and ensure they’re poised to seize it. Napster’s impact on the music industry is an example of the need to be alert to opportunities in innovation. Napster was a rule-breaking company … [More]
Due Diligence as Partnership
As the economy picks up, so does mid-market merger and acquisition activity. Yet successful deals remain elusive. According to a wide array of respected industry studies, the failure rate of M&A deals ranges between 70 and 90 percent. Even the most upbeat research shows M&A success as a 50/50 proposition at best — daunting odds for such a high-stakes venture. The … [More]
Role-relevant Certification Helps in Recruiting Talent
The publication of 2012 global jobless figures reveals a deepening of the crisis plaguing employers in every town around the globe. A paradox between numbers of unemployed and difficulty in recruiting talent is here for a generation. And while widespread unemployment and the need to up-skill populations has been widely reported, one vital ingredient is absent from the … [More]
Richard Lehmann: A Sure Hand at the Helm of Biltmore Bank
Sometimes prevention really is the best cure. Through sound decisions made in the midst of a very sick economy, Richard Lehmann, founder and CEO of Biltmore Bank of Arizona, warded off troubles other banks encountered. But he knows all too well the woes of being the forgotten patient, or at least one left to fend on its own. Think about being that patient, not well, coming … [More]
Executive MBA Is Competitive Edge for Law Firm
National law firm Quarles & Brady recently developed an executive MBA program for its partner-level attorneys in collaboration with The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. “It was an opportunity to learn in the way business owners learn all the things our business-owner clients are concerned with,” says Leezie Kim, one of two partners in the Phoenix … [More]
Business Booms from Maricopa County Home Show
More than 500 local home improvement businesses will showcase their products and services at the Maricopa County Home Show at the University of Phoenix Stadium this month. A survey by Maricopa County Home Shows indicates 43 percent of attendees will hire a contractor within 60 days after a show, and are more likely to spend their combined budgets of more than $148 million with … [More]
Marketing Gelato Spot Creates Win/Win Op for Local Chefs
Gelato Spot’s current marketing campaign combines cross-promotion within the restaurant realm of small business with support of community nonprofit Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Through the summer, Gelato Spot is hosting a flavor competition among chefs at noted local restaurants, who have created his and her own flavor, and funds raised will be donated to the hospital in the … [More]
National IT Staffing Company Expands to Phoenix
Phoenix is the latest expansion for Digital Intelligence Systems, ranked by Staffing Industry Analysts as the second-fastest-growing company in the staffing industry among companies with revenues exceeding $100 million. “Phoenix has always been on the radar screen for DISYS,” says Tim Kirby, managing director for the Phoenix office, which opened in February. Noting Phoenix is … [More]
Food Distribution HQ Moves to Phoenix
WinCo Foods is building an 800,000-square-foot distribution center in Phoenix at 75th Avenue and Buckeye Road. One of the largest build-to-suit projects here in recent years, according to Greater Phoenix Economic Council president and CEO Barry Broome, the center is expected to open sometime next year and create up to 200 jobs in its first phase. Noting the grocery store … [More]
Leadership Connections Series
Bloomberg TV provides a multitude of videos on leadership and other business-related topics. Its “Leadership Connections” series offers interviews by some of the top leaders in American business. … [More]
Track What They Say About You
Review Trackers is a brand new review monitoring solution designed to help mom-and-pops, small businesses and entrepreneurs manage their online reputation by helping business owners listen and respond to what their customers are saying about their product and service. … [More]
New App Ties Location to Files
People or organizations can tag maps and floor plans of specific buildings, maintenance records and educational videos to a piece of equipment, or relevant tasks and checklists to a certain area of a facility. Any type of file or document that can be stored in the cloud can be tied to a location for easy lookup with the new Float Mobile Learning app, Wayfiler. … [More]
Making Language Barriers Disappear
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, U.S. organizations are facing a critical skills gap in foreign languages. Only 5.6 percent of the world population speaks English as a primary language, yet only 11.4 percent of the U.S. population is fluent in more than one language. Download this eight-page white paper by Rosetta Stone for more. … [More]
Sales Managers are Key to Unlocking Peak Sales Performance
“Forecast accuracy” is an oxymoron, according to the recently released Sales Management Optimization Study from CSO Insights. Key findings show that only 45.7 percent of forecast opportunities are being won as projected. The report also shows that, while process and coaching are considered important areas for sales management time allocation, these functions are disconnected … [More]
