Not everyone is a natural raconteur. But everyone can enhance his or her skill by keeping three principles in mind: People need to feel something for a story to have an impact. The story must be easy to follow and stripped of unnecessary detail. And finally, because focus is a scarce resource in the brain and attention spans are dwindling, the quicker it gets to the point the … [More]
Heroes for Zero Waste and Zero Hunger
Feeding the Human Spirit is a guiding principle that Kroger Fry’s brands live by. Their commitment to end hunger in communities and eliminate waste across their company is something of an amazing undertaking. Sadly, in the United States an astounding 40 percent of food produced is thrown away. This is where Fry’s’ signature campaign, Zero Hunger Zero Waste, comes into play. … [More]
Organizational Capacity Defined
These days, businesses are often exhorted to build organizational capacity, but what does that really mean? There are many definitions of “capacity,” but in simple terms, an organization’s capacity is its potential to perform — its ability to successfully apply its talent and resources to accomplish stated goals and satisfy stakeholder expectations. Capacity is the engine that … [More]
Pushing Down the Pain
Something is stirring deep beneath the often-polished exterior of startup founders, CEOs and entrepreneurs. Studies have revealed startling rates of toxic stress and disruptive mental health conditions among this population. A study by KPMG Enterprises revealed that 66 percent of founders say their role is extremely or very stressful and 40 percent reported working seven days a … [More]
Feedback: November 2019
What wellness programs have proven effective with your employees? MICHAEL H. BILL Chief Executive Officer MJ Insurance Sector: Insurance MJ Insurance offers different challenges throughout the year that include mindfulness challenges, healthy recipe challenges and physical challenges like daily stretching and wall sits. We continually look for new and innovative ways to … [More]
Arizona Cardinals-themed Hotel Rooms Debut at Gila River Hotels & Casinos
Guests booking a room at Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass in Chandler or Vee Quiva in Laveen can now stay in newly remodeled Arizona Cardinals-themed hotel rooms. Unveiled in September, the two rooms (one at each location) were specially created after the announcement that Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte and Vee Quiva is the … [More]
Payment Product Eliminates Check Fraud
Losses from check fraud total $18.7 billion and affect more than 70 percent of organizations each year. ValidCheck is a new eCheck product designed to eliminate fraud and streamline the way consumers and businesses process transactions online. It was conceptualized by Matt Widdows, founder and CEO of Scottsdale-based HomeSmart International. Each ValidCheck eCheck contains the … [More]
Infill Parking Field to Site Pad Development
Evergreen Devco, Inc., a leading retail and multifamily development company, has begun construction on a pair of single-tenant retail buildings that will house a Black Rock Coffee Bar and a Wilhelm Automotive on the southeast corner of 35th Avenue and Greenway Road in Phoenix. The two buildings are part of Evergreen’s pad development project of an existing shopping center. … [More]
Favorable Activity in Office Pipeline
The Phoenix office market has already absorbed more than 3.07 million square feet of office space in 2019. According to the Q3 Office Insight report just released by the Phoenix office of JLL, that is a three-quarter absorption rate record for the Valley, topping the last high-water mark of 2.9 million square feet of space absorbed during the first three quarters of … [More]
Drafting an Entitlement Team
Assembling one’s entitlement team is a lot like drafting an NFL prospect. Given the significant investment and risk of acquiring and entitling property, smart developers should assemble a team of pros that balance a roster and position a project for success. The best property owners and developers prioritize the value of strategic teammates. That includes zoning counsel, … [More]
Small-Business Lending: Arizona Entrepreneurs on a Fast Track for Growth
In spite of growing concerns, the economy remains strong. As a result, entrepreneurs continue to seek fresh capital to help grow their businesses. According to a recent SMB economic insights report from Lendio, the demand for small-business loans is on the rise nationwide. In Q2 2019, the number of small-business loan inquiries increased 27 percent over the previous … [More]
Innovating in the Cannabis Market
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Carefree, Ariz., Tech-Holdings is an innovator in the hemp and cannabis industries, and has developed and patented a proprietary, fast-acting delivery system technology that allows for the products to act within seconds, not minutes. The company owns a portfolio of national brands in these industries and is a leading manufacturer of … [More]
Looking Good 2019 – November Standouts
ACHIEVEMENTS Serendipit Consulting Wins Big at Industry Awards Taylor Morrison’s Encore at Eastmark was named on Serendipit Consulting made a strong showing at the Public Relations Society of America Phoenix Chapter’s 2019 Copper Anvil Awards. In addition to five Copper Anvil awards and an Award of Merit for its stellar work in the public relations industry, Serendipit was … [More]
Waste Not Opportunity
BlueBridge is the wastewater industry’s only provider of cooperative resource recovery solutions for the management of fats, oils and grease (FOG), which make up the No. 1 cause of sewer overflows in the United States. Founded in 2018, BlueBridge is developing and implementing collaborative business models between municipalities, restaurants and organics recovery companies to … [More]
App Helps Phoenix Businesses Support Local Schools
Clover, a cloud-based point-of-sale solution under Fiserv, and DonorsChoose, an education crowd funding platform, have launched a new app to help merchants support schools in Phoenix and local communities around the country. The Round Up for Schools app, available in the Clover App Market, offers customers the option to round up their purchases and donate the change to nearby … [More]
Decentralized Financial Services
Nash recently launched its user-friendly platform for decentralized financial services, making it quicker and easier to implement large-scale exchanges and everyday payment platforms. Nash combines the security and trust of a decentralized exchange with the speed and performance of a centralized exchange. Unlike a centralized exchange, Nash never takes control of the user’s … [More]
Growing Insurance Industry Seeks New Talent
The insurance industry needs help, lots of help. By 2028, it’s predicted that we’ll have 450,000 open positions. At MJ Insurance, our goal is to target young professionals and highlight the incredible career opportunities we offer. But why weren’t young people interested, not even a little? They didn’t see insurance as a career. Ouch, that hurt. Here’s what we knew: With a … [More]
Let the Sales Team Sell!
All those sales tools, programs, seminars and meetings business owners think are helping could, in fact, be hurting both their sales team and their revenue gains. It may seem counterintuitive — the more tools we give them, the better — but most high-performing salespeople thrive from customer contact, not from meetings or reports. The key is to start somewhere; choosing one … [More]
