July 2022

Cover Story

Are You Game? How Gaming and Sporting Events Are a ‘Big Win’ for Our Economy

Gaming and sports have gone together for a long time; the new trend in sportsbooks brings it out of odds-makers’ back rooms and into prominent display. A Powerhouse Punch on the Economy “With nearly $2.8 billion wagered, the positive economic … [More]

Features

Domain Hijackers Prey on Business Websites

Today, it’s relatively easy to have a professional-looking website that inspires confidence and drives customers to one’s company. If a particular domain name is available, a business needs only use an internet domain registrar to make it its … [More]

Succession Planning: Preparing for the Expected or Unexpected

With an aging population of baby boomers in ownership roles, succession planning has become an ongoing priority. Although some of the activities were paused due to uncertainties related to the pandemic, the ideas have been brought back to the table … [More]

The Future of Work: Dynamic Environments

As we think about the future of work, we know we’re not going back to the old ways of doing things. We have an opportunity to explore new possibilities, bringing the best of how we worked during the pandemic to work better post-pandemic. We can … [More]

Roundtable

Brainstorming – Is Online or In-Person More Creative?

A recent study found that online interactions result in less creativity than face-to-face. The reason: When online, people mostly stare at the screen … [More]

Economy

Microloans Level the Playing Field

The 5 C’s of Credit — character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions — is an old term that outlines what business owners need to have … [More]

From the Top

Kim Reedy’s Servant Leadership Serves OneAZ Well

I’ve been running my whole life. Long before I started a career in finance and business that would eventually lead me to OneAZ Credit Union, I ran competitively in high school, college and even after … [More]

Startups

AZ Liquids – Flowing Its Juices and Coffees B2C and B2B

AZ Liquids, established in early 2021, is a fresh-pressed juice and coffee company with products for health-minded individuals. Fares Tarabichi drew on his Parisian culinary experience in establishing … [More]

Stenson Tamaddon: Technology-First Accounting

As part of the CARES Act introduced in 2020, Congress created a new tax credit known as Employee Retention Credit (ERC) to incentivize employers to keep workers on the payroll during the pandemic. … [More]

Nonprofit

Strategic Strength in Collective Impact

The Phoenix metropolitan area continues to lead lists of the fastest-growing cities across the country, and with that growth comes wide-ranging issues that add to the complexities of addressing social … [More]

CRE

Sale-Leasebacks Allow Property Owners to Have Cake and Eat It, Too

Economists continue to debate whether a recession is coming, but most agree some kind of market correction is on the horizon. As a result, some business owners — especially those who own their buildings — are considering getting out while the getting … [More]

Prop Tech Is Streamlining the Real Estate Investment Process

High population growth areas like Phoenix are struggling to keep up with the real estate market’s demands because of low inventory. To help close the housing gap in the U.S. and bring properties to the market faster, Stoa’s iBuyer platform, FlipOS, … [More]

Healthcare

Complete Care Concept Debuts in Surprise

Providing both full-service emergency room and urgent care under one roof, HonorHealth has partnered with Intuitive Health to open a dual care retail model, debuting the concept for Arizona at 12,000-square-foot HonorHealth Complete Care in … [More]

Private Practice Opens in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

With her newly opened Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy private practice at the Arizona Healing Collective in Mesa, Ajona Olsen, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, addresses a medical need that currently affects the nearly 50 million adults in the U.S. and more than … [More]

Technology

Online: Micro-Influencers Expand Company Reach

Micro-influencers are defined as online creators with between 10,000 and 75,000 followers. The reason it’s a good idea for small businesses to partner with this tier of influencers comes down to a few factors: engagement rate, collaborative … [More]

By the Numbers

Work-from-Home: Deal Breaker?

The pandemic changed the way we work, and, as the work-from-home lifestyle became the norm, employees began to re-evaluate their expectations for … [More]

Briefs

Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers on Hot Streak

The restaurant industry is about great food, appealing surroundings and happy customers. Recent supply chain issues have impacted the industry with availability — but mainly the actual cost — of food. We’ve been good customers for our suppliers for … [More]

Checkers & Rally’s Plans for Explosive Growth Launches in Phoenix

Checkers & Rally’s expansion plans have started to take shape with the planned openings of three new franchised restaurants in the summer of 2022 and 14 more restaurants to come by the end of 2026. Capitalizing on its small real estate footprint, … [More]

Relocated Arizonans and Travelers Fuel Dispensary Growth

As people continue to travel and relocate to Arizona, local marijuana dispensaries are seeing a proportional growth in sales. According to Marijuana Moment, Arizonans spent more than $1.4 billion on marijuana products in the first year it was legal. … [More]