Leadership and diversity are in the news, but they have likely been important aspects of success in achievements of any kind — certainly in business. With this fifth annual Women of Achievement celebration, In Business Magazine is helping to shine a light on the tremendous contributions of women who exemplify leadership within our business community.
Arizona has always been a place where women have an impact on our communities, our economic development and the state’s public policy. We have been fortunate to have a large number of strong, intelligent and highly regarded women in leadership positions in the public and private sector over the course of the state’s history. Their perspective has been invaluable in ensuring that our state has grown and evolved in a way that maximizes the impact of all Arizonans and creates opportunities for people from all walks of life.
Moving forward, the women in leadership roles will have a critical role in helping our state come out of the pandemic and move toward a brighter future. It is through strong leadership, creative thinking and hard work that we will help Arizona continue to become an even better place to live, work and play.
The cover story of this October edition shares the stories of the 2020 Women of Achievement honorees — 14 accomplished women whose leadership inspires others — representing a solid cross-section of business and community organizations.
Continuing the focus on leadership, this edition’s Feedback features three of the women whose proven accomplishments earned them a place in 2019’s Women of Achievement speaking to the qualities they see as critical in today’s challenging environment.
In the feature article “Commitment to Culture Accelerates Company Recovery,” TireHub CEO Peter Gibbons uses his company as example as he discusses the broad benefits attained for a business and the individuals within it when employees feel valued.
With marijuana also a recurring hot topic, this edition presents “The State of Psychedelics Today” as the legal feature discussing some perhaps surprising history as well as business opportunities.
From articles on how executives can most advantageously negotiate compensation in turbulent times to how certain professionals whose greatest asset is intellectual property can avail themselves of R & D tax credits to the impact experienced by healthcare businesses of an unintended consequence known as medical distancing, this October edition offers In Business Magazine’s signature broad coverage of information focused on celebrating and strengthening our business community.
I am honored to be this year’s recipient of the Linda M. Herold Lifetime Achievement Award, and to help present this October edition of In Business Magazine.
Sincerely,
Sharon Harper
President and CEO
Plaza Companies
As CEO, chairman and co-founder of Plaza Companies, Sharon Harper oversees all facets of company operations, including ownership, development, leasing or management of nearly 13 million square feet of Arizona projects, medical healthcare companies, senior living communities and bioscience centers. Her forward-thinking commitment to commercial real estate has helped Plaza Companies emerge as one of the premier real estate firms in the Southwest, earning numerous awards and designations under her leadership.
