With the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, there are a few additional considerations Arizona employers must keep in mind when terminating the employment of a current employee. Generally, Arizona employers enjoy wide latitude when hiring and firing due to the State’s doctrine of “at will” employment. Under at-will employment, an employer is not required to establish “just … [More]
How HR Leaders Recruit Top Talent in a Remote-First World
These are exceptional times. According to a Gartner online poll of Asian HR leaders in March 2020, “among 805 organizations responding, 88 percent now encourage or require employees to work from home.” As COVID-19 continues its onslaught around the world, governments have turned to measures such as social distancing to disrupt the contagion. Doing so has caused the way we work … [More]
Romantic Restaurant’s New Expanded Dining Room to Include Social Distancing Measures

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Marcellino Ristorante is reopening today to offer dinner take-out/curbside service with plans to reopen its newly remodeled dining room on Monday, May 11, after Arizona’s COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The romantic restaurant’s dining room will be open for dinner service only seven nights per week: Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 … [More]
Indoor Waterparks Co. Donates to Nonprofit Helping Homeless Families
Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, a nonprofit organization that rescues primarily first-time homeless families and their pets and helps them return to independence, received a donation of hundreds of linens from Great Wolf Lodge Arizona. This effort is part of Great Wolf Lodge’s company-wide Paw Pledge initiative, which focuses on health and safety of its guests and pack, … [More]
COVID-19 Is Reshaping Corporate Culture
The outbreak of COVID-19 is radically changing how many U.S. companies operate. Public safety measures have closed physical offices and made remote working the norm. Travel restrictions have heightened the importance of efficient technology, communication and collaboration. Executives have had to pivot quickly, reorganizing and rallying their workforce to push forward in an … [More]
What Does a ‘Coronavirus Plateau’ Look Like?

I just googled “coronavirus plateau” and got more than 13,000,000 hits. With that many hits, it must mean something! It does — this is where a visual presentation of the numbers truly shows what the mind sees when it hears a word. And what happened to “bending the curve” or “flattening the curve”? We’ve all seen images evoking those terms; for example: Words are barely … [More]
Nonprofit Partners with Valley Restaurants to Feed Hungry, Support Local Business
The COVID-19 pandemic required the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) to completely shift its service model, presenting a unique opportunity to connect people who need food with those who have food but need customers. SVdP has partnered with 14 local food businesses to purchase pre-packaged meals at a discounted price. Those meals are served to-go style at each of the … [More]
Report Highlights Devastating Impact of COVID-19 on Arizona Nonprofits
As unemployment soars and Arizonans cope with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nonprofit organizations, from food pantries to shelter services, are needed more than ever. But those same organizations are struggling with disruptions of their own as donations decline and volunteers stay home. ASU’s Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation … [More]
People with Disabilities More Negatively Affected by Economic Impact of COVID-19
A Global Disability Inclusion survey of over 500 participants on April 13, 2020 reveals that people with disabilities are being impacted by COVID-19 at a higher rate than those without a disability. 51% of people with a disability have either lost their jobs, been laid off or furloughed, or believe they will lose their job in the next 90 days compared to 28% of those without … [More]
Emergency Coronavirus Loans Will Cripple Some Small Businesses
As America prepares to get back to work, will some people be left behind? The Small Business Administration (SBA) has adopted rules for emergency coronavirus loans that exclude otherwise eligible existing small businesses from relief solely because they are owned in part by individuals who have a criminal record. Given that at least nineteen million Americans have a felony … [More]
Updated Guidance for Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Barbers and Cosmetologists

Following continued positive data trends, Governor Doug Ducey today announced the next steps Arizona will take to gradually reenergize the economy. The Governor issued an Executive Order allowing cosmetologists and barber shops to resume appointment-based services this Friday, May 8 and restaurants and coffee shops to resume dine-in services with physical distancing measures on … [More]
SBA Disaster Relief Loans Available to Agricultural Businesses
U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced today that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA’s EIDL portal will reopen today as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. The legislation, signed … [More]
Partnership Delivers Clean Drinking Water to Vulnerable Communities in Arizona
Resolution Copper is partnering with the Mesa Chamber of Commerce and the United Food Bank to provide more than 50,000 cans of safe, clean drinking water to vulnerable communities in Arizona. The days of triple-digit temperatures are here, while government officials are saying this will be a difficult summer for heat relief. This water will provide underserved and rural … [More]
BCBSAZ Advances Payments to Medical Providers to Cover Shortfall due to Pandemic
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) announced a new program to support primary care providers (PCPs) across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. PCPs participating in the BCBSAZ Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program can now receive partial prepayment of their estimated annual quality incentive payment. These advances will help BCBSAZ PCMH providers cover … [More]
Scottsdale Quarter to Reopen Friday, May 8 with Code of Conduct

Scottsdale Quarter will welcome retailers on Friday, May 8 and will maintain current center hours of Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday noon – 6 p.m. Planned dates for individual tenants may vary. Guests are encouraged to call ahead and to follow along on Facebook at and Instagram for the most up-to-date information. Scottsdale Quarter remains focused on … [More]
Managing Essential Workforce amid COVID-19
Some key stakeholders in the food production facilities aren’t allowed to go to work, and must stay at home to comply with state or local orders. Another way to enforce social distancing in those plants is to encourage any personnel who can work from home to do so. As meat plants continue to shut down, food supply gets wasted, food sector workers get sick or are even afraid to … [More]
Additional Guidelines for Retail Businesses and Customers as Openings Resume

Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services today released additional guidelines as retail businesses resume partial operations starting next week. The recommendations include enhanced sanitation and physical distancing steps customers and business owners should take to facilitate increased business interactions while minimizing the risk of … [More]
Create a WOW Culture . . . Even in a Crisis
I’ve built my career helping companies create cultures that "wow" their people — cultures where leaders motivate and inspire employees, fill them with purpose, challenge them and help them thrive. That's all well and good in times of prosperity. But what about in times of fear and uncertainty? As the pandemic keeps employees remotely located, furloughed, and (in the cases of … [More]