As Arizona and the rest of the world grapple with the impact of COVID-19, Valley Leadership is launching a new, completely virtual program to mobilize all interested Arizonans in the face of this crisis. Ready Together will cultivate and prepare leaders to identify and solve the pressing issues further exposed by the pandemic. Designed as a living lab, the program will … [More]
Leadership Group Launches Virtual Program to Prepare Valley Leaders Facing this Crisis
Regional Bank Finances Approximately $1 Billion in SBA PPP Loans
FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” has closed more than 7,700 SBA Paycheck Protection loans, totaling roughly $1 billion. Out of these 7,700-plus loans, approximately 5,000 were funded in amounts of $50,000 or less – with the median loan amount around $38,000, and the smallest loan at $200. After receiving final … [More]
A Tale of Two Drugs: Money vs. Medical Wisdom
At the Presidential Briefing on Apr 30, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced early results, prior to peer-review, of one clinical trial using remdesivir, an intravenous (IV) experimental antiviral medicine in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. At the “warp speed” currently in vogue for the Fauci-led push to a new vaccine, the very next day the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization … [More]
The Significance of Data Optimization during COVID-19 Pandemic
Until recently, very few CEOs, IT or marketing professionals would have put “data optimization” high on the list of agenda items that keep them up at night. These days — and by my estimation — this notion has become a top priority for the majority of businesses. Given the impact of events surrounding COVID-19, I view this not a matter of if but when decision makers also arrive … [More]
How to Take Fear Out of the Workplace in a COVID-19 World
Fear. Uncertainty. A growing sense of panic every time the president delivers a national address about the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus. Chatter around the workplace these days is filled with questions like: Will I get sick? Will I have a job tomorrow? Can I afford to pay my rent? What can one do when facing fear in the workplace? The good news is that one can … [More]
Phoenix Partners with Local Nonprofits to Protect Vulnerable Populations
During COVID-19 the needs of Phoenix’s vulnerable populations have been put into even greater focus. Those that were vulnerable before COVID, especially individuals experiencing homelessness, are at a greater risk for virus transmission due to issues like sanitation and shelter. Phoenix City Council recently unanimously approved nearly $27 million dollars to ensure greater … [More]
Tread Carefully when Terminating Employees during a Pandemic

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]
National Laundry Service App Expands to West Valley

WashClub Phoenix, a national app-based laundry service that launched in the Valley of the Sun last month, is expanding its mobile laundry service to the West Valley. The online, on-demand mobile laundry service company has started serving the areas of Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria and Tolleson. "We've had an overwhelming … [More]
New Pandemic Relief Program to Fuel Business Productivity During Shelter-in-Place
To help businesses survive and thrive during the COVID-19 disruption, San Francisco-based SalesHood today announced a Pandemic Relief Program that provides companies with its award-winning sales and business enablement platform free for 90 days. “COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work almost overnight,” said Elay Cohen, CEO and co-founder of SalesHood. “With business … [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]
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]
Disaster Relief Related to Employee Benefit Plans
The Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service jointly have provided in a final rule that all group health plans, disability and other employee welfare benefit plans MUST disregard the period from March 1, 2020 until 60 days after the end of the declared National Emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak or such other date as provided by the agencies in future … [More]
Amid Crisis Relationship Between Boards and Management is Undergoing a Striking Shift
The relationship between boards and management is undergoing a striking shift as many companies take an enormous financial hit from the COVID-19 crisis. Leading the world’s largest organization of women board members, I have spoken with hundreds of corporate directors since the onset of the pandemic. These talks reveal new patterns in board oversight, important lessons … [More]












