As data center development expands across the Phoenix region, questions about water use have moved quickly from engineering discussions to the center of public conversation. For an industry built on reliability and efficiency, the challenge is clear: How can digital infrastructure scale responsibly in one of the most water-conscious regions in the United States? Few topics … [More]
Data Centers in the Desert: W(h)ater You Worried About?
Water stewardship is increasingly important in evaluating projects long-term
Artificial Intelligence Is Powerful – But It Cannot Replace a Lawyer’s Judgment
What happens at the intersection of law, strategy, risk management and human dynamics?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the practice of law. From drafting contracts to analyzing discovery, AI tools can complete in minutes what once took hours. For businesses under pressure to move quickly and control costs, the appeal is obvious. But as powerful as these tools are, they cannot replace one essential component of legal representation: professional … [More]
The Partnership of Hospitality and Healthcare
While 84% of U.S. consumers say wellness is a “top” or “important” priority, per a recent 2026 poll by McKinsey, commercial real estate is activity responding to this growing need. In hospitality especially, hotels and resorts are focusing on how to expand their amenity packages to create experiences that enhance a traveler’s overall well-being. Leveraging emerging tech, … [More]
Guest Editor: Steve Zabilski, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Grants, Growth and Future Grants represent more than funding for recipients — they are investments that empower communities to adapt and become stronger. Philanthropy at its finest can result in ripple effects far beyond its original intention. Phoenix is home to a robust network of private foundations as well as nonprofit arms of for-profit businesses. Each tends to focus … [More]
May 2025 Guest Editor: Martha dePlazaola Abbott, Gensler
Office Transformation As the office landscape has permanently changed, the perception of work has changed along with it. Today’s modern office is considered a “lifestyle,” an experience that supports a myriad of workspaces that not only inspire and attract incredible talent but compel them to stay. There is no question that, ultimately, we come to the office to “work,” … [More]
Building Arizona: Critical Strengths and Challenges in Our Housing Market
Metro Phoenix is the No. 3 housing market in the United States, according to Greg Vogel, founder and CEO of Land Advisors Organization, who cites data from the U.S. Census Bureau showing single-family and multifamily permits totaled 45,000 for the 12 months through September 2024. Says Laura Ortiz, president of Evergreen Devco, “Demand, from a national perspective, continues … [More]
February 2025 Guest Editor: Greg Vogel, Land Advisors Organization
Landing the Housing Debate
Housing is a perennial hot topic. Whether analyzed from an economic development standpoint or spotlighted as an aspect of social issues, it is always a sector that is recognized as impacting the broad community. The housing and residential real estate sector is a major contributor to Arizona’s economy, driving growth and development. Arizona consistently ranks among the top … [More]
January Guest Editor: Rick McCartney, InMedia Company
Ahead into the New Year
In spite of science telling us the universe is expanding, the world we live in seems to be getting smaller as we become increasingly interconnected. This is why we so appreciate the insights and expertise of the business leaders who speak so eloquently in the cover story in the following pages. As we make plans for 2025 in our own organizations, we can enjoy the benefit of … [More]
Trending in 2025: Forecasting Strengths and Challenges in Our Key Economic Sectors
As we look to the new year ahead with the usual mixture of eagerness and trepidation, we recognize how interconnected we are. Business does not exist in silos, so we value insights from fields that touch our own, even if only peripherally. In Business Magazine reached out to leaders of businesses in our community for their thought leadership in areas at the very foundation … [More]
16 Top Leaders of 2024: Our List of Valley Leaders Who Are Making a Real Difference!
Each year, we select top leaders who have had great success over the preceding year. This year, we selected 19 leaders in varied established sectors within our business community. We asked hard-hitting questions of these leaders to get a sense of what they see for 2025. Each of them is truly entrenched in growing their companies and our economy, in developing policy, managing … [More]
Dave Brown, Valley Leadership
Lead the Way
Arizona continues to realize a strong economy and business growth (even leading the country in many strong sectors). This owes much to a collaborative business environment with agile and innovative leadership among business leaders. Increasingly, in fact, business sectors overlap and intertwine, requiring an ever-broader perspective from those at the helm of their … [More]
The Business of Arts & Culture: How Growing Arts & Culture Benefits Our Economy
“Arts and culture is a significant industry in Arizona,” says Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, citing numbers that support the statement: The sector represents 3% of the state’s total GDP, employs more than 84,000 individuals and in 2022 added $14.2 billion to the economy. That last figure, he notes, is “nearly as much as agriculture, … [More]
Sandra Watson, Arizona Commerce Authority
Valuing Arts & Culture
The value of arts and culture is vital when evaluating the strength of an economy. Arts and culture is not only a revenue-generating sector on its own, it has been proven over and over to be a significant element of the health of the business community and in economic development. Arizona’s vibrant arts and culture scene is critical to our unbeatable quality of … [More]
Strategies for Businesses and Their Healthcare
What businesses should know about making healthcare affordable
“With more and more Arizonans looking to their employers to help them manage their health, employers feel the mounting pressure — because the landscape is changing,” observes Pam Kehaly, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. In fact, she reports nearly half our state’s population is covered by employer-sponsored health insurance — more than 3 million … [More]
Pam Kehaly, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Healthcare – Is It ‘Just Business’?
Navigating the ever-shifting landscape of healthcare is an extra challenge for businesses as they try to provide valuable healthcare benefits to their employees. In a rapidly evolving healthcare environment, affordability has become a top concern for employers as they strive to balance rising costs with the needs of their workforce. With nearly half of Arizonans relying on … [More]
Leadership & Giving Back: Honoring Our 2024 Women of Achievement
“If I’m not for myself, who will be for me, if not now, when; but if I’m only for myself, what am I?” Taking a close look at the third part of this quote from Hillel, a noted Jewish philosopher who lived in the first century BC, we agree with the sentiment that doing good for others completes us as individuals. Our Women of Achievement awards this year celebrate women who … [More]
Barbara Barrett, 25th Secretary of the U.S. Air Force
The Leadership and the Power of Giving Back
In this annual Women of Achievement edition, In Business Magazine shines a special spotlight on women who are using their leadership positions in for- and nonprofit organizations to make a difference in our community. This year, the Women of Achievement Committee has sought women who demonstrate a powerful commitment to giving back to their communities. The Grand Canyon … [More]
Lights. Camera. Action. Arizona Has High Production Values in the Film Industry
“When the film and television industry was just getting started, Arizona was a huge part of it,” relates Randy Murray, who, as co-owner with wife, Theresa, of Randy Murray Productions, has three decades of experience in Arizona’s film industry. Noting that John Wayne and John Ford both had homes here and Dick Van Dyke built a studio in Carefree near his home, he adds, “We were … [More]
