According to a new report released today by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs, U.S. hotel business travel revenue is projected to be 23% below pre-pandemic levels in 2022, ending the year down more than $20 billion compared to 2019. This comes after hotels lost an estimated $108 billion in business travel revenue during 2020 and 2021 … [More]
Phoenix Unemployment Rate Falls below 3% with Strong Hiring in March
The unadjusted unemployment rate in Greater Phoenix dropped to 2.4 percent, down nearly three-quarters of a point from February’s 3.1 percent and half of last year’s 5.4 percent unemployment rate in March. Robust hiring brought the Phoenix metro workforce to nearly 2.5 million people in March, up 110,800 from March last year. For the second month in a row, hospitality (up … [More]
Bike to Work Phoenix Event Set for April 20
April is Valley Bike Month and Wednesday, April 20 is the annual Bike to Work Phoenix (BTWPhx) event. Expected to attract hundreds of participants, BTWPhx brings the cycling community together and celebrates the benefits of riding your bike to the office. The City of Phoenix Street … [More]
Strong Spring Home Sales Set Records for Highest Median Price, Lowest Supply
The busy spring season got off to another strong start this year. March home sales jumped 32.2% over February while posting a report record Median Sales Price of $360,000. As buyers continued to far outnumber sellers, Months Supply of Inventory reached a record low of 1.0 across the report's 51 metro areas. More than half of the market areas reported a supply of less than one … [More]
Home Sales Fell 4% in March as Buying Costs Shot Up
It was the hottest March ever for the housing market, with homes selling at their fastest pace and for more above list price than any other March on record, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage. The median home-sale price rose 6.2% in March, the fastest month-over-month gain at this time of year since 2013, to an all-time high of … [More]
U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Rise after Hitting the Lowest Level since 1968
In the week ending April 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 185,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 166,000 to 167,000. The 4-week moving average was 172,250, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up … [More]
U.S. Department of Commerce Releases Equity Action Plan
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) released its Equity Action Plan for ensuring its programming and policies reach a larger and more diverse audience. The plan acknowledges that inclusive growth is good economics and it works to incorporate equity into every stream of work at the Commerce Department. Earlier this year, the Department updated its mission statement to better … [More]
SBA Addresses Inequities, Lower Barriers, and Other Systemic Challenges Facing Underserved Small Business Communities
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made an historic announcement on the significance and impact of the SBA’s Equity Action Plan, released alongside equity plans from over 90 federal agencies as part of a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris Administration to center equity across the federal government. “The SBA’s Equity Action Plan reaffirms our … [More]
Inflation Overtakes Labor Quality as Top Business Problem For Small Businesses
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index decreased in March by 2.4 points to 93.2, the third consecutive month below the 48-year average of 98. Thirty-one percent of owners reported that inflation was the single most important problem in their business, up five points from February and the highest reading since the first quarter of 1981. Inflation has now replaced “labor quality” … [More]
Record Share of Homebuyers Are Relocating, Skyrocketing Housing Costs Make Affordable Areas Attractive
A record 32.3% of Redfin.com users nationwide looked to move to a different metro area in the first quarter, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That’s up from 31.5% a year earlier and up significantly from 26% in 2019, before the pandemic. Skyrocketing home prices and rising mortgage rates have made relocating to a … [More]
Inflation Worsens in March, Gas and Rent Costs Rise
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.2 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.8 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 8.5 percent before seasonal adjustment. Increases in the indexes for gasoline, shelter, and food were the … [More]
Sendoso Invests More Than $40 Million for New Office and Headquarters in Phoenix
Sendoso, the leading sending management platform, today announced its new office at The Grove, in the historic Phoenix neighborhood, and the relocation of its corporate headquarters from San Francisco, California to Arizona effective November 2022. The 58,000-square-foot office space is designed to enhance collaboration to further amplify and inspire connections among … [More]
Last Week for PHXbizGrants Small Business COVID Relief Assistance
The last day for Phoenix small businesses to apply for up to $15,000 in Covid-19 relief grants is Friday, April 15. The application portal will close at 5:00 p.m. PHXbizGrants are available for small businesses in Phoenix to help offset costs and losses incurred from the pandemic. Eligible businesses have 25 or fewer employees and under $3 million in annual revenue. They … [More]
Thunderbird School Celebrates Grand Opening, Celebrates 75th Year

The Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University unveiled its new headquarters' name Friday night: the F. Francis and Dionne Najafi Thunderbird Global Headquarters. With klieg lights, fireworks, food trucks and live music on streets closed to traffic, the event was as much a festival as a grand opening for the building in downtown … [More]
Valley Metro, City of Phoenix Renew Small Business Financial Assistance Program
After a successful first year, the Small Business Financial Assistance Program (SBFAP) pilot will continue through 2024, which is the completion of the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub and Northwest Extension Phase II light rail projects. In its first year, the SBFAP granted over $360,000 to 62 businesses impacted by construction. As the program enters its second funding … [More]
SBA Launches Inaugural America’s Seed Fund Expo Competition for Small Businesses, Startups and Inventors
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced the launch of America’s Seed Fund Startup Expo 2022, a new initiative aimed at identifying innovative startups and supporting them with resources to help them scale, grow, and thrive. This competition comes in the midst of a historic … [More]
Lifestyle Brand Relocates Its Main U.S. Distribution Facility to Buckeye

Funko, Inc., a leading pop culture lifestyle brand, has relocated its main U.S. distribution facility from several distribution centers in Washington to one distribution center in Arizona. The company is leasing a 958,000-square-foot facility in Buckeye, Arizona, which will create over 300 jobs. Funko expects the facility, which will distribute the Funko portfolio of brands … [More]
Arizona Gives Day Tallies Show Statewide Donations to Top $5 Million
While complete numbers won’t be fully tallied for another week as nonprofits around the state submit final reports which include additional direct-to- organization donations inspired by Arizona Gives Day, all indications are that Arizona Gives Day 2022 is on pace for another highly successful 24-hour fundraising campaign. During this year’s 24-hour online fundraiser, 27,741 … [More]













