Fall 2017

National Bank of Arizona®

r t r A Work Engaging business to grow Phoenix’s creative culture

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PAYSON’S PROMISE

The ‘heart’ of Arizona resonates in the Rim Country

MONEY MONTH

NB|AZ program promotes business empowerment

FALL 2017

SUPPORTING YOUR GIFT OF HOPE

Arizona is our home as much as it is yours, and we want to see it grow and thrive. That’s why in 2016 National Bank of Arizona® gave more than $2 million to local nonprofits in the form of donations and sponsorships. But our support doesn’t stop there. NB|AZ® also offers a full suite of business financial solutions for nonprofit organizations, so you can continue to help our community and provide hope to those in need.

Nonprofit Banking

Business Banking

Pamela Keefe | 602.212.5634

Eddie Leyba | 602.212.5545

Commercial Lending Metro Phoenix - Michael Casa | 602.212.5400 Metro Tucson - David Lyons | 520.584.4140 Northern Arizona - John Lewis | 928.213.3276

NBAZ.COM | A division of ZB, N.A. Member FDIC © 2017 ZB, N.A.

02 @NB|AZ What’s happening at National Bank of Arizona

04 AZ WORKS Recipe for Success Food bank serves meals and a second chance

06 FOOD & DRINK Pure Intentions Restaurant owner realizes her small business dream

08 ARTS & CULTURE Rock This Way Indie station boosts local music scene

FEATURES

16 Art at Work

10 TRAILBLAZERS True Grit

Engaging business to grow Phoenix’s creative culture

There’s more to Bruce Arians than meets the eye

22 Payson’s Promise

12 AZ NONPROFIT Building Bright Futures

The ‘heart’ of Arizona resonates in this lush, Rim Country locale

Phoenix nonprofit empowers girls to realize their potential

28 Money Month

NB|AZ® program promotes

business empowerment for

women business owners

PUBLISHER National Bank of Arizona EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jenavi Kasper, jenavi.kasper@nbarizona.com PROJECT EDITOR Rae Palmer, rae.palmer@nbarizona.com MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER Ali Adib, ali.adib@nbarizona.com

14 CREATING CONNECTIONS NB|AZ® makes strides to engage with Hispanic firms

Kristi Church, owner of Mogollon Moose, is helping revitalize downtown Payson with her coffee shop and bakery

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Michelle Jacoby, michelle@pb-jcreative.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Nathan Joseph, nathan@responsecreative.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Chris Adams, cwadams@me.com CONTRIBUTORS Sally J. Clasen, Bruce Farr, Leigh Farr, Jake Poinier, Susie Steckner PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Lipczynski, mark@marklipczynski.com

Elevate AZ magazine may contain trademarks or trade names owned by parties who are not affiliated with National Bank of Arizona, Zions Bancorporation, or its affiliates. Use of such marks does not imply any sponsorship by or affiliation with third parties, and National Bank of Arizona does not claim any ownership of or make representations about products and services offered under or associated with such marks. Articles are offered for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax, legal, financial or business advice. Please contact a professional about your specific needs and advice. © 2017 ZB, N.A. All rights reserved.

A division of ZB, N.A. Member FDIC

NATIONAL BANK OF ARIZONA® Corporate Center 6001 N. 24th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016 602-235-6000

PB+J CREATIVE content + photography + design 602-821-9164 pb-jcreative.com

32 EXPERIENCE AZ A moment in Mesa

ON THE COVER Goodmans Interior Structures is one Phoenix business dedicated to incorporating the arts into their corporate culture. Learn how businesses are uniting art and business in “Art at Work” on page 16.

Photo by Mark Lipczynski

in this issue

DEPARTMENTS

2 CAREER

prime candidates NB|AZ® develops well-rounded lenders and credit professionals

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OB SEEKERS ARE encouraged to Come for the Job and Stay for a Career at NB|AZ. This invitation is at the forefront of the NB|AZ Credit Career Development Program (CCDP), which gives new graduates and aspiring financial professionals the opportunity to emerge into well-rounded, informed bankers.

The paid rotational training program begins with participants focusing on credit learning experiences through the bank’s Credit Foundations program in Salt Lake City. Later in the program, candidates are matched with coaches from various credit departments and business lines. This rotational portion of the program provides participants with a realistic look inside different functions and roles to help guide individual career decisions and create a full understanding of the roles working together each day within our organization.

“We are committed to building a robust learning environment, focused on growing

knowledgeable and confident future bankers for NB|AZ,” says Joy Antolini, EVP director of human resources.

Upon completion of the program, individuals are given the opportunity to apply for a rewarding career in such areas as business lending solutions, commercial lending, commercial real estate, corporate banking, private banking, special assets or credit administration.

“The experiences I had during the program allowed for many learning and growth opportunities in commercial lending,” said Robert Key, a CCDP participant. “This is the sort of program that gears you up for a career, instead of just a job.” Michelle Jacoby

PEOPLE

Next Generation IN A FURTHER EFFORT to develop future leaders in banking, NB|AZ offers a highly soughtafter summer internship program. Designed for driven candidates who want to learn more about NB|AZ and gain professional banking experience, the 10-week program focuses on: Hands-on experience at both the corporate center and branches; Classroom and online training that supports new learning and strengthens core skill sets; Participation in a Leadership Series in which interns can learn from executive and senior leaders about their career progression and leadership journey, and to share their area of responsibility and relevance to the business.

The internship program focuses on two areas of banking: retail and financial planning and analysis. In retail banking, interns learn the ways NB|AZ interacts with consumers and small businesses through such areas as deposits, lending and cash management. In financial planning and analysis, interns work collaboratively to prepare and analyze financial statements, forecasts, budgets and incentive plans.

“We hope that from this experience, the interns will solidify a relationship with NB|AZ, giving them reason to return after completing school to start a career with the bank,” says Julie-Ann Wilson, Vice President of Human Resources.

EVENTS

Wine & Dine ON OCT. 12, NB|AZ WILL host its 11th annual Taste of the Biltmore event at the NB|AZ Corporate Center located at 6001 N. 24th Street in Phoenix. The bank’s signature food-and-wine event kicks off the fall social season, and features the Valley’s top restaurants and chefs in support of local charities. This year’s lineup of restaurants include: 24 Carrots Benedict’s Catering Bluewater Grill Boss Pizza Bar Bruce Brown Catering Even Stevens Sandwiches Frost Gelato Infusion Coffee & Tea Jo Malone Kettle Heroes

Nekter Juice Bar Nothing Bundt Cakes MATCH: Restaurant & Cocktails O.H.S.O. Seasons 52 Short Leash Hot Dogs/Soundbite The Adobe Restaurant The Herb Box Catering + Events Whole Foods Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill

This year’s proceeds will benefit Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency shelter and social services to help families move toward independent housing and self-sufficiency.

For ticket information and event details, visit tasteofthebiltmore.com.

Admission includes complimentary valet parking.

CONNECT

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Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

THE 2017 NB|AZ SUMMER INTERNS (Back row, left to right): Alec Carbine, Luke Jaffe, Kaleb Pitts (front row, left to right) Carolina Pena, Matthew Hale, Christopher Anger, Alison Barriere

FACEBOOK

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N THE WORLD OF second chances, you’re not going to find a better example than the Community Kitchen program at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix. It’s a 16-week program that takes people who’ve had challenges getting a job—whether due to prison sentences, drug problems, or behavioral or domestic issues—and teaches them the skills to be marketable as food service workers.

“A lot of what we do at the food bank is handing out food to folks who need it,” says Jerry Brown, director of media relations. “Community Kitchen is really our hand-up program.

It’s an opportunity for folks to better themselves, and to get them to the point where they don’t need food assistance and can become self-supporting through employment.”

Working in a million-dollar kitchen that looks much like what you’d see in a top-flight restaurant, students learn to

use all of the equipment, knives and utensils, gaining the same skills a professional cook would have in their arsenal.

When they leave the program, graduates not only have four months’ worth of skills under their belts and a food safety card, they have a track record of coming into work on time, passing necessary drug tests, and moving forward from whatever problems they had in the past.

The result is a hiring rate of more than 90 percent for program graduates, who’ve ended up anywhere from hotels, ballparks and school programs, all the way up to the cook who flips the most expensive steaks at Durant’s.

“There are a lot of businesses throughout the Valley that understand that it’s sometimes hard to find folks, not just for the positions they’re looking for with some experience, but knowing where they’ve been for the past four months,” Brown

Recipe for Success

Food bank serves meals and a second chance

says. “They know the graduates of Community Kitchen have dedicated themselves to that eight hours a day, and they find them to be very competent hires. Once they find they can trust us and find a high level of graduate, they keep coming back.”

The Community Kitchen program is divided into four, four-week segments. Early on, students prepare food for each other and St. Mary’s employees, as well as hot meals for the Kids Café afterschool program. As seniors, having gained experience and ability, they dedicate one of their final weeks to the CK Catering program—food that’s going out to the public.

CK Catering handles a wide variety of events with set breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, offering everything from breakfast staples, to gourmet sandwiches, to fancier dinner fare such as braised short ribs and chicken saltimbocca.

When businesses come to St. Mary’s for business meetings in the morning and volunteering at the food bank in the afternoon, for example, CK Catering provides the lunch for them. Businesses in the vicinity of the food bank are also among the loyal client base.

“Not only does it help the food bank, but they know the people who are doing it are gaining experience toward the next step in getting their lives back,” Brown says. And, of

course, the program handles any St. Mary’s board of directors meetings—and if there are any leftovers, there’s no problem drawing a crowd.

The annual Duncan Family Farms event in December in Buckeye is the highlight for the catering crew.

“We feed about 400 people who work there, and the students get to go out and not only prepare the food, but serve it,” says Brenden Hernandez, career services specialist.

“It’s a breakfast bar, so the catering staff and manager get to the farm early to make pancakes, bacon and eggs. It’s simple food, but I think the nice thing about it is that everyone is so thankful that we come out and feed them. You can really taste the love in the food.”

Hernandez notes that a recent graduate achieved her dream by joining M Culinary Concepts, an upscale catering company based in Phoenix.

“The people who’ve gone through our catering program are capable of doing anything,” he says. “Working in career services, my mission is to help the students find jobs.

Whether that’s in catering or a regular restaurant, the main thing is that they want to get to work and get their lives back on track.” Jake Poinier

The Community Kitchen at St. Mary’s Food Bank teaches participants the skills they’ll need to get jobs and be successful in the food industry.

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

5

WANT TO open a juice bar.”

It was a life-changing, a-ha moment for Sasha Raj when she confidently responded to the proverbial “What are you going to do with your life?” question while eating dinner with her family nearly a decade ago.

Raj had just earned a degree in biochemistry from Arizona State University and was taking a few graduate classes when pressed about her career ambitions. But she knew being a biochemist wasn’t in the cards—or her heart.

“Saying it out loud made it real,” she says of publicly admitting her desire to become a small-business owner. Yet

The initial lineup at 24 Carrots featured five smoothies and five juices and within two months of opening, it became clear to Raj that adding a food component was necessary to attract customers.

“I had a business plan and strategy, and assumed a juice bar would work,” says Raj. “But it morphed when I realized people wanted to eat and do it quickly, too.”

Armed with just a rice cooker, an oven and eventually an electric griddle she bought at a grocery store, the self-taught cook slowly added soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers to her vegetarian lineup.

“I started out with fruit cups and a big pot of chili, a sort of kidney bean stew served with rice or bread that would sell out every day,” she says.

In 2013, Raj moved the restaurant to Tempe, where a much larger kitchen and dining space allowed her to expand her now all-vegan focus and become more technique-oriented in food development.

“It became clear that 24 Carrots wouldn’t live up to its potential in the old space,” she says. “We moved with the

opening a natural juice bar, which wasn’t exactly mainstream at the time, wasn’t some youthful flight of fancy. As a student, Raj worked at a juice bar near campus and became fascinated with the industry, doing research and testing recipes with the idea of launching her own venture.

“I had no idea it was viable path,” says Raj, who was born in Vellore, India, and moved to the United States as young child. Though she always enjoyed cooking, her family believed the ticket to making it in America as an immigrant was based on academic achievement.

“I come from a long line of scientists and the road to success is through education, not owning a restaurant,” she says. But it was her family’s Hindu beliefs and lactovegetarian lifestyle that greatly influenced her decision to deviate from employment expectations and open a plant-based juice bar.

With an investment from her aunt and uncle, and elbow grease from other family members, Raj launched 24 Carrots in 2008 in Chandler. The name is a riff on 24 karats, the purest form of gold available.

In her case, it meant offering the highest quality of juices available, without additives, fillers or sweeteners.

mentally that we were a full-fledged restaurant and not just a juice bar.”

Today, 24 Carrots has 14 employees and offers a diverse, rotating vegan, mostly gluten-free menu based on seasonal items, many of which are sourced locally, with a full bakery, coffee bar and meal-planning services. Though many assume 24 Carrots is an Indian restaurant, its global lineup is a cultural fusion of many spices and flavors based on Raj’s experiences as an immigrant and American. Of course, her ethnicity naturally seeps into the equation, but, more importantly, 24 Carrots serves her passion to create delicious vegan cuisine that is handcrafted with the best, most pure ingredients available.

Raj is grateful for 24 Carrots’ success, yet the path to juice bar and restaurant ownership hasn’t been without challenges.

For the first year, she was the sole cook and bottle washer, but has learned to set boundaries—namely being closed on Mondays instead of staying open seven days a week.

“It’s hard to go home and take a break when you love what you do, but you can’t afford to burn out because your business is at risk,” she says. “I’ve also become more adaptable, learned to ask for help and admit when I am wrong.”

The one thing that hasn’t changed is Raj’s unwavering commitment to her original business vision.

“My intention for 24 Carrots was to be home spun, and it still is a scratch operation,” she says. “I am trying to be true to the ingredients I use and the people I serve. You have to be authentically yourself because there is no such thing as a second act.” Sally J. Clasen

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From the lab to the kitchen, restaurant owner realizes her small business dream

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pure intentions

“ I am trying to be true to the ingredients I use and the people I serve. You have to be authentically yourself.�

Sasha Raj 24 Carrots

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

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KWSS on-air personality Dani Cutler is a familiar voice and face in the Valley’s local music scene.

W k c Ro

this Way ts Indie station boos local music scene

HEN 93.9 KWSS-FM hit the airwaves in 2005, it entered uncharted territory— an indie radio station in a sea of corporate-backed stations and a mission to play alternative tunes.

But musician and radio industry veteran Frank Magarelli trusted his instincts.

“I wanted to bring some really good programming,” Magarelli says. “I wasn’t an expert in music, but felt I had good taste in music and that there was something lacking.”

He was right. What began as sporadic traffic on the station’s website has turned into a legion of roughly 100,000 listeners.

Today, KWSS is the Valley’s go-to for alternative music, playing everything from vintage Depeche Mode, to alt-rock stars Panic! at the Disco, to new-to-you music from bands across the country. As important, the station is a welcome launch pad for Valley bands hoping to get precious airtime to grow their fan base.

“The mission is to enrich people’s lives with music they may not have normally stumbled across in mainstream media.”

FRANK MAGARELLI KWSS-FM

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

Listeners also tune in for independent news programming, including the nationally broadcast Democracy Now! “The mission is to enrich people’s lives with music they may not have normally stumbled across in mainstream media,” Magarelli says. “So they may come across something and think, ‘Wow, that was from 1984 and I’ve never heard that before.’ Well, there it is, a David Bowie track, a deep track. Our mission is to kind of ‘wow’ people.”

KWSS is a non-commercial station, largely supported by local businesses and listeners. It holds regular pledge drives to rally support, and is planning a November drive with a live broadcast at a local venue showcasing local bands.

The station runs with an all-volunteer staff, including Magarelli, whose official title is program director. A handful of on-air personalities, along with the Valley’s veteran concert

promoter Danny Zelisko, offer an eclectic range of music throughout the day and night.

Beyond bringing alternative music to Valley listeners, the station works to support local business and local bands with special events, says on-air personality and marketing specialist Dani Cutler.

To help celebrate the recent Record Store Day, KWSS broadcast a live music event at Zia Record Exchange in Phoenix. The station also partners with Stir It Up Records & Productions for Music on Moreland, an expansion of Roosevelt Row’s popular First Fridays in Phoenix. And during Phoenix’s Comicon event each year, KWSS broadcasts live all weekend long, interviewing artists, musicians and authors to promote the event.

The station’s online calendar, meanwhile, helps boost live music events, whether the popular Circus Mexicus in Puerto Peñasco organized by Arizona-based Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers or a local band’s first album release at a Tempe venue.

Cutler, who joined the station in 2007, is a familiar voice and face in the Valley’s music scene. She knows airplay is vital for local bands, and they likely won’t find it at traditional radio stations focused on Top 40 hits.

“We’re able to provide a different kind of exposure for them,” Cutler says. “[About] 100,000 listeners for a lowpower FM station isn’t a small amount.

We make a significant impact in the Phoenix community, and they [bands] know that when they send music to us and we’re able to play it...they know they’re going to get that exposure and people are going to get to know them.”

Phoenix-based band Southwest by Midnight, which focuses on creating original music that draws on life in the Southwest and the Sonoran Desert, scored airtime on KWSS with its signature song “(602),” an irreverent take on life in the Valley’s prominent area code.

The band was thrilled, says Greg White, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon by day and bassist and vocalist with the band by night.

“KWSS has been a great advocate for Arizona local musicians, and it’s been the pillar of helping grow our music community, which is substantial but often not truly recognized or appreciated,” he says. “With their dedication to promoting and supporting local artists on terrestrial radio, it gives us all a chance to share our music with the local community and help build the number of local music appreciators in the Valley.

“The day that I heard our song on Dani Cutler’s show was surreal, and I will always be appreciative and supportive of their dedication and mission.” Susie Steckner

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“We have a great, passionate fan base that really wants a winner, and everyone’s hungry to get back to that this year.”

BRUCE ARIANS

Arizona Cardinals

ARIZONA CARDINALS HEAD COACH

true grit

There’s more to Bruce Arians than meets the eye

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staff and football team, and with our facilities. General manager Steve Keim is always on top of the best next player.

And we have a great, passionate fan base that really wants a winner, and everyone’s hungry to get back to that this year.”

Following rotator-cuff surgery earlier this year, Arians was sidelined for several months from playing golf. Fortunately, he’d healed sufficiently by July to tee it up for the Fifth Annual Georgia Celebrity Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the Arians Family Foundation, which supports Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) organizations in Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Georgia, as well as Kids Voice of Indiana.

Arians’ passion for helping kids also shined through with the creation of the York City Parks Conservancy in his Pennsylvania hometown this year.

“The mayor reached out to me, wanting to get the parks back up and running the way they were when we were kids,” he says. “A parent could drop you off and know you were safe.

So, we started a conservancy to raise $3 million over the next couple of years to have everything they need facility wise.”

In July, Arians published “The Quarterback Whisperer,” a nod to having coached some of the best field generals in the NFL and college over the years.

“It’s always been the most fun for me coaching quarterbacks, whether they’re in eighth grade or watching a Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger develop into a hall-of-fame player,” he says. “It’s stories about the relationships, what they share uniquely, and the grit that it takes to play that position— probably the hardest in sports.”

What’s next for Arians as he follows his passion? While he says it’s a year-to-year thing health-wise, he’ll continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness and funding for CASA through his foundation.

“I’d also like to stay in the game, whether it’s broadcasting or working with players in the off-season. That’s a good way to spend time—helping someone nurture his career.”

Jake Poinier

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

ITH A CAREER SPANNING nearly four decades and more than a dozen football coaching jobs at the collegiate and professional level, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has passion by the Gatorade bucketful. But it’s his ability as a teacher that’s made him a man who’s beloved by his players at every stop along the way.

“Teaching is the one thing I always go back to,” Arians says. “Every student has a different hot button. When you’re trying to get passion as part of your business, it’s a natural thing a lot of guys have. But they have different ways of showing it.”

On the sidelines, Arians is famously expressive with his players. “I’m not one of those guys that believes in holding in your feelings,” he says. “I let everything go as it goes—it’s much easier that way and the guys feel that. You treat them differently as individuals, but you still need to get the message across that, if it isn’t perfect, it isn’t good enough.”

While a running back coach under Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant, Arians heard, “coach ‘em hard, hug ‘em later” as a constant refrain, as well as the legendary coach’s parting words to him.

“He was the master of personnel,” Arians says. “He could tell how anyone was feeling, up or down, or if they needed a boost of confidence or had too much confidence. A single word from him could make you think you could jump through a ring of fire.”

Bryant also exhibited another trait Arians adopted in his own coaching philosophy: putting family before football.

“There were times early in my career I worked for people where your job, football, was first and family was second,” he says. “I always regretted that part of my early career, missing some of my kids’ growth. But probably more than anything, the tough part was the times I had to tell my daughter, ‘We’re moving again.’ ” That’s not to say he regrets taking the head coach position with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013—far from it.

“It’s such a great organization, starting at the top,” Arians says. “As president, Michael Bidwill has bent over backwards to make sure we’ve got everything we need as a coaching

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building bright futures

Phoenix nonprofit empowers girls to realize their potential

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OR CAREER COACH DENA PATTON, founding an organization that empowers girls to become the next generation of leaders has been a dream come true.

Patton’s mission began two decades ago when she moved to New York City with just $1,500 in her pocket to launch her own PR and marketing firm. The business was wildly successful, but the job pressure coupled with 16-hour workdays took a toll on her health. After suffering a minor stroke, Patton sold her firm, now a successful website, and set out on a new path, one that would change the futures of teenage girls across the nation.

“During my recovery, I realized my gift was empowering and inspiring and equipping women and girls,” says Patton.

Guided by her love of philanthropy and ministry, Patton became a global speaker, best-selling author, and a life and business coach for female leaders and entrepreneurs. After coaching hundreds of women, she discovered many of her clients struggled in their careers because they had not developed key leadership skills as teens.

“That’s where the ‘a-ha’ moment occurred,” says Patton, who asked herself, “Who is doing this on a teen level, teaching teen training and development?”

So in 2007, with the help of three friends, Patton launched the nonprofit Girls Rule Foundation to help teen girls recognize their value in the world and to discover their ability to lead and make a difference.

“We looked at the need in teen girls 12 to 18,” Patton says.

“We also looked at statistics and new access to media and phones, and the struggles of peer pressure and social media.

What we found were a lot of girls struggling. We wanted to help as many girls as we could to navigate those teen years.”

Offering a rich array of leadership programs and workshops, Girls Rule Foundation helps thousands of girls develop the skill sets, self-esteem and confidence they need to follow their dreams.

“We have 12 principles of leadership. When girls are equipped with those 12 principles they can lead their choices, their mindset, their life and their dreams with purpose and

Girls Rule Foundation founder Dena Patton enjoys a light moment with 13-year-old Riley Bohlander, an active participant of the foundation’s various programs.

intention,” says Patton.

The organization offers a national peer-led program called dreamLAB Afterschool Club, as well as four Phoenix-based programs: Shine Brightly Mother-Daughter Summit; Dream Big Workshop; the Brilliant, Beautiful and Bold Workshop; and the Wings to Fly Summer Camp. The organization also runs a social media movement titled Brilliant, Beautiful and Bold with the goal of reaching millions of girls to help them learn valuable skills to build self-esteem, confidence and taking action.

“It’s about these girls being empowered, which is knowing their voice and the leadership principles. When they are equipped with those two things, they’re unstoppable and they really get that they are valued in the world and that we are waiting for their leadership, we are waiting for their ideas,” says Patton.

For 13-year-old Riley Bohlander, participating in the Wings to Fly Summer Camp was a life-changing experience. In

“ It’s about these girls being empowered, which is knowing their voice and the leadership principles.

When they are equipped with those two things, they’re unstoppable.”

Dena Patton Girls Rule Foundation

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

addition to enjoying fun activities such as archery, horseback riding, swimming, a ropes course and a zip line, she also learned teamwork and leadership skills.

“The camp is an amazing experience I’ve had the privilege of having twice. I think it’s educational and extremely worthwhile in many ways. I’ve learned so many things from inspiring women and amazing young ladies, who I’m so blessed to call my friends. We help each other through difficult challenges, while also having fun and laughing together all the time,” says Riley.

During camp, girls learn to believe in their own abilities, the foundation’s 12 leadership principles, the importance of STEM skills, how to run a business, and how to collaborate with others.

Riley had an opportunity to create a business with fellow campers that involved designing bracelets, producing a business plan, creating a budget, and making sales calls to

family and friends. The girls raised $3,000, which will fund scholarships for girls to attend camp next summer.

Riley and her mom, Tara, also attended the Shine Brightly Mother-Daughter Summit, a full day with guest speakers and breakout sessions.

“They really focus on empowerment and accountability,” says Tara. “Riley wants to go to the mother-daughter summit every year and camp next summer. I would recommend the program 100 percent to other families.”

As for Riley, participating in Girls Rule has opened up new opportunities to make friends and learn important new skills.

“Girls Rule is a world-changing organization,” says Riley.

“There’s an amazing community there, who all work hard to empower girls and support them in accomplishing long- and short-term goals, following their dreams. I have acquired amazing knowledge that has helped me do things I never believed I was capable of.”

To reach its budget goal of $325,000, Girls Rule Foundation is launching its second fundraiser of the year Oct. 11 to coincide with International Day of the Girl.

“We’re doing a 24-hour GoFundMe Girls Change the World Campaign,” says Patton. “Our goal is to raise $50,000 on that day.”

In addition to continuing the organization’s programs and workshops in Phoenix, Patton has plans to open 1,000 Dream Labs across the country next year. She is excited about growing the program to help more girls navigate their teen years with confidence and success.

“What I love most is seeing a girl knowing her power, knowing her voice, knowing her dreams and truly understanding that she can achieve them,” she says. Leigh Farr

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ETTING ITS SIGHTS on a growing and prospering Latino business community in Arizona, National Bank of Arizona continues to unlock exciting expansion opportunities for Hispanic business owners in the community. The bank is bolstering its commitment to the Latino market by building relationships with local Hispanic companies and creating new consumer and commercial loan opportunities for their needs.

“I think this is the beginning of an important and ideally long-term relationship,” says Marcos Garay, EVP, Director of Strategic Development, who recently joined NB|AZ to support new business development in diverse

creating connections NB|AZ makes strides to engage with Hispanic firms ®

communities. “The Latino business community has already taken off and it’s a sophisticated community. It is a community that knows itself, knows what it wants, is hardworking and loyal.

Those qualities coupled with the right approach and cultural understanding and the best service that we can deliver makes this an exciting and timely opportunity.”

Garay sees a bright future ahead for the Latino business community and the bank’s role in providing products and services to help foster growth in the market. According to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Latino-owned businesses have doubled in the last decade in Arizona, making Hispanic entrepreneurs the fastest growing small business sector in the state. There are now an estimated 123,000 Latinoowned companies in Arizona.

“The time is right,” says Garay. “The Hispanic market has come into its own. At NB|AZ, we have the people, the products the delivery channels and all the resources and tools to be able to focus more on these businesses. In turn, we’ll be able to expand the scope and breadth of the bank’s footprint in the marketplace.”

Marcos Garay, EVP, Director of Strategic Development

Garay looks forward to developing strong, sustainable relationships with local Latino-owned businesses by providing services to meet their needs.

“One of the areas that is key to the growth of the Hispanic market is smalland medium-size businesses and that is one of our core strengths,” says Garay.

Of course, he says, the push to engage the Hispanic market is also about understanding and embracing

cultural identity that extends beyond banking products and services.

“It comes down to understanding one another; it is about building a relationship,” Garay says. “In a nutshell, it’s about culture and, in my 30 years of banking, that’s always been the case.

I’m passionate about connecting with the Latino market because building bridges is what I’ve done throughout my professional life.” Leigh Farr

DON’T JUST DO BUSINESS, FORM A RELATIONSHIP

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r t Ar Work

PHOTOGRAPHY MARK LIPCZYNSKI

STORY SUSIE STECKNER

Engaging business to grow Phoenix’s creative culture

I

MAGINE A HOTEL where the ubiquitous room number is a one-of-a-kind art piece. A busy auto repair shop with a meditative gallery space. A furniture showroom that promotes the beauty of dance and music. ¶ Business as

usual? That’s the hope for arts advocates in the Valley. ¶ ArtWORKS PHX, a unique advocacy campaign in Phoenix, aims to showcase and inspire business engagement with the arts. Campaign organizers are working to not only raise community awareness about the arts, but also boost the city’s creative culture.

Here’s a look at three Phoenix businesses where the arts play a starring role.

180 Degrees Automotive owner Bogi Lateiner (seated) and Austin Campbell, assistant manager, relax in the shop’s lobbyturned-art gallery, where local artists display their work.

art fix

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180 DEGREES AUTOMOTIVE

events, which showcase local art and music, and the shop’s perfectly lit gallery space that stretches along a back wall is open to all.

“It’s a small little microcosm of what we like about Phoenix,” Lateiner says.

Valley artist Edgar Fernandez created a show, “Identity Empowerment,” specifically for the space. His work focuses on bringing visions of ancestors to light using contemporary mediums, and the show features 13 colorful acrylic masks.

His reception included a blessing ceremony for the work and the community.

Thanks to this opportunity, Fernandez has sold one piece in the series and had multiple inquiries. But it’s about more than sales.

“Customers can sit there and look at their own pace; they can sit and enjoy,” he says. “For people who won’t necessarily go to an art museum, I think that’s really powerful.”

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

or proof that opposites attract, look no further than 180 Degrees Automotive. Noisy garage bays are filled with vehicles a little down on their luck and in need of repair.

But the Zen-like lobby is dotted with thought-provoking, whimsical and unexpected artwork, from “fire art” restroom signs to a custom concrete counter inlaid with metal.

Owner and master mechanic Bogi Lateiner has always worked to incorporate art elements into her repair shops.

When Lateiner was scouting a larger location five years ago, the shop in Phoenix’s Melrose District hit the mark as much for the additional garage space as for the potential to truly infuse the business with art. The daughter of local artist Roger Lateiner, she envisioned a calming space that welcomed not only customers, but also the community.

About 20 local artists have since exhibited their work in the spacious lobby, with shows rotating every three months.

Opening receptions are timed to Roosevelt Row’s First Friday

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creative escape

W

FOUND:RE

hether stopping by for happy hour or settling in for a staycation, visitors at the FOUND:RE all have the same immersive experience at the boutique hotel downtown. Art is everywhere, from the larger-than-life riff on Burt Reynolds’ infamous centerfold shot in the lobby, to a sleek green dinosaur watching over guests poolside, to the delicate origami birds fluttering down a wall near the guestrooms.

“The hotel is one big gallery,” says Michael Oleskow, the hotel’s cultural curator. “I wanted the community and the guests to embrace the arts.”

And that means more than simply enjoying a painting at a distance. The artwork is consigned by some 25 or 30 local artists and is available for purchase. Oleskow can make arrangements for guests to meet with artists on property to discuss a particular piece or even visit their studios.

This art intensive extends throughout the hotel’s public spaces, from the ground floor up eight stories with oil

paintings, collages and photographs at every turn. Even utilitarian spaces get a boost: A painting showing peeping eyes hangs over the ATM machine and a stop-you-in-yourtracks mural greets visitors in the parking lot. Guest rooms, meanwhile, feature a mix of work from local artists and playful interactive pieces.

Off the main lobby, spacious galleries filled with bold large-scale pieces are used as event spaces. An intimate studio near the pool area features rotating shows. “The Box,” an exhibit space outdoor, shows off artists’ work to passersby on Central Avenue.

Oleskow is usually on hand for impromptu tours. He can offer the backstory for the photographs seen by diners between sips and bites, or the thinking behind the beachy mural that sets the tone for guests lounging outside.

“This is really an experience here,” Oleskow says. “It goes beyond looking at art on the wall to making a connection.”

form and function

GOODMANS INTERIOR STRUCTURES

W

hen Adam Goodman, president and chief executive officer of Goodmans Interior Structures, first saw Ballet Arizona perform, the unexpected happened.

“I was blown away by their athleticism, grace and expression,” he says. “My wife and I became season ticket subscribers and attend almost every performance.”

Soon, the couple was bringing friends to performances.

“How often do you get to, literally, expose someone to a new form of art that they have never experienced?” he asks.

Goodman then decided to engage employees at his family

As the FOUND:RE’s cultural curator, Michael Oleskow hand selects the hotel’s art and is on hand for impromptu tours.

Adam Goodman, president and CEO of Goodmans Interior Structures, shares his love for the arts by incorporating it into the workplace environment.

MICHAEL OLESKOW CULTURAL CURATOR, FOUND:RE

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

“The hotel is one big gallery.

I wanted the community and the guests to embrace the arts.”

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“How often do you get to, literally, expose someone to a new form of art that they have never experienced?”

business in Phoenix and help expose them to the “majesty of ballet.”

It wasn’t such a leap. Goodmans, a Valley-based business that has been providing office furnishings and work structures for more than 60 years, has a long history of supporting the ADAM GOODMAN community and the arts. The company PRESIDENT AND CHIEF has been lauded for its community EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GOODMANS INTERIOR impact and its range of initiatives that STRUCTURES bring together employees, customers and nonprofit organizations.

The company’s GoodART program is one of those. In partnership with Free Arts of Arizona, Goodmans frames unique artwork created by at-risk kids who are served by the nonprofit, and then delivers pieces to customers as thank-you gifts.

Through its Ballet Arizona partnership, the company is delivering a different kind of art to its employees, their families and customers.

One year, for example, the company replaced its spring picnic with a carnival in the lobby featuring an intimate ballet performance for employees and their families. For some, it was a brand-new experience. Goodmans also treats clients to a ballet performance, rather than the typical ball game outing.

“What a gift it is to give someone the soul-enriching nourishment of art,” Goodman says.

Every day, employees at the company’s showroom are greeted by a giant wall graphic showing two Ballet Arizona dancers.

“The graphic is intended to be a reminder for our employees that the work they do at Goodmans is supporting important organizations in the community like Ballet Arizona,” Goodman says.

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22

Payson’s The ‘heart’ of Arizona resonates

Promise in this lush, Rim Country locale

Story by Bruce Farr Photos by Mark Lipczynski

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

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E

arlier this year, a group of

local citizens and community leaders from Payson began a program that speaks volumes about the character of this small, central-Arizona town and the 15,000 or so people who call it home. The plan, which

got its start in February, involves planting an entire orchard of apple trees grafted from heirloom rootstock behind Main Street, in empty lots and other likely areas where the greenery and its fruit will one day help beautify downtown.

Once the idea gained some steam, Payson’s citizens and local small businesses responded as they typically do when they hear about something that’s clearly going to be good for the community—they rallied behind it, reaching into their pockets and raising around $18,000 in less than 24 hours.

Now well underway, the apple-tree planting project is, necessarily, a forwardlooking plan—considering the saplings will need at least five years growing time before they’re mature enough to bear any fruit or add any real aesthetic beauty to the town’s main thoroughfare. It speaks to the vision of the Payson townspeople that they have a commitment to their community’s future.

But it’s the idea itself, and Payson’s response to it, that’s bearing some more immediate fruit. The plan serves as a metaphor, of sorts, for the value and promise of small-town living in America.

It illustrates the essence of that way of life, and what it means to live in a place like Payson.

Cowtown Collectivism

In 1882, the year a handful of local historians generally agree the town was officially founded, Payson claimed just 42 residents. Back then, it was called Green Valley, a reference to its unusual—for Arizona—lushness.

Situated at roughly 4,900 feet above sea level, just below the majestic Mogollon Rim, the verdant Payson environs were dotted with cattle ranches owned and operated by some of Arizona’s most stalwart pioneers. So tranquil and easygoing was the region that many ranchers simply let their cattle run free to mingle with other herds, with the cattlemen agreeing to sort out their livestock once a year, during an annual roundup in what is now Payson.

It was perhaps that yearly gathering, and its spirit of cooperation and conviviality, that helped foster the development of one of

Payson’s proudest appellations, that of being “home of the world’s oldest continuous rodeo.”

Cameron Davis-Parks, Payson’s recreation and tourism director, notes that as far back as the early 1880s, ranchers from the Rim Country that envelops Payson would venture down from their mountain ranches to congregate in the town for a variety of rodeo events, including bull riding and steer wrestling, horse racing and a full slate of similarly rugged pastimes.

The event grew through the years into a gala, multi-day celebration.

Traditionally held the third full weekend in August, the Payson Rodeo this year marks its 133rd anniversary of continuous, raucous rodeo-ing. With that event and many others like it, Payson proudly pays homage to its rugged, rough-and-tumble cowboy-town roots.

Building a Beeline

By virtue of its remote location in the mountains, Payson remained a somewhat isolated, self-contained cattle town for several decades after its founding. It wasn’t until 1958, with the completion of Arizona State Route 87—the Beeline Highway as it’s more popularly known—that the community came into its own as a bona fide tourist destination. With the opening of that byway, Phoenix-area residents had only to embark on a leisurely, 90-minuteor-so drive northeasterly to reach the serene, pine-strewn sanctuary of the Rim Country, of which Payson was a natural hub.

Now, the Beeline is a smoothly contoured, four-lane highway traversing some of Arizona’s most spectacular scenery, making the trip to Payson a truly welcome respite from the heat and congestion of the Valley of the Sun.

Payson Jewel

Today, Payson continues its reputation as a highly desirable small town that offers a myriad of virtues for residents and visitors alike. Town manager LaRon Garrett puts it succinctly.

“We have great people who live and work here; it’s a community-minded area where people like to get involved and work together,”

“Our primary industry is tourism, and that’s one of the huge drivers to why people choose Payson as a place they want to live.”

Sheila DeSchaaf, Payson economic development director

Green Valley Park welcomes residents and visitors alike for recreation and entertainment.

out-of-town visitors.”

A gathering place indeed, Green Valley Park and other choice venues in and around Payson are the settings for more than 100 special events that the town or region hosts each year.

Building on its Strengths

For all its virtues, Payson, like any community large or small, isn’t without its challenges.

That’s why Garrett; Sheila DeSchaaf, Payson’s economic development director; and other members of the town’s management team are working diligently to build on the growth and development Payson already is enjoying.

For one thing, DeSchaaf says she and her colleagues would like to focus on a stronger

(Left to right) Sheila DeSchaaf, Payson economic development director; LaRon Garrett, town manager; Payson’s roots run deep in rodeo and ranching.

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

he says. “Our weather is phenomenal…there are a lot of local small businesses where people enjoy shopping…it’s just an all-around great community to live in.”

One of the biggest draws for anyone who lives in or passes through the town is Green Valley Park. Situated at the end of Main Street on roughly 30 beautifully landscaped acres, the park offers picnicking, hiking, boating and fishing on three separate lakes, and many other activities.

“It’s the biggest pillar for tourism and locals alike. I would call it ‘the jewel of Payson,’ ” Davis-Parks says. “It has green lush grass and ramadas, a big bandstand and amphitheater where we hold summer concerts. It’s become the gathering place for our community and

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Mogollon Moose is a new downtown business that is attracting residents and visitors to the city’s center.

economic base, with more manufacturing that will, in turn, create additional jobs. “That will help us lower our median age a bit. It’s now right around 53 and we’d like to see that drop some.”

It’s not that the area is devoid of manufacturing, the town leaders note. “The Rim Country area is home to at least 24 manufacturers,” says economic development specialist Bobby Davis. “Snider Gun Barrels in our industrial complex produces gun barrels for a lot of the military branches. And the only ammunition manufacturer in Arizona, Ammo Inc., is located in Payson.”

“You move here because Door Stop, another small you want to be here. business, is a millworking facility When you live in that manufactures and distributes Payson, you feel you’re cabinet doors throughout the U.S. a part of something but Davis and DeSchaaf know well larger than yourself.” the inherent source of Payson’s Kristi Church, strength and appeal. owner and executive chef, “Our primary industry is Mogollon Moose tourism, and that’s one of the huge drivers to why people choose Payson as a place they want to live,” DeSchaaf says. “We want to grow our tourism in a way that’s sustainable, so we can continue to build upon it and make lifestyle improvements within the community so that people will continue to want to come here to live.”

Davis adds to DeSchaaf’s vision of the town’s future.

“We have a wonderful family environment. Our proximity to outdoor recreation—hiking, biking, hunting, fishing and camping—is second to none. We’re selling that lifestyle, not only to our residents, but to our potential new businesses, as well. We’re concentrating some of our efforts on recruiting

new businesses to come in—businesses that will fit here in our environment.”

Moose Crossing

One of those relatively new retail businesses that, as Davis says, fits the environment and typifies the sort of commerce Payson is looking to attract and nurture is Mogollon Moose.

Founded just a little over a year ago by owner and executive chef, Kristi Church, the bakery and lunch eatery is precisely the sort of contemporary, forward-thinking, small business the Payson town leadership is trying to establish.

Locating—and now having expanded—her business in a storefront downtown right on Main Street, Church has worked hard to win over the town’s more traditional “meat and potatoes” diners by offering a menu that features fresh, healthy bakery items and ingredients prepared in some novel and very tasty ways. It was a gamble, Church says.

“When we first opened I really didn’t know that Rim Country was going to embrace our food,” she admits. “It’s kind of a traditional town and I knew [Mogollon Moose] could either succeed or go the other way. We serve a lot of kale!”

But, she admits, she’s given herself over to the idea that Payson can become an even better small town than it currently is.

“We’re working really hard to make this community more attractive. Our goal is the revitalization of Main Street, to bring it back to looking and feeling like more of a ‘hometown USA’ Main Street. It’s not quite there yet, but it will be,” she says, adding that what she really loves about Payson is that it’s the kind of community people move to by choice.

“You move here because you want to be here. When you live in Payson, you feel you’re a part of something larger than yourself, and that’s a good feeling.”

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story Bru ce Fa rr P h otogra phy Ma rk L ipczy nski

NB| A Z ® p rog ra m p romote s b u s i ne s s e m p owe rme n t for wome n

MONEY MONTH M

oney Month. As simple as it sounds, and as easily at it rolls off the tongue, this alliteratively named event that kicked off at the end of August signifies a major, statewide effort to revitalize a significant subsection of Arizona’s economy. In fact, Money Month is designed to re-establish Phoenix as a prominent force in supporting and promoting women-owned businesses and female entrepreneurs in the United States.

In that regard, one of Money Month’s founders, Kristin Slice, is working to put Phoenix—and the entire state of Arizona, for that matter—on the map as a more socially conscious, progressive force in female entrepreneurship.

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

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30 Call to action But first, a little context. A few years ago, Slice and a handful of equally committed Phoenix activists founded Empowered phXX, a community collaborative of diverse leaders, advocates and stakeholders that, according to its website, is “committed to strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for female entrepreneurs.”

“We saw a need—and felt we were called—to address economic development of women business owners,” says Slice, who had been working nationally to put together female entrepreneurship programs. Time and again in discussions with her counterparts in other states, she began to see programs being implemented on behalf of women entrepreneurs in those states were well ahead of what was happening in Arizona.

As one bit of evidence, she cites a study reporting that as recently as 2012, Phoenix was listed as fourth in the U.S. in terms of successful women-owned businesses. This year, its position has dropped to 36th.

"I was seeing amazing women in Phoenix who weren’t getting the same resources, attention and support as they were in other states.”

Kristin Slice, Empowered phXX

“As a Phoenix native, I really felt I needed to do more work in my own backyard,” Slice says. “I honestly believe women business owners create stronger, better economies and communities, and I was seeing amazing women in Phoenix who weren’t getting the same resources, attention and support as they were in other states.”

Natural progression Through good, old-fashioned networking (and a bit of serendipity), Slice was introduced to a couple of executives at National Bank of Arizona (NB|AZ). As it happens, the bank has a long record of focusing its efforts on promoting women’s business ownership.

“I was telling one of the bank execs what we do and what Money Month hoped to accomplish,” Slice recounts. “She very quickly said, ‘Yes, we need that. We need this data for the bank and we need to move women’s business ownership forward, so let’s do it.’ ” Eddie Leyba, NB|AZ Senior Vice President, Business Banking Regional Manager, heads up the bank’s efforts to reach out to small businesses.

“Historically, we’ve been involved in highlighting and advocating for women business owners…that’s always been a focus of ours,” he says. “Money Month piggybacks off some of the groundwork laid by [NB|AZ Vice Chair of the Board of Directors] Deborah Bateman and others.”

Leyba says Money Month seemed like a natural progression for NB|AZ. “This being the inaugural event, we were looking at working in conjunction with other not-for-profits in the Valley, and hosting other workshops introducing Money Month concepts to their membership or attendees,” he adds. “As it continues to roll out, it’s going to be a big effort to make sure we get our subject matter experts out in the community, and out in front of the people who have questions.”

Slice couldn’t have been more grateful for the bank’s support. “We spent about a year talking to different people and looking for different partners. But the bank’s recognition of the community impact, and their flexibility, innovation and forward-thinking really made them the perfect partner for us.”

In the time ahead, Money Month is working hard to establish a strong foothold for women business owners, Slice says. On the program’s inaugural agenda is a major effort to execute a large-scale survey and research study of womenowned businesses in the metro Phoenix area.

“What do the research and data show about women business owners in Phoenix?” Slice asks rhetorically. “We quickly realized there were no data or research. We had the national resources, but nothing that really addressed women business owners’ experiences in Arizona. So that’s been kind of our first step—to do research and gather data. I think we’ve grown in leaps and bounds considering what we’ve

Money Month is designed to re-establish Phoenix as a prominent force in supporting and promoting women-owned businesses and female entrepreneurs in the United States.

done with Empowered phXX, but we still have a long way to go and Money Month is helping us do that.”

Equal opportunity

Eddie Leyba, NB|AZ

Looking ahead On the last Tuesday in August, Money Month kicked off with great fanfare. Hundreds of community leaders were in attendance to learn more about women business ownership.

A state proclamation in support of female-owned businesses was read, several local female-led firms pitched their products and/or services, and the spirit and strength of women-owned businesses were in abundance.

Slice is sanguine about the event’s impact—and its future.

“It’s become clear to us that if we can leverage a community event around money—and women entrepreneurs’ access to it—we can make an immediate impact on women business owners.”

But she and others are looking at Money Month as a long-term means of supporting this cause.

“It’s not only helping us kick off Money Month in the right way with the right people present, but it’s also helping us increase resources and draw awareness across the state about the value of women business owners. And that’s a pretty important contribution.”

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

Asked what she feels are some of the biggest challenges today to women starting a business in Arizona, Slice is quick to reply.

“Capital,” she says. “All entrepreneurs—men and women— struggle with access to capital. We know it’s the No. 1 reason small businesses fail, but we also know that the way women address money is different. Most women start businesses undercapitalized, meaning they put less money into it. But we also know they receive less money in loans and significantly less investor dollars. So the way we need to address these challenges is a little bit different. As women, it’s our approach, our values and, frankly, it’s gender bias that exists that makes it more challenging for women business owners.”

One of the bywords of women entrepreneurship is a concept called “50/50 parity.” Part and parcel of the capitalcentered challenge that Slice describes, the 50/50 parity concept is central to Money Month’s efforts.

“We’ve had a lot of fiery debates on this topic, because women want the freedom to define success on their own terms,” Slice explains. “For me, 50/50 parity comes down to sales numbers. More than anything else, women business owners in the same industry should be earning the same amount and growing at the same rate as their male counterparts.”

What it boils down to, Slice says, is equal opportunity.

“Equal opportunity to open a business, equal abilities and resources—and access to the resources—to achieve 50/50 in sales and growth.”

"Historically, we’ve been involved in highlighting and advocating for women business owners…that’s always been a focus of ours.”

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Mesa, AZ

Fast becoming recognized as an arts-focused destination, Mesa is dotted with compelling and innovative public art pieces, including “Drawing Room”

by Ralph Helmick. Located in downtown Mesa, the sculpture pays homage to the city’s citizenry with connected silhouettes of residents. Find out more about this burgeoning cultural city in the next issue of Elevate AZ.

PHOTO Mark Lipczynski

Fall 2017 | ElevateAZ.com

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