February 2023

Former River Runner Develops All-Natural Skincare Products for Flagstaff Lifestyle

By Stacey Wittig, FBN

Winter conditions in Northern Arizona can be brutal on your skin. DeeAnn Tracy, who has been developing all-natural,

plant-based skincare products for the Flagstaff lifestyle since 1993, knows that well. The outdoorswoman grew up in the northland’s four seasons.

“Northern Arizona’s sun and wind are particularly brutal on skin because

of the high elevation. We’re up on the plateau, and the elements are more intense here,” said Tracy, owner of Peak Scents of Flagstaff.

“Flagstaff’s elevation of 7,000 feet adds to skin damage. Beyond that, with

so many days of sunshine here, we naturally have more exposure to the sun,” she said. “It’s that sun and wind that makes it so dry here in Northern Arizona.”

Continued on page 32

KC HiLiTES: Illuminating Adventure

Off-road vehicle light company bringing business, jobs to Flagstaff

By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN

KC HiLiTES, the shining star of off-road vehicle lights, is moving to Flagstaff, and City of Flagstaff Economic Development Business Attraction Man ager Jack Fitchett is thrilled.

“This is the type of company we want to attract to our city,” said Fitchett. “Businesses with high quality prod ucts that have low-impact [environmentally friendly] jobs fit nicely into our manufacturing targeting sector.”

February 2023 | Issue 2 Volume 16

As an internationally known and respected business, KC HiLiTES began its humble beginnings in Saugus, California. Founder Peter “Kim” Brown discovered the need for off-road lighting during a camping trip in Parker in the early ‘60s. After almost missing a turn in his off-road vehicle, Brown decided he needed brighter lights, which didn’t exist at the time. He found aircraft landing bulbs, put them in housings, attached them on his truck and, voila, a star by the name of KC HiLiTES was born.

Of course, friends liked the idea and also wanted some

Continued on page 35

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Getting Enough Vitamin D in Winter

The sunshine vitamin can be in short supply when storm clouds block the sun

By Betsey Bruner, FBN

You had planned to walk in your backyard garden this afternoon, with the winter sun enveloping you in a warm glow. But then, your plan is shattered by fast-approaching storm clouds. You seek shelter inside, just as rain lashes the windows.

So much for your vitamin D exposure for today, you think.

It’s true: winter weather often hampers the body’s opportunity for exposure to sunlight, a prime source of essential vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin. The timing of a lack of sun and vitamins is unfortunate, just as the cold and flu season takes hold.

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin after exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and is crucial for calcium absorption, which helps maintain strong, healthy bones. Sadly, deficiencies in vitamin D are common throughout the world and can lead to bones that are soft, weak, brittle and prone to fractures.

“It’s a challenge to get enough vitamin D in the winter,” said Phyllis Hogan, longtime owner of Winter Sun Trading Co. in downtown Flagstaff, an herbal apothecary. “The best form of vitamin D is, of course, sunshine. We should try to get at least 15 minutes at midday in direct sunlight; you need to expose your skin to natural sunlight, with particular attention to the legs and arms, but be mindful not to burn.”

Midday is best for exposure because the sun is the highest and its UVB rays are the most powerful.

As the winter months set in, many health care providers suggest supplementing vitamin D from the sun with vitamin D-3, which is more bio-available and absorbs more effectively than vitamin D-2. Hogan recommends combining vitamin D-3 with K-2, which “is great for absorption and bone health, as well as supporting the immune system.”

Lack of vitamin D can also leads to other health problems, in addition to weakened bones.

“Researchers have found a deficiency in vitamin D is a risk factor for developing respiratory tract infection,” she said. “Vitamin D is a powerful immune factor for the respiratory tract. Lungs produce their own active form of vitamin D. I found that pretty interesting. Magnesium helps activate vitamin D. It’s a cofactor. Magnesium and K combined have a greater effect on vitamin D levels.”

She herself uses KAL vitamin D-3 with K-2, a company in business since 1932, which is carried at health food stores. “Vitamin D is ideally taken with vitamin K to be sure that the increase level of calcium that is being absorbed is directed to your bones and not your arteries,” she said.

Stephanie Miranda, who is a certified functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner (FDN) in Prescott, says the best way to find your dosage is to get your vitamin D tested. “You want to know your blood levels. There is an optimal level and there is a below range, deficient level. You wouldn’t want to take 10,000 international units (iu) for very long before being tested.”

Dr. Christina Kovalik, also known as The Vitality Doctor, is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist who has an office in Scottsdale and opened a second office in Flagstaff in 2020. She agrees that testing vitamin D levels is essential.

“It is important to test the serum levels,” Kovalik said. “I look at optimization for the most benefit on hormones, anticancer benefits, immune system, reproductive benefits and mood/cognition. Optimal serum levels are not what are considered within the normal range by some physicians. I target serum levels at least 60-100.”

Taking sun baths is important too, she advises, about 20 to 30 minutes per day, “with the most skin exposed as possible can benefit, but is a challenge here in Flagstaff,” Kovalik noted. “Even people who work outside may still be deficient. People also wear more sunscreen

Vitamin D can be found in supermarkets like Sprouts Farmers Market that offer a wide selection of vitamins and supplements. Photo by Betsey Bruner

Flagstaff Scientists Working to Control Galapagos Rat Population without Poison

Rodents threatening survival of species and farms

By Cindy May

The chain of 19 islands that make up the Galapagos archipelago have been called “a priceless living laboratory.” The vast biodiversity of these islands that lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador is said to have inspired the theory of evolution.

Now, a local organization is working to help protect the islands from an invasive rat population that is threatening not only many of the endemic species of the Galapagos, but also the farms that are vital to the islands’ 40,000 human inhabitants.

Women in Science Doing Outreach and Mentoring (WISDOM) LLC, co-founded by Flagstaff scientists Dr. Loretta Mayer and Dr. Cher-

gos sponsors is the Arizona-based Ramsey Social Justice Foundation, which provides grants and financial assistance to underrepresented communities.

The project is a collaboration between WISDOM; Animal Balance, an international animal welfare NGO; and the Agencia de Bioseguridad Galápagos (ABG), which oversees the archipelago.

“Animal Balance has been working in the region for years, providing consistent spay and neuter clinics, dog training classes and workshops on caring for animals,” said Mayer. “What WISDOM is bringing is a protocol for disbursing oral contraceptives to rodents, to reduce the population without poison.”

Mayer and Emma Clifford, who founded Animal Balance in 2004, have admired each other’s work for years. They first met in 2003 at

Continued on page 30

to spay and neuter dogs and cats. scientists and researchers recently nology from feeding stations placed

Dr. Loretta Mayer (left) and the team talk with a Galapagos local about the use of natural materials to build feeding stations containing pellets with WISDOM’s fertility-control technology. Photo courtesy Morgan Boatman

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Learning Business Skills Early

Annual Girl Scout Cookie drive trains girls to be entrepreneurs

By Betsey Bruner, FBN

You only have 3,484 packages left to sell to reach your goal of 3,500, and the annual Girls Scout Cookie drive has just begun.

For Madisyn “Madi” Van Hemert, a 12th grader in Girl Scout Troop 212, these goals are exciting, achievable and educational.

“After 12 years of scouts, I have learned many valuable life skills,” said Van Hemert. “Money management has been the biggest skill. Additionally, I have learned customer service skills, budgeting and how to grow with the modernizing advances that we have to incorporate.”

Van Hemert is also working on a project for a Gold Award, the highest earned award in Girl Scouts, which must be started in high school and must demonstrate leadership skills and a desire to give back to the community.

Mentoring her on her project will be Nikki Lober, the Troop 212 leader, who has been involved with Girl Scouts for more than 30 years.

Lober recently collected comments to

post in the girls’ own words about their goals and what they have learned from the cookie sale.

“I have been privileged to lead this troop and see many girls come and go,” she said. “I have seen each and every one of them grow and leave our troop with more skills and more confidence than when they started.”

Since her scouting daughter, Amelia, graduated from high school, the troop has been limited to older girls in middle and high school, thus “providing a place for any girl who wants to continue but their original troop does not,” she added.

So far, Troop 212, which has been active for 19 years, has welcomed girls from six troops. There are 16 registered girls this year.

Lober also is the cookie manager for the Sunny Peaks Service Unit and trains all the Girl Scout leaders in Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams, Winslow and Page on the procedures for the cookie sale and how to teach the girls and parents how to have a successful cookie sale.

“Most of these girls have been selling for years, so I support them by training them on new information for the year and making sure they have the resources they need. Each year, the older girls plan a Cookie Kickoff or Cookie Rally. At this event, they have activities to teach the younger girls the skills needed to be

successful in the cookie sale.”

This year, the troop goal is to sell 12,000 boxes. There are 12 girls selling and their goals range from 250 to 3,500 boxes, depending on the time they have to put into the sale.

The girls train with a cookie booth. They take turns sharpening their professional behavior and sales pitch. They also engage in a door-to-door sales practice to help them become more comfortable talking to customers.

A cookie-tasting session teaches them about the cookie varieties, so they know their products.

They also learn about goal setting for themselves and their troop and play a business ethics game to learn how to live by the Girl Scout Law throughout the cookie sale. “The older girls make sure that each activity has some fun to go with the learning,” Lober said.

On the cookie website, Emma Hirning, an 11th grader, wrote that she completed her Gold Award in 2022, and that she has enjoyed being her own “cookie boss.” She states that she is “hoping to sell 350 boxes this year to be able to make wonderful memories with some of my best friends in Troop 212!

I am so happy to have the opportunity to raise money to go on fun trips with some of my favorite people!”

The history of the Girl Scout Cookie

is long. It began in 1917 with homebaked cookies made by scouting girls with the help of their mothers as baking advisors. These early baking endeavors began about five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts in the U.S., as an effort to raise money to finance troop activities.

The simple sugar cookie was the first product. Today, there are 13 kinds, from the classic Trefoils (shortbread) and Thin Mints (mint chocolate dipped), to newer Adventurefuls (brownie cookie with caramel crème and sea salt) and Raspberry Rally (crispy raspberry flavor dipped in chocolate).

Alexis Velazquez, a ninth grader in Troop 212, posted about the cookies and the sale: “Being my own cookie boss with special needs for the past seven years has taught me to have more confi-

dence in myself,” she wrote. “As well as learning to work as a team and getting to eat some yummy cookies.”

This year, the website for the cookie sale reminds customers of the benefits to the girls from their selling efforts:

“When you make a Girl Scout Cookie purchase, you’re helping the next generation of girl entrepreneurs get an important taste of what it takes to be successful – teamwork, planning and a positive outlook.”

The success of the cookie campaign each year is aided by a Family Guide, published by the Girl Scouts - Cactus Pine Council, which serves more than 90 communities in Central and Northern Arizona.

“It helps the families help their Girl Scouts,” said Lober. “There are also lots

Continued on page 33

Madi Van Hemert, left, a 12th grader in Girl Scout Troop 212, is pictured with her sister, Peyton, selling Girl Scout cookies during the annual drive last year in front of Sportsman’s Warehouse in Flagstaff. Courtesy photo

The Color Purple

Chino Valley Lavender Farm creates products for body, home, food

By Stan Bindell, FBN

Montagne Vue Lavender Farm sells lavender in many forms: soap, lip balm, foot balm, linen and room spray, body butter, body oil and culinary lavender.

Montagne Vue, French for Mountain View, is family owned and operated in Chino Valley by Janet and Brett Hall, and their son, Carter.

Janet said their family gets help from family and friends when it comes time to plant and harvest.

They have 1,500 plants that encompass five varieties of lavender. The farm is at 5,000 feet in altitude and their property has great views of Granite Mountain, Mingus Mountain and the San Francisco Peaks.

One of their most popular products is the Silk Lavender Bar Soap.

“Real Tussah silk fibers are incorporated into the soap. It literally leaves your skin as soft as silk,” she said. “We also make Castille and Aleppo bar soap. Both soaps have recipes that date back hundreds of years. All soaps are made in small

batch quantities to ensure high quality.”

She calls her husband, Brett, “the soap geek” as he’s happy to talk to anyone about what soap is best for their skin type.

In addition to soap, Montagne Vue also makes lip and foot balm. “Think giant lip balm for the bottom of your feet,” she said.

The linen and room sprays are popular with customers, as well. “You can spray almost anywhere to get the fresh, calming scent of lavender,” she said.

Montagne Vue also offers body butter, body oil, essential oil and seasonally available fresh lavender buds, lavender bundles and culinary lavender.

Janet says they decided to grow lavender because they wanted to make a living off the land but weren’t sure what exactly that vision looked like. Through extensive research, Brett found that lavender is special and the perfect crop for their endeavor.

“We have the ideal elevation, climate and soil in the Central Highlands of Arizona for growing lavender,” she explained. “Anyone from this area knows the wind blows

Continued on page 32

Lavender Farm owners Brett and Janet Hall, along with their son, Carter, sell products in stores such as GG’s Boutique. Photo by Stan Bindell

Ready to. work for Arizona

With more than 30,000 students currently enrolled in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University is the No. 1 producer of engineering and technology talent* in the U.S. By leveraging industry-grade facilities, microelectronics research and expertise and partnerships with companies like Raytheon Technologies, Honeywell Aerospace and Northrop Grumman, ASU is helping to build sustained industrial growth with benefits for all sectors of Arizona’s future economy in cities and towns across the state.

*American Society for Engineering Education 2021

Researchers in labs at ASU MacroTechnology Works, alongside ASU students, faculty and industry partners, test new solutions to microelectronics challenges that affect daily life for us all.

Woman Business

of the Month

Brightening Lives with Blooms

Kelly Tulloss picks flowers from around the world for her customers

By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN

The beauty of flowers has a beguiling way of showing our love, gratitude or appreciation to our friends and loved ones and often are part of a celebration, be it for a birthday, wedding or Valentine’s Day.

“Flowers change with the seasons and brighten our lives,” said Sutcliffe Floral and Floral Arts of Flagstaff owner Kelly Tulloss, who procures her flowers from around the world. “I love being surrounded by beautiful flowers and it is so rewarding to create something beautiful for Flagstaff families through the circles of life.”

Tulloss is quick to point out the origin of her flowers. “We have the most amazing wholesalers who buy flowers weekly and biweekly on a global scale. We receive tulips and cymbidium orchids grown in Holland; roses, garden roses and dahlias from Ecuador; ranunculas and scabiosa from Chile; hydrangea from Columbia; and King, Queen, and Pink Ice Protea from South Africa. We also buy organic flowers from Whipstone Farms in Chino Valley weekly when in season.”

Acquiring Sutcliffe Floral in 2005, the business was established decades before Tulloss considered the purchase. “I believe it is one of Flagstaff’s

oldest businesses,” said Tullous. “It’s been here since 1944.”

Born in Holbrook, Tulloss has lived in Flagstaff most of her life. “My family moved to Flagstaff when I was a baby. I attended Coconino High School and studied business and Spanish at Northern Arizona University (NAU). I really enjoyed Spanish, so I spent a year in  Cuernavaca, Mexico, living with a family as part of an immersion program. It was an amazing experience.”

Tulloss moved to Phoenix to study international business, then returned to Flagstaff. She met her husband, Michael, president of Stilley Tulloss Design Build Group, through a mutual friend.

“The late Nate Avery introduced us,” said Tulloss. “We married in 1995 and have three children ages 22, 20 and 17.”

Before purchasing Sutcliffe Floral from a friend, Tulloss worked at the shop for a trial period of three months to make sure this was a venture she was willing to take on. “During this time, I fell in love with the business. I also found out I was pregnant,” she said, noting that they had two children in preschool at the time.

In 2018, Tulloss bought the nearby Floral Arts of Flagstaff shop and after extensive remodeling, asked Manager Vanessa Hemmer to oversee it.

“I started working at Sutcliffe Floral in 2016 where I learned the basic elements of design, especially wedding

work,” said Hemmer. “In five short years we have made this sleepy little flower shop into a thriving business that people love to visit. Our wedding business has really grown and we’re thankful to all our brides. Kelly is the most positive, kind and caring person I know, and I’ve learned so much from her. She has allowed me to grow as a businesswoman and to foster my artistic nature.”

Hemmer’s staff includes Assistant Manager JoAnn Bartell, floral designer Krystina Nunez and delivery driver Mike Goodell.

“From the moment Vanessa sees you walk through the door at Floral Arts of Flagstaff, you are greeted like a ray of sunshine, and you can tell she is looking forward to helping you find something special for the person you are shopping for,” said Realty Executives of Flagstaff Owner Debra McCormick.

Last year, Floral Arts arranged flowers for more than 50 weddings and, unlike most businesses, the pandemic was actually a busy season for both stores.

“During COVID, a lot of people were away from their families, so sending flowers to their loved ones brought joy,” said Tulloss. “That’s what we thrive on, we love making people happy and they are always so thankful.”

Along with flowers and plants,

both Sutcliffe Floral and Floral Arts of Flagstaff offer specialty gift items and even chocolates. “We sell a really cute line of stuffed animals, which includes dinosaurs, hippos and giraffes. We also stock greeting cards, lotions, candles and a special line of spices, lip balm and honey by Dr. Hanna’s Honey,” said Tulloss.

Individually themed baskets of flowers and plants are also popular. “We personally customize our baskets. NAU parents often call for ‘get well’ baskets that we stock with cough drops, chicken noodle soup, a magazine and other

wellness fillers. Our Garden Basket is really popular and consists of four-inch plants.”

Though the shops get busy during holidays, Tulloss finds time to hike, ski, hunt and travel with her family. “It’s a challenge to get everyone together now that we have two children in college and a daughter in high school, but we try.” FBN

Sutcliffe Floral and Flagstaff Floral Arts ship all around the country and can be contacted at 928-774-0670 or 928-779-0319 and online at: www.floralartsltd.com.

Arizona native Kelly Tulloss left Flagstaff to study international business. She worked at Sutcliffe Floral for three months before taking on the business. Photos by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography

Sutcliffe Floral is located on Beaver St. in downtown Flagstaff.

Floral Arts of Flagstaff Manager Vanessa Hemmer, shown here with Assistant Manager JoAnn Bartell, says they work hard to bring fresh and beautiful arrangements to their customers.

Solving Other People’s Problems

Rob Fallows and Team LogicIT help with cloud services, cyber security, data recovery and more

Business owners searching for solutions for cyber security, data storage, data backup and those computer problems that appear unexpectedly have found support from Team LogicIT.

Super Tree Service’s owner Larry Phillips is all too familiar with computer issues that can pop up and has found a solution. “Rob Fallows of Team LogicIT has been a great resource for my computer dilemmas,” he said. “Anytime we have problems with our computers, we check in with him and they get it repaired or corrected in a timely manner, which is critical. Rob is very professional and both he and his staff explain our situation in layman’s language, which really helps.”

Computer technology wasn’t on Fallows’ list of majors to pursue in college, but his grandmother encouraged him to consider the field of study. “I spent a lot of time working on my grandmother’s ranch in Sedona. She guided me through my teen

years and kept me on the straight and narrow. When she saw me struggling with a major in college, she pointed me toward data processing.”

Fallows followed her advice and attended Northern Arizona University (NAU), where his father was a professor and worked for many years in Student Affairs. “I went back to school later on and studied Information Technology.”

In particular, Fallows loves technology security and even did a bit of volunteer counseling for Flagstaff Public School District in the mire of ransomware attacks on some computers that forced the cancelation of classes in 2019.

“Hackers came in and encrypted everything and wanted a ransom,” he said. “I was happy to pitch in and help people get their data unlocked.”

Team LogicIT is a franchise, which Fallows says is extremely helpful for business support. “I have a great

Continued on page 33

Team LogicIT franchisee Rob Fallows with engineer Kyle Myers and a team of five more engineers are working through processes, tools and solutions to educate small businesses and help them find a way through the myriad of security solutions.

Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography

BONNIE STEVENS

Mental Toughness is a Dance of Rituals, Rhythm and Rest

Tennis Pro Mark Frampton says when you’re a beginner, 90% of your focus is on the physical aspects of the game. But after your body has grasped the mechanics, most of your success shifts to the mind. “For top players, the game is 85% mental,” he said.

Frampton, director of racquets at the north Scottsdale Terravita community, breaks it down like this: In any game, any match, any set, the time spent actually playing the game is only about 25%. Thus, he created his Mental Toughness Workshop to train players for the other 75%.

Winners, he says, are determined by how well they handle adversity. In fact, they thrive on it. “The difference between the Top 10 tennis players and everybody else is that they are more mentally tough.”

And this, he says, can be applied to other areas as well. So, if mental toughness is a key determiner of a positive outcome and thriving on adversity is part of the formula, Frampton poses this question to his workshop participants: “How do we learn to love the battle?”

The answer is in our brains, including the superpowers of rituals, rhythm and rest.

RITUALS

We all have them, and whether we know it or not, they are important for setting us up for the day, preparing us for a big moment and even settling us down for sleep. This became painfully clear recently when I headed for the kitchen to make coffee. My morning routine involves the perfect latte with just the right amount of steamed vanilla-flavored cream crowned with exquisitely fluffed foam. But in the Zen-like moment of my deeply ingrained ritual, the electricity turned off. I can still hear the click followed by silence after pressing the button on my Nespresso. In that moment, all the subtle humming of machines that make my world right stopped at 5:51 a.m. I was momentarily stunned. Without my morning ritual, I was stuck. I could not think of what to do next.

In tennis, the mentally tough have their rituals, too – they examine their racket in between points, bounce the ball before a serve, tug on their clothes or touch their face. Rafael Nadal is famous for his rituals. He tucks his hair behind his ear, pulls on his nose, adjusts his shorts and bounces the ball – perhaps 17 times – before he serves. He says it puts him in the right frame of mind. “When I do these things, it means I am focused,” Nadal is quoted as saying in an Essentially Sports article by Varun Khanna. “It’s a way of placing myself in a match.”

RHYTHM

Watching a new-to-tennis player reminds me of watching my grandson, Jackson, learn to walk. It’s awkward, sloppy and kind of funny and sweet. We’re not born with great rhythm; we have to work at it by practicing. To make this point, Frampton showed

a video of a player who was out of sync with his rhythm. There seemed to be a disconnect between his arms and the rest of his body. He was jerky and his energy wasn’t centrally harnessed – it was all over the place. He appeared distracted and frustrated.

Just as dancers practice by counting their steps out loud, Frampton trains tennis players to give auditory cues, which create rhythm for breathing and action. In preparation for a ground shot, for example, he asks players to say the word “bounce” as the advancing ball hits the court, then “yessss” as the racket makes contact. The body responds by setting up for the shot with “bounce” and executing with “yessss,” which also triggers the body to exhale. It’s a dance.

REST

I think we can all agree, it’s difficult to create a relaxed climate of calm and control, which Frampton says is the goal for optimal performance, when our hands are tightly gripping something like a tennis racket or a coffee mug. He wants his players to “dissolve the tightness.” Here’s his measure: “If a strong handshake is a 5, the ideal tennis grip is a 3.”

If you think about it, that’s probably the way you perform at your best, too. Creating a relaxed climate doesn’t mean you are not intensely focused. But it does mean you are in for the long game – you’re not going to burn yourself out, get tennis elbow or make your head hurt.

In between plays, he wants players to switch the racket to their non-dominant hand. It gives those hard-working muscles a break, a moment of rest, a mini vacation. Similarly, when we are struggling to solve a problem and scrunching up our face to force an answer, that’s a good time to relax and give our mental and physical muscles a break.

Leadership and performance experts are big on breaks – take a walk, do some pushups, play with your dog, meditate or go to sleep already. How many times have the answers come to us while we aren’t thinking about them? Similarly, walking away from the game, or the computer, for a while can make us a better performer.

“The hallmark of a competitor is their intensity, relaxation and calmness,” said Frampton. Mental toughness is the game changer, which we can build through rituals, rhythm and rest, and also with some packets of Starbucks Via Instant French Roast and a propane grill for boiling water in a power outage. FBN

Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie. stevens@gmail.com.

Super Snowpack for Snowsports and Vineyards

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

With one of the snowiest Januarys on record, causing closures to Flagstaff area schools and highways at times, city crews and residents have been busy plowing streets and shoveling sidewalks. Meanwhile, those in the snow business, along with ranchers and farmers, are happy to keep the snow and moisture where they need it.

“I remain truly grateful for the hard work and dedication that our streets and parks crews have exhibited throughout the snow events,” said Flagstaff City Manager Greg Clifton. “Notably, and in anticipation of the severity of the storms on the front end, the City’s Incident Management Team was assembled, and this enabled a lot of preparation in advance.”

About 15 miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona Nordic Village managers are striving to keep up with the continuous storms that have dropped multiple feet of snow on the cross-country ski area, including four feet in one week last month. Groomers have been working through blizzard conditions to prolong the life of the snowpack into spring by incorporating a gentler grooming plan than in the past that also protects the base as they continue to open more trails. “We are still trying new tactics to get this done,” said Operations Manager Annie Jehle. “Nonetheless, we have 20km [nearly 13 miles] of trails open, and they are beautiful!”

As of late January, Arizona Snowbowl reported more than 150% of the normal snowpack for this time of year.”It has been a wonderful season so far and the snowfall has been phenomenal!” said Arizona Snowbowl Marketing Coordinator Angelina Grubb. “We are happy to have such incredible conditions available to our skiers and snowboarders and we look forward to what the rest of the winter season will bring!”

Meanwhile, Camp Verde residents and vineyards, at an elevation of about 3,100 feet, are experiencing the snow dump as well. Alcantera Vineyards and Winery Winemaker Ron

Brumley is thrilled about it. “Snow is good for the vineyard. It provides a deep watering, good thermal for the organics below the snow layers and betters the biology for springtime.”

“It’s been a remarkable winter,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist in Charge Brian Klimowski from Bellemont. “Seventy-three inches of snow fell in the Flagstaff area from late December to mid-January, with 61.4” falling in January alone – making it the third snowiest January on record. Indications are that the rest of the winter and spring should be closer to ‘normal.’

In any case, our recent January storms and snow impacts will make this a winter to remember.”

FBN

Flagstaff Area Chooses Best of Business

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

From hardware stores to moving companies, radio stations to senior living communities, and audiologists to dentists, Flagstaff Business News presents the region’s choice for Best of Business.

Nearly 200 local companies and professionals have been voted best in their fields.

“Flagstaff Business News gives us a platform that we prize because we can educate readers with information that is important to them,” said Dr. Karon Lynn, owner of Trinity Hearing Center. “Our patients comment routinely on how much they enjoy the articles and the entire Flagstaff Business newspaper.”

“We are so proud of the many wonderful businesses in Flagstaff and Northern Arizona that focus on quality, excellence, reliability and customer service,” said FBN Publisher Amy Bix. “This year, more people cast their votes than ever before. It’s so nice to see these hard-working businesses, business owners and workers receive this much-deserved recognition.” FBN

Audiology Karon Lynn, Au.D., has been helping people with hearing issues in Northern Arizona for more than three decades.

Courtesy photo

Arizona Nordic Village groomers work day and night to try to keep up with the storms. Meanwhile snow in Camp Verde is helping vineyards.

Photos by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography

Inspector’s Auto Updates Logo with Nod to the Past

Inspector’s Auto Appearance will operate under a new, updated logo and brand identity that both pays homage to the past and reflects the company’s vision for the future.

Since it was founded in 1988, Inspector’s Auto has grown in influence, and now operates two state-of-the-art shop locations serving Flagstaff’s auto glass and detailing needs. In a news release, the company states that the new brand identity represents a commitment that Inspector’s Auto strives to keep improving processes and efficiencies to bring the highest quality service to its customers.

“I wanted something that brought in the new technology that we are bringing into the company, something sharp and edgy that people can look at that’s clean and simple, yet still ties back to the history of the company,” said Inspector’s Auto Appearance President Jesse McCoy. “And then – moving forward – we are bringing so much more efficiency into our daily operations. Everything is more trackable, and we’ve been working hard to make the client experience as smooth as possible. From the moment you call to the actual appointment, and all of the reminders along the way, the

entire process is updated. I wanted a new logo that reflected that advancement.”

Inspector’s Auto Appearance was founded in 1988 by Allen McCracken as an auto detail shop. A few years later, Inspector’s expanded its service offerings to include auto glass repair and replacement. Since then, Inspector’s has grown to become one of Flagstaff’s premier auto detail and auto glass shops, offering services including glass repair, glass replacement, window tinting and detailing, and accessories.

McCoy moved to Flagstaff in 2011 and started working at Inspector’s while enrolled at Northern Arizona University. He quickly fell in love with the Flagstaff community and decided to stay after graduating. In 2017, McCoy became business partners with McCracken before taking over as full owner in 2020. To McCoy, the greatest part of being a business owner is having strong relationships with his clients and the Flagstaff community.

The logo is arranged in the shape of a peak, to capture the iconic imagery of Flagstaff’s mountains. The center stroke of the “A” continues forward, signifying Inspector’s Auto’s commitment to progress all while

maintaining the iconic maroon, black and grey colors.

“I am so excited about the new Inspector’s logo! I love how by having the sharpness of the ‘I’ and of the ‘A’ we pay tribute to the San Francisco Peaks and the mountain town that we live in. Being able to utilize that

within the logo and making it stand out was very important to me,” he said. “I am so grateful for the Flagstaff community and for the strong bonds I have made with my customers and I wanted to make sure that the new Inspector’s logo symbolizes this mountain town and everyone in it!”

By creating lifelong customers through high-quality service, McCoy envisions Inspector’s Auto to continue serving Flagstaff for many years to come. For more information, visit https://inspectorsauto.com. FBN

Owner Jesse McCoy, modeling the new logo, says the greatest part of being a business owner is having strong relationships with his clients and the Flagstaff community. Courtesy photo

Increasing Survival in Cases of Cardiac Arrest

By Nancy Wiechec

Damar Hamlin’s traumatic collapse during a nationally televised NFL game stunned football fans and viewers. Four days later, doctors said the 24-year-old Buffalo Bills player was making a “remarkable recovery” from cardiac arrest.

We learned that immediately after Hamlin’s collapse, trainers rushed to the field and administered two necessary interventions – CPR and defibrillation — to save his life.

Usually, when someone experiences cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting, they don’t survive. In fact, there is less than a 10% chance of survival. Most cases are fatal because the victim doesn’t receive prompt and efficient CPR and defibrillation, as Hamlin did.

Health First Foundation Northern Arizona is helping increase survival rates in our community by providing grant funding to equip and train Flagstaff police officers in high-performance resuscitation. The training from

the non-profit Griffith Blue Heart goes above and beyond what officers receive when they join the force.

Since police typically arrive at priority 911 calls before emergency medical professionals, it makes good sense for them to have the skills to respond immediately.

Survival increases when law enforcement officers know how to respond effectively in cardiac, bleeding, drowning, overdose and other urgent medical situations.

“Seconds count; seconds matter,” said Lt. Charles Hernandez II of the Flagstaff Police Department. “This training will significantly impact our capabilities and response to emergency situations. It will enable us to save lives.”

And it already has. During two incidents – one involving a 1-yearold child who stopped breathing and another involving a man who collapsed while enjoying time with friends – Flagstaff police officers responded and started performing CPR. In each case, emergency medical technicians and physicians noted that quick action from

the police officers was vital to the victim’s survival.

Health First Foundation funds non-profit health initiatives through its annual Northern Arizona Community Health Grant program. Please consider giving to help support health and well-being in our region. Visit healthfirst-

February is American Heart Month

You can help decrease heart disease, the most significant health threat to Americans and the leading cause of death. The American Heart Association says most heart disease is preventable if people adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes:

• Not smoking

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Controlling blood sugar and cholesterol

• Treating high blood pressure

• Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week

• Getting regular checkups

In addition, learn the signs and symptoms of heart attack and cardiac arrest.

Heart attack symptoms include chest discomfort or pain, discomfort in other upper body areas, and shortness of breath. Other possible indicators are breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

forall.org to donate and learn more. FBN

Nancy is Health First Foundation’s community engagement and communications manager. Reach her at nwiechec@healthfirstforall.org.

Cardiac arrest symptoms are a sudden loss of responsiveness, no normal breathing or complete loss of breathing.

If you see a person with any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. In the case of cardiac arrest, administer CPR immediately after calling 911. FBN

Source: American Heart Association

Tim Freund, a SWAT medic and director of training for Griffith Blue Heart, instructs Flagstaff police officers on increasing their cardio-cerebral resuscitation performance. Courtesy photo

Innovate Waste: The Carbon Neutrality Challenge

By John Saltonstall

The Fourth Annual Innovate Waste: The Carbon Neutrality Challenge once again invites entrepreneurs to compete for up to $30,000 in awards and cash to build their business concept that advances carbon neutrality. If you have been thinking of ways to optimize stewardship of the environment and the natural world and your idea has merit, marketability and viability, then consider participating in this year’s challenge.

The challenge has been growing, with more entrepreneurs pitching ideas each year. Even so, there is always room for a new idea that forges new pathways to carbon neutrality.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The City of Flagstaff Economic Development Offices have partnered with the Sustainability Office and our non-profit economic development partner Moonshot@NACET to build resilience and autonomy into the local economy. The challenge provides a $30,000 incentive to develop the winning business that achieves public goals while developing jobs.

Moonshot@NACET is the service provider at the business incubator and

business accelerator campus known as the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, or NACET (pronounced nay-set). Moonshot is prepared to lead entrepreneurs through the process of developing their idea into a revenue-generating business or scaling an existing business. Through the partnership with Moonshot@ NACET, the City of Flagstaff leverages Moonshot@NACET’s local expertise and business coaching knowledge to work with entrepreneurs of all experience level.

The challenge is a business competition that delivers free-market solutions that improve the environment. Pitches will be scored on assessments of your business, waste optimization and carbon neutrality elements. The following information breaks down each element to describe what is scored and important considerations as you develop your concept.

The challenge’s business assessment is comprised of five sub-categories, which are the following, including the meaning of each as it relates to this competition:

N Money/Reserves/Capital/Fuel: Any start-up needs money. This section assesses the finances and financial scalability of your growth plan.

Judges will ask themselves if your

numbers add up, if the business reasoning is sound, the nature of the investment structure, how much equity is created and how much skin you have in the game.

N Consumer Demand: Are consumers, people who are as different as you and me, hungry for your product or service? This section assesses the viability of the business concept in answering the question, “Why does this business work now, or does it need market demand, affordability, technologies or economies that do not exist here now?”

N Talent/Structure: Businesses are comprised of people, teams and leaders. This section assesses the leadership team, qualifications and organizational structure. What is the experience of the leadership individuals and team? What demonstrated skills contribute to achieving business goals? Can the structure withstand change, challenge and direct hits? Do you want to be on this team?

N Head and Heart or Yea or Nay: The gut and the heart have a presence and a role in decision making and often provide a sense of optimism or pessimism, an idea of go or no-go. This section is an assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the

leadership team, organizational structure and business plan overall. The point-blank question is this: Would you invest your own money into this or not?

N Workforce: Business needs people. This section assesses how many jobs will be created year over year. This also includes the ways that

your business incorporates training, internships and workforce development into your workforce pipeline. The waste and carbon neutrality assessment section is also comprised of four other sub-categories: Waste and Materials Management: This section assesses the waste and Continued on page 33

February 18, 2023, 7:30 pm

Ardrey Memorial Auditorium

Charles Latshaw, Conductor

Pre-concert talk with the conductor at 6:30pm

John Williams’ film scores have the power to warm hearts and make them beat faster—often at the same time! In this concert on February 18th, FSO pays tribute to the man who was voted the most popular living composer. Come dressed as your favorite film character for The Best of John Williams and be transported by this enchanting and nostalgic trip through John Williams’ legendary catalogue. You will experience your favorite movie moments all over again—performed live by your FSO!

For tickets & more information, visit: flagstaffsymphony.org or call 928.523.5661

BECKY DAGGETT

Keeping Forest Health, Flooding, Transportation, Affordable Housing at the Forefront

Thank you to Flagstaff Business News for this ongoing opportunity to share the work of the City and the Flagstaff City Council. Your new and re-elected Council members were sworn in this past December, and we’re already involved with efforts that will continue to benefit to Flagstaff residents. As your new mayor, I am eager to tell you about some of the highlights of my work between the election and taking office.

Shortly after being elected, I was invited to participate in the “Program for New Mayors: The First 100 Days,” offered by the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, together with Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. I’m in a cohort of 25 mayors who spent three days on Harvard’s campus discussing and debating case studies developed and led by Harvard faculty. We focused on research-backed leadership practices, discussed issues with current and former mayors from across the

nation, and charted our own courses for our first 100 days in office. We are continuing our discussions through online classes.

This was entirely paid for by Bloomberg Philanthropies – which is sponsoring the Public Art Challenge that is funding up to 10 $1 million grants for U.S. cities. This grant round is for temporary public art projects with strong public-private partnerships that address critical civic issues. I’m delighted to be submitting an application on behalf of Creative Flagstaff.

Soon after returning home, I was invited to join a group of 13 new mayors from around the country to visit the White House for a series of meetings with staff and cabinet secretaries. We met with White House staff, who ensured that we understand what is available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, and they answered our questions that arose during the meeting. We also met with White House Intergovernmental

Affairs staff; Jacob Leibenluft, chief recovery officer for the U.S. Department of Treasury; Susan Rice, director of the Domestic Policy Council; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Labor Secretary Martin Walsh; and Housing & Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge. Affordable housing is one of my top priorities, and I took this opportunity to tell HUD Secretary Fudge that the new Emergency Housing Vouchers and the Foster Youth to Independence program have been gamechangers for Flagstaff residents in desperate need of housing. She was impressed when I told her that Flagstaff voters had recently supported a $20 million bond measure to address affordable rental housing and homeownership down payment assistance. We also met with President Joe Biden, who spoke to the importance of mayors, who are helping accomplish important on-the-ground work in our own communities.

A day earlier, I met with Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, Congressmen Ruben Gallego and Greg Stanton, and with Greg Smith, Congressman Eli Crane’s chief of staff. It was an important opportunity to touch base and thank them for their support for Flagstaff and Coconino County.

I recognize that these were incredible opportunities for me personally and for our community. Flagstaff must keep our needs relating to forest health, flooding, transportation, and affordable housing front and center with our congressional delegation. The relationships I’m building with key administration and congressional staff and mayors nationwide helps me bring ideas and solutions back home.

I’m grateful to be serving our community, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss issues, ideas and concerns with you. FBN

Becky Dagget is the Mayor of Flagstaff

//

Flagstaff must keep our needs relating to forest health, flooding, transportation, and affordable housing front and center with our congressional delegation. The relationships I’m building with key administration and congressional staff and mayors nationwide helps me bring ideas and solutions back home.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter with Gratitude

By Larry Kushner

Did you know 47% of Americans have at least one of three risk factors for heart disease? Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women? Did you know one person dies every 34 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease? And, did you know that one in five heart attacks are silent?

These facts can serve as a first step to opening our eyes to the importance of cardiovascular health, but there’s more we can do for ourselves to achieve full and healthy hearts.

One area that we don’t talk enough about is the impact that gratitude can actually have on a cardiac patient’s well-being and recovery! Yes, gratitude. In a study conducted by Jeff Huffman, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School, known as Gratitude Research in Acute Coronary Events (GRACE), individuals who were more optimistic and more grateful showed signs of improved blood vessel function two weeks after being hospitalized for heart attacks. By comparison, those who were not specifically optimistic and grateful showed signs of improved blood vessel function at six months post-hospi-

talization.

The Huffman study is one of multiple scientific studies of cardiac patients conducted in recent years. These show consistent positive themes: that patients who are truly grateful – and who practice daily gratitude for their care – have increased length of life, heightened physical health, better sleep patterns, more resilience to infection, stronger relationships and even more patience. Why? Because these individuals have developed greater levels of empathy for others. In today’s world, that’s not a bad thing in any context.

In health care, we see this gratitude manifest itself every day – and frankly, it never gets old. Certainly, that is the case here at Northern Arizona Healthcare and specifically, Flagstaff Medical Center. Gratitude is a game changer for the patient, as we’ve demonstrated above, but it’s also instrumental for the caregivers. Our doctors, nurses, techs and non-clinical staff are recognized often for their life-saving care. Receiving this gratitude from our patients is a reaffirmation for our teams, for it reminds all of us why we chose this profession in the first place: to improve health and heal people.

Acts of gratitude are rooted in

basic forms of kindness our patients show through notes, letters, baked goods and philanthropic investments of all kinds. Gratitude in philanthropy is reflected throughout three primary avenues: one is time, one is treasure and one is talent. There are those who volunteer their time as a way of saying “thank you,” those who provide their talents and expertise and so many who believe in supporting our staff through scholarship or programmatic contributions, which all help ensure the very best health

care for future generations.

Recently, we had a patient, Pensy Graves, who was so grateful for the lifesaving care she received from our cardiac team that she gave a patient testimonial in a video. In that video, Pensy says, “I woke up in the ICU to one of the sweetest nurses, she was so kind and caring. That kindness that you give to people, not just your clinical skill, but that kindness, is super important, too.”

In health care, we celebrate

February as American Heart Month and we’d like to invite you to join us as we remind ourselves to take good care of our hearts. We are working to practice gratitude, intentionally, for the two go hand-in-hand. The positive effects on ourselves and on those who care for us are far-reaching. And that is the heart of the matter. FBN

www.nazderm.com

F or over forty years, our Board Certified dermatologists have provided medical care to patients of all ages with disorders of the skin, including skin cancer. With our extensive medical and surgical training, experience, and passion, our physicians help keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy for life.

We treat the medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin needs of Northern Arizona residents, tourists passing through, and individuals from surrounding states at our three facilities: Flagstaff, Sedona, and Cottonwood.

Larry Kushner is the Chief Philanthropy Officer at Northern Arizona Healthcare

Kelly Czarnecki Scott Dale Jordan Miller Brendan O’Neill Kristina Paley Sara Risner-Rumohr Elena Salpas Bradley Taylor PA-C M.D. M.D. M.D. M.D. M.D. PA-C M.D.

Assessing Coconino County’s Education Needs

By Eric Heiser

Five feet of snowfall aside, my first few weeks as president of Coconino Community College have been marked by the gratitude that I feel at the welcome I received from faculty, staff and the community. My family and I feel right at home.

My focus these first couple of months is to meet with as many of CCC’s internal and external stakeholders as possible and to take a lot of notes to get a sense of the educational needs of our students and the communities we serve. I will then compile a report of “The First 100 Days,” focusing on mid- and long-

term planning, highlighting what was heard, what we’re planning to do and how the college will likely move forward. I’m excited to get busy.

In addition to getting a sense of the educational needs of our students and the communities served by CCC, I have also been involved with the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council, which represents all 10 community college districts in the state. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, CCC, along with all the other community college districts, visited the state Capitol to meet with Gov. Katie Hobbs and lawmakers to begin discussions on how best to fulfill our role in postsecondary education for Arizona.

Perhaps you might not be aware that Arizona’s community colleges combined, at last count, serve nearly 297,000 students in an academic year, which is considerably more than the three state universities combined. CCC, as with many community colleges, focuses on three areas:

N University Transfer: Providing an affordable pathway to a four-year degree. Many of CCC’s students come to us to get the first two years of a four-year degree path because community college tuition is typically a third of the cost of university tuition.

N Workforce Training: Getting people quickly into the workforce. By offering Career and Technical Education to help train and retrain people for jobs relevant in today’s workforce, CCC does its part to address that sector of need in Coconino County.

N Lifelong Learning: Providing continuing education and non-credit courses along a variety of artistic, academic and workforce interests for the residents in our communities interested in continued personal enrichment.

These three foundational pillars align with CCC’s mission of being committed to providing accessible and affordable educational programs that prepare students for the future. We strive to be deeply engaged with our communities and work to promote student success through a welcoming and inclusive learning environment.

One of the CCC District Governing Board’s priorities is to go beyond championing diversity and inclusion, but also to put our Diversity Statement fully into practice by having our student body and our employees represent our communities for that ever-important notion of: “Yes, I do belong in college.” Furthermore, it is CCC’s goal to ensure as best we possibly can that all students receive the wrap-around services needed to be successful on their educational journeys, so they end up with a certificate in a new skill or trade, or a degree.

CCC’s primary guidance is to “put students first,” and that is what I intend to do with the help of what I learn in these first 100 days of

my presidency at CCC. As soon as I am done compiling my report, I will share it publicly to begin a wider and continuing dialogue on how CCC can further focus our efforts to adapt, improve and grow as the communities in Coconino County do. I want to help invigorate all our communities with CCC’s vision of shaping the future of Coconino County by doing our part to empower individuals, to inspire communities and to educate with purpose!

Mother Nature may have delayed the start of the semester, but the students are back, and we are all striding confidently into the future.

For more information about what your community colleges are doing throughout the state, visit https:// arizonacommunitycolleges.org. For more information about CCC, visit www.coconino.edu.

To success! FBN

Eric Heiser, Ph.D., is the president of Coconino Community College.

One of the CCC District Governing Board’s priorities is to go beyond championing diversity and inclusion, but also to put our Diversity Statement fully into practice by having our student body and our employees represent our communities for that everimportant notion of: “Yes, I do belong in college.”

Guiding Native American Youth Through Pathways

By Almalia Berrios-Payton

The Native Americans for Community Action (NACA)

Pathways Youth Program is a substance use prevention program tailored to Native American youth and their families in the Flagstaff community who can benefit from a supportive and nurturing environment. Pathways provides information and education on developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles for youth and their families.

Pathways’ target population is youth ages 6-13 from Flagstaff Unified School District Elementary and Middle Schools. The project purpose is to deliver a comprehensive program based around positive mentoring and alcohol substance abuse prevention services for Native American youth and their families.

Pathways is the only afterschool program for Urban Native American youth in the Flagstaff community, and all activities are delivered within a Native cultural framework. Pathways is an award-winning program and was recognized as the 2014 Outstanding Out-of-School Time program by the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence.

Pathways offers afterschool and

some weekend activities that promote self-esteem, educational enrichment, physical fitness, traditional practices, and cultural values. Mentoring sessions are delivered within a culturally relevant framework and incorporate teachings around the art of weaving, understanding traditional foods, running camp, and storytelling. To address the substance use risk factor of “out of school time,” youth and families are supported during the summer months through a five-week summer camp program, and a school year program that operates in conjunction with the local school district calendar.

Families are an integral component of Indigenous life. Therefore, Pathways also strives to improve the child’s family functioning via teaching parenting skills, self-help skills, improving family communication, and advocacy for the child and family. All families are assessed for strengths and challenges. Assessments are coordinated by utilizing an evidence-based home visiting curriculum, The Family Check-Up. The Family Check-Up enables the family to develop or refine the skills needed regarding the prevention of substance use. Most needs are addressed through NACA’s extensive

organizational services, or through referrals to other NACA partners in the city of Flagstaff.

The program’s outcome is to increase resiliency in youth as measured through the Self-Worth, Adult Interaction, Coping and Connection (SWAICC) survey. This survey is also used by NACA’s Reach Ur Life Suicide Prevention program. Resiliency is promoted within Pathways by supporting students’ schoolwork, providing enrichment activities, creating exposure to healthy life options, learning Navajo and Hopi languages, and supporting an understanding and appreciation of their Indigenous cultures. The objectives of the Pathways program are as follows:

Objective 1: Increase resiliency (self-esteem, positive decision-making, conflict resolution, education around substance abuse, holistic view on healthy living and communication skills) in Native American children residing in the Flagstaff area who are at risk for substance abuse behaviors. Objective 2: Improve physical well-being of participants in an effort to reduce the risk of potential substance use.

Objective 3: Improve family functioning via teaching parenting skills, self-help skills, improving family

communication, and advocacy for the child and family.

Objective 4: Optimize families’ service and opportunities through extensive networking with various community agencies.

The Pathways program is free of charge to eligible youth and their families. Families from the Flagstaff area who are interested in enrolling their child(ren) in Pathways may contact Kateri Williams, the Pathways Program coordinator, for details. Williams can be reached at kwilliams@nacainc.org.

NACA has seen a significant decrease in participation in Pathways because of site unavailability within FUSD schools, as well as the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program takes place Monday through Thursday, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. (MST), at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School. In the past year, Pathways hosted events such as a Truth and Reconciliation Remembrance Walk, a Family BBQ, and Halloween Pumpkin Painting. Pathways also participated in events such as the Reach Ur Life (RUL) Suicide Prevention Walk, and RUL Pronoun Pin Beading.

Pathways also is in need of

volunteers to help with the students. Volunteers must have a fingerprint clearance card and experience working with children. Experience with Native American communities is preferred. Volunteers will help the program coordinator maintain the program’s curriculum, provide cultural and academic support, and help plan events. To apply to be a volunteer with Pathways, visit the NACA Careers page at https:// nacainc.org/about/careers-volunteer-opportunities/. FBN

Almalia Berrios-Payton is the marketing and public relations officer for NACA.

Almalía Berríos-Payton is the marketing and public relations officer for Native Americans for Community Action and a member of the Lenca and Pipil tribes from El Salvador. Berríos-Payton earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and strategic communications at Northern Arizona University and can be reached at almaliabp@nacainc.org.

NACA’s Family Health Center currently offers the seasonal flu vaccine, the COVID-19 Moderna and Pfizer primary vaccines, and the COVID-19 bivalent booster. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 928-773-1245.

How Belly Fat Leads to Inflammation, Disease, Hormone Issues

By Christina Kovalik NMD, Lac

Obesity is continually on the rise in the United States since the 1990s because of food packaging, lifestyle choices and changes in the food pyramid recommendations of eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. Food packaging got in on the lowfat bandwagon and would add more sugar, grains, processed items in place of the good fats or nutrients that they removed from food products. Certain lifestyle choices also contribute to increasing belly weight and increasing inflammation from continually eating fast food, processed foods, foods without life (low nutrient quality), sugary foods, not enough quality proteins, high trans fats (fats/oils that when heated promote inflammation) and grains. Grains are often given to animals to fatten them up before they go to slaughter.

These days, people are on the go and may look to fast food options that are cheap and quick to come by. The nutrient quality and vitality of those foods may promote inflammation, food cravings and weight gain. Think about how you feel after eating a poor diet or fast food. If you feel sluggish, think

about making better choices of eating at places that offer whole foods that grow or eat from the earth.

The current food pyramid recommends four servings of carbs – grains, wheat, breads, pasta, fruits, beans, potatoes, chips, corn, rice, quinoa –daily and to use fat servings sparingly.

Low fat is not necessarily better. The body needs good fats to help with hormone production, and they can boost cardiovascular, brain and skin benefits. The damaging consequence of eating a low-fat diet is that the body becomes more sensitive to carbs and sugar. It spikes insulin and blood sugar levels; thus, creating a vicious cycle of eating high carbs and sugar, increasing insulin levels, increasing hunger and cravings for more carbs and sugar, and resulting in the fat cells becoming insulin resistant. With the insulin resistance (IR), the fat cells get bigger, increasing visceral fat (belly fat), which promotes more inflammation and raises the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, increased triglycerides and cholesterol, hormone imbalances, fat build up in arteries, cardiovascular disease, and mood and digestive issues.

How IR works is eating food high

in carbs, sugar and grains results in the body releasing insulin. The fat cells resist insulin and store the sugar/ carbs (quick energy), which results in feeling tired and hungry. So then you eat the same food again and the cycle continues. With the continued release of insulin, the cells become sensitive and resistant to it. The best way to correct IR is to focus on eating more good quality food with higher amounts of fat, protein and low-carb vegetables that are high in fiber.

The key to correcting IR is to flip the food pyramid and eat four servings of healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, fish, eggs, olives, cheese and eliminate all grains and sugar. Adding more healthy fats to the diet helps reduce hunger cravings and improve how the body responds to the shift in blood sugar. The more sugar and carbs you eat, the more it spikes the release of insulin and increases hunger for more.

How do you know if you are IR?

If you have trouble losing weight, increased weight in the middle, have high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, irregular cycles,

hormone issues with Perimenopause and menopause, low sex drive, fatigue, mind fog, sensitivities to carbs and sugars, joint pain, sleep issues and stress, than IR may be a contributing factor.

Simple lifestyle changes are the keys to be successful at turning IR around:

N Be consistent with following a diet high in good fats, protein, and veggies while avoiding high carb fruits, veggies, grains and sugars for 12 to 18 months.

N Plan and track everything you eat and drink to see what macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fat, fiber) are in the foods that you are eating. There are some free apps to help you. Then, plan out meals for the week to help in food preparation and shopping lists and to stick to the plan. Start tracking your foods that you eat for one week to understand what the components are in the foods and to see how many macronutrients you are truly eating. Then, start to slowly decrease the amount of net carbs to less than 30 to 60 grams. Total carb grams – fiber grams = net carb grams.

N Increase your water intake. Water will help flush out the toxins that the fat cells are storing. Target at least

Continued on page 33

Making lasting life changes will not only benefit you but your family and generations to come. It creates a ripple effect that spills over to your kids by imprinting healthy ways of eating and reducing obesity risks.

Stopping PAD: A Silent Killer

By Reisha Zang

“PAD is often called the silent killer, because you may have it and not even know,” said Dr. Joel Rainwater, chief medical officer of Comprehensive Integrated Care (CiC). The reason it’s sometimes missed is because people dismiss the symptoms of this dangerous disease as “just a sign of getting older.” But it’s not. “It’s not normal to have difficulty walking to your mailbox, it’s not normal to have constant leg pain or cramping,” said Rainwater, “That’s not normal aging; it could be a sign of PAD.”

PAD (peripheral artery disease) is a circulation disorder, and those with it are at a much higher risk of heart problems and death from heart attack or stroke. “If there’s poor blood flow to your legs and feet, you’ll have pain, cramping or wounds that won’t heal,” explained Rainwater. “If you ignore these signs, it may lead to an amputation. If you get an amputation because you have PAD, your life expectancy is worse than if you had breast cancer or lymphoma. PAD is no joke.”

In some cases, people have been diagnosed with neuropathy. The symptoms of neuropathy and PAD

are very similar and include difficulty walking without taking a break, burning, tingling, numbness and/or pain. “When I see a patient who has been told they have neuropathy and they’ve been maximized on medication that’s not working, I know there may be something else causing it and one of the big, notorious offenders in that scenario is PAD,” said Rainwater.

PAD is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the arteries. This occurs gradually over time and hardens into plaque inside the artery. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. Sometimes, it’s called “hardening of the arteries.” No matter what you call it, this plaque causes a narrowing of the passageway, restricting the amount of blood that flows throughout the body.

Without an adequate blood supply, your body can’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs to maintain healthy legs, feet and toes. “This is something we can fix,” explained Rainwater. “The good news about PAD is that there’s hope. There is treatment and it’s excellent, it’s been one of the biggest success stories in all of medicine.”

Patients are able to get back on their feet and everyday living with

almost no downtime, no stitches and no overnight hospital stay. Medicare as well as most insurance plans will cover treatment.

Dr. Rainwater’s focus is on teaching people to recognize PAD and take action. “I’m here to tell patients that there are options, all they have

to do is ask. They might have to ask a different doctor, but they don’t have to live with the idea that they’re going to suffer for the rest of their life,” said Rainwater. His best advice: “Go look for answers.” FBN

Reisha Zang is the executive director of marketing and communications at Comprehensive Integrated Care.

PAD is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the arteries, limiting blood flow. Courtesy Photo

How to Determine Your State of Hearing

Jeff Lane, Au.D.

The first step on any hearing health journey is undergoing an examination. This exam provides you and the audiologist an understanding of your current state of hearing and allows for proper recommendations to be made. The findings are presented in a report called an audiogram. An audiogram contains both a written section and a graph. While the audiologist does review the audiogram during the appointment, it can sometimes be difficult to remember or fully grasp how to interpret your results. Proper interpretation is imperative, as it empowers you to be an equal partner in treatment.

HEARING THRESHOLDS

Hearing thresholds are presented

graphically on the audiogram. The x-axis of the graph (left to right) represents frequency. Frequency is interpreted by humans as pitch, with increasing frequency corresponding to increasing pitch. Pitch increases from left to right along the x-axis. Thus, the left half of the audiogram would represent bass, while the right half would be treble. An average exam will test frequencies between 250 and 8,000 Hz. While human hearing can detect frequencies above and below this range, these are the most important for daily communication.

The y-axis (top to bottom) represents intensity as measured in decibels hearing level (dB HL). On this scale, 0 dB HL does not represent the absence of sound, but rather the quietest sound that the average adult

This exam provides you and the audiologist an understanding of your current state of hearing and allows for proper recommendations to be made. The findings are presented in a report called an audiogram. An audiogram contains both a written section and a graph.

can hear. Intensity is interpreted by humans as loudness. A higher decibel level corresponds to a louder sound. Quiet sounds are at the top of the graph, while very loud sounds are at the bottom of the graph.

Your ears function both as combined and independent systems. A such, the audiologist will want to test the respective performance of each ear. The hearing thresholds for the right ear are represented by circles or triangles, while the left ear thresholds are Xs or squares. Hearing thresholds are the quietest sound you can hear at a given frequency. For example, the right ear threshold at 1k Hz may be 20 dB HL. This would mean that at that specific frequency, the right ear can hear the sound when it is 20 dB HL or louder, but not below that level. This will hold true for the threshold of each respective frequency. 20 dB HL is considered to be the cut-off for normal hearing, with 21 dB HL and higher representing increasing degrees of hearing loss.

SPEECH UNDERSTANDING

Another main component of a hearing exam is speech testing. Speech test results may be found in numerical form in a box typically located at the bottom of the page. Two main speech tests are typically performed. The first

is the speech recognition threshold (SRT). It represents the quietest level at which you can understand speech 50% of the time. The SRT mainly functions as a way to verify accuracy within the test battery. A measurement that is more relevant to daily communication performance is the word recognition score (WRS). Your WRS represents how well your brain can interpret speech sounds and is reported as the percentage of words repeated correctly. When measuring the WRS, the words are presented at a loudness level that is easy for the patient to hear. A high WRS means you can understand words well, while a lower WRS means that the brain has difficulty interpreting the speech sound due to distortion in the auditory system

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THRESHOLDS AND SPEECH UNDERSTANDING

One important concept to understand is that your hearing thresholds and ability to understand speech are not necessarily correlated. Better hearing thresholds do not always mean a better WRS, nor do worse thresholds always mean a worse WRS. Indeed, two individuals may have the exact same hearing thresholds,

yet drastically different abilities to understand what is being said. What then, influences your WRS? It all has to do with the frequency filters in your ears. Each speech sound has a different fundamental frequency. Sounds like “shh” have a higher frequency than “oo” would. When sound is picked up by your ears, it is sent through specially designed filters to help separate out all the speech sounds. As more damage occurs to the auditory system, those filters become less precise and overlap with each other. Thus, “shh” and “oo” may appear to your brain to be coming from the same filter and it has difficulty distinguishing them.

While many factors are taken into account when deciding treatment, test results are a main one. By possessing a greater understanding of your results, you can feel confident in the decisions being made. FBN

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit the website at TrinityHearing. net. Jeff Lane is a doctor of audiology with a passion for improving the lives of others. Dr. Lane may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net

Three Tips for Supporting Loved Ones in Recovery

By Roy DuPrez

Loving someone during addiction often feels like a hopeless endeavor. You may feel as if you are being used or constantly manipulated by your loved one, making it difficult to want to keep providing support. This level of stress is enough to drag down your emotions and can even make you physically sick. Loving a person suffering from addiction may feel like an uphill battle you will never win. If you have a loved one in recovery or in the middle of addiction, you have probably felt all these emotions. Understand that even during the dark times, there is light

By Terry Baker

at the end of the tunnel. Throughout everything you do for your loved one, you must realize your own health and well-being are your priority. Here are a few tips to help you better understand how to love and support your loved one without losing focus on yourself.

FACE YOUR REALITY

Loving someone who is going through addiction may cause your own life to get out of control. You may have this constant fear or worry about your loved one that you are constantly dealing with. The feeling of guilt is one of the biggest issues for people who love someone in

addiction; the idea that you aren’t doing enough to help them or aren’t showing enough support.

The first thing you must realize is that you are doing your best. You must also understand that before you can truly help someone, you must deal with your own situation. Look at how you think you are helping your loved one. Are these actions hurting you? If so, then it is time to change your own behavior. Take a step back and get your own life in order. Focus on your health and well-being. By taking this step back, you will get a broader look at the situation and be able to help your loved one in a positive and healthy way.

UNDERSTAND ENABLING IS NOT HELPING

Helping a loved one and enabling are two separate situations. For instance, many times, people think they are helping a loved one by giving them money, giving them a place to stay, or buying them food. You may feel you are helping them, but these are considered enabling behaviors that aren’t helpful in the end.

Once you recognize your enabling behaviors, you can start making different decisions. Doing so will lead to healthier habits in yourself and your loved one. For example, you can tell the person you will no longer give them money. However, you can let them know if they need help paying a bill, they need to give you the information, so you pay it directly to the business. Once you stop your enabling behaviors, you can then begin helping your loved one in more positive ways.

FOCUS ON SELF-CARE

Self-care means you love yourself enough to take care of your health physically, mentally and emotionally. Substance abuse by a loved one not only affects them but everyone around them. Family and friends will often place the needs of the other

person above their own. This can lead to lack of self-care, illness and even depression.Take care of your own physical, mental and emotional needs first. Doing so will make you better equipped to help your loved one through their addiction. If you feel you can’t do this on your own, many support groups for loved ones exist providing care and helpful techniques so you can take better care of yourself. FBN

Roy DuPrez, M.Ed. is the CEO and founder of Back2Basics Outdoor Adventure Recovery in Flagstaff. DuPrez received his B.S. and M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University.

Back2Basics is an adventure recovery program, up to six months, for young adult males ages 18-30 with substance abuse issues looking for a positive and meaningful life. Clients are exposed to a weekly combination of both wilderness adventures and residential programming. For more information, visit back2basicsoutdooradventures.com, call 928-814-2220 or email rduprez@b2badventures.com.

Helping a loved one and enabling are two separate situations. For instance, many times, people think they are helping a loved one by giving them money, giving them a place to stay, or buying them food. You may feel you are helping them, but these are considered enabling behaviors that aren’t helpful in the end.

Knowing CPR for Pets

Pet owners are the first responders

When Kate Klasen’s fivepound dog started choking one day, she knew the Heimlich Maneuver from teaching human CPR but didn’t know exactly how to apply it to her pet. While she was ultimately able to save her, she realized it wasn’t enough just to know the life-saving techniques that are applied to people. She needed to know more.

Today, Klasen is an instructor at The Frontline Coalition, an organization that teaches CPR and first aid for pets. She says Pet CPR is similar to what we might perform on a human being, but there are significant differences. The size of the animal, the techniques, and the hand placements that are used are all different.

She and Master Instructor Malinda Malone teach how to perform CPR on dogs and cats through Pet Tech, an international program used by Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. The program also is the designated Pet CPR and First Aid Training source for most pet care professional organizations in the country.

Pet Tech was originally developed by Thom Somes in 1997 after realizing there were no in-person training classes available. After many years of training and research, Thom and his wife, Cindy, created the Pet Tech curriculum, which follows the American Veterinary Medical Association’s guidelines and training.

Klasen says any number of unforeseen circumstances can result in the need for CPR – such as choking, poison, trauma or even allergic reactions. In the human world, we’re told to call 911 and then start performing CPR or administering first aid, she says. But we don’t have 911 for pets, and that makes pet owners the first responders.

The Frontline Coalition believes any pet parent or pet professional should have the knowledge that could allow them to stabilize a pet in an emergency, giving them the precious time needed to get to a vet. That includes having emergency contacts for pet sitters, dog walkers and anyone working at a non-veterinarian-related boarding facility, among other groups.

“It’s important to know what to

do in an emergency and have some muscle memory from practicing hands-on CPR,” she said. “Taking a class in person is ideal for having someone readily available to answer your questions and assist you with proper technique, ensuring that you’re performing each maneuver correctly.”

Klasen and Malone are both former first responders teaching from personal experience. Stuffed dogs and canine mannequins are used to teach proper hand placement

and how to do compressions. To bring more realism to the classes, the women include their dogs to demonstrate where to feel for a pulse, allowing trainees to find and feel it on a live animal. The instruction covers an array of emergency situations, including bleeding, seizures, heatstroke, choking and so many more instances that would require an immediate response.

Pet Tech currently has two courses available. The Pet CPR/First Aid course is a six-and-a-half hour

class, and the Pet Saver course is an eight-hour class with additional information covering geriatric and dental care. Both courses have a two-year certification accredited through Pet Tech. Master Instructor Malone teaches a three-day Instructor Course for those who want to become Pet Tech Instructors. The Frontline Coalition based in Phoenix travels nationally to training new pet responders and instructors, along with conducting their classes locally. The organization also stresses the importance of having a first aid kit on hand for your pet. “You want to be able to react quickly, as opposed to searching for supplies while in the middle of an emergency,” Malone said. The two have first aid kits that they’ve put together available at their classes, as well as supplies that pet owners may choose to add to an existing kit. FBN

To find a class near you, visit TheFrontlineCoalition.com.

Klasen says an online course offers knowledge about CPR and first aid but doesn’t allow for the feel and hands-on experience that an in-person class provides in real time. Courtesy photo

Instructors use stuffed dogs and canine mannequins to teach proper hand placement and how to do CPR compressions. Courtesy photo

“It’s important to know what to do in an emergency and have some muscle memory from practicing hands-on CPR,” she said. “Taking a class in person is ideal for having someone readily available to answer your questions and assist you with proper technique, ensuring that you’re performing each maneuver correctly.”

Super Bowl Brings Super-Sized Real Estate Sales

By Lori Anna Harrison

It’s no secret that the Super Bowl will be held in Arizona this month at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The last time the Grand Canyon State hosted the Super Bowl was 2015, prior to that, it was 2008, and the first time was 1996. Beyond the showstopping halftime entertainment and the memorable commercials, what makes headlines – to numbers geeks like me – is the profound financial impact the Super Bowl has on the local economy. Direct visitor spending will total between $128 million to $259 million, it is projected that between 2,200 to 4,700 jobs will be created by the event, with an overall economic impact estimated to be anywhere from $230 million to $475 million.

This is wonderful news for the Copper State, but does any of this spending translate to housing sales? Interestingly enough, there was a study conducted by the National Association of Realtors over a span of five years, which included the 2015 Super Bowl on the city of Glendale and the surrounding area for changes in real estate. According to these NAR findings, “Phoenix…was among the housing markets that got the biggest boost from the event.”

My prediction is that while much of

the country is bundled up in sweaters and boots to attend their favorite house party for pre-game festivities on Feb. 12, the mild winter conditions displayed effortlessly via the stadium’s retractable roof will entice both attendees and viewers alike to evaluate or at least peek to see what a second home or relocation would cost in the neighboring sunny areas – including Flagstaff, since, even after a glorious snowfall, we most likely see sunshine, making each flake look like sparkly powdered sugar.

If you are considering selling, Super Bowl Sunday might just provide your ideal target audience – fully captivated and fully loaded. Considering that the last time Arizona hosted, home sales increased 18.2% up to a year after the big game, including a $2.8 million home that sold that weekend while the couple was visiting town for the football event. Pretty impressive as far as super-sized impulse purchases go.

Local sellers Jenni and Chip are expecting exactly that – a sophisticated buyer palate to accompany dreams of owning a lavish abode in the prestigious golf community of Flagstaff Ranch – at Super Bowl LVII. Their 5,000-square-foot home will easily accommodate a crowd and win as fan favorite. It has been tastefully renovated from top to bottom, featuring modern

ATHENA, Young Professional Nominees to be Honored at Chamber Annual Meeting

The Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce will host its Annual Meeting and ATHENA and Young Professionals Awards, 11:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 10, at the High Country Conference Center.

“We always enjoy delivering a solid program for the audience and sharing our message about the good work the Chamber does day in and day out in Northern Arizona,” said Chamber President and CEO Julie Pastrick. “Our ATHENA nominees and Young Professionals are always top-shelf women in their field, and this year’s nominations are no different.”

The Chamber has invited newly-elected Governor Katie Hobbs to address the audience, and will hear from Danny Court of Elliott D. Pollack & Company, who will

and bright spaces with a two-story limestone fireplace, three large entertaining spaces, including one facing the National Forest, four massive bedrooms with two additional bedrooms in the guest house (see photo courtesy of Shane Brandolini).

Who will take home the Super Bowl 2023 trophy remains to be seen. But the big winner this February on all ac-

counts is the state of Arizona. Between the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Super Bowl, the sheer potential for an historic economic impact is brewing and all residents are the beneficiaries – Jenni and Chip are hoping to the tune of $2.85 million. Now there’s a super-sized real estate sale.

Lori Anna Harrison is a Flagstaff native and 19-year real estate veteran commencing post graduate school with Shea Homes.

Lori is a full-time licensed REALTOR® with Zion Realty, LLC. Call her today at 928.396.5851 or text 602.524.5674, email lori@ AZdreamlifestyle.com and visit AZdreamlifestyle.com

provide a review of the local economy and housing challenges in Northern Arizona. The Chamber also will recognize its second annual Green Business of the Year award at this event. Mother Road Brewing Company was the inaugural recipient of the Green Business Award at last year’s event.

“This is the largest annual gathering of business leaders and public officials in Northern Arizona,” said Pastrick. “We are grateful to all those who attend and support this important event through sponsorships and table purchases.” FBN

Information about table and individual registrations can be found at the Chamber’s Events page at www. flagstaffchamber.com.

Arizona and homes like this 5,000-square-foot Flagstaff Ranch property are on display as out-of-towners visit for the Super Bowl and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Photos courtesy of Shane Brandolini

Loven Contracting

Commercial Real Estate Realty Executives of Flagstaff

Community Event Flagstaff Rodeo

Computer Services Company Flag IT

Concierge Doctor Dr. Nicholaus B. Martin

Convenience Store Maverik

Cosmetic Dentistry Flagstaff Downtown Dental

Credit Union OneAZ Credit Union

Custom Home Builder T3 Construction

Custom Meats Proper Meats + Provisions

Dental Services Hallberg Family Dentistry

Dentist/Orthodontist Northern Arizona Orthodontics

Dermatology Services Northern Arizona Dermatology Center

Digital/E-commerce Flagstaff E-Commerce Developers

Document Destruction Company Elevated Shredding

Dog Groomer Dorothy's K9 Grooming

Door Company Loren Vickers Overhead Door

Dry Cleaning Service Ogden's Cleaners

Electrical Contractor Darren Lance Electric

Endoscopy & Surgery Center Surgery Center at Flagstaff Bone & Joint

Engineering Services Hubbard Merrell Engineering

Event Management Peak Events

Event Rental Services Total Rental

Exercise Facility Flagstaff Athletic Club

Eye Care Center Eye Care Associates

Family Medical Practice NACA

Fast Food Chick-fil-A

Financial/Investment Service Benefit & Financial Strategies LLC

Flooring Company Flagstaff Wholesale Flooring

Florist Sutcliffe Floral

Foot/Ankle Care Flagstaff Foot Doctors: Anthony Rosales DPM

Forestry Management The National Forest Service

Furniture Store The Barn Bros

Garden Center Warner's Nursery and Landscaping

General Contractor Loven Contracting

Golf Course Continental Country Club

Gun Sales/Accessories Timberline Firearms & Training

Category Winner

Hair Salon Headlines 2000 Hair Studio

Hardware Store HomCo Lumber & Hardware

Health Care Insurance Provider UnitedHealthcare

Health Food Store Natural Grocers

Hearing/Auditory Center Trinity Hearing Center

Holistic Veterinarian Midtown Animal Clinic

Home Builder Capstone Homes

Home Health Care Provider Comfort Keepers

Home Refurbishing/Renovations Flagstaff Builders

Hormone Therapy

The Vitality Doctor- Dr. Christina Kovalik, NMD, Lac

Hospice Provider Northland Hospice & Palliative Care

Hospital Flagstaff Medical Center

Hotel/Lodging Little America Hotel

House Cleaning Merry Maids of Flagstaff

Hunting/Camping Sportsman's Warehouse

HVAC Contractor Intermountain Plumbing & Mechanical

In Home Senior Care Comfort Keepers

Insurance Firm Farmers Insurance-Dan Hakes

Interior Designer Kim Duncan Design

Internet Service Provider Optimum

Janitorial Services Gemini Services

Jeweler Jeff Karl Jewelers

Juice Bar Juice Pub

Law Firm AWD

Live Entertainment Venue

Local College

Manufacturing

Martial Arts School

Massage/Spa

Pepsi Amphitheater

Coconino Community College

W. L. Gore & Associates

Sacred Mountain Fighting and Healing Arts

Massage Envy

Mattress/Bedding Store Mattress Firm Flagstaff

Medical Devices/Equipment

All-Med Equipment & Supplies Sales

Medical Dispensary Noble Herb

Medi-Spa

Revival Med Spa

Memory Care Center Highgate Senior Living

Mobile Veterinarian Dr. Folkers

Mortgage Lender

Mortuary

Peoples Mortgage Company

Norvel Owens Mortuary

Motorcycle/ATV Service GO AZ Motorcycles in Flagstaff

Moving Company Fireman Movers

Music Store Arizona Music Pro

Nail Salon

Flagstaff Nail Salon

Naturopath Doctor The Vitality Doctor- Dr. Christina Kovalik, NMD, Lac

Non-Profit/Charitable Organization High Country Humane

Office Supplies Staples

Optometrist/Ophthalmologist Flagstaff Eye Care

Orthopedic Center Flagstaff Bone & Joint

Pain Management Services Comprehensive Integrated Care

Painting Company

Major League Painting

Pet Food & Supplies Olsen's Grain

Pet Hotel Kingsmark Kennels

Photographer Jake Bacon

Category Winner

Physical Rehabilitation Services

Proof Physical Therapy and Performance

Place for an Event The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Plant & Garden Nursery Warner's Nursery and Landscaping

Plastic Surgery Center Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona

Plumbing Contractor Intermountain Plumbing & Mechanical

Printer International Minute Press

Professional Training - Education CPR Solutions

Promotional products AEC Printing

Propane Orion

Property Management 928 Sales & Rentals

Radio Station KAFF

Radiology Center Northern Arizona Radiology

Residential Contractor JKC Inc. General Contractor

Residential Real Estate Realty Executives of Flagstaff

Restaurant/Fine Dining Josephine's Restaurant

Restoration Services Mammoth Restoration

Retirement Community The Peaks, A Senior Living Community

Roofing Company Master Roofers Flagstaff

Second Hand Store Goodwill

Security Company

Aegis Security Inc

Self Storage Facility Woodland Village Self Storage

Shoe Store Rack Room Shoes

Shooting Range Timberline Firearms & Training

Signage Express Yourself Signs

Ski Store Ski Haus

Sleep Disorder Center Sleep Disorders Center- Flagstaff

Smoke Shop Midtown Smoke and Vape

Smoothie Bar Nekter Juice Bar

Solar Energy Products/Services Rooftop Solar

Spa Sales & Service Summit Spas & Billiards

Specialty T-shirts Flag T Factory

Staffing Firm Performance Staffing

Tax Preparation Absolute Tax

Taxidermy Signature Taxidermy Studio

Telecommunications Company Verizon

Title Company Clear Title Agency of Flagstaff

Top Employer W. L. Gore & Associates

Tour Company All-Star Grand Canyon Tours

Travel Agency Avenues of the World Travel

Upholstery Shop ACE Upholstery

Veterinarian Services Midtown Animal Clinic

Vitamin IV Therapy Center Hydrate IV Bar

Wellness Center Aspen Integrative Medical Center LLC

Western Wear Store Boot Barn

Window Cleaning Service Flagstaff Window Cleaning

Window Treatments Flagstaff Custom Window Treatments

Women's Resale Store Cedar Closet

Yoga Studio YogaSix

Other Dan Duke Body Piercing

What is Mohs Surgery for Skin Cancer?

By Brendan O’Neill, M.D.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and it is estimated that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

Here in Arizona, sun exposure over a lifetime, high altitude, outdoor work and active outdoor lifestyles all add up to a dramatic increase in risk. The most common types of skin cancer we encounter in my clinic are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. While these skin cancers generally carry a low risk of spreading to lymph nodes and other organs, they will continue to grow endlessly, destroying local tissue and extending into nerves, muscle, and even bone if left untreated.

When we diagnose a skin cancer,

ever, were wood feeding stations constructed by Sinagua Middle School students, who built them in shop class. The Sinagua boxes were tested in the field as a culmination of WISDOM’s partnership with Sinagua Woodshop teacher Amy Dries and the Flagstaff Festival of Science.

“The most important thing is that we accomplished our mission to establish a research beachhead with Animal Balance to collect the data to allow us to lay out the two-year plan in a research protocol,” said Mayer.

The trip also allowed the scientists and researchers to meet and learn from government officials, local farmers and community members, building on relationships that Animal Balance has cultivated for decades. This includes working closely with the ABG. The agency – part of the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment – is charged with the biosafety of the islands and reducing the risk of any invasive species that endanger the

we are often only seeing the “tip of an iceberg” or the “top of a weed.” These analogies help convey that the lesion on the surface could be a quite small and inconspicuous bump, but the “roots” of the tumor or the “bulk of the iceberg” extend much more broadly and deeply.

When we perform a biopsy on a lesion, I often tell my patients that the biopsy procedure simply “pulls the top of the weed” but we will need to perform a second procedure to “dig out all the roots.” The second procedure I am referring to, in many instances, is Mohs micrographic surgery.

Mohs micrographic surgery was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Frederic Mohs at the University of Wisconsin and is now practiced throughout the world. Mohs surgery differs from other skin cancer treatments in that it

permits the immediate examination of the removed tissue, with visualization of the entire margin or outside edge so that all “roots” and extensions of the cancer can be eliminated.

One of the key features of Mohs surgery is that we examine the margin of the tissue under the microscope with what has been termed an “en face” technique. If one can imagine the removed tissue from a skin procedure as a loaf of bread, the most common type of examination involves cutting slices of tissue in the same manner as you would cut slices of bread for your morning toast.

While this traditional “morning toast” technique is excellent for making a diagnosis of a skin tumor, the downside is that it only allows for a small portion of the margin or “bread crust” to be examined. With Mohs surgery, on the other hand, the entire outer crust of the bread is thinly removed and examined, allowing us to ensure the entire edge is clear of the tumor. This is why Mohs surgery carries the highest cure rate of any skin cancer treatment available. We are able to see 100 percent of the outer edge, ensuring that it is clear of all tumor extensions.

The goal of Mohs surgery is to remove only the amount of tissue needed to clear the tumor, which goes hand

in hand with sparing as much of your healthy skin as possible. This means we are able to remove skin cancers with a smaller-sized skin defect than would be needed using other techniques.

Mohs surgeons bring skills and training in dermatology, dermatopathology and advanced skin surgery to the table with each procedure. In addition, the Mohs surgeon must have the required surgical and laboratory facilities and be supported by a well-trained Mohs nursing and histology lab staff.

Northern Arizona Dermatology Center is here to help, should you ever need a Mohs procedure. We are also available for general skin cancer screenings and all forms of dermatology care. FBN

Brendan O’Neill, M.D. completed his undergraduate training at the University of Delaware Honors Program and obtained a degree in Neuroscience. During his undergraduate training, he was named a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. He went on to complete medical school, dermatology residency, and dermatopathology fellowship at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During medical school, Dr. O’Neill was awarded a Doris Duke clinical research fellowship at the University of Texas South-

biodiversity of the islands, the local economy and human health.

If successful, the project will bring greater ecological balance to the Galapagos, benefiting both that biodiversity and the residents of the islands, and also inform better balance solutions for islands worldwide.

Rattus rattus was accidentally introduced into the Galapagos by pirates and whalers in the 17th and 18th centuries. The consequences were devastating; over time the rodent population has resulted in the near extinction of certain endemic species.

Among the creatures threatened by the rat overpopulation are the rare pink land iguana and the giant tortoises of the islands. Rats will dig into the nests of these animals and eat the eggs and hatchlings.

Meanwhile, the rats also feast on local farm goods, which are essential to the residents of the islands. While there is a monthly container ship

from mainland Ecuador that provides some foodstuffs, the pandemic showed that relying on these ships is not sustainable. Residents need the produce produced by local farms to survive, and rats are destroying these crops.

The reception of the WISDOM and Animal Balance teams on this project went very well, according to Jessica Gonzalez, who is the program director for Animal Balance in the Galapagos.

“This project brings together science and the community with the support of local authorities in perfect synchrony to implement an effective and sustainable solution for the control of non-endemic rodent populations, which Galapagos deserves,” she said. “I am convinced that we are marking an important milestone in the conservation of the Enchanted Islands.”

The team from WISDOM plans to return to the archipelago later this year. FBN

western, during which he gained extensive clinical trial and research experience, with a focus on lipodystrophy.

Dr. O’Neill is triple board-certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and Mohs micrographic surgery. He has completed extensive formal training in the histologic interpretation of skin biopsies, and is the laboratory director for our practice. Prior to joining Northern Arizona Dermatology Center, Dr. O’Neill practiced general dermatology in Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona. He also worked with the largest private pathology group in Arizona in a high-volume dermatopathology laboratory.

Dr. O’Neill is excited to bring both his clinical background and his experience in dermatopathology to northern Arizona. He enjoys medical and surgical dermatology with special interests in melanoma, cutaneous oncology, and inflammatory dermatoses. Dr. O’Neill lives in Flagstaff with his wife and two children. Outside of the clinic, he enjoys hiking, biking, tennis and playing guitar.

For more information, contact Northern Arizona Dermatology Center, PC. 1490 N Turquoise Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 928-774-5074

Jessica Gonzalez, program director for Animal Balance in the Galapagos, translates the observations of local farmer Oswaldo Cali to the WISDOM team. Before this program, Cali said, farmers were using poison to control the rat overpopulation on Isabela Island. “It was the only option we had,” he said. Photo courtesy Morgan Boatma

If one can imagine the removed tissue from a skin procedure as a loaf of bread, the most common type of examination involves cutting slices of tissue in the same manner as you would cut slices of bread for your morning toast

GALAPAGOS continued from page 4

Laura Johnson, Jason Litzinger Named NAH Practice Providers of the Year

Nurse Practitioner Laura Johnson, in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC), and Nurse Practitioner Jason Litzinger, at Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) Medical Group Camp Verde campus, have been named NAH’s 2022 Advanced Practice Providers of the Year. Johnson and Litzinger are both recognized for their positive attitude, respect for colleagues, and skilled, compassionate care provided to patients.

This is the fourth year NAH is recognizing advanced practice providers. The recipients are nominated by colleagues and must exemplify the

NAH values of “doing amazing work, showing compassion, being better together, building community and respecting differences.” The award aims to select providers who not only excel at patient care, but who go above and beyond inpatient safety and quality, and who are engaged members of the community.

“Laura and Jason are invaluable to the NAH teams in Flagstaff and Verde Valley,” said NAH Acting CEO Josh Tinkle. “They give exceptional care, show compassion for patients and families, are dedicated to the task at hand, and we are pleased to honor them with this award.” FBN Laura

Johnson

Jason Litzinger

Tracy grew up in Flagstaff and spent time under the extreme sun as a river runner in the Grand Canyon. “My background as a rafting guide helped me see the need for non-chemical sun protection. I could wear sunscreen, but it would get in my eyes – I couldn’t see! Also, guests would get rashes [from some types of sunscreen], so I developed something non-chemical.”

Before her river running days, Tracy trained at Winter Sun Trading Company, a Southwest botanical shop owned by her mother, ethnobotanist Phyllis Hogan.

“Growing up in the herbal apothecary, I learned the way herbs could protect and heal our skin,” said the Flagstaff High School graduate. “After school, I ran Winter Sun. Customers would ask me for all-natural skincare products, but there were not many available at that time. So after hours, I started developing my own line.”

After graduating from Northern Arizona University, Tracy studied at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine to learn more. Today, her experiences with her mother’s herbal apothecary, botanical medicine school-

LAVENDER continued from page 8

ing and a love for the outdoors have come together to innovate skincare products that give people results without harmful chemicals.

“Unfortunately, the outdoors that we love so much wreaks havoc on our skin,” the herbalist said in a video on the Peak Scents website. “I drew on my background in herbal medicine and started making herbal-based, toxin-free skincare products for outdoor enthusiasts who need it the most.”

Tracy designed the plant-based skincare products to protect skin from harmful UV rays while keeping it moisturized and hydrated. The woman-owned business handcrafts creams, mists and facial serums with pure herbs, vitamins and minerals.

“We source from a wide variety of suppliers and try to source as local as possible,” she said. As a result, many of the all-natural, toxic-free ingredients are native to the area.

“A woman on the Hualapai Nation harvests the pinyon pitch [an ingredient in the Pinyon Pine Balm]. The distiller for our sage essential oil is out of Utah. Kate Waters of Wild Heart Farms in Rimrock is growing roses for

frequently here. It is the wind that helps lavender grow strong, robust bloom stalks. Lavender is not desirable to wildlife, so we don’t worry about rabbits, javelina or pronghorn munching on the plants.”

Lavender is used in many ways because of its wonderful scent, in products like soaps, perfumes, candles, household cleaners and more. But also, “lavender has both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Foodies also use lavender for teas, ice cream, shortbreads and meat rubs. One of our favorite treats here at the farm is to make lavender simple syrup to put on snow cones,” she said.

Montagne Vue Lavender Farm is only set up to grow their products. The Halls also have a 40-acre property in Seligman that will be a place where people can visit and walk the lavender fields as well as shop at a farm store, but for now, products are available on their website at montagnevue.com.

Montagne Vue Lavender Farm products also are available in person at GG’s Unique Boutique in Prescott, The Pea Vine in Chino Valley and BB’s in Jerome.

us next season. I used to do foraging, but I just don’t have time to do it anymore.”

It’s no wonder. Tracy runs a business concurrently with handmaking the plant-based skincare goods and developing formulas for new collections. Peak Scents offers five collections, including:

N Power Repair is her first skincare line, created to help fellow river runners, which has a foaming cleanser, toner, serum, sunscreen and face mist.

N Organic Rose Phyto³ is formulated with rare selections of restorative proprietary ingredients like plant stem cells, peptides and powerful superfruit extracts.

N Body Nürish offers facial masks, body scrubs and formulas that are created to keep dry, mature, sensitive skin radiant and glowing.

N The Super Salve Co., a sister company founded by Tracy’s sister, Denise, in 1990, offers natural herbal skincare for the whole body.

N Wandering The West Apothecary is created with plants that grow in the American Southwest. Formulas

feature the highest quality herbal extracts, oils and butters that soothe and calm dry, chapped skin.

“Wandering the West was born out of a gift line for visitors; now it’s in natural product stores across the nation,” Tracy said. That happened in 2016 when an airport gift shop group reached out to Tracy to design a collection of skincare products that would fit the needs of visitors to Arizona.

Wandering the West collection is available at Fite and Son’s Mercantile and Ice Cream in Prescott, airport gift shops at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Rainbow’s End and Winter Sun Trading Company in downtown Flagstaff, Indian Gardens Cafe & Market in Oak Creek, L’Auberge de Sedona and Xanterra giftshops in Williams and the Grand Canyon. The popular collection is also available online and in the Flagstaff shop.

The five-person team at Peak Scents includes Tracy and her husband, Eric Brown, who is involved in production.

Peak Scents has partnered with American Rivers to help protect wild rivers and conserve clean water for people and nature. The company also

Montagne Vue also sells massage oil to salons and therapists. The business also can custom-label products for events like weddings and baby showers.

Montagne Vue Farms was started in 2020 and Janet considers them still in startup mode. “We started with 600 plants and now have more than 1,500,” she said. “We’ve gone from four-inchtall starter plants to one-foot-tall plants that, last year, budded twice.”

partners with Greenspark and Eden Projects to offset their carbon footprint. In addition, Peak Scents donates to Eden Projects to plant a tree with every online purchase.

Last August, as part of Peak Scents’ commitment to reducing waste, the business brought in a line of refillable products, including hand and body soap, lotion, massage oil, dish soap and laundry products. Shoppers can bring their own containers or buy refillable containers at the shop. “It feels good to reuse containers,” Tracy said. What’s next for Peak Scents? “When I slow down, I want to be a beekeeper,” said Tracy with a smile. “Then we can use the beeswax in our collections.” FBN

Peak Scents Plant Based Skincare Collections

1000 E. Butler Avenue, Suite 101, Flagstaff M-Th 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 928-556-9499 peakscents.com

The Halls have developed quicker ways to plant and have learned that farming is a labor of love, as weather and weeds can be frustrating to deal with. However, lavender is a plant that doesn’t require a lot of water.

“Lavender is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant. Compared to other crops, lavender is much more sustainable,” said Janet. “It only needs to be watered once or twice a week during the hottest part of the season. One of the biggest mistakes is overwatering lavender, which will kill it. Lavender is also a perennial plant, so it does not need to be replanted each season.”

She says the business community has been supportive of their endeavor. The Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce has invited Brett to be part of their radio show twice. She says Gina Woodrich, owner of GG’s Unique Boutique in Prescott, is a great source for networking and connecting small business owners; and Lynne McKinney, with Beautiful Dish Gardens, has been wonderful about giving them leads to local events like craft shows that are a good fit for their products.

Montagne Vue Lavender Farm is located near Outerloop and Reed Roads. FBN

Montagne Vue also offers body butter, body oil, essential oil and seasonally available fresh lavender buds, lavender bundles and culinary lavender.

Peak Scents Skincare products are sold in the store at 1000 E. Butler Ave., Suite 101, in Flagstaff and in other locations including Sky Harbor Airport to help prepare visitors for Arizona’s high country. Photos by Stacey Wittig

Eric Brown and DeeAnn Tracy package Peak Scents products in local production facilities.

technology background and decent grounding in administration, but never sales or marketing. With a franchise, I have coaching in these areas and they help me fill in the gaps that my skill base lacks.”

He receives support from Dell, Computer Discount Warehouse (CDW) and Ingram Micro. “Because we buy in big volumes, discounts are available on products. But the best benefit is that if we get stuck on a problem, we have a pool of at least 600 technical engineers around the nation to draw information from.”

Stationed at the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET), Team LogicIT is an incubator business. “We are also working through processes, tools and solutions to educate small businesses and help them find a way through the myriad of security solutions,” said Fallows, who has a staff of six engineers.

Flagstaff Nissan Subaru owner Trent Olson says the auto company uses Team LogicIT a lot. “The support is over the top. I’ve struggled with IT for the last seven years and Team LogicIT has completely changed our business for the better.”

Team LogicIT serves cities from Northern Arizona to Prescott and Phoenix. “Even though we brand the solutions we develop, we are open to sharing them with others in our field to improve the defense and resilience of our community’s networks and systems.”

Loving Flagstaff and all it has to offer, Fallows and his wife, Patty, who works for Pioneer Northland Community College, enjoy hiking and cycling. They have three grown children

page 21

half your body weight in ounces daily and more if you have an active job or are sweating a lot.

N Eat to satiety, until you are satisfied, not full or stuffed.

N Move more. Walk with purpose. Exercise and move 20 to 30 minutes a day.

N Avoid large amounts of alcohol. Some alcohol has a lot of carbs and calories. Beer can have 150 to 350 calories per 12 ounces and 13 to 25g of carbs. It all adds up and can increase weight in the middle and make IR worse. It is better to drink in small amounts and look for a low carb option such as vodka, dry red wine, tequila, whiskey, etc. Skip the juices, sugary soda and mixed drinks loaded with sugar.

N Eat some protein and fat before bed for a better night sleep. A handful of pumpkin seeds, nuts or a scoop of almond butter can sustain blood sugar levels.

N Get your blood levels tested for hormone or nutrient imbalances that may be contributing to weight challenges and inflammation. Low thyroid, low testosterone or other hormone imbalances associated with perimenopause, menopause, stress or andropause may be contributing.

N Seek medical advice before starting a new diet. It is important to see your physician before starting a low-carb diet. Some people

and eight grandchildren. Fallows has lived in Flagstaff since he was 12 years old.

With offices in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, West Valley, Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff, Team LogicIT helps with cloud services, cyber security and compliance, data backup and recovery, data voice connectivity, managed IT services and more.

To contact Team LogicIT, call 928-910-8900 or visit www.teamlogic.com.

ADVICE FOR YOUNGER SELF

Start younger and don’t underestimate your entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll make it work!

GUILTY PLEASURE

A mid-day walk or bike ride while everyone else is working.

FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT

I am hiking and riding segments of the Arizona Trail. I hope to cover it all one day. There is no place like home, our state is so beautiful!

PERSON I MOST ADMIRE

That would have to be Patty Fallows, my wife. She has an enormous capacity for family and love. I am often humbled.

FAVORITE CHARACTER TRAIT

Integrity. Hands down, the most important thing I think we as humans have is a moral obligation to honor. FBN

may need to modify the diet because of lower kidney function or underlying diseases. Lab testing is beneficial to see where you are now and can act as a baseline as your health improves with diet and lifestyle changes. The baseline labs may include blood count, liver and kidney function, insulin, hemoglobinA1c, thyroid and male/female hormones, cholesterol panel, cortisol, vitamin D and vitamin B levels.

N Hold yourself accountable. If you have trouble sticking to the diet plan, follow the diet with another family member or friend or hire a nutritionist or physician to get you on the right plan for you and your health goals.

Making lasting life changes will not only benefit you but your family and generations to come. It creates a ripple effect that spills over to your kids by imprinting healthy ways of eating and reducing obesity risks. Obesity breeds inflammation. We need to make conscious choices to improve our quality of life.

FBN

Dr. Christina Kovalik NMD, LAc, The Vitality Doctor, is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist specializing in hormone optimization, optimal health and vitality.

She is a new Flagstaff resident, practicing since 2004, and opened her second location in Doney Park in 2020. For more information, visit thevitalitydoctor.com or call 928-863-6086.

of resources on their website to help the girls with skills and also help them earn a Family Cookie Entrepreneur pin and badges.”

The troop earns $0.95 per box sold, which the girls decide how to spend. “The remaining proceeds from the cookie sale stay with our Arizona Cactus Pine Council to support our camps, girl programs and activities, and for volunteer support and training. The cookie sale is not a competition between girls or troops. It is an opportunity for the girls to learn how to be businesswomen and support the programs they love.”

“Troop 212 gives back to the community each year. “We have adopted a trail, and we take advantage of many different volunteer opportunities. We always help out at Riordan Mansion events. Our favorite is the Tea on the Veranda.”

The role of volunteers has always been vital to the success of scouting. Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman has acted as an informal volunteer “whenever the Arizona Cactus Pine Girl Scouts have reached out to me,” and was honored by the group as a “Woman of Distinction” in 2018.

With Liz Archuleta and Kerry Blume, she helped establish Troop Pearl, an adult Girl Scout Troop dedicated to assisting the Girl Scouts. “I was a Girl Scout in my youth and have tried to live the Girl Scout creed of ‘building a better world,’” Horstman said.

She has also been assisting girls in developing business skills for successful cookie drives, the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, she noted.

“The Girl Scouts are dedicated to building courage, confidence and character in girls,” she said.

material management strategies of the business by allowing you to choose between two options to highlight your operations. You may focus on diverting material from the landfill or you may choose to demonstrate how your processes rate against the waste hierarchy (displayed here).

Energy and Water: How much of everything matters. This section assesses reduction strategies for water and energy use and vehicle miles traveled, as well as the amount of clean energy produced. Using less energy and water, reducing vehicle miles or producing clean energy will get you a higher score in this category.

Carbon Removal: The City of Flagstaff is seeking to catalyze regional carbon dioxide removal, and

“The cookie drives helps to further this mission. Money earned can allow the girls to embark on wonderful adventures. These cookie drives teach the girls important financial, organizational and marketing skills.”

Horstman has assisted some scouts with perfecting their techniques and in developing a “sales pitch” for in-person sales. “Since we also live in a virtual sales world, I have reviewed some Girl Scout cookie sales videos,” she said. “Each girl has their own approach that reflects their personality. Cookie sales give the girls real life leadership experiences and provides an opportunity to contribute to the financial benefit of their troop, so that together the girls can engage in projects, travel or community programs.”

Troop 212 meets once a month for planning that includes deciding how to spend the money they earn.

For Troop 212, goals include horseback riding and travel. “We have been planning for their Costa Rica trip for five years. They set aside some of their cookie money each year, and we are going this summer. As for giving back to the community, we donate cookies to first responders. Last summer, we were able to thank the firefighters on the Tunnel Fire with several cases of cookies,” said Lober.

Girl Scout cookie season in Arizona usually runs for six weeks. The Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, which serves Phoenix as well as greater Central and Northern Arizona, began the cookie drive officially on Jan. 16, with cookie delivery closing on March 5.

The link to find cookie booths is  https://www. girlscouts.org/en/cookies/how-to-buy-cookies.html.

FBN

sequestration. This section assesses the amount of carbon that your processes remove from the atmosphere. You have the option to demonstrate how your process will remove legacy carbon from the atmosphere or write a narrative about how your process fits within the Oxford Offsetting Principles Taxonomy of Carbon Offsets. Resilience: Resilience is defined as the capacity of a community, business or natural environment to prevent, withstand, respond to and recover from a disruption. This section assesses the ways that your business supports community resilience – how your business will help the Flagstaff community increase its ability to withstand and respond to climate change impacts. Building community capac-

ity, creating closed-loop networks, involving community members and helping Flagstaff residents adapt to the future will lead to higher scores in this category.

This competition will take some thought and creativity. The Flagstaff City Council supported this effort by funding it through the Economic Development and Sustainability Offices. The winning businesses will be the ones that combine the elements of a viable and marketable business concept with the values of environmental stewardship. This pairing is perfect for Flagstaff, perfect for the planet and perfect for you.

If you have an idea (as you know you do), please go to https:// www.moonshotaz.com/innovate-waste-challenge-2023.html for more information. Consider speaking with the Moonshot@NACET Team to discuss your idea and then consider attending their series of monthly workshops which are geared to help you gain the understanding that you need to participate and to successfully Innovate Waste: The Carbon Neutrality Challenge. This event will occur on the weekend of May 5 and 6. You still have plenty of time to get after it. Let 2023 be the year that you start a business that saves the world! FBN

BELLY FAT continued from

John Saltonstall is the business retention and expansion manager for the City of Flagstaff.

This competition will take some thought and creativity. The Flagstaff City Council supported this effort by funding it through the Economic Development and Sustainability Offices. The winning businesses will be the ones that combine the elements of a viable and marketable business concept with the values of environmental stewardship. This pairing is perfect for Flagstaff, perfect for the planet and perfect for you.

to block the body’s ability to make vitamin D.”

Unfortunately, deficiency in vitamin D is commonplace. Corinne Sadecki-Lund is a nurse practitioner working with Dr. Whitney James at James-Marco Health in Prescott. With more than 27 years’ experience as an ER nurse, she came to Prescott from Chicago about a year ago and was surprised what she discovered.

“When I see patients for their annual labs, I check vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels,” she said. “Interestingly, when I came here, I saw a lot of patients when their labs were drawn, were vitamin D deficient. I was shocked. I looked it up and found that across the United States, when people get their labs drawn, 42% of the time, they are vitamin D deficient.”

She had thought this would be less of a problem in a sun-rich state like Arizona. “People are worried about how much sun they get because of skin cancer,” Sadecki-Lund said. “They say the sun should provide half the amount you need, but unless you’re golfing or out in the sun a lot, you’re not going to get the vitamin D your body requires. I do tell them to go get their sunshine, but just be mindful of their time.”

It is also important not to take more vitamin D that is recommended by the packaging or by a health care provider. Vitamin D can build up in the body

and lead to toxicity, with a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, dehydration and pain. Sadecki-Lund said there are other problems that arise from too much vitamin D in the body.

“Too much vitamin D can cause stomachaches, kidney stones, dizziness and gastrointestinal issues like constipation,” Sadecki-Lund explained.

“More than taking the standard dose of 2,000 to 5,000 iu per day may be too much. You can get toxicity. People think the more you take the better it is, but that’s not necessarily true.”

Diet is also important and should include foods that provide the highest amounts of naturally occurring vitamin D. Because it is challenging to get enough vitamin D from food sources, manufacturers have been fortifying food with vitamin D since the 1930s. Readily available vitamin-D-fortified foods include cow’s milk, soymilk, cereal and orange juice.

Kovalik recommends eating vitamin D-rich foods, especially more servings of fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Also high in natural vitamin D are oysters, eggs, liver and shitake mushrooms.

“Eat wild-caught, not farm-raised fish,” she said. “Some food items are fortified in Vitamin D but is usually not enough to be significant.”

Sadecki-Lund said she was pleased when she found out how vitamin

D-rich egg yolks are, as she loves them.

Another controversial question is how much vitamin D you should get from foods and supplements.

“We have a pretty extensive section on vitamin D, everywhere from 400 to 10,000 international units (iu),” said Miranda, who has also worked in the supplement section of Sprouts Farmers Market in Prescott for four years. In addition to capsules and tablets, Sprouts also sells vitamin D in dropper, spray and sublingual forms.

“Some people have a hard time absorbing Vitamin D, so adding A and K can help with absorption,” said

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Kovalik. “It is a fat-soluble vitamin, so eating it with a meal that contains fat can also help with absorption.”

Research has shown that getting enough sun exposure is particularly difficult in regions north of the 37th parallel, where the sun is lower and UVB rays are weaker, such as Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and central and northern areas of Nevada and California.

“Even in Arizona, the angle of the

sun doesn’t give us enough vitamin D,” Miranda said. “Most of our vitamin D receptors are in our torso; that can be challenging when you’re walking around.”

The good news, according to the medical experts, is that as the summer sun returns, we can consider adjusting our strategy for getting adequate levels of the “sunshine vitamin” by finally taking that sunny walk in the garden.

121 E. Birch Avenue, Suite 408 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Phone 602-909-3910 Fax 928.226.0303 Email: troy@flagstaffbusinessnews.com www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com

Founder: Troy Bix

Publisher Amy Bix | 602-909-3910 Amy@flagstaffbusinessnews.com

Business Development Manager Rich Bussen | 928-310-9662 Rich@quadcitiesbusinessnews.com

Advertising Manager Ann Herrington | 928-420-4407 Ann@flagstaffbusinessnews.com

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Design & Production Rob Ghosh Design | rob@robghosh.com

Photography V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses

Photography, Aspen ProMedia, Betsey Bruner, Sue Marceau

Contributing Writers

Betsey Bruner, Sue Marceau, Patty McCormac, Ray Newton, Kevin Schindler, Bonnie Stevens, Veronica Tierney, Stacey Wittig

Flagstaff Business News is a publication of Flagstaff Business News, LLC and is distributed free each month to residents of Flagstaff, Sedona, Williams and Winslow. Reproduction of any portion of the publication is strictly prohibited without expressed permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisements submitted to the newspaper and is not responsible for the claims of its advertisers.

Left: Winter Sun owner Phyllis Hogan calls it a “challenge” to get enough vitamin D in the winter. Right: Nutrition practitioner Stephanie Miranda of Prescott says the best way to find the correct dosage for an individual is to get tested for vitamin D.

lights for their vehicles, so as demand grew, Brown decided to turn his garage into a factory and recruited local stay-at-home moms to work with him while their kids were in school. He also convinced his friends, Bob and Carol DeLander, to help with the business. At the time, they were living in Saugus, California.

Today, the age-old KC branding of the iconic yellow and black smiley face can be seen on off-road vehicles, trucks, snowblowers, construction machinery and military vehicles around the world. KC HiLiTES also caught the attention of professional off-road racers and appear at competitive events.

Early on, Brown developed a partnership with Mike Wang, a supplier from California. The two became good friends and both had sons in the business. Brown’s stepson, Michael DeHaas, started working in the warehouse, eventually stepped into sales, and in 2004, purchased KC HiLites as the next CEO. Wang’s son, Alan, became an investor and partner to KC HiLites and purchased the company from DeHaas in 2015. He is now president and CEO of the company.

“During that time, we started seeing headwinds across the business,” said Alan. “Together, Michael and our family saw an opportunity to leverage our long-standing supply

chain relationship to create a run for growth in the years to come.”

Today, KC HiLiTES continues as a family-owned business.

“It has been great seeing the KC history embraced by keeping the company in Arizona, specifically, Flagstaff,” said DeHaas. “They have developed many new products to bolster the KC product offering and really have done a great job in their business expansion efforts. KC HiLiTES is in great hands with a bright future!”

Flagstaff resident Ron Pryczynski has worked for KC for 20 years. “I started in the summer of 1999 and worked with Pete and Michael as sales and events coordinator. I moved into product development and when Alan took over, I moved into the general manager position,” he said.

“With the new management, it’s definitely a new company, as it has evolved a lot. It’s more technology focused with the new LEDs and cutting-edge lighting systems. It’s a cool adventure.”

“We are deeply passionate about our products and even more passionate about using them,” said Alan. “At the heart of everything we do lies an authentic desire to connect with ourselves and each other through adventure.”

“Our plan is to move the entire business to Flagstaff. Nothing will be

left behind,” said Alan. “The Williams property is a huge part of our legacy that got us here and we do plan to leverage it in the future, but no final plans have been set.”

Built in 1997, the 23,700-squarefoot facility is located off Old Route 66 and was the former home of the Arizona Daily Sun. Pryczynski says they will be hiring retail, production, warehouse, marketing and other various positions.

Using High Intensity Discharge (HID), Light Emitting Diode (LED), and Halogen, KC manufactures offroad lights, light bars, rock lights and adventure products for just about any off-road vehicle and or work vehicles such as snowplows and snowcats.

“Our lights are also used for camping and other recreational uses,” said KC HiLites Brand Marketing Manager and Team Lead Taylor Ulrich.  “Our auxiliary lights and fog lights light up the path for those headed to the trailhead to hike, bike or camp.

The recent release of their FLEX ERA 1light is the smallest and most versatile light for off-road vehicles. “This is our new generation of lighting and accessories,” said Ulrich.

Supporting the community is also important to KC HiLiTes.

“KC has been an integral partner of ours and we wouldn’t be where we are without their support,” said Jeff Lehman, who, with his wife, Beth,

founded Dirty Hands, Happy Heart, a local non-profit organization that teaches kids skills such as gardening, welding and changing tires.

“They have donated an array of lights, graciously opened their facility for a tour and allowed the kids in our program to build a light bar. They have introduced us to important supporters in the off-road industry and

have even allowed us to join them as participants in a car show,” said Lehman.

“The KC team is amazing and we’re so thankful for the opportunity to partner with them.” FBN

KC HiLiTes proposed move-in date is Oct. 15. For more information, visit www.kchilites.com or call 888-689-5955.

The company’s latest product, the FLEX ERA 1light, is promoted as KC HiLiTes’ compact and most versatile light for off-road vehicles. Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography