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CO M M U N I T Y P. 18| A RO U N D A F P. 21 | O P I N I O N P. 26| B U S I N E S S P. 28 | G E TO U T P. 32 | S P O RT S P. 38| C L A S S I F I E D P. 41
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2020 Census brings secure temp jobs to EV BY NICOLE D’ALONZO AFN Staff Writer
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cross the East Valley and the rest of Maricopa County, 2020 Census recruiters are gearing up to fill more than 30,000 well-paying federal jobs in data processing, call-centers and out in the field. For “census junkies” – or people who want federal government job experience on their resume – East Valley census field offices, at full employment capacity, will hire about 1,300 field workers and managers by March,
said Ryan Winkle, East Valley and South Phoenix area census office manager. “The census is one of the only constitutionally mandated jobs with the exception of the military,” said Winkle. “The census affects all federal funding that comes to the state and there are two really big outcomes that touches every person.” The U.S. Constitution mandates the census be taken every 10 years to count all people living in the country. Answers to 2020 Census questions will influence policy-making and planning for the
next decade. The data impacts the number of U.S. House of Representatives seats in each state and affects legislatures’ redistricting. It also dictates how billions of dollars in federal funds will be spent by state and local governments. According to iCount 2020, for each person counted in Mesa, the state receives $3,195 yearly for 10 years for vital services including schools, emergency services, hospitals and roads.
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Local man poured his heart into invention BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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teve Abbit has had a busy couple of years doing things that most people might find hard to imagine doing. When the longtime Ahwatukee resident wasn’t on the phone at all hours of the day and night lining up nine different companies around the nation and the world to execute his vision, he was grappling with metal cylinders, plastic molds and cardboard boxes. That all this activity started with a bottle of Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce is startling enough. But when you know what this activity created – and the potential Abbit sees in it – you could easily end up thinking, “Well, I’ll be damned.” Abbit has invented the mother of all funnels. Christened Freestand, it’s an adjustable funnel that fits just about any bottle, jar, can or other liquid container. Its purpose is simple: draining every last drop of liquid from those containers without having to shake them, spank them or even hold them. Freestand’s applications – and market potential – appear endless. It can drain bottles, jars and other containers that hold almost anything you can pour: ketchup and barbecue sauce, moisturizer and other liquid cosmetics, detergent and dish soap, even motor oil and the containers baristas pour flavored syrups from. “There are guys out there who want to use
Steve Abbit displays his Freestand, ironically using barbecue sauce bottles that put him on his quest in his Lakewood kitchen two years ago. (Chris Mortenson/AFN Staff Photographer)
this for transmission fluid and brake fluid and very expensive motor oils and things like that,” he said. “I’ve got friends who are race car drivers and spend $98 a quart for some of their fluids and now you start thinking about this: If they waste 20 percent on average of all fluids that come out of bottles and it’s 100 bucks a quart, that adds up.” Abbit believes he can convince the Jiffy Lubes, Starbucks and Mary Kays of the world to see that his product can save them big
bucks in product costs and worker time. Freestand is not all about dollars and cents for Abbit, a retired psychologist and corporate consultant who, at 50, has paved a new career path. “I’ve made a lot of companies a lot of money and I don’t want to do that anymore,” said Abbit, who helped invent Lifelock, the identity-protection service. “I want to help you and me,” he explained. “I
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