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Scottsdale entrepreneur designs family board game After graduating from SDSU, he moved About 10 years ago, Scottsdale resident to Chicago to work with his father, and businessman Steven Lazar got fed up Norman, at the family-owned business with the disconnect of modern families: AirWize Inc., a residential and commercial the daughter texting, the son playing heating and air conditioning company. video games, the dad watching sports on Lazar was responsible for advertising, sales TV and the wife on the phone chatting and marketing. with her neighbor. One night, while Lazar Eventually, he started Speedway Supply, was entertaining family and friends, he a wholesale supplier of heating and A/C challenged the younger kids to a verbal parts and equipment. For seven years, he trivia game, where participants would ran the company in Illinois before moving earn points by answering questions about to Arizona and changing the business animals. model for his new company, Lazco Corp. “Everyone loves animals,” Lazar says. “Basically, now we ship surplus parts and “So I would ask them animal questions, equipment from our sellers to our buyers,” and they would get 50 points for an easy he says. “So we have no inventory, which question, 75 points for a medium question removed our overhead. It’s more efficient and 100 points for a difficult question. this way.” When they answered the questions correctly, they got really excited. You Focus on Family could see their eyes light up.” It’s not surprising that his new venture, Pretty soon, everyone was huddled Family Board Games, is a family affair. around the Lazar, a Chicago coffee table native, is the to play Lazar’s CEO, his wife, impromptu Joyce, is the animal trivia CFO and his game. And the father, Norman, light bulb went is the head of off in his head... sales on the create an actual West Coast. And board game that like any smart would not only man, Lazar tips bring families his hat to his together, but wife. also teach kids “Joyce is the about animals brains of the and develop operation,” FAMILY AFFAIR: Scottsdale’s Steve and Joyce Lazar have skills like math, balanced business and community service in their he says. “She reading and oversees relationship. Submitted photo logic. the financial “Education works best when people operations so that things run in proper are having fun,” he says. “But ultimately, balance.” we want families to spend quality time Lazar and his wife are influential in together without the TV, the phone and the Scottsdale community through their the texting.” ministry outreach at Temple Beth Yachad, In February 2014, Lazar met with bringing music and prayer to senior Phoenix-based graphic designer Joshua centers Valleywide. Lazar’s two daughters Kassel, sketching out the board game’s from a previous marriage continue the design and details. Several months later, family tradition of giving back. Ariel, 26, Family Board Games LLC was founded and is volunteering with the Peace Corps and the “Animal Winner” board game was in Red Cross in Cambodia, and both she and development. younger sister Chloe, 24, participated in Taglit-Birthright Israel, a nonprofit group Background in Business that takes young people on heritage Lazar was bit by the entrepreneurial bug journeys to Israel. as a student at San Diego State University, Determined to bring all families operating a company (Jobs for Students) together like he did his own, Lazar is that sold ZIP code directories. excited about his new venture. Animal “It gave students a great opportunity to Winner helps promote multigenerational make extra money for school,” he recalls. bonding. He is also hoping to have schools, “I learned a lot about dealing in business. children’s organizations, community I hired 50 students a day in the park. I groups and student camps use Animal learned to follow my gut. I had to handle Winner in fundraising endeavors. every part of the business, so I learned Animal Winner is available for $24.95 business smarts. I also learned that it’s online at www.animalwinner.com and 10 important to have integrity in business percent of each purchase is donated to and in life. How we treat others is so charities dedicated to children, seniors, important.” animals and the environment. Amazon is

February 2015

BY CURT BLAKENEY

ROARING GOOD TIME: Animal Winner contains a 10-inch by 20-inch board, nine different animal pieces and 144 animal questions divided into easy, medium and hard categories. Submitted photo

slated to carry the game and the company is in talks with several retailers. The company also has a second game, Bible Winner, in the works. “Steve is so passionate about helping others and it shows with the development of Animal Winner,” says Joan Wissing, the

company’s operations and sales manager. “He had a vision to create a game to bring families together, and he has done just that. I have never met someone as compassionate and determined as Steve, and I know that with these qualities he will not stop until Animal Winner is a success.”

Oak Tree named Arizona Recycling Coalition’s School of the Year BY IRENE MAHONEY-PAIGE

An exciting and innovative program is growing at Oak Tree Elementary School. In just one year, it has embraced an amazing project of sustainability. Students in grades K-6 are learning how to help the environment with a very hands-on approach. Thanks to a grant from CenturyLink, Oak Tree has been able to build a garden box for each grade. Students are learning about recycling and composting at lunch,

and using that compost to help feed their gardens. In the cafeteria, you’ll find buckets for liquids and bins for cartons as well as a slop bucket for compost materials. Coach Steve Murphy spends every Friday at lunchtime recess teaching students how to care for the gardens and how to use compost. For these efforts, Oak Tree Elementary was named Arizona Recycling Coalition’s School of the Year.

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