East Valley Business - 11.03.19

east valley

Volume 2 Issue 16 Mesa, AZ

November 3, 2019

Fuchsia Spa thrives despite setbacks

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA Tribune Contributor

I

IN THE BIZ

t was 2006 when Erin Owens and Lisa Vukonich opened the first of five locations for Fuchsia Spa, a longheld dream of the two women who had met while employed in executive roles at the University of Phoenix.

It was a leap of faith for both mothers of active teens and young children – especially as they were and well-established in their higher education careers.

Through the 2008 economic downturn and last August’s fire and flood at their Mesa Village Square at Dana Park facility, the women remained as positive as circumstances allowed.

A part of that optimism is their commitment to growing their business, keeping ahead of the curve by bringing to their spas the latest in services.

Take, for example, the new LED Bar – the first in Arizona – which launched Nov. 1 in Ahwatukee with other locations to be added later.

“As business owners and women, we find it important to always find the silver lining,” said Vukonich, a former Ahwatukee resident now residing in Gilbert.

Owens echoed the sentiment, adding that their firm has grown stronger because they’d learned something from each of the adversities.

“We’d been open only 16 months when the 2008 recession hit, and though that was rough experience, it taught us how to Public Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2019 East Valley Tribune

Lisa Vukonich and Erin Owens introducing a new LED Bar at their Fuchsia Spa in Ahwatukee Nov. 1 and will install one in their other East Valley spas in the coming months. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)

be smarter businesswomen,” Owens said.

“And the fire at our Dana Park spa in August was a very scary time, and in many ways still is as we work on renovations in anticipation of a grand re-opening, but we can always look for the opportunities that come from these times,” she added.

The fire at their 4,000 square foot Fuchsia Spa was determined to have started late night Aug. 13. Their fire alarm didn’t sound, but the spa’s sprinkler system kicked in.

“The sprinklers actually did their job very well, running until 4 a.m. when a neighboring tenant’s fire alarm went off.

(USPS 004-616) is published weekly

Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor

Our spa was flooded,” Owens recalled.

Optimism for the duo is in addition to, not in lieu of, solid business acumen.

Owens served as director of enrollment at the University of Phoenix, and it was there she met Vukonich who joined the team five years later.

Though both women praise their time at the university, they often worked up to 50 hours a week and wanted to make time to enjoy their children and spouses.

While lunching one day and discussing spa services they craved at reasonable costs, they considered launching their own spa business.

Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year.

Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282

At first, they considered an Arizonabased massage franchise that was just beginning its entrance into the national day spa market.

But as they left a meeting where they’d been presented a contract, the two came to a life-altering decision during the 14-floor elevator descent.

“We decided we had our own vision for a spa that everyday women could come to and receive facial and massage treatments at an affordable price,” said Owens.

“And that franchise didn’t offer nail or aesthetic services. They also didn’t have the warmth, energy and fun we hoped to create,” added Vukonich, an Arizona native.

So, in 2006, they launched Fuchsia Spa focusing on skincare, massage, nail services and more with an affordable membership.

“We’re on a quest to provide a 5-star experience at Fuchsia on a three star budget,” Vukonich said. “We recently updated our Tranquility Lounge to be more relaxing with individual reclining chairs where clients can start their relaxation time with hot tea, a cookie, and a warm neck wrap.”

The Fuchsia Spa staff - with more than 65 men and women – regularly receives training in the latest of spa techniques including the most recent in their expanding service menu, Celluma - a low-level light therapy utilizing LED energy.

“What light therapy is doing is deliver-

ing energy to our compromised cells,” explained Vukonich. “Cells that are underfunctioning due to aging and environmental toxins.

“It’s a biochemical response inside the cell where it is going to properly function again, and it works the same whether we’re talking about acne, wrinkles or pain.”

She said Celluma has two FDA clearances – one for wrinkles and the other for acne – as well as seven for pain.

“We’re creating the first LED bar with multiple lights in use,” she said, adding that the therapy increases collagen and elastin.

“As a woman who’s almost 50, I’m noticing differences in my skin that I’d like to change in a totally natural way. I don’t want to look fake or frozen. The Celluma LED is extremely safe and very effective for wrinkle reduction and also leaves your skin glowing,” said Vukonich Owens is also enthused about the new LED service as her lifestyle often keeps her outside helping her father with his horse ranch west of Phoenix.

“I like to tell people Fuchsia Spa is my third career and none of them were related to each other,” the second-generation Arizona native laughed.

Her first career was in horse racing, where she was a steward and director of racing and on the Arizona State Racing

Commission for 11 years before going to University of Phoenix in enrollment and marketing.

“The university taught me a lot and I got my MBA there,” Owens said.

Another new addition launching Nov. 1 at all Fuchsia Spa locations is their new Elite Membership, focusing more on beauty, health and wellness services that is tailored for the woman on the go as the weekly sessions run approximately 30-45 minutes.

“With the launch of the new Elite membership, we’re excited to see our guests a little more often,” Vukonich said. “The fire has caused us to really look at our spa and say how can we make our experience even better.”

Owens added that while Fuchsia Spa’s goal is not “to be the lowest price in the market, but instead to be the highest quality.”

“Our world is filled with an overload of activities and responsibilities and as women, we tend to take on the world,” she added. “Our membership gives women the permission to say I deserve a little metime.”

Fuchsia Spa locations in Phoenix and Tucson are franchises.

For more information on Fuchsia Spa, their services and locations, see FuchsiaSpa.com.

Mayor sees 5,600 new jobs for Chandler this year

BY KEVIN REAGAN Tribune Staff Writer

M

ayor Kevin Hartke estimates Chandler will add 5,600 new jobs by the end of this year.

“That’s a banner year for us,” Hartke said. “There’s very few years that I can think of that we’ve seen 5,000 news jobs being brought to our community.”

Speaking before the Horizon Rotary Club, Hartke said Chandler’s already seen 3,100 new jobs in the city during the first three quarters of 2019, and he expects there will be more.

“If you want a job in Chandler, you can find one,” the mayor said.

If Hartke’s prediction turns out to be true, then Chandler’s job growth will

Mayor Kevin Hartke, pictured here from an earlier address, told the Horizon Rotary Club Chandler likely will see 5,600 new jobs created in 2019 by year’s end. (File photo)

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

2

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

remain on track with the upward trend that’s dominated the city for recent years.

According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, Chandler reported 98,259 jobs in 2015, 110,238 jobs in 2016, and 114,398 jobs in 2017. The association’s most recent data shows Chandler with about 117,000 jobs.

The entire East Valley region has generally seen substantial job growth in all its communities, thanks to big companies like Freedom Financial, Paypal, Rogers Corporation, and Bank of West.

In the first half of 2018, more than 4,500 jobs were added in Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert, according to the East Valley Partnership.

On a statewide level, Arizona added 80,000 non-farm jobs during the last fiscal year – making it the second-fastest growing state in the country.

Hartke, who assumed office this year after serving as a councilman, said his

Public Notice CITY OF MESA, ARIZONA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking a quali-fied firm or team to act as the Construction Manager at Risk for the following: THE GRID MIXED USE PROJECT SITE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT NO. M99-2019-012

The City of Mesa, on behalf of Palladium GRID, LLC, (“Developer”), is seeking a qualified Construction Manager at Risk (CM@Risk) to provide Pre-Construction Services assistance and complete Construction Services as the CM@ Risk for the GRID Mixed Use Project Site Improvements Project.

All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

The following is a summary of the project. The required tasks will be re-viewed with the selected CM@ Risk and defined to meet the needs of the project as part of the contract scoping.

The scope of work will include upgrades to the Pomeroy Parking Gar-age, streetscape related improvements, upgrade to Gateway

priority is to protect Chandler’s five employment corridors for further growth.

The Price Corridor, home to Microchip and Intel, is the city’s biggest corridor with more than 40,000 jobs. The West Chandler Corridor has nearly 28,000 jobs, the Uptown Corridor has about 11,000 jobs, and the Downtown Corridor has 2,200 jobs.

The Airpark Corridor currently has about 9,000 jobs and Hartke said this is Chandler’s fastest-growing corridor with the potential to balloon up to 20,000 jobs.

“This is still our largest area that we can add more employment,” he said.

The mayor said he’s not interested in re-zoning industrial land for developers to build more condos or apartment complexes. His commitment is jobs, he told the Rotary members, and he’s not after call center jobs.

Hartke said he wants to diversify Chandler’s economy with a range of high-pay-

Park, City Court security measures, improvements to Gateway Park Drive and other associated work.

The estimated construction cost is $2,500,000 to $4,500,000.

A Pre-Submittal Conference will not be held.

Contact with City and Developer Employees. All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below.

RFQ Lists. The RFQ is available on the City’s website at: http:// mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/ construction-manager-at-risk-andjob-order-contracting-opportunities.

The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 8 pages to address the SOQ evaluation criteria (excluding resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation). Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10pt. Please provide eight (8) hard

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

ing jobs. This will better protect the city when an inevitable downturn hits the global economy.

“We’ll get a hiccup like everybody else,” the mayor said. “But the more we can preserve our reserves in the city and diversify our economy, it means that we will survive and thrive.”

Among Chandler’s 117,000 jobs, its largest business sectors are high-tech manufacturing, finance, and retail. The city’s unemployment rate has hovered between 3.9 and 4.1 percent over the last year.

Hartke presents himself as a fiscal conservative who values efficiency, yet aims to maintain good public services.

He was received warmly by the Rotary members, who presented him with a certificate and called Hartke the “real deal.”

The mayor indicated he hopes to remain in office through 2027, which is when he’ll be termed out.

copies and one (1) electronic copy (CD or USB drive) of the Statement of Qualifications by December 4, 2019 at 2:00pm. The City re-serves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications.

The City is an equal opportunity employer.

Delivered or hand-carried submittals must be delivered to the Engineering Department reception area on the fifth floor of Mesa City Plaza Building in a sealed package.

On the submittal package, please display: Firm name, project number, and/or project title.

Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System (http:// mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/ vendor-self-service).

Questions. Questions pertaining to the Construction Manager at Risk selection process or contract issues should be directed to Stephanie Gishey of the Engineering Department at stephanie.gishey@ mesaaz.gov .

Beth Hunning, City Engineer ATTEST: DEE ANN MICKELSEN, City Clerk Published: East Valley Tribune, Nov 3, 10, 2019 / 25491

for the Notice of Funding Availability.

There is a time correction for the Zoom-Grants training session taking place on December 11, 2019.

The training will be held at 8:00 a.m. –10:00 a.m. The location is still at Fire Station 201, 360 E. 1st St., Community Room (West side of station).

For more information, visit : https://www.mesaaz. gov/residents/commuopment/ apply-for-fund The City of Mesa endeavors to make all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and require a reason-able accommodation in order to participate in programs and services offered by the City of Mesa Housing and Community Development Department, please contact Andrea Alicoate @ 480644-5034.

Hearing impaired individuals should call 711 (Arizona TDD Relay). To the ex-tent possible, accommodations will be made within the time constraint of the request, and you may be required to provide information to support your reasonable request.

(November 3, 2019, East Valley Tribune / 25488)

Public Notice CITY OF MESA PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY Date of Publication: November 3, 2019 This is a correction to the public notice published on October 27, 2019

3

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

the tickler

east valley 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

PERIODICALS U. S. POSTAGE PA I D GOODYEAR, AZ 85338