Inside Tucson Business, April 9, 2021

Local Perspective Local First Arizona Launches Sustainability Project

Page 2 April 9, 2021

Volume 29• Number 8

InsideTucsonBusiness

@AZBIZ

www.InsideTucsonBusiness.com

Seeing Green Arizona cannabis grows to a multi-billion dollar industry Pages 10 & 11

TECH TALK

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft bids farewell to asteroid Page 13 DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT

PANDEMIC STIMULUS Rio Nuevo supports Hotel Congress

Page 5 NONPROFITS

REBOUND AFTER 2020 Arizona Gives Day offers hope

Page 8 BOOK OF LISTS

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS Law firms

Page 18 PEOPLE IN ACTION

REAL ESTATE

New promotions, hires and awards Page 3

Tech firm enters Tucson’s hot real estate market Page 4 ON THE MENU

Heaven or Hell

Margaritas at DoubleTree by Hilton Tucson Downtown Convention Center

Page 15

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APRIL 9, 2021

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LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

BY MICHAEL PEEL

LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA

SPECIAL TO INSIDE TUCSON BUSINESS

Local First Arizona’s SCALE UP Program Launches Dynamic New Sustainability Project

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he mission of Local First Arizona (LFA) is to build equitable systems for Arizona’s local businesses and communities that create a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable Arizona economy by strengthening, supporting and celebrating entrepreneurship, rural and urban community development, racial equity, environmental action and food access.

Over its history, LFA has responded to the needs of local small business owners and the whole community in collectively identifying gaps and barriers in the path to building a vibrant, inclusive economy. Last year the pandemic revealed the many significant existing disparities for small, local businesses and organizations, including access to funding, investment, capacity and sustainability.

There is a major needs gap that leaves small local businesses and nonprofits more vulnerable to immediate and long-term effects of economic and green energy disparities, including water and energy availability and costs, as well as future natural and other emergencies.

LFA’s SCALE UP is an award-winning, Arizona-focused program for environmental sustainability project planning, leading to cost savings and community impact. Businesses progress from project planning to development, access low-interest lending and work collaboratively to implement pro-

jects during the program.

Through the program, a seven-week workshop series focuses on business resiliency, climate action, and community benefits, specifically on essential strategies for energy, water, waste, transportation, green teams and social impact for sustainability that enhance customer and employee engagement.

LFA supports participants to more directly address and better prepare for the climate crisis and related challenges such as extreme heat, rising energy costs, and water shortages. During COVID-19, the entire program has been conducted remotely and over 40 businesses and organizations have gone through the program in the last year. Each participant is developing a unique project plan to reduce energy and water usage, waste, and/or transportation, along with planning for other green strategies.

An example of an exciting new SCALE UP project is Harris Fletcher Enterprises. Herman Harris Jr. and Randiesia Fletcher are disabled veterans who experienced long-term poverty as children and are now creating solutions for those experiencing financial, housing and food insecurities. They completed the first 2020 cohort of SCALE UP and continue to develop their plan with the support of LFA and a University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape

Photo by Randiesia Fletcher

Architecture (CAPLA) team. These community leaders decided to commit to a holistic project representing all of the areas of SCALE UP and emphasizing social equity throughout the process. They have been working to make important improvements to their property and site to reduce carbon emissions and to meet and exceed the minimum SCALE UP goal of 20% reductions while also incorporating equity, resiliency, and community engagement into their plan with the larger goal to create a green space and living lab for community learning.

The Harris Fletcher Enterprises team is building an affordable housing project for those experiencing situational poverty, more specifically for American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS), refugees and veterans. Their goal here is for this building to

effect. They launched by working with Watershed Management Group to develop a conceptual design of their property and now plan to install bike racks and eventually solar and an electric vehicle charging station. This project site will serve as an environmentally sustainable living lab for hands-on project learning for SCALE UP participants and the community. They are currently seeking additional support on the visionary project, including expertise and inkind donations, and can be contacted at harrisfletcherenterprises@gmail.com.

Partners on the SCALE UP program include the State of Arizona, Community Investment Corporation, Growth Partners Arizona, Ecoblue, Watershed Management Group, Mrs. Green’s World, University of Arizona CAPLA, and the Southern Arizona Green Business Alliance.

Learn more about Harris Fletcher Enterprises at harrisfletcher.com.

Learn about the SCALE UP program at localfirstaz. com/scale-up.

Learn more about Local First Arizona’s sustainability programs at localfirstaz.com/environmental-action.

Learn more about Local First Arizona at localfirstaz.com. ITB

be a model environmental sustainability project emphasizing natural building methods, including embodied carbon, and connected to the work of local business Natural Building Works. The longterm goal of this project is to provide sustainable low-income housing, and they wanted to learn more about how to do this work through SCALE UP to be a community model.

Ultimately, they want this affordable green housing to bring hope to communities and people in need. They plan to only use ENERGY STAR and WaterSense appliances and plant edible fruit trees to create an urban food forest. This comprehensive plan will result in a projected 25%-50% energy Michael Peel is statewide sussavings, which is also a significant cost savings. The tainability director for Local First edible fruit trees as part of Arizona. He can be contacted at the urban food forest will mike@localfirstaz.com. also reduce the heat island

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PEOPLEINACTION

Brian Heithoff

After a nationwide search, Trico Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors have selected longtime energy executive Brian Heithoff to serve as their next CEO and General Manager. Heithoff will officially start the position on Monday, April 12, succeeding Vin Nitido, who retired in March.

“Among a strong field of highly qualified candidates, our board of directors has confidence that Brian will continue the progress Vin established over the last 12 years,” Trico Board President Larry Hinchliffe said. “I want to thank Vin for his exceptional leadership as CEO/GM. Trico is financially strong, operationally sound, and well positioned for the future.”

Heithoff’s experience includes three decades in the industry with more than 22 years of experience as a CEO. Before joining Trico, he spent a decade as CEO for High West Energy, serving several states in the West and Midwest. Heithoff said Trico customers deserve the best service possible and was honored the board would entrust him with the cooperative’s future.

Sabreen Boone

Patte, Charles Caraway Doug Bozeman

CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness, Inc. is pleased to announce the arrival of Sabreen Boone, DO, as their new associate medical director. Dr. Boone’s main responsibilities include establishing policies, procedures, and recommending changes which will improve the patient experience.

“It’s such a benefit to the patient and the providers to have an integrated practice like we do at CODAC,” Boone said. “Physical care, mental health and wellness services in one location improve health outcomes for our community’s most vulnerable.”

Boone received her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine.

Coldwell Banker Realty’s Tucson/Foothills office is pleased to announce that Patte and Charles Caraway have joined their team as affiliate agents. The team brings 13 years of real estate experience to the table.

“We were drawn to real estate to guide buyers and sellers with their biggest purchase or sale,” Patte Caraway said. “We decided to affiliate with Coldwell Banker because of its tremendous programs like listing concierge which will directly benefit our clients.”

Before joining Coldwell Banker, Patte and Charles worked for Realty Executives Arizona Territory.

Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital is recognizing physical therapist Doug Bozeman’s incredible contributions and has been inducted into the 2020 Tenet Heroes’ Hall of Fame. Bozeman is one of an elite group of 24 inductees nationwide being recognized by Carondelet parent company, Tenet Healthcare.

In addition to being a physical therapist, Bozeman is also a chronic pain specialist.

During the pandemic, he stepped up into newly needed positions to support patient care.

His coworkers describe Doug as selfless, compassionate, and “one of the most versatile and helpful employees.”

Jose Gonzalez Luxury real estate dynamo Jose Gonzalez has joined the team at Coldwell Banker Realty’s Tucson-William’s Centre office as affiliate agent.

Gonzalez said researching high-end real estate is his hobby and he’s always keeping an eye out for the perfect dream home for others as well as himself.

“Through real estate, I will get to view, sell and host open houses for some of the most wonderful properties.

I am excited to help people find their dream home and, along the way, find mine too,” said Gonzalez. “I chose to affiliate with Coldwell Banker Realty because of its great support systems and wonderful treatment of its affiliate agents.”

APRIL 9, 2021

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EMAIL YOUR PEOPLE IN ACTION DETAILS TO AUSTIN@TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM

TCI Wealth Advisors One of the best known independent registered investment firms in the Southwest is now recognized as one of the best workplaces to be employed in the world— for the second year in a row.

Analytics firm Gallup recently named Tucson’s TCI Wealth Advisors as the 2021 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award to recognize the company’s resilience and support of their employee base over the past year. The award is given to companies considered by Gallup to have the most engaged workplace on the planet.

“In 2020, organizational cultures saw historic threats. It took an exceptional amount of resilience for organizations and their employees to make it through,” Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing Jim Harter said. “The abundance of well-managed and highly inspired teams inside Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award-winning organizations puts them in a particularly strong position to adapt quickly to meet the needs of their customers and patients.”

TCI’s Director of Human Resources Jennifer Nevenhoven said she was pleased her company received such a prestigious award and all of her staff should be proud of TCI’s accomplishment.

“Even with this year’s challenges, TCI adapted and came together while being apart to support our employees, their families and clients,” Nevenhoven said. “This is a testament to our ongoing effort to provide a best-in-class employee experience.”

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APRIL 9, 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

EMAIL YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS TO AUSTIN@TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM

Real estate tech firm enters Tucson market ed the buyer.

Arizona Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons purchased 0.60 acres of vacant land s Tucson home values located in the Rancho continue to rise, an Sahuarita Master Planned online real estate Community at 16045 S. brokerage firm is expanding Rancho Sahuarita Blvd. in into Pima County to help Sahuarita, AZ. This will be cut the costs for selling or AOMS’s third location in the buying a new home without Tucson market which will commission fees. open late 2021. The pad site Since 2011, Trelora has was purchased from Rancho helped homeowners keep Sahuarita XX, LLC for more money in their pocket $550,000. Aaron LaPrise by offering a flat-fee model and Dave Hammack, Prinwhere sellers pay up to cipals, and Retail Specialists $4,000 maximum for realty with Cushman & Wakefield assistance in putting their | PICOR, represented the home on the market instead seller in this transaction.

Sales or a commission based on a Karen Farrell with Venture percentage of the sale. BuyWest represented the buyer.

Sierra Vista Casitas, LLC ers can receive up to $6,000 Jersey 4896, LLC purpurchased a 25,356-square- chased a 5,551-square-foot in a commission sharing foot, multifamily property program the company has industrial building located to help with closing fees for located at 201 W. Fry Blvd. in Shamrock Center, 4896 in Sierra Vista, AZ. Desert remodeling.

N. Jersey Court in Tucson.

Inn Apartments & Motel “Tucson continues to be The property was purchased a hot real estate market with was purchased from ZONA from Jersey Court ProperInvestments SPE, LLC for the average home values ties, LLC for $475,000. $1,100,000. Allan Mendels- Paul Hooker, Principal, and increasing by 16.20% over berg, Principal, and Conrad Industrial Specialist with the last year and 52.53% Martinez, Multifamily over the past five years. As Cushman & Wakefield | PISpecialists with Cushman a result, consumers are left COR, represented the buyer paying high commissions to & Wakefield | PICOR, in this transaction. their agents,” Trelora’s Ari- represented the seller in this Tyler Barrett, Rodney zona market director Brock transaction.

Rivera and Shane Costello Refrigeration Supplies Embree said. “We’re excited purchased Blacklidge ApartDistributor purchased to offer a better alternative ments, a 5,452-square-foot and save people thousands of 14,000 square feet of multifamily property located dollars so that all they have to industrial space located at at 260-266 W. Blacklidge think about is enjoying their 2101-2103 E. 19th St. in Drive and 3000-3008 N. Tucson, from CC Finannew home.”

Balboa Ave. in Tucson. The In 2020, Tucsonans paid cials, LLC for $975,000.

8-unit complex was purRobert C. Glaser, SIOR, close to an estimated $300 chased from Blackboa PropCCIM, Principal, and Max erties, LLC for $475,000. million in real estate commission costs. Using Trelora, Fisher, Industrial Specialists Allan Mendelsberg, Princisellers and buyers in Tucson with Cushman & Wakefield pal, and Conrad Martinez, | PICOR, represented the could save $162 million Multifamily Specialists with seller in this transaction. through Trelora’s fair-fee Cushman & Wakefield | model, according to Trelora’s Jason Ward with Cushman & PICOR, represented the Wakefield, Irvine, represent- seller in this transaction. research.

Austin Counts

Inside Tucson Business

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Trelora’s agents average about 150 deals closed per year and specialize in the local markets they service, said Embree. In addition to Tucson, the company currently serves seven national housing markets and is expanding throughout the Southeastern United States as well as Denver, Colorado.

To date, the company has saved more than $65 million in commission fees for their clients nationwide, according to the Trelora website.

To find out more information, check out Trelora. com

Tim Hadrich with Regent Goldstar Real Estate, LLC, represented the buyer.

La Frontera Center, Inc. purchased 0.27 acres of commercial land located in Gateway Plaza, 1430 N. Oracle Road in Tucson. The land parcel was purchased from Oracle Gateway, LLC, for $300,000. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. Jason Hisey with Stonecorner Real Estate and Development, Inc., represented the buyer.

Brenna Lacey of VOLK Company represented Macarthur Tucson, LLC in the sale of an approximately 24,260 square foot building located at 345 East Toole to Moreno Valley Gateway, LLC for a purchase price of $4,600,000. The Macarthur Building is an iconic downtown Tucson property originally built in the early 1900’s and will continue to serve as corporate headquarters for Madden Preprint Media.

Joey Castillo of VOLK Company represented the purchaser, TRC Properties VII, LLC, in the purchase of approximately 53,143 square feet of land with approximately 14,077 square feet of building improvements located at 735 East Brill Street in Phoenix for a purchase price of $2,420,000. The purchaser will use the property for the sale of rubberized coatings.

Jeramy Price of VOLK Company represented Ton Properties, LLC in the

net-lease investment sale of approximately 86,373 square feet of land with approximately 35,210 square feet of building improvements located at 3741–3781 East Technical Drive to SAJE 3 Investments, LLC for a purchase price of $1,470,000.

Jeramy Price and Joey Castillo of VOLK Company represented the seller, Rosa M Mead, Trustee of The Ovis O Mead Living Trust, in the sale of an apartment building located at 2460– 2468 North Balboa Avenue for a purchase price of $362,500. The purchaser, Red Devil Properties, LLC, was represented by Bob Herd of Herd Realty Company.

Rick Borane of VOLK Company represented The Estate of Thomas C. Avery in the sale of approximately 15,000 square feet of land with approximately 2,910 square feet of building improvements located at 1024 South Plumer Avenue to 1024 South Plumer Avenue LLC for a purchase price of $275,000. The purchaser was represented by Southwest Urban Realty.

Leases Lendmark Financial Services, LLC leased 1,200 square feet of retail space from Barclay Holdings XVIII-A, LLC, located in Old Spanish Trail Crossing, 9525 E. Old Spanish Trail, Suite 127 in Tucson. Dave Hammack and Aaron LaPrise, Principals and Retail Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this

transaction.

After 40 years at their original location on Cardinal & Drexel, Tania’s Flour Tortillas and Mexican Food will be expanding to open their second Tucson-area location in Sahuarita, AZ. They leased 1,200 square feet of restaurant space within the Rancho Sahuarita Marketplace located at I-19 & Sahuarita Rd. from Rancho Sahuarita Commercial Ventures, LLC. Aaron LaPrise and Dave Hammack, Principals, and Retail Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, handled this transaction on behalf of the landlord.

Brian Padias, d/b/a DASTucson, leased 1,193 square feet of industrial space from Presson Corporation in Town Central Business Park, 4903 E. 29th St. in Tucson.

Robert C. Glaser, SIOR, CCIM, and Paul Hooker, Principals, and Industrial Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Edged Barber Shop leased 1,100 square feet of retail space in Lee Lee Plaza, 2040 W. Orange Grove Road, Suite 150 in Tucson, from Pearland RJR, LLC. Aaron LaPrise and Dave Hammack, Principals, and Retail Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, handled this transaction.

Lan Thong leased 1,000 square feet of industrial space from Presson Corporation located in Town Central Business Park, 5003 E. 29th St in Tucson. Robert C. Glaser, SIOR,

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APRIL 9, 2021

REAL ESTATE CCIM, and Paul Hooker, Principals, and Industrial Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Kevin Volk of VOLK Company and Melissa Lal and Isaac Figueroa of Larsen Baker represented the landlord, Oracle Ina Investors LLC and SRP Two LLC, in the lease of 1,456 square feet at 7315 N. Oracle #204 within Two Oracle to Precision Microblading, LLC. Jeramy Price of VOLK Company handled a lease between Pantano/Broadway, LLC as landlord and JKAY, LLC as tenant for an approximately 2,550 square foot space located at 7932 East Broadway Boulevard. The tenant will use the space for a functional fitness studio.

VOLK Company agents Brenna Lacey and Joey Castillo represented the landlord, SCG-Northpointe, LLC, in a lease with Arizona Motor Vehi-

cle Express, LLC as tenant for approximately 2,000 square feet at 6741 North Thornydale Road, Suite 151, within NorthPointe Village.

Jeramy Price of VOLK Company represented the landlord, ZK Homes LLC and MSR Investment, LLC, in the lease of an approximately 3,584 square foot former Denny’s building located at 401 Chiricahua Avenue in Douglas to Carlos Valdez Rendon and Anna Villicana. The tenant will use the space for a restaurant.

Jeramy Price of VOLK Company represented Rosas y Mas, LLC, as tenant in a lease with Monterey Village, LLC as landlord for approximately 2,200 square feet at 6170 East Speedway within Monterey Village. The tenant will be relocating Roses and More from Speedway and Craycroft to Monterey Village. The landlord was represented by PICOR. ITB

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Rio Nuevo helps downtown restaurants through pandemic Austin Counts

borderland mezcals as well as other regional wines and spirits,” Slutes said. he Historic Hotel “We see this as the physCongress and five ical manifestation of the other downtown Agave Heritage Festival, restaurants will soon be where people can enjoy expanding and improving and purchase traditionally their patios with a little produced spirits that are help from the Rio Nuevo truly from the region.”

Board of Directors, who The director said they unanimously voted to plan on adding new shadinvest $350,000 into the ing and a misting system area’s restaurant commu- to the plaza that should nity last month. keep their guests cool on The historic hotel will the hottest of summer days receive the lion’s share and outdoor bathrooms. of the funding with Construction is expected $300,000 going toward to kick off in early July renovating their Copper and Slutes said they hope Hall into a lounge and to debut the first phase of retail space selling local improvements sometime libations and overhauling in August. their plaza, according to “This is the first time David Slutes, the hotel’s that the owners have entertainment and marconsidered asking for keting director. help,” Slutes said. “But “Although all of the de- the positive reactions we tails are not set, we hope to have received from the Rio have the Copper Hall space Nuevo Board as well as just become a great lounge, about everyone else who as well as retail space and has heard about our plans, tasting room featuring made the decision to make Inside Tucson Business

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the request a bit easier.”

Rio Nuevo Board Chair Fletcher McCusker said Hotel Congress originally requested $600,000 for the updates to their property and the board chose to help out in stages as their financial situation improves, but does expect to help finance the full amount.

“We’ve been strapped for cash and we’ve done very little during the pandemic,” McCusker said.

“What has surprised us is the number of private sector initiatives coming to downtown from all over the country.”

As a Tax Increment Financial District (TIF), Rio Nuevo receives 100% of its funding from a portion of the state sales tax generated within the district’s boundaries. Before the pandemic, McCusker said the district was receiving approximately $2 million a month, but shortly after restaurants shut down due

to COVID-19 restrictions, that number was cut to $400,000.

“Most of our revenue comes from restaurants and retail,” McCusker said. “So to help restaurants survive was not only crucial to their survival, but ultimately for our [Rio Nuevo’s] survival too.”

Rio Nuevo sold a parking lot located at Council Street and Church Avenue for $750,000 to help provide their latest round of funding to downtown restaurants, according to McCusker.

The remaining $50,000 will split into five $10,000 stipends which will assist five downtown restaurants with expanding and/or updating their patios. So far, six businesses including Penca, Senae Thai, Owl’s Club, 47 Scott, Hub, Elliot’s on Congress and Empire Pizza have applied for the grant, but the board has yet to announce the recipients at this time. ITB

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APRIL 9, 2021

Brakemax gives restaurant gift card to teachers Inside Tucson Business

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Photo courtesy BRAKEMax.

“The teachers, they don’t get paid enough, they don’t get enough, and seeing teachers and their families come in and utilize them, that’s awesome,” said Nana’s Kitchen owner Javier Teran.

said Gardner. ”So to be able to support locally owned restaurants at this time, it’s really a privilege and I’m really thankful that our company has given me the opportunity to do that.”

Gardner said restaurants have been incredibly excited and happy, so much so that Nana’s Kitchen owner Javier Teran donated an extra $5 for every gift card they received to give teachers a $35 gift card, instead of $30.

Teran wanted to donate more to educators, because he thinks they deserve a lot more.

“The teachers, they don’t get paid enough, they don’t get enough and

seeing teachers and their families come in and utilize them that’s awesome,” said Teran.

After a year of closed down businesses and reduced capacity, Teran said things are slowly getting better and he’s seen many teachers use their gift cards. Teran hopes other big corporations will follow the example and even donate them to not only teachers, but first responders and the elderly.

BRAKEmax provided 257 gift cards of $30 from Bear Canyon Pizza to the Tanque Verde Foundation for its schools’ staff. Kowalski provided the list of staff, from janitors to contrac-

tors working on math curriculum, teachers all the way up to the superintendent. He said Bear Canyon Pizza, which is down the street from most of the Tanque Verde schools, was the frequent hangout for Tanque Verde families after high school musicals or football games.

“You know you could spend that money on a billboard, but that just gives you name recognition,” said Kowalski.

“Now I actually have someone that’s trying to reach out and help their neighbors, and fellow community members, so I think they really went above and beyond and it’s commendable.” ITB

BY STEPHANIE HEALY

Sustainability is not just about doing what is best for the earth, it’s also good business

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Christina Duran

ucson teachers will receive thousands of dollars in restaurant gift cards, thanks to a local business.

BRAKEMax Car Care Center bought $24,000 in gift cards from Tucson restaurants including Nana’s Kitchen, Bear Canyon Pizza and Pub 1922, said Jeffry Gardner, vice president of Marketing for GB Auto, holding company for BRAKEmax. The cards were then donated to schools throughout Tucson, according to a news release.

For local schools it came as a total surprise, said Tanque Verde Foundation President Todd Kowalski, who coordinated with Gardner to facilitate this program.

“You expect your mom to say thank you or tell you you did a good job,” said Kowalski. “You don’t necessarily expect a car repair shop that doesn’t even have a child in your class to reach out and pat someone on the back, so a lot of people were very appreciative.”

“Tucson is really proud of its restaurant scene, being a city of gastronomy that designation is something that I think means a lot to every Tucsonan, myself included,”

WEEKLY TOP

racticing sustainability in your company is not only good for the environment, but can yield higher profits, a stronger connection to consumers and more engaged employees. At Cox, we’re proud to have diverted over 170,000 tons of waste since 2007 and achieved zero waste to landfill status at many of our facilities through our sustainability efforts. Consider implementing these tips to “go green” at work and encourage employee participation.

1. Ask questions. What is your company’s current impact on the environment?

What sustainability efforts are your industry peers undertaking? Answering these questions will help guide where you should focus your efforts.

2. Set reachable goals. Set short- and long-term goals to help keep your company on track and provide a measurable target. We have set a goal to send zero waste to landfills at all of our facilities by 2024, as well as to be carbon and water neutral by 2034.

3. Implement a program.

Whether partnering with a waste management company or eliminating plastic at the office, consider creating a companywide program to set the standard.

4. Save energy. Install motion sensors to office lights and encourage employees to power down equipment at the end of the day. Solar panels are also a great option when possible—many businesses with

covered parking install solar panels overhead.

5. Go digital. Save paper by using electronic file sharing and have staff members bring laptops or tablets into meetings to view documents instead of handing out printed versions.

6. Reduce waste. Consider ditching your paper coffee cups and stocking the break rooms with ceramic dishware and reusable mugs.

7. Add plants. Cleanse your office air with potted plants such as bamboo palms, peace lilies and gerbera daisies, which offer both beauty and air purification.

8. Offer telecommuting.

Consider allowing your employees to work from home when appropriate to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, oil consumption and workplace waste.

9. Spread the word.

Notify your employees and customers about the actions you’re taking to preserve the environment and encourage them to do the same. You can also share conservation tips with your employees that they can use at home.

10. Encourage participation.

There are many ways to encourage your employees to “think green.” Cox engages and incentivizes employees by recognizing sustainable ideas at work through the Cox Conserves Chairman’s Cup, which collects, rewards and implements sustainable practices across the company.

Stephanie Healy is the Director of Public Affairs for Cox Communications in Southern Arizona and serves as co-chair of the Cox Conserves team, which undertakes a variety of sustainability projects nationwide.

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Sponsored By

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Tucson Business, Community Leader Jim Starks Adds Depth to Team Through Partnership with Wilde Wealth Management Group

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ince 1989, Jim Stark, CFP®, CIMA®, has worked diligently and

Hallmark Financial.

responsibly for families across Southern Arizona, providing thoughtful, customized financial investment services for retirement planning, 401(K) plans and education savings, utilizing both in-depth fundamental and technical analysis. The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and University of Arizona alum leads JRS Wealth Management Group, which made headlines in 2019 after announcing its partnership with Wilde Wealth Management, an award-winning and independent financial advisory firm with offices in Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Payson and Indiana that provides comprehensive retirement, investment, real estate, insurance, legal and tax planning services all under one roof. The affiliation also included partnering with colleague Sherry Hall and her Tucson team at

Group, serving as an Investment Advisor,” says Stark.

“The relationship developed “He is calling Tucson his as part of a natural progres- home base, working handsion as both our team and in-hand with my team from Hallmark realized we needed our River Road office. to add youth and depth to our practices, and we wanted A Tucson native, Lewis has to do so with the highest worked in the banking and quality people,” said Stark. finance industry for over “While I still plan to contin- a decade, most recently at ue in this industry for years Edward Jones in Southern to come, the partnership Arizona. ensured that we’d taken the steps to safeguard the long“I’ve known Jim [Stark] proterm success of our clients’ fessionally for years, which futures.” eventually led to getting to know Wilde Wealth better Over the past year-plus, through their affiliation,” according to Stark, it has says Lewis. “Wilde Wealth’s become clear the decision reputation both in Arizona to affiliate was an excellent and nationwide, notably its choice. So much so, the managing principal Trevfirms are ready to grow or Wilde being named to together in new ways in 2021 Barron’s annual list of top and beyond.

1,200 advisors nationwide consecutively for more than “Together with Wilde, we’ve a decade – including No. 1 welcomed fellow Tucson overall in Arizona in 2020 business leader Tim Lewis – precedes itself. Getting to to our shared Tucson office. know them more personally Lewis is a new member of beyond just professionally Wilde Wealth Management made the eventual decision

to join the firm an easy one.”

Lewis has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of San Diego. He and his wife, Stacy, have four children ranging in age from 7 to 19, and in his spare time Lewis participates in the Knights of Columbus and coaches both local youth baseball and football in the area. Lewis also sits on the board of directors for Canyon View Little League and is a den leader with the Cub Scouts.

The combined JRS Wealth Management and Wilde Wealth Management Groups in Tucson.

zona and Indiana is threefold: to offer boutique, customized investment “Tim’s combination of planning advice; to offer financial experience and ser- clients expanded in-house vant leadership make him a service offerings from fellow natural fit on our team,” says independent specialists in Wilde, a University of Arizo- the fields of legal, taxes, na alum and former Arizona risk management, family Wildcat football player. services, real estate and insurance; and to give back According to Wilde, who to the community that has founded Wilde Wealth with given them all so much for so his father, Bill, in 2003, the many years. mission for the combined Tucson team as well as the “Together, the team is able to rest of its offices across Ari- not only take all the pieces of

a client’s financial puzzle and organize them, but use them to build a solid foundation that will serve not just the client, but his/her family for generations to come,” says Wilde. “We are also able to harness our combined passion for southern Arizona to make a real impact on the community-at-large here as well.”

For more information, please visit www.jrswmg.com. Stark and Lewis can be reached at (520) 577-9500.

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/CPCIGOGPV )TQWR Financial Planning ♦ Investment Management ♦ Estate and Tax Planning

An affiliate of Wilde Wealth Management Group

Welcomes

520.577.9500 Fax: 520.577.9522

Investment Advisor Representative

tim.lewis@jrswmg.com jrswmg.com

Tim Lewis

To Your Local Team!

Our commitment to serving the Tucson area is stronger than ever.

Tim Lewis

Jim Stark

Trevor Wilde

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

With Arizona Gives Day on the horizon, nonprofits pivot and rebound after a tough year Christina Duran Inside Tucson Business

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he Assistance League of Tucson, a volunteer organization whose mission is “volunteers working in the Tucson community to help those in need,” faced some grim moments at the outset of the pandemic last year.

The nonprofit saw a dramatic drop in the number of volunteers who are vital to the organization’s operations.

But the organization reacted quickly to the changing conditions brought about by the pandemic.

“We’re coming up on our 61st anniversary of helping people, those in need here in Tucson,” said Assistance League of Tucson President Kim Sterling. “You look ahead and you go, did we do well during the pandemic?

Are we going to survive another 60 years and still be here to help out?”

At the start of the pandemic, Sterling said they closed down their thrift shop, which provides about 60% of their revenue, with donations and grants providing the rest.

As soon as they closed they began to look at their expenses. In 1959, their founders built up a reserve fund totaling one year’s operating expenses, which they didn’t want to dip into since they could not

see the end of the pandemic and worried about the possibility of another disaster, Sterling said.

“We did three things, but we had one goal in mind, keep serving those most in need in the Tucson community,” said Sterling. “So we pivoted our program, we cut costs, and we created new revenue streams.”

Sterling said all five of their programs continued with $190,000 in cuts with the proviso that if revenue increased, funding would return to the programs. They looked to maintain the number of people they served, but reduce the amount provided. Their Starting Over Supplies program required a shift in the way the program operated.

Through the program, the organization works with social workers to provide basic housekeeping supplies and other provisions tailored to individuals who may be experiencing homelessness for the first time or coming out of foster care, said Sterling. So when social service agencies shut down and they could not deliver a kit because they were no longer meeting in-person, Sterling said they panicked.

“First we panicked, and then we flung into action, and we started reaching out to different agencies and organizations, and finding those that are

average nonprofit lost between 11 to 25% of their revenue.

Arts and culture organizations suffered the most with a loss of nearly $800,000 and health and human services second with an average loss of nearly $600,000.

Along with a loss of revenue, nonprofits experienced a dramatic increase in the cost of doing business, with more than $15.3 million of additional expenses, most of which went to PPE, supplies, and technology.

Alliance of Arizona he Assistance League Nonprofits Senior Vice of Tucson is just one President and Director of the many Arizona of Development Jennifer nonprofits that were hit Purcell said the findings hard due to the pandemare staggering and that the ic, according to a survey total revenue loss is likely conducted by the Alliance higher, since not every of Arizona Nonprofits, nonprofit participated in a statewide resource and the survey. advocate for the nonprofit While Purcell believes community. you cannot plan for every They surveyed 412 crisis, she thinks board nonprofit organizations members and organizations can have risk or in Arizona, with 43% crisis management plans representing Health and in place.

Human Service organizations, and found on “There can be a tendency of boards, who average nonprofits lost believe that every penny between a quarter to half earned needs to be spent of their revenue, with a total revenue loss of about on programming and that $91 million within the past can get organizations into a very difficult time when year.

Of the 231 nonprofit or- there are downtimes in the ganizations from Southern economy, or downtimes Arizona that participated in giving, and so board in the survey about 7 out members can help their every 10 saw a decrease organization to prepare in revenue, totaling over and figuring out how to $35.6 million loss. The have some savings and

meeting face to face with clients who needed help, because we figured the need had probably increased,” said Sterling.

She said now they are back to providing about 100 kits per month and increasing. They are looking at a loss of about $110,000 for this fiscal year, said Sterling, but as an organization with an $800,000 annual budget, they typically return about 70% to the community and expect this year’s percentage to only drop to 65%.

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reserves,” said Purcell.

Due to the pandemic, almost three quarters of nonprofits who participated in the survey had to close their physical locations in some way. One in five nonprofits furloughed or laid off staff, totaling 564 people. Almost half of nonprofits are holding off on hiring.

More than half of Southern Arizona nonprofits saw a 78% decrease in volunteers, losing almost 55,000 total volunteers. Nine out of 10 volunteers were lost due to COVID-19 concerns, about 70% were lost because programs were paused or cancelled.

Further, nonprofits experienced a decrease in individual donations, corporate giving, support from foundations and grants.

In March 2020, the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (CSFA), with the help of donors, created two funds–COVID-19 Community Support Fund and the COVID-19 Nonprofit Event Relief Fund–and donated about $3.6 million to local nonprofits.

This includes $233,000 in nonprofit event relief grants to 41 nonprofit partners, $300,000 to help minority and women business owners and nonprofit organizations access PPP loans, and $25,000 to provide pivot grants for local artists and arts orga-

nizations.

“With that being said, $3.6 million out of a loss of $91 million, that’s just a drop in the bucket,” said CFSA Interim President and CEO Mark Montoya.

“We’ve given 3% of what has been lost in the nonprofit community, so it’s a tough time for nonprofits.”

He said CFSA saw an increase in grant requests last year.

About half of nonprofits saw a decrease in year-end giving, which was down on average between 11% to 25%. Southern Arizona nonprofits fared better with 29% seeing a decrease in year-end giving.

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ot all organizations saw a drop in giving.

The 35-year-old Tucson nonprofit Youth on their Own (YOTO), a dropout prevention program that supports youth experiencing homelessness in Pima County, saw an increase in donations, along with an increase in need for their services— and new hurdles in delivering them.

“We serve youth experiencing homelessness, so that’s a really vulnerable, high-need population, and we see the impacts of COVID for them. And then on the other end we see folks who are retired or are continuing to work and COVID hasn’t been financially challenging for them because they’re saving money on vacations or

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

going out to eat,” said YOTO CEO Elizabeth Slater. “They want to be able to make a difference but they can’t volunteer in person right now. There’s all these reasons why making donations is the best way for them to make an impact.”

She also said their name recognition and loyal donor base put them in a unique position. They had projected a 15% decrease, but instead saw an increase in donations.

Slater clarified some of the increase was due to one-time donations from the CFSA or United Way, but most were from individuals “just giving more.”

YOTO still had their own set of challenges because of COVID-19.

To participate in YOTO, not only do they have to be youth experiencing homelessness but also a student enrolled in school. With the pandemic leading some kids to drop out of remote schooling programs, YOTO had half the number of applications.

“We don’t think there are half as many homeless youth,” said Slater. “We know that they’re just having these barriers to getting services from us, like where are they getting food and clothing and hygiene supplies, all the stuff that we would typically provide to them.”

Because of the challenge of connecting to homeless youth, Slater said, YOTO created a fund of $135,000, which they donated to organizations that would in turn serve the youth who had barriers reaching them, like I Am You 360 and the Sunnyside Foundation.

APRIL 9, 2021

She said they have always had partnerships with hundreds of organizations, schools, and nonprofits, but this was different. Historically, Slater finds that there is a mentality among nonprofits, where they feel like they have to compete for scarce resources and for their board of directors it was a big shift in perspective.

“It’s not very typical for nonprofits to do that, but when you think about ‘How do we achieve our mission,’ which is to make sure that youth experiencing homelessness get all these supports that we provide,” said Slater.

“It was a way of acknowledging that, of course we don’t do it on our own and sometimes we can’t even do it at all without other organizations stepping in.”

Purcell also noted this finding and hopes organizations can continue this trend to work together.

“We’re stronger together and with different ideas and different strengths,” said Purcell. “I think that the nonprofit sector has come together to figure out how they can work together a little bit more, and we certainly all hope that that trend continues.”

In order to adapt to the pandemic, 44% of organizations were able to create virtual opportunities for volunteer participation.

Purcell thinks organizations will continue to provide innovative ways in which to engage people in their service and support.

Watershed Management Group (WMG), a nonprofit working to educate communities about sustainable living

and the environment, provided virtual classes for programs like Bring Your Own Basin, teaching people how to create their own water basin.

By providing virtual programming, WMG Executive Director Lisa Shipek said they were able often see double, if not triple the participation during the first three to six months of the pandemic.

“We’re able to reach a lot more people and people. Normally, most of our services are in Tucson so people outside of Tucson were able to benefit from the virtual programming. So we’ll definitely keep some of that going,” said Shipek.

Moreso, Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits found less than 1% of organizations closed permanently.

“The fact that only 1% of nonprofits polled stopped providing services completely just shows the resiliency of the nonprofit sector and the fact that they were able to continue services and find alternative ways to provide those services in a relatively short time period is incredible and amazing, and it speaks volumes to the dedication that the nonprofit sector has to their missions and to our communities,” said Purcell.

As an arts and culture nonprofit, promoting youth education in arts and music and building a community network of artists in Tucson, Groundworks Tucson could have ended before it even started.

In 2019 Groundworks Tucson became a nonprofit and in January

2020 signed a lease on a building ready to serve their mission, then cancelled all of their grand opening plans for March and April because of the pandemic, said Founder and Executive Director Logan Greene.

Greene said they had a budget of about $75,000 and planned for that money to come from their programming, through tuition from classes, tickets for concerts, and art sales and expects they lost about 100% of it, because they were not fully operational in 2020.

This also left them in a difficult position, where they did not qualify for grants, even those tailored for music venues like themselves, because they did not have an official concert in 2020.

“We were just lucky enough to get to the couple that we did, and that helped us get through the end of last year,” Greene said.

Groundworks learned to offer virtual concerts and art gallery viewings, like Creation in Isolation debuting on April 10, which will be partly in-person with viewing available by appointment and also virtual. Unfortunately, the fully virtual initiatives were not as financially successful as in-person events.

As a brand new nonprofit, Greene said they got involved with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the grassroots organization that lobbied for the Save Our Stages Act, now the Shuttered

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Venues Operators Grant Program, as part of the COVID-19 Relief Bill passed in Dec. 2020, which allocates $15 billion in federal relief funds to save independent venues and promoters. Through NIVA, they talked to other nonprofit music and arts organizations and learned from them. The Pima County Arts Foundation also helped connect them to upcoming grants and funding opportunities, said Greene.

“It’s been really good considering we didn’t know anybody from these organizations, a year and a half or two years ago,” said Green. “Then through the pandemic everybody has been sharing resources and helping each other out and that’s been really uplifting and positive.” ITB

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

Recreational marijuana sales race ahead, but industry equity falls behind Kiera Riley, Cronkite News Special to Inside Tucson Business

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ales of recreational marijuana are surging at Arizona retailers that, after selling medical marijuana for nearly a decade, now accommodate a crop of new customers the state estimates could push revenue to $1 billion in two years.

Dispensaries in the state started recreational sales Jan. 22, after Arizona became one of four states to legalize recreational marijuana in November. The Department of Health Services has issued more than 100 licenses for recreational sales, which totaled nearly $3 million in the first 10 days.

As the industry grows, questions persist on how it will affect local governments in Arizona that receive taxes, business owners, the people who need jobs – and those

impacted by the enforcement of previous marijuana laws,” in an effort to lessen the gap.

“It’s very expensive to get into this,” said Robin Reed, a principal partner in the business strategy company SOCIAL EQUITY IN Emfluent. “Licensing can ARIZONA cost millions of dollars, and Ownership, management significant infrastructure is and employees in the multi- required to succeed in the billion dollar U.S. marijua- cannabis industry.” na industry are overwhelmCannabis remains federingly white. ally illegal, so entrepreneurs And the barriers to entry can’t use government grants into the industry, including or bank loans to start a busisteep licensing fees and a lack ness. That leaves personal savings and family wealth as of access to capital persist, making it difficult for entre- the most common sources of preneurs from underserved startup funding, according communities to start. to Leafly.

The Arizona Department “One of the significant of Health Services, which financial barriers to entry for grants marijuana dispensary minorities in any business licenses, is required to set enterprise,” Reed said, aside 26 licenses for owners “from cannabis to construcunder a social equity owner- tion to real estate to finance, ship program. The licenses is many minority-owned will go to those “from com- businesses are started from munities disproportionately personal savings.”

America’s racial wealth gap continues to leave disparities in access to capital. A 2016 study done by Brookings Institute found that the net worth of an average white family is nearly 10 times greater than that of a Black family.

The lack of access to funding results in an industry where 8 out of 10 of marijuana business owners are white, according to a 2017 study done by Marijuana Business Daily.

Although state-issued social equity licenses are designed to help remedy such disparities, Reed believes diversity efforts need to expand. who get them. Nationally and locally, the marijuana industry lags in race and gender equity in ownership and the workforce.

“They sound great when they are a news headline, but we really need to see what happens once it actually rolls out,” Reed said. “Are we seeing the diversity that was touted in the press? Or does it fall short of that?”

The state health department first needs to set standards on granting social equity licenses, but has not established a specific timetable to make that happen in an industry worth billions.

Only one dispensary, House of the Purp, is identified as Black owned in Maricopa County, according to a GoogleMaps search.

“A process for allocating the social justice licenses that are part of the law will follow a public involvement process to occur in the coming months,” Steve Elliot, a health department spokesperson, said by email.

DISPARITIES IN ARRESTS Proposition 207 also included a provision that provides those with marijuana convictions a process to expunge their record. However, the extent of the effort will vary by county, and what it takes to do so isn’t clear.

Black people are 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Reed also emphasized the diversity problem is not unique to the marijuana industry and requires more than one program.

“A greater way to approach this is, ‘Is it progress? Are we

heading in the right direction?’ Diversity, inclusion, equity, belonging – there is not a one-stop solution,” Reed said.

Morgan Fox, media relations director at the National Cannabis Industry Association, a national trade association, said social justice and equity is one of the industry’s biggest problems.

The association works to lobby and endorse bills on the federal level. In the past, the organization supported the Marijuana Opportunity and Reinvestment Act, which would decriminalize marijuana and expunge federal marijuana convictions.

Fox notices a prioritization of diversity in the industry, but also notes it is not universal, and each business is approaching it differently.

Harvest House of Cannabis, a Tempe marijuana company with locations in five states, tracks its demographics internally but declines to provide them publicly.

Steve White, the chief executive at Harvest, characterized the diversity of employees as “generally good,” with opportunities for improvement.

In 2019, Harvest fell under scrutiny of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy after claiming 51% of its Ohio operations were owned by “economically disadvantaged” groups.

At the time, White said, the company was financially backing a social equity applicant, Ariane Kirkpatrick, an African American woman, under a separate entity,

Harvest Grows, according to news accounts.

But White was listed as the CEO and owner.

Harvest and the pharmacy board settled the licensing conflict last year through a $500,000 donation to the state’s prescription drug reporting database, which allowed the company to open three facilities in Ohio, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Harvest continued to financially back Harvest Grows after the lawsuit, White told Cronkite News.

“We’ve seen that process through to conclusion at significant expense to the organization,” White said. “And we have done so through intense scrutiny and a lot of meddling into what was designed to be a prosperous business relationship.”

The company contributed $2 million to advocates behind Arizona’s Prop. 207, and pushed to include the process for expunging marijuana charges and the social equity licensing program, White said.

But as the social-equity license program gets underway in Arizona, White said the company is going to watch from a distance.

BUSINESS GROWTH AND LOCAL TAXES The state health department has issued 130 licenses allowing dispensaries to begin recreational sales instore.

Adult-use sales brought

See Equity, P12

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

11

City of Tucson zeroes in on zoning updates for marijuana-related businesses

David Abbott

local tax collection projections estimate that by 2026, n the run-up to passage of Tucson could reap more 2020’s Prop 207, which than $9 million in tax revelegalized adult-use recre- nues annually from dispenational cannabis in Arizona, sary and adult-use sales. the city of Tucson began a In August 2020, the process for updating zoning City of Tucson sought to codes for what turned into get ahead of the green rush a billion dollar industry in and amend its zoning and 2020, even before the addevelopment code related to vent of legal, adult-use sales. dispensaries, in part to ease The process continues to crowding at local shops as play out this month, even as a crush of patients stocked the business goes through a up during the early days fast evolution from the state of coronavirus restrictions to municipal levels. and also to prepare for the expected rush of legal sales.

CANNABIS ALREADY From the outset of the AN ECONOMIC pandemic, the marijuana POWERHOUSE industry was considered essential services and was one According to Leafly, an of the sectors of the economy online information clearthat saw a big boost in sales inghouse for the marijuana in a year when many busiindustry, a recently released nesses, particularly in the restaurant and arts sectors, annual jobs report found were taking large losses or that legal cannabis in the shuttering altogether.

U.S. supports 321,000 In the wake of a stakehold“full-time American jobs.” er meeting in mid-October, In 2020—the year of COVID—the industry added COVID-related temporary measures were enacted to 77,000 new jobs nationwide, and according to the help with social distancing, report, there are more legal including curbside pickup cannabis workers than elec- and delivery, home delivery trical engineers, EMTs and and the utilization of unused paramedics, and more than space to expand lobbies twice as many as there are on a site-by-site basis. It dentists in the U.S. also allowed for the use of Arizona had 20,728 drive-thrus where they exist individuals employed in the in buildings that have been sector after adding 5,648 converted to dispensary use. jobs in 2020 and that number is expected to grow as the ADULT-USE industry expands under the RECREATIONAL SALES new paradigm.

KICK OFF WITH LONG The year 2020 saw a big LINES AND CROWDED increase in economic activity, SHOPS going from $700 million in total sales in 2019 to topping While the marijuana a billion dollars in 2020, industry and government according to Leafly. Recent entities throughout the state Inside Tucson Business

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prepared for recreational sales to begin in March or April of this year, the Arizona Department of Health Services made the stunning decision to allow adult-use sales to begin on Jan. 22, approving 86 “dual-use” licenses within the first week.

When Harvest Dispensary in Tucson opened its doors to recreational customers on that day, a crush of new customers descended on the dispensary to purchase legal weed, waiting for hours in long lines that wound around the building and throughout the residential neighborhood around Grant Road and Treat Ave. Steve White, owner of 15 Harvest dispensaries throughout Arizona, said he was not expecting recreational sales to happen as soon as they did, but as the owner of the largest chain in the state, he had the staff and inventory in place to hit the ground running.

“We hired in advance of this, we knew this was happening and wanted to be prepared,” White said in the days following the start of recreational sales. “We wanted to open as quickly as we could. We wanted to get recreational cannabis to customers the minute we were able to do it.”

White is one of the most influential people in the industry and has built something of an empire since voters first approved the state’s medical marijuana program in 2010. In the years since, he’s steadily bought out licenses and opened shops in Avondale, Baseline, Casa Grande, Chandler, Cotton-

wood, Glendale, Havasu, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe. He was also the largest single contributor to 2020’s Prop 207 campaign, kicking in $1.8 million of the nearly $6 million raised in support of the initiative.

While most of the remainder of Tucson’s 13 dispensaries have followed suit and have begun offering recreational sales, White had the Tucson market cornered for a few days. The crowds brought complaints from neighborhood residents, who were unhappy about the traffic, parking issues and crowds.

medical marijuana was legalized in 2010.

“Right now, we have vacant storefronts all over town that have a boatload of parking and are the appropriate size for places like this,” Kozachik said. “We as a city have to do better than this by the residents, in terms of managing what’s happening around the place because we know the impact it has.”

MUNICIPALITIES ADJUST TO THE NEW MARKETPLACE

The early crush of business has died down as the novelty has worn off and cannabis supplies have been TUCSON, WE HAVE A strained, but that has not stopped cities throughout the PROBLEM HERE state from enacting ordinances to regulate pot within Ward 6 Councilmember their abilities to do so. Prop Steve Kozachik reported receiving hundreds of 207 allows local jurisdictions phone calls and emails with to create their own rules complaints from nearby around recreational weed, residents about cars blockbut they cannot create ordiing sidewalks and driveways nances more restrictive than and guns being pulled on what is currently allowed for neighborhood residents for medical dispensaries. confronting those parked Several towns have already illegally. clamped down on recreational sales, though, and “This is not about ‘don’t sell pot.’ This is about treat- will only allow dual-use ing people with a little bit of licenses now that Prop 207 respect,” Kozachik said of has passed. the situation. “I walked by Sahuarita enacted a townthere a couple of times a day wide ban on new dispensato get to and from work and ries in late October 2020, ... saw people parking on the allowing Hana Meds to be the only adult-use dispensary sidewalk, in front of a fire in town. hydrant and in the wrong Likewise Oro Valley and direction.”

He added that more could Marana banned single-use marijuana establishments, be done on the city’s end but Marana will allow Botanto help fix the problem by ica and Nature Med to sell fixing the city’s “restrictive recreational cannabis. land-use conditions” that The City of Tucson has were put into place after

taken a different tack though, working to create ordinances that will allow the industry to flourish and contribute to the public coffers.

To that end, discussions have been ongoing—with a few bumps in the road—since August 2020 when council directed city staff to study the issue.

A series of stakeholder meetings, planning meetings and study sessions ensued, and the proposed updates were scheduled to go before the Tucson City Council for consideration on April 6 (after Inside Tucson Business’ press time).

Key amendments include updates to parking allowances, dispensary size, lobby size, layout, dual-use facilities and drive-thrus.

Among the changes proposed are increasing the maximum size of a dispensary from 4,000-square-feet to 10,000-square-feet, removing restrictions on drivethrus and amending the ordinance to reflect the new reality of legalized adult use.

In order to increase opportunities for more locations, the updates propose reducing “setback,” the number of feet between dispensaries or between a dispensary and a school, church, public park, library or substance treatment facility.

The process hit a snag in January, though, when a planning commission session had to be postponed due to the ravages of COVID and because three commissioners had to recuse themselves due to perceived conflicts of interest.

See Zoning, P16

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APRIL 9, 2021

Equity: Marijuana Challenges Continued from P10

in $2.9 million in January, according to data from the Arizona Department of Revenue. And the state estimates revenue could reach more than $1 billion by 2023, according to estimates by the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Its report cautions such estimates are “speculative and subject to change.”

The first heady days in January showed high demand and a high volume of in-store customers. At a Harvest House of Cannabis store in north Scottsdale, a line of about 30 people wrapped around the building on Jan. 22, soon after the health department granted approval for recreational sales at Harvest’s 15 locations.

“The line started developing pretty quickly, so people in Arizona are obviously very excited,” White said.

According to the Arizona health department, medical marijuana patients consumed about 106 tons of marijuana in 2020. The Leafly 2021 jobs report found Arizona brought in about $1 billion in sales.

Industry leaders anticipate sales will more than double in 2021 with the introduction of recreational sales. Those sales also are expected to bring economic changes for Arizona.

The state imposes a 16% excise tax, with revenue is to be distributed to community colleges, law enforcement, fire departments, the state’s Highway User Revenue Fund and a new Justice

Reinvestment Fund, a data collection project focused on improving public safety and reducing corrections spending.

IMPACT ON JOB MARKET Recreational sales alsobring new jobs. The Leafly job report said the Arizona cannabis job market grew by 5,648 positions from 2019 to 2020, with many job offerings going up ahead of the launch of recreational sales in January.

“We’ve already hired literally hundreds of people for this particular moment,” White said. “We anticipate that that will continue.”

Harvest included people of color and women in its hiring, White said. SWC Arizona, whose parent company is Columbia Care, has a diversity and inclusion committee on the corporate level, and operates company wide training.

At least one Arizona company includes diversity statements on its website, but none include demographic information on employees, such as race or gender.

The influx of demand for marijuana and marijuana products comes at a time where high unemployment persists across the U.S. According to January data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in Arizona was at 6.7%.

Laura Potter, director of human resources at Health for Life, a medical dispensary with locations in Mesa and north Phoenix, expects to fill 20 to 25 positions

in its Mesa stores alone but expects it to take a little more time.

“That number will probably go up even more as we get organized and get in our groove after we actually start selling for adult use,” Potter said. Health For Life plans to roll out recreational sales in March to better prepare for an expected influx of customers.

Potter said the cannabis industry, from production to retail, is expected to expand its workforce.

The job listings posted online for the marijuana industry include a range of workers – dispensary retail associates, cannabis cultivation specialists, armed security officers and delivery drivers. Salaries vary. ZipRecruiter estimates annual pay for a dispensary manager in Arizona ranges from $34,000 to about $80,000; entry-level positions pay minimum wage.

On the jobs site Indeed, former industry employees took to the reviews section to air grievances regarding certain dispensaries – many citing low pay.

Those entering entry-level positions must attain a Dispensary Agent Registration card, which requires fingerprinting and a background check. Applicants cannot have a federal drug conviction.

The dispensary typically applies for the dispensary agent card on behalf of the employee or volunteer, and the application fee is either taken on by the dispensary, or from the employee’s paycheck.

Continued on P16

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APRIL 9, 2021

13

TECH TALK

OSIRIS-REx is flying home, a Tempe prof is headed to space and more Jeff Gardner

oid Bennu, which it has orbited since December 2018. OSIRIS-REx, which launched from Earth in ith a major September 2016, is slated research unito be the first American versity right in space mission to return a our backyard, sample from the surface a strong military presence of an asteroid. The NASA and innovative compaspacecraft used a mechannies spread throughout ical arm to capture bits the metro region, there’s of the asteroid’s dusty, often a plethora of interrocky surface in October esting science and tech2020. Since then, it has nology news to be found in continued to orbit Bennu Southern Arizona. Here’s while ensuring its samples a breakdown of the most are secure and sufficient interesting recent develop- for mission criteria. As ments from the region: part of the “farewell tour,” OSIRIS-REx captured See You, Space Cowboy. some final images of the On Wednesday, April 7, sample-collection site. the University of AriAccording to UA, this zona-led OSIRIS-REx final flyby of Bennu was spacecraft flew a “farenot part of the original well tour” of the astermission schedule, but the Inside Tucson Business

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observation run provided the team on Earth an opportunity to learn how the spacecraft’s contact with Bennu’s surface altered the sample site. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to depart Bennu on May 10 and begin its two-year journey back to Earth. The spacecraft is planned to deliver the samples of Bennu to the Utah Test and Training Range on Sept. 24, 2023.

Isaacman’s SpaceX Inspiration4 flight—the first space mission to fly with only private citizens on board.

The flight is scheduled for Sept. 15 and will take the crew into low-Earth orbit, more than 100 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Proctor has long worked as a personality and expert in the field of science communication, working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministraFirst Flight. A Tempe tion and NASA, among science educator has been others. She has promoted selected to be on SpaceX’s her work as an “analog first-ever private flight into astronaut,” (a person who orbit. Dr. Sian Proctor, conducts activities in simwho is an author, speakulated space conditions), er and planetary science but will get her first taste of Photo courtesy UA, NASA. professor at South Moun- true space later this year. tain Community College, The asteroid Bennu’s rough surface as captured by the will join three other guests Continued on P14 OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. aboard billionaire Jared

14

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

Tech Talk Continued from P13 Aviary Autotune. Scientists at the University of Arizona are using a tiny, wireless device attached to a bird’s head to rapidly change the pitch of their songs, which may lead to better understanding of speech in the human brain. Based out of the UA’s College of Engineering, the science team is studying songbirds because they are one of the few species that “share humans’ ability to learn new vocalizations.”

The devices, created in assistant professor of biomedical engineering Philipp Gutruf’s lab, can modulate neuron groups in the bird’s brain, changing song pitch. UA says the team’s next goal is

to expand device capabilities to also record neuron activity. This could allow researchers to visualize brain activity during song learning and performance to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying brain mechanisms. The paper “Wireless battery free fully implantable multimodal recording and neuromodulation tools for songbirds” was published in Nature Communications last week.

“Because of the small size and light weight, the birds can move freely and live permanently with the implant without affecting their behavior or health, which opens up many possibilities to study the basis for vocal communication,” said co-senior author Julie Miller, an assistant professor of neuroscience and speech, language and hearing sciences at UA. ITB

PUBLICRECORDS State of Arizona March 23

Filed in Pima County City of Tucson March 22

Cozy Corner Cafe 2530 S Harrison Road Tucson, Arizona 85749 $4,153.23 Reference: 20210820536

Park Avenue North 228 S Park Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85719 $668.43 Reference: 20210810413

Desert Sweep Cleaning LLC 11851 N. Desert Slopes Way Oro Valley, AZ 85737 $3,152.70 Reference: 20210820535

DMT Holdings LLC 232 W. Flores St. Tucson, Arizona 85705 $381.96 Reference: 20210810412

MJ Cable LLC 1718 N Arcadia Ave Tucson, Arizona 85712 $1,230.11 Reference: 20210820534

NOT ALL OF OUR PUBLIC RECORDS MAKE IT TO PRINT. HEAD TO INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM FOR MORE.

Federal March 23 HR Resolve LLC Scholer Technologies 12520 N Flintlock Road Marana, Arizona 85653 $15,442.09 Reference:20210820448

Karuna’s Thai Plate 1917 E. Grant Road Tucson, Arizona 85719 $10,989.67 Reference: 85719

Sonder Agency LLC 2819 E. Broadway Blvd.

Tucson, Arizona 85716 Authentic Granite Creations LLC $31,598.53 3382 E Holladay St. Reference: 20210820456 Tucson, Arizona 85716 $6,514.52 Reference:20210820449 Number Cruncher LLC 11630 E Calle Javalina Tucson, Arizona 85748 Tortillas Don Juan $2,532.02 1834 S. Fourth Ave. Reference: 20210820457 Tucson, Arizona 85713 $8,352.08 Reference:20210820450

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

15

ON THE MENU

You’ve got choices with the Heaven or Hell Margarita Matt Russell Special to Inside Tucson Business

W

hen my cocktail arrived with a corked ampoule of liquor fastened to the glass with a miniature clothespin, I knew there had to be a story behind this spirit riding side-saddle.

Fortunately, Wyatt Fee was nearby, from the growing cast of Tucson’s spirituous storytellers, to explain.

The scene was El Mezquite Grill & Taqueria, in the new DoubleTree

by Hilton Tucson Downtown Convention Center, and I had the opportunity to preview the property shortly before it opened.

My visit included a tasting from their inaugural menu with that clothespinned cocktail serving as the evening’s introduction.

“We wanted to create a menu of unique and bespoke cocktails that would be memorable and talked about,” said Fee, manager of the new hotel at 280 S. Church Avenue. That I was

even having this conversation with him suggested his accomplished mission.

But my mission to learn more was just getting started, which quickly got us back to that cocktail.

The Heaven or Hell Margarita is built with reposado tequila, fresh citrus juices, and passionfruit syrup, with the aforementioned ampoule, filled with green chile vodka and habanero bitters, hanging off the rim of the glass.

“This cocktail caters to people who like things on the spicier side,” said Fee. “But if you want to have something more on the heaven side, you don’t add the hell to it; if you want to get it hot, you pour that hell in there.” He says this provides a level of interactivity for his guests to keep things fun and fresh.

Another cocktail which tells a distinctly different story is the Mayan Warrior, served in an ancient Mayan totem glass, with two kinds of rum, mezcal, orgeat and ginger liquors, Fernet Vallet liqueur, and fresh lime juice.

Fee described this beauty as the flavors of Mexico.

“We’re not traditionally just a Sonoran restaurant. We’re contemporary southwestern, which encompasses all of Mexico, not just Baja or Sonora but Yucatan and the tropical regions as well,” he said.

“The Mayan Warrior exemplifies a nice, jungle, rum, beach cocktail.”

Fee’s story wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the Day of the Dead Tea Party, a cocktail that comes with two price points. One if you’re sipping solo, and one if you’re joined by three friends.

This tribute to our local Dia de los Muertos culture features two Scotches, two expressions of ginger, and lemon honey, served in a vintage teapot.

“This is a traditional, antique shop, great grandma’s house, sitting on a doily teapot,” he said.

“We had a lot of fun going down Grant Road and 22nd Street and stopping at antique roadshows to find them; that’s another fun thing about it, no two

teapots are the same.”

Fee’s sense of place sipping is also evident on his horizon of tap handles for those who choose brews to accompany their meal.

His selections are almost exclusively represented by Tucson breweries.

“We didn’t want to be local Arizona, we wanted to be local Tucson, and we partnered with local brewers whose beers tell great stories,” he said. Among the Tucson breweries represented at El Mezquite are Ten55, Barrio, Crooked Tooth, Dragoon, Firetruck, MotoSonora, Dillinger, and Borderlands.

“We’re building a vibe and culture here on the south side of downtown, up against the barrio, and the minute you see our neighborhood patio from the street, you’ll want to hang out with some of these cocktails and beers,” Fee concluded.

Sounds good to me. But if I’m bringing my friends, they may need more clothespins and teapots. ITB

Courtesy photo

“We wanted to create a menu of unique and bespoke cocktails that would be memorable and talked about,” said Wyatt Fee, manager of the new DoubleTree by Hilton Tucson Downtown Convention Center.

Contact Matt Russell, whose day job is CEO of Russell Public Communications, at mrussell@ russellpublic.com. Russell is also the publisher of OnTheMenuLive.

com as well as the host of the Friday Weekend Watch segment on the “Buckmaster Show” on KVOI 1030 AM.

16

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

Zoning Continued from P11 “Because we had lost some commissioners during COVID, we didn’t have enough commissioners to actually get a quorum for the item,” said Tucson’s principal planner Dan Bursuck, who added that they were able have some meetings last month.

“It’s a quick timeline for a code amendment,” Bursuck said. “We usually don’t do these things as quickly as this.”

Commissioners were hesitant to move forward with the UDC changes, as some were in favor of waiting for AZDHS to finish writing the final rules for recreational cannabis, including the 26 social equity licenses intended to diversify ownership and help communities that

have been adversely affected by the decades long War on Drugs.

Although AZDHS had an April 5 deadline to finalize the rules for adult-use (after press time), the development of the social equity program does not have a timeline.

“As far as the rulemaking, it’s all being done at the state and I haven’t noticed that it’s particularly an open process,” Bursuck said.” I have sent emails and calls up to them to try to get an understanding of what’s going on, and they’ve told me to check their website, and eventually, it’ll be up. I think we’re kind of in a situation where there’s just not a lot we can do, but we’re trying to figure out a way to really support those licenses when they do come on board.”

The city does not have a lot of control over regulation of cannabis dispensa-

ries, and is limited to land use, dispensary size and dealing with complaints from the public. Even if Tucson gets some of the social equity licenses, Bursuck does not expect the overall number of shops to be more than 15 or 20.

The City Council will again take up the issue on April 6 (after press time), where it will have the option of adopting the amendments as proposed, adopting the proposed amendments with changes, continuing the item to a later meeting or sending it back to the planning commission for amendment.

Information about the process can be found at tucsonaz.gov in both the mayor and city council and planning commission sections of the website. ITB Managing Editor Austin Counts contributed to this report.

Equity Continued from P12

MORE CHALLENGES AHEAD Nationally, marijuana is anticipated to have an annual market value worth over $30 billion by 2025. But the ballooning industry still faces other challenges.

The rollout process in Arizona contrasts with other states who legalized recreational sales Nov. 3 – Vermont, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota. Montana expects to start recreational sales in October, Vermont sometime in 2022, and South Dakota and New Jersey legislatures still are working on how to best approach legalization.

“The benefit for Arizona is that they get to see the success and sometimes failures of every state that has come before,” said Adam Goers, vice president of corporate affairs at Columbia Care, SWC’s parent company.

Some of the biggest challenges ahead include supply and demand, especially when rationing inventory between two separate clientele — medical patients and recreational users.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Arizona for nearly a decade for those 18 or older with a prescription.

Josh Gile, manager at the Health for Life North Phoenix location, saw more medical customers coming into Health for Life on the first few days of sales instead of their usual dispensary as nearby stores had lines out the door.

Those in the marijuana industry are also wary of inventory shortages. Many dispensaries bulked up ahead of the first day of recreational sale, though concerns still persist.

“People are running out of inventory, and now medical patients cannot get the medicine they need and have been using for several years,” Gile said.

In preparation, Health for Life, among multiple other dispensaries, grow houses and third-party vendors, is ramping up production and putting a protocol in place to prioritize medical patients.

“That way when we do go to (recreational sale), we don’t have to tell a medical patient who’s on their way to chemo and needs their edibles, ‘Sorry, we’re all out,’” Gile said. ITB

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

17

Marana opens new water treatment plants Austin Counts Inside Tucson Business

T

he town of Marana opened two new water treatment facilities on Tuesday, March 23, after finding unregulated contaminants above EPA health advisory levels in late 2016.

In August 2018, the Mayor and Town Council approved the creation of the two treatment facilities at the affected water systems, Picture Rocks (Continental Reserve area) and the Airline/Lambert (Saguaro Bloom area) system. Construction for both sites began January 2019.

The Airline/Lambert water treatment campus is now fully operational, while the Picture Rocks water treatment campus is still undergoing processing tests, said Marana interim water director Stephen Dean.

In late 2016, Tucson Water notified Marana Water and Metro Water that they found 1,4-Dioxane and PFAs above Environmental Protections Agency’s health advisory recommendations. Dioxane is a synthetic industrial chemical and byproduct of paint strippers, dyes, greases, antifreeze and aircraft deicing fluids. There is no federal contaminant level for drinking water, but the EPA health advisory level is 0.3 parts per billion.

PFAS, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOA and PFOS), are used in non-stick pans,

Photo by Jeff Gardner

furniture protection, microwave popcorn bags, to-go food containers and cleaning products as well as fire-fighting foams. The EPA health advisory level is 70 parts per trillion, but like dioxane, it is not federally regulated.

While human health effects to low-level exposure to either chemical is unclear, according to the CDC, laboratory animals exposed to large amounts of PFAS experienced effects to reproduction, thyroid function and their immune systems, while people unintentionally exposed to dioxin developed a skin condition called chloracne and liver problems.

In order to remove dioxane and lower PFAS levels in the water, the water from the well goes through a series of treatment processes. The treatment facility first removes as much sediment in the water as possible to avoid damage and also reduce the use of hydrogen peroxide, which they use to remove 1,4-Dioxane to a target level of zero.

The treatment facility uses a concentration of 35% hydrogen peroxide, which is injected into the water at a level of eight parts per billion, said Bridgette Peña, Marana water quality operator at the Airline/Lambert water treatment campus. The

water mixed with hydrogen peroxide passes through the UV light reactor, which generates hydroxyl radicals that react to and break apart the 1,4-Dioxane into harmless molecules, carbon dioxide and water.

Afterwards the water is processed through the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) tank treatment. The facility has four tanks, with each tank holding 20,000 pounds of GAC, a square of black charcoal that when zoomed in looks like a little sponge.

The GAC tank is used to treat any residual peroxide and the PFAs, said Marana Water Quality Operator Kaulana Breitenbach. He explained the one granule

of GAC is like Pac Man gobbling up PFAs like a long trail of dots, ghosts and cherries. One little square can treat three football fields of water.

After going through this process there should be no 1,4-Dioxane and a target of level for PFAS of 17.5 parts per trillion, lower than the 70 parts per trillion health advisory level.

Dean said town officials “felt compelled” to make sure they were under the health advisory levels.

“For now and for years to come, we wanted to make sure we were providing safe drinking water in this entire area,” Dean said.

At the final stage, the treated water is disinfected with chlorine to kill almost all bacteria and any residual hydrogen peroxide, said Peña. The water is then pumped into the reservoir to go out to Marana customers.

The water treatment facilities will also reuse and recycle water. As of March 23, the Airline/Lambert water treatment facility had collected 12,540 gallons of treated water that would either go through the treatment process again or be used by the community, like Marana Public Works, instead of dumping it into the sewer which could then create chemical by-products, said Breitenbach.

The Airline/Lambert water treatment facility will treat on average one million gallons of water a day and the Picture Rocks facility will treat about 1.4 million gallons a day for the residents, said Dean.

Due to the pandemic, a project that was expected to be completed by fall of 2020 was delayed and incurred greater costs. Including design, construction and post-construction services, Dean said both sites totaled a cost of $16.1 million. In January 2019, the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (AZWIFA) approved a loan to the Town of Marana for $15 million. After an increase in the original estimate of $15 million to $16 million, the town secured a WIFA loan to cover the extra million in costs in August 2019.

Dean said the pandemic brought about challenges obtaining resources and materials, as well as labor challenges, with whole crews impacted or shipments delayed.

“It took many, many months to complete it and we had some challenges with COVID, as far as resources and materials and supplies being brought to this site, but we’re happy that we’re finally brought to fruition,” Dean said.

Despite the costs and challenges, Deputy Town Manager Erik Montague believes the town council delivered on its promise to its constituents.

“Marana has a long history of being proactive and very thoughtful about its investments in infrastructure to help ensure that the people that are here today, and the ones that are coming tomorrow have, in this case, safe water delivered to their homes and their businesses,” said Montague. ITB

18

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

APRIL 9, 2021

Law Firms Rank Business 2021 Address 2020

Company Email Phone Website

1

Snell & Wilmer 1 S. Church Ave., Suite 1500 Tucson, AZ 85701

N/A (520) 882-1200 www.swlaw.com

2

DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. 2525 E Broadway Blvd, Suite 200 Tucson, AZ 85716

3

No. of Lawyers: Local National

No. of Support Staff: Local National

Typical Specialties Partner Hourly Rate $

Top Local Executives

Year Establ. Locally

23 453

N/A N/A

N/A

Commercial Litigation • Commercial Finance • Labor and Employment • Real Estate • Cybersecurity,

Joseph Kroeger

1988

jkeckonen@dmyl.com (520) 322-5000 www.deconcinimcdonald.com

21 24

17 21

WND

Banking/Finance, Bankruptcy, Creditors' Rights, Corporate Administration, Litigation, Employment, Real Estate, Estates & Trusts, Mining/Natural Resources, Family Law, Tax

Lisa Anne Smith

1968

Udall Law Firm 4801 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 400 Tucson, AZ 85711-3688

info@udalllaw.com (520) 623-4353 www.udalllaw.com

15 19

19 24

275-300

Insurance Law, Business and Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, Healthcare-HIPAA-HITECH, Estate Planning & Probate, Wills, Trusts, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Professional Liability, Professional Licensing matters, General Business Matters

Management Committee

1952

4

Lewis Roca One S. Church Avenue, Suite 200 Tucson, AZ 85701

N/A (520) 622-2090 www.lewisroca.com

11 220

8 152

N/A

Litigation, Intellectual Property, Gaming, Business Transactions, Regulatory & Government

Lewis D. Schorr Rob Charles John Iurino

1988

5

Gust Rosenfeld, PLC 1 S. Church Ave. Ste. 1900 Tucson, AZ 85701

pcollins@gustlaw.com (520) 628-7070 https://www.gustlaw.com/

8 9

56 64

N/A

Insurance, Real Estate, Litigation, Medical Malpractice Defense ,Business

Peter Collins

1983

6

Quarles & Brady LLP 1 S. Church Ave., Ste. 1800 Tucson, AZ 85701

lisa.buck@quarles.com (520) 770-8700 quarles.com

6 N/A

N/A N/A

N/A

Intellectual property/Trademark & Litigation, Immigration, banking & finance transactions, commercial bankruptcy and creditors' rights, commercial litigation, real estate, energy, environmental & mining, gaming and Native American law, business formation, succession planning, governance and counseling, employment law

Luis Ochoa

1984

7

Ayala Law Office, PC 250 N Meyer Ave, Ste A Tucson, AZ 85701

N/A (520) 202-0391 www.mylawyertucson.com

4 N/A

4 N/A

N/A

Family, Immigration, Criminal

Siovhan Sheridan Ayala

2013

7

Bosse' Rollman PC 3507 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. 111 Tucson, AZ 85719

N/A (520) 320-1300 www.bosserollman.com

4 N/A

7 N/A

N/A

Commercial litigation, tax, business formation, contract negotiation, merger & acquisition, estate planning and probate administration

Richard M. Rollman Steven L Bosse' Joy Elliott Kevin J Kristick

1990

7

Burris & MacOmber PLLC 2478 E. River Road Tucson, AZ 85718

info@burrismacomber.com (520) 775-2000 www.burrismacomber.com

4 4

4 4

N/A

Real Estate & Business Law ~ International Business ~ Civil Litigation ~ Estate Planning ~ Personal Injury ~ Automotive Warranty & Product Liability

D. Rob Burris Jennifer Maldonado Robert S. Pearson Monica Derrick

2014

7

Hecker Pew PLLC 405 W. Franklin St Tucson, AZ 85701

Will@HeckerPew.com (520) 798-3803 www.HeckerPew.com

4 4

1 1

$325-$400

General Business Law

Lawrence M. Hecker Will Pew Paul A. Loucks Jose Delgado

1972

11

Benavidez Law Group, PC 7400 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 143 Tucson, AZ 85704

jsecrest@benavidezlaw.com (520) 623-1461 www.benavidezlaw.com

3 N/A

3 N/A

N/A

Family law, criminal/DUI, municipal, immigration

Thomas A. Benavidez Elisabeth I. Benavidez Javier Alatorre

1986

11

Fennemore One S. Church Ave., Ste. 1010 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@fclaw.com (520) 879-6800 www.fennemorelaw.com

3 165

2 N/A

N/A

Litigation, Business and Finance, Real Estate, Business George O. Krauja Torts, Employment and Labor Relations, Land Use and Zoning, Mining, Business Litigation, Construction Law, Tax, Estate Planning

1989

11

Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. 1760 East River Road, Suite 230 Tucson, AZ 85718-5990

clientservices@jsslaw.com (520) 618-1050 www.jsslaw.com

3 75

2 91

N/A

Insurance Defense, Medical Malpractice, Professional Liability, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Defense, Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury including Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death, Product Liability, Labor and Employment, Eminent Domain and Condemnation, and Legal Ethics

John J. Kastner, Jr.

2017

11

Moore Law Firm 702 W Irvington Rd #130 Tucson, AZ 85714

contact@moorelawfirmaz.com (520) 500-8500 moorelawfirmaz.com

3 N/A

7 N/A

N/A

Personal Injury, Immigration, Probate & Estate

Kevin Moore

1964

11

Ogletree Deakins 3430 E. Sunrise Dr., Ste. 220 Tucson, GA 85718

clientservices@ogletreedeakins.com (520) 544-0300 ogletree.com

3 912

2 1,128

N/A

Employment law, traditional labor relations, wage and hour, unfair competition and trade secrets

Tibor Nagy Jr.

2006

11

Stubbs & Schubart PC 340 N Main Ave Tucson, AZ 85701

kmdehn@stubbsschubart.com (520) 623-5466 stubbsschubart.com

3 N/A

4 N/A

N/A

Real estate, condemnation-eminent domain, land use

G. Lawrence Schubart Thomas M. Parsons Jeremy T SHORBE

1970

17

Art Gage Law 2573 N 1st Ave Tucson, AZ 85719

kim@artgagelaw.com (520) 881-8300 www.artgagelaw.com

2 1

5 N/A

N/A

Veterans Disability, Social Security Disbility, Workers' Compensation

Art Gage

N/A

17

Boreale Law, PLC 177 N Church, Suite 1100 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@borealelaw.com (520) 334-2069 www.borealelaw.com

2 N/A

1 N/A

325

Business, Employment, Property

Michael Boreale

2012

17

Centuori & Associates, PC 1661 N. Swan Road, Suite 150 Tucson, AZ 85712

diana@scralaw.com (520) 795-4333 scralaw.com

2 0

2 0

$350.00

Family law

Steven A. Centuori Sarah Collier

2004

17

Doug Newborn Law Firm, PLLC 1 South Church Ave, Suite 2130 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@dougnewbornlawfirm.com (520) 585-5525 dougnewbornlawfirm.com

2 N/A

5 N/A

300

Probate, Estate Planning, Personal Injury

17

Giordano & Heckele, PLLC1

info@reallawtucson.com (520) 352-0008

2 N/A

2 N/A

300

Business, real estate, estate planning, probate, personal injury, civil litigation

2016

Mark W. Heckele Gerald F. Giordano

2013

17 17

177 N Church, Suite 1100 Tucson, AZ 85701

I N S I D ECentuori T U C S O&NAssociates, B U S I N EPC SS.COM

(520) 334-2069 www.borealelaw.com

1661 N. Swan Road, Suite 150 Tucson, AZ 85712

diana@scralaw.com (520) 795-4333 scralaw.com

Doug Newborn Law Firm, PLLC 1 South Church Ave, Suite 2130 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@dougnewbornlawfirm.com (520) 585-5525 dougnewbornlawfirm.com

Rank 2021 2020

Business Giordano & Heckele, PLLC1 Address 2601 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. 102 Tucson, AZ 85719

info@reallawtucson.com Company Email (520) 352-0008 Phone www.reallawtucson.com Website

17

Good Law, P.C. 3430 E. Sunrise Dr, Ste 270 Tucson, AZ 85718 Snell & Wilmer Moore, Masunas & Moore, PLLC 1 S. Church Ave.,Dr. Suite 1500 135 S. Stratford 85701 Tucson, AZ 85716

good@goodlaw.net (520) 628 8221 www.goodlaw.net N/A annalisa@mmmattorneys.com 882-1200 (520) 318-0001 www.swlaw.com mooremasunasandmoore.com

2 17

DeConcini McDonald Rockafellow Law FirmYetwin & Lacy, P.C. 2525 E. E Broadway 2438 BroadwayBlvd, Suite 200 85716 Tucson, AZ 85719

25 3 25

Law Firms 17 17

1 17

N/A

N/A

2 0

2 0

$350.00

2 N/A

5 N/A

300

No. of 2 N/A Lawyers: Local National 2 N/A

No. of 2 N/A Support Staff: Local National1 N/A

$350.00

N/A3 N/A

N/A N/A

jkeckonen@dmyl.com leighton@rockafellowlaw.com 322-5000 (520) 750-1800 www.deconcinimcdonald.com rockafellowlaw.com

212 24 N/A

17 N/A 21 N/A

WND N/A

Blackman, Jeffrey Attorney At Law 257 Stone UdallN.Law FirmAve. Tucson, 85701 Blvd., Suite 400 4801 E. AZ Broadway Tucson, AZ Bouman Law85711-3688 Firm 7650 E. Broadway, Ste. 108 Tucson, AZ 85710 Lewis Roca Khalidi Law Firm, PLLC One W. S. Church 116 CushingAvenue, Street Suite 200 Tucson, AZ 85701

JBlaw33@gmail.com (520) 882-2662 info@udalllaw.com JBattorney.com (520) 623-4353 www.udalllaw.com tom@tomboumanlaw.com (520) 546-3558 tomboumanlaw.com N/A info@tnklaw.com (520) 629-9909 622-2090 (520) www.lewisroca.com www.tnklaw.com

1 N/A 15 19 1 N/A

0 N/A 19 24 N/A N/A

$300.00 275-300

111 220 N/A

28 152 N/A

N/A 350

5 25

Gust Office Rosenfeld, PLC Montijo, Ltd. Law of J. Marc 1 S. Church Ave.Verde Ste. 1900 7471 E. Tanque Rd. 85701 Tucson, AZ 85715

pcollins@gustlaw.com jmmontijo@aol.com 628-7070 (520) 881-6557 https://www.gustlaw.com/ thetucsonattorney.com

18 N/A9

561 64 N/A

N/A $350

25 6

Law Offices of Kathy Quarles & Brady LLP Delaney Winger 5515 E GrantAve., Road, 211 1 S. Church Ste.Suite 1800 Tucson, AZ 85712 85701 Leader Law Firm 405 W. Cool Drive, #107 Tucson, AZ 85704 Ayala Law Office,PLLC PC MyersStrickland, 250 NE.Meyer 3180 GrantAve, RoadSte A Tucson, AZ AZ 85716 85701 Tucson,

kathy@kdwinger.com lisa.buck@quarles.com (520) 391-4475 770-8700 kdwinger.com quarles.com info@leaderlawaz.com (520) 575-9040 www.leaderlawaz.com N/A info@myersstrickland.com (520) 327-6041 202-0391 (520) www.mylawyertucson.com ArizonaAdoptionLaw.com

16 N/A

N/A N/A

N/A

1 N/A

4 N/A

N/A

14 N/A N/A

34 N/A N/A

N/A N/A

Bosse'Family Rollman PCPLLC Rolfe Law, 3507 N. Tucson Campbell Ave., Ste.#120 111 2500 Blvd.

Suite 85719 Tucson, AZ 85716

N/A www.rolfefamilylaw.com (520) 209-2550 320-1300 www.bosserollman.com www.rolfefamilylaw.com

14 N/A

37 N/A

N/A $375.00

Info@showardlaw.com (520) 622-3344 info@burrismacomber.com showardlaw.com (520) 775-2000 www.burrismacomber.com shaun@thekenneylawfirm.com (520) 884-7575 thekenneylawfirm.com Will@HeckerPew.com (520) 798-3803 www.HeckerPew.com

1 N/A4 4 1 1 4 4

2 N/A4 4 0 0 1 1

N/A N/A

25

7 25 7 25

Law Firm, P.C. 25 Showard 4703 LowellPLLC #253 Burris E. & Camp MacOmber 7 Tucson, 85712 2478 E. AZ River Road Tucson, AZ 85718 Kenney Law Firm, P.L.C. 25 The 485 South Main Avenue, Building 3 Tucson, AZ 85701 Hecker Pew PLLC 405TheW.Heckele Franklin StFirm, PLLC 17 Previously Law

N/A

$300.00

APRIL2004 9, 2021

19

2016

Mark Local W. Heckele Top Executives

2013 Establ. Locally Year

Real Estate, Trusts, Business - In and Out of Court

Gregory E. Good

1990

Commercial Litigation • Commercial Finance • Labor and Family law, estate planning Employment • Real Estate • Cybersecurity,

Joseph AnnalisaKroeger Moore Masunas Angela Cherie Moore

1988 1982

Banking/Finance, Bankruptcy, Creditors' Corporate Lisa AnneHSmith Personal injury, wrongful death, medical Rights, malpractice Leighton Rockafellow Administration, Litigation, Employment, Real Estate, Leighton H Rockafellow Jr Estates & Trusts, Mining/Natural Resources, Family Law, Tax Criminal defense, domestic relations, DWI, Protective Jeffrey William Blackman Orders, Injunctions Against Offenses, Insurance Law, Business andHarassment, CommercialTraffic Litigation, Real Management Committee Juvenile Court Estate, Healthcare-HIPAA-HITECH, Estate Planning & Probate, Wills, Trusts, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Estate planning, estate administration, asset protection Tom Bouman Professional Liability, Professional Licensing matters, General Business Matters

1968 1973 1988 1952

Litigation, Property, Family LawIntellectual and Personal Injury Gaming, Business Transactions, Regulatory & Government

Lewis D.Khalidi Schorr Thabet Rob Charles John Iurino

1988 1994

Insurance,and Real Estate, Litigation, Medical Malpractice Peter Business franchises, divorce, family law, accidents and J. MarcCollins Montijo Defense ,Business personal injury, estate planning

1983 1973

Business, Corporate, Real Estate,Immigration, Wills and IntellectualCommercial, property/Trademark & Litigation, Trusts, bankingCybersecurity & finance transactions, commercial bankruptcy and creditors' rights, commercial litigation, real estate, energy, environmental & mining, Wrongful Death, Personal Injury gaming and Native American law, business formation, succession planning, governance and counseling, employment law

Kathy Delaney Winger Luis Ochoa

2015 1984

John P. Leader

2007

Gerald F. Giordano

2005

Family, Immigration, Criminal Siovhan M Sheridan Ayala Adoption, Assisted Reproduction, LGBTQ Family Formation Heather Strickland

2013 2013

Commercial Family Law litigation, tax, business formation, contract negotiation, merger & acquisition, estate planning and probate administration

1990 2018

Mass Tort; defective drug and medical devices; personal injury; sex abuse cases Law ~ International Business ~ Real Estate & Business Civil Litigation ~ Estate Planning ~ Personal Injury ~ Automotive & Product Liability Family Law, Warranty Divorce, Asset Protection, Paternity, Trial Law, Personal Injury General Business Law

RichardM.M.Rolfe Rollman Annie Steven L Bosse' Joy Elliott Kevin JJ Kristick Sarah Showard

Debra Stephens D. RobJBurris Jennifer Maldonado Robert Patrick S. Pearson Shaun Kenney Monica Derrick

2006 2014 2007

Lawrence M. Hecker Will Pew AZ 85701 Paul A. Loucks Ranked byTucson, the number of local lawyers Ranked information is provided by business representatives at no charge and is ranked alphabetically in case of ties. Other businesses were contacted but either declined or did not respond by deadline. There is no charge to be included Inside Tucson Business listings.

Jose in Delgado

1972

11

Benavidez Law Group, PC 7400 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 143 Tucson, AZ 85704

jsecrest@benavidezlaw.com (520) 623-1461 www.benavidezlaw.com

3 N/A

3 N/A

N/A

Family law, criminal/DUI, municipal, immigration

1986

11

Fennemore One S. Church Ave., Ste. 1010 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@fclaw.com (520) 879-6800 www.fennemorelaw.com

3 165

2 N/A

N/A

Litigation, Business and Finance, Real Estate, Business George O. Krauja Torts, Employment and Labor Relations, Land Use and Zoning, Mining, Business Litigation, Construction Law, Tax, Estate Planning

1989

11

Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. 1760 East River Road, Suite 230 Tucson, AZ 85718-5990

clientservices@jsslaw.com (520) 618-1050 www.jsslaw.com

3 75

2 91

N/A

Insurance Defense, Medical Malpractice, Professional Liability, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Defense, Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury including Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death, Product Liability, Labor and Employment, Eminent Domain and Condemnation, and Legal Ethics

John J. Kastner, Jr.

2017

11

Moore Law Firm 702 W Irvington Rd #130 Tucson, AZ 85714

contact@moorelawfirmaz.com (520) 500-8500 moorelawfirmaz.com

3 N/A

7 N/A

N/A

Personal Injury, Immigration, Probate & Estate

Kevin Moore

1964

11

Ogletree Deakins 3430 E. Sunrise Dr., Ste. 220 Tucson, GA 85718

17

Art Gage Law 2573 N 1st Ave Tucson, AZ 85719

kim@artgagelaw.com (520) 881-8300 www.artgagelaw.com

17

Boreale Law, PLC 177 N Church, Suite 1100 Tucson, AZ 85701

info@borealelaw.com (520) 334-2069 www.borealelaw.com

17

Centuori & Associates, PC 1661 N. Swan Road, Suite 150 Tucson, AZ 85712

diana@scralaw.com (520) 795-4333 scralaw.com

17

Doug Newborn Law Firm, PLLC 1 South Church Ave, Suite 2130 Tucson, AZ 85701

17

Giordano & Heckele, PLLC1 2601 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. 102

N/A=not provided WND=would not disclose NL=not listed last year NR=listed last year but ranking criteria not provided

$325-$400

Steven A. Centuori Sarah Collier

Probate, Estate Planning, Personal Injury

Business, real estate, estate planning, probate, personal Typical 300 Specialties injury, civil litigation Partner Hourly Rate $

232 453 N/A

4 25

Family law

Thomas A. Benavidez Elisabeth I. Benavidez Javier Alatorre

Make sure your company list is updated!

If you’ve beenclientservices@ogletreedeakins.com included previously, watch for an email prompting you towageupdate your information.

3 2 N/A Employment law, traditional labor relations, and Tibor Nagy Jr. 2006 (520) 544-0300 912 1,128 hour, unfair competition and trade secrets ogletree.com has never been included in Book of Lists, add your information online at If your company Stubbs & Schubart PC kmdehn@stubbsschubart.com 3 4 N/A Real estate, condemnation-eminent domain, land use G. Lawrence Schubart 1970 11 340 N Main Ave (520) 623-5466 N/A N/A Thomas M. Parsons www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/bookofl ists/.

Tucson, AZ 85701 stubbsschubart.com Jeremy T SHORBE 2 5 N/A Veterans Disability, Social Security Disbility, Workers' If you have any please call 520-797-4384.

1 questions, N/A Compensation

Art Gage

N/A

Business, Employment, Property

Michael Boreale

2012

Family law

Steven A. Centuori Sarah Collier

2004

2 N/A

1 N/A

325

2 0

2 0

$350.00

info@dougnewbornlawfirm.com (520) 585-5525 dougnewbornlawfirm.com

2 N/A

5 N/A

300

Probate, Estate Planning, Personal Injury

info@reallawtucson.com (520) 352-0008

2 N/A

2 N/A

300

Business, real estate, estate planning, probate, personal injury, civil litigation

2016

Mark W. Heckele Gerald F. Giordano

2013

20

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