Inside Tucson Business, June 4, 2021

Chamber Chatter Improve Local Workforce Development Efforts

Page 2 June 4, 2021

Volume 29• Number 12

InsideTucsonBusiness

@AZBIZ

www.InsideTucsonBusiness.com

TECH TALK

Space bucks and robot surgeons Page 13

Healthcare Heroes

Nurses look back on lessons learned during the past year

PANDEMIC RECOVERY

“PAST THE WORST OF IT” UA researchers stops COVID reports

Page 6

Christina Duran Inside Tucson Business / Page 8 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

PIVOT PLAYBOOK

Sun Corridor releases post-COVID plan

Page 10 BOOK OF LISTS

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS PEOPLE IN ACTION

REAL ESTATE

New promotions, hires and awards Page 3

Texas-based Builders FirstSource acquires Arizona building materials supplier for $400M | Page 4

Hospitals, hospice, and assisted living facilities

Pages 14 & 15

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JUNE 4, 2021

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CHAMBERCHATTER

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

WEEKLY TOP

BY LISA LOVALLO

BY MICHAEL GUYMON SPECIAL TO INSIDE TUCSON BUSINESS TUCSON METRO CHAMBER

5 Recommendations to Improve Local Getting your small business off the ground in 2021 Workforce Development Efforts 6. Find your audience. A ucson supports and

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his time of year usually means one thing: graduation! Whether students are graduating from high school, community college or from a university, a new crop of talented and motivated individuals is entering the workforce. Workforce development has become a top-three priority for the Tucson Metro Chamber, and we are very excited to unveil our Workforce Blueprint and the five strategies that will bolster our region’s competitiveness and economic vitality for years to come.

Employers of all shapes and sizes and from every industry imaginable grapple with the issues of talent sourcing and talent development. Over recent years, employers across the spectrum have consistently reported difficulties finding, hiring and developing qualified talent.

Similarly, our region will not be able to attract, retain and develop the high-quality employers we desire as the foundation of our regional economy without a workforce that is prepared with the skills, knowledge and experiences necessary for success in the 21st Century workplace. Site selectors and businesses looking for a location for expansion or relocation increasingly cite the available workforce as a key differentiator.

The Tucson Metro Chamber commissioned the Workforce Blueprint to enable a regional approach to the issues associated with the region’s workforce

nology company, to create a program that teaches the exact skills their employees need to complete their tasks. For our region to succeed, it is critical to establish more of these education and industry partnerships,” stated Dr. Ian Roark, vice president of workforce development and strategic partnerships for Pima Community College. and the talent development ecosystem. While the Chamber is not a direct provider of education or workforce development services, this initiative is intended to leverage the Chamber’s role as the voice of business and position the Chamber as the “air traffic controller” for workforce and career-driven education efforts in the region.

The following are the five recommendations, assembled by an expert Steering Committee, to bolden our region’s workforce development and talent attraction acumen.

STRATEGY ONE Employers, educators and business organizations in the Greater Tucson Region should consistently support innovative education-industry partnerships, including a system of high-quality Career and Technical Education aligned to the needs of the business community.

“At Pima Community College, we worked directly with TuSimple, an autonomous trucking tech-

STRATEGY TWO A collaborative of regional employers and stakeholders should fund and launch the Tucson Move IT Up Initiative.

“As a provider of healthcare for our community, many believe we just need more patient care talent.

Medical skills are crucial, but an increasing importance is finding IT talent to maintain the integrity of our patient records and ensure our networks are secure. Every company in every industry is an IT company needing this level of expertise in IT and cybersecurity,” stated Judy Rich, CEO of Tucson Medical Center.

STRATEGY THREE The Tucson Metro Chamber, in conjunction with Pima County and the City of Tucson, will establish the Tucson Employer Development Program.

“We are proud to partner with the Chamber in recognizing local employers who champion Continued on P5

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nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit with a rich sense of community that encourages small businesses to thrive. Launching a business is no small feat, and it’s important to lean on your community and resources to ensure a successful startup.

1. Create a brand. Map out how you’d like your business to appear visually and keep it consistent across channels including on your website, in your marketing and on social media. Things like a mission statement, key messages, logo, and brand colors are important pieces to include in your brand guidelines.

2. Utilize templates.

When it comes to starting a business, there are many forms and templates available online so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Bplans offers many free business templates for proposals, investor pitches, branding, cash flow and more.

3. Prioritize legal. Investing in an attorney early on is a smart move to protect yourself from legal issues in the future, such as copyright and contractual concerns.

Skipping this step can lead to detrimental consequences down the line.

4. Know your finances.

Read up on how to track and manage your revenues, expenses, profits, etc., or hire someone who can do it for you.

5. Hire to win. While staffing your startup, look for candidates who will share your passion for success.

Open minded, action oriented and a positive attitude are three traits you’ll want to check off.

majority of start-ups need to focus heavily on marketing to get the word out about their new business. At Cox, we use our social media pages to engage with customers and to provide information on new products. Consider setting aside a separate fund to invest in social and traditional marketing.

7. Perfect your pitch.

You want to be ready for any opportunity to sell your idea.

Put together a five-minute sales pitch that will spark interest and keep it handy while networking – you never know who will be moved by it.

8. Test it out. Focus groups and surveys can be lifesavers when it comes to launching anything new.

Test out your product ideas, branding and messaging on target audiences to see what resonates with them most, and where you can make improvements.

9. Leverage resources.

Several government programs offer free assistance with business funding, advice, training, mentoring and more.

The Arizona Small Business Association, BusinessUSA and Tucson SCORE are a few great places to find small business support.

10. Pick a home. When selecting an office or business space, keep in mind where your potential customers are located, zoning restrictions, parking situations and competition. Nowadays, many companies are opting to be fully remote as well.

Lisa Lovallo is the Southern Arizona market vice president for Cox Communications. Reach her at lisa. lovallo@cox.com.

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PEOPLEINACTION

Amanda Buchanan

JUNE 4, 2021

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

The University of Arizona’s Center for Innovation has selected Amanda Buchanan as their new program manager, where she will primarily be working on government contracts and programming to support startups in the clean energy space.

According to UACI, Buchanan comes to the university with an extensive background in program coordination, marketing and communications. She previously led the rollout of an association rebranding, managed large-scale projects with private, municipal and nonprofit organizations, and helped to manage a large federal grant.

She has earned a reputation as a “hands-on, analytical problem-solver with excellent communication, planning, and decision-making skills,” and has more than a decade of nonprofit experience.

Most recently she provided project coordination for a developing nonprofit working with state departments, hospitals, city officials and local nonprofits and was responsible for managing project details using management software to maintain communications with teams, track milestones, and manage deadlines.

UACI is the university’s startup incubator with offices throughout Southern Arizona, including Tucson and Oro Valley. Their mission is to grow scalable science and technology startup ventures that fuel the Arizona economy. For nearly two decades, the program has directly served over 160 companies. The UACI is part of Tech Parks Arizona.

Tucson Symphony Orchestra Appoints Paul Meecham as President and CEO Olga Felde

Linda Welter

Joe Kroeger

Steve Earnhart

Coldwell Banker Realty has announced that Olga Felde has associated with their Tucson/Foothills office as an affiliate agent. Prior to affiliating with Coldwell Banker Realty, Felde was the executive meeting manager at the Marriott University Park Hotel. She also attended Northern Arizona University.

“I have been in the hospitality industry for 20 years and am excited to help people with their real estate needs,” said Felde. “I decided to affiliate with Coldwell Banker because of its educational programs, support systems and great reputation in the industry.”

Honorees for the 2021 Hall of Achievement in advertising and marketing have been announced by the Tucson Advertising Federation Educational Foundation. Linda Welter, CEO of the Caliber Group, will be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame, which recognizes the best among local industry professionals who have led, mentored and inspired others to succeed in this industry.

Welter has more than 25 years of experience in “creating, expanding, repositioning and protecting company and brand reputations.” She serves as a member of the Metro Tucson Chamber Board of Directors, Women’s President Organization, the PRSA Counselors Academy, and the University of Arizona College of Science Advisory Board.

More than 40 attorneys for Snell & Wilmer have been named as leaders in their field

by Chambers USA, including Joe Kroeger, a managing partner who practices labor and employment law at Snell & Wilmer’s Tucson office.

Chambers USA annually ranks America’s leading lawyers for business in a variety of fields. According to Snell & Wilmer, these prestigious rankings are driven by independent interviews with clients of the firm and members of the legal community.

Kroeger represents employers in a variety of areas, including employment discrimination and harassment, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and social media. He is licensed to practice in Arizona, California, Colorado and Illinois.

Honorees for the 2021 Hall of Achievement in advertising and marketing have been announced by the Tucson Advertising Federation Educational Foundation. Steve Earnhart, Southwest Area President of iHeartMedia, will be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame, which recognizes the best among local industry professionals who have led, mentored and inspired others to succeed in this industry. iHeartMedia operates more than 800 live broadcast stations in 150 markets across America. For Tucson, these stations include 93.7 KRQ, Hot 98.3, and 92.9 The Bull.

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The Tucson Symphony Orchestra has named Paul Meecham as its president and CEO, effective May 17, 2021. Meecham has previously served as CEO of the Utah Symphony & Opera, CEO of the Baltimore SymphonyOrchestra,andexecutivedirectoroftheSeattle Symphony.

According to TSO, in each of these prior positions, Meecham was a major force in generating new and younger audiences, increasing financial support for both operating use and for endowments, and developing and expanding educational programs and community outreach.

“I am very excited to be joining the Tucson Symphony Orchestra at this pivotal moment,” said Meecham. “I look forward to working with the entire TSO family—the dedicated board, hard-working staff and the fabulous musicians of the orchestra— to lead this vitally important Tucson community institution as we emerge from the challenges of the last year.”

TSO plans to return to live performances this September with more information to come.

“Our exposure to Tucson has only been brief,” said Meecham of him and his family. “But the people we have met have shown a special warmth and openness. After talking to many people involved with the TSO, I am very excited to have the opportunity to become part of this community.”

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JUNE 4, 2021

REALESTATE &CONSTRUCTION

EMAIL YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS TO JEFF@TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM Road in Tucson. The vacant land parcel was purchased from Kolb Boneyard, LLC for $145,000. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction. purchased from AZDA, LLC ing for their solar contracting Julian Willetts and John for $1,080,000. Allan Men- operation. Stephen D. CoHamner, CCIM, with RE/ delsberg, Principal and Con- hen, Principal, and IndusMAX Excalibur, represented rad Martinez, Multifamily trial Specialist with Cushthe buyer.

Specialists with Cushman & man & Wakefield | PICOR, Wakefield | PICOR, reprerepresented the buyer in this LEASES sented both parties in this transaction. Mike Hennessy Brenna Lacey of VOLK transaction. with Burris, Hennessy & Company represented Co., represented the seller.

Macarthur Tucson, LLC in Equilibrium Villas, LLC the sale of an approximately purchased 5,880 square feet Equilibrium QOZB II 24,260 square foot building of multifamily space located D, LLC purchased 10,500 at 2432 N. Balboa Ave. in square feet of retail space lo- located at 345 East Toole to Moreno Valley Gateway, Tucson. Balboa Apartcated in downtown TucLLC for a purchase price of ments, a 14-unit property, son, in the Historic Fourth $4,600,000. was purchased from TuzoAvenue District. The four na One, A Family Trust, for locations, 600, 602, 604 CGI Federal, Inc. renewed $700,000. Allan Mendels- and 606 N. 4th Ave., were berg, Principal, and Conrad purchased from Ten Fifteen their lease with 1510na, LLC for 50,000 square Martinez, Multifamily Two and Four Partnership Specialists with Cushman & for $465,000. Cushman & feet of office space located in Gateway Business Park, Wakefield | PICOR, repreWakefield | PICOR han7333 E. Rosewood St. in sented both parties in this dled this transaction. Greg Tucson. Greg Furrier, Printransaction.

Furrier, Retail Specialist, cipal, and Retail Specialist represented the seller; Serrato Corporation Allan Mendelsberg and Con- with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the purchased a 4,865-squarerad Martinez, Multifamily tenant in this transaction. foot office building, located Specialists, represented the at 3443 E. Fort Lowell Road buyer.

United Healthcare Servicin Tucson, from 3443 Ft. Lowell, LLC for $585,000.

Tin Cup Properties, LLC es, Inc. leased 17,967 square Richard M. Kleiner, MBA, purchased 6,400 square feet feet of retail space from Principal, and Office of industrial space located at Grant / Swan Center, LLC, located at 4730 E. Grant Rd, Specialist with Cushman & 500 E. 29th St. in Tucson. in Tucson. Greg Furrier and Wakefield | PICOR, repThe commercial property Dave Hammack, Principals, resented the seller in this was purchased from Helen and Retail Specialists with transaction.

L. Cooke for $401,000.

Ron Zimmerman, Principal, Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landTLC Solar Ventures, LLC and Industrial Specialist lord in this transaction. Timpurchased 5,862 square with Cushman & Wakefield othy Hurley with Kidder feet of industrial space lo| PICOR, represented the Mathews, represented the cated in Silverlake Indusbuyer in this transaction. tenant. trial Park, 945 W. SilverTimothy Bathen with Arilake Road in Tucson. The zona Acquisition Strategies, City Electric Supply Comindustrial property was represented. pany leased 10,000 square purchased from Silverfeet of industrial space from lake Properties, LLC for DavRiCO, LLC purTin Cup Properties, LLC, $510,000. Net Zero Solar chased 1.66 acres of comlocated in Research will occupy the 5,862 square mercial land located at foot office/warehouse build- 3901 and 3941 S. Kolb Continued on P13 was

Texas-based Builders FirstSource acquires Arizona building materials supplier for $400M Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

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n Monday, May 24, Texas-based building supplier Builders FirstSource announced it entered into an agreement to acquire Cornerstone Building Alliance (also known only as Alliance), the largest independently operated supplier of building materials in Arizona. Builders FirstSource, a Fortune 500 company, is purchasing Alliance for approximately $400 million, subject to certain closing adjustments.

Alliance primarily serves the greater Phoenix, Tucson, and Prescott Valley areas, and operates a Tucson office, the Arizona Builders’ Alliance, on South Country Club Road. According to Builders FirstSource, Alliance reported trailing 12 month sales of approximately $330 million as of April 2021.

“This acquisition is aligned with our strategy of investing organically and through [mergers and acquisitions], to shift our portfolio toward high-value and faster-growth categories. Alliance’s service area represents the third largest single-family market and includes the fastest growing county, Maricopa, in the country,” said Builders FirstSource president and CEO Dave Flitman. “Alliance’s geographic footprint represents an excellent strategic fit, with a limited overlap of our existing geographic coverage

that enables us to expand our product lines across various end markets... We are excited to welcome the over 300 hundred Alliance team members to the Builders FirstSource family.”

Alliance offers distribution of premium building materials throughout the highest-growth regions of Arizona. It also serves as an advisor for leading contractors across single-family, multi-family, and commercial end markets.

“We have grown this business into an industry leader and joining the Builders FirstSource family is a clear win for all stakeholders, representing the next chapter in Alliance’s successful journey,” said True Carr, managing partner of Alliance. “We are thrilled to continue to provide exceptional products and services to our customers as part of Builders FirstSource.”

er, Principal, and Industrial Specialist, represented the buyer.

Dias Revocable Trust, LLC purchased an 11,339-squarefoot industrial building located at 4955 N. Shamrock Place in Tucson. The office/ manufacturing property was purchased from Kash Property Management, Inc., for $1,375,000. Robert C. Glaser, SIOR, CCIM, and Paul Hooker, Principals, and Industrial Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller in this transaction.

Mark Irvin with Mark Irvin Commercial Real Estate Services, LLC, represented the buyer.

TAC13 Investments, LLC purchased a 17,360-squarefoot industrial building located at 3512 and 3520 S. Dodge Blvd. in Tucson.

The flex, light manufacturing property was purchased from Gerald A. SALES and Irma Schuchardt for Serenity Holdings III, $1,352,000. Stephen D. LLC purchased 31,471 square Cohen, Principal, and Infeet of office space located at dustrial Specialist with Cush4555 and 4585 E. Speedman & Wakefield | PICOR, way Blvd., and 1111, 1145, represented the seller in this 1201, 1209, 1217 1225, 1231 transaction. Alan Moore with N. Venice Ave. in Tucson.

Chapman Lindsey CommerThe Brown Mackie College cial Real Estate Services, repCampus was purchased from resented the buyer.

Eugene Pamfiloff and Erena Pamfiloff for Shakin Mendelsohn 2004 $3,650,000. Cushman & Trust purchased 9,250 Wakefield | PICOR handled square feet of multifamily this transaction. Thomas J. space located at 3521 N. Nieman, Principal, and Of- Flowing Wells Road in Tucfice Specialist represented son. Flowing Wells Apartthe seller; Paul Hookments, a 14-unit property,

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Chamber Chatter: Five Strategies E’ N Celebrating Healthcare Heroes Continued from P2

pandemic—and while Inside Tucson Business cases are subsiding, we still believe it’s best to err on ormally, at this time the side on caution when it of the year, Inside comes to bringing a large Tucson Business crowd of people together celebrates the achievements for an evening of wining of the top doctors, nursand dining. es and other healthcare Instead, in this isprofessionals at our annual sue, associate editor Jeff Influential Health and Gardner talks with Dr. Joe Medical Leaders banquet. Gerald, an epidemiologist But this year, as in and professor with the 2020, we have been UA’s Zuckerman College postponed our annual of Public Health who has get-together because our been tracking the spread healthcare professionals of COVID in Arizona for have busy saving lives in more than a year. Gerald the face of the COVID talks about the challenges Jim Nintzel

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of predicting COVID’s path and why he is ending his regular reports.

Meanwhile, staff reporter Christina Duran looks at how healthcare professionals and even students jumped into the fight against COVID, often taking on new challenges and experiencing tremendous stress.

Rest assured that our Influential Health and Medical Leaders program will be back next year—and we hope to have much to celebrate with the pandemic behind us.

workforce development within their organizations.

These companies lead by their example and will ultimately encourage other employers to follow suit,” stated Barbra Coffee, director of Economic Initiatives for the City of Tucson.

STRATEGY FOUR

The Greater Tucson Region should organize efforts to effectively highlight the career opportunities in the region and attract high-level talent in critical industries.

“Attracting talent to our region is simply a necessity for Modular Mining and

many of our employers in Tucson. Working with companies and partners to focus our collective energy on attracting talent will benefit us all,” stated Jorge Mascena, president & CEO for Modular Mining Systems.

STRATEGY FIVE

The Greater Tucson Career Literacy Initiative should organize business and community leaders to bring information, connections and exposure related to high-quality careers into Pima County’s classrooms.

“The Center for the Future of Arizona is proud to partner with the Chamber on this important effort.

Middle school, high school and early post-secondary students should understand

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what the pathway to their career they are interested in pursuing,” stated Dr. Aaron Ball, director of college and career pathways for the Center for the Future of Arizona.

No challenge before us is more critical to the longterm economic success of our community than equipping the workforce on which our businesses rely.

So, while many of us are celebrating the graduations of individuals we personally know, our entire community should be celebrating and supporting those graduates who are entering the workforce and their new ideas that will help our region continue to flourish.

Learn more at tucsonchamber. org/blueprint.

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

UA COVID researcher: ‘We’re past the worst of it in Arizona’ Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

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t may be hard to imagine a time when 20 confirmed COVID cases in the entire state was newsworthy, but thanks to the diligence of an associate professor out of the University of Arizona, the public can look back on weekly reports tracking how the virus spread throughout Arizona.

Joe Gerald, PhD, who works in the UA’s College of Public Health, has written weekly COVID reports that listed the number of Arizona COVID cases, forecasted the virus’ growth, and kept up to date on health guidelines. But with nearly half the state vaccinated and cases at a low plateau since March, Gerald ended his regularly scheduled reports on Friday, May 21.

“I have a pretty high degree of confidence that we’re past the worst of it in Arizona,” Gerald said. “We did a good job of predicting what the coming weeks would be like, but we could never accurately predict the inflection points [when curves change direction].”

Gerald is a health services researcher who serves as the director of UA’s Public Health Policy & Management program.

For decades, he has studied the cost-effectiveness of respiratory illness-related interventions, such as tuberculosis contact screening and school-based asthma management.

The information in his reports was intended to help guide response to the outbreak, not predict exactly how the pandemic would evolve, by showing

what might occur if current conditions remained unchanged.

Gerald began his reports in mid-March 2020, back when confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pima County could be counted on one hand, and no deaths had yet to be reported. Despite this, his first report projected Arizona could see more than 60,000 new cases daily by May 2020 if no prevention measures were taken. He acknowledged that such “unabated growth” was extremely unlikely, but figured such projections could help gauge the extent to which public health interventions would “flatten the epidemic curve” by delaying the peak and reducing the number of new cases.

Of course, Arizona never saw this extreme number of cases per day thanks to shutdowns and mask mandates. And while stay-at-home orders in Arizona and other states helped reduce cases, new infection numbers skyrocketed from hundreds to thousands per day after Gov. Doug Ducey declared Arizona was “clearly on the other side of this pandemic” in May 2020.

Gerald and other public health researchers expressed concern in May when Arizona’s stay-athome orders were lifted, increasing social interactions with the potential to transmit infections. And while cases did increase following the orders being lifted, the spike wasn’t even close to what the state would see in late 2020.

“We were aware many of the necessary shutdowns and mandates were difficult politically, and that

Cumulative COVID-19 incidence in Arizona by county from March 1, 2020 – May 16, 2021. Graphic by Joe Gerald

after things reopened, additional future shutdowns were almost impossible,” Gerald said. “Even though we had a realistic and pragmatic view, we were angry and frustrated that the Governor didn’t step in during December. We thought he’d institute targeted interventions when the cases were that high.”

As the reports continued, they took on data like testing efficacy, infection delays, medical burdens— and finally, vaccine distribution. His reports also indicated that COVID-19 ranked as the leading cause of death in Arizona since the pandemic began.

He noted how by February 2021, a pressing challenge would be “holding the line” on public health mitigation practices in the face of improving conditions, and buying time for more of the population to get vaccinated. And while vaccination rates rose with

Pfizer and Moderna gradually becoming available to more sections of the population, Gerald and others noted that vaccination rates slowed as most who wanted vaccines received them, and many of those hesitant remained unvaccinated.

“I’ve been thinking about what happened in 1918 with the influenza pandemic versus 2020,” Gerald said. “A big difference is that science has come a long way. That’s not to say science is perfect, but we were able to develop a vaccine and get it delivered within a year.

The press has also been very important for information, and even critical of lawmakers they viewed weren’t taking the pandemic seriously enough. And while we’ve made progress in human behavior, it’s still the weak link in our pandemic preparedness plan.”

With Arizona’s current

health professionals, Gerald supports wearing masks as one of the easiest and most effective methods of reducing infections. However, similar to shutdowns and mandates, he acknowledges their political difficulty.

“The CDC is in a tough spot. They’re trying to thread a needle; the medical science says masks work, but there are still many so strongly opposed,” Gerald said. “With these polar opposites, it’s almost impossible to have a non-controversial mask mandate.”

Gerald is closing his regularly scheduled weekly reports, but has said he will return if something unforeseen develops.

In his place, there are multiple other public health professionals still modeling and writing COVID reports, including a research group out of Arizona State University.

“The ASU COVID-19 Modeling group estimates the doldrums to continue for most of the summer before materially improving. This is the result of continued normalization of behavior, more prevalent highly-transmissible variants and slowing vaccination rates,” Gerald’s final report reads. “Even though too many Arizonans are not fully vaccinated as we would like, another summer resurgence seems off the table.

That doesn’t mean though we won’t experience thousands more COVID-19 cases and hundreds more COVID-19 deaths over the summer. So, please get vaccinated if you haven’t already.” ITB

vaccine rates and infection numbers nearing a “moderate” spread of COVID, Gerald says the greatest threat is a virus variant with vaccine- and immune-resistance properties that could reset the clock, and put us back at “ground zero.” Luckily, most variants, such as the B1617 variant first identified in India and now in Arizona, have not been found to be vaccine resistant—although evidence shows some are more transmissible.

“Even with a more transmissible virus, there’s not a lot of opportunity to find a new host because so many are already immune,” Gerald said. “So I don’t think a more transmissible virus will lead to a full resurgence. It just means we’d take longer to get from substantial spread down to moderate, and then moderate to low.”

To read Gerald’s updates, visit Along with other public publichealth.arizona.edu/newsroom

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Fini’s Landing set to open sister restaurant, The Landing, in Oro Valley this month Katya Mendoza

Special to Inside Tucson Business

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ans of seafood and beach bars will want to set sail for The Landing when it opens in Oro Valley later this month.

The new restaurant is the latest venture from University of Arizona alums Scott Mencke and Douglas “Fini” Finical, who see it as a sister restaurant to their popular Baja-California inspired Fini’s Landing.

The Landing will be located at 8195 N. Oracle Road, in the former home of Oro Valley’s Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler.

The two friends-turnedbusiness-partners met while lifeguarding at the Amphi Pool in the ’80s.

Sharing a mutual love for all things “water, escapism and Jimmy Buffett,” the pair would part ways to pursue various creative projects after their college years. But when a mutual friend presented a business opportunity regarding available property on the Historic Fourth Avenue downtown, Mencke and Finical began their business partnership with a lasting Tucson legacy.

Known to locals as The Hut, the neo tiki-themed bar was a “perfect storm” of opportunity and happenstance. The venue hosted live music in an acoustic and tropical atmosphere that would allow the two partners an opportunity to develop the unique

brand of Fini’s Landing.

Six years later, they were approached by a broker whose client wanted a neighborhood sports bar in the Foothills neighborhood of Swan and Sunrise.

“Fini,” an architect by trade, would be able to collaborate with his father one last time for this project. The late Irv Finical was a prominent local architect responsible for the 1976 addition to Arizona Stadium and UA’s Cancer Center.

“For me it was a very special thing to be able to sort of have his legacy live on through this restaurant,” Finical said. Before passing, his father spent time at Fini’s, enjoying watching the circulation and response to the restaurant’s success.

Officially opening its doors in February 2012, Fini’s catered to the beach-bum/ surfer/sailor demographic, indulging in coastal decor with a boat-shaped bar. Mencke said that the idea was to build a place that would fill “this escapism niche, based upon authentic life experiences.”

Drawing inspiration from places such as Southern California, the Florida Keys and the Carribean, the restaurant-bar serves savory and sustainably sourced seafood. Mencke, a long-time advocate for ethical food sourcing, takes pride in the company’s cooperation with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, a program

Know Us, Know Your Community

that helps consumers and businesses make informed environmentally conscious seafood choices.

Given Fini’s Landing’s decade-long achievements, the two knew that they wanted to open another restaurant with the goal of having a few of Fini’s favorites, but also a menu unique to The Landing, while offering an homage to authentic Mexican cuisine.

Executive chef Ryan Jones, who will oversee both Fini’s Landing and The Landing, is looking forward to the Coastal-Modern feel of the new menu. Sourcing the Australian barramundi fish from Arizona’s Desert Springs barramundi fishery is one of the unique aspects of the future menu.

Similar in flavor to cod or rockfish, the barramundi will offer a fresher taste, only being out of water for approximately 48 hours upon arrival. “[We’re] focusing on our sustainability, in hopes of opening Tucson’s eyes, only sourcing certain [fish] that can be produced and done correctly,” Jones said.

The barramundi will be the foundation of fish tacos, with a blackened seasoning, house rojo salsa, smoked cilantro-lime crema, corn and avocado, and maybe even as a main entree dish to “shine on its own.”

The Landing will open with limited seating and other COVID precautions in the third week of June. ITB

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Nurses recall lessons learned during COVID Christina Duran

Inside Tucson Business

P

hysical therapist Piper Daulton normally works in the Trauma and Surgical ICU providing physical therapy to people who’ve had car accidents or received spinal surgery. Last April, she volunteered to work in the ICU COVID unit for the Prone Team at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix.

The Prone Team, a hodgepodge of different disciplines, including nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and techs, came together to work specifically in the COVID ICU to turn patients onto their stomachs in order for them to breathe better, said Daulton. She explains how they would turn intubated patients onto their stomachs for eight hours then every two hours would turn their head and arms to prevent pressure sores.

She worked around 64 hours a week in packed ICU COVID units at the height of the pandemic, when resources and labor were scarce.

“At the time no hospital had the proper amount of PPE, but now we do and now we’re ready for if something were to happen again,” said Daulton. “But I definitely think that, in retrospect, everything was done that could have been possibly done for us.”

Daulton was one of many health care professionals who pivoted to battling COVID when the outbreak hit Arizona, finding themselves in unexpected roles as COVID patients filled general ward rooms and

ICU beds. Arizona twice became a global hot spot in 2020, pushing the healthcare system to the limit.

Daulton worked as part of the Prone Team until the end of July last year when the numbers of patients in the ICU that needed to be prone declined; however, she volunteered again in December, following the second wave of COVID-19.

Unlike other physical therapist colleagues, Daulton is a young, healthy 28 year old, with no children, and no comorbidities (which would make it more likely for someone to be severely ill from COVID-19), so she felt she could volunteer to work in the COVID Unit.

“Not to say by any means, had I contracted COVID it wouldn’t affect me or I wouldn’t have lasting effects from it. Not at all, but it was just something, kind of a risk that I took, because I wanted to help these patients,” said Daulton.

She remembers a particular COVID patient, a “younger gentleman,” who passed away while on his stomach. His wife was able to arrive in time to say her last goodbyes, then they had to flip him onto his back when he was deceased.

“I’ll never forget that.

It’s something that I’m happy that I was able to do, just to kind of put life into perspective, and to be with that gentleman and his last moments and for that family, but definitely that’s kind of weighed heavy on me. It’s hard to talk about. It’s hard to think about,” said Daulton. “No amount of schooling can prepare anybody for what

us healthcare workers have gone through over the last year and a half.”

On the morning of July 2, while taking a report from the night shift Prone Team, Daulton’s father said her grandmother unexpectedly passed away from complications of leukemia alone in her home in Indiana. The previous month, the doctor had confirmed her grandmother had leukemia.

“I talked to her so many times almost daily throughout this whole pandemic and she was just so happy and proud that I was doing what I was doing for these patients,” said Daulton.

She recalls her grandmother reposting her Facebook post and said she would tell people, “It’s real. Phoenix is getting hit so hard. Just trust and know that this is no conspiracy. My granddaughter’s battling this in Phoenix.”

Daulton wears a silver necklace with angel wings, a birthday gift her grandmother gave her. The necklace helped her get through last year.

“Since July 2 I’ve had it on, and it just gives me some hope and peace knowing that she’s proud of me,” said Daulton. “She was a woman of faith and integrity and of science. She couldn’t wait to get the vaccine.”

As of February, Daulton has returned to treating her regular patients, as the hospital reopened elective surgeries and as people feel more comfortable.

“I don’t want to say some sense of normalcy because I feel like right when I say that, something could happen, but we’re just so thankful that the vaccine

is rolled out in Arizona,” said Daulton.

Daulton hopes people will get vaccinated, and said she convinced her 70-yearold neighbors as well.

She told them, “‘I can guarantee you, you will want to get this vaccine, as opposed to me having to turn you over onto your belly in the ICU,’ and that kind of resonated with them. I was like please get it. If not for me, get it for your daughter, get it for your 3-year-old grandson that you watch every week.”

Daulton hopes people will be able to put politics aside to come together and “listen to the doctors, listen to the science, get your vaccine and stay healthy.”

Phillip Bullington, 31, a doctoral student in the UA’s Nurse Anesthesia program, worked as a nurse prior to beginning his doctoral project and has experience dealing with people who are severely ill, but what he experienced as a student registered nurse anesthetist in the ICU during the pandemic was beyond his expectations.

“We never really expected the way everything happened and then it just got crazy,” recalled Bullington.

“Where there’s people on ventilators just taking up all the ICUs. We’re turning other floors into ICUs and we’re running out of places for patients to go.

And then they would get sick, but they were healthy enough that they would still live for a while, but they weren’t getting better.

So just a pile of people who would get more sick and there was nowhere for them to go.”

They would receive weekly alerts about the

Physical therapist Piper Daulton. Courtesy photo.

availability of ICU beds, the amount of supplies, and what they had done, said Kristie Hoch, program administrator of the Nurse Anesthesia Specialty at the UA College of Nursing. While she says things are better now, they were on high alert for a while without enough beds or ventilators.

For around 150 years, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) have been ensuring the comfort of their patients, normally preparing patients for anesthesia before surgical procedures, said Hoch.

“We ensure patients are safe and comfortable during their anesthesia and this piece for us is part of ensuring our community is safe,” said Hoch, referring to vaccinations as part of that work.

Since the onset of the pandemic, CRNAs have found themselves outside of the operating room.

“We’ve been called to take care of patients who

are acutely and chronically ill with COVID,” said Clinical Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing Charles Elam, who said he along with his partner were consulted to manage acutely ill COVID patients in Green Valley.

They were tasked to install central lines, big IVs that go into the neck or chest, or arterial lines that go into the artery as well as managing ventilators and sedation for patients.

“This was above and beyond what we typically do, but because we are airway experts we were called upon and stepped up to do what we needed to do,” said Hoch.

She commends her students who completed their clinicals working in the COVID ICU wards, despite their heightened stress levels.

“Here they are, a year and two years into their nurse anesthesiology residency, and wondering well what happens if I get sick?

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What happens to my family?” said Hoch. “I’d have students calling me frequently throughout the week, crying and scared because they had just lost another patient. And trying to help them and trying to get to the point where I’m telling them, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ when I wasn’t so sure myself.”

Hoch expects ICU nurses especially, who were working sometimes 12-hour shifts for 30 consecutive days to experience some PTSD. “They didn’t really take time to cope with it. At that point, they’re just going through doing what they can to save lives,” said Hoch.

To help students cope during the pandemic, Hoch held weekly meetings to check in, but as

JUNE 4, 2021

the number of ICU beds became increasingly available, they are currently holding one monthly meeting since October. As the Regional Director for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Hoch would also host zoom meetings with nurse anesthetists across 13 states to share how they were, how to help them cope, and what they were feeling.

“Many of them were being furloughed, because there were no surgeries going on. Many critical access hospitals had turned everything into ICU beds and so ‘adapt, improvise and overcome.’ That was the phrase that many of us were using throughout the first few months of the pandemic,” Hoch said.

Like Daulton, Bullington is cautious about the

future and thinks the situation could return to how it was during the height of the pandemic.

“It could always still go back the way it was,” said Bullington. “With the new variants, I don’t think there’s any reason that it’s completely over.”

He said it’s important

for people to remember “just how bad COVID really is and how severe it can get, and you never know who it’s gonna be worse for.”

For Bullington, getting vaccinated is the “safest course of action.”

“It’s not a live virus, you can’t get the virus from it.

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CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists administered vaccines to people at the drive-thru.

Hoch said the event not only serves the community, but also honors the memory of her family members who passed away due to COVID-19.

“My father-in-law and brother-in-law both passed away due to COVID-19 at the beginning of this year. To Courtesy photo. me, playing a role in the vaccine rollout is my way So it’s better to be safe to of honoring their memory be vaccinated than to take and ensuring others do the risk of getting it or not suffer their fate,” said giving it to your family or Hoch. “It’s heartwarming your grandparents or your to see my students joining kids,” Bullington said. the effort. As ICU pracBullington volunteered ticing nurses, they’ve seen to assist with vaccinations the effects of COVID from the frontlines, and share at a clinic run by the UA College of Nursing faculty. my passion for putting an end to the pandemic.” ITB Led by Hoch, volunteer

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Sun Corridor: Better infrastructure, workforce development and talent recruitment key to economic development Christina Duran

Inside Tucson Business

W

ith Southern Arizona’s economy forecasted for a strong and quick recovery post-pandemic, business leaders have created a plan to capitalize on that recovery.

Sun Corridor, a coalition of the region’s leaders in the private, nonprofit, government and academic sectors, last week announced the Pivot Playbook, a formal action plan assembled by the COVID-19 Recovery & Response Steering Committee to identify strategies and address five focus areas that would make those forecasts come true.

“While we were getting all those great rankings and experts were telling us that Southern Arizona was poised for a strong recovery, no one here thought that it would just happen on its own,” said Chair of Sun Corridor and TMC Healthcare CEO Judy Rich. “We knew that we had an opportunity in front of us, that a lot of other communities didn’t have. It was up to us to get ourselves ready and give our attention to all the things that we were hearing were going to be important for a strong recovery.”

Rich said they reached out to business leaders in Sun Corridor to prepare for the future, after Moody’s Analytics released a report last May, ranking Tucson among the top

10 best cities poised for a strong post-coronavirus recovery.

“The study said that regions like ours are going to be attractive in the emerging economy, because of our wide open spaces, and our low population density. The analysts say that people are going to want to spread out, because of the COVID virus and Southern Arizona is a perfect place to do that,” said Rich.

She also noted the Site Selectors Guild, a group who finds the best locations for businesses to move or expand to, predicted their clients are looking for midsize cities, like Tucson for the same reasons provided by Moody’s.

Prior to the pandemic, especially since 2016, Tucson had seen a plethora of companies moving or expanding into the area, but everything changed with the pandemic, said CEO of Sun Corridor Joe Snell.

“When the pandemic hit, we saw an overnight change. We needed to adjust to, not only the new reality the pandemic created, but look at the future and hopefully make some major adjustments,” said Snell.

As the pandemic began to affect the economy, Snell said Sun Corridor spent a lot of time understanding what site selection looked like for influencers or site selectors.

“What’s their new reality?” asked Snell. “We spent a lot of time really looking

at those new drivers and sitting back and determining whether we can meet those demands.”

Their early investments in virtual capabilities, like drone footage, their quick and aggressive response in their sales and marketing, and the recovery plan put them in a good spot, said Snell.

THE “PIVOT PLAYBOOK” In order to make the plan a success, the Steering Committee, chaired

by Steve Eggen and made up of a group of business leaders, identified five focus areas: company recruitment, talent recruitment and retention, workforce development and training, shovel-ready and real estate offerings, and tourism recovery.

For Snell, the ability to recruit companies is a reflection of market competitiveness, making it an important area of focus.

“If we’re proficient recruiting companies, it means the entire business community is competitive with other markets,” said Snell. “I like to look at it as an analogy of playing hockey, through this process we want to make sure that we’re not just hitting where the hockey puck is, but we’re skating to where we anticipate it will be.”

Two-thirds of site selectors surveyed by Sun Corridor, said COVID-19 considerations like population density, the commu-

nity’s pandemic response, the workforce’s digital and technical skills, remote work incentives and access to a community affect their decision to locate.

According to Snell, one of Southern Arizona’s biggest strengths is its ability to address the international supply chain changes brought on by the pandemic as companies faced problems in the supply chain with China slowed down. He said Southern Arizona is geographically in a good spot where goods and services move through the area and could capture distribution and logistics jobs. Further, the region has a “talent pipeline” with nationally recognized universities like the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, as well as a strong community college system.

However, the region faces challenges with the perception of the region’s business climate, as site selectors surveyed provided moderate ratings and indicated lack of knowledge of the region, recognizing Phoenix, but not Tucson.

In order to address these challenges, Snell said they reevaluated the targeted industries previously identified 15 years ago. Travel and hospitality took a toll due to the pandemic and sectors like transportation and logistics, and bioscience innovation experienced growth.

Further, the plan stated a need to prioritize roads and infrastructure, as site

selectors frequently cite it as a critical area of focus.

According to the Playbook, good road conditions means having the infrastructure to handle demand and improving its people-moving capability, but also aesthetically enhancing the roads to add more appeal to Tucson.

“We’ve got to come together and make that a high priority because these logistics companies, they need healthy roads to move product and people,” said Snell.

Over the last couple of years, Arizona has done well, said Snell, but now “we’ve been a victim of our own success.”

The demand for industrial space continues despite the pandemic, with Sun Corridor reporting an increase in new project leads. According to the plan, industrial facilities make up 82% of new project real estate requirements in the inquiries Sun Corridor received. However, Arizona faces a shortage of buildings 100,000 square feet and above and the few industrial spaces 200,000 square feet still available have limitations, requiring significant development to meet potential user requirements.

Snell suggests encouraging greater development in the community to invest in Tucson and build more spec buildings. The plan also suggests recruiting private developers and investors to invest in properties in the same way

companies are recruited to locate to the area.

Due to the pandemic, companies should also adjust how they approach incentives to the new landscape.

“We’ve been operating on a really old model for about 40 years of dealing with incentives for primary companies. We’ve got to take into account going forward the remote worker, the technical worker.

Do they need daycare? So we need to really rehaul the whole system,” said Snell.

TALENT RECRUITMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CRUCIAL TO FUTURE The Steering Committee also identified talent recruitment and retention as a critical area of focus for Southern Arizona. In the site selection process, having readily available talent, meaning and available workforce, is the number one factor, said Chief Human Resources Officer at TMC HealthCare Alex Horvath.

The second factor is the ability for individuals to grow and provide talent, while third is ensuring that a pipeline of talent exists to create an abundance of people with the right skills and training into the future, said Horvath.

After a year of Zoom calls and remote work, the workforce’s work considerations have changed. In their 2020 Talent Wars Report, Development

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

Counsellors International (DCI), a place branding firm, found 75% of respondents surveyed said they would prefer to either work from home full-time or at least some of the time. They also reported 82% of workers said they would be willing to undergo additional training or education to shift career paths. Talent also seeks out companies and jobs that value inclusion and diversity, rating the importance of diversity policies in a company 7 out 10.

“They will decide where they want to work, where they want to live, where they want to play and they’re able, then, to make that work for a community,” said Horvath.

While Tucson and Southern Arizona are poised to make a post-pandemic recovery due to the region’s attributes, Horvath recommends promoting the wide open spaces, quality of life and relatively low cost of living that attract talent.

As part of the plan, Sun Corridor created ThriveInTucson.com, a “one-stop shop” of Tucson’s resources and information to promote the region’s best attributes to talent. Horvath said they are also focusing on dual-career couples, because “it’s important for us when one individual has a role here, for the second to be able to also accomplish the same.”

Beyond recruiting talent, the Steering Committee highlighted the importance of workforce development and training, which was important pre-pandemic and even more so after.

“What the pandemic has done is exacerbated and accelerated the need around

JUNE 4, 2021

workforce development,” said Pima Community College CEO Lee Lambert.

“It’s really about equipping people with the right skills for the right opportunities that are out there in our community. So you have a lot of opportunities in the community, but we don’t have that strategic plan that starts to transition folks from an old world into the new world.”

Prior to the pandemic, governments and institutions explored the impact of industry 4.0, the current trend of automation through innovations in mobile technology, the cloud, artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Those technological changes are predicted to cause a displacement or disruption of workers. If automation adoption is rapid, about one-third of American workers may need to change occupations and acquire new skills by 2030, according to the Pivot Playbook.

Research conducted by the University of Arizona reported that 42.5% of all jobs in Pima County are at risk for being disrupted or displaced by automation over the next decade. Further, the jobs most at risk of automation were the same jobs with a concentration of low-wage workers most impacted by the pandemic.

Lambert said this trend is a driver for the need to address the skill gap through upskilling or reskilling.

The community’s skill gap is a mismatch in the skills required by a job and the skills of the workforce, which could be addressed through upskilling, teaching new skills for the talent’s current position or reskilling, preparing workers for a new role.

According to the National Skills Coalition Skills Mismatch Analysis, Arizona has more workers with a highschool equivalency alone at 22% than the 17% required in the labor market. In Arizona, almost half of Arizonans between the ages of 25 and 64 hold a postsecondary degree with disparities in education for Hispanics, Black/ African Americans and Native Americans, according to Achieve60AZ. In order to address these challenges, the plan supports the establishment of a regional version of the Technology and Innovation Workforce Development Fund, recommended by the Arizona Reskilling and Recovery Network. They suggest the fund could be established through the county and municipality budgets, business and industry sponsorship or a combination of these and more.

Lambert said providing and upscaling micro-pathways or stackable credentials is another key recommendation.

“We’re all accustomed to thinking about going off to college and going on to get a degree, but when you start thinking about it from a workforce development perspective you realize it’s not just about getting a degree.

It’s really about getting the skills,” said Lambert.

He also suggests working with their K-12 partners to strengthen and expand on career technical education, especially in high schools, and increasing work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities “so that you’re actually going from your theory to actually being able to apply that theory, you know, in a practical way.”

LARGER FACILITIES NEEDED Aside from workforce development, the region faces a challenge in providing facilities for new project leads. Manufacturing facilities make up 65% new project real estate requirements, but companies face barriers when moving into the region, because of statewide shortage of facilities with 200,000 or more square feet and limitations of existing facilities.

When looking for locations for companies, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said they first look at who owns the land and then identify constraints, like military protection zones, floodplains or areas where they would like to preserve and protect the environment. The plan highlights the need for more shovel-ready inventory of 50 acres or more in the market.

“You have to have all the components of infrastructure to make a property really shovel ready, which means you can have a road to it, you can have a sewer to it, even have the electric utility, but if you don’t have the water, it’s not shovel ready,” said Huckelberry. “The companies that relocate here or expand here, really want to be in business no later than 18 to 24 months after they make a decision. So it’s really important that we have all of those components of infrastructure in, to make the land available for their purposes.”

After offering a good inventory of shovel-ready land for new or expanding companies, Huckelberry said the region needs to identify gaps that would prohibit the use of shovel-ready land, like

access to transportation, and invest to fill those gaps.

Once they have closed the gaps, Sun Corridor would then market the shovel-ready sites to new or existing companies.

Finally, the Pivot Playbook plans to address tourism recovery after the pandemic devastated the region’s travel and tourism industry.

Visit Tucson President Brent DeRaad reported about an 80% drop in overall tourism and travel, for the first few months, but it levelled off at around a 40% to 50% drop off. He said the drop amounts to a loss of about 3 million visitors overnight, with direct visitor spending down by about a billion dollars.

At the heart of addressing these losses, DeRaad said, “How do we make a better Tucson, each and every day? I think that’s really the umbrella under which our recommendations fall.”

The goal is to return to 2019 figures, what DeRaad calls “the pinnacle of tourism in Tucson” at $2.6 billion in direct travel spending.

DeRaad said reopening businesses and helping businesses reopen as the city and county have done by allocating federal funds is part of addressing the challenge of tourism recovery. Additionally as businesses reopen, he said they need to look at how to get employees to return and work with the community to address those issues.

The plan recommends not only reopening businesses, but also the borders between Mexico and Canada to bring back visitors.

“You’ve still been able to fly back and forth between the countries but it’s really just been kind of looked at as non essential travel,” said

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DeRaad. “Well for us it’s essential and we need to make sure that we get those leisure travelers coming back.”

In order to increase flights, DeRaad encouraged people in the community to fly out of Tucson International Airport, which lost about 95% of its commercial air service due to cancellations. In 2021, they report air service and passenger recovery levels at about 45% of 2019 levels, with around 3,600 travelers per day, as opposed to some days last year where passenger activity was fewer than 1,000 travelers per day.

He also suggests supporting travel and tourism marketing and the report recommends increased vaccinations to reach herd immunity by 2021 for the tourism industry’s recovery.

The next steps from the strategic plan would be its implementation in order to address those areas of focus.

“We have our work cut out for us, but we now have a plan,” said DeRaad. “We’re going to work together to do that as a community and as a region, and I think great days are ahead for Tucson.”

President of Raytheon Missiles and Defense Wesley Kremer said the region has an opportunity to make a great comeback.

“The pivot playbook is an unprecedented effort for an unprecedented time,” Kremer said. “The COVID-19 pandemic affected all of us. Lives were lost. Jobs were lost. Some families will never be the same. But with every difficult time comes opportunity and Southern Arizona has an opportunity that can change our community for the better, for years to come.” ITB

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Arizona continues pandemic recovery but ‘we’ve still got a long way to go,’ says UA economist Christina Duran

Inside Tucson Business

U

niversity of Arizona economist George Hammond said Thursday morning that overall, Arizona’s job recovery continues but “we’ve still got a long way to go.”

Hammond, director of the Eller College’s Economic and Business Research Center, told a breakfast crowd that from February to April 2020, more than 330,000 jobs were lost in first months of the pandemic. Then over the next two months, Arizona “saw really substantial increases with callbacks once the stay at home order expired and since June we’ve seen continued recovery but at a much slower pace than than those first two months.”

As of April, Arizona has recovered over 71% of the jobs lost between February and April last year, better than the U.S. reported 63% recovery of jobs lost, said Hammond. But Arizona is still about 95,000 jobs below pre-pandemic numbers. Job recovery also varies across the state.

Tucson is just over 19,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels, better than Phoenix at 64,000 jobs below where it was before the pandemic. Cities like Lake Havasu City, Kingman and Sierra Vista are back to the employment levels before the pandemic.

Hammond also notes job growth is disproportionately concentrated in Phoenix, accounting for about 80% of the growth in Arizona.

The question now is how to return to pre-pandemic levels?

“What would happen if we continued to add jobs at the same pace that we have from June of last year to April of this year?” asked Hammond. “That pace is about 9000 jobs per month and if we can keep that pace up, going forward, we’ll be back to that pre-pandemic peak in March of next year.”

However, maintaining a pace of 9,000 jobs a month is actually rapid growth for Arizona, said Hammond.

On average Arizona’s monthly job group during the five years before the pandemic was over 6,000 jobs per month. Hammond estimated we would not return to the pre-pandemic peak until August 2022 at that rate.

Although there is uneven impact from the pandemic across industries, Hammond said across most industries unemployment is below the pre-pandemic peak. The biggest gap continues to be in leisure and hospitality at about 46,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels.

Other industries down in employment include government jobs, primarily in state and local jurisdictions; professional

and business services, like call centers; engineers, lawyers and management consultants; and education and health services, down about 8,000 jobs from where it was before the pandemic began.

The one industry that did well during the pandemic was trade, transportation and utilities, due to the growth in transportation and warehousing, said Hammond.

“This reflects in part the shift of our activity to more online activity, more online shopping, and to more delivery services. This really boosted employment in this sector,” said Hammond. “We are going to see and have already seen the beginnings of a little bit of retrenchment there as activity gets back to normal. We’re going to reduce our online shopping a little bit and our reliance on delivery services as things get back to normal but for the longer run this sector will continue to add jobs at a pretty rapid clip.”

As of April, Arizona’s unemployment rate is a little above the national average at 6.7%, with both the state and national average returning to the unemployment rate last seen in 2014. With significant slack in the state and national labor markets, Hammond asks, why are we hearing so much about labor shortages?

“Some of it’s being driven by fear. Workers,

particularly in the travel and tourism sectors, where you have a lot of close contact with strangers, they may still be afraid of contracting the virus. We have made progress in terms of vaccinating residents but we still have a long way to go,” said Hammond. “In addition, people in the industries that were most affected by the pandemic, if they were close to retirement, they may have chosen to retire. They may have also switched industries and may not want to go back.”

Hammond speculates some workers may have transitioned to the rapidly growing sector of transportation and warehousing. Labor force participation of women could also be impacted by reduced childcare options. He notes the more generous unemployment insurance benefits created during the pandemic through the various federal coronavirus relief aid could also contribute to the labor shortage reports.

“There are a lot of factors driving the reports of labor shortages that we’re seeing. One thing to keep in mind is that those are temporary,” said Hammond. “They’re gradually going to dissipate as we move forward through the summer, and we should see job growth pick up some steam and the unemployment rate continue to trend down.”

UA economist George Hammond

The center launched a set of weekly indicators in the travel and tourism sector, tracking U.S. weekly hotel occupancy rate, weekly U.S. box office sales and movie theaters, people passing through TSA checkpoints, and seated diners and restaurants using the OpenTable app.

The travel and tourism industry, hit hardest during the pandemic, continues to recover.

“Hotel occupancy rates still are much better than it was last year at this time but it’s still significantly below where we’d normally be at this time of year,” said Hammond. “Arizona’s hotel occupancy rate is significantly above the national average. But even there, we still have some work to do.”

Overall movie box office sales are incredibly lower than where they would expect them to be at this time of year, since there are not as many people heading to theaters and studios are not releasing the same slate of movies, said Hammond. He expects it would

Courtesy photo.

improve with increased vaccinations and as people feel more comfortable.

For the week of Memorial Day weekend, Hammond expected around 16 million passengers per week during normal times, but for the last week there were more than 11 million passengers, which is better than the same time last year.

According to Hammond, restaurants and bars are faring better, with taxable sales at pre-pandemic levels. He also noted gas sales are up as people begin to drive more, but certain segments of travel and tourism remain way below where they were before the pandemic, like hotels and motels along with the amusement and recreation sector.

Over the past year, the housing market stayed strong, with rapidly rising housing prices. Housing permits increased for both single and multifamily to over 60,000 permits, the highest level of permit activity since 2006, Hammond said. ITB

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JUNE 4, 2021

13

TECH TALK

Space bucks and robot surgeons Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

W

ith a major research university right in our backyard, a strong military presence and innovative companies throughout the metro region, there’s often a plethora of interesting science and technology news to be found in Southern Arizona. Here’s a breakdown of the most interesting recent developments.

Space Gift. The University of Arizona has received gifts of $1.5 million and $500,000 to advance their space initiatives, which will be used on the OSIRIS-REx mission and Giant Magellan Telescope.

The larger donation will be used to purchase a secondary ion mass spectrometer, which can analyze surfaces by projecting an ion beam and then collecting and analyzing the ejected secondary ions.

(Ions are particles such as an atom or molecule that have a net electric charge due to losing or gaining an

Real Estate Continued from P4

Plaza, 1671 S. Research Loop, Suite 145 in Tucson.

Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Sa Cadira Arizona, LLC leased 5,048 square feet of industrial space from JDLH Investments, LLC, locat-

electron.) The secondary ion mass spectrometer will be used to analyze samples returned from the OSIRIS-REx mission, a NASA mission led by UA that, if successful, will be the first American space mission to return a sample from the surface of an asteroid. In 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully captured a sample of rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu, and is currently making the multi-million-mile journey back to Earth.

The spacecraft is expected to return in September 2023. A primary goal of analyzing the samples will be to answer questions about the early solar system, such as the origin of water on our planet and the formation of terrestrial bodies. The secondary ion mass spectrometer allows investigation on the nanometer scale, and can analyze the recovered samples without destroying them. Data collected from mass spectrometry includes information like the chemical composition of

materials. The $500,000 gift will be used to further UA’s involvement in the Giant Magellan Telescope project, a large telescope currently under production that will be housed in Chile’s Atacama Desert and is expected to be 10 times as strong as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mirrors for the telescope are being constructed at UA’s Steward Observatory Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. The donor has asked to remain anonymous.

“I am immensely grateful for this donor’s vision and support of space science exploration at the University of Arizona,” said UA president Robert C. Robbins in a prepared statement. “One of the most thrilling aspects of both of these projects is realizing how many members of our faculty and staff, as well as our students, are contributing to their success. It is incredible to have a graduate continue engaging with the university and supporting these missions.”

Robotic Surgery. Banner – University Medicine

ed at 3755 E. 43rd Place in Tucson. Stephen D. Cohen, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Principals with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. leased 3,525 square feet of retail space from LHJD Investments, LLC, located at 3518 Canyon de Flores, Suite A in Sierra Vista, AZ. Greg Furrier and Stephen D. Cohen,

Worldpoly, an Australian-based company, leased 3,000 square feet of industrial space from Tic Tac Properties, LLC, in the Tucson Industrial Center, 4151 E. Tennessee St., Suite 226 in Tucson.

Cintya Denisse Angulo Garcia, Commercial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield

An artist’s rendering of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft performing a “touch-and-go” to capture a sample from the surface of the asteroid Bennu. Courtesy illustration.

Tucson is now offering “port robotic partial nephrectomies,” a type of robot-assisted kidney cancer surgery that can treat complex kidney cancers through one small incision. The surgery utilizes the da Vinci SP Single Port Surgical System, which has three, multi-jointed, wristed instruments and an HD camera, all of which emerge from a small tube to center around the surgery area. According to Intuitive, the company behind the robot, the system has 360-degrees of anatomical access and

surgeons control the fully articulating instruments and camera. The surgery robot will be used with Dr. Benjamin Lee, a leading authority on robotic treatment of renal cell carcinoma. According to Lee, the goal of the surgery is to remove the kidney cancer, while preserving 50-75% of the remaining kidney, which decreases the risk of renal failure. Because of the small incision required, surgeries moving forward are expected to involve less pain and scarring, have a quicker recovery time, and

reduce the need for dialysis post-surgery. The previous technology, the da Vinci Xi robot, took up to six incisions to dock the robotic arms and complete the kidney surgery. According to Lee, in the past, the options were open surgery through a foot-long incision that often required removing a rib. Previous approaches required fourto-five-month expected recovery time and a fourto-five-day hospital stay.

Now, that time has been reduced to a two-to-threeweek recovery time and an overnight stay. ITB

| PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

tenant.

transaction.

Southern Arizona Maintenance Service, LLC renewed their lease with Costa Verde Investments, LLC for 1,500 square feet of commercial space located in Romero-Prince Business Park, 3538 N. Romero Road, Suites 136 and 142 in Tucson. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this

West Coast Wheel Accessories renewed their lease with Costa Verde Investments, LLC, for 1,500 square feet of commercial space located in Romero-Prince Business Park, 3538 N. Romero Road, Suite 160 in Tucson. Ron Zimmerman, Principal, and Industrial Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Roses and More leased 2,200 square feet of retail space from Monterey Village, LLC, located in Monterey Village, 6170 E. Speedway Blvd. in Tucson.

Greg Furrier, Principal, and Retail Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction. Jeramy Price with Volk Company, represented the

14

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

JUNE 4, 2021

Home Health Care & Hospice Agencies Rank Business 2021 Address 2020

Phone Company Email Website

No. of F-T Services Offered Healthcare Providers

Therapies Offered

Licensed Medicare Accredited Certifications

Parent Company Headquarters

Top Local Executives

Year Establ.

Locally

1

Dependable Health Services 1141 N El Dorado Place, Ste 300 Tucson, AZ 85715

(520) 721-3822 jschifano@dependablehealth.com dependablehealth.com

400

Skilled nurses, private duty staff, home health aides, hospice

O, P, S, SW, I

Y N CNA, LPN, RN, T

Tucson

Joe M. Schifano Tom Pepping Theresa Hamilton

1992

2

Visiting Angels Tucson 7564 N La Cholla Blvd Tucson , AZ 85741

(520) 579-0099 mmsmith@visitingangels.com www.visitingangels.com/tucson

130

Provider of essential personal in-home care. Our services include assistance with bathing and personal hygiene, dressing, medication reminders, meal preparation and meal planning, errands/shopping, companionship, light housekeeping, dementia and Alzheimer's care; up to 24/7 care, respite care for families, and Case Management. We also provide Medication Management by our RN.

N/A N/A 85

Bryn Mawr, PA

Lydia Tully-Roos

2008

3

Placita In Home Care 333 N. Wilmot Rd. STE 340 Tucson, AZ 85711

(520) 221-2083 keith@placitacare.com Www.inhomecaretucson.com

127

Non-medical in home care, supplemental staffing, placement services.

N N/A CNA, CG, RN, LPN

N/A

Keith Condon Sarah Condon

2017

4

Homewatch Caregivers of Tucson 1870 W. Orange Grove Road Tucson, AZ 85704

(520) 297-9349 phc@homewatchcaregivers.com www.homewatchcaregivers.com/tucson

103

Companionship, caregiving, shopping, assistant to appointments, medication reminders, medication set-ups

N Y CNA, LPN, RN

Tucson, AZ

Margaret "Margie" M. Lannon

2009

5

Valor HospiceCare & The Valor Institute for Palliative Medicine 1820 E. River Road, Suite 100 Tucson, AZ 85718

(520) 615-3996 info@valorhospicecare.com www.valorhospicecare.com

84

In-Home Health System, Hospice & Palliative - Offices in Tucson, O, P, R, S, I Green Valley and Sierra Vista

Y Valor Health 2990 N. Y Campbell Ave, Suite 230 CNA, LPN, RN, NP, T, Tucson, AZ 85719 MD, LMSW

Dan Peterson

2004

6

Aventas Home Health 2193 N Camino Principal, #161 Tucson, AZ 85715

(520) 207-4111 anneryan@aventas.org www.aventashomecare.com

80

Skilled Visits and hourly care

P,O, S SW

Y N CNA, LPNs RNs THERAPISTS

Local owned and operated Anne E Ryan Rudy Martinez

2008

7

Patient Care Advocates 2223 East Speedway Tucson, AZ 85719

(520) 546-4141 vperalta@pcatucson.com pcatucson.com

65

Home health, caregiver, clinical, patient/hospital advocacy

O, PT, S, SW, I

Y Y RN, CNA, OT, LPN, PT, MSW, SLP

Tucson

Alice Milton

2006

8

TMC Hospice/Peppi's House 2715 N. Wyatt Dr. Tucson, AZ 85712

(520) 324-2438 N/A www.tmcaz.com/hospice

46

Nursing, Social Work, Chaplain,PCT/aide, Bereavement, Volunteers, Home hospice and in-patient care, respite care, medical director, pediatrics, long term care placement, alternative therapies.

N/A N/A CNA RN LPN PCT

Tucson, AZ

Judy Rich, R.N., MSN 1992 Mim Coomler, R.N. Rick A. Anderson, M.D., CPE

9

Heartland Hospice 3112 North Swan Road Tucson, AZ 85712

(520) 325-2790 tucson@heartlandhospice.com heartlandhospice.com

22

Hospice

Y Y N/A

Promedica Toledo Ohio

1994

Ranked by the number of full-time health care providers (2 P-T = 1 F-T) 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 in Inside Tucson Business listings.

N/A=not provided WND=would not disclose NL=not listed last year NR=listed last year but ranking criteria not provided Therapies: O=occupational therapy P=physical therapy R=respiratory therapy S=speech therapy SW=social work I=home infusion therapy Licensing: Home health care agencies are licensed annually by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Medicare Certified: Required when the agency offers skilled nursing care. The agency is subject to a federal inspection in order to offer Medicare-reimbursed treatment. Accreditation: If yes, the accrediting organization could be CARF or JCAHO. Certifications: CNA=certified nurses assistant LPN=licensed practical nurse RN=registered nurse T=therapists CC=certified caregiver EMT=emergency medical technician.

Acute-Care Hospitals Rank Business 2021 Address 2020

Phone Company Email Website

No of Patients Admitted in 2020

No. of Inpatient Profit or No. of F-T Specialties Licensed Days Nonprofit Local Beds Employees

Top Local Executives

Year Establ.

Locally

1

TMC Health Care 5301 E. Grant Tucson, AZ 85712

(520) 327-5461 communications@tmcaz.com www.tmcaz.com

30,202

628

N/A

Nonprofit

N/A

Maternity, pediatrics, neuroscience, cardiac, orthopedics, behavioral health, hospice, senior services

Judith F. Rich Mimi Coomler, R.N. Rick A. Anderson, M.D., CPE

1944

2

Northwest Medical Center 6200 N. La Cholla Blvd.

Tucson, AZ 85741

(520) 742-9000 N/A HealthierTucson.com

13,500

300

N/A

N/A

N/A

Emergency departments, accredited chest pain center, stroke center, bariatric program, neurology and neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, outpatient imaging, oncology, total joint replacement, robotic surgery, GI lab, women's center, wound care center, inpatient rehabilitation center, urgent care, cardiac care, digestive health

Jennifer Schomburg Jorge Salas Cameron Lewis Maurene Polashek Heather Bulman

1983

3

Oro Valley Hospital 1551 E. Tangerine Rd. Oro Valley, AZ 85755

(520) 901-3500 N/A HealthierTucson.com

5,400

146

N/A

N/A

N/A

Certified chest pain center and stroke center, robotic-assisted general surgery and total joint replacement, gastroenterology, cardiology, inpatient rehabilitation, emergency room and freestanding emergency center, diagnostic imaging, sleep center, behavioral health

Julie Hunt Joshua Custer Jennifer Schomburg

2005

4

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System 3601 S. Sixth Ave. Tucson, AZ 85723

(520) 792-1450 luke.johnson6@va.gov tucson.va.gov

3,297

295

N/A

Nonprofit

N/A

A teaching hospital, providing primary care and specialty care in surgery, medicine, neurology and mental health

John B. Kettelle Jennifer S. Gutowski

1928

Ranked by the number of patients admitted last year 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 in Inside Tucson Business listings.

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

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

15

JUNE 4, 2021

Assisted Living Facilities Rank Business 2020 Address 2019

Phone Company Email Website

No. of Licensing Accreditation Units and Certification Residents

1

Villa Hermosa 6300 East Speedway Blvd.

Tucson, AZ 85258

520-298-6400 VillaHermosaMarketing@SRG-LLC.com VillaHermosaSeniorLiving.com

205 N/A

2

Cascades of Tucson 201 N. Jessica Ave. Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 886-3171 megan.hiatt@cascadestucson.com cascadestucson.com

3

LaPosada at Park Centre, Inc. 350 E. Morningside Rd. Green Valley, AZ 85614

4

Parent Company Headquarters

Top Local Executives

Year Establ.

Locally

Accredited by the Commission Assisted Living Services on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and licensed for Assisted Living services.

Senior Resource Group www.SRGseniorliving.com

Mike Soto

2008

200 N/A

N/A

Supervisory, personal and memory care

Phoenix, AZ

Meredith Kuhn

1978

(520) 648-8131 marketing@laposadagv.com posadalife.org

137 N/A

N/A

Continuing Care Retirement Community

La Posada Green Valley AZ

Joni Condit Paul Ide

1996

Sierra Del Sol Senior Living 8151 E. Speedway Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 722-8400 tomk@CascadeLiving.com www.sierradelsoltucson.com

134 N/A

State of Arizona Licensed Assisted Living Facility

ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE

Bothell, WA

Laure Mendenhall

1983

5

Amber Lights 6231 N. Montebella Rd. Tucson, AZ 85704

(520) 498-0668 Amber_Lights@SRG-LLC.com srgseniorliving.com

120 N/A

Accredited by the Commission Independent and assisted living on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and

Senior Resource Group Solana Beach, CA

Teresa Merritt Ron Mead Jason Rich

1999

6

Sage Desert Assisted Living 2365 West Orange Grove Road Tucson, AZ 85741

(520) 328-8509 ExecutiveDirector@SageDesert.com www.sagedesert.com

119 N/A

N/A

Assisted Living and Memory Care

Milestone Retirement 201 NE Park Plaza Drive Suite 105 Vancouver, WA 98684

Christopher Smith

2017

7

The Villas At Green Valley 865 N. Desert Bell Dr. Green Valley, AZ 85614

(520) 448-0480 blarson@innovativeseniorliving.com www.villasatgreenvalley.com

100 100

Yes, by AZ Dept. of Health Services

Assisted Living/Memory Care/Behavioral Care

215 W. Giaconda Way, Suite 141. Tucson, AZ

Robert S. Larson

2015

8

The Forum at Tucson 2500 N. Rosemont Blvd.

Tucson, AZ 85712

(520) 325-4800 lclemons@5ssl.com www.theforumattucson.com

93 N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Hilary Lace Liesen Clemons

1989

9

Elmcroft of River Centre 5665 E. River Rd. Tucson, AZ 85750

(520) 529-7100 ckelly@elmcroft.com elmcroft.com

63 63

DHS

Supervisory, personal and directed care

Lake Oswego, OR

Cheryl Kelly

2011

10

Mountain View Retirement Village 7900 N. La Canada Dr. Tucson, AZ 85704

(520) 229-3350 N/A www.mountainviewretirement.com

59 N/A

N/A

Independent & Assisted Living

Ensign Services

Tim Nelson

2001

11

Academy Villas @ Academy Village 13775 E. Langtry Lane/7700 S Vivaldi Ct. Tucson, AZ 85747

(520) 647-7500 patstrong.villas@gmail.com academyvillas.org

Supervisory, Personal and Direct Care

Individualized care with higher staff to resident ratios

Tucson

Patricia Strong

2010/ 2017

12

Aging Grace, LLC 6701 E Opatas St Tucson, AZ 85715

(520) 222-6718 info@aginggracellc.com http://aginggracellc.com

10 N/A

N/A

Memory Care

N/A

N/A

13

Crossroads Adult Care 5833 N Escondido Lane Tucson, AZ 85704

(520) 742-1850 vinny@crossroadsadultcare.com www.crossroadsadultcare.com

3 30

N/A

N/A

N/A

1993

14

Cherry's Assisted Living Home 10363 East Camino La Joya Pantano Tucson, AZ 85730

(520) 721-6641 rcherry8@cox.net cherrysassistedlivinghome.com

1 5

14

The Bradford Home 710 N Mann Ave Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 822-8416 mark.thebradfordhome@gmail.com www.thebradfordhomeaz.com

26 34

1 10

Specialties

Arizona State Managers Assisted Living Home and Residential Care Certificate Certified for all 3 care levels. Plus integrate with Hospice

Tucson, AZ

Robert P Cherry

2008

Assisted Living Home Top Ten Award AL8713H

Tucson, AZ

Mark Daily Robert Daily

2012

Alzheimer's/ Dementia

Ranked by number of units 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 in Inside Tucson Business listings.

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

16

JUNE 4, 2021

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM