Inside Tucson Business, Oct. 8, 2021

Chamber Chatter Changes and impacts at the Tucson Metro Chamber

Page 2 Oct. 8, 2021

Volume 29 • Number 21

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Cancer Conquerors TECH TALK

Slowing cancer growth, and an Arizona teacher in space Page 9 LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Breast Cancer Awareness month: A look at a local support group that empowers survivors through community, healthy living and recreation

GRAND CHALLENGES RESEARCH BUILDING

Emily Dieckman

Page 5

University of Arizona breaks ground

Inside Tucson Business / Special section

PHILANTHROPY

STEM IN CLASS

Realtor funds robots at local school districts

Page 8 BOOK OF LISTS

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS Nursing care centers and retirement communities

PEOPLE IN ACTION

REAL ESTATE

New promotions, hires and awards Page 3

City Council approves Sunshine Mile Overlay Page 4

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Chamber Chatter Engaging in the Political Process

Page 2 May 7, 2021

Volume 29• Number 10

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Education Acceleration Chatter rce Workfo Chamveber Local

TECH TALK May 21,

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CHAMBERCHATTER

BY MICHAEL GUYMON SPECIAL TO INSIDE TUCSON BUSINESS TUCSON METRO CHAMBER

A Finely Tuned Organization

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ood leaders are often quoted about how important it is to build the right team, put the right people in the right seats, or to hire people with strengths that offset their weaknesses. Along these same lines, I like this quote from H. E. Luccock who said, “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.”

Our orchestra at the Chamber has been conducted by Amber Smith for the past three and a half years and she filled each chair with talented musicians.

Our team has accomplished a lot, especially considering the last 18 months have been consumed by a worldwide pandemic. As Amber leaves to start a new chapter in her life, the Board has asked me to step in as Interim President & CEO. I look forward to accomplishing even more with this smart and capable team as we work to elevate the business community in our region.

Many of the pieces that guide our work have been put in place. By selling our old location at St. Mary’s and Granada two years ago, the Chamber is debt free and has built a reserve fund for the first time in decades.

Our financial situation is stable and healthy.

Advocacy on behalf of our small businesses has always been the cornerstone of the Chamber’s work and much has been accomplished over the past three years. We worked collaboratively with the City of Tucson Planning and Development Services to help solve their immense permit backlog by recommending a more formal relationship with Pima County DSD and hiring additional staff.

We set up the Tucson

Restaurant Advisory Council (TRAC), creating a new group of restaurants and restaurant suppliers that promote and advocate on behalf of an industry important to our region’s culture. We had success in passing a cap on third-party delivery companies in the City of Tucson and successfully lobbying in favor of a bill allowing cocktails to be delivered that was signed into law.

We were also successful in advocating on behalf of keeping businesses thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts included negotiating with Pima County to modify the language in their COVID-19 Proclamation in order to lessen the burden on businesses ordered to limit or cease services, encouraging the expansion of outdoor patios and “streeteries,” and successfully lobbying the City to change the curfew from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Today, we are leading efforts to encourage people to vote NO on Proposition 206. This may seem like a simple increase in the minimum wage, but it has far more detrimental aspects.

It allows “interested parties” to file claims and lawsuits on behalf of employees or groups of employees. It establishes an entirely new regulatory authority called the City Department of Labor Standards (CDOLS) proposed to be paid for by levying fees against businesses or increases to existing license taxes, license fees, or other levies. This is a poorly crafted initiative that hurts businesses and we urge you to vote NO. Shifting to our workforce development priorities, successful companies know how critical it is to hire and develop the right skills

they need to be profitable which is why we created and launched our Workforce Blueprint. The five recommendations listed in the Blueprint speak to the need to build innovative industry/ education partnerships, increase efforts to attract talent to our region and advance career literacy so our youth know what to expect when choosing their careers.

The Blueprint also points out the need to grow and attract IT and cybersecurity talent. We will soon be announcing an exciting partnership to launch our Move IT Up campaign and a focused effort on producing more IT workers.

This is all culminating in the adoption of our Strategic Plan which sets our goals, initiatives and programs for the next three to five years.

In a broad sense, the Plan outlines specific strategies to help the Chamber distinguish itself for superior service, expertise, and strong leadership that deliver value to members, narrowly focus our policy areas with the greatest impact and deliver on our workforce development and talent attraction initiatives. I look forward to finalizing this process with the Board of Directors and carrying out the strategies with our team.

I am personally thankful for the work Amber accomplished with the team that she built. I am honored to help conduct the symphony during this time of transition and am committed to maintaining the Chamber as the connector of leaders and influencers, the catalyst for business growth and a champion for a stronger community. Stay informed about what we are working on by following us on social media.

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

WEEKLY TOP

BY LISA LOVALLO

Resources for new businesses

E

very successful business leader has a toolkit of resources to lean on for advice and creative ideas.

There are many free or low-cost business resources available to help make the ins and outs of running your company simpler and smarter. Cox BLUE shares helpful articles for business owners to stay up-to-date on industry trends and provides tips for running a successful business. Check out the additional resources listed below and start learning from some of the best in the business.

1. Government 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.

2. Business templates.

When it comes to starting a business or signing new customers, there are many forms and templates involved.

Bplans offers many free business templates for proposals, investor pitches, branding, cash flow and more.

3. Finance tools. From budgeting and planning to invoicing and bookkeeping, professional platforms such as H&R Block, Intuit and Mint will come in handy so you can access those talents without having the expense of a full internal department.

4. Books. Audiobooks are the next best way you can learn new skills while on the go. Next time you’re browsing, see if you can find these top-rated titles: Good to Great, Speak and Get Results, The 4-Hour Workweek, Influence, and Built to Last.

5. Podcasts. Podcasts are another great way to gain inspiration while on the go.

Next time you’re going for a walk or driving to work,

I would suggest you check out these top podcasts for entrepreneurs and business owners: StartUp, Marketplace, HBR IdeaCast, Social Media Marketing and RISE. 6. News outlets. Staying informed with what’s happening in your industry will help you make the best business decisions possible.

Publications such as Business 2 Community, Venture Beat, SmallBizDaily, and Small Business Trends all provide excellent information on everything that impacts your business.

7. COVID-19 resources.

Speaking of impacts on your business, it’s important to stay informed about the pandemic and CDC guidance on workplace safety.

8. Forums. When you have a more specific question or issue, forums are a great way to get answers directly from other business leaders. Forums like Quora and LinkedIn have plenty of business leaders online and willing to help.

9. TED Talks. These short presentations are meant to bring new ideas to the table and always pack a punch.

A few top-rated TED Talks include “8 Secrets of Success”

by Richard St. John, “The Biggest Reason Why Startups Succeed” by Bill Gross and “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” by Simon Sinek.

10. Influencers. There are many people who are known for being influential business leaders in their industry.

Business moguls such as Tim Cook, Oprah, Guy Kawasaki, in addition to many experts that focus specifically on small business such as Melina Emerson, Anita Campbell and John Jantsch are great people to follow on social media for inspiration.

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

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

PEOPLEINACTION

Julie Euber

The Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation has announced that Julie Euber will be their next CEO. Euber currently serves as the organization’s COO, and will be taking the CEO role from Liz Bowman, who has worked with SARSEF for 15 years and is “leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities.”

“I look forward to continuing SARSEF’s long tradition of supporting and celebrating opportunities for Arizona students to get involved in science and engineering,” Euber said in a press release. “It has been an incredible opportunity working with the SARSEF staff, board, and volunteers over the last two years. Their dedication and thoughtful work is making science and engineering more accessible to all students. I can’t wait to continue my work with them.”

SARSEF began as a regional science fair before expanding into a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting student science. Their largest work remains their annual Science and Engineering Fair, which sees around 2,000 student projects each year, competing for a combined $100,000 in prizes, trips and scholarships.

“When I became CEO, my goal of ensuring the sustainability of the organization was clear, and I am incredibly proud to have reached that goal,” Bowman said.

Kristin Powell

Dan Peterson

Daniel Arnon

Derrick Espadas

Tucson Values Teachers has awarded Copper Ridge Elementary School second-grade teacher Kristin Powell with their Teacher Excellence Award for September. Powell, who is currently in her third year of teaching in the Vail Unified School District, previously won the district’s Rookie of the Year Award.

“Kristin goes above and beyond to advocate for her students and is already helping all her students achieve academic excellence. Her ability to manage a classroom, smoothing transitions and keeping all students engaged, is what truly sets her apart,” said her colleague and nominator Shelly Pray.

Alignment Healthcare, a Medicare Advantage insurance company, has announced Dan Peterson as president of its Arizona market. In this new position, Peterson will lead the company’s expansion in the state. Alignment currently operates locations in California and Nevada.

Before joining Alignment, Peterson served as the CEO of Valor Health / Valor Hospice Care in Tucson. Prior to Valor, he spent nine years as vice president, general manager with CareMore Health Plan.

Peterson holds a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Arizona.

Daniel Arnon has been hired as new faculty in the University of Arizona’s College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. An assistant professor in the School of Government & Public Policy, Arnon researches political violence, biases in measuring human rights violations, and the dynamics of social cohesion. Arnon is also a principal researcher for the Political Terror Scale, an index of “state violations of physical integrity rights.” According to UA, Arnon’s work has appeared in the British Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Human Rights, and Conflict Management and Peace Science. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Emory University.

International Cultural Exchange Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to international students and education, has selected Derrick Espadas as a local coordinator for Tucson. Espadas plans to work with international high school students and the local families that host them.

According to an ICES release, Espadas feels that having exchange students in local schools and communities increases mutual understanding and improves relationships between countries.

“I’m excited to work with exchange students because I love to help others find new experiences,” Espadas said. “I teach high school math and business and love it when I can get students to enjoy working with numbers.”

OCT 8, 2021

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

UA Tech Parks leader appointed as Division President for International Network of Science Parks Carol Stewart, associate vice president of Tech Parks Arizona, has been appointed as the North America division president to the International Association of Science Parks. IASP represents more than 350 organizations in dozens of countries, working to develop networks of tech parks and innovation districts connected to universities. Tech Parks Arizona is the University of Arizona’s science park and business incubator, facilitating research and development by campus faculty and local businesses.

Stewart was unanimously approved by the IASP members. In her new role, she will help researchers “focus on the local issues most relevant to their part of the world, all within the framework of our global association.”

Before joining Tech Parks Arizona in 2019, Stewart served as the founding director of the Research and Technology Park at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and was a founding board member of the Association of University Research Parks.

“I am honored to serve as the North American Division President and the opportunity to play an active role on the International Board. I am thrilled to further deepen my current international relationships and spark new ones with my incubator, science park, and Areas of Innovation colleagues around the world and introduce my North American ecosystem leaders to the global opportunities that IASP presents for our startups, SMEs, and corporations that call university research and technology parks their home,” Stewart said.

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

OCT 8, 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

EMAIL YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS TO JEFF@TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM

City Council approves Rio Nuevo’s “Sunshine Mile Overlay” Jeff Gardner

Regina Romero said at the council meeting. “The urban overlay district provides an n Tuesday, Sept. optional zoning tool that 14, the Tucson City provides regulatory flexibility Council and Mayfor projects meeting certain or voted unanimously to requirements of the Sunset establish an urban overlay Mile vision.” district on Broadway Blvd.

According to Rio Nuevo, between Euclid and Country the overlay zone will lead to Club roads. The so-called more development, historic Sunshine Mile Overlay is a preservation and overall project supported by down- opportunities in the area. In town developer Rio Nuevo, preparing for the overlay disand would lead to new spaces trict, Rio Nuevo has acquired like shops and restaurants nearly 40 properties along developed in the area.

Broadway, including Fried“No changes are proposed man Block and Solot Plaza. to the existing zoning on During the council meetparcels within the overlay ing, community members district,” Tucson Mayor expressed concern over Inside Tucson Business

O

housing access and affordability, gentrification, and parking in the district.

As part of working toward the overlay, Rio Nuevo is spending up to $2 million to move seven historic bungalows on Broadway. The spaces cleared up by these moved buildings are planned to be used for restaurants, retail and business.

The developer plans to spend a total of $3 million of the Sunshine Mile project, with an estimated completion date of 2023. For more information, including maps and community input, visit rionuevo.org/project/ sunshine-mile-2

foot office building located in Old Farm Executive Park, 6019 E. Grant Rd., Lot 73 in North Santa Rosa, LLC Tucson. The single-tenant purchased 9,152 square feet office property was purchased of multifamily space locatfrom Fox Hollow Enterprises, ed at 1623-1641 N. Santa LLC, for $387,500. Thomas Rosa Ave. in Tucson. Santa J. Nieman, Principal, and Rosa Apartments, an 8-unit Office Specialist with Cushcomplex, was purchased from man & Wakefield | PICOR, BRInc Financial, LLC for represented the seller in this $1,070,000. Allan Mendels- transaction. Joseph Nehls, berg, Principal, and Conwith Sunvest Commercial, rad Martinez, Multifamily Inc., represented the buyer.

Specialists with Cushman & TUCSON ABI, LLC Wakefield | PICOR, reprepurchased 2,200 square sented both parties in this feet of office space at 3360 transaction.

N. Country Club Road Steve Freeman and Laura in Tucson, from the 1031 Freeman purchased 2,770 Exchange Company LLC/ square feet of multifamily Partheni Enterprises, LLC space located at 120 E. 33rd for $342,000. Molly Mary St. in Tucson. Studios on Gilbert, Office Specialist with 33rd Street, a 10-unit apart- Cushman & Wakefield | PIment complex, was purchased COR, represented the buyer from OF Management, in this transaction. Gary AnLLC for $595,000. Allan dros with Andros Properties, Mendelsberg, Principal, and represented the seller.

Conrad Martinez, Multifamily Specialists with Cushman & LEASES Wakefield | PICOR, repreThe Pain Center of sented both parties in this Arizona, PC, renewed their transaction. lease with St. Mary’s MOB, Ventana Canyon InvestLLC, for 5,027 square feet of ments, LLC, purchased medical office space located 5,832 square feet of multiin St. Mary’s Medical Plaza family space located at 3449, II, 1704 W. Anklam Rd., 3471, 3473 N. Geronimo Ave. and 350 E. Yavapai Rd. Suite 109 in Tucson. Thomas J. Nieman, Principal, and in Tucson. Brick Homes of Geronimo, a 12-unit apart- Office Specialist with Cushment complex, was purchased man & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in from BRInc Financial, LLC, this transaction. for $1,070,000. Allan Brett Interiors, Inc. leased Mendelsberg, Principal, and 2,923 square feet of inConrad Martinez, Multifami- dustrial space at Palo Verde ly Specialists with Cushman & Business Center, 3820 Wakefield | PICOR, repreS. Palo Verde Road, Suite sented both parties in this 106 in Tucson, from Palo transaction.

Verde Trust Partners, LLC. Biggan Properties, LLC Robert C. Glaser, Principal, purchased a 2,083-squareSIOR, CCIM, Paul Hook-

SALES

er, Principal, and Andrew Keim, Industrial Specialists with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Tim Healy with CBRE, Tucson, represented the tenant.

Total Care Connections, Inc., renewed their lease with Coronado Tower Tucson, LLC, for 2,371 square feet of office space located at 17 W. Wetmore Rd., Suite 100 in Tucson. Thomas J. Nieman, Principal, and Office Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Houghton Meat Market leased a 2,200-square-foot, freestanding building from Little Group, LLC, located at 10275 E. 22nd St., on the northwest corner of 22nd St. and Houghton Rd. in Tucson. Aaron LaPrise, Principal, and Retail Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the landlord in this transaction.

Skip Garcia, Jr., with Equity Partners Realty, LLC, represented the tenant.

Hospice of the West, LLC leased 2,023 square feet of office space from WCCP Rosemont, LLC, RPI Williams Circle, LLC, and PEA Williams Circle LLC, located at Williams Centre, 5255 E. Williams Circle, Suite 4100 in Tucson. Molly Mary Gilbert, Office Specialist with Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the tenant in this transaction. Philip Skillings with NAI Horizon, Tucson, represented the landlord.

Dolan Restoration & Construction leased 1,440 square feet of industrial space Continued on P6

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

OCT 8, 2021

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UA breaks ground on $99M ‘Grand Challenges’ research building Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

O

n Tuesday, Sept.

28, the University of Arizona broke ground on a seven-story research building next to the McKale Memorial Center that is expected to be completed in February 2024.

The $99 million building is the latest expansion for the Wyant College of Optical Sciences complex, which will occupy roughly half of the building’s 115,000-square-feet. The Grand Challenges Research Building is planned to serve as an interdisciplinary hub in the fields of quantum information science, biomedicine, space exploration and more.

“This building will expand educational opportunities and help us to address societal challenges by allowing our students and faculty to be together at the cutting edge of their fields, working side-by-side,” said Liesl Folks, university senior vice president for academic affairs. “This is obviously important to our graduate students who couldn’t do their work otherwise, but it also engages undergraduate students in research… It’s not always easy, but it is so powerful because it allows us to support our students in their transformation from knowledge consumers to knowledge creators.”

The Grand Challenges Research Building takes its name from one of five “pillars” of UA’s Strategic Plan, tackling society’s big-

gest challenges by enabling discoveries to shape the future. According to UA, the building will include a ground floor with public spaces, study spaces and meeting rooms to support student engagement and instruction, as well as three floors of laboratories and offices dedicated to faculty growth in the College of Optical Sciences.

The Grand Challenges Research Building is located next to UA’s Meinel Building, which itself also expanded the College of Optical Sciences when it opened in 2006.

“When I look at the [optics] buildings, and the research we’re doing in them now, almost none of that was thought of when the buildings were built. So I don’t know what’s going to happen in this new building during the next 50 years, but I do know it’s going to result in a lot of great discoveries, inventions and companies,” said James Wyant, professor emeritus, namesake and founding dean of the Wyant College of Optical Sciences.

The building will also contain three floors dedicated to other science, engineering and interdisciplinary research. In particular, the building will house the UA’s new Center for Quantum Networks, which is also led by the College of Optical Sciences.

The Center for Quantum Networks aims to “lay the foundations of the quantum internet” for unprecedented computer process-

ing and communication.

The Center for Quantum Networks is supported by a five-year, $26 million grant that the National Science Foundation awarded UA in August 2020.

“It will be a building that is inspiring to be in, and in my career I’ve found that there’s really nothing like that,” said Betsy Cantwell, UA senior vice president for research and innovation.

The Grand Challenges Research Building was designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects.

Kitchell Contractors, the construction firm that built UA’s Health Science Innovation Building in 2019, will be the contractor.

The new building is being constructed on Cherry Avenue in the place of a former parking lot next to the Cherry Avenue parking structure.

“We’re especially excited about the central role that optics and photonics holds in the future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Thomas Koch, dean of the Wyant College of Optical Sciences. “As human beings, we’re increasingly extending ourselves beyond the confines of our bodies and senses, with information and knowledge from the cloud or through intelligent autonomous systems. These will help us perform our jobs better, whether that be as a teacher, a surgeon or an engineer designing the solutions of tomorrow.” ITB

Courtesy of ZGF / BWS Architects.

An architectural mockup of the Grand Challenges Research Building, located on Cherry Avenue in the middle of the University of Arizona campus. The building is planned to be completed in early 2024.

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OCT 8, 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION Kickass Coatings leased 1,200 square feet of indusat Exchange Place, 1870 W. trial space at Town Central Prince Road, Suite 27 in Business Park, 4919 E. 29th Tucson, from Exchange Part- St in Tucson, from Presson ners, LLC. Robert C. Glaser, Corporation. Robert C. GlaSIOR, CCIM, Industrial ser, Principal, SIOR, CCIM, Specialist with Cushman & Paul Hooker, Principal, and Wakefield | PICOR, repreAndrew Keim, Industrial sented the landlord in this Specialists with Cushman & transaction.

Wakefield | PICOR, repreHigh Desert Woodcraft, sented the landlord in this LLC leased 1,400 square feet transaction. of industrial space at Dodge Helping Hands CounBusiness Center, 3240 S. seling LLC leased 195 Dodge Blvd., Suite 9 in Tuc- square feet of office space son, from Dodge Business at Ruthrauff Commerce Plaza Partners, LLC. Robert Center, 2410 W. Ruthrauff C. Glaser, Principal, SIOR, Road, Suite 100V in Tucson, CCIM, Industrial Specialist, from Ruthrauff Partners, Paul Hooker, Principal, and LLC. Robert C. Glaser, Andrew Keim, Industrial Principal, SIOR, CCIM, Specialists with Cushman & Paul Hooker, Principal, and Wakefield | PICOR, repreAndrew Keim, Industrial sented the landlord in this Specialists with Cushman & transaction. Tyler LaBelle Wakefield | PICOR, reprewith Harvey Mordka Realty, sented the landlord in this represented the tenant. transaction. ITB Continued from P4

BUSINESS CALENDAR Tuesday, Oct. 12 • The Tucson Metro Chambers holds a ribbon cutting at Antsy Nancy, LLC. Details: 9-10 a.m.; 5655 E. River Road, #101; free; rsvp info@antsy-nancy. com or 639-6458.

• Southern Arizona SCORE offers webinar Franchise Creator. Details: 4:30 p.m.; southernarizona.score.org.

Wednesday, Oct. 13 • The Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) offers a webinar on Small Business Payroll with guest speaker CPA Tanya Luken.

Details: 9-11 a.m.; free pre-registration required; asba.com or 480-784-0725.

• The Oro Valley Business Club luncheon features motivational speaker Jessica

Cox. Details: 11 a.m. (netEMAIL DETAILS FOR YOUR BIZ EVENTS TO working), noon-1 p.m. (lunch SHERYL@TUCSONLOCALMEDIA.COM and program); Oro Valley Community Center Sunset Room, 10555 N. La Cañada • Southern Arizona SCORE ed donation to benefit the Drive; $30, $25 members; offers a webinar on Market- non-profit of the month; Tucorovalleybusinessclub.com. ing 101 – Create Your Roadm- sonlgbtchamber.org.

• The Greater Oro Valap to Success. Details: 11 a.m.; ley Chamber of Commerce southernarizona.score.org.

• The Greater Oro Valley holds a ribbon cutting at The • The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of- Chamber of Commerce Landing. Details: 4 p.m.; 8795 fers a webinar with Blue Cross holds a customer develop- N. Oracle Road; free; 297-2191.

• The Tucson Metro ChamBlue Shield Arizona on health ment mixer at Pima Fedplans for chamber members. eral Credit Union. Details: ber holds Chamber XChange Details: 9-10 a.m.; pre-regis- 5-7 p.m.; Corporate Plaza, Networking Happy Hour at tration required; Azhcc.com. 6850 N. Oracle Road; $10, $5 The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club. De• The Arizona Small Busi- members; 297-2191. tails: 5-7 p.m.; 6200 N. Clubness Association (ASBA) ofhouse Lane; free, members fers startup funding webinar ITB Angel Investing: Disruption • The Tucson LGBT Cham- only; tucsonchamber.org.

Creates New Opportunities. ber holds the October Send your biz events to calDetails: 9-10:30 a.m.; free but Breakfast. Details: 8-9:30 pre-registration required; a.m.; Zoom link provided on endar editor Sheryl Kocher at asba.com or 480-784-0725. registration; $10 suggest- sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com.

Thursday, Oct. 14

Thursday, Oct. 21

Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Tucson Cancer Conquerors provide community and direction

The Northwest’s Newspaper

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Breast Cancer Awareness month:

Screening, survival and support

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very October, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all of our papers in the Tucson Local Media group—The Explorer, Marana News, Foothills News, Desert Times, Inside Tucson Business and Tucson Weekly—bring a special focus to a disease that will affect nearly 6,000 Arizona women and their families in 2021.

Fortunately, the treatment for breast cancer has come a long way, although the American Cancer Society estimates the cancer will kill nearly 900 women this year.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, being treated for cancer has been even more challenging than usual. Contributor Emily Dieckman talks with women who had to be extra-cautious during chemotherapy because the procedure takes such a toll on their immune system. Plus, at times, they couldn’t bring family to the appointments for sup-

To do list: Self-Check Get Mammogram Shop at Goose

Courtesy photo

port. But they nonetheless found help thanks to Cancer Conquerors, a support group that lets women share their stories and work out to rebuild their strength.

As one cancer survivor in the group explains, “Without a group like this, especially during this time, I mean, where you do you get the answers? How do you get perspective? How do you see someone who’s been through it, and they’re doing great, and they’re happy? And they’re happier than they were before because they’re more grateful from everything they’ve been through?”

Another important key to fighting breast cancer is early detection through screening. But with the novel coronavirus outbreak, many people have put off those screenings.

This March, the National Cancer Institute reported that the pandemic initially led to sharp decreases in the use

of recommended cancer screening tests, and due to cancer’s generally slow growth, the impact of the pandemic on overall cancer deaths will not be clear for many years.

In these pages, Carol Roder of the American Cancer Society explains why it’s so important to catch the disease early and start treatment.

Finally, Tucson Local Media health columnist Mia Smitt examines the different kinds of breast cancer as well as various treatment options. She even shares an inspriring story about how it’s never too late or hopeless to recover from the disease.

While it’s easy to put off medical appointments, especially during a pandemic, be sure to schedule an appointment with your doctor for a breast cancer screening if you’ve put it off. It could make the difference in your survival.

Jim Nintzel Executive Editor

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Cancer and COVID: ‘Two Things That Can Kill Me’ Breast cancer patients face treatment and isolation and amid the pandemic Emily Dieckman

Special to Tucson Local Media

T

he doctor said it was probably nothing.

Fatty tissue, if anything. Nina Shelton said she’d like to get a mammogram anyway. The lump didn’t feel like nothing to her, and it didn’t feel normal. She passed the time waiting for her mammogram results with fastidious, furious researching. It was March 2020, and COVID-19 had turned the world into a whirlwind of case infection updates, while also making it feel

eerily still.

Shelton had just moved to Tucson a few months earlier, so she didn’t have anyone to bring to her appointment with her. She dialed her sister and brought her to the appointment on speaker phone. She’d researched so much that her cancer diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise, but her bad news felt almost like screaming into a void. She wrote later that, though it felt selfish to say so, it was almost like COVID-19 stole her thunder.

“I felt a little selfish thinking that, but at the same time, I just thought,

‘This is a big deal.’ And my friends and family were so sympathetic and comforting from miles away,” she says. “But it was at the same time thousands of people were dying at a daily rate, and people were in panic mode and wearing masks.

It felt like it just diminished my issue a little bit.”

Shelton is the first to acknowledge that, in a lot of ways, she was fortunate.

The pandemic made it easy for her to work from home with her suppressed immune system, since almost everyone in her office was working from home as well. She had a friend drive

out to stay with her for the first two weeks of chemotherapy, and then her sister came to visit. In another sense, it was just good she’d noticed the lump at all. Institutions across the country are publishing research showing that the number of people coming in for routine annual screenings, including mammograms, declined during the pandemic.

But, in another sense, having cancer during a pandemic meant facing a unique sort of isolation.

Shelton didn’t have family in town, but even if she did, they wouldn’t be allowed to accompany her to appointments. Sometimes she would go into work, masked up and sitting far from her coworkers, just to be around other people. Some of her coworkers would bring her meals, or check in on her periodically. It meant a lot.

“I think a lot of people were experiencing loneliness, and the sting, was, I think, a little bit lessened because a lot of people were experiencing it,” she said.

“There were people going through their own trauma with their own pandemic issues and they were stepping up to help me in the ways that they could. It was always this back and forth of feeling incredibly grateful and feeling a little pity and anger.”

At the same time that

she felt steeped in loneliness, cancer also became something of a constant companion, living with her, telling her what to do and feel, trying to control her. And Shelton felt compelled to learn everything she could about this new shadow following her everywhere. When she read stories about how people with the same diagnosis as her had fared, she says it felt almost like looking up the exes of a person she was now dating.

“Is cancer still affecting them? Has he left? Have they gotten over cancer?” she wondered.

She says one of her biggest tools to fight against the cancer, and against the potential for inadequate medical care, was using her voice. So, when her doctor told her the lump was probably benign fatty tissue, she insisted on a test.

When she was having lung problems during chemotherapy, doctors thought it might be COVID-19, or maybe allergies. Shelton suspected she had a temporary, rare condition in which the chemotherapy was attacking her lungs.

Her doctors said it was unlikely, but Shelton insisted on a test. She was right.

“I had to learn to be more vocal about my care,” she says. “I had to learn to be a bigger advocate. That was trial and error: When do I listen to my doctor

and where do I push back?

But when I spoke up, I pushed back [about the initial mammogram], that literally saved my life.”

Lisa Yiu: “It was very scary.”

Lisa Yiu’s particular flavor of struggle was closer to denial. She felt a breast lump in the shower in November 2020, and mentioned it to her husband, even though she was sure it would be fine. She ate healthily, she’d been exercising regularly since she was a teenager and she only drank the occasional glass of wine at dinner. Still, her husband wanted her to get it looked at right away. She got the call that it was cancer on Thanksgiving Day. She kept asking herself—and she keeps asking herself—what she did wrong? Was it the hysterectomy she’d had in her 40s? Or the stress from the pandemic? Was it that she’d been drinking a little more than usual (adding a martini into the dinner rotation here and there) to cope with the stress? She’d been on a safari in Africa in early 2020, and arrived home to self-quarantine and COVID-19 chaos. The months of stay-at-home orders threw the whole world out of whack.

See Cancer Conquerors, P5

Cancer Conquerors

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Photo courtesy Tucson Cancer Conquerors

Cancer Conquerors founder and president Liz Amli (second from left) with Dawn Messer, Ken Harvey, Mary SpecioBoyer and Deb Helig .

Continued from P4

“I didn’t think about doing health visits, mammograms,” she says. “All I could think about was, ‘Do I have enough toilet paper? Am I stocked up on canned foods?’”

After they found the cancer, and as the pandemic raged on, Yiu started chemotherapy, and having a weak immune system made social distancing more critical than ever. Now, she says, it felt like there were two things that could kill her: cancer and COVID-19. Going to the store felt dangerous, because other people felt dangerous, like potential sources of infection.

“My husband couldn’t go to appointments with me, my parents couldn’t go to appointments with me,” she says. “I was really in this alone. It was very scary.”

When vaccinations started rolling out, she was relieved, and her doctor recommended she get one, but it was nerve wracking. How would her weakened immune system respond? Would the vaccine affect the effectiveness of her chemotherapy?

There weren’t yet studies on how the vaccine affected cancer patients, though University of Arizona Health Sciences released one last week that found the Pfizer vaccine is less effective for patients actively undergoing chemotherapy. The first round wasn’t bad, but the second shot had her down for four days—after the week she was already down due to chemotherapy.

Now, she’s on the upand-up, having recently got her booster shot and finished with her treatments. She’s trying to exercise every day, and en-

joying that she now finds herself craving organic vegetables. As she watches her daughter in her first year of college at the University of Arizona, she’s filled with hope for the future.

Tucson Cancer Conquerors Shelton, Yiu and dozens of other cancer survivors can be found most Saturday mornings at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, exercising with Tucson Cancer Conquerors, a local nonprofit established in 2014 and dedicated to empowering cancer survivors by promoting healthy survivorship.

Liz Almli, the organization’s president and one of its founders, is a physician.

When she went through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment more than 14 years ago, she says she

Breast Cancer Screening can save your life.

It saved mine! ...sur v ivor for 8 year s !

—Lisa Bayless Long Realty

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

had a large support network and plenty of resources. But after her treatment was over, she felt unsure about what to do next.

“I remember getting in my car kind of sitting there in the silence thinking, ‘Now what? Do I just wait for it to come back?’” she says. “At least when you’re going through treatment, you’re there every other week. You know you’re doing something to kill the cancer. But when you stop treatment, you feel like you’re waiting for it to come back, and I needed to have a way to do something proactive. And what can you do? Exercise, nutrition, education.”

The group started as a small group of survivors getting together to exercise at the park, but has grown into an organization of more than 100 cancer survivors and “buddies,” who come along for support.

They’ve got a book club, a gardening group, retreats and monthly birthday dinners. As Almli likes to

put it, they’re not a “sit-inthe-circle-with-a-tissuebox” kind of group.

“TCC is just such a beautiful thing,” Shelton says. “They were such a godsend for me…. You’ve got this whole group of people who understand you in a way none of your friends or family do.”

On Saturday mornings, there are three separate workout groups: The “Get Fit” classes, led by certified personal trainers, are suitable for all levels and take into consideration the healing process of cancer patients. There’s also a “Get Started” group with lower impact exercises, and a third group of people who walk around the park together. Almli, decked out in a TCC shirt, hat and even socks, explains that they encourage people to change walking partners every 10 minutes, so they can get to know more of their fellow survivors.

On Saturday morning, the workouts are all winding down, and we smile

and wave at Shelton as she comes back with the walking group. Most everyone is chatty and high-spirited as they begin making their way over to a plaza area near the butterfly sanctuary for morning coffee and announcements.

A woman named Jennifer Moulton, another breast cancer survivor, bounds up to Almli and says she’s thinking about bringing a new person to the group – a friend of a friend who was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

They’d met up at Starbucks last week to talk, and Moulton even offered to show the woman how her own reconstructed breasts looked.

“I’ve never met you before—you’re a friend of a friend, and that makes you a friend of mine,” she says. “Let’s go in the bathroom, lock the door.

I stripped down. I’m like you can touch ’em, you can look at ’em. Side view, under view.”

Shelton and Almli laugh along knowingly.

This fearless sharing of experiences is very much in the spirit of the group, because many of the members recall what it was like to feel clueless and scared at the beginning of their own journeys. Now that they’re further along, they’re happy to tell others a little bit about what they can expect. Almli says its’s not uncommon for people at meetings to ask, “Is anyone here willing to show me their scars?” or, “Is anyone here with implants willing to show me what they look like?” At least a few women raise their hands yes for the offer.

“Without a group like Photo courtesy Tucson Cancer Conquerors this, especially during this time, I mean, where you Dawn Messer and Jean Thomas found support with Tucson Cancer Conquerors. do you get the answers?”

Yiu says. “How do you get perspective? How do you count themselves in the strengthened her relationsee someone who’s been camp of people who are ship with her siblings. through it, and they’re now more grateful for “I’m not going to be doing great, and they’re the little things. Yiu jokes here forever,” Yiu tells her happy? And they’re hap- that when her arms get daughter sometimes. “But pier than they were be- sore during a workout, I’m going to be here for a fore because they’re more she remembers she’s lucky long time. We can enjoy grateful from everything to have arms at all. Shel- what we have, and just be they’ve been through?” ton says the isolation of happy—pandemic or not, Shelton and Yiu both the pandemic and cancer cancer or not.”

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Health & Wellness: Breast cancer can affect anyone at any age Mia Smitt

Special to Tucson Local Media

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ctober is breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign to raise both awareness and money for research and treatment. Many organizations participate with fund raising activities such as the Susan G. Komen march, the Association of Flight Attendants “get your pink on,” and Avon cosmetics “Pink Yourself.”

Even the National Football League has its “A Critical Catch –Annual Screening” and Dick’s Sporting Goods decorates its stores in pink and donates $250,000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation every year.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women (skin cancer is first). While the vast majority of those who develop breast cancer are women, this disease also can affect men. The most recent stats available, from 2017, show that 42,000 women and 510 men died of breast cancer that year. It is estimated that there will be 284,200 new cases diagnosed this year.

According to the National Cancer Institute, 12% of women in the United States (that’s one in eight) will develop breast cancer during their lifetimes. One in 800 men, .12%, will be diagnosed. While most breast cancer occurs in women over age 55, young women are not immune and 12% occur in women under 45.

So what is cancer? It is the rapid growth of abnormal cells when the DNA in normal cells somehow

becomes damaged. Sometimes the body can destroy these aberrant cells, but more often they proliferate and divide more quickly than healthy cells. They form a mass or lump and can spread to other parts of the body invading healthy tissue. There are several types of breast cancer depending on where it is located in the breast.

• Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) is an early form of breast cancer. The abnormal cells inside a milk duct have not spread to other parts of the breast or adjacent lymph nodes. Treatment may include surgery and radiation therapy.

• Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) is the most common type of breast cancer and starts in those cells that line a milk duct.

Cancer cells break through the duct wall and spread in to adjoining breast tissue and can then spread to other parts of the body though the bloodstream or lymph system.

• Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) starts in the milk producing glands, or lobules. This too can spread to other parts of the body.

Of interest is that this form of breast cancer will affect both breasts in about 20% of women.

What can be confusing is Lobular Carcinoma in Situ.

This is not actually cancer but the precursor and is often found on biopsy or imaging studies other than mammograms for another suspicious lump or mass.

There are other, less common, breast cancers also.

Treatment of invasive breast cancers will depend

on the type and “stage” of the cancer—how advanced it is and where it may have spread. Different surgeries include lumpectomy (just tumor removal), mastectomy (breast removal) and lymph node removal. Radiation treatment may be an external beam to target either just the cancer site or the entire breast. Systemic treatments include chemotherapy, anticancer drugs that may be given as intravenous medication on a scheduled basis or an oral pill taken daily depending on the particular cancer.

Hormonal therapy is used when the cancer cells have receptors for estrogen or progesterone (a receptor is a site on a cell surface that can bind with a particular substance). Hormone blockers help prevent cancer growth and may be taken for many years.

Then there is “targeted therapy” which kills cancer cells by interfering with specific proteins in the cell that promote growth. Research has opened new avenues for successful treatment and continues to explore ways to treat breast cancer.

The five-year survival rates are approximately 99% for localized disease (breast tissue only), 86% for regional involvement (cancer affecting nearby lymph nodes) and 28% for distant reach (a farther spread such as to bones, lungs and liver). But these statistics change with improved treatment and should be individualized.

There are breast cancer symptoms that warrant evaluation. A lump that is

new and not associated with the menstrual cycle (but not all breast lumps are cancer!), changes in the appearance of the nipple, any change or puckering of breast skin, any nipple discharge, and changes in the size or appearance of a breast compared to the other need to be evaluated. Breast pain is NOT a common symptom of cancer.

Breast cancer cannot be prevented but there are ways to reduce the risk of any cancers. Not smoking, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and eating vegetables and fruits every day are healthy lifestyle choices.

As with many other illnesses, screening is essential. Monthly self breast

exam is recommended by some organizations and health care providers but has not been found to be as effective as clinical exams.

Routine mammograms, ultrasound imaging, and MRIs can detect the smallest cancers for earlier treatment. Screening rates vary by state, with Rhode Island taking the prize at 87% and Alaska the worst at 67.3%, as reported by the National Cancer Society. Arizona’s screening rate was 71%, not bad but we can do better.

Unfortunately the COVID pandemic halted or delayed many screening exams (and treatment) for numerous people and health care institutions across the country.

Hopefully we can get back on track in 2022.

If I may share a personal note: My dear grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 99. Yes, 99! She had a total mastectomy followed by oral chemotherapy, tolerated both and lived alone until she was 102. She had no cognitive decline when she died (not from breast cancer) just before her 104th birthday. So don’t let age stop you from following up on any suspicious symptoms and enjoying good health.

Mia Smitt is a nurse practitioner with a specialty in family practice. She recently retired and settled in Tucson. She is originally from San Francisco.

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Breast Cancer Awareness 2021

Guest Commentary: Cancer screening saves lives Carol Roder

Special to Tucson Local Media

T

he American Cancer Society is urging women to talk to their doctors about the time and breast cancer screening that is best for them.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, elective medical procedures, including cancer screenings, were largely put on hold to prioritize urgent needs and reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. One consequence of this has been a substantial decline in cancer screening. According to ACS Senior Development Manager Denis Cournoyer, “Health care facilities are providing cancer screening during the pandemic with many safety precautions in place so now, more than ever, it’s time to get back on track with screenings.”

For the American Cancer Society, the end of breast cancer begins with research. ACS’s research program has played a role in many of the prevention, screening, and treatment advances that help save lives from breast cancer today.

“Breast cancer mortality has declined in recent decades—31% between 1991 and 2018—due in

part to progress in screening technologies and an increase in screening services like mammograms.

That translates to approximately 3.2 million cancer deaths averted during that timeframe,” reports Cournoyer.

In Arizona, it is estimated that 5,850 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021; about 900 will die of the disease. Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms.

This is why regular breast cancer screening is so important.

Finding breast cancer early and getting state-ofthe-art cancer treatment are the most important strategies to prevent deaths from breast cancer. Breast cancer that’s found early, when it’s small and has not spread, is easier to treat successfully. Getting regular screening tests is the most reliable way to find breast cancer early. The American Cancer Society has screening guidelines for women at average risk of breast cancer, and for those at high risk for breast cancer.

The ACS guidelines are for women at average risk for breast cancer.

For screening purposes, a woman is considered to be at average risk if she doesn’t have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong fam-

ily history of breast cancer, or a genetic mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer (such as in a BRCA gene) and has not had chest radiation therapy before the age of 30. (See below for guidelines for women at high risk.)

• Women between 40 and 44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year.

• Women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.

• Women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.

Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live at least 10 more years.

• All women should understand what to expect when getting a mammogram for breast cancer screening—what the test can and cannot do.

The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. We invest in lifesaving research, provide 24/7 information and support, and work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. For more information, visit cancer.org.

Carol Roder is with the American Cancer Society’s South Region.

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INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

OCT 8, 2021

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OCT 8, 2021

Realtor’s donation brings robots into elementary classrooms Jeff Gardner

Four of the six schools are in the Amphitheater district: Copper Creek, Donaldson Elementary, Harelson Elementary and Innovation t’s no surprise to hear local realtor Lisa Bayless is Academy. The new Dove supporting charity, as she Mountain CSTEM school in Marana Unified is also donates a portion of every involved, as is Oyama Elecommission to local nonprofits as part of her “com- mentary in Tucson Unified. munity first” program, and A total of 20 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers will take is on-track to hit $80,000 part in the project. in donations by the end of “My husband and I dethe year. cided we wanted to support But her latest donation schools this year because will allow teachers and of all the craziness that students in six local schools greatly impacted them over to have first-hand experithe last year.

And we also ence with more than 500 feel strongly about STEM robots, thanks to Bayless’ in elementary education,” recent $25,000 gift to the Bayless said. “Of course we nonprofit STEMAZing Project, which advocates for wanted to support schools, science education through- but we also believe a STEM education is crucial for how out Arizona.

Inside Tucson Business

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the world is developing. We want to position kids for success.”

The program is a collaboration between the STEMAZing Project and the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation, and will supply more than 500 Edison educational robots and supporting supplies, as well as two full days of professional-development training for the participating teachers.

While the STEMAZing Project supports science education and literacy, they do this by supplying and educating science teachers for a more productive classroom.

“I’m still in shock,” said DaNel Hogan, director of The STEMAZing Project.

“Teachers don’t typically get

this kind of loot or support.

Generally they get one thing or just a few. But now they’re also getting entire classroom sets of books. In a perfect world, this is what this program would look like. And in this case, it’s a perfect world.”

Hogan initially received a message through the STEMAZing website from Bayless’ husband, Jeff Stitt.

At first she didn’t believe it, but she still followed up and their offer turned out to be real. Bayless and Stitt’s donation was originally planned to be $5,000. However, this gradually increased to $25,000 as STEMAZing scaled up the project for more opportunities to teachers and students.

“We had 24 robots for a class, but that was almost like torture, because if we had 16, we’d have a robot for every two students, and if we had 32 there’d be one for each.

So we went back and asked them for more to really do this right, and they said yes. I was in awe,” Hogan said.

Teacher training with the robots is taking place over two Saturdays at SARSEF’s Catalyst location in the Tucson mall. At the trainings, local teachers learn the basics of the robots and how to best implement them for student learning. The first day allowed the teachers to familiarize themselves with the small, two-wheeled robots. The second day, the teachers worked to figure out engineering challenges they can recreate in the classroom, such as a robot missing a part and working around it. Bayless got to see the impact of her charity when she attended the first training session.

Photo courtesy of STEMAZing

Lisa Bayless (standing) talks with teachers practicing with robots in SARSEF’s Catalyst makerspace.

“The teachers were incredibly grateful,” said Bayless, who refers to her donations as investments because she believes they make for a better community.

“How enthusiastic they were to learn this and bring it into their classrooms was so moving. It’s just as important a boost to the teachers as it is to the kids.”

While Hogan hopes the project will result in more students interested in science, technology, engineering and math, she specifically hopes it will get more students interested in the realms of computer science and cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity is one field where we need loads of support and workers.

There are not nearly enough computer programmers in the field of cybersecurity,” Hogan said. “Programming and computer science is now and will continue to be one of the biggest areas of need.

So the idea is to give students a really positive experience with computer programming early on so they can see

themselves as someone who can do this type of work. We don’t expect all of them to love it, but some certainly will, and definitely more than if they didn’t have this experience early on.”

Hogan says this donation will fund the pilot for the STEMAZing/SARSEF Elementary Edison Robotics project, and plans to bring it to more local schools in the coming years.

“I’m overwhelmed by how generous this is,” Hogan said. “We’re excited someone is willing to invest in our teachers and students, especially right now. The best thing this program is doing has nothing to do with STEM, actually. It’s making all of the teachers involved feel valued and appreciated, and it’s giving them time to have fun and remember why they love teaching.

Because right now teachers are not doing OK, and the most important thing we can do is provide them with a morale boost.” ITB

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

OCT 8, 2021

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TECH TALK

Slowing cancer growth, and an Arizona science teacher goes to space the team studied, the protein PIM1 kinase prevented HIF1 from being destroyed and stopping rampant growth.

In turn, the research team ith a major is looking to use drugs to research univerinhibit protein production sity right in our and slow tumor growth. backyard, a strong military “Normally HIF-1 wouldn’t presence and innovative be turned on in healthy, oxycompanies throughout the metro region, there’s often genated tissue,” Dr. Warfel said in a UA release. “If we a plethora of interesting turn down PIM1, we might science, medical and technology news to be found in be able to turn off HIF-1 and reduce tumor angiogenSouthern Arizona. Here’s esis and subsequent tumor a breakdown of the most growth, which has long been interesting recent a clinical goal hampered by developments. the lack of effective drugs that target HIF-1.”

Slowing cancer growth.

Researchers found that Researchers at the University drugs targeting PIM1 kinase of Arizona have discovered a can overcome resistance to mechanism for controlling inhibitors and show greater blood vessel growth in tumors, which may hold a key activity against the tumor than either drug alone. to slowing cancer growth.

In the future, Dr. Warfel The research, led by UA assistant professor of cellular hopes to take the research into clinical trials as a new and molecular medicine Noel Warfel, was published strategy to improve cancer therapy. in the science journal Oncogene.

The future of space According to UA, tumors missions. The first-ever need a constant blood and spaceflight with only private oxygen supply for growth.

Sometimes to fill that need, citizens launched into orbit on Thursday, Sept. 16, with tumors “hijack” the proan Arizona science teacher cess of angiogenesis, or on board. SpaceX’s Inspithe growth of new blood vessels. Warfel and compa- ration4 flight launched ny’s research has discovered from the Kennedy Space a mechanism tumors use to Center in Florida with four keep blood vessels growing, aboard: businessman Jared and driving cancer growth. Isaacman, physician assistant While growing new blood Hayley Arceneaux, Air Force veteran Christopher Semvessels, a protein called HIF-1 activates genes needed broski, and science teacher Sian Proctor, who teaches for further growth. When at a Phoenix communioxygen levels are normal, ty college. The three-day cells will destroy HIF-1 to stop too much growth. But spaceflight raised funds for in certain cancerous tumors St. Jude Children’s Research

Jeff Gardner

Inside Tucson Business

W

Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where Arceneaux works.

Sian Proctor is a geology professor at South Mountain Community College, a science communicator who has appeared on multiple TV shows, and on Sept. 16, became the first Black woman to ever pilot a spacecraft.

Proctor earned her role as mission pilot by winning an entrepreneur competition.

As the second-in-command, Proctor was “responsible for calling up checklists, monitoring systems and executing commands.”

A documentary on Inspiration4, “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space,” which details the mission as it happened, is currently available on Netflix.

Native knowledge. The US and Arizona Departments of Education have awarded the University of Arizona $2.4 million to expand its Indigenous Teacher Education Program. The program, which is housed in the College of Education, is aimed at increasing the amount of Indigenous teachers who work with Indigenous children, building sustainable relationships between UA and tribal communities, and giving current education more of a focus on Indigenous peoples.

The program is co-directed by Valerie Shirley and Jeremy Garcia, who are both associate professors of teaching, learning and sociocultural studies. They founded the program to prepare

Indigenous teachers “to engage transformative teaching and learning practices that consider the unique cultural and political contexts of Indigenous communities.”

The funding comes from both the US and Arizona Departments of Education: $1 million from the Arizona Department of Education and $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Indian Education Professional Development program.

“The Indigenous Teacher Education Program is one of many ways the University of Arizona has committed to serving Native American students and communities throughout our state and

Courtesy illustration.

Researchers at the University of Arizona are studying how to slow cancerous growth by inhibiting certain proteins that fuel tumors.

region,” said UA president Robert Robbins. “This latest round of funding proves that the work that Dr. Shirley, Dr. Garcia and their ITEP colleagues are

doing is having a real impact, and I look forward to seeing how this important program carries that work even further.” ITB

10

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OCT 8, 2021

ON THE MENU

The spicy breakfast menudo at Mulligans Sports Grill is a family affair recipe with the addition of red chiles to make it more like the Guadalajara version. While she admits that wars have nearly broken out between her native white and rival red menudo camps, she more closely associates with the red version now because it’s “more flavorful and colorful.”

Given the community nature of this meal and the celebrations through which it’s slurped, the time finally came for Baker to convince her bosses at Mulligans, the Tucson restaurant where she works today at 9403 E. Golf Links Road, to put her Sunday brunch menu. family’s menudo on their “It didn’t take any convincing since I believed in it before I even tried it,” said C.J. Hamm, Mulligans’ partner/chef. “As soon as Vanessa told me her idea, I told her to get it on the menu now; when I tried it, once it hit my lips, I knew it was the real deal and I was proud to have it.”

Hamm also recognized the menudo’s perfect fit with the chef-driven and Chamber Chatter scratch-based Sunday brunch program that he The Home Stretch and his team have built at Mulligans.

“We want our dishes to be recognizable as well as regional, and that means offering universally unSeeds of Success derstood concepts while reminding you that you’re in Tucson,” Hamm said.

One example is their biscuits and gravy, localized with a house-made ancho chile sausage gravy. And

that these steaming bowls of beef stomach stew were at the center of the table for all family celebrations and ucson cook Vanessa holidays.

Baker wasn’t surprised “My favorite holiday when her 8-yearis Christmas because I old son revealed that he have memories of making wants to be a chef when he menudo with my mother, grows up. What he doesn’t brother and sister,” said know is that he’s the fourth Baker. “We all had different generation in a family with roles, one of us prepared culinary traditions steeped the ingredients, one gathin tripe broth. ered the pots and pans, one Mama Baker first learned brought the birotes bread. how to make menudo at We were all involved.” her mother’s side, with a Her nana’s original famrecipe handed down from ily recipe was for a white her grandmother, in their menudo, the version for Mexico home in Caborca, which Sonora is known.

Sonora. She was 9-yearsBut in a maverick move, old, and she remembers Baker decided to tweak the

Matt Russell

Special to Inside Tucson Business

T

News and features for Tucson and Southern Arizona’s business and legal communities Chamber Chatter Tucson’s momentum to spur success in 2021

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Celebrating Small Businesses, One Copper Cactus Trophy at a Time | Page 2

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Cyberinfrastructure, quantum sensing and pest eradication

Last Call?

Volume 29• Number 4

Local bars sue Pima County, saying they can’t survive COVID curfew Nicole Ludden

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Pima County’s 2021 transportation projects

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CLOSED AND OPEN Page 10

Engineering firms

Building Momentum Page 11

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June 18, 2021

Christina Duran Inside Tucson Business / Page 4 A Smartphone COVID Test and Virtual Science Fairs

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS

meat boxes and, of course, COVID 2020’s Top Columns: Whiskey, Commercial real estate

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

thriving despite pandemic

It’s time for a renewed push for renewable energy

Officials ‘devastated’ as feds extend nonessential border travel ban

Volume 29• Number 13

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Flora’s Market Crudo Bar elevates the raw food conversation

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Mayor wants Uhlich to return as replacement PEOPLE Page 4 IN ACTION

New promotions, hires and awards Page 3 STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIP PUBLIC SERVICE

Financial trio donates to Gospel Rescue Mission

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BOOK OF LISTS

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS Real estate appraisers, brokers , and mortgage lenders

REAL ESTATE

Page 13

Page 15 Meritage Homes Developing Multiple Communities in Vail Chicano Por La Causa charter schools bring students across the finish line Page 10

COVID IMPACTS

UNEVEN RECOVERY

+ Speaking with the new CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Minority-owned businesses face unique challenges

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| Page 6 in a virtual year Volcanoeslearning Pima JTED balances hands-on

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UA researchers study how to cure bad breath in dogs

Space bucks and robot surgeons

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LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

COBRA SUBSIDY

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Understanding health care law changes

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FEDERAL FUNDING

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VENUE GRANTS

Sen. Kelly tours Rialto, highlights aid program

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“PAST THE WORST OF IT”

Nurses look back on lessons learned during the past year

UA researchers stops COVID reports

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Hospitals, hospice, and assisted living facilities

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Colleges, universities and optics companies

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

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Etherton Gallery to move locations after three decades New promotions, hires and awards THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS Page 5 Art Galleries Page 3

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Photo courtesy UA / NASA

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2021

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29• Number

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Nonprofi t Perspective Would your

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from

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Pima JTED balances hands-on learning in a virtual year

and bucksInside Tucson Business / Page 4 Jeff Gardner Space robot surgeons Page

RECOVERYWORST

“PAST

THE

researchers

Heroes

on lessons 8 back / Page look Business Nurses Duran Inside Tucson

learned

during

the past

year

stops COVID

Sun Corridor

Page

Pages

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

REAL ESTATE

IN ACTION

hires and

Arizona

building

Understanding health care law changes

venuesPage 10 are once again

Regan

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scheduling

THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS shows and Colleges, universities10 and optics companies

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10

NUMBERS OF LISTS living YEAR’S assisted THIS hospice, and

opening

their

doors

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IN ACTION

New promotions, Page hires and 3

Page 6

awards

| Page

UA researchers

6

breath study how in to cure Page dogs bad 4

Still in business after 43 years

PEOPLE

STARTUPS

‘HOWL-ITOSIS’

DEVELOPMENT

Plaza Liquors and Fine Wines

BOOK

Hospitals, facilities 14 & 15

New promotions, 3 Page

Margaret

REAL ESTATE

DEVELOPMENT New promotions, and awards plan ECONOMIChires PLAYBOOK Page 3 PIVOT releases post-COVID

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OF IT”

reports

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aid

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in nation

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Courtesy photo

the breakfast hash, which Hamm calls “Hash Rules Everything Around Me,” brings together potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted poblano peppers, eggs, and house-made pork chorizo.

Another cheffy touch is their portfolio of artisan butters, including a steakhouse compound butter that’s served with the steak and eggs, a Buffalo honey butter that comes with the spicy chicken biscuit, and a butter made with Guinness beer for melting over the flapjacks.

But it’s Baker’s menudo that sits atop the nine-item brunch menu, quite literally, and it’s available by the cup and bowl every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the eastside sports bar and grill.

So what is Baker’s position on the widely held belief that menudo is a cure for, shall we say, spirituous

overindulging the night before?

“I believe it, it’s a breakfast for revival,” she said, “and we put chiltepin peppers on the side to wake you up.”

That Hamm hasn’t officially branded the Mulligans Sunday brunch experience as Touchdowns & Tripas is beyond me, but hungry football fans will have much to choose from no matter where they land on the issue of stomach lining as a morning and mid-day meal. ITB 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.

INSIDETUCSONBUSINESS.COM

11

OCT 8, 2021

Nursing Care Centers Rank Business 2021 Address 2020

Phone Company Email Website

No. of Licensed No of Patients Levels of Care Beds Treated in 2020

1

Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging 2221 N. Rosemont Blvd.

Tucson, AZ 85712

(520) 881-2323 cturner@handmaker.org handmaker.org

94

600

2

Brookdale North Tucson 2650 W Ina Rd Tucson, AZ 85741

(520) 229-0232 N/A www.Brookdale.com

50

N/A

ALTCS Participant Licensed Medicare

Licensure Top Local Executives Year Quality Rating Establ.

Locally

A, H, I, P, N, S

Y

Y

3

P

Y

Y

Elie Pollak

1963

N/A

Ranked by the number of licensed beds 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.

Levels of Care: A=Alzheimer's Units, H=hospice, I=intermediate care, P=personal care, N=skilled nursing, S=subacute or hospital Licensing: Facilities are licensed by ADHS for two years if no deficiencies are found, otherwise the license is granted for one year 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. Licensure Quality Rating: Ratings are given by the Arizona Department of Health Services from A to D, with A being the highest rating awarded N/A=not provided WND=would not disclose NL=not listed last year NR=listed last year but ranking criteria not provided

Retirement Communities Rank 2021 2020

Business Address

Phone Company Email Website

1

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

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

2

Altura 13681 E O'Keeffee Ct Tucson, AZ 85747

(520) 508-7385 squesada@miramontehomes.com www.alturaaz.com

Total No. of Starting Completed Price of a Houses House $

Age Lower Limit

Amenities

Builder

Year Establ.

Locally

489

N/A

62

CARF-Accredited Continuing Care Retirement Community. Our 100-acre campus includes N/A full services and amenities, monthly service fees, independent living, assisted living, memory care, outpatient therapies and partially refundable entrance fees

1996

55

$259,900

55

Arizona Senior Academy, Academy Village Campus Center, Health and Wellness Center, community and fitness center, pool, tennis, hiking trails, arts and crafts room

1992

Ranked by the total number of completed houses Ranked information is provided by information on the Internet as well as business representatives. 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

Miramonte Homes

12

OCT 8, 2021

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