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Parada del Sol returns in all its glory

Photos by Zac BonDurant

Hundreds of happy people turned out Feb. 5 for the 68th annual Parada del Sol as the annual event returned to full pre-pandemic glory with colorful fl oats, stirring sounds and some eye-catching parade garb. Mother Nature cooperated with a clear sunny day as public offi cials, children, community groups and bands participated in the event, now organized by the Scottsdale Charros.

PR, volunteering Abby Fink's passions

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Abbie Fink can barely remember a time when she wasn’t planning things, organizing things or volunteering, but she will never forget her first interaction with the media. “I didn’t know it was PR at the time, but my first experience with working with the media was when I was in elementary school and our sixth-grade graduation dance was being taken away from us due to some bad behavior by some of our students,” the Scottsdale woman recalled. “I didn’t think that was very fair, so we had a picket line in front of the school where I did my first television interview with the local affiliate at the time.” Though Fink loved the exhilaration of meeting reporters and doing a good deed, it was only later in life where she began to find her true calling.

“As I look back over my formative years, I was always involved with organizing, planning and coordinating things,” she said. “It wasn’t until I got to college where I figured out that what I really enjoyed and what I was particularly good at was English, writing and putting thoughts together.”

Abbie Fink, vice president and general manager of HMA Public Relations, earned a chapter in the upcoming book “48 Women: Arizona’s Most Intriguing Women” because of her philanthropic

efforts. (Special to the Progress)

During those formative years, Fink also spent a great deal of time volunteering.

“Growing up, my family always believed in volunteering and when we were little kids we would go with our parents when they were involved in community activities,” she said.

Though she originally was a business major at Arizona State University, Fink quickly realized there was a field that she was a perfect fit for. “I found out that ASU had a very prestigious journalism program at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and when I discovered my passion, PR became an obvious choice for a career path,” she said. “I got a great internship out of college which led to several other positions and eventually to HMA, where I will be celebrating 29 years in July.” During the internship, Fink discovered a correlation between her field of study and how she spent time growing up.

“Volunteerism was part of my life but when I was at my internship, point resorts sponsored an event that benefited the make-a-wish foundation,” Fink said. “Working on that introduced me to people that were involved with makea-wish as volunteers and it spoke to me that I could take what I do professionally and offer those services to organizations and volunteer in that way. That was my foray into using my career in a volunteer capacity.” Currently the vice president and general manager of HMA Public Relations, Fink also is a passionate volunteer – and loves to celebrate the work of nonprofits. “Nonprofit organizations really recognize the value in sharing their stories and whether they do that with an inhouse staff, volunteers or through hiring a public relations agency, the reason I enjoy it so much is that there is a direct connection with the work that we do from a public relations perspective and how it impacts these organizations,” Fink said. “Nonprofits have a different way of telling their story and the impact in terms of the service that they provide in our community.”

see FINK page 26

New business owner also helping rescue clinic

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

It was just about two weeks after Erika Thompson opened the doors of the Local Craft Gallery in Scottsdale that she heard the bad news about Betty White. The beloved actress, comedian and animal rights activist had passed away just weeks prior to her 100th birthday. Her death was memorialized with a nationwide “Betty White Challenge” asking people to donate to an animal rescue organization in her name. And that gave Thompson an idea as she was about to open her store at 8660 E. Shea Blvd. Thompson had known about Altered Tails’ Barnhart Clinic because one of her three dogs, Penny, a rescue dog, had been spayed and neutered there. Thompson had always admired the clinic’s work and wanted to support it during the Betty White Challenge, so she began collecting items to raffle, forging partnerships with her vendors and neighboring businesses along the way. Thompson turned the one-day challenge into something that lasted over a month long.

“It just kills me with animals that so many of them are born to die and people aren’t cognizant of that because it keeps happening,” she said. Even though Thompson had already had a full plate of opening a space for artists to utilize as a showroom, she knew that this was cause she wanted to help. “Erika reached out to us and said, ‘I love animals and I love helping animals, just like Betty White, so I want to do a fundraiser to help Altered Tails,’” said Michael Morefield, seeCRAFT page 26

Fink strongly encourages her staff to volunteer as well.

“We encourage our staff to volunteer in the same way and provide our expertise and knowledge to the community and organizations that may not have the chance to engage with that type of professional communications plans,” she said. Fink recently got involved with the Camp Colley Foundation, which helps to send underserved kids in Phoenix to attend summer camp.

CRAFT ���� page 23

the marketing and development coordinator for Altered Tails Barnhart Clinic “It was just a clearly genuine and authentic statement.” “As a small-business owner, Erika has a lot on her plate so it was such a great thing to hear her say ‘how could I make my business help animals in my community?’” Morefield added. But Thompson said this is what she loves to do. “I love business and I love helping people,” she said. Thompson also understands that getting healthcare for pets can oftentimes be a large expense for pet owners.

“I know a lot of people really love their animals and that it’s expensive to get them “I’ve been involved in having some powerful discussions around the early stages of the pandemic when we had to cancel camp and where we weren’t able to deliver camps fully through last summer due to forest fires,” she said. Because of her efforts to promote and help these organizations, Fink was nominated by her peers to be featured in the next edition of “48 Women: Arizona’s Most Intriguing Women,” which is slated for an April 29th release date. “When I got the call that I was selected, I was quite surprised and very honored and that became even more so when I saw who else was on the list,” she said. “I also loved that it was such a diverse group of professional female leaders in our state, so it’s pretty great.” Fink was humbled to see the women she is in company with.

“This is a great snapshot of who here in the state of Arizona is making a difference in whatever category they happen to fall into,” she said. “Anything that recognizes strong leadership, professionalism and giving back to the community is worth recognizing.” “I hope that when people flip through this that they see the diversity of the in-

initially spayed and neutered,” she said. “It can be upwards of $500 at a regular vet, which can be more than half of someone’s weekly pay.” Thompson has 14 items scattered about her shop for patrons to purchase raffle tickets for ranging in price from $5 to $20.

However, the biggest prices are a twohour in-studio consultation valued at $150 or an original painting painted by Thompson valued at $800. Raffle tickets are $10.

Customers can pay cash or with a check payable to Altered Tails Barnhart Clinic either to purchase raffle tickets or just make a donation. “The funds that Erika raised will go directly into our access-to-care program which is a driving force in the social aspect of veterinary care,” Morefield said. “These funds will help provide funds so that ev-

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 13, 2022 dividuals that are recognized and that will inspire them to be intriguing themselves,” she added. She also hopes that the readers of the book find a source for inspiration. “For my story and everyone’s story is about our commitment to our profession, our community and the way that we give back and support within our organizations or within the community,” she said. “Perhaps our stories inspire somebody to take a different action or do something different because they read about someone or some project that might have been worked on.”

eryone has access to care and for vaccines for their pets.”

Shoppers at Thompson’s gallery will find that 75% of the items on her shelves comprise locally made furniture, original art and artisan gifts and 25% of the store is dedicated to vintage items and interior design. “This is twofold as it gives the artists exposure to people who may not necessarily go to a gallery and this brings some good into people’s lives. By helping artists bring their art to people and the benefit of the raffle, this is a two-way thing,” Thompson said. “In your home, you should only have things that bring you joy.” She also said a purchase from the Local Craft Gallery helps stimulate the local economy. “When you shop local and buy local, roughly 80% of that money stays in the economy,” Thompson said. In addition to shopping for items that will spruce up your home, Morefield and Thompson see a broader impact. “You are fundamentally changing your community when you donate to Altered Tails,” Morefield said. “Whether that is providing access to care to those who are unable to afford it and increasing our availability to provide surgeries for outdoor cats so that there is not an overpopulation problem. “When you donate to Altered Tails, you are building the community the animals deserve.”

Info: Local Craft Gallery 8660 E Shea Boulevard #165 and localcraftgallery. com

Know anything interesting going on in Scottsdale?

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Scottsdale Community students get hands-on learning

BY ZAC DUNN

Progress Guest Writer

“For the things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them.”

Aristotle knew 2,400 years ago that experience is the greatest teacher. Nowhere is that more true than in the world of art, communications, and marketing. Scottsdale Community College offers students a broad array of degrees and certificates in film, creative writing, website design & development, art, photography, marketing, visual communication, social media, journalism, and more. They prepare students for a career in telling stories, in connecting with people, in understanding the world and helping others understand their place in it. These are competitive fields, and SCC gives its students a leg up by focusing on practice, experience, and opportunity. “In today’s world, given the digital nature of most work, finding young candidates that already have experience and training coming out of school is more important than ever,” said Brian O’Malley, director of public relations at Highnoon Marketing + Consulting Agency. Just ask Foday Kromah.

“This program really gives me that hands-on experience,” said Kromah, a journalism student now in his second semester at SCC. Every week Kromah is tasked with picking a story, conducting interviews, working with an editor, and submitting a finished story – just as he would in a reallife newsroom Aryanna Golabi, a senior studying web development, also extolls the value of the “non-stop hands-on experiences” she’s gone through since first enrolling at SCC in 2015 while she was still in high school. Back then it was a painting course, but the experiential nature of the programs led her to dive deeper and deeper, earning a certificate in social media marketing, a degree in photography, and now a degree in web development that she plans to use to create more accessible web pages and apps for the visually impaired.

“It gave me things that I got to go out and use outside of school, which is ex-

Foday Kromah, a journalism student at Scottsdale Community College, said the hands-on experience he’s gaining on campus has been invaluable. (Courtesy SCC)

actly what I wanted.”

Golabi thinks back to her social media marketing courses, where she was asked to develop business plans and pitch them to a panel of faculty members as though it was a real client meeting. She found the skills she developed through that process immediately useful when applying for jobs, saying that her public speaking and interview skills coupled with the resume she’d built in another class made landing a new job a breeze. Gary Lidman, who is studying visual communication, said that the real-world practical teaching style at “Scottsdale Community College has given me all the tools I need. Going out into the world, I know exactly how to present my work, how to talk to clients.” As a graphic designer, Lidman’s courses have prepared him beyond just the technical skills in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Professors, acting as clients, assign projects with intentional roadblocks, misalignments, and obstacles, forcing students to put their skills to the test, improvising and adapting to get the “client” what they need by heading off mistakes that would cost them time and money.

“We know that it will always take time to hone skills in that real-world setting and that additional training will need to happen, but having that portfolio to show employers sets candidates ahead of their peers that don’t,” said O’Malley. Kromah, Golabi, and Lidman each mentioned how the portfolio they’ve built, along with the connections they’ve made, will be beneficial when the time comes to enter their respective careers. “I don’t want to toot my own horn too much, but it’s a really good-looking portfolio,” said Golabi. That portfolio has already created numerous opportunities for her, including an internship at the State Forty Eight Foundation. “There’s a family atmosphere here. It’s really hands-on… It’s throwing me in there, giving me as much information as possible, and getting me prepared,” said Kromah. “And there’s a lot of people here who will help you – you’re never by yourself.” As Lidman nears the completion of his certificate, he feels confident that his experience and his portfolio will make him a qualified candidate for his dream job at Disney, designing print graphics for the parks “My passion comes from visual design and communication, so being able to chase those dreams and having the confidence and tools that SCC gave me, that’s what gets me excited. Knowing that I can submit my resume and be able to back that up with the work I’ve already done… Disneyland has a lot of print design jobs that I can’t wait to put my application in for.”

Information: scottsdalecc.edu

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Scottsdale developer takes build-to-rent to new level

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

Progress Executive Editor

Richard Felker keeps one eye on the ground and the other on the future.

If that seems like an exaggeration, consider his track record.

From managing and owning two family businesses in Milwaukee in the 1970s – one that sold furniture and the other that ran coin-operated washers and dryers – Felker started signing up university dormitories and apartment buildings for the latter.

“I would call on apartment developers to get them to sign a lease with me put my laundry equipment into their buildings,” he recalled. “And that led me to say to myself, ‘Well, why don’t I try and get involved in real estate? So I became an entrepreneur who said, ‘well, let’s build a couple of buildings and see how it goes.’”

How it went is this: Felker sits atop The Empire Group, a Scottsdale company that over 40 years has accumulated more than $1.5 billion in assets and built a legacy of commercial, single family and multifamily residential and industrial development.

Now, he is riding the wave of a multi-billion trend that experts say will radically change the single-family housing landscape forever.

Empire’s announcement in December that it will build 144 single-family rental homes on 14 acres of Schnepf Farms – the cel-

Developer Richard Felker has a firm footing in a growing trend in new-home construction: building houses not to sell them but to rent them. (Courtesy of Empire Group) ebrated Queen Creek agrotainment venue best known for its peach festivals and annual October Pumpkin and Chili Party – was just the latest in a series of buildto-rent communities Empire has on the drawing board, already is building or has finished. The company’s first was the Village at Harvard, a nearly fully occupied 184home community in Goodyear. Then there’s the 208-home Village at Olive Marketplace in Glendale that’s 65% leased and 50% occupied. A 194-home community is rising at Camelback Road and 107th Street, as is a 180-home development in Avondale along with the 272-home Village at Paseo de Le Luces in Tolleson. The Village at Schnepf Farms is the company’s seventh in the Valley and one seeFELKER page 30

Data Sales a ‘booster rocket’ for young firms

BY ALISON STANTON Progress Contributor

In 1973, Ron Breckner founded Data Sales, a business that offers specialty finance and IT asset disposition services.

In 1988, the company became one of the first to move into the Scottsdale Airpark.

During its almost 50 years, Data Sales has seen a number of family members work at the company – a tradition that is still going strong.

Although Ron Breckner died in 2020, his wife, Judith, is still active on the company’s board. Their son, Bill, is vice president and general manager of the Scottsdale Airpark location, and their son Bob is vice president at the company’s Minnesota location. Two other siblings also are involved – Paul is chief executive officer and Jane Pederson is vice president.

“The second generation is now running the company, with the third generation just entering the business,” said Bill, who, along with his family, enjoys being part of the vibrant Scottsdale Airpark.

“It’s a great location and fun to watch the growth here.”

Since its inception, Bob said Data Sales purchased, sold and traded IT hardware, including IBM mainframe and peripherals, parts and support services. They have also offered equipment leasing for over four decades.

Today, Data Sales focuses on two main services: specialty financing and ITAD services.

“A big chunk of what we do with specialty financing is to help provide capital to young and fast-growing companies who want to build out their IT infrastructure and who are looking for what we like to

Bill Breckner, vice president and general manager of Data Sales Co. in Scottsdale, and Noah Nelson, ITAD-business development are helping the company reach new