West Valley View Business - January 9, 2019

west valley

Volume 30 Issue 09 Goodyear, AZ

January 9, 2019

Business Briefcase

By Connor Dziawura

IN THE BIZ

Hello, readers. We have quite a bit of variety in today’s column, so I’m not going to waste any time. By now I’m sure you know the drill here at the Briefcase; I have a roundup of land acquisitions, construction, promotions and other business happenings spanning the West Valley View’s circulation area, and they’re good ones.

Keep it up, readers who regularly reach out to me, as I enjoy hearing about all the various happenings I may have missed and gathering those details for you. I’m still working on a few of your requests, though I have one in the coming paragraphs. Here’s the news!

First, a data center is coming to the southeast corner of Bullard Avenue and Van Buren Street in Goodyear. The Santa Clara, California-based Peak Realty Investment 2 LLC purchased the 49-acre site from KCI Goodyear North LLC for more than $12.7 million. The site is part of 100 acres zoned C-2 that KCI Goodyear North LLC, a single asset entity of Kent Circle Partners, purchased in December 2011. KCI Goodyear North LLC sold another 42.95 acres to Phoenix-based DBM Ventures in September.

Moving along, I received an inquiry regarding construction near the Harkins in Goodyear. According to Angela Woods, marketing coordinator for Goodyear’s economic development department, there are no specific details yet. Yes, dirt is moving, she confirmed, but for now it is just the developer pre-

paring the site for potential future uses. I will keep you posted when anything official comes about. Harkins Theatres Estrella Falls 16 is at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and Bullard Avenue.

For a different side of things, Amanda Thomason was promoted to Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s Goodyear branch manager just after Christmas. She filled the spot left

by Harold Poirier, who retired. Earlier that month, Thomason earned her brokers license. She has been a Realtor for the company since 2016. Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate is at 1616 N. Litchfield Road, Chewy.com Operations Manager Lantz Greene unloads Suite 170. For more informa- pet food and supplies in the parking lot of Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies in Buckeye tion, visit bit.ly/2R7M9ev. on December 15. Chewy.com donated 16,000 pounds of Looking to start a busi- pet food and supplies to local animal nonprofit Communess or nonprofit? Or maybe nity Paws. More than 20 volunteers from Chewy.com and you already have and would Community Paws unloaded a 53-foot trailer filled with 26 pallets of donated food and supplies. Chewy.com is paslike more knowledge to keep sionate about making a positive difference in the lives of it afloat or grow it? Well, pets and pet parents in communities across the country.

Goodyear Branch Library’s Every month, Chewy.com’s fulfillment center in Goodyear donates upward of 135,000 pounds of pet food and supASU Startup School is re- plies. (Photo courtesy Chewy.com) turning – and it may be what you’re looking for. The free, in a different room). Topics that will six-week workshop begins from 10 be covered at the ASU Startup School a.m. to noon Saturday, January 26, at include customer and product develop14455 W. Van Buren Street, Suites D101A&B (Some weeks will be held Briefcase...continued on page 3 (USPS 004-616) is published weekly

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Mailing Address: 250 Litchfield Rd., #130 Goodyear, AZ 85338 (623) 535-VIEW • 535-8439

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Interstate Batteries partners with UTI to ‘shift the myth’

By Connor Dziawura

The automotive industry is shifting.

But Interstate Batteries is looking to turn around the negative trends.

So, the automotive battery company partnered with Universal Technical Institute (UTI), including its Avondale campus, to help increase opportunities for students taking an automotive path and to change misconceptions within the industry.

“A lot of schools are not offering a lot of the shop classes and things like that they had in the past,” explained Tom Gray, vice president of marketing for Interstate Batteries. “There really is a crisis right now in the industry for automotive repair and over-the-road trucks and things like that.”

Gray noted a shortage of workers. In a press release, the company cited a 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics report that identified how 74,100 new automotive and diesel technicians are needed every year through 2026 to meet demand.

Gray expanded that cars nowadays are made better and last longer, leading to more needed repairs, but younger people aren’t interested in filling the gaps left by the older technicians who are retiring.

The company’s study found one-third of technicians were unsure if it would even be a long-term career.

So, the company launched its “Shift the Myth” campaign, through which it intends to decrease the technician shortage by 2020, according to its website.

Interstate Batteries wants to change misconceptions, inspire an interest in the automotive field in the youth, and provide support for those studying for careers in the industry.

In addition to sponsoring TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success campaign for a second year, Interstate Batteries is looking to make a difference by partnering with UTI. Through the five-year partnership launched in 2018, Interstate Batteries provides batteries and battery testers to UTI’s automotive and diesel technician training campuses, and its leaders will provide curriculum oversight on the school’s Program Advisory

Councils. Additionally, Interstate Batteries will have branded lab spaces at UTI campuses. Gray also noted discounts on products for students and teachers.

“We wanted to make sure that we were helping them, too, by providing them education around the electrical systems and batteries and testing and things like that, too, just to be able to get them involved and partner with the schools so they have all the tools that they need us to help educate their students going through the program,” Gray said.

The goal, Gray explained, is for Interstate Batteries “to make sure that the students that are learning (automotive repair) are getting best-in-class education around electrical systems, around batteries and battery testing, that we’re giving them the right tools for that, and just trying to do our part.”

Patrick Bennett, director of operations for UTI’s Avondale campus, noted the importance of allowing Interstate Batteries’ leaders the opportunity to influence curriculum through Program Advisory Councils, as well as cutting-edge technology support.

“We bring these leaders of industry in to help us evaluate our curriculum so that we are delivering here, as we teach the new technicians entering the workforce the technology that’s out there and trying to be cutting edge with that,” Bennett explained, calling Interstate Batteries the “No. 1 automotive replacement battery brand.”

Product and curriculum aside, Bennett agreed that changing the misconceptions of the industry, and even brand awareness, are important. It’s not just a job; it’s sustainable, with growth opportunities.

“Industry and automation are not going to replace it like other jobs,” he said. “This career field, as being an automotive, diesel and welding technician, is very sustainable and very rewarding for the men and women that want to do it.”

Though providing support to UTI is important, Interstate Batteries is also furthering its own reputation and brand awareness through its plans to boost the industry.

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“We want to create affinity and equity with those students so when they get out into the world and they’re working they’ll have enough familiarity with the brand and hopefully a strong connection with it,” Gray explained. “Because we have a presence across the country, they’ll be familiar with the brand and hopefully be continuing to want to recommend our products.”

Though UTI offers a variety of core programs across the nation, the Avondale campus focuses on core programs such as automotive, diesel and welding.

Beyond the core programs, the school offers manufacturer-specific advanced training (MSAT) programs to provide students with additional training with specific manufacturers’ products.

Taking MSATs “actually positions them much better in the industry because of the specific training,” Bennett explained. “It actually gets them credentialing with those manufacturers so that after they onboard at their career, at their location of employment, they’re able to advance quicker because there’ll be able to do warranty work.”

According to UTI’s website, the Avondale campus awards automotive technology II and automotive/diesel technology II graduates with associate of occupational studies degrees, while all other graduates receive diplomas.

Also, according to the website, “A graduate of UTI’s (National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation)-accredited programs can substitute his or her training for one year of work experience toward (Automotive Service Excellence’s) two-year work requirement.”

UTI is holding a Technician Career Expo Open House from 2 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, January 17. To RSVP, visit info.uti.edu/20190117-UTI_Registration-Page.html.

For more information on UTI’s Avondale campus, visit uti.edu/locations/arizona/Avondale.

For more information on Interstate Batteries’ Shift the Myth campaign, visit interstatebatteries.com/blog/challenging-perceptions-and-championing-technicians.

JANUARY 9, 2019

Briefcase...continued from page 1 ment, business entity selection, legal formation, intellectual property, fundraising, business modeling and marketing strategies.

The InnovationHub is a partnership between the city of Goodyear, Entrepreneurship + Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU), and the Maricopa County Library District that, in addition to the ASU Startup School, offers free resources like one-on-one business mentoring and a monthly meet-up called Business Builders, the latter of which this month will return from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 15.

The ASU Startup School will be capped after 25 people sign up, and the

GENERAL Public Notice On November 20, 2018, the board of directors of Paloma Irrigation and Drainage District, Maricopa County, Arizona, duly adopted the following amendments to said District’s Bylaws.

Article III, Section 2 is amended to read as follows: Section 2. Number and Qualifications. The number of directors shall be seven, with two representing each of the three divisions of the District and one director at large. Each director must be a qualified elector of the District. To be a qualified elector a person must meet the following qualifications: be 18 years of age or older; own agricultural land within the District for at least 90 days prior to the District election or assuming the office by appointment, or be the representative of such an owner; and be a current registered voter of the District or a representative of such a voter. An officer or other desig-nated agent of a corporation, including without limitation a municipal corporation, owning agricultural land in the District, which officer or agent is desig-nated and authorized by resolution of the governing body of the corporation, may register and cast the vote of such corporation and may be a qualified director. A general partner of a partnership in which title to agricultural land within the District is vested as holder of title or evidence of title, who is designated and authorized in writing by all of the general partners of such partnership, may register and cast the vote of such partnership and may be a quali-fied director.

city recommends guests attend each session. Reservations are due Wednesday, January 23. For more information, visit developgoodyearaz.com.

Here’s a quick one. By now you’re probably familiar with the idea of the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch N Learn. The Thursday, January 17, Lunch N Learn, the first of 2019, will focus on marketing trends for the year. DexYP/Thryv will sponsor lunch, and the company’s Chris Amos will present. It meets at noon.

For more information or to reserve a seat, contact the chamber at 623-932-2260 or info@southwestvalleychamber.org.

The chamber is at 289 N. Litchfield Road, Goodyear.

Finally, to round out, I’ll leave you with

The trustee of a trust, or one trustee who is designated and authorized in writing by all of the trustees of a trust in which there is more than one trustee, in whose name title to agricultural land within the District is vested as a holder of title or evidence of title, may register and cast the vote of the trust and may be a qualified director. A managing member or other designated agent of a limited liability company in which title to agricultural land within the District is vested as holder of title or evidence of title, who is designated and authorized in writing by all of the members of such company or by the operating agreement of such company, may register and cast the vote of such company and may be a qualified director. In the above cases with re-spect to corporations, partnerships, trusts, and limited liability companies, the person so authorized to cast the vote of the corporation, partnership or trust shall not be required to be a resident of Maricopa County or the State of Arizona in order to be a qualified elector and director. In the case of division elections for the Director to represent each division, a person, corporation, partnership, trust or limited liability company must own agricultural land in the division in order to be a qualified elector in such division election. With respect to voting or holding of director seats, each corporation, partnership, trust, limited liability company, joint tenancy, tenancy-in-common or other such legal entity or joint ownership arrangement shall be considered as, and entitled to the same rights, but only such rights as, one individual person. An individual person or entity owning agricultural land in more than one divi-sion shall be

WEST VALLEY BUSINESS

a quick mention. The Western Maricopa Coalition, also known as WESTMARC, which merges the business and education sectors of the 15 West Valley communities it represents, will once again host Gov. Doug Ducey at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa, 9495 W. Coyotes Boulevard, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 16.

This will, par for the course, allow Ducey to reflect on the past year while also looking forward to legislative goals. Table prices start at $750.

For more information, visit westmarc. org or contact Kristina Vossler, WESTMARC’s membership, events and media manager, at kvossler@westmarc.org.

That’s all the briefs for this week.

Thanks for reading.

entitled to vote in the election for each division in which agricultural land is so owned, but shall not hold Director’s seats for more than one division. An individual or entity owning agricultural land in the District shall be entitled to vote in the election for each division in which agricultural land is so owned and for the directors at large, but shall not hold more than one Director’s seat.

Article III, Section 5, is amended to read as follows: Section 5. Election Register.

At least five days before holding a regular or special election the District Secretary shall make up an election register. The election register shall denote the names of the holders of lands within the District, the number of acres held by each and the number of votes which they are entitled to cast. The lists shall be arranged

by Division, with the name of the holder and the number of votes he is entitled to cast as shown by the re-cords of the county recorder as of the twentieth day before the time fixed for holding the election. No person shall be allowed to vote unless his name appears as a holder upon such public records, nor shall he cast more votes than the number of votes to which he is entitled as shown by the District election register.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to ascertain and determine whether persons possess or will possess the necessary qualifications of a qualified elect-or of the District and Division at the next ensuing election, and the number of votes to which each qualified elector is entitled by Division and at large, as applicable.

No person shall be permitted to vote unless the public records show that such person

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possesses the qualifications of a qualified elector or will possess such qualifications at the next ensuing election.

The Secretary shall submit a copy of the election register to the Board. The Board may examine the election register. Should the Board find that any per-son or persons appearing upon the election register will not possess the qualifications of a qualified elector at the next ensuing District election, or that the number of acres owned or number of votes of any such person or persons as designated upon the election register are incorrect, the Board shall cause the District Secretary to correct the election register and shall record the reason for correction in the minutes of the Board. The final election re-gister shall constitute the official roster of the qualified electors of the District and the number of votes to which each qualified elector is entitled for the next ensuing election by Division and at large, as applicable.

LEGAL ADS West Valley View and West Valley View Business publish legal ads every Wednesday in print and online.

Deadline for legal ads is Thursday at 5pm for the following Wednesday. Be aware there may be early deadlines around the holidays.

Questions regarding legal ads please call Elaine at 480-898-7926.

To submit a legal ad please email to: legal@westvalleyview.com

JANUARY 9, 2019

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