Phoenix 01.11.2018

Alicia Weaver

I grew up in a real estate office. My mom, the typical ambitious Realtor, would bring me into the office at a young age. Wearing a mini business suit, I’d sit at a big oak desk, flipping through the white pages and making cold calls. Years later, in high school, my mom saw an opportunity for me in her business. Read more>>

Andrew Keil

I started out as a photography hobbyist with a Canon Rebel XS, took a photography course, and decided I wanted to get back into filmmaking. I wanted to go to film school in college but didn’t get in, so I took some screenwriting courses at ASU in the mid 2000s. Read more>>

Chris Dodge

Being born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, I had the opportunity to play sports year-round and I stayed active more often than I sat still. I had (and still have) a loving family, solid support group of friends, and all the luxuries of a “normal’ American upbringing. But I was searching for something more. Read more>>

Christopher Gross

Gross began his career at age 14 when saving for a special motorbike was his motivation for taking a job in a local restaurant. He spent the next several decades working in world-renowned kitchens, including Thierry Restaurant in London, Michelin starred Chez Albert in Paris and L’Orangerie in Los Angeles. Read more>>

 

Daniel Moncrief, Tara Moncrief

We have always had an interest in agriculture, gardening, natural resources and most recently sustainability. In developing our business I was considering an area of sustainable development and could not escape the value and importance of water, specifically rainwater. Read more>>

Reggie McGill

Extreme Speed started in 1997 while I was coaching at Tolleson High school. A freshman runningback named Mike Bell confronted Karles Mauzy and myself and asked us if we would train him and help him a better football player. Karlas and I put together a program and started training him and other student athletes that summer. Read more>>

Kita Centella

In 2002 I bought an herbal store that was part of a small franchise. I split with the franchise in 2006 and reinvented the business to include an adjoining vegetarian/vegan organic restaurant. When I was part of the franchise, they provided the herbal teas and products to be sold in the store. Read more>>

Saundra Salotti

T4T Thrift Shop – Tempe Arizona’s BEST Thrift Shop – Unique Boutique where ALL proceeds from the T4T Thrift Shop provide access to free and low cost supplies to educators. Lots and Lots of inventory to choose from! Our friendly staff will assist you with your purchases. Worth the drive from anywhere in the Valley. Read more>>

Cantor Jonathan Angress

When I was 5 years old, my parents took me a to a local theater production of the Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof. As a child, I was entranced by the image of a person standing on a roof top playing the violin. This entrancement turned into obsession and I promptly began violin lessons – an instrument I still play to this day, 25 years later. Read more>>

Shawn Dowdy, Larie Dowdy

We started as a family business and are a brother and sister team. Our parents are visionaries and entrepreneurs. They started an HVAC, Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning, business over 33 years ago. Our family has grown up in the business and have always worked hard for what we have achieved. Read more>>

Fred Morgan

I started in the restaurant business at an early age, 15 years old as a work program while in high school. I started as a dishwasher at a restaurant called Ponderosa Steak house and fell in love with the restaurant business. I continue to work though out high school and collage, while working my way up to management, I became the general manager of several locations for 15 years, before leaving to a better opportunity at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK). Read more>>

Patrick DeRueda

Mr. DeRueda is the president of GOAT First Team, LLC dba Curbside Recycling. DeRueda, as a Hispanic American, maintains certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The daily business operations are managed and directed by DeRueda. Read more>>

Linda Alderson

Audrey’s Angels, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 2001 by Audrey and Bob Alderson after their personal experience when seeking a suitable care solution for an aging relative. After selecting a small group care home for their aging aunt, they discovered that most of the residents lived in isolation with few, if any, visitors and very little social engagement. Read more>>

Mark Eschbach

I started out when I was in grade school in New Jersey in 1993 writing music. I taught myself how to play piano and took as many classes on music theory and electronic music as I could find. I started out with an old Casio keyboard and my dad’s 1969 Akai reel-to-reel he bought in Germany when he was stationed there during the Vietnam War. Read more>>

Dave Welch

My wife, Diane Krieger and I both own and operate Paragon Chiropractic. I became interested in chiropractic after hurting my low back with weightlifting and sports. Diane is the 23rd chiropractor in her family. We met in Chiropractic College in Illinois and after a few years there decided to move to Arizona where we were married and opened Paragon Chiropractic in October of 1990. Read more>>

Clint Monnier

I started with woodworking 2 years ago when I bought my first condo. I decided to put up a pallet wall in my living room, that sort of started it. I grew up on a farm in Ohio so I’m no stranger to power tools. After the wall was complete, I had some pallets left over and took to the internet for ideas. Read more>>

Majo Mansour

As a new mom, Majo Mansour was struggling with the fast-paced, busy schedule that many mothers wrestle with. After taking longer than expected on an errand one day and consequently running out of time to fix lunch for her then seven-month-old son, she had to face a new reality: she needed to go to the grocery store for baby food. Read more>>

Devoney Kelash

I’m an Arizona Native, and I have always had a passion for helping others. My degree is in Psychology and Criminal Justice. Upon graduating from ASU I worked in the court system as a Victim Advocate. I was really passionate about my job, and had the opportunity to help many people! Read more>>

Boyer Family

With a love for baking and a gift of hospitality, it didn’t take long for family & friends, co-workers, neighbors and even strangers, to experience the delicious handiwork of our head baker’s kitchen. Bringing along her treats to potlucks, parties and meetings was just not enough for our sweet-toothed friends and she very soon was encouraged by many to offer her baked goods as a business, in which their favorite treats could be ordered seasonally, like our Thanksgiving pies or our Christmas cookie trays. Read more>>