Phoenix 01.25.2018

David Johnson

The story is that Walter Sterling, our Executive Chef and I worked together in multiple restaurants and dreamed of opening up our own space here in Phoenix. Through long contracted negotiations we were able to secure a property at 3rd Street and Flower in Midtown Phoenix, where we built Ocotillo Restaurant. Read more>>

Patrick Madigan

I have always been a curious and creative person. Growing up, I wanted to know how and why things worked the way they do, how they go together and how they come apart. I grew up working on our house with my dad, and learning how to visualize what we wanted to accomplish and the different ways we could get there. Read more>>

Troy Pawleska

All started as a project for a DJ friend of mine, helping him out with nightlife and events. I became so good at it bringing in half the people that showed up every night (roughly 500 People) that I decided to make a business out of it. Read more>>

Laura Pahules

Arizonans for Children was founded in 2002 to provide services that improve the fragile lives of children in foster care. How can anyone read that and not want to be a part of this organization? Vulnerable children and families have always been a driving force in my life. Read more>>

Vinny Arcadi

I’ve been involved in Arizona’s car scene since I was old enough to drive. It was a road that Lead Me on an exciting ride. With all the great car events that Arizona has to offer. It made my passion for car grow. I stared designing restoring and collecting muscle cars everything from shelbys frist generation camaros to vintage bugatti and famous tv cars such as The General Lee. Read more>>

Michelle Buckman

As a Newhouse graduate from Syracuse University, I spent over a decade working as a journalist until a meeting with an inspirational CEO changed the course of my career. I profiled MedRisk founder Shelley Boyce in 2009 for a consumer report. Read more>>

Malori Maeva

I have always loved exploring my creativity and throughout my life I’ve dabbled in just about every type of art you can imagine: painting, drawing, writing, performing (dance and theater), knitting, clay, jewlery work (both beading and metalsmithing), and the list goes on. Read more>>

Hessam Kermani

I started this business when I noticed a big changes in the industry! TV industry to be exact! I’ve been working in the media for over 12 years now and when I was working at one of the local TV stations I noticed differences in the new age media and let’s just call the old school media! Read more>>

Bryant Powell

We started in 2016 almost accidentally. Bryant was constantly thinking about this music project he wanted to develop and racking his brain to find people to perform with that could match the caliber of the music he pictured in his mind. Read more>>

Dr. Kelli Meier

Dr. Kelli Meier is a Gentle Chiropractor in North Phoenix, Arizona. Her past history includes a living in Japan for a year, learning to read, write, speak and type the language, as well as experience her first incredible acupuncture miracle. Read more>>

Brad McCraw

I have been in the event production industry my whole adult life. Starting at age 19, I found a career I loved and was passionate about and have remained that way ever since. 2 years ago I decided to start my own production company, to not only continue that passion, but to allow myself the freedom to do what I want with it. Read more>>

Aaryn Green

I grew up a wild child in the city. My parents always had urban gardens, a backyard orchard, chickens, goats, rabbits, and bee hives at our Phoenix home. We lived where the old orange orchards used to be, so we were lucky to have flood irrigation, and the property was green and verdant. Read more>>

Christina Tondora

Everyone has a story…I wasn’t always “Dr. T.” After earning a degree in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1987, I found the perfect job as a helicopter avionics test engineer. I was responsible for all ground and flight testing of the avionics equipment for each helicopter. Read more>>

Ryan Walsh

LumberLust Designs creates one-of-a-kind furniture and decor using reclaimed urban hardwoods. Our mission is to create bold statement, heirloom quality furniture that celebrates what nature has to offer by re-using valuable natural resources and turning them into rustic modern practical art. Read more>>

Christine Fortman, Melinda Walton

This year marks Berridge Nurseries’ 80th year in business. In 1938, our grandfather, Jim Berridge Jr., opened Berridge Nurseries at the corner of Earll Dr. and Central Ave. at the enterprising age of 20. He brought in plants and hard goods by rail car and had a thriving retail and landscape business. Read more>>

Nick Jensen

I’ve always had a love for music, especially the guitar. I began teaching the guitar at age 17 as a side job while I was still in high school. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed teaching and began to build a small student base where I would travel to their homes to teach the lessons. Read more>>

Robin Reed

According to the Small Business Association, more than 627,000 new businesses open each year, at the same time, about 595,000 businesses close each year. In addition, 7 out of 10 new small businesses survive at least 2 years, half at least 5 years, a third at least 10 years and a quarter stay in business 15 years or more. Read more>>

 

Sean Scherer, Queenie Scherer

Back in 2014, we got together with a couple of vegan friends to launch a locally handcrafted, plant-based, natural skin care + essential oil company. We started with essential oils because we were disappointed by how the industry relies heavily on chemicals and artificial fragrance, even in the most well-known natural, organic and vegan lines. Read more>>

Laura Cohen-Hogan, Ann Osgood

Both Laura and Ann were artists from their earliest memories. They both ended up pursuing careers in art education in local public schools. After retiring their time and energy could be devoted to their art. Laura and Ann were acquainted through their membership in Arizona Artists Guild. Read more>>

Alfredo Zapata, Tabitha Zapata

We always knew we were supposed to start a company and strike out on our own. It took a while before we were ready and it took some hard thinking to solidify the decision. There were enticing opportunities before we made the leap but it was clear that the time was not right. Read more>>

Kui Mi Oh, Kat Proffitt

Rubymint was created by our passion for handmade jewelry and goods. Since we are artists ourselves we were making pieces and selling items festivals, to our friends, and on our on-line store. We starting collecting art pieces and products from artists to sell on our website and realized that we needed a place to store all of our items. Read more>>

Douglas Fredrikson

I grew up in Atlanta in the 60’s and 70’s,when the city was booming and loved seeing the progress that was shaping the new version of this old city and decided I wanted to be a party of it. Attended Georgia Tech in downtown Atlanta in the middle of the boom finished my undergraduate at Kansas State and moved to Arizona to get my Masters in Solar Architecture. Read more>>

Shelbey Read

Arizona Developmental Services (ADS) was created in 2013 by my mother-in-law (a speech language pathologist) and aunt (a professionally trained chef). Through life experiences they noticed an inadequacy of services available for developmentally disabled individuals after high school graduation to gain meaningful employment in their community. Read more>>

Jason Boles

I started in racing and cycling over 20 years ago, and was the team captain of Northern Arizona University’s cycling team from 1993-1997. I took my passion for bikes and opened The Velo in 2015, a boutique bike shop located in the Downtown Phoenix Art District. Read more>>

Josh Komenda

I grew up in Winnipeg, Canada and studied Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. After graduating I moved out to San Diego where I worked as an engineer at Qualcomm. Growing up in one of the coldest cities in the world, then getting to live in San Diego in January was life changing. Read more>>

Joey Shurtz

We are a family business that opened February 2016. The vision began with Jon Perkins and his son Jonathan Perkins II who dreamed about starting a wholesale plumbing supply company. Jon soon reach out to Joey Shurtz, his nephew and his youngest son, Christopher Perkins, to complete the team. Read more>>

Cortney Kane Sides

I recognized my abilities at a very young age, and was always extremely sensitive.  I could walk into a room and feel the “history”, or energy in the room.  I knew things that were far beyond my age but thought that this was something everyone was able to see. Read more>>

Bob “Coffee” Coffman

After 27 years in the telecommunications industry I was tiring of the day to day responsibilities and was looking for something different to focus my skill set on. Since I had received a Business Degree (BBA) with 27 years experience in business sales, marketing & management along with a strong background and appreciation or golf , including being on the golf team while in school, I starting looking for an opportunity to use both my business acumen and my love for golf. Read more>>

Freddie Blish

ROBAR Companies, Inc was founded by Robbie Barrkman in 1983 as the first full time gunsmith at Gunsite Academy. ROBAR moved to its current location in 1986, where it continues to provide our clients with uncompromising, quality workmanship, and to provide the finest of firearms and firearms related products and customer service. Read more>>

Rebecca van Dijk

I studied business and economics in the UK and went on to have a career as a private client advisor for one of the largest banks in the world for several years. Like so many these days, I got bored of it (albeit it took me 10 years, not 2) and decided to quit to travel through South America. Read more>>

Josh Garcia

Our story begins in 1949, when our founder, Jack, along with his wife and children, arrived in Tucson, Arizona from Brooklyn, New York. Upon his arrival, Jack spent the first few days in Tucson searching for a business he could purchase to support his family. Read more>>

Bryan Hughes

I’ve been looking for snakes my entire life, and there’s no better place to do that than Arizona. After years spent in the desert finding and photographing rattlesnakes, I began working as a volunteer with the Arizona Herpetological Association, doing rattlesnake relocations, which I did for years before ever considering starting a business. Read more>>

Jim David

I started my photography business in 2010. I had been working in New York as an assistant vice president for one of the nation’s top 10 mortgage lenders. I had a great job and worked with great people, but there was a creative side of me that was growing and not being fulfilled. Read more>>

Robb Leech , Rich Harpel

We are changing the way people will see transportation in the future!! We have new types of transportation that the other big Ride Share Apps like LYFT & UBER aren’t doing now and not in the future. We also are doing a lot of things for our Drivers and Riders that UBER & LYFT aren’t doing like their own personal financial advisors, vacation conference for drivers and riders with owners, auto loans and personal loans in the future are just the start!! Read more>>

Robert Mancuso

As director of operations for Mancuso’s Restaurants Inc., Grayhawk’s Fran Mancuso keeps her family’s dining heritage intact. When Fran Mancuso’s father, Frank, told his 12-year-old daughter in 1964 that the family was moving to Phoenix from Auburn N.Y., she had no idea where they were heading but she was determined not to go. Read more>>

Lauren Henschen

I am in awe of artists. The level of talent needed to create an elaborate watercolor or syncopate a perfect flamenco rhythm takes thousands of hours of practice (possibly tens of thousands). How many of us can say we are truly masters of our craft? And yet artists are regularly undervalued. Read more>>