Ever notice how there are a lot of locally owned sweet shops around the intersection of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road in Uptown Phoenix? Why not visit some of them and learn a little about food photography at the same time?
The Asian American Journalists Association’s AZ chapter will be leading a “Bethany Bakery Crawl.” Rain or shine (but hopefully NOT rain!) we will meet in the parking lot of Sweet Republic and cross the street to A Bakeshop. From there, we will walk down to Maryland Avenue and cross the street to Pie Snob. Then we will walk back down toward Bethany and stop at Asahi Bakery and end at Sweet Republic next door.
Joining us will be Rudy Romo, a video producer at Arizona PBS for programs including “Plate & Pour.” At each stop, he will offer tips about photographing food and restaurant/cafe interiors.
Afterwards, feel free to linger if you have questions about AAJA or questions for Rudy.
_You do NOT need to be a member of AAJA to participate.
_Maybe bring a hat and a bottle of water.
_Bring a friend so you can divide and conquer eating and save room for the next stop.
_Consider bringing a reusable bag if you think you’ll be buying a few different things to take home.
Oro Valley Innovation Labs (OVIL) is set to break ground Wednesday, Sept. 4, with tentative plans to open in March 2020. OVIL is working in close collaboration with the University of Arizona Center for Innovation Oro Valley (UACIOV) to accomplish this goal.
UACIOV will operate a business incubator in Innovation Park, near Roche Diagnostics (formerly Ventana Medical Systems), with the mission to support and conduct bioscience research and programs and provide space for educational and training programs for translational scientists.
The goal is to enable eight to 10 new life science startup companies to operate and thrive in southern Arizona.
– Dr. Paul August, Oro Valley Innovation Labs
Microsoft has chosen the West Phoenix cities of El Mirage and Goodyear as the locations for the development of three new world-class data center campuses to support growing demand for cloud and internet services both in Arizona and across the western United States. Microsoft intends for these campuses to be among the most sustainably designed and operated in the world – powered with 100% renewable energy.
To accomplish this, Microsoft will partner with Arizona-based First Solar. Microsoft will also pursue LEED Gold certification, which will help conserve additional resources including energy and water, generate less waste, and support health.
– Connie Weber, Arizona Commerce Authority
Compass Datacenters is bringing a data center campus to Goodyear, Arizona. The campus is to be built on 225 acres of land, with phase one projected to be completed by fourth quarter of 2019. The first phase includes two data centers and six additional data centers to follow.
The City of Goodyear, APS and Greater Phoenix Economic Council partnered with Compass in bringing the campus to Goodyear.
Upon completion of all phases, the eight data centers will be equivalent to 31 football fields in size and capable of 350 MW.
This is Goodyear’s third data center campus announced this year.
– Angela Woods, City of Goodyear
On July 1, CHASSE Building Team broke ground on Union on 6th, located in downtown Tucson. Targeted for completion in mid-2020, Union on 6th will offer 255 market rate studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
The complex will include a pool, fitness center, on-site parking and direct access to the 4th Avenue entertainment district. It will feature 7,500 square feet of retail/commercial space on the ground level, which is intended to be occupied by local Tucson tenants.
Both a.23 Studios and VLFA Architecture + Interior are serving as the architects on the project.
– Barry Chasse, CHASSE Building Team
The Stir Coffee Bar and Gin and Reel – a concept by Rick Bronson featuring both a coffee shop and speakeasy inside – will open its doors in the North Phoenix High Street shopping district in September.
By day, the main Stir space will feature both traditional and adult versions of several caffeinated favorites as well as breakfast and lunch dishes and even ice cream selections.
By night, guests can visit Gin and Reel via a hidden entrance. Intimate and dark, it aims for an Old Hollywood vibe with vintage projectors, director’s chairs instead of bar stools and classic films on rotation.
– Arizona 100 staff
Following the successful completion of a new Eloy City Hall, attention has now turned to a complete remodel of the old city hall and police facility into a state of the art public safety building to house the Eloy Police Department.
This will prove to be a challenging project, converting a building that was first constructed in 1952 into a modern facility that will not only meet the needs of a modern police force, but complement the new city hall, thus continuing Eloy’s efforts to create an inviting downtown. Work is expected to be completed in the winter of 2020.
– Jeff Fairman, City of Eloy
Times Microwave Systems (TMS) has expanded its Mesa, Arizona, manufacturing facility located at the Metro East Valley Commerce Park. The new facility is more than five times larger in size. TMS is one of several Amphenol businesses planned to be located within this industrial park.
The move will help create a manufacturing center of excellence in the western United States to complement TMS’ Connecticut and Florida facilities.
Since TMS began its Mesa operations in 2015, it has grown from just two employees to more than 80. With the move to its new facility, the company expects the growth to continue.
– Connie Weber, Arizona Commerce Authority
Cities and towns are places where people choose to raise families, find gainful employment, operate businesses and contribute to the well-being of their communities.
Across the United States – quality education, community safety and job opportunities are mission critical to building vibrant and sustainable communities. These and other characteristics contribute to the quality of life in places in which we live and do business.
Locally elected officials make policy and investments that contribute to a high quality of life as well as to the economic opportunities people of all ages and backgrounds seek for themselves, their families and their employees.
Continue reading Quality of life: Mission critical to economic, community success
The William Lampkin Award for Long Term Excellence in Economic Development has been given by the Arizona Association for Economic Development to Lawrence T. Lucero, senior director of economic development for Tucson Electric Power Company, where he has worked 25 years.
Lucero was honored for his tremendous accomplishments in economic development, including serving on the board of AAED, as chairman of the Tucson Metro Chamber, as president of the Arizona-Mexico Commission and on the State Board of Education, to name a few.
Since 2016, he’s been involved in the creation of nearly 14,000 new jobs in Pima County.
– Joyce Grossman, AAED