Phoenix Business Journal

My View: Innovative Arizona program levels playing field for diverse hiring in tech sector

May 10, 2022

Employment has been a hot topic in news cycles lately. With a jobless rate in Arizona that plunged to 3.3% in March, employers are trying all sorts of ways to draw the best candidates for openings that have arisen. And applicants seem to have their pick of jobs they feel are the best match for their skill sets. It turns out the situation presents an opportunity to level the playing field when it comes to both sides of the hiring equation.

My View: International Women’s Day should last a year

March 15, 2022

This year’s International Women’s Day has come and gone. For one day, it’s a chance to show those women closest to us how much they are admired and the impact that they have on our lives. But why just one day? I would be kidding myself if I believed that one day is plenty. After all, I’m surrounded by women who make a critical difference when it comes to operating the Arizona Technology Council.

My View: Arizona now in a moment of opportunity for developing workforce

January 19, 2022

We’ve heard enough about the ‘Great Resignation,’ which has people quitting their jobs right and left as they search for something better in their careers. Fortunately for Arizona, we now can shift the conversation to the ‘Great Opportunity.’

The Interview: Northern Arizona University’s president targets state’s workforce-development challenges

January 4, 2022

José Luis Cruz Rivera, president of Northern Arizona University, has homed in on a workforce-development issue that’s challenging his new state. While scores of employers are expanding into Arizona and hiring workers, the state’s level of education attainment, which is the percentage of adults who complete education after high school, trails the national average.

My View: Commonsense immigration reform can fix labor shortage, fight inflation

December 20, 2021

There’s been a lot of talk about inflation these days – groceries are more expensive, gas prices are going up – but not a lot of talk about solutions. Passing commonsense immigration reform would go a long way to help address America’s labor shortage and get a handle on inflation. When businesses have the workers they need, they can meet consumers’ demands and costs go down.

My View: Arizona is becoming a star in commercial space sector

December 17, 2021

One of the early stops in my career found me working as a principal engineer at Ford Aerospace. Even then, I knew space held the potential for paydays. Little did I realize that the commercial space industry was going to help sustain Arizona’s economy for years to come in Arizona.

My View: New legislation offers hope for a reenergized future in America

November 22, 2021

Can it get any better than this? As Capitol Hill observers may tell you, it seems to have taken the topics of clean energy and broadband to help build a bridge across the partisan divide that has meant gridlock among Washington lawmakers for some time. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden and the Build Back Better Act that is still the topic of congressional discussions feature components to give us hope for a reenergized future in America.

My View: A sunny outlook for solar in Arizona

November 1, 2021

If Arizona has more days of sunshine than anywhere else in the nation, wouldn’t it make sense that we should be No. 1 when it comes to the solar industry? That thought has been front and center in my brain lately. And I’m certainly not alone as Congress has wrestled with the Build Back Better Act, which includes clean electricity policies that would only cost a fraction of the plan’s price tag.

My View: This Arizona industry makes something small. But it’s really big.

October 11, 2021

TSMC is the latest chapter in Arizona’s ascent to become the place for new semiconductor investments. Across the Valley in Chandler, Intel — whose first Arizona manufacturing facility went online in 1980 — is adding another two fabs to its Ocotillo campus at a cost of $20 billion.

Where could a 234 square mile, smart city be constructed in Arizona? Experts weigh in

September 10, 2021

A billionaire’s proposal to build a sustainable city in Arizona has at least one local technology leader excited, but real estate experts pointed out a few significant challenges to bringing the massive metropolis to the state.

Phoenix Business Journal

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