Member news: March 2022
Intel unveils $36B European plans
Chipmaker Intel Corp. is investing 33 billion euros ($36.13 billion) across manufacturing and research and development expansions across the European Union, the latest in the company’s aggressive investment strategy. The semiconductor manufacturer unveiled plans to build two new factories, or fabs, in Magdeburg, Germany; expand its Leixlip, Ireland, facility; build a new facility in Italy; create an R&D hub in Plateau de Saclay France that will be the the European headquarters for high performance computing and AI design; and more. Read more >>
18 of Arizona’s most influential minority business leaders
This March issue of Az Business celebrates the amazing melting pot that defines Arizona business as we cast a spotlight on some of the most influential diverse and minority business leaders in the state. Meet them below, including leaders like Sandra Bassett, Garland Brown, Marcos Garay, Delma Herrera, Angela Hughey and several other impressive community leaders. Read more >>
Tempe Chamber of Commerce names president and CEO
The Tempe Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Colin Diaz, IOM, ACE, as the new President & CEO following the retirement of Anne Gill. Colin Diaz is no stranger to chamber of commerce work, as he assumes the role of President & CEO with over four years of experience as the Chief Executive Officer/President of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce in Culver City, California. In addition to his chamber experience, Colin has over 20 years of management, marketing, sales, and community outreach experience. Read more >>
Phoenix-based Qwick launches in Washington, DC
Qwick, the leading on-demand labor marketplace for food and beverage Professionals announces the launch of its services in Washington, D.C., the company’s 16th city to launch in since 2018. Qwick is thrilled to launch in our nation’s capital and help change the way people work, enabling D.C. hospitality businesses – who could be struggling during this historic labor shortage – to find quality vetted staff. Qwick is rapidly expanding its services and will be operating in at least 30 cities by the end of 2022. By 2024, Qwick’s goal is to successfully match 3 million Professional shifts in 30 U.S. cities. Read more >>
3,400 businesses signed her pledge to give LGBTQ protections. Now it could become law
In October 2008, Angela Hughey was in San Diego standing at the altar with the woman she had been in love with for the past 15 years. It was a moment she had sought for a long time. To be treated equally and have the same rights someone born straight could enjoy. The day after her wedding, before their honeymoon, Hughey bought the domain for an organization she had in mind. It was an organization that would pursue equal protections for LGBTQ people and slowly but surely replace ignorance with empathy to anyone willing to sit down and enjoy a coffee with her. Read more >>
Digital Air Strike introduces innovative CX Tech at NADA 2022
Digital Air Strike, the leading consumer engagement and customer experience (CX) technology and services company, today announced a new technology platform to improve consumer communication with dealerships, OEMs, and lenders while increasing ROI. The CX technology is featured at Digital Air Strike’s booth 2352W at the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Show March 10-13, 2022, in Las Vegas. Read more >>
Scottsdale Chamber congratulates the 27th annual Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame honorees and inductees
The Past Presidents’ Council of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 27th Annual Scottsdale History Hall of Fame event on March 3, 2022, at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch. The event honored individuals, local companies, and non-profit organizations and was presented by The Scottsdale Charros. Over the past 27 years, the Council has inducted 139 past and present Scottsdale leaders and 27 organizations into Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame. Read more >>
Maricopa Community Colleges and Intel to launch new semiconductor manufacturing workforce development initiative
To support the growing semiconductor industry’s employment needs and welcome diverse talent into the technical workforce, Maricopa Community Colleges and Intel Corporation have announced enrollment is now open for a new semiconductor manufacturing Quick Start program at Mesa Community College (MCC). The accelerated two-week program prepares students for a rewarding career as a semiconductor technician with hands-on learning from industry experienced Intel employees as instructors. Read more >>
Arizona Commerce Authority announces winners for Venture Madness 2022
Arizona’s longest-running pitch competition, Venture Madness features early stage and emerging growth companies and offers participants exclusive access to the region’s most active, accredited angel investors and venture capital firms. At the event, held on March 3, companies competed in head-to-head pitches based on four industry categories. This year’s competition featured 16 finalists drawn from 95 company applications. Following presentations, judges selected four winners, with each winning $10,000. Read more >>
Amazon-paid tuition program for employees comes to Valley colleges
Amazon’s hourly employees in the Valley can receive fully funded tuition for classes as the result of a partnership between the online retail giant and the Maricopa County Community College District. The offer comes as part of the newly announced expansion of Amazon’s Career Choice network in which the company has agreements with more than 140 colleges and universities across the country to pay for workers’ tuition. Read more >>
Innovative energy storage startup wins sponsorship at The University of Arizona Center for Innovation fueled by Perkins Coie
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is pleased to announce that CarbeniumTec has won the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by Perkins Coie LLP competition. CarbeniumTec is disrupting the energy storage industry with their groundbreaking metal-free Redox Flow Battery. CarbeniumTec’s technology is based on University of Arizona research and is in the process of being licensed through Tech Launch Arizona (TLA). Read more >>
Axon to hire 400 in Scottsdale, with focus on boosting software development team
Axon, the Scottsdale company that makes the Taser and other technologies for public safety, has big plans for 2022, including a hiring effort that could add 1,200 people to the company’s global workforce. Axon Enterprise plans to hire at least 400 people in Scottsdale, including a slew of new software engineers, said Elizabeth Hart, senior vice president of people operations at Axon. Read more >>
Carvana signs sublease for most of University of Phoenix’s Riverpoint campus
E-commerce giant Carvana has been growing rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic and it recently signed a 267,962-square-foot sublease in Phoenix to house its burgeoning staff. Carvana, the Tempe-based car seller, has agreed to sublease a significant portion of the University of Phoenix’s buildings at the Riverpoint campus at 4025 S. Riverpoint Parkway in Phoenix, according to the university. Read more >>
University students judge local robotics competition
Every year, students from across the county come together in school gyms and auditoriums to take part in VEX Robotics competitions, hoping for a spot in the world championships. The events give STEM students a chance to put their innovative skills to the test and are held by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (REC), which is the largest international middle and high school robotics program. To complete, students build robots based on game challenges and compete in teams designed to test their collaboration and critical thinking. Read more >>
Chandler incubation program supports young inventors
Chandler Innovations, the city’s business incubation, and entrepreneurial development program, is once again running its Jr. Track for high school students working on STEM-based projects. The program was started in 2019 in collaboration with Rachna Nath, a science educator with Arizona College Prep, Erie Campus. “My students are working on projects that will change lives,” said Nath. “I went to Chandler Innovations to collaborate as I knew they had the curriculum that would show my students how to facilitate a sustainable project and work as a team.” Read more >>
7 Arizona bioscience startups to watch in 2022
GCU and Arizona partner to cover 100% of tuition, fees, room and board for foster children
GitKraken announces GitLens 12 including support for VS Code for the web, plus new premium features
GitKraken, the world’s leader in premier Git tools, announced the launch of GitLens 12, including support for Visual Studio Code for the Web and github.dev. Plus, first-ever premium features like Worktrees and Visual File History, available through our GitLens Free+ and Pro plans. GitLens 12 is one of the most popular VS Code extensions to provide support for Visual Studio Code for the Web, which gives users the ability to edit GitHub repositories in VS Code in a web browser, on desktops or tablets, with no install required. Read more >>
Still Truckin’: Nikola to deliver 300 vehicles, hire hundreds and open hydrogen fueling in 2022
Nikola, the Phoenix-based hybrid and electric truck maker, announced a flurry of company updates on Thursday, including that it planned to deliver at least 300 trucks and hire 400 people by the end of the year. The company delivered its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) in December and on Thursday said it expects to deliver its first batch of saleable vehicles by the second quarter of this year. Read more >>
Viavi signs lease for new global headquarters in Chandler
Viavi Solutions, a tech company that shifted its head office from California to Arizona in 2021, is expanding its footprint in Chandler after realizing it needs more space than it originally anticipated. Viavi Solutions Inc. bought a 104,000-square-foot space at the Chandler Airport Commerce Center just south of the airport last year, with the original intent of housing both its global headquarters and manufacturing operations in the facility. Read more >>