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Member News: November 2019

Modular Mining CEO reflects on 40 years in the mining industry
October 2019 marked the official 40th anniversary of the incorporation of Modular Mining Systems, Inc. This milestone occasion brings o mind how the company has grown from a three-person start-up in Tucson into an industry-leading enterprise with more than 800 employees working in 10 offices around the world. Learn how these entrepreneurs embarked on a journey rooted in the idea that great value is achieved when innovative technology and open collaboration are used to overcome a challenge

Cox and ASU partner on incubators to develop ‘smart’ city initiatives
Cox Communications is partnering with Arizona State University to create incubation centers designed to prod development of technology that in turn can create smarter communities in the Phoenix area. Known as the Cox Connected Environments Collaboratory, the centers will be staffed with Cox employees at various innovation zones across ASU campuses, including SkySong in Scottsdale, ASU Research Park in south Tempe and Novus Innovation Corridor adjacent to the Tempe campus. Learn how the centers will focus on solving pressing community challenges in the Valley, including optimizing buildings for sustainability, overhauling transportation infrastructure, the future of autonomous vehicles and virtual and augmented reality. 

7 AI Predictions for 2020 from JDA Software
JDA’s chief scientific advisor Dr. Michael Feindt has been researching, understanding, and identifying ground-breaking use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) for many years. As  a physicist and data scientist, he is constantly thinking about how algorithms can be developed, improved and advanced to not only benefit businesses, but improve our world. Read more to learn Feindt’s top predictions for AI in 2020

7 Arizona companies make Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500 list
Three of the seven companies are Tucson-based, which emphasizes the excellent points made by Governor Ducey about the strong growth in Southern Arizona’s tech and innovation industry in his recent column published by the Arizona Daily Star. Congrats to Arizona Technology Council members CampusLogic, Nextiva and AudioEye!

  • No. 34: Accelerate Diagnostics, a Tucson medical device company, had 3,757% revenue growth.
  • No. 53: Iota Communications, a software company with a headquarters operation in Phoenix, had 2,391% revenue growth.
  • No. 81: CampusLogic, a Chandler software company, had 1,639% revenue growth.
  • No. 83: Audioeye, a Tucson software company, had 1,570% revenue growth. 
  • No. 253: HTG Molecular Diagnostics, a Tucson medical device company, had 432% revenue growth.
  • No. 370: Vici Media, a Phoenix digital technology company, had 254% revenue growth.
  • No. 489: Nextiva, a Scottsdale communications company, had 174% revenue growth.

Fintech startup Verdigris Holdings launches program aimed at ‘unbanked’ individuals
Scottsdale-based Verdigris Holdings Inc. is opening its pilot program Friday to bring low-cost banking to the unbanked. The three-month pilot program for up to 200 area residents is made possible by the Arizona FinTech Sandbox program set up with assistance from the state government. Michael Coghlan, CEO of Verdigris, said the goal is to help the 63 million adults in the United States who lack access to the regulated banking system for their day-to-day financial needs and to have mobile access to banking. Read more how Verdigris Holdings is working with community groups to find low- and moderate-income consumers who would benefit from this new type of banking

University of Arizona is driving the local tech startup community like never before
While the University of Arizona has long been a major economic engine for the Tucson area, it’s poised to help drive the local tech startup community like never before. Deeply involved in Tucson’s startup ecosystem, The U of A has strengthened its ties to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem through Tech Launch Arizona, its tech commercialization arm, the UA Center for Innovation and the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, which helped support the IdeaFunding entrepreneurship training and business-pitch contest as part of TenWest. Learn more how the the U of A is UA is deeply involved in Tucson’s startup ecosystem

Paragon awarded a $2 million contract as part of NASA’s Tipping Point Program
Paragon Space Development Corporation was awarded a new contract as part of NASA’s Tipping Point Program. This contract award, worth $2 million, specifically concerns the Shape Memory Alloys for Regulating Thermal control systems in Space (SMARTS) radiator. SMARTS promises the high-thermal turndown and low mass that is needed to enable operations in the extreme range of environments that NASA and commercial space entities plan to explore. Learn more about this partnership and how it will propel the United States’ future in space

PADT recognized by Arizona Corporate Excellence Awards
PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development and 3D printing products and services has been named to the Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Awards list of the Top Private and Fastest Growing Companies. PADT joined a prestigious group of companies at the awards ceremony hosted by the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts in November 2019. Fellow winners included Arizona Coyotes, JDA Software, OnTrac, SiteLock, StandardAero, and WebPT. Read more about PADT’s contribution to the local tech ecosystem.

Lyft opens its first U.S. driver center in Phoenix
Lyft Inc. announced the launch of its first U.S. driver center in Phoenix to provide fast, affordable car repairs and support services for drivers. The ride-hailing company has opened its 20,000-square-foot center with five car bays to offer maintenance, including oil changes, new brakes, filters and tire rotations. In December 2019, the center will add complete collision and body repair services, as well as auto body painting and alignment services. Read more how Phoenix continues to be one of the fastest-growing markets for Lyft.

Education company Zovio unveils new Chandler headquarters
Edtech company Zovio opened its 130,000-square-foot facility near the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and Cooper Road in November 2019. The company hosted an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the facility’s beginnings attended by Arizona economic leaders, elected officials, and community partners. Two local philanthropies, Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates and Arizona SciTech Festival were presented donations of $25,000 each on behalf of Zovio’s corporate social responsibility initiative. Visit here to learn more about the highlights of the new facility

ASU unveils interplanetary Initiative for space exploration
Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration has unveiled its efforts to solve some of the millions of problems that will have to be addressed as mankind moves off Earth and colonizes the solar system. The Interplanetary Initiative brings together faculty from across the university, from the arts and sciences to the humanities, to brainstorm on significant problems and offer solutions. Learn more how ASU’s research will sustain human communities in space

Benchmark: TOP 5 customer questions about connected devices
As the number of connected devices in the world tops 25 billion this year, connectivity is becoming the norm rather than a product feature. That’s brought bold new startups into the market alongside established brands adding connectivity to existing products as the IoT and general electronics converge. Benchmark works with companies of all sizes and types to optimize their connected device designs and bring them to market quickly. Despite this variety of customers, Benchmark receives certain questions on a regular basis. Benchmark’s business development team and engineering teams share the most common customer questions for connected devices

Wells Fargo honored by Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs
The Arizona Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs presented their inaugural “Champion for Youth” award to Wells Fargo.  Don Pearson, Lead Regional President of the Desert Mountain Region, accepted the award on behalf of their more than 16,000 Arizona team members for their efforts supporting Clubs around Arizona during the school walkout earlier this year. The Champion for Youth award was created this year to recognize a supporter who went above and beyond to support Club kids.  Club organizations around the state were invited to nominate companies, and Wells Fargo was selected based on their longtime partnership and their strategic gift this past year. Learn more about this extraordinary honor and how Wells Fargo’s generosity supports the Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

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