CHAMBER STRONG
Frequently Asked Questions
Schedule a Membership Appointment
One-Minute Membership Assessment Survey
Join Now
The primary news source for this page is
The Phoenix Business Journal
Frequently Asked Questions
Schedule a Membership Appointment
One-Minute Membership Assessment Survey
Join Now
The primary news source for this page is
The Phoenix Business Journal
Lagoon Water Park, Entertainment Venue Headed to West Valley.... A new regional tourism asset for the NW Valley!
A beach party in Arizona might not be such a wacky idea in a couple of years because the West Valley will soon be home to an 11-acre beach lagoon, planned to include scuba diving, windsurfing and water jet packs as part of a 48-acre entertainment destination. TV News Story The planned project be near the Westgate Entertainment, near E 95th Avenue and Cardinals Way, near the State Farm Stadium. The developer of the project is ECL Glendale LLC. Crystal Lagoons Island Resort, will have a similar feeling to Downtown Disney, with experiential retail, amusement park rides, a 4D theater, a themed hotel and other hotel uses on the site. The project will also include an “aero bar,” a bar in the middle of the lagoon on a vertical structure that becomes elevated 135 feet in the air so patrons can get a 360-degree view. It also will include the world’s largest helium balloon. The balloon will be on a tether with a gondola that raises riders 400 feet in the air. The 4D theater will incorporate sensory elements like smell, temperature or moisture into the viewers’ experience. The theater will be in conjunction with SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment, which has access to Disney proprietary character and products. |
Industrial Construction Report
Phoenix is on track for a record level of new industrial supply to be completed in 2020, but so far new supply has outpaced demand, according to CoStar research. According to data compiled by Jessica Morin, director of market analytics for CoStar “Phoenix ranks ninth for U.S. markets with the most industrial space under construction. When the space under construction is completed, it will expand the market’s existing stock by 3.1%. That being said, Glendale and Goodyear have the most space under construction as compared to their existing space. Glendale will add about 40% to its inventory and Goodyear will add about 20% when the space under construction is completed. Nationwide, industrial net absorption was forecast to remain negative through the remainder of 2020 and into the beginning of 2021, according to a study done by NAIOP. However, Arizona has not seen the steep decline some other markets have suffered, Suzanne Kinney, president and CEO of the Arizona chapter of NAIOP said. “There have been a handful of large deals that have gone our way,” Kinney said, adding that several manufacturers have recently moved or expanded in Phoenix recently, and users like food and beverage makers are also growing in the area. Some of the growth, such as the pivot by Honeywell in Phoenix to make personal protective equipment, were directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kinney said, but other moves were “a continuation of the positive trends we’ve seen over the past few years.” |
Arizona Supreme Court refuses to take up lawsuit from bar
According to the Phoenix Business Journal
08-26-2020
The Arizona Supreme Court has denied hearing a lawsuit filed by more than 100 bar owners against Gov. Doug Ducey over the manner in which he closed bars down this summer.
The growing group of bar owners took the matter straight to the state’s highest court, but Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel wrote in the Aug. 25 order that the issue should first be reviewed by a lower court.
The ruling seems to be based more on procedure than the content of the lawsuit.
Ilan Wurman, the attorney representing the bar owners and a law professor at Arizona State University, has already filed another suit in Arizona Superior Court.
In the lawsuit, Wurman and the bar owners argued that Ducey’s order to close down bars to slow the spread of Covid-19 did not actually close down all bars in the state, but targeted just the owners with series 6 or 7 liquor licenses.
Under Ducey’s executive order hotel bars, casino bars, microbreweries, wineries, private clubs, distilleries and restaurants with bars were allowed to stay open because they operate with a different series of liquor licenses.
Wurman argues that the distinction between liquor license series has nothing to do with public health.
Besides asking for the court to deem Ducey’s executive order unlawful, the lawsuit is seeking damages for bar owners including for revenue that was lost when these businesses were forced to close but competitors could stay open.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal
08-26-2020
The Arizona Supreme Court has denied hearing a lawsuit filed by more than 100 bar owners against Gov. Doug Ducey over the manner in which he closed bars down this summer.
The growing group of bar owners took the matter straight to the state’s highest court, but Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel wrote in the Aug. 25 order that the issue should first be reviewed by a lower court.
The ruling seems to be based more on procedure than the content of the lawsuit.
Ilan Wurman, the attorney representing the bar owners and a law professor at Arizona State University, has already filed another suit in Arizona Superior Court.
In the lawsuit, Wurman and the bar owners argued that Ducey’s order to close down bars to slow the spread of Covid-19 did not actually close down all bars in the state, but targeted just the owners with series 6 or 7 liquor licenses.
Under Ducey’s executive order hotel bars, casino bars, microbreweries, wineries, private clubs, distilleries and restaurants with bars were allowed to stay open because they operate with a different series of liquor licenses.
Wurman argues that the distinction between liquor license series has nothing to do with public health.
Besides asking for the court to deem Ducey’s executive order unlawful, the lawsuit is seeking damages for bar owners including for revenue that was lost when these businesses were forced to close but competitors could stay open.
According the the Phoenix Business Journal
Nine Arizona companies, all of them based in the Valley, made the cut for Inc. magazine’s list of the top 500 fastest-growing firms in the nation for 2020.
Topping the state list was last year’s national leader and Inc.’s 2019 cover story, Freestar LLC, a company that helps publishers boost revenue by optimizing their online advertising. This year, Freestar dropped to No. 36 overall on a still-staggering growth rate of 7,239%.
The Inc. 500 is the top tier of the larger Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held U.S. companies.
Counting the nine Arizona companies on the Inc. 500, the state had 107 companies on the full Inc. 5000 list. This is up from the 104 that made the list last year.
Here are the nine companies that made the upper tier of the Inc. 5000 to land a ranking in the 2020 Inc. 500:
- No. 36, Freestar, Phoenix, 7,239% growth
- No. 148, Handwrytten, Phoenix, 2,572%
- No. 196, CellTrust Corp., Scottsdale, 2,145%
- No. 210, Attribytes, Chandler, 2,062%
- No. 258, Maverick Performance Products, Chandler, 1,724%
- No. 319, Simple Living Solutions, Scottsdale, 1,421%
- No. 337, Titan Solar Power, Mesa, 1,348%
- No. 432, Exerscribe, Scottsdale, 1,064%
- No. 448, Centauri Health Solutions, Scottsdale, 1,019%
Landlords sue, say Ducey lacks authority to stop evictions
According to the Arizona Capitol Times Landlords and mobile home park owners from around the state are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to void an executive order by Gov. Doug Ducey blocking evictions of tenants who do not pay their rent.
The lawsuit claims the governor lacks the constitutional authority to tell constables around the state not to process eviction orders, even those issued legally by judges. It also contends that the gubernatorial directive is violating both the property rights of landowners as well as their right to enter into contracts.
In seeking review, the lawsuit acknowledges that the governor can exercise certain powers in a public health emergency. But attorney Kory Langhofer, who prepared the legal filing, said that Ducey, in unilaterally barring landlords from enforcing the terms of lawful lease agreements, created “an indefinite economic welfare and redistribution program, rather than a public health measure to contain the COVID-19 contagion.”
According to the Arizona Capitol Times Landlords and mobile home park owners from around the state are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to void an executive order by Gov. Doug Ducey blocking evictions of tenants who do not pay their rent.
The lawsuit claims the governor lacks the constitutional authority to tell constables around the state not to process eviction orders, even those issued legally by judges. It also contends that the gubernatorial directive is violating both the property rights of landowners as well as their right to enter into contracts.
In seeking review, the lawsuit acknowledges that the governor can exercise certain powers in a public health emergency. But attorney Kory Langhofer, who prepared the legal filing, said that Ducey, in unilaterally barring landlords from enforcing the terms of lawful lease agreements, created “an indefinite economic welfare and redistribution program, rather than a public health measure to contain the COVID-19 contagion.”
PPP Loans helped nearly 1,500 local businesses
A new Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce report showed almost 1,500 small businesses in the Northwest Valley have received $155 million in PPP loan assistance.
Based the Chamber’s latest data, the PPP loans helped to retain 6,879 workers in the region (El Mirage, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Waddell and Youngtown.) However, several small businesses in Surprise and surrounding areas are still suffering from the COVID-19 slowdown and waiting for Congress to act on additional bailout money.
“When the previous bailout programs were rolled out there was much confusion and turbulence, and small businesses did not initially fair well,” Chamber President and CEO Raoul Sada said. “The Chamber wants to do its part, making sure that does not happen again, and we are lobbying Capitol Hill for a packages that favor small businesses.”
Key Points:
•The SBA has just released a massive trove of data on PPP loans. This was a significant step forward in transparency by the government, prior to this the SBA resisted requests to share the recipients of the funds. This is why it is so important for the Chamber to hold government officials accountable, and for us to demand transparency at all levels of government (local, state and federal!)
•More than 81,000 Arizona businesses and nonprofits have received forgivable loans through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program totaling $8.6 billion, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
•The Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to avert mass layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
•PPP loans are not made by SBA. PPP loans are made by lending institutions and then guaranteed by SBA.
•According to the data, 58 businesses in Arizona received between $5 and $10 million, the maximum amount allowed under the program. But the vast majority of loans, approximately 86%, are valued under $150,000.
•Close to 1500 small businesses received PPP loans in the six cities that make up the Chambers service territory. The amount of cash infused into our local economy was over $154 million dollars! Based on application data, the loans help to retain 6,879 workers in our region.
•Approximately 42 businesses were non-profits (2.8% of the recipients)
Based the Chamber’s latest data, the PPP loans helped to retain 6,879 workers in the region (El Mirage, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Waddell and Youngtown.) However, several small businesses in Surprise and surrounding areas are still suffering from the COVID-19 slowdown and waiting for Congress to act on additional bailout money.
“When the previous bailout programs were rolled out there was much confusion and turbulence, and small businesses did not initially fair well,” Chamber President and CEO Raoul Sada said. “The Chamber wants to do its part, making sure that does not happen again, and we are lobbying Capitol Hill for a packages that favor small businesses.”
Key Points:
•The SBA has just released a massive trove of data on PPP loans. This was a significant step forward in transparency by the government, prior to this the SBA resisted requests to share the recipients of the funds. This is why it is so important for the Chamber to hold government officials accountable, and for us to demand transparency at all levels of government (local, state and federal!)
•More than 81,000 Arizona businesses and nonprofits have received forgivable loans through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program totaling $8.6 billion, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
•The Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to avert mass layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
•PPP loans are not made by SBA. PPP loans are made by lending institutions and then guaranteed by SBA.
•According to the data, 58 businesses in Arizona received between $5 and $10 million, the maximum amount allowed under the program. But the vast majority of loans, approximately 86%, are valued under $150,000.
•Close to 1500 small businesses received PPP loans in the six cities that make up the Chambers service territory. The amount of cash infused into our local economy was over $154 million dollars! Based on application data, the loans help to retain 6,879 workers in our region.
•Approximately 42 businesses were non-profits (2.8% of the recipients)
Surprise Independent News Coverage
|
|
See What Businesses are Open and Their COVID-19 Safeguards Based on a self -reported survey, as on 05/11/2020. Information is subject to change without notice. The collection and dissemination of the data was a combined effort between the City of Surprise and the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. ShopSurprise Receive Special Deals, Promotions and Community Messages from Local Merchants, and your Chamber of Commerce. All messages are sent Directly to Your Phone! Get advance notice of new restaurants, grand openings, community events and more. It's FREE! Enroll Now |
|
|
Chamber’s NW Valley COVID-19 Consumer Survey Results Are In
Survey Results Make the Paper-Click Here to Read the Article Consumers, not the government, will ultimately decide when the economy will open—that is why it is important for citizens and businesses to know what people are thinking. Please share your comments on our Facebook page! Government leaders and public health officials will make decisions, and issue guidance on when we return to work, but truly regaining some semblance of normalcy will be determined by how people feel and what motivates them to act or not act. The Chambers recent survey sheds more light about what consumers are thinking in the NW Valley . Share your comments on our Facebook page Take Our 1-Minute Survey |
Business COVID-19 Survey Results
Survey Makes Front Page of Surprise Independent- Read the Story
CEOs across the globe are coming to terms with the reality that business will be anything but normal over the coming months as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate.
But while revenues are set to suffer a short-term hit, the majority of leaders remain confident that their companies will be back on solid footing within the year, according to a new study on the business impact of the outbreak of COVID-19.
The survey results found that 82% of business leaders expect declines in revenues over the next six months, but more than half (54%) anticipate revenues will be back to normal in a year’s time. And 61% of CEOs expect their total fixed investments to remain unchanged year on year.
How Business Owners are Responding
Among the industries seeing the greatest impact from the fallout are hospitality and travel (89%), education (87%) and media and entertainment (80%). Meanwhile, production firms in agriculture, factories, mines and utilities reported some uptick in revenues.
Nevertheless, business leaders across the board (95%) said they’re taking new measures curb the impact of the virus. That includes communicating more regularly with employees (68%), adopting new health and safety procedures (67%), cancelling major events (64%) and halting business travel (53%).
Meanwhile, other respondents, when asked for their advice for business leaders, recommended the following:
Citation: The Survey was conducted by YPO a global leadership community of more than 29,000 chief executives in 130 countries. Full Press Release
Survey Makes Front Page of Surprise Independent- Read the Story
CEOs across the globe are coming to terms with the reality that business will be anything but normal over the coming months as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate.
But while revenues are set to suffer a short-term hit, the majority of leaders remain confident that their companies will be back on solid footing within the year, according to a new study on the business impact of the outbreak of COVID-19.
The survey results found that 82% of business leaders expect declines in revenues over the next six months, but more than half (54%) anticipate revenues will be back to normal in a year’s time. And 61% of CEOs expect their total fixed investments to remain unchanged year on year.
How Business Owners are Responding
Among the industries seeing the greatest impact from the fallout are hospitality and travel (89%), education (87%) and media and entertainment (80%). Meanwhile, production firms in agriculture, factories, mines and utilities reported some uptick in revenues.
Nevertheless, business leaders across the board (95%) said they’re taking new measures curb the impact of the virus. That includes communicating more regularly with employees (68%), adopting new health and safety procedures (67%), cancelling major events (64%) and halting business travel (53%).
Meanwhile, other respondents, when asked for their advice for business leaders, recommended the following:
- Focus on the facts
- Communicate regularly with employees and stakeholders/customers
- Stabilize supply chains
- Make short-term and long-term plans
Citation: The Survey was conducted by YPO a global leadership community of more than 29,000 chief executives in 130 countries. Full Press Release
USMCA AGREEMENT IS A WIN FOR THE NORTH WEST VALLEY
By any measure, the push to get the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) passed — which preserves and strengthens our economic ties with our neighbors and top two export markets — was a three-year-long process. And it did not happen by accident.
The U.S. Chamber, the Surprise Regional Chamber as well thousands of chambers from around the country put the full weight of our alliances behind this historic effort. A special thank you to all local businesses in our region who contacted their elected officials and encouraged them to support the agreement. The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is expected to usher tangible benefits for the NW Valley including agriculture, technology, manufacturing, and other business sectors, industry analysts say.
Here’s a brief overview of what’s in it:
- Country of origin rules: Automobiles must have 75 percent of their components manufactured in Mexico, the US, or Canada to qualify for zero tariffs (up from 62.5 percent under NAFTA).
- Labor provisions: 40 to 45 percent of automobile parts must be made by workers who earn at least $16 an hour by 2023. Mexico agreed to pass new labor laws to give greater protection to workers, including migrants and women. Most notably, these laws are supposed to make it easier for Mexican workers to unionize.
- US farmers get more access to the Canadian dairy market: The US got Canada to open up its dairy market to US farmers, a big issue for Trump.
- Intellectual property and digital trade: The deal extends the terms of copyright to 70 years beyond the life of the author (up from 50). It also includes new provisions to deal with the digital economy, such as prohibiting duties on things like music and ebooks, and protections for internet companies, so they’re not liable for content their users produce.
- Sunset clause: The agreement adds a 16-year sunset clause — meaning the terms of the agreement expire, or “sunset,” after 16 years. The deal is also subject to review every six years, at which point the US, Mexico, and Canada can decide to extend the USMCA.
First-Ever Scorecard Released
Who Made the List? Our first-ever scorecard evaluates the votes of each state senator and representative and represents the positions of the West Valley Chamber Alliance that were communicated to our state lawmakers throughout the 2019 Regular Session. The scorecard helps the business community know where their elected officials stand on issues that affect us all. Click Here for Full Report
The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce (Districts 13, 21 and 22) would like to recognize Rick Gray, Frank Carroll, Tim Dunn and Joanne Osborne for having 100% scores in support of pro-business policies.
As a Chamber, we commend those elected leaders with scores above 80% and recognize them as Free Enterprise Champions for recognizing the vital role businesses play and supporting those businesses through common sense, pro-business, and growth-oriented public policy. All elected officials in Districts 13, 21 and 22 earned the Free Enterprise Champion designation which included Rick Gray, Ben Toma, Frank Carroll, Kevin Payne, Tony Rivera, David Livingston, Tim Dunn, Joanne Osborne and Sine Kerr.
Chamber1
TAKE THE SURVEY NOW
2020 Business Climate Census Survey
Many in our business community are experiencing both challenges and successes as our economy grows. As we work to secure the NW Valley's future, it is crucial that the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce understand what issues are most important to businesses. The purpose of the Business Climate Survey is to track trends and issues affecting businesses and to inform elected officials about the issues and concerns of the local business community.
Click Here Now, To Take Our Annual Business Climate Survey
2020 Business Climate Census Survey
Many in our business community are experiencing both challenges and successes as our economy grows. As we work to secure the NW Valley's future, it is crucial that the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce understand what issues are most important to businesses. The purpose of the Business Climate Survey is to track trends and issues affecting businesses and to inform elected officials about the issues and concerns of the local business community.
Click Here Now, To Take Our Annual Business Climate Survey
|
|
|
