Inside East Valley Business

To celebrate its 100^th anniversary, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce said Thursday it is releasing “Centenni-ale” – a specialty beer produced especially for the occasion.

The beer will be produced by Four Peaks Brewing Co., a craft brewery that makes nearly 34,000 kegs a year.

Also Karen S. Windsor-Worrel of KWW Design has created a label for the beer (see above).

For anyone interested in tasting this concoction, the beer’s first bottling run will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 at Four Peaks Brewing, 1340 E. Eighth St., Tempe.

The beer was described as “classic English-style Draught Ale” – the style most preferred a century ago.

To celebrate its 100^th anniversary, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce said Thursday it is releasing “Centenni-ale” – a specialty beer produced especially for the occasion.

The beer will be produced by Four Peaks Brewing Co., a craft brewery that makes nearly 34,000 kegs a year.

Also Karen S. Windsor-Worrel of KWW Design has created a label for the beer (see above).

For anyone interested in tasting this concoction, the beer’s first bottling run will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 at Four Peaks Brewing, 1340 E. Eighth St., Tempe.

The beer was described as “classic English-style Draught Ale” – the style most preferred a century ago.

Local First Arizona, a coalition of 800-plus local businesses and organizations, is touting the benefits of using local companies. The group is lobbying legislators to create a “resident-bidder” status. To prove its point, the group is citing a study commissioned by Tempe-based Wist Office Products and conducted by Austin, Texas-based Civic Economics.

Say what — a use-local-businesses coalition employing a Texas company to conduct an economic impact study? Was everybody at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University busy, or did Elliott Pollack and all the other prominent state’s economists go on vacation simultaneously?

“Local suppliers generate dramatically greater economic activity than their chain competitors,” according to the study’s Texas authors. For example, purchase office supplies from Wist, and 33.4 percent of the company’s revenue remains in Arizona, opt for Office Max, and 11.6 percent stays in the state. Staples leaves almost nothing here.

Local First Arizona, a coalition of 800-plus local businesses and organizations, is touting the benefits of using local companies. The group is lobbying legislators to create a “resident-bidder” status. To prove its point, the group is citing a study commissioned by Tempe-based Wist Office Products and conducted by Austin, Texas-based Civic Economics.

Say what — a use-local-businesses coalition employing a Texas company to conduct an economic impact study? Was everybody at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University busy, or did Elliott Pollack and all the other prominent state’s economists go on vacation simultaneously?

“Local suppliers generate dramatically greater economic activity than their chain competitors,” according to the study’s Texas authors. For example, purchase office supplies from Wist, and 33.4 percent of the company’s revenue remains in Arizona, opt for Office Max, and 11.6 percent stays in the state. Staples leaves almost nothing here.

A new poll says people don’t mind talking politics in the office.

According to OfficeTeam, a staffing service company in
California, 67 percent of more than 500 respondents said talking politics around the cubicle is acceptable as long at the conversation is done in small doses and doesn’t get too heated.

Eighteen percent said work is no place to talk political ideology.  Fourteen percent said they actually try to engage coworkers in political debate and find it useful.

When asked about the upcoming presidential election and how often coworkers talk about political campaigns or candidates on the job, 39 percent of respondents said “often.” 

“With the presidential election drawing near, it’s only natural for politics to be a topic of interest,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “However, employees should be careful to not allow discussions of the election to become a divisive issue.”

The  survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 522 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

A new poll says people don’t mind talking politics in the office.

According to OfficeTeam, a staffing service company in
California, 67 percent of more than 500 respondents said talking politics around the cubicle is acceptable as long at the conversation is done in small doses and doesn’t get too heated.

Eighteen percent said work is no place to talk political ideology.  Fourteen percent said they actually try to engage coworkers in political debate and find it useful.

When asked about the upcoming presidential election and how often coworkers talk about political campaigns or candidates on the job, 39 percent of respondents said “often.” 

“With the presidential election drawing near, it’s only natural for politics to be a topic of interest,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “However, employees should be careful to not allow discussions of the election to become a divisive issue.”

The  survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 522 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

Here’s something you don’t see very often, a tropical rain forest north of Tucson.

The University of Arizona said Wednesday it will open the Brazilian rain forest inside its Biosphere 2 to the public for the first time on Friday. 

“This will be the first time ever that Biosphere 2 visitors will be able to take ‘under the glass’ tours where they can see and smell the only rain forest in the desert,”  said Travis Huxman,  project  director.

The forest is part of the $150 million, 3.14-acre glass-enclosed living laboratory that has become quite a tourist attraction.

The Biosphere’s rain forest grows under rainfall and temperature conditions typical of a natural rain forest in the western hemisphere tropics. It includes more than 150 species of plants, ranging in size from less than a foot to more than 60 feet tall.

Visitors can now walk along an overland pathway through the lowland of the rain forest ecosystem.

The new, expanded Biosphere 2 tour is available every day during visiting hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can check for more information on days they plan to visit by telephone, 520-838-6200, or online at www.b2science.org.

Admission is $20 for adults, $13 for children ages 6 and older.

Here’s something you don’t see very often, a tropical rain forest north of Tucson.

The University of Arizona said Wednesday it will open the Brazilian rain forest inside its Biosphere 2 to the public for the first time on Friday. 

“This will be the first time ever that Biosphere 2 visitors will be able to take ‘under the glass’ tours where they can see and smell the only rain forest in the desert,”  said Travis Huxman,  project  director.

The forest is part of the $150 million, 3.14-acre glass-enclosed living laboratory that has become quite a tourist attraction.

The Biosphere’s rain forest grows under rainfall and temperature conditions typical of a natural rain forest in the western hemisphere tropics. It includes more than 150 species of plants, ranging in size from less than a foot to more than 60 feet tall.

Visitors can now walk along an overland pathway through the lowland of the rain forest ecosystem.

The new, expanded Biosphere 2 tour is available every day during visiting hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can check for more information on days they plan to visit by telephone, 520-838-6200, or online at www.b2science.org.

Admission is $20 for adults, $13 for children ages 6 and older.

The number of new hotel developments planned throughout
Mesa is the subject of frequent speculation among business reporters in the Tribune’s newsroom.It’s been almost exactly a year that the Tribune reported on plans to build Mesa’s first hotel in about a decade – the Marriott Courtyard at

Falcon
Field
Airport.Since then, a bevy of developers have followed the Marriot Courtyard lead with their own plans for new hotels in the city. A city planning department employee said he and his colleagues are just as baffled as many reporters here in the newsroom.“We’re just as surprised as you,” said Kim Steadman, a city planner. “We hadn’t seen this coming, so I have a hard time explaining why (it’s occurring).” 

The number of new hotel developments planned throughout
Mesa is the subject of frequent speculation among business reporters in the Tribune’s newsroom.It’s been almost exactly a year that the Tribune reported on plans to build Mesa’s first hotel in about a decade – the Marriott Courtyard at

Falcon
Field
Airport.Since then, a bevy of developers have followed the Marriot Courtyard lead with their own plans for new hotels in the city. A city planning department employee said he and his colleagues are just as baffled as many reporters here in the newsroom.“We’re just as surprised as you,” said Kim Steadman, a city planner. “We hadn’t seen this coming, so I have a hard time explaining why (it’s occurring).” 

A group of investors has formed the first venture-capital firm that will focus on
Arizona bioscience start-up companies. Called the Translational Accelerator LLC, the Scottsdale-based $20 million venture capital group will provide financing for fledgling bioscience companies that are beyond the government-funded research phase but have not yet reached late-stage clinical trials, the organizers said.TRAC investments will only support firms located in
Arizona or those planning to move to the state, they said.The fund will generally invest between $500,000 and $2 million per company, with a focus on firms developing treatments for cancer and diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. The funding will support efforts to move scientific discoveries from the lab to the clinic, said Richard Love, a former senior executive of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and one of the founders to TRAC.The Phoenix-based Flinn Foundation is supporting the fund along with individual investors.  

A group of investors has formed the first venture-capital firm that will focus on
Arizona bioscience start-up companies. Called the Translational Accelerator LLC, the Scottsdale-based $20 million venture capital group will provide financing for fledgling bioscience companies that are beyond the government-funded research phase but have not yet reached late-stage clinical trials, the organizers said.TRAC investments will only support firms located in
Arizona or those planning to move to the state, they said.The fund will generally invest between $500,000 and $2 million per company, with a focus on firms developing treatments for cancer and diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. The funding will support efforts to move scientific discoveries from the lab to the clinic, said Richard Love, a former senior executive of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and one of the founders to TRAC.The Phoenix-based Flinn Foundation is supporting the fund along with individual investors.  

A new study out by the American Legislative Exchange Council shows Arizona ranks 2nd in the nation when it comes to the economy, thanks to low income taxes, no estate tax, low workers’ compensation costs and its “right-to-work” status.

According to it authors, the state earns high marks for enacting a 10 percent across-the-board cut in income taxes last year and also for being one of 14 states that have adopted measures requiring that any tax increase by the legislature must pass by a super-majority vote in both houses.  

The report, RichStates, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, was a collaborative effort from  Arthur Laffer, an economist, and Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal.
 

Since 1997 almost 800,000 people have moved into Arizona, it says.  However, Arizona also increased its spending 18 percent last year, which could downgrade its ranking in the future.

According to the findings, a record 8 million Americans moved from one state to another last year, revealing which states have the most dynamic and desirable economies, and which are “has-been” states.The winners in this contest are generally the states with the lowest tax, spending and regulatory burdens. The biggest losers are California, the Northeast, and the Midwest.  The council is an organization of state legislators.

A new study out by the American Legislative Exchange Council shows Arizona ranks 2nd in the nation when it comes to the economy, thanks to low income taxes, no estate tax, low workers’ compensation costs and its “right-to-work” status.

According to it authors, the state earns high marks for enacting a 10 percent across-the-board cut in income taxes last year and also for being one of 14 states that have adopted measures requiring that any tax increase by the legislature must pass by a super-majority vote in both houses.  

The report, RichStates, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, was a collaborative effort from  Arthur Laffer, an economist, and Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal.
 

Since 1997 almost 800,000 people have moved into Arizona, it says.  However, Arizona also increased its spending 18 percent last year, which could downgrade its ranking in the future.

According to the findings, a record 8 million Americans moved from one state to another last year, revealing which states have the most dynamic and desirable economies, and which are “has-been” states.The winners in this contest are generally the states with the lowest tax, spending and regulatory burdens. The biggest losers are California, the Northeast, and the Midwest.  The council is an organization of state legislators.

Taser International, the Scottsdale-based producer of stun guns, is introducing a less-lethal shotgun and associated electronic projectile developed in partnernship with O.F. Mossberg & Sons at the 2008 SHOT Show in
Las Vegas this weekend.The system uses a Mossberg-manufactured shotgun modified to fire the extended-range projectile, the company said. The system is designed for use by law enforcement agencies and provides greater range, beyond 20 feet, than is offered by Taser’s hand stun guns.The weapon will not accept lethal 12-gauge rounds, removing the possibility of loading a lethal round into the less-lethal system in high-stress situations, Taser said.The
Scottsdale company expects to complete pilot testing and begin sales of the shotgun and projectile by the end of this year. More information is available at www.taser.com/xrep.  

Taser International, the Scottsdale-based producer of stun guns, is introducing a less-lethal shotgun and associated electronic projectile developed in partnernship with O.F. Mossberg & Sons at the 2008 SHOT Show in
Las Vegas this weekend.The system uses a Mossberg-manufactured shotgun modified to fire the extended-range projectile, the company said. The system is designed for use by law enforcement agencies and provides greater range, beyond 20 feet, than is offered by Taser’s hand stun guns.The weapon will not accept lethal 12-gauge rounds, removing the possibility of loading a lethal round into the less-lethal system in high-stress situations, Taser said.The
Scottsdale company expects to complete pilot testing and begin sales of the shotgun and projectile by the end of this year. More information is available at www.taser.com/xrep.