Inside East Valley Business

Latino Future Magazine is seeking nominations for its 4th Annual Hispanic Small Business Awards.
Winners will be honored during a luncheon on October 24 at the Marriott-Camelback Inn.
Candidates must have served at their respective companies to qualify. The companies must be 51 percent Latino-owned with gross revenues of $2 million of less.
For more information, call (602) 248-9230.

Starbucks lovers are in their cups today.

Of the 600 stores in the United States the company plans to close, only one will be in Arizona, according to its Web site.

A store in Eloy, at Sunland Gin Road and Interstate 10,  won’t make the cut. No doubt Eloy’s civic leaders are sucking espressos right now trying to figure out what to do.

In truth, we got off easy. Nearly 90 stores will close in California and Florida will see 59 of the gourmet coffee shops go away.  

In Eloy, java just won’t be the same.

For the sixth month in a row, there are fewer cars on the road, U.S. Department of Transportation reported Wednesday.

 The department said the lower numbers are the result of record-high gas prices and a surge in transit riders. 

Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles in April than at the same month in 2007. Vehicle miles traveled on all public roads for April 2008 fell 1.8 percent compared with April 2007.  

So far this year, motorists have driven nearly 20 billion miles less than in 2007, the department said. 

The numbers highlight the need find a more sustainable and effective way to fund highway construction and maintenance, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

“We’re burning less fuel as energy costs change driving patterns, steer people toward more fuel efficient vehicles and encourage more to use transit.  Which is exactly why we need a more effective funding source than the gas tax,” Peters said.

As Americans drive less, the federal Highway Trust Fund receives less revenue from gasoline and diesel sales – 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon, respectively.

The department said data show midsize SUV sales were down last month 38 percent over May of last year; car sales, which had accounted for less than half of the industry volume in 2007, rose to 57 percent in May.   Peters said past trends have shown Americans will continue to drive despite high gas prices, but will drive more fuel efficient vehicles consuming less fuel.   

“History shows that we’re going to continue to see congested roads while gas tax revenues decline even further,” she said.

There’s big news today in the East Valley’s pooper-scooping industry.

Pet Butler acquired GotPoop-AZ, one of its competitors serving the Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee Foothills and Queen Creek.

The two companies made the joint announcement over the weekend.

Pet Butler, which proudly bills itself as “#1 in the #2 business”, charges a small per-visit fee for its technicians to collect dog and cat waste, carry it away, and dispose of it properly. They say if the doggie-doo doesn’t get picked up, it can ruin lawns and present a significant source of water pollution.

“The acquisition of GotPoop-AZ pet waste cleanup customers is part of our continuing effort to build the Pet Butler brand into a household name so that when people think of dog poop, they think Pet Butler,” said Matt “Red” Boswell, CEO, or Chief Excrement Officer. “Both in Arizona and across the country, we want to be synonymous with clean yards and quality service”.

Pet Butler currently has 97 franchise operations in 27 states and recently celebrated their 40- millionth pile scooped.

Now that is something to be proud of.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry sent over a note Tuesday to tell us how happy it is.

The Arizona House of Representatives voted to permanently repeal a statewide property tax. HB 2220, a top priority of chamber, passed the House 32-28.   

“This vote is terrific news for Arizona property owners. Today we’re one step closer to permanently repealing an inequitable tax that hinders
Arizona’s competitiveness,” said Glenn Hamer, chamber president and CEO.

It’s our guess things won’t be so easy with the state senate and the governor.

Just where is the tipping point for gasoline?

If prices hit $4 per gallon, as many economists predict, an estimated 65 percent of American car owners say they will dramatically change their driving behavior, according to a study commissioned by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.

“While a third of consumers claim they already changed their driving behavior by curtailing driving or maintaining their vehicle better when gas prices reached $3 a gallon, the real tipping point is $4 a gallon,” said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO.

According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for AAIA, 91 percent of drivers are driving less and 75 percent are maintaining their vehicle better because of rising gas prices. Other specific behavioral changes were carpooling (31 percent), purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles (30 percent) and making greater use of public transportation (24 percent).

AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 member and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tool, equipment, materials and supplies.

A note this morning says the Make Mine a Million Movement is coming to Scottsdale March 4.

The event, billed as the “American Idol for local women entrepreneurs,” is a non-profit effort to help female business owners reach $1 million in revenue.

Thousands of women across Arizona are signing up now and 20 finalists will be chosen to compete for prize packages that include $50,000 in financing and mentoring.

Attendees, organizers say, will also have a chance to network, get business tips and apply for free business coaching. 

The event takes place at 9 a.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Gov. Janet Napolitano and celebrity apprentice, Nely Galan, will be keynote speakers.

Registration can be done at www.makemineamillion.org

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.