The Arizona Commerce Authority: The Arizona Commerce Authority has named the winning companies of the 2020 Arizona Innovation Challenge. The competition is designed to advance innovation and technology commercialization opportunities in Arizona by helping early-stage ventures scale. The Southern Arizona winners are Delta Thermal Inc., Sentinel Monitoring Systems Inc. and Sylvan Source Inc. The awardees will participate in the ACA’s Venture Ready Accelerator, which connects companies with serial entrepreneurs, high-level executives and subject matter experts. The program helps startups refine their business plans, improve go-to-market execution strategies and increase investor readiness.
Pima Animal Care Center: Pedigree Foundation has awarded Pima Animal Care Center a $50,000 Model Shelter grant through Friends of PACC for the agency’s work in response to the ramping up of pet support services that started as COVID-19 began impacting the community. In addition to already operating a Pet Support Center, PACC has been handing out 1-gallon bags of food to pet owners in need. The Support Center offers information and resources for low-cost veterinary services, spay/neuter options, low-cost vaccinations, rescue options, housing options, and training and behavioral information. PACC has also served as one of the pilot shelters for the Human Animal Support Services program, designed to keep pets with the people that love them.
Commercial Investment Institute: Two Southern Arizona commercial real estate professionals — Cody McGuire of National Bank of Arizona and Jullian Willetts of ReMax Excalibur Commercial — have earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation by the CCIM Institute. To earn the designation, commercial real estate professionals must complete more than 160 hours of case-study driven education covering topics such as interest-based negotiation, financial analysis, market analysis, user decision analysis, investment analysis, and ethics in commercial investment real estate. Candidates must also compile a portfolio demonstrating the depth of their commercial real estate experience and pass a comprehensive examination.
