Business awards earned in Tucson and Southern Arizona

University of Arizona: The US Department of Labor awarded the UA $134,999 to support mining education and training to help identify and prevent unsafe working conditions.

The grant program will allow recipients to create training materials in multiple languages, promote and conduct mine safety training or educational programs, and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts, a news release said.

Awards were focused on smaller mines and underserved populations in the industry.

Arizona Innovation Challenge: Seven Tucson-area companies have been named semifinalists for the Arizona Commerce Authority’s 2024 Arizona Innovation Challenge.

The 25 semifinalists are vying for 15 finalist spots, slated to be announced Nov. 14.

In the running locally are: airth.io, which specializes in advanced manufacturing; clean tech/renewable energy company Carbon Utility; My Health Navigator, an IT software company; Phantom Space Corporation, which specializes in aerospace/defense; and bio/life sciences companies Precisions Epigenomics, The Lung Test People and Vitalbeat.

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The challenge is designed to advance innovation and technology commercialization opportunities in Arizona by helping early-stage ventures to scale.

Finalists will pitch their startups to a panel of investors. Up to 10 winners will participate in Venture Scale, a six-month accelerator that helps startups refine their business plans, improve go-to-market execution strategies and increase investor readiness.

Semifinalists and finalists who do not become AIC awardees can take part in Venture Raise, a 12-week accelerator that focuses on funding options, investor pitching, startup financial health and more.

Schnitzer Properties: Sun Corridor recognized Schnitzer Properties President and CEO Jordan Schnitzer with the Cornerstone Award. The honor recognizes community leaders for their contributions to strengthening the Southern Arizona economy.

“Jordan Schnitzer’s investment in Tucson has spurred a renaissance in the manufacturing sector,” said President and CEO of Sun Corridor Inc. Joe Snell. “When Schnitzer Properties entered the Tucson market, it was the first speculative industrial development in a decade. That success then led to multiple Schnitzer properties being built since, which has spurred more speculative industrial development from others throughout the region.”