Bill Unkovich predicts that in less than a decade, everyone will store their personal and business information off-site in a cloud. But thankfully, Flagstaff and the rest of Northern Arizona won’t have to wait that long. The reason is that CenturyLink is in the process of rolling out savvisdirect to its local customers. “It’s a powerful cloud solution product. Eventually, pretty much everyone will have it. It is simple, safe and flexible. You don’t need a server. You don’t need an IT guy. … [Read more...] about Supported By a Cloud
SCA Among Most Ethical and Admired
It never gets old to SCA to win an award as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. The company, with branches in Flagstaff and Bellemont, has been selected for the honor for the sixth consecutive year. “We get a beautiful glass trophy to display,” said Amy Bellcourt, vice president of communications for SCA. Locally, SCA makes hygiene and paper products used by consumers away from home such as napkins at fast food restaurants, schools and colleges or … [Read more...] about SCA Among Most Ethical and Admired
Nourishing Skin in the High Desert
Most people believe the desert is a hot, rough, tough, indestructible environment, but Connie Birkland knows better. She knows that the high desert environment has cryptobiotic soils that are very fragile and are made largely of micro living organisms. “You don’t want to step on and destroy these fragile biological soils. You want to keep them intact so that plants can exist. Once you see it you would recognize it,” she said. Birkland says if these soils are disturbed, the rain and wind … [Read more...] about Nourishing Skin in the High Desert
Flagstaff Celebrating the Arts
The results of the Fifth Annual Viola Awards are in the books. About 500 well wishers and nominees turned out to honor the 11 award winners out of the 66 nominees in the field of arts and sciences. The event was held on March 2 at the High Country Conference Center. John Tannous, executive director of the Flagstaff Cultural Partners, said even though the nominees are pitted against each other for the awards, there is no sense of competition between the artists. “It is more a sense of … [Read more...] about Flagstaff Celebrating the Arts
Matt’s Chemo Bags Offering Comfort
Until his mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, Matt Ferguson said he was just like any other high school freshman. All he thought about was football and girls. But on an August day, his father called a family meeting and told Ferguson and his sister, Kelsey, their mother had cancer. “Everything changed. Their whole world changed,” said Ferguson’s mom, Julie, who is now a cancer survivor. “He had to learn how to take care of himself and others. It was a real turning point in Matt’s … [Read more...] about Matt’s Chemo Bags Offering Comfort
Your Happiest Day Should be Delicious
When Suzy Thomas-Kuperschmidt was planning her wedding last summer, instead of a traditional wedding cake, she went another route. “Being an older bride, I didn’t want a traditional wedding cake, so I went in search of something different. I had a caterer tell me that mini pies were the new trend, but I don’t like pie.” She kept looking and found a new concept on the Internet – cake pops. When it came time to cut the cake, the couple fed each other these tasty little bites of cake in … [Read more...] about Your Happiest Day Should be Delicious
Discovering Sustainability on the Vine
Sit down and enjoy a glass of Kind Vines wine. And relax. You’re actually reducing your own carbon footprint. This is a sustainable wine for eco-imbibers because of its zero waste reusable bottles and reduced transportation costs to get that glass into your hand. If it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t. Flagstaff resident Dave Williamson, the owner of Kind Vines, has a good idea whose time has come. “I sell my wine to different retail outlets and restaurants. If you buy my wine at … [Read more...] about Discovering Sustainability on the Vine
Holiday Toy Drive in Full Swing
Santa is not the only one who is busy this time of year. James Jackson, a sergeant with the Flagstaff Police Department, is a bit of a blur as well. But, like Santa, he is used to it, as he has organized the Holiday Toy Drive in Northern Arizona for the past 17 years. “This is a very busy time of the year for me. It drives my wife crazy,” he said with a chuckle. “This year, we are collecting not only toys, but we are collecting warm clothing for seniors, food for St. Mary’s Food Banks, cash … [Read more...] about Holiday Toy Drive in Full Swing
Entrepreneur Garnering Accolades
There are few things more annoying – come to think of it, more ridiculous – than being on terminal hold with a computer. Aaron Dragushan was having that experience while waiting for a service provider. His wife, Evgenya, had already been on hold for so long that she handed the phone over to him and told him it was his turn. During the waiting time, Dragushan began thinking about an app that would stop all the holding. Instead of waiting on hold for a service representative, a service … [Read more...] about Entrepreneur Garnering Accolades
Twin Arrows Casino Nearing Completion
The $175 million Twin Arrows, Casino Resort near Flagstaff is nearing completion. “Everything is on schedule to open late spring or early summer 2013,” said Raymond Etcitty, general counsel and acting COO of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise. Now, he says, it is just a matter of hiring and training the estimated 800 employees it will take to run it. The number of new jobs is a relief to the Navajo Nation, where unemployment is at 50 percent. It will also be a shot in the arm for job seekers … [Read more...] about Twin Arrows Casino Nearing Completion