Anna LaBenz spent many summer afternoons on a peaceful, pine-fringed knoll in Foxglenn Park, longing to hold her baby boy while her son, Jack, three years old at the time, played in the nearby playground. Jack’s little brother, fondly known as “JLB,” died during childbirth 10 years ago. Today, the Flagstaff photographer is beginning to see the power of her love transform the stump where she sat into a place of healing. With the support of friends, doctors, contractors and the City of Flagstaff, … [Read more...] about Taking Root: Children’s Garden Where Healing Grows
Feature
Moving Business Puts College Students to Work
Campus Bellhops is the little business that found a niche and filled it. The niche is “moving day” on campus. The Bellhops, who are college students, step in so parents and students do not have to muscle the kids’ belongings up and down from dorm rooms. It works. College students earn a little extra money and parents get a break. “It’s the Uber of moving,” said Justice Walker an employee and a senior at Northern Arizona University. “Everything is done by computer.” Founders … [Read more...] about Moving Business Puts College Students to Work
GiftCard Zen Acquired by RetailMeNot for $22 Million
RetailMeNot Inc., based in Austin, has acquired Giftcard Zen Inc., which started in Flagstaff, for $22 million in cash, plus up to an additional $11 million based on specific performance targets and other requirements. Giftcard Zen is a website where gift cards can be bought and sold at a discounted rate. Founder Aaron Dragushan launched the company out of his Flagstaff home and expanded with a Phoenix office two years ago. "GiftCard Zen shares the same mission with RetailMeNot, to help … [Read more...] about GiftCard Zen Acquired by RetailMeNot for $22 Million
Hensley Values Seasoned Employees
The sale of Golden Eagle Distributors has a silver lining for the 50 workers who faced the possibility of layoffs. Instead of walking papers, which they expected, most have been rehired by Hensley Beverage Company, which recently purchased Golden Eagle. “It’s really refreshing and no pun intended, this is a beer distributor,” said Carol Curtis of the Coconino Career Center. “We don’t always see that happen.” She said that many times in similar situations, the new owners fire the people … [Read more...] about Hensley Values Seasoned Employees
Customer Service is in His Bones… and Eyes
It is not surprising that people in Flagstaff talk about the personalized service provided by Dr. Phillip J. Wong. Besides successfully navigating the changing Flagstaff market for more than 38 years, the eye doctor comes from a family of longtime Flagstaff service providers. “I think the most important thing for a successful business in Flagstaff is that you have to deal with everyone on a personal level. I think that would be true in any market. You have to show patients that you care,” … [Read more...] about Customer Service is in His Bones… and Eyes
Welcoming Spirited Downtown Libations
A vital town is like a living organism – shedding old skins and growing new ones. Case in point: the closing of old drinking establishments and restaurants and the birth of innovative taverns for both wine and beer downtown. The popularity of Flagstaff as a destination for visitors and as a happy hometown for residents has created an evolving market for a variety of venues for entertainment and social interaction, including first-class restaurants, coffee and tea houses, bars, galleries, … [Read more...] about Welcoming Spirited Downtown Libations
Internet Scammers Stinging Northern Arizona
Internet scammers steal millions of dollars from victims nationwide each year, and they are not ignoring rural Arizona. Last month, Sara Bowyer of Munds Park received a phone call from her father. “He told me that he was on his computer, he clicked on something, and his screen went black. Then an urgent message appeared – something like, ‘Alert! Do not turn off your computer, call this phone number immediately.’ I said, ‘Dad, please tell me you didn’t call the phone number.’ “Well, he had … [Read more...] about Internet Scammers Stinging Northern Arizona
A Shift Coming to Downtown Flagstaff
After their wedding in September 2015, Dara and Joe Rodgers wanted to kick off their marriage with a slight change in direction – a kind of shift. When it opens its doors in April, that change will have manifested in Shift, their new restaurant in the historic Babbitt Building downtown. “We really wanted to dive right in to life with the wedding and opening a restaurant,” explained Dara, who is originally from Boulder, Colorado. ”We both felt we were ready for a change in our … [Read more...] about A Shift Coming to Downtown Flagstaff
Investors Looking to Real Estate While Stock Markets Slump
Money managers are having trouble hanging on to money, at least that is what is being reported in Bloomberg Businessweek. They say top asset managers, hurt by slumping stock markets worldwide, recorded billions of dollars of withdrawals in the fourth quarter. Business Insider reported that traders have not bet against stocks this aggressively since 2010. Los Angeles Times headlines read, “Stocks take a dive, weighed down by another drop in oil prices.” But the money that is leaving the stock … [Read more...] about Investors Looking to Real Estate While Stock Markets Slump
Huge Weatherford Hotel Restoration Project Beginning
Restoration work to add more structural support to the three-story, century-old Weatherford Hotel is scheduled to begin in March. The latest phase to return the historic building to its original grandeur will include removing the second floor mezzanine and returning the 19-foot-high ceiling to the lobby; creating a first-floor hotel room and office; and adding five more hotel rooms on the second floor bringing the grand total to 17. During the next two months, the hotel will continue to serve … [Read more...] about Huge Weatherford Hotel Restoration Project Beginning