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BY JOYCE LOBECK On the job three months, Yuma Coun-
ty’s new administrator is thrilled to be in Yuma and pleased with the position.
“It’s great,” Susan Thorpe said with a warm smile. Settling back in her office she inherited from her predecessor, Robert Pickels, Thorpe spoke of how delighted she is to be back in Arizona and at the helm of Yuma County’s government.
Raised in Texas, where she most recent-ly served as Corpus Christi assistant city manager, she acknowledged that she had missed Arizona – her “adopted” state after working in Peoria for seven years before moving to the Texas city.
“The desert is beautiful, the climate is good and there’s so much available,” she said of Arizona and the outdoor activities such as camping and horseback riding she and her husband, Jay, enjoy doing.
In her bid to return to Arizona, she first interviewed for the Glendale city manager position, then turned her attention to the Yuma County administrator position. She was approved unanimously by the Yuma County Board of Supervisors in November and moved into the office Feb. 1 after wrap-ping up her Corpus Christi duties.
Until now her career has been centered in city government, she said, and county government is a “new world.” Thorpe wel-comes the challenge of applying her years of management experience to the position and believes it won’t be so different. “It’s still public service,” she said, “serving resi-
dents and their quality of life.”There are, of course, some basic differ-
ences, she noted. “The city operates under a home rule charter and can do anything that isn’t prohibited by state government. Counties are created by the state and can only do what state law allows. We have a very different set of rules to follow. That restricts our ability to serve residents. But it also keeps us focused on core services (such as health, public works and main-taining roads).”
Another basic difference is that while department directors in city government
are appointed by the city manager who re-ports to the Yuma City Council, in county government many department heads, among them sheriff, treasurer, recorder, as-sessor and court officials, are elected.
“So we really need a good working re-lationship with them,” Thorpe said, adding that she is benefitting from the legacy left by Pickels of having fostered those relation-ships.
In fact, she reached out to Pickels before interviewing for the position, she said, “and
The New County Administrator Susan Thorpe is Glad to be Back in Arizona
May 2016 Volume 2 – Issue 5
See THORPE continued on page 13
CoNGrATulATioNS!New Members pg5
Member of the Month, Firehouse Subs pg3
Ribbon Cuttings pg6
PHOTO BY JOYCE LOBECK. Yuma County Administrator Susan Thorpe, shown at the door to the county administration building, brings some 30 years of administrative and management experience to the position she assumed on Feb. 1.
Intersection improvements project will help all of Yuma pg13
Officer Recognized For Valor pg11
2 YUMABiZ May 2016
Mission Statement:“ To Represent Our Membership
By Advocating A Healthy Economic Climate Through The
Effective Use Of Our Unique Regional Resources To Enhance
The Quality Of Life In The Greater Yuma Area.”
Kelly Averitt, Office Manager
If you have questions about yourmembership, or any of our events,please call me at 928-782-2567
MAY 2016 Volume 2 – Issue 5
Published and direct mailed monthly by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce.
For information or to ask about submitting articles, call the chamber office at 928-782-2567 or send us an e-mail at [email protected]
928-782-2567180 W. 1st St., Ste A
Yuma, AZ 85364
BY JOHN COURTIS, Executive Director There is a tremendous amount of
angst and contentious debate lately over property taxes, threats of service cuts and other measures to get bud-gets passed. This time honored tradi-tion of debating money and financial responsibility will go on, literally, forever. However, as we look deeper into some root causes, we might be able to assist in changing the condi-tions and feel like we can participate in the process.
Write letters to our State Elected Officials in Phoenix.
The idea of sweeping funds is not new, and the effects on our quality of life are very real. In 2009, when the legislature swept funds from the Arizona State Parks, it meant the closure of the Yuma Territorial Prison. Thanks to the work of the great people of Yuma headed by the Chain Gangs and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area staff, we kept our prison open. In 2013, the legisla-ture swept $50 million of mortgage assistance funds that should have gone to help families trying to recov-er from the mortgage crisis.
The idea of sweeping HURF (Highway User Revenue Funds) ac-tually started in 2000. Since that time, according to the Arizona So-nora News Service, through the end of 2014 the total of HURF sweeps is over $860 Million. Remarkably, most of these sweeps (there are more) do not have the same affect in Mari-copa County as they are exempt from many of them. Shared revenue
‘sweeps’ also hurt rural Arizona as they affect a variety of forms and budget line items.
These sweeps hurt rural Arizona.We can voice our opinions by writ-
ing letters to our elected officials. We need to let them know that the State Legislature balanced their budget on the backs of the hard working citizens of Yuma County, Cochise County, La Paz County and other rural counties. We need to let them know that when rural Arizona has to raise property taxes to pay for lost shared revenues from the State it hurts all of us. We need to let our State Elected Officials know that Economic Development in rural Arizona is stifled because raising property taxes is required to balance budgets driven by lost swept revenues by the State. We need to let them know that economic expansion needs to happen in rural Arizona, not just Maricopa County. We might also add that revenue sweeps, which started decades ago at the Federal level, may be legal, but they have the feel of re-distribution of wealth.
Some experts have reported that the State of Arizona is sitting on a $1 billion surplus, maybe more. With that knowledge, we know the State can stop sweeping funds, but they are not incented to do so. However, they would slow the process down if they heard from enough of us. We saved the Prison, so now we get to save our Cities and our County. Write a letter or e-mail today.
The list of officials’ mailing ad-dresses and e-mail addresses is on this page.
Fund Sweeps by the State Hurt You, Me, EverybodyARIZONA:
Rep. Charlene R. Fernandez – District 41700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602)[email protected]
Rep. Lisa Otondo - District 41700 W. Washington, Room 123
Phoenix, AZ 85007Phone: (602) 926-3002 | Fax: (602) 417-3124
[email protected]. Darin Mitchell - District 13
1700 W. Washington, Room 307Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 926-5894 | Fax: (602) [email protected]
Rep. Steve Montenegro - District 131700 W. Washington, Room 218
Phoenix, AZ 85007Phone: (602) 926-5955 | Fax: (602) 417-3168
[email protected]. Lynne Pancrazi - District 41700 W. Washington, Room 213
Phoenix, AZ 85007Phone: (602) 926-3004 | Fax: (602) 417-3179
[email protected]. Don Shooter - District 131700 W. Washington, Room 200
Phoenix, AZ 85007Phone: (602) 926-4139 | Fax: (602) 417-3024
GOVERNOR’s OFFICE1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Gretchen MartinezDirector of Legislative Affairs
[email protected] | (602)542-7585Daniel Scarpinato
Deputy Chief of Staff – [email protected] | (602) 542-2661
Victor RichesDeputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Budget
[email protected] | (602)542-3465Juan Ciscomani
Director of Southern Arizona / [email protected] | (520)628-6585
LocaL Service / convenient Location / Shaded Parking / Jet Service
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 3
On March 8, 2016 Firehouse Subs received the National Restaurant Asso-ciation Award for Outstanding Chari-table Service. The Restaurant Neigh-borhood Award celebrates exceptional charitable service and philanthropy in the hospitality industry, emphasizing Firehouse Subs Public Safety Founda-tion’s mission of providing funding and lifesaving equipment to first re-sponders and public safety organiza-tions.
The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded in 2005 to provide the funding stated above. The non-profit organization has provided $9 million to departments in 40 states and Puerto Rico. In 2014 the founda-tion donated more than $30K to the Yuma Fire Department.
Locally, each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets and sells them to guests for $2 each. Donation canisters on register coun-ters explain the non-profit’s mission and collect spare change, while the “Round-Up Program” allows guests to round up their bill to the nearest dol-lar, the extra money being used for donations. All funds raised benefit the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Founda-tion.
Brian Cypert, District Manager 1630 S Pacific Ave., #107
Yuma, AZ 85364(928) 782-3460
www.firehousesubs.com
Congratulations to our May Member of the Month – Firehouse Subs
May Dates to Remember 9 - Legislative Affairs 12:00 PM, rsvp for lunch Conference Room at 180 W 1st Street
17- Board of Directors 3:00 PM Conference Room at 180 W 1st St
21 - Military Family Information Fair 9AM-1PM Yuma Readiness Center at 24th St & Araby Rd Free To Those Exiting The Military
25- Military Affairs Committee 7:00 AM American Legion Post 19, 2575 S Virginia Drive
25- Ambassadors 11:30 AM Conference Room at 180 W 1st St
26 - Transportation Committee 10:30 AM Chamber Office, 180 W 1st St, Ste A
30 - Memorial Day, Office Closed
12- Good Morning Yuma Time: 6:30 AM Location: Pivot Point Conference Center, 200 N Madison Ave Sponsor: Yuma Investment Group Program: S. June Pallack Excellence in Education Awards
25- Monthly Mixer Time: 5:30-7:00 PM Sponsor: Sun Country Restoration Location: 3121 E 33rd Place Cost: $5/person
Call Kelly at (928) 782-2567 or email [email protected] for more info
regarding any events or meetings.
Big Curve (928) 726-7827 2886 S. 4th Ave., Yuma, AZ 85364
Fortuna Commons (928) 342-8118 11259 E. South Frontage Rd., Yuma, AZ 85367
Yuma Plaza (928) 782-3460 1630 S. Pacific Ave. #107, Yuma, AZ 85365
4 YUMABiZ May 2016
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BY RANDY NELSON
We are all smart and can tell you the 2 ways to improve your bottom line is to increase your sales, and decrease your expenses. This is not an either or situation if you really want to be suc-cessful but a measure of efficiency. After all if you grow your sales but require a lot more resources or lower margins you can basically reduce your existing level of profit quite easily. If you cut back on your expenditures you may be sacrificing customer service or quality which can also lead to reduced sales. This is just basic business 101.
For many of you the third alterna-tive is not quite as apparent. When a new owner starts I am always serious when I mention that a day, or week, or month is a luxury that may have to wait. Most of my clients stating a busi-ness are will-ing to sacri-fice their time off because they are mo-tivated to suc-ceed or afraid of losing con-trol. Every-
thing your business does needs your insight, training, and passion to suc-ceed. I understand this because with my 1st business I worked 3 years be-fore I got a day off.
Besides being a recipe for disaster the time away from your responsibili-ties can and should be a part of your business planning. Here are some things to do to allow you some time away;
Hire or train someone or some peo-ple to take over your responsibilities.
Communicate to your top vendors or customers how they can reach you if necessary.
Breakdown and get a smart phone or tablet to be checked only once per day.
Try a few afternoons or days off in-termittently as practice.
Understand that you need to re-charge yourself also.
Create list of things to keep your employees busy and out of trouble. This may help them prove to you they are capable of handling additional re-sponsibility.
Look for cloud based options so you can check alarms, bookkeeping, in store cams, phone messages, schedul-ing calendars, and more.
What you will probably notice when you return is that your employ-ees left watching the store may now be much more capable. You may also have new ideas on how to build sales or re-duce expenses by being away from the
daily grind. This can add up to future v a c a t i o n s and new op-portunities if you just plan ahead a little and make yourself relax and recharge.
The 3rd secret to improvingprofits.
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 5
WElCoME To our NEWEST MEMBErS
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6 YUMABiZ May 2016
The Chamber helped celebrate the opening of another Cricket store in Yuma on Friday April 15th. This one is located at 1045 S 4th Avenue. Cricket Wireless is a prepaid wireless service provider in the United States of America. Cricket Wireless offers voice, text, and data and is a wholly
owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. As of 2011, it provided prepaid wireless services to approximately 5 million subscribers in the United States. For more information on Cricket please visit the store or go to www.cricketwireless.com.
ribbon Cuttings
The new Sunset Community Health Center-North Yuma Family Healthcare Facility held its grand opening on Wednesday April 13th and the Chamber came out to show support. Sunset Community Health Center-North Yuma Family Healthcare Facility will provide the north area of Yuma with access to a variety of clinical services. Approximately 10,000 square feet in size, the new north clinic encompasses 16 exam rooms, Sunset CHC
North is located on 675 S. Avenue B. At the clinic, family practice, pediatric, internal medicine, b e h a v i o r a l health, pharmacy,
outreach and enrollment as well as patient advocacy, community health workers and support services can be accessed. Hours for the new site are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the clinic can be reached at 928-782-7242.
Cenpatico Integrated Care (CIC) held an open house to showcase its new office at 2285 S 4th Ave, Suite F. CIC offers whole person health care, providing both medical and behavioral services to people who have been designated as having a serious mental illness. Cenpatico Integrated Care firmly believes in recovery and that by treating the whole person, we empower members to improve their lives and be engaged in their community. Cenpatico’s programs include
support tools to identify and assist members on their road to recovery. This is a process unique to each member and members’ are given many choices and supported to create their own unique goals. Cenpatico listens to the voices of our members and the communities we serve to improve lives and help people get healthy. For more information on CIC call 1-866-495-6738 or visit www.cenpaticointegratedcareaz.com.
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 7
Yuma Airport’s highlights – A glimpse of the pastYuma, Arizona: In celebration of its
50th anniversary, the Yuma County Airport Authority has compiled a collection of the airport’s highlights and memories over the decades to share with the community as a monthly publication. This month we’ve reached deep into the vault to share what is possibly the first record of an airshow in Yuma.
Tuesday, April 22, 1919 was more than just another beautiful and sunny day in Yuma. There was a buzz of eagerness and excitement in the air as folks of all ages from Yuma, Somerton and Gadsden prepared for one of the first air circus performances in our region - ‘thanks to Uncle Sam and his skymen’.
Lt. Gene Cobbery was in command of the squadron and explained their performance was to encourage recruitment for the air service. Lt. Cobbery made sure to point out sharing the rapid growth of the air service will be like that of the automobile, and the man who learns the game now is going to be a valuable personage in the future for in a comparatively short number of years. Lt. Cobbery knew that flying will become a common mode or a viable means of travel.
All businesses, houses and schools of Yuma and Somerton closed in time to see the fun. The circus started promptly at 2 pm on April 22, 1919 and the ‘flying machines’ left the field in the presence of one of the largest crowds to gather in the area. The four ‘flyers’ circled the field and then over the town, breaking into several formations and showing their capacity for dipping and mounting. Later, the fancy stunts were shown taking advantage of the
clear sky with the machines looping the loop, dropping into tall spins and flying on their sides. The crowd watched and cheered as each demonstration was made and as the circus concluded their acts which lasted over an hour.
As the aircraft were coming in to land on the south side of the field, one of the speeding ‘flying machines’ clipped the top of a mesquite tree just enough to throw it off its course and send it to the ground with a crash. Luckily, it had only a few feet to fall and the aviator was not injured. The great crowd of Yuma, Somerton and Gadsden were more than sorry the accident occurred but were overwhelmed with excitement by the air stunts. The community had nothing but praise and admiration for the men who performed in the circus.
The Yuma County community’s fascination and support of aviation and our military continues to strengthen every year. We have many articles spanning from April 1978-1980 about the planning and preservation efforts made by our City and County officials in support and protection of expansion and growth of Yuma International Airport as well as MCAS Yuma.
If you are interested in scheduling a tour of airport to learn more about Yuma’s rich aviation history, please give our office a call at (928) 726-5882 and ask for Gen Grosse.
ribbon Cuttings
North is located on 675 S. Avenue B. At the clinic, family practice, pediatric, internal medicine, b e h a v i o r a l health, pharmacy,
outreach and enrollment as well as patient advocacy, community health workers and support services can be accessed. Hours for the new site are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the clinic can be reached at 928-782-7242.
support tools to identify and assist members on their road to recovery. This is a process unique to each member and members’ are given many choices and supported to create their own unique goals. Cenpatico listens to the voices of our members and the communities we serve to improve lives and help people get healthy. For more information on CIC call 1-866-495-6738 or visit www.cenpaticointegratedcareaz.com.
Military faMily inforMation fairSaturday, May 21, 2016, 9aM - 1pM
yuMa readineSS center24th St. & araby rd. yuMa, az
This FREE event will help our currently serving military personnel and veterans, along with their spouses that
have, or will be TRANSITIONING into civilian life. This event will help them better understand benefits, options and job
opportunities throughout Yuma.
GET SIGNED UP NOW! WE ARE ABLE TO ACCOMODATE ONLY 36 BUSINESSES OR
INFORMATIONAL ORGANIZATIONSfree vendor Space iS very liMited
all SpaceS are 10’ x 10’.tableS, chairS, or drapeS will not be provided- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Yes, I want my business, _______________________________________
to have space at the Military Family Information Fair of May 21, 2016
Name _____________________________________ Date ____________
E-Mail address:_______________________________________________I understand I will not be able to sell anything. This Fair is for information only.
8 YUMABiZ May 2016
YPGcontinuestotestandrefineArmypersonnelparachuteBY MARK SCHAUER
Mass combat jumps of paratroopers have taken place in virtually every large-scale deployment of American forces since World War II.
Useful for seizing isolated air fields deep behind enemy lines, which can then be used to receive and deploy more troops and armaments, the tactic was used success-fully by American forces in both Iraq and
Afghanistan. As the decades have passed, the person-
nel parachutes American Soldiers use have advanced to meet modern requirements of design and function. The current T-11 parachute offers jumpers a slow and stable descent, especially in high winds, and can support more weight than previous para-chutes, a crucial advantage for warfighters who carry robust, but heavy gear. Also, since the T-11’s canopy deploys slowly and
further away from the aircraft than pre-ceding parachutes, the Army was able to increase the gross cargo weight of a C-17 aircraft by 15,000 pounds, which allows the aircraft to safely carry more fuel or cargo. A decade ago, the T-11 underwent extensive developmental testing at YPG that proved it extraordinarily capable.
“It’s a complex system with a large canopy and a lot of components , and we rigged many, many malfunctions into them during developmental testing and could not make the parachute fail,” recalled Keith Allen, team lead in the Aviation Systems and Electronic Test Division who has also served as an Army paratrooper. “We tied the hem shut, and it still inflated through corner vents. We put different reefing lines throughout the canopy and tried to restrict airflow inside, and it still inflated.”
There is always room for improvement, however, and recently the T-11 has re-turned to YPG for testing of different pack-ing configurations of both the main canopy and the reserve canopy Soldiers depend on if the main fails.
“The purpose of the test is to evaluate packing configuration changes that will ease the burden on riggers as well as im-prove performance,” said Allen.
For nearly a year, YPG testers con-ducted mannequin drops several times, gathering performance data on each of the newly proposed packing configurations and comparing the results to data gathered when the current configuration of the T-11 underwent developmental testing at the proving ground in 2005. Since there is no physical instrumentation on the parachutes themselves during these tests, evaluators depend on ground-based tracking instru-ments for video and data of each configura-tion’s deployment, particularly its critically important first seconds of flight. The testers used strain link systems installed on the parachute’s risers to measure its peak open-ing force.
Currently, similar testing is being per-formed on the T-11’s reserve canopy that could eventually result in changes to its components and packing configuration.
YPG is home to all manner of parachute testing, with spacious and instrumented ranges large enough to accommodate even
the world’s largest cargo parachutes. Testing personnel parachutes is a one-stop shop for customers, Allen says.
“You have to be able to rig these para-chutes into malfunctions to test different scenarios,” he said. “We have the institu-tional knowledge of how to do that, and there is really nowhere else in the Depart-ment of Defense that has that and the facili-ties we have. We also have all the historical data, which is another advantage.”
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YPG is home to all manner of parachute testing, with spacious and instrumented ranges large enough to accommodate even the world’s largest cargo parachutes. Rigorously testing personnel parachutes like the T-11 seen here is a one-stop shop for customers. (US Army photo)
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 9
YPGcontinuestotestandrefineArmypersonnelparachute
the world’s largest cargo parachutes. Testing personnel parachutes is a one-stop shop for customers, Allen says.
“You have to be able to rig these para-chutes into malfunctions to test different scenarios,” he said. “We have the institu-tional knowledge of how to do that, and there is really nowhere else in the Depart-ment of Defense that has that and the facili-ties we have. We also have all the historical data, which is another advantage.”
JOINT PAIN?
Join us for a free seminar about advances in orthopedics and joint replacement procedures.
Wed., May 11at 5:30 p.m.Yuma Regional Medical CenterMedical Plaza Conference Room1501 W. 24th Street
(2663)
Robotic-assisted technology may be the solution
For more information or toregister for the seminar call
(928)336-BONE
yumaregional.org/jointpain
10 YUMABiZ May 2016
Committee updateslEGiSlATiVE AFFAirSNext Meeting, Monday, May 9th, NoonOld City Hall Conference RoomPlease RSVP for lunch
• The airport continues to discuss alter-nate routes, more information will be available in their next newsletter
• YPG had a visit from a dozen or so Congressional Staffers
• The construction contract for 4th Ave and 16th Street was awarded to Cemex
• Council approved the applying for a grant for body cams for police officers, a maximum of 50 at a maximum of $1,500 a piece, the camera is not ex-pensive it is the server and the storage of video feed
• The City is applying for a Tiger Grant again for the Multi-Modal Transportation Station at the old Hotel del Sol
• Council approved the Preliminary Budget for fiscal year 2016-2017, this sets the cap at a $4 million increase over last year, retaining police officers seems to be the main issue
• Dan White from the City’s Attorney’s Office gave a legislative recap, he went on to say that the Governor seems to be holding out on signing anything until his budget is looked at
• Randy Nelson stated the next meeting of AWC’s Governing Board will be April 28th at a time to be determined, it is then that a property tax rate in-crease would be discussed if necessary
BoArd oF dirECTorSNext Meeting, Tuesday, May 17th, 3pmOld City Hall Conference RoomMembers Welcome
• Summer Works in Yuma was dis-cussed, we have seen a lot of interest from teachers, but we really need businesses to post jobs they may have available over the summer (June & July)
• The Chamber is putting on a free Military Family Information Fair for those exiting the military, the event will be held at the Readiness Center located at 24th Street and Araby on May 21st from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, booth spaces are free to members but the spaces are limited
• Executive john Courtis stated that the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce opposes a property tax increase by the City of Yuma for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, John has been working to find cuts to the City’s General Budget and he has shared his findings with City Administration, the Mayor and Council
• John Courtis shared that he will be attending the next Arizona Town Hall, April 25th-27th, the topic is Arizona/Mexico Trade Regulations
MiliTArY AFFAirS CommIttee(mAC)Next Meeting, Wednesday, May 25th, 7amAmerican Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Ave.
• Matt Molenar is designing some pages inside the Chamber’s website specifi-cally for MAC news and events
• Matt Molenar is also creating armed-forcespark.com to locate plaques at the park by name
• The Military Family Information Fair planning is underway, 15 of the 36 free booths are spoken for
AMBASSAdorSNext Meeting, Wednesday, May 25th, 11:30amOld City Hall Conference RoomMembers Welcome
• We welcomed new Ambassador David Alegria from Hoppstetter’s Office Products
• The Ambassadors discussed upcoming events including the Mixer at Acade-my Mortgage, the GMY sponsored by Amberly’s Place, and Ribbon Cuttings at Sunset Community Health, Keller Williams, and Re/Max Territory
• Tawnee Miller, Esther Markle, Shirley Epke, and Rita Megui agreed to act as Navigators under the Ambassadors
• The ABWA Women’s Expo is April 9th and the Somerton Business Expo is May 7th, membership with the Somerton Chamber is only $100 per Rita Megui
TrANSporTATioNNext Meeting, Thursday, May 26th, 10:30amChamber Office, 180 W. 1st St., Ste A
• GYPA has agreed to renew its Cham-ber membership
• YPG is currently using 36 vRide vans and they hope to be at 40 by the end of the year
• There is a detour out by YPG as they work on building the bridge over the Fortuna Wash
• YMPO has 4 studies on its work plan and they will be presenting the final draft of the safety plan on March 31st
• YMPO is working on a lot of long range planning
• YMPO is installing wifi for a penetra-tion study at the border, they should have analytical data by the end of the year
• The City, County, and ADOT continue to work collaboratively on some road projects and independent on others
having the Yuma Sundelivered to Your buSineSS makeS SenSe
Call (928) 783-3333 to Start Delivery
Local News. Anytime. Anywhere.
The Yuma Sun is full of news and ads. Perfect to keep up on what affects your business community.
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 11
Committee updatesAMBASSAdorSNext Meeting, Wednesday, May 25th, 11:30amOld City Hall Conference RoomMembers Welcome
• We welcomed new Ambassador David Alegria from Hoppstetter’s Office Products
• The Ambassadors discussed upcoming events including the Mixer at Acade-my Mortgage, the GMY sponsored by Amberly’s Place, and Ribbon Cuttings at Sunset Community Health, Keller Williams, and Re/Max Territory
• Tawnee Miller, Esther Markle, Shirley Epke, and Rita Megui agreed to act as Navigators under the Ambassadors
• The ABWA Women’s Expo is April 9th and the Somerton Business Expo is May 7th, membership with the Somerton Chamber is only $100 per Rita Megui
TrANSporTATioNNext Meeting, Thursday, May 26th, 10:30amChamber Office, 180 W. 1st St., Ste A
• GYPA has agreed to renew its Cham-ber membership
• YPG is currently using 36 vRide vans and they hope to be at 40 by the end of the year
• There is a detour out by YPG as they work on building the bridge over the Fortuna Wash
• YMPO has 4 studies on its work plan and they will be presenting the final draft of the safety plan on March 31st
• YMPO is working on a lot of long range planning
• YMPO is installing wifi for a penetra-tion study at the border, they should have analytical data by the end of the year
• The City, County, and ADOT continue to work collaboratively on some road projects and independent on others
parents: register young athletes for Yuma Youth Triathlon
Kids will bike, run and sprint through a fun-filled obstacle course of hay bales, tires and more when the first-ever Yuma Youth Triathlon debuts on May 14.
Yuma Regional Medical Center Fam-ily Medicine Center, Cenpatico and YRMC Cares recently teamed up to offer this new, free event for kids ages 5 to 13.
The Yuma Youth Triathlon takes place at Desert Sun Stadium, located just off Avenue A. at 1280 W. Desert Sun Dr. in Yuma. The fun begins at 8:30 a.m.
Organized into heats by age, young athletes will run, bike and make their way through an obstacle course before sprinting through the finish line.
“As a community physician and a family medicine resident, I understand professionally and personally the im-portance of keeping our communities and families healthy and well,” said Jose Vega, MD, Yuma Youth Triathlon orga-nizer and YRMC Family Medicine resi-dent. “We are excited to organize the first Yuma Youth Triathlon, a fun event that
promotes exercise and sportsmanship.”Through grants provided by Cenpati-
co and YRMC Cares, the Yuma Youth Triathlon is able to provide participating kids with t-shirts, water bottles and free registration.
Kids must provide their own bikes and sneakers. Helmets are required to participate in the triathlon. Kids who do not own a helmet will receive a helmet and helmet fitting the day of the race. Schedule of events for May 14 include:Ages 5 to 6 – 8:30 a.m. start - .25 mile
run, .5 mile bike, obstacle courseAges 7 to 8 – 9 a.m. start - .5 mile run, 1
mile bike, obstacle course Ages 9 to 10 – 9:30 a.m. start - .75 mile
run, 1.5 mile bike, obstacle courseAges 11 to 13 – 10 a.m. start – 1 mile
run, 2 mile bike, obstacle course To register for the Yuma Youth Tri-
athlon, visit www.yumaregional.org/yumayouthtriathlon. For more informa-tion, call (928) 336-7958 or email [email protected].
YrMC, Cenpatico create fun, new event to help address childhood obesity
officerRecognizedForValor
Officer Juan Salcido was honored at the April 5, 2016 meeting of the Wellton Town Council for his actions during an incident that occurred on March 12th.
At approximately 3:12am, a wrong way driver going westbound in the east-bound lanes of Interstate 8 was reported to the Yuma County Sheriff ’s Office Dis-patch Center. No Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were near the area, nor were any Yuma County deputies. The dispatcher notified Officer Salcido, who immediately began searching for the ve-hicle creating an extremely dangerous situation on the interstate.
Officer Salcido located the vehicle within 8 minutes of receiving the call. Using excellent forethought, Officer Sal-cido told the dispatcher to contact the Border Patrol and ask them to close the checkpoint on the eastbound lanes of traffic to avoid a potentially fatal collision from vehicles traveling into the path of the wrong way driver.
Officer Salcido was able to overtake the wrong way vehicle in the westbound lanes far enough ahead of it to allow him to find a cross over that would al-low him to access the eastbound lanes. He was able to do so just prior to where the wrong way driver would have begun entering the Telegraph Pass area, which would have been extremely dangerous considering the blind curves and dark-ness at that time of the morning. Officer
Salcido was able to stop the vehicle prior to it entering the pass.
After getting the vehicle stopped, agents of the Border Patrol and deputies from the Yuma County Sheriff ’s Office arrived to assist. Due to Officer Salcido’s efforts, “He no doubt saved the lives of unsuspecting motorists on the interstate that morning,” said Wellton Chief of Po-lice Donald Jones during the presenta-tion at the Wellton Town Council meet-ing.
Jones stated, “Over the last few years, several peace officers and many motor-ists have lost their lives due to wrong way driver incidents. It is an extremely dangerous and hazardous incident for law enforcement to handle and often ends in fatal collisions. Officer Salcido demonstrated his commitment to the safety of the citizens of the Town and those that pass through, and his ability to think and act under pressure to make good decisions that saved lives.”
Officer Juan Salcido, being awarded by Wellton Chief of Police Donald Jones during a presentation at the April 5, 2016 Wellton Town Council meeting.
12 YUMABiZ May 2016
What are Soft Skills?
Whether your employees work directly or indirectly with customers, they need good soft skills. These are the communica-tion, problem-solving, interpersonal and
leadership skills that help employees de-liver their work efficiently and effectively.
WhAt ARE SOFt SkIllS? Soft skills is a term often associated
with a person’s Emotional Intelligence, the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal hab-its, interpersonal skills, managing people, leadership, etc. that characterize relation-ships with other people.
ASSESSING YOuR SOFt-SkIllS tRAINING NEEdS
You’ll most often recognize the need for soft skills when they’re absent. You may experience a variety of problems—unhap-py customers, low productivity, high turn-over, interpersonal conflicts or other issues that can threaten your business.
Fortunately, universal demand for these skills has set off a soft-skills training boom that targets employees at all levels:• Experienced employees whose effective-
ness is limited by deficient leadership,
supervisory, or communication skills• Younger employees who are tech-savvy
but need training in proper email eti-quette, customer service, and other areas
• Individuals who require basic work-read-iness skills, reading and math skills, or assistance with English language skills
lOOkING FOR SOFt SkIllS tRAINING OPtIONS?
Explore CareerOneStop’s “Find Local Training Options” at www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/ to find programs in your area. Can’t find a specific program? Contact your Business Service Representa-
tive at your Local One-Stop Career Center to see what is available.
Another option is to connect with a customized training provider to develop a program that meets your specific require-ments.
Need help with soft skills training or other workforce issues? Contact your Business Service Representative at 928-329-0990 or visit http://www.careerone-stop.org/businesscenter/.
Information obtained from http://www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/
Patrick Goetz
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. A proud partner of the americanjobcenter network.
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 13
What are Soft Skills? he was very helpful. I think he felt he left the county in a good position with an ef-ficient level of expenditures. Revenue is up moderately. If we can keep the state from taking back money, we can deliver services … like fixing roads.”
Since February, Thorpe has been on a sharp learning curve. Not only has she been busy settling into her new position, she’s also been getting to know the com-munity and its leaders through rounds of meetings with such organizations as the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, Yuma Metropolitan Plan-ning Organization and Yuma County In-ternational Airport as well as city officials.
“I’m really getting to know these com-munity leaders,” she said, and looks for-ward to working with them to benefit the county as well as the international border region that also includes Imperial County and northern Mexico. After all, she noted, economic development is a huge issue for the entire area.
She’s also learning about the role of ag-
riculture as the area’s No. 1 industry. And as a “military brat” she understands the im-portance of supporting Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground.
“Agriculture and the military drive development,” Thorpe said. “We need to target industries that do business with them. Build on our strengths. The county can add our voice to others marketing our area. We want to be one of the partners to grow our area.”
Her first priority, Thorpe said, is the budget process that includes not just crunching numbers but also learning how organizations within county government work, looking at revenue trends and be-coming familiar with the legislative pro-cess and how state actions impact local government.
“Once we get a handle on the state, we can figure out how to fund the county,” she said.
She also intends to apply her experi-ence to some strategic long-range plan-ning for the county. “It really helps to set a vision and priorities.”
In conclusion, she said, “There’s lots to be done. I’m looking forward to it.”
THORPE continued from page 1
tive at your Local One-Stop Career Center to see what is available.
Another option is to connect with a customized training provider to develop a program that meets your specific require-ments.
Need help with soft skills training or other workforce issues? Contact your Business Service Representative at 928-329-0990 or visit http://www.careerone-stop.org/businesscenter/.
Information obtained from http://www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/
If crossing the 16th Street and 4th Ave-nue intersection is not part of your normal commute, well, consider yourself lucky for about the next 10 months.
It’s Yuma’s busiest intersection, and the work being done there will be an inconve-nience not just for drivers who must pass that area, but to those who use neighbor-ing through streets that will surely see ad-ditional traffic as a result of this project.
Once complete, however, the project will ease the congestion and frustration that mark that intersection’s current best days. This construction will add dedicated right-turn lanes and dual left-turn lanes in all corners of the intersection, plus expand 16th Street in preparation for that future day when it will eventually have three lanes of through traffic to match the traffic lanes it already has just east of Arizona Av-enue down to Pacific Avenue. Bike lanes, as identified within the transportation ele-ment of the voter-approved General Plan, will be constructed.
Business access will be maintained through the course of the project. Yumans who frequent the area will be encouraged to continue to do so; just plan ahead to stay on schedule.
The City’s water transmission system will see some upgrades as part of this proj-ect as well. Existing waterlines of various sizes will be replaced with one single 16-inch water main. A section of 10-inch wa-terline on 4th Avenue between 16th Street and 17th Street will be replaced with a 12-inch waterline. However, some customers may notice a decrease in water pressure during certain phases of this project.
“Think of it as the pain before a very big gain,” said Deputy City Administrator Ricky Rinehart. “All of us, when driving through there, need to think about what’s it’s going to be like when it’s all fin-ished.”
Easing congestion at the inter-section will allow for a freer flow of goods through Yuma, will im-prove access to retail and din-ing destinations in the vicinity and beyond, and will increase
the opportunity for businesses to locate at two of Yuma’s busiest commercial streets. Already there are plans to name the now-empty lands around the intersection “Cen-ter Pointe,” and the rumor mill is hot with anticipation over the stores that have been discussed for the area.
“There is a possibility of a business or two that Yumans have asked about for a long time,” Rinehart said.
As of this writing, though, some stick-ing points remained. One piece of proper-ty necessary to the project was still tied up in court, and one utility company had not yet completed the relocation of its facility necessary for the project to begin.
Currently, the City expects the project to start sometime in May. Once under way, the contract calls for 300 calendar days, taking the project into the spring of 2017.
Driver behavior is going to be impor-tant in making those 300 days go smoothly. To that end, the Yuma Police Department offers the following recommendations.
Leave early, perhaps as many as 15 min-ute early, if you plan on driving through the construction zone.
Identify an alternate route – but again, leave early, as these routes are likely to see traffic exceeding their usual levels.
Obey all traffic control devices. If there is a sign indicating, for example, “no left turns,” violating this sign is not only illegal, it creates much longer backups behind the violator.
If using a residential side street to avoid the construction zone, respect the 25 mph residential speed limit and all school zones. The neighborhoods on both sides of 16th Street see a lot of pedestrian traffic with children heading to and from area schools. Pedestrians will be outside of school zones, so obeying the residential speed limits is a
“must” for child safety.Avoid following vehicles too
closely. Yes, traffic will be slow. But especially at first, while mo-torists adjust to the new traffic
control patterns, give yourself plenty of space to react to oth-er drivers’ mistakes.
intersection improvements project will help all of Yuma
We will talk every week about all the good stuff going on in
Yuma County and introduce new Chamber members. We will also
give you updates on what's going on in Yuma.
Please listen in every Wednesday from 8 - 9 am on kblu 560am for “Chamber Chatter.”
The Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, and its Board of Directors are opposed to the Property Tax
increase proposed by the City of Yuma. We feel that there are alternatives to the problem of, primarily,
compensating our police force in an equitable manner. We have offered ideas to consider and
will continue to work with the City leadership in a collaborative and cooperative manner. We at the
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce have made it clear to the City of Yuma: Do not raise property taxes.
14 YUMABiZ May 2016
Just plug in that two-digit number. Or hit the “down arrow” button on your thermo-stat. At APS, that is how easy we want it to be to keep your homes and businesses cool during the summer.
However, I’ve been a Yuma resident much longer than I’ve been an APS employee, so I am still fascinated by the intense work and
planning that occurs all year long to prepare for this season. There are a number of impor-tant elements to make sure your power is as reliable as it can be when our temperatures are peaking:
ENOuGh ElECtRICItYEvery year, APS forecasts how much elec-
tricity our customers will need on the hottest day of the year. We take a closer look at dif-ferent regions in our service territory as well. For example, here in Yuma, we are projecting that our load (the amount of electricity our customers are using) will grow two percent by next summer—that’s right, even before this summer begins, we are already prepar-ing for next summer.
One of the neat things about the power that will be keeping your home or business cool this summer is that it will be cleaner than ever before, thanks to a number of sources:
• Continued support from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station – this plant has been the nation’s largest power pro-ducer for 24 years running and it pro-vides 80 percent of Arizona’s carbon-free energy.
• More natural gas, less coal – after clos-ing a coal unit last fall, APS will be using more electricity resources from natural gas, which is cleaner while still being affordable, thanks to low natural gas prices.
• A growing renewable energy system – we now have around 1,300 megawatts of re-newable energy on the APS system. So-lar plants like our Yuma Foothills Solar Plant are especially helpful; with panels that track the sun, they operate around 80 percent of their full capacity when we hit our peak on those late summer after-noons. This compares to rooftop solar, which was operating around 30 percent capacity during our peak last year. RElIABlE INFRAStRuCtuRE Months ago, extra reliability crews from
other APS locations traveled to Yuma to sup-port local maintenance personnel. While there, the crews collectively performed up-grades and preventive maintenance on wires and poles, conducted ground inspections and replaced power poles as needed.
An APS predictive maintenance team also spent time in Yuma County and used an
infrared camera to locate “hot spots” on the APS system, which can be indicative of infra-structure wearing out. Local APS crews fur-ther inspected the equipment and replaced components as needed.
EMERGENCY PREPAREdNESSUnfortunately, storms and wildfires are a
fact of life. But at APS, we prepare to miti-gate their impact on customers. For example, we have been “hardening” our system to strengthen it against monsoon storms. One way we do this is by installing more steel poles as “stopper poles.” This helps prevent longer stretches of poles coming down dur-ing high monsoon winds.
Summer may just be a season, but for APS employees, preparing for this season truly happens all year long. We do this be-cause we know how crucial reliable power is for our customers, especially when that pow-er allows them to control the buttons to their air conditioning.
ApS: Behind-the-scenes of your cool and comfortable summer
aps.com
Yuma County Chamber of Commerce YUMABIZ 15
ApS: Behind-the-scenes of your cool and comfortable summer
Last month, the Yuma Visitors Bu-reau teased the reveal of its completely redesigned website and, as of late last month, we are proud to have suc-cessfully debuted the new look to the world.
The benefits, however, go beyond the surface of the site’s design with new additions which make planning a visit to Yuma incredibly easy and fun! We invite everyone, residents and travel-ers alike, to go to VisitYuma.com to explore the Itinerary Builder which allows users to customize their as-sortment of stops at Yuma’s top spots. Need to take your itinerary to-go? Save or print your customized agenda to have your trip at the ready, wherever you are!
Also new to the site is a revamped event calendar, providing an exciting list of year-around activities for all ages and interests. Want to know what’s go-ing on just for the weekend, or perhaps one specific week in December? Save time scrolling through a year’s worth of events with the ability to now pick the dates which matter to you!
Of course, there is so much more to the new VisitYuma.com that we would love to share; but, how about experiencing it for yourself? Check out our new digs in cyberspace and let us know what you think with feedback
being accepted at [email protected]. Yuma Visitors Bureau thanks the city’s own MGM Design for its services.
theNewVisitYuma.comhas Arrived!
May 2016 Events:Throughout May – Ghost town
Exhibit tours (Sanguinetti House)Throughout May – Weekly Wine
tastings (Old Town Wine Cellar)Throughout May – Garage Sale
Mania (Yuma Indoor Marketplace)May 3 – AWC Culinary Arts
International dinner (Arizona Western College)
May 4 – AWC Student Showcase (Arizona Western College)
May 4 – AWC Jazz Ensemble Concert (Arizona Western College)
May 4 – lutes takeover (Lutes Casino)
May 5 – Thursdays at the Theatre (Historic Yuma Theatre)
May 6 – Cinco de Mayo Mas uno (Historic Downtown Yuma – Main Street)
May 7 – Cow Patty Bingo (Yuma Catholic High School)
May 7 – Graphic 45 “Cityscapes” travel Album (Dreams on Paper)
May 14 – larios karate International Championship (Yuma Civic Center)
May 18 – Creative Aging (Arizona Western College)
May 20 – Stop & Crop Scrapbook Workshop (Dreams on Paper)
May 27 – lutes Summer Jazz Series (Lutes Casino)
May 27 – VIP design team Night (Dream on Paper)
How about that listing of events? And that isn’t all! For more things to do in May and beyond, go to VisitYuma.com or stop by the Yuma Visitor Information Center at 201 N. 4th Avenue to speak with our knowl-edgeable and friendly staff, and to purchase Yuma mementos at the Yuman Interest Gift & Souvenir shop.
2750 S. Pacific Ave, Ste B • Yuma, AZ 85365Phone: (928) 246-2327 • Fax: (928) 726-1105
Email: [email protected] • Website: www.freedomlibrary.org
Supported Activity United Way of Yuma County
All proceeds go to The Freedom Library Education and Scholarship Program. The Freedom Library is a 501 C 3 educational organizaton under the guidelines of the Internal Revenue Service.
Wine: $5 per glassSoft drinks/ Water: $2 each
Free Hor D’oeuvres
Cordially invites you to a
Wine TastingThursday, May 12, 2016 • 5-9 PM
at
251 S. Main Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
Come have a great time socializing with friends and making new ones
to celebrate Liberty.
An opportunity to bid on bottles of wine with the Bill of Rights label
and western art.
16 YUMABiZ May 2016
PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDYUMA AZPERMIT NO 42
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