Where Arizona Banks, Arizona Builds: Conversations About the Power of Local Finance
Where we bank matters just as much as where we shop. Financial institutions influence which businesses can grow, who can buy a home and how much of Arizona's wealth stays invested in our communities. In this six-part podcast series, Local First Arizona sits down with leaders from Arizona credit unions to explore the power of local financial relationships — from expanding access to capital and strengthening local businesses to creating opportunities for families and communities across the state. Explore the conversations below to discover how banking decisions can help shape Arizona's economic future.
Beyond the Loan: Why Financial Relationships Matter for Arizona Businesses
Desert Financial Credit Union's Andrea Mosher discusses access to capital, building trust and why business owners need more than a place to borrow money.
Your Guide to the 20th Annual Certified Local Fall Festival
Come hungry. Bring your friends. Maybe even bring your dog. Arizona's biggest celebration of local businesses is back, and there's more than one way to experience it.
On Saturday, November 7, Local First Arizona's Certified Local Fall Festival returns to Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix for its 20th anniversary. With approximately 250 vendors, live entertainment, food, drinks and activities for all ages, this free celebration brings together the people and businesses that make Arizona one of a kind.
Not Just Another Festival: What Makes the Certified Local Fall Festival Different
Fall in Phoenix means the return of outdoor markets, festivals and community celebrations. From Oktoberfest and Halloween festivities to vintage markets and the Arizona State Fair, there's no shortage of reasons to get outside.
But there's one festival with a distinctly Arizona mission: Local First Arizona's Certified Local Fall Festival.
This isn't a festival that happens to feature local businesses. It's a festival built around them.
Why Showing Up Still Matters in Local Banking
Arizona Central Credit Union CEO Brian Lee on the importance of local relationships in an increasingly digital world.
Twenty Years Later, the Spirit of Fall Festival Is Still Local
The Certified Local Fall Festival turns 20 on Nov. 7 at Hance Park. Hear from the owners who were there in 2006 and why showing up in person still matters.
Tribal Food Sovereignty Starts With the Power to Decide
Across Arizona, Indigenous communities are strengthening their food systems on their own terms. Meaningful partnerships begin by recognizing who should lead that work.
From First Homes to Financial Futures: How TruWest Credit Union Invests in Arizona Families
Hear from Jennifer Kimmel, senior vice president and chief experience officer at TruWest, about TruWest Credit Union's approach to homeownership, financial education and collaboration in the Arizona Credit Union Podcast.
Where You Bank Shapes What Gets Built in Arizona
OneAZ Credit Union leaders Mike Bowden and Chip Griffith explain why locally rooted financial institutions matter for Arizona businesses and communities.
When we talk about choosing local, we usually think about where we shop, eat or hire a service. But some of our most consequential economic choices happen long before we make a purchase.
Keeping Arizona Money Working in Arizona
Where you keep your money may feel like a personal financial decision. But collectively, those decisions can shape which businesses get access to capital, which communities retain financial services and how much money continues circulating within Arizona.
Local Money, Local Impact: How Tucson Federal Credit Union Is Investing in Community
What happens when a credit union has been rooted in the same community since 1937 — and still considers itself just getting started?
In the latest episode of the Arizona’s Credit Unions Podcast, Local First Arizona's Thomas Barr sits down with Tucson Federal Credit Union President and CEO Matthew Gaspari and Vice President of Business Services Shaima Namazifard to talk about what local banking looks like in practice — from expanding access to business capital to keeping financial decisions rooted in the communities they affect.
Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana: Yorsa Martinez y su compromiso con la comunidad empresarial
Hace algunos años, Yorsa Martinez se sentaba entre decenas de emprendedores que buscaban aprender cómo convertir una idea en un negocio. Hoy regresa al mismo salón, pero desde el frente del aula.
Ya no llega como estudiante, sino como facilitadora, coach y conferencista que acompaña a otros en el mismo camino que ella recorrió. Su historia refleja el poder de la preparación, la perseverancia y el compromiso de devolver a la comunidad aquello que un día recibió.
Keeping It Local: How ESOPs Can Help Businesses Navigate Succession
For Spinato's, employee ownership - or ESOPs - offered a way to accomplish several goals at once: preserve the company's legacy, keep the business locally rooted, reward longtime employees and create another reason for talented people to build careers with the company.
Conservation Doesn't Stop at the Habitat: How Reid Park Zoo Puts Sustainability Into Practice
At Reid Park Zoo, protecting wildlife isn't something that happens only inside an animal habitat.
It influences how buildings are constructed. How landscapes are planted. What gets composted. How products are purchased. And even how much water flows through a sink, toilet or pool. That connection between mission and operations is one reason Reid Park Zoo has earned a renewed Green Business Certification from Local First Arizona.
Changing the Rules: How Local Businesses Are Building Power in Arizona's Economy
Shifting economic priorities means changing the policies, market conditions and systems that determine who has access to opportunity, resources and economic power. For Local First Arizona, that means helping locally owned businesses build collective leverage, removing structural barriers and creating more ways for Arizona communities to benefit from the wealth generated here.
17 Million Gallons: How Verde Valley Businesses Are Turning Water Conservation Into Collective Impact
Since Local First Arizona brought Green Business Boot Camp to the Verde Valley in 2023, participants have developed projects to conserve water throughout their operations. Through a partnership with Friends of the Verde River, more than $150,000 in River Friendly Living grants have helped Boot Camp graduates put water-saving projects into action — with an estimated 17 million gallons in annual water savings.
Rethinking Lending to Expand Opportunity for Indigenous Entrepreneurs
For Indigenous entrepreneurs like PGA Professional Cesar Balgañon II, access to capital can open doors to business growth, new industries and opportunities for the next generation. See how Local First Arizona’s Rooted Relative Fund is helping expand economic opportunity through relationship-based lending.
Investing in the People Who Build Arizona: Why Credit Unions Matter More Than You Think
Credit unions are an important part of a strong local economy because they are built differently. As member-owned nonprofit financial institutions, they exist to serve their members rather than outside shareholders. Earnings can be returned to members through lower loan rates, fewer fees and higher savings yields, while decisions about lending and investment remain closely connected to the communities they serve.
La Chickytita Grab to Go: De la Industria Restaurantera al Emprendimiento
Durante más de 30 años, Yessica Olivares ayudó a construir algunas de las marcas de restaurantes más reconocidas de Estados Unidos. Pero mientras contribuía al crecimiento de empresas como McDonald’s, Chipotle y Wingstop, nunca dejó de imaginar lo que sería crear un negocio propio.
Esa visión ahora se llama La Chickytita Grab to Go, un café de inspiración mexicana donde cada bebida y cada platillo representan años de experiencia, trabajo duro y perseverancia.