Meet Verde Valley’s First Green Business Boot Camp Graduates

Apr 26

On March 17, the Verde Valley saw its first six businesses graduate from Local First Arizona’s newly expanded Green Business Boot Camp. Participating businesses ranged from a winery and hotel to farms, an interior-design business, tiny home development and even a regional airport. Each business owner presented their plan to decrease their environmental impact, increase the financial resilience of their business and make a positive social impact on their community.

The expansion of the Green Business Boot Camp to the Verde Valley was made possible with support from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, as well as Friends of the Verde River and Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization.

Interested in launching a project to benefit your business while supporting the Verde Valley region? Reach out to Alicia Peck alicia@localfirstaz.com

Learn more about the Green Business Bootcamp (formerly scale up)

Montapata Farms - Cornville

The Verde Valley’s newest farming family brings us Montapata Farms, with owners Trinity and Dominique Montague focusing on “process over outcome.” Their business model goes back to the basics by incorporating aspects of yesteryear such as cooperation among local growers and producers and a shared-economy mindset. They have dedicated themselves to the process of learning and experimenting with climate-adapted crops, organic pest control and regenerative agriculture over large-scale production.

Page Springs Cellars - Cornville

Page Springs Cellars is an award-winning producer and leader in Arizona’s wine industry that offers wine tastings, food and educational fun at their production site. While already implementing many green practices in their operations, Sustainability Coordinator Kelsey Hammond is looking to reach even higher through stricter utility benchmarking and tracking, wastewater reuse, enhanced regenerative agriculture practices and composting.

Pines Inn & Suites - Cottonwood

Family-owned Pines Inn & Suites is paving the way for an expansion of sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. The number of measures that energetic owner Anna May Cory has taken over the years are impressive, but the hotel keeps finding new ways to improve. Pines Inn & Suites is turning on the first phase of solar for their property, as well as implementing new high-tech thermostats to lower energy use and refillable shampoo and soap containers to cut waste.

Sedona Airport - Sedona

The Sedona Airport is not only a business but also a community resource, having a direct impact on the region’s tourism industry and serving as a base for emergency operations during wildfire season. Spearheaded by airport manager Ed Rose, the organization is undertaking large-scale projects to save money and increase resiliency. Current projects include building a water-storage tank for fire response and emergency personnel and installing solar on their many auxiliary buildings to reduce their dependence on traditional utilities.

Smart Window Creations - Sedona

Aileen Smart from Smart Window Creations uses her home-based business operations to represent the three “E's of sustainability — equity, environment and economy. She thrives when teaching her clients how they can use window coverings to fight climate change by reducing home energy bills and implementing home design/renovation practices that contribute to a healthy environment and economy. Aileen is transitioning her work vehicle to a new alternative fuel vehicle for her business transportation needs and is exploring the possibility of building housing from alternative materials to rent to traveling nurses in the region.

Tiny Camp - Cottonwood

Tiny Camp, a vision of urban planner Darin Dinsmore, offers a whimsical glimpse into how feasible alternative living can be. The project consists of three rentable tiny homes on a sustainably developed infill lot conveniently located next to Cottonwood’s trendy Old Town district. Darin uses Tiny Camp Cottonwood to lead, educate and drive change in a region currently experiencing a housing crisis. The sustainable practices that Darin implements at Tiny Camp are also prototypes for his larger housing projects based on the same principles. Through the Green Business Boot Camp, Darin plans to identify financing to install solar panels.