Tony y Brenda Salcido son originarios de Chihuahua, México y son los fundadores de Tony Brenda Photography. Una empresa local establecida en la ciudad de Phoenix desde el 2018 que ofrece los servicios de fotografía y video profesional para eventos sociales y corporativos. Actualmente están ofreciendo en mayo y abril sesiones para niños de mini pascua y día de las madres.

El inicio de este sueño, nació de Tony Salcido, porque después de muchos años de trabajar en video y tener una gran afinidad por la fotografía, decidió emprender su primer negocio junto a su esposa Brenda Salcido. Con el tiempo ambos pudieron obtener la educación profesional y el equipo necesario para ofrecer este servicio y poder ser capaces de administrar su propio tiempo que les permitiera estar más cerca de su familia.

We are excited to announce the latest businesses to become certified through the Arizona Green Business Program. Read on to discover Local First Arizona members MISGIF and Company Eco: two businesses whose sourcing and operating standards prioritize clean air, zero waste, water conservation, and sustaining livable communities for generations to come.

After graduating two cohorts in the business accelerator, We Rise is launching two new initiatives: The We Rise business coaching program and the We Rise Technical Assistance program. These two programs will cater to entrepreneurs who don’t need or are not ready for a six-month accelerator program, but who still need assistance. These initiatives ensure that those who don’t get selected to participate in the accelerator program still get business support tailored to their specific needs and stages of growth.

This Women’s History Month, we want to make it easy for you to shop local, women-owned businesses. You know who makes that easy? The Collective Market! Found in the Chandler Mall across from Pottery Barn, this holiday pop-up shop turned permanent retailer is home to over 40 locally owned businesses, many that are also woman-owned!

We met up with Owner Raina Dodge to talk about what inspired her to start Collective Market, the importance of entrepreneurship, and why shopping locally matters.

Araceli Zamora es dueña junto a su esposo del exitoso salón Versalles Palace, además de ser una excelente empresaria local apasionada por su trabajo y comprometida con apoyar a la comunidad.

En los primeros años el concepto de su salón fue ofrecer conciertos y bailes, albergando grandes artistas latinos como Ramon Ayala, Pancho Barraza, Los Angeles Azules, Los Temerarios, Amanda Miguel, Marisela y entre muchos otros.

Pero el tiempo fue provocando cambios …..

Over the past two years, most of us have come to understand the importance and impact of having access to reliable internet services. For part of our state, that access is a privilege they have long dreamed of.

I am very excited to be able to attend the summit in person this year, particularly as I’ll be onstage for one of Lighting Talks. I hope you'll join me at the event as we build networks, inspire each other and then go home and implement the ideas that are going to make our communities more vibrant, resilient and rich.

Muchas felicidades a la 1ra Generación y 18a Generación y un agradecimiento muy especial para todos los líderes comunitarios y patrocinadores del programa por creer en nuestros empresarios locales.

Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) is an employer-led, demand-driven process that brings together employers from the same industries in a specific region to collectively address shared workforce challenges.

It’s Black History Month! One of our favorite ways to celebrate is by supporting Black-owned businesses – especially those in our We Rise program. It’s all about helping businesses get started or expand and we want to be a part of that growth.

Meet January’s new and renewing Local First Arizona members!

In Fall 2021, SCALE UP Cohorts 5 and 6 came together to participate in the 6-week sustainability project planning series to share knowledge and resources to help each of them achieve efficiency savings and add to our growing network of green businesses. After coming together, each participant is launching a unique project that addresses energy, water, waste, and/or transportation in their operations alongside commitments to environmental and community stewardship. Here is a sneak peek of the participants and the projects they are launching here in Arizona!

What better way to start off 2022 than with a celebration! First up: 45 Fuerza Local participants!. After six months of hard work, these incredible entrepreneurs are completing their program.

The second group to go through the We Rise program is made up of a diverse group of businesses. Meet just a few and join us in celebrating them all at the graduation ceremony on January 29, 2022.

United States consumers spent $12.7 billion on gift wrap in 2017, and it’s estimated that 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper ends up in the nation’s landfills. For something that looks pretty for a short time and then gets ripped up, gift wrap has a big impact. This holiday season, get creative with reusable wrapping ideas and keep the joy without the environmental burden.

Founded at the home of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, this event is an all-inclusive and slightly quirky December celebration that values locally-owned businesses, locally-made products and our community. It is also the largest fundraiser of the year for Community Food Connections, which manages the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.

Kalila Martinez de Aragon es socia de Coldwater Coffeehouse and Bakery, LLC, una pequeña empresa local ubicada en el centro de la ciudad de Avondale, AZ, que ofrece café con estilo farm-to-table, cafés artesanales, panadería americana, bocadillos y ensaladas frescas.

Establecieron su negocio en 2017, pero su primer proyecto fue desarrollar un huerto urbano que se estableció en el terreno baldío que se encuentra detrás de su actual cafetería en el verano de 2018 y tuvieron su primer mercado en enero de 2019.

I'm bringing this to you today as a request. We have to use our critical thinking, our emotional intelligence, and our compassion to continue to dialogue with those we don't agree with and to hang on to reality while understanding diverse lived experiences.

I’ve spent my time at Local First working to address root causes. Many call it leadership, but what I really think we're talking about is accountability

Meet Ebony, co-owner of Hussle and Meditate LLC. She has some gift ideas for the holiday season! Check out what is on her list.

Rosalinda Birrueta es una empresaria local y una orgullosa graduada del Acelerador de Negocios de Fuerza Local de la 16a Generación de la ciudad de Avondale, Az.

El sueño de ser empresaria nació cuando era pequeña y conoció el arte de la paletería artesanal michoacana, una tradición que ha pasado generación tras generación en su familia, y que hoy en día sigue floreciendo en Arizona. Un sueño que tomó forma después de 25 años de paciencia y superación.

Es así como nació Paleta’s La Michoakana LLC al abrir sus puertas por primera vez en junio de 2018, se especializan en la producción y venta de paletas artesanales con frutas frescas, además de ofrecer nieves y antojitos mexicanos….