Rising energy costs in Arizona are putting increasing pressure on businesses, with projections estimating rates could climb up to 47% by 2050. For companies operating on tight margins, this volatility threatens both profitability and long-term sustainability. Obodo Energy offers a solution through commercial and industrial clean energy systems, including solar, battery storage and energy efficiency upgrades, helping businesses reduce costs and gain more control over their energy future. By investing in scalable solar solutions—the fastest and most cost-effective clean energy option—Arizona businesses can hedge against rising utility rates, improve operational predictability and strengthen their commitment to sustainable practices.

Where your business banks isn’t just a financial decision — it shapes who gets access to capital in your community. Across Arizona, local businesses are often shut out of lending by the same institutions holding their deposits. Community banks and credit unions flip that model, reinvesting locally and building the relationships businesses need to grow. If you’re thinking about your next money move, building a relationship with a local banker now can open doors when it matters most.

For Earth Month, and every month, consider finding ways to support locally-owned businesses that have committed to sustainable practices. To help you find and support local businesses doing valuable climate resilience work, we’ve pulled together a few suggestions of people and places fighting the good fight for Arizona’s environment during Earth Month and all year long.

Las joyas suelen tener un significado personal: marcan momentos importantes, relaciones y recuerdos. Para Alejandra, Karla y Angélica, las tres hermanas detrás de Magical Gems by Gely, también se convirtieron en la base para construir un pequeño negocio basado en la colaboración familiar y la expresión creativa.

El proyecto comenzó cuando una de ellas atravesaba una etapa difícil a nivel profesional.

Sticky notes, reams of printer paper, dry-erase markers and packets of paper clips. For anyone who worked in a professional setting prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, those items may inspire a twinge of nostalgia — regular errands to a tucked-away supply room stocked by a dependable office vendor.

But work has changed. With the widespread adoption of remote policies and rapid technological shifts, the office supply industry has had to transform as needs evolve and the market consolidates.

Wist, however, has remained a constant.

Every month, we highlight the businesses that continue to show up for local ownership and community connection. This month’s new and renewing Business Coalition members reflect the breadth of Arizona’s locally owned economy, from skilled trades and creative services to long-standing employers serving communities across the state. Their work supports families, strengthens neighborhoods and keeps local dollars working close to home.

A new boot camp offered by Local First Arizona aims to build on that resilience — by equipping smaller producers with business tools that haven’t traditionally been tailored to agriculture.

The Ag Business Boot Camp, a hybrid, eight-week program for small to mid-sized farmers across the state, educates participants on business fundamentals through an agricultural lens.

Move Over Bob is an Arizona-based lifestyle brand and publication inspired by the teen magazines of the 1990s and early 2000s, reimagined with a very different purpose: empowering girls to pursue careers in the skilled trades. Where earlier magazines focused on celebrity style and social cues, Move Over Bob highlights pathways to economic stability, independence and long-term opportunity.

One of the biggest barriers to accessing local food in Arizona is a lack of infrastructure — from processing to distribution — for small and mid-sized farming and food operations. That gap is both a symptom and a consequence of a highly consolidated food system, one that reduces local control and increases vulnerability.

Arizona’s Black business community has always been a force — building opportunity, culture and stability in the face of systemic barriers. Long before “buy local” became a movement, Black entrepreneurs were creating essential services and gathering spaces that anchored entire communities.

Honoring Black History Month isn’t only about looking back. It’s about recognizing how those foundations continue to shape Arizona’s local economy today — and why supporting Black-owned businesses remains critical to a strong, inclusive future.

Arizona Statehood Day (February 14) is a reminder of the people, places and stories that continue to shape this state. From border towns and rural communities to cities and neighborhoods across Arizona, our history lives on through local institutions, cultural landmarks and the communities that keep them going.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean prix-fixe menus, crowded rooms or doing what everyone else is doing. Celebrating the local way means choosing experiences that feel personal, rooted in place and connected to the communities you love.

Across Arizona — from cities to small towns — there are countless ways to mark the day that support local businesses, honor the landscape and create memories that actually feel like yours.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Every month, we highlight the businesses and organizations that choose to stay invested in local ownership and community connection. This month’s new and renewing Business Coalition members reflect the many ways local leadership shows up, from care and service to creativity and experience. Their work strengthens communities through commitment, purpose and long-term impact.

After nearly two decades as an EEG technologist, Agnes Adams understood Arizona’s healthcare workforce gaps from the inside. Essential roles were understaffed, and for many women — particularly women of color — the pathway into healthcare careers was limited.

In 2021, Adams and her business partner, Miss Gigi, launched the Yond Institute of Learning, a West Valley–based training program focused on Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), a critical entry point into nursing and other healthcare professions. Designed around the realities of working families, Yond offers small cohorts, flexible class schedules and personalized support to help students move from opportunity to stability.

Arizona’s landscapes tell our story — from desert trails and riverbanks to neighborhood parks and small-town main streets. Keeping those places clean, healthy and accessible doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because communities show up to help clean up.

That’s where Keep Arizona Beautiful comes in.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) play a critical role in filling gaps left by conventional banks, particularly in rural, tribal, and historically underbanked communities — many of the same places Local First focuses its work. When CDFIs are supported, small businesses can launch, grow and serve their communities. When they’re under threat, the ripple effects are immediate — and deeply personal.