In the Summer of 2020, the Sky Islands Tourism Alliance reached out to Local First Arizona for assistance in creating better collaboration amongst the hospitality and tourism businesses in the region. To address these challenges, five potential solutions were presented to the group with interest arising in the creation of a Local First Arizona Small Wonders Map.

The State of Arizona has launched the Back to Work Small Business Hiring and Retention Program. This $5 million program is designed to assist small, locally owned or operated businesses hire and retain employees; the program also has a special focus on businesses that have been affected by the recent wildfires and flooding.

Earlier this month, nearly 220 rural stakeholders, leaders, and advocates convened for the 14th Annual Rural Policy Forum, hosted by the Arizona Rural Development Council (AZRDC). Representatives from all 15 counties traversed the state for the two-day conference in the Sahuarita and the Green Valley area, eager to seek new solutions for building resilient, more inclusive rural economies across Arizona.

The first-ever cohort of the YWCA Green Business Program will be wrapping up in September! Through LFA Sustainability’s partnership with the Women’s Business Center and the YWCA of Southern Arizona, several Tucson businesses have had the opportunity to receive one-on-one support for all their sustainability and business planning needs. The YWCA and LFA Sustainability along with the Tucson Mayor's Office will host a graduation event on September 9th to recognize these businesses for their green leadership.

Natural buildings are becoming a popular alternative to traditional construction. Local First Arizona sat down with a diverse group of local experts and professionals to get an in-depth perspective.

Aken Online Marketing es una empresa de Arizona y miembro de Fuerza Local dedicada a ofrecer servicios de marketing, redes sociales, fotografía y video profesional en todo el valle que abrió sus puertas en marzo de 2015.

Aken Online Marketing nació de conocer las grandes necesidades de manejar correctamente los negocios a través de las redes sociales y volverla una herramienta más rentable para la comunidad hispana, y de esta forma eliminar el rezago en comparación con otras comunidades en Arizona.

Urban heat, water supply, environmental injustice, and clean energy are just a few of Arizona’s unique environmental challenges that will be explored in Project Greenprint, a new video series from Social Television Network (stnTV) in partnership with LFA Sustainability.

Now in its second year, Scale Up is accepting early applications from businesses and nonprofits seeking to develop the knowledge and skills to implement a sustainability project that reduces their impact, benefits their community, and gets them recognized for building a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable economy in Arizona.

Our We Rise family is growing! We are honored to introduce the second cohort of the We Rise business accelerator program. We’ve jumped from 12 to 21 participants and we can not be more excited to learn more about these incredible entrepreneurs and their businesses. From events management to art and consulting, come meet the wide variety of businesses coming into the program.

This is the introduction to a three-part series that takes a deep dive into the world of Natural Building. We explore what makes a natural building, ways that natural buildings can have a profound and lasting impact on human well-being and the environment, and how natural building may hold the key to sustaining healthy and resilient communities here in Arizona.

As the Valley's water conservation campaign, Water – Use It Wisely reminds you that July is typically the month of peak water demand for landscapes in Arizona. The following tips can help you save money, save water and see better results.

LFA Sustainability is embarking on a major update of our programs and has a lot of news to share! First, we are celebrating the latest business to become certified through the Arizona Green Business Program: OneOhOne Gallery in Mesa.

The Town of Camp Verde has a sustained partnership with its energy provider, Arizona Public Service (APS), to assist with community and economic development efforts. The next step of this program - Focused on Success - is a more targeted strategic planning effort focused on driving responsible and sustainable growth, utilizing both traditional and non-traditional development initiatives.

After six months of mentorship, strengthening their business models, building financial skills, gaining access to capital, and safely exploring the social aspects of being a Black-owned business in Arizona, We Rise’s first cohort is ready to graduate on July 31st!

We met with five of the soon-to-be graduates to talk about their experiences within the program and how it’s helped their business

Local First Arizona is working closely with employers to gather labor market data to understand the workforce needs of the region as it relates to mental health. There are only three organizations currently providing mental health services locally. Two out of three of those organizations agreed that there isn’t an issue of lack of applicants, it is a lack of qualified applicants for mental health positions in the Gila Valley. Outside of the three organizations providing mental health services, a few related organizations stated that they would like to be able to offer mental health services to clients but they do not have the resources or know how to find the resources to expand their services.

Florence is a town built on grit and determination, and through conversations with the community members, this quickly became the inspiration behind the brand.

A melting pot of people, Florence is a place with so much beauty both in and around the surrounding desert and mountains. Visitors often come to Florence for one of their many events which range from car shows to rodeos and music festivals. Businesses and the community are welcoming of guests and invite them to explore the many shops, restaurants, wineries, historic sites, outdoor adventures, and more.

Local First Arizona hosted a third and final roundtable discussion on April 8th in Lake Havasu to introduce the Lake Havasu Food Alliance brand concept to community members, share about Lake Havasu Food Alliance’s upcoming projects and events, and spark interest in attendees to become more involved. 

Conversations from this and the last two roundtable discussions helped the group to identify some exciting LHFA projects to tackle in the future such as a ‘Homemade in Havasu’ cottage (home-based) business market, a ‘Restaurant Row’ event hosted on the main downtown street featuring local restaurants, and partnering with Mohave Community College and Arizona @ Work to provide free restaurant staff training to local businesses.

Laura Nachmanson es una empresaria local originaria de Morelos, México. A sus 33 años y luego de 3 años de mucho trabajo logró emprender su primer negocio en Arizona.

El deseo de emprendimiento que nació de la idea de volverse independiente y contribuir de una forma más positiva a su comunidad a través de un servicio profesional y de alto estándar de calidad fue como le dio vida a DocuMovil el 5 de noviembre de 2019, una empresa orgullosamente local que brinda servicios de preparación de documentos y notaria en la Ciudad de Guadalupe, Arizona

With home prices soaring and the housing supply shrinking throughout the Phoenix Metro area, the dream of home ownership has become an elusive reality for many potential homebuyers. Home ownership has become especially difficult for those making less than the area median income, which is $79,900 for a family of four according to HUD.