In February 2022, Local First Arizona and South32 will launch a first-of-its-kind intensive Rural Business Academy in Santa Cruz County, with a digital marketing course to focus on unique challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs.

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.

It’s finally Devour season! Devour is definitely one of our favorite events – what can we say, we love food. To keep everyone safe, Devour will be an at-home experience this year but it’s still one of the best ways to try out some new local restaurants. In 2022, Devour will be graced by the presence of some of our regulars, but we’d also like to introduce some of the fresh faces joining Devour for the first time!

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.

There are 160 manufacturing employers in Kingman, LHC, and Bullhead City that account for 3215 jobs in the region. Manufacturers in Mohave County reached out to Local First Arizona to engage in collaborative conversation utilizing the TPM Model for workforce development to answer the question: “What can Mohave County manufacturers do to communicate a better understanding of the younger workforce and create packages that appeal to the true environment they're looking to work within?”

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….

Through the Maricopa County Small Business Resilience Program,

Local First Arizona (LFA) in partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) is facilitating stability grants for nonprofit and for-profit small businesses and micro-enterprises. These stability grants of up to $25,000 are now available to small businesses that can demonstrate revenue declines or unanticipated operating cost deficits from July 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 as compared to July 2019 through December 2019.

The new episode of Project Greenprint focused on Conservation by Social Television Network is available on the free STN App starting November 3rd. In this episode, host Kristen Keogh introduces several advocates for conservation in Arizona who offer opportunities to get involved and speak up for our few remaining wild spaces.

Following an 18-month crisis response that provided more than $13 million in support to more than 1,400 small businesses across the state, Local First Arizona has been awarded a contract that will expand aid to local small and micro-enterprises in Maricopa County. With this award, Maricopa County joins Local First Arizona’s growing list of community partners offering support to the state’s most vulnerable businesses.

Late last month, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released data showing that Arizonans have now deposited 11.5% of their money into local banks. This is a significant jump up from 3% in 2013 and 8.5% recorded in June of last year.

With only 13 banks headquartered in Arizona, the state has been called a “banking desert,” leaving eight counties with no community bank representation at all and small businesses with fewer borrowing options.

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 SWIYYAH, LLC and Wok This Way; two businesses whose sourcing and operating standards prioritize clean air, zero waste, water conservation, and sustaining livable communities for generations to come.

In late July 2021, Local First Arizona’s Rural Development team held a meeting with the US Forest Service to discuss potential volunteer opportunities to address the devastation of the Telegraph fire in Superior. With the recent merger of Local First Arizona and Keep Arizona Beautiful, this was the perfect opportunity to engage in rural Arizona.

Water – Plant It Wisely is your handy resource to provide landscaping guidance, advice, and ideas on what to plant. What you plant affects more than your yard; it helps create a more sustainable future. By selecting low-water-use plants, you help conserve our precious water supply for generations to come.