Finance professionals — from bookkeepers to accountants — do more than crunch numbers. While transactional oversight is undeniably a part of the job, strategic planning is another, crucial service. When choosing to work with a regionally-located professional over an out-of-market firm or AI-based service, a business owner is seizing on valuable information that only someone with local insight can provide.

Finance professionals — from bookkeepers to accountants — do more than crunch numbers. While transactional oversight is undeniably a part of the job, strategic planning is another, crucial service. When choosing to work with a regionally-located professional over an out-of-market firm or AI-based service, a business owner is seizing on valuable information that only someone with local insight can provide.

When Matt McMahon sold the Outback Steakhouses he owned, he thought he was exiting the restaurant business for good. But SK Oils, Inc., a Glendale-based oil packaging and distribution company, pulled him back in. 

En el corazón de Phoenix, Arizona, Daniel Borga y Zulema Montaño han construido más que un negocio; han creado un testimonio de resiliencia, trabajo duro y orgullo cultural. Desde comienzos humildes, esta pareja hispana se propuso un objetivo: crear una vida mejor para su familia.

Más que un negocio, fue la familia lo que impulsó a la pareja a embarcarse en esta aventura.

Thunderbirds Charities has awarded Local First Arizona $90,000 to support Spanish-speaking and Black entrepreneurs’ success. 

The donation will go toward Local First’s business education programs Fuerza Local, Nivel Ejecutivo and We Rise.

Thunderbirds Charities has invested about $620,000 in the Local First programs since 2017.

A young TV journalist named Jolene is the hero of “Off The Air,” the first novel from KJZZ reporter Christina Estes, and Arizona is the backdrop for the delightfully page-turning murder mystery.

A rollicking adventure with plenty of humor, the book features nods to both iconic and lesser-known restaurants, businesses and neighborhoods.

“What I learned while writing ‘Off The Air’ is that it’s a love letter to Phoenix,” Estes says.

Senior leaders from the White House, including USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, visited Tucson recently to recognize Local First Arizona’s leadership in transforming agricultural policy, food resiliency and financial investments throughout the Southwest.a love letter to Phoenix,” Estes says.

“A lot of people were stuck at home and needed furniture,” he said of the COVID-era demand. “But, we were able to maneuver through it.”

While the overwhelming majority of Del Sol’s customers are Hispanic, Macias said they’re also generational. He’s seen grandparents who have purchased with Del Sol return with their grandkids who are ready to get furniture for their own place. The relationships they’ve built with the community over the years have kept people coming back, sometimes with dessert.

“I have one salesperson who got a cake from a customer six months later,” he said. “We’ve tried to create that culture because we know that for most people, it’s not just about price.”

For Del Sol customers, it’s about in-house financing, selection and relationships. And Macias said his family has appreciated the community support, some of which comes from the environment that Local First Arizona is fostering.

“Everything about what local first does just completely gels with who we are and what we believe in,” he said. “We’re so lucky to be in a state like Arizona with an organization like Local First.”

To learn more about Del Sol Furniture, click here. To learn about Local First Arizona membership, click here.

We’re excited to introduce the newest members of our Local First Arizona coalition! Spanning the state from Scottsdale to Yuma, these businesses are driving innovation and bringing fresh perspectives to their communities.

The Bisbee Science Exploration & Research Center is reimagining eight acres of vacant school district land to create a first-of-its-kind, scientific learning center for children. A $150,000 federal grant is helping with planning and design.

The boom-and-bust copper community of Superior is using federal funding to strengthen its economy by cleaning up and flipping abandoned properties.

The nonprofit Rebuild Superior Inc. wants to build a revitalized, diversified community—whether or not big mining returns.

People decide to volunteer for different reasons. The most common include a desire to build new skills, expand their social network or make a difference.

For Phoenix resident Melanie Martin, Local First Arizona’s volunteer programs allow her unique opportunities to show up and show out for the local businesses she adores. And living downtown near the Roosevelt Historic District means Martin is never far from discovering a new local business to love.

PHOENIX (Sept. 1, 2024) —  Mark your calendars and plot your course for Local First Arizona’s 18th annual Fall Festival presented by Arizona Financial Credit Union on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kick off your holiday shopping early with 250+ local vendors and taste and sip goodies from 70+ local restaurants, breweries and distilleries in the expanded food court and beverage garden.

August is National Coffee Month — the perfect excuse to take a late summer tour of Northern Arizona’s robust local coffee culture. Not sure where to start? Give these local spots a shot!