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RSS Local First Arizona – News Blog

  • Keeping It Local: How ESOPs Can Help Businesses Navigate Succession August 29, 2026
    For Spinato's, employee ownership - or ESOPs - offered a way to accomplish several goals at once: preserve the company's legacy, keep the business locally rooted, reward longtime employees and create another reason for talented people to build careers with the company.
    Kat Meyer
  • Conservation Doesn't Stop at the Habitat: How Reid Park Zoo Puts Sustainability Into Practice August 26, 2026
    At Reid Park Zoo, protecting wildlife isn't something that happens only inside an animal habitat. It influences how buildings are constructed. How landscapes are planted. What gets composted. How products are purchased. And even how much water flows through a sink, toilet or pool. That connection between mission and operations is one reason Reid Park […]
    Kat Meyer
  • Changing the Rules: How Local Businesses Are Building Power in Arizona's Economy August 25, 2026
    Shifting economic priorities means changing the policies, market conditions and systems that determine who has access to opportunity, resources and economic power. For Local First Arizona, that means helping locally owned businesses build collective leverage, removing structural barriers and creating more ways for Arizona communities to benefit from the wealth generated here.
    Kat Meyer
  • 17 Million Gallons: How Verde Valley Businesses Are Turning Water Conservation Into Collective Impact August 25, 2026
    Since Local First Arizona brought Green Business Boot Camp to the Verde Valley in 2023, participants have developed projects to conserve water throughout their operations. Through a partnership with Friends of the Verde River, more than $150,000 in River Friendly Living grants have helped Boot Camp graduates put water-saving projects into action — with an […]
    Kat Meyer
  • Rethinking Lending to Expand Opportunity for Indigenous Entrepreneurs August 24, 2026
    For Indigenous entrepreneurs like PGA Professional Cesar Balgañon II, access to capital can open doors to business growth, new industries and opportunities for the next generation. See how Local First Arizona’s Rooted Relative Fund is helping expand economic opportunity through relationship-based lending.
    Kat Meyer