Business: Powering our Communities

  2. Jennifer Radler, co-owner at Popcycle, joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. Popcycle opened in 2008 with the goal of promoting local art made from recycled materials, and now has two in-house brands made by its co-owners. Jennifer describes what it's like to work with her sisters, shouts out the wonderful community on 4th Avenue, and shares her advice for other women thinking of starting their own businesses.
    Dec 10, 2018
    1 min read
  3. Paloma Rodarte and Ludwig Van Castro of Frostings Event Design and Rentals joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. Since opening in 2004, Frostings has provided full-service event design and production for a variety of social and corporate events. They’ve also made their materials and designs available to the public through their Frostings Studio, located in downtown Tucson.
    Nov 7, 2018
    1 min read
  4. America’s romance with blue-collar workers is well documented and varied. The Works Progress Administration made countless posters celebrating laborers with illustrations of broad-shouldered men working in construction, farming, plumbing, and more. Somewhat paradoxically, many films have portrayed blue-collar workers as uneducated men who work hard so their kids can go to school and learn to […]
    Nov 5, 2018
    3 min read
  5. Debates on the viability and benefits of solar power have been going on since the 1970s and, in that time, technological developments have increased efficiency and lowered costs. Solar panels have become ubiquitous now—we see them on parking lot canopies, peeking out from behind parapets on rooftops, and in full display on the side of […]
    Oct 25, 2018
    3 min read
  6. Kade Mislinski, owner of Cafe Passe, joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. What began as a quaint coffee shop with a cozy back patio has now expanded in the last year to introduce Bar Passe, a full-service bar open until 2 am on the weekends. Kade talks about running Cafe Passe and discusses his experience in the restaurant industry, sharing a little bit of what he's learned.
    Oct 23, 2018
    1 min read
  7. Andre Newman, co-owner of Purple Tree Organic Açai Blends, and daughter Savan Newman joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. Since 2014 Purple Tree has served healthy açai bowls, fresh juice, ice cream, coffee, and smoothies. If you’ve been to any community events in Tucson over the past couple of years, odds are that you’ve seen their signature bright purple truck since. Andre and Savan talk about what it's like to own a food truck, how social media has helped their business stay connected with the community, and more.
    Oct 15, 2018
    1 min read
  8. The past few years saw a flurry of articles breathlessly warning of the death of retail, crediting online shopping for its demise. But this narrative isn’t entirely accurate. Retail actually grew in 2017, with the industry seeing a net increase of 4,000 store openings and a 4.2% increase in sales. Curiously, it seems that the […]
    Sep 27, 2018
    3 min read
  9. Kellan Fortier, co-owner of Wooden Tooth Records, joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. After their 2015 opening in the backroom of Cafe Passe, Wooden Tooth Records has since relocated to their own space on 7th avenue. There they offer competitively priced vinyl from plenty of local and national acts, including lots of hard to find gems. Kellan talks about how Wooden Tooth Records got started, and what advice he'd give to those looking to start their own businesses.
    Sep 25, 2018
    1 min read
  10. Greg Stutz of Focus HR, Incorporated, joined Karla on this week's Thrive Tucson. Focus HR is a Tucson-based professional employer organization that provides human resource services to small businesses. Greg explains how Focus HR got started, how important the community has been to their success, and what advice he would give business owners who might find themselves in an HR dilemma.
    Sep 19, 2018
    1 min read