Top Ariz. businesses win Spirit of Enterprise Awards


November 8, 2011

Though it’s been a rough year for many small businesses and entrepreneurs, some Arizona companies have managed to thrive and even add jobs in the down economy. This week, five area businesses were honored for their contributions to our community. They’re the winners of the 15th annual Spirit of Enterprise Awards from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

“All of these businesses have created a positive culture both internally and in the community as a whole,” says Gary Naumann, director of the Spirit of Enterprise Center at the W. P. Carey School of Business. “They keep coming up with innovations to remain on top in this difficult economic environment.” Gary Naumann Download Full Image

Hundreds of Valley business and community leaders attended Tuesday’s luncheon at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, where the winners were announced. The audience listened to impressive stories of the firms, which were recognized for ethics, energy and excellence in entrepreneurship.

The winners are:

Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance The Spirit of Enterprise Special Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award. This company transports sick and injured patients in medically configured jets between health care facilities around the world. Started just five years ago by a 25-year-old entrepreneur, the business has already more than quadrupled in number of employees. The company tries to help those initially denied flight benefits by their health insurance companies and also sponsors an annual scholarship in an aviation-related field.

Dunn Transportation/Ollie the Trolley Arizona Lottery Overcoming Adversity Award. Ollie the Trolley is considered an ambassador to tourists and residents alike, who ride the red-and-green icon in Scottsdale. The company, also an executive coach service, survived the city’s deep transit-service cuts during the recession without laying off employees and was recently named one of the best places to work in the Valley. The business serves about a million riders each year, with a 99-percent on-time rate.

Fortis Networks Gary L. Trujillo Minority Enterprise Award sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. This minority-owned and -managed company provides fiber optic engineering and design, communication and utility construction services, and wireless engineering. It has expanded operations to California, Utah and New Mexico, often working with large military clients. The firm has doubled its revenue over the past decade. The company also supports various outreach events, including a charity golf tournament.

Phoenix Analysis & Design TechnologiesThe Hahnco Companies Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. This mechanical engineering sales and services firm has worked with big names like Honeywell and Nissan and has a large, loyal customer base. The company keeps adding products and services, and acts as an angel investor, helping to provide funding to other Arizona technology entrepreneurs launching startups. It also has a monthly food-bank donation program.

WebPTU.S. Bank Emerging Entrepreneur Award. This software company offers time-saving electronic medical records tools for physical therapists. It has a high customer-retention rate, with 6,000 users located in all 50 states and Canada. The business added 25 new employees this year alone and has a focus on sustainability. After the recent tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri, the company offered free months of service to clinics in the midst of rebuilding.

The other Spirit of Enterprise Award finalists this year were Jones Studio, Inc.; Mountainside Fitness; Real Property Management East Valley; Virginia Auto Service and The Worthy Institute, LLC.

These awards are just one focus of the Spirit of Enterprise Center at the W. P. Carey School of Business, which helps hundreds of businesses each year. The center offers companies the chance to recruit and meet with top student talent, while students get hands-on business experience. Through the center, businesses can access other ASU programs and create connections with community resources. Teams of students also conduct research projects to help Valley companies through the Student Teams for Entrepreneurship Projects (STEP) program.

The Spirit of Enterprise Center is self-funded and utilizes community sponsorships and volunteers. For more information, visit spiritofenterprise.org.

ASU named top producer of Fulbright scholars


November 8, 2011

Arizona State University has been named one of the top producers of Fulbright award scholars, to research and teach abroad, by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

This year, eight faculty members will travel to six different countries to carry out their work. The grants placed ASU third in the nation for Fulbright Scholar awards, behind Pennsylvania State University at University Park and the University of Kansas. Download Full Image

The Fulbright Program is the premier fellowship program of the U.S. State Department. Its aim is to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries, while helping develop creative responses to problems as serious as climate change and pandemics.

The winners are:

• James Elser, whose specialty is in environmental sciences, will lecture and research in Argentina on advancing ecological stoichiometry in South America.
 
• LaDawn Haglund will be conducting research on Law, Courts and the Human Right to Water in Brazil.

• Paul Hirt will be lecturing in Slovenia on American History and American Studies.

• Glenn Hurlbert will use his knowledge in mathematics to lecture and research on external set theory and network optimization in Argentina.

• Chris Iheduru will travel to Ghana to research and lecture on the topic of private authority and regional integration in West Africa.

• Keith William Kintigh will be identifying productive contexts for digital humanities in Ireland.

• Mary Stokrocki will travel to Taiwan to lecture on cross-cultural explorations in second life.

• Victor Teye will be lecturing and conducting research in Ghana on motivations, expectations and experiences of study abroad students in Ghanaian Universities.

ASU has also been named a top producer of students who win Fulbright awards. This year 19 students won awards to study in 15 different countries.

Related story: http://asunews.asu.edu/20110614_fulbrightscholars