Sunday, February 25, 2018

Say What? This is How Co+Hoots Can Anchor A $59,000,000 Project

How Co+Hoots aims to shake-up Downtown Mesa
Business News | 21 Feb |
After being named the No. 1 most innovative co-working space in the United States, Co+Hoots isn’t stopping there. The entrepreneurial focused company is set to expand to Downtown Mesa in the fall of 2019. 
Co+Hoots is a collaborative shared office space that currently supports hundreds of entrepreneurs at its Phoenix location. 
With Co+Hoots’ midtown Phoenix location only being open for two years, the company just shared it will be moving into a new location in Downtown Mesa which is planned to open in late 2019.
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Blogger Note: Some of the assertions made in the opening paragraph perhaps exaggerates the numbers of entrepreneurs in the Phoenix location - other reports have stated about 125, not the "hundreds" mentioned in this article.
Please also note that no sources are given for other claims asserted that Co+Hoots is "the No. 1 overall co-working space in the state
No. 2 overall in the nation
No. 9 overall in the world." 
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Here's an upload on YouTube of the two partners in Co+Hoots - Odeon Domingo and Jenny Poon who are married - that are mentioned in the article taken from who make a presentation with the $59M GRID Project real estate developer Tony Wall.
The original proposal was with the 3W Group, changed to Palladium Partners or Palladium Enterprises as stated. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuTz3fK49dc

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Co+Hoots will be the anchor office tenant at an upcoming $59 million mixed-use project dubbed The GRID, which will be located near the Benedictine University in Downtown Mesa.
Mesa Mayor John Giles announced the project during his State of the City address in early February. Palladium Enterprises will be developing the project, which will include residential and retail components.
When Co+Hoots first started looking into expanding into different locations or cities, Co+Hoots Founding Member Odeen Domingo said they knew they didn’t want to go somewhere that already had co-working spaces that entrepreneurs could go to. 
Domingo said, “Not Chicago, not New York, not San Francisco, not L.A., not places that already have these incubators, all of the co-working spaces and all of these resources that people there can already go to.” 
“We wanted to go to emerging cities that didn’t necessarily have a central hub to bring the community together,” Domingo said. “Mesa has an awesome local community, a downtown that is definitely emerging and we wanted to be that central hub for that small business slash startup slash entrepreneurial communities.” 
The Downtown Mesa location is projected to be in a 13,500-square-foot space that will house hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies in addition to Co+Hoots’ current location. The new space will feature twenty private offices, weekly “lunch and learns,” and a collaboration with Benedictine University to offer students scholarships, mentorship, internship and career opportunities. 
Co+Hoots was founded in 2010 after husband and wife duo, Jenny Poon and Odeen Domingo, needed an office space to house their design and branding company, Eeko Studio. When spare bedroom work spaces and Starbucks meetings just weren’t cutting it, Domingo says they looked to find a small space in Downtown Phoenix to support their business. 
“There wasn’t anything like that, a small space that we could afford to go into. It just didn’t exist then,” Domingo said. “We wanted to just get a larger office, put in people that we knew and kind of pull in our resources and have a shared office space.” 
The current central Phoenix space features open desks for individual freelancers and entrepreneurs, open offices, private offices and a classroom that features a weekly “lunch and learn” provided by the Co + Hoots Foundation that community manager, Justine Spender, said focuses on building equity through entrepreneurship. 
“All of their stuff is free,” Spender said. “So, anyone who can’t really afford that business education can come and learn different topics.” 
While touring the facility, one might notice the typography and design elements incorporated on just about every wall, sign, flyer or business card in the building. 
“As you walk around you’ll kind of see graphic elements in different places. Jenny, our co-founder, has a design background and so she really likes the space to be engaging and kind of intriguing in the way that it’s designed and looks.” 
The company prides itself in not only being design oriented, but also the No. 1 overall co-working space in the state, No. 2 overall in the nation and No. 9 overall in the world. 
“What Co  + Hoots is now is obviously bigger than we ever imagined it could be,” Domingo said. 
The company has hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies circulate through their space, all varying in different fields of interest and gaining new ones along the way. 
“At first we were just going to keep it as a space for the creative industry, but we opened it up to the community because when you open it up to the community and bring in other people with different skills and knowledge and experience, you get more experience and knowledge and skills,” Domingo said. 
Co + Hoots member of almost 2 years, Marisha McGrorty said before the company she struggled productivity and mindset. McGrorty is the CEO and founder of SLP Now, an online membership program that offers tools and resources to help other Speech Language Pathologists. 
“I came here looking for a place where I could focus and get work done, but it ended up being way more than that,” McGrorty said. “It’s really motivating to be around other entrepreneurs who are doing the same things and bouncing ideas off of each other and feeding off of that energy.” 

Mesa Council Study Session Thu 22 Feb 2018

Not the usual short and brief session by any means with more people taking the time the get informed, get engaged and asking questions - this is just a bit over two hours to deal with items for tomorrow's regular meeting that promises to be more than just "regular".
Published on Feb 22, 2018
Views: 154
Item 6-c pulled from Consent Agenda

The thrilling potential for off-grid solar energy | Amar Inamdar

Ooops! How' this work with the entrenched utilities here in Arizona?
Published on Feb 19, 2018
Views: 52,330
There's an energy revolution happening in villages and towns across Africa -- off-grid solar energy is becoming a viable alternative to traditional electricity systems. In a bold talk about a true leapfrog moment, Amar Inamdar introduces us to proud owners of off-grid solar kits -- and explains how this technology has the opportunity to meet two extraordinary goals: energy access for all and a low-carbon future. "Every household a proud producer as well as consumer of energy," Inamdar says. "That's the democracy of energy." (Followed by a brief Q&A with TED Curator Chris Anderson)
Check out more TED Talks:
http://www.ted.com
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.
Follow TED on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

Mesa's $116,000,000 Sloan Park Ranked #6 Cactus League Spring Training Park in USA Today

City Manager Chris Brady, in the image to the left, had "Big League" dreams hoodwinking Mesa taxpayers to finance a ballpark for a Chicago billionaire-owner of the Cubs franchise. It's used for spring training for a few weeks each year just before hundreds of thousands of "snowbirds" migrate back to their nests after giving a big boost to the local economy for six months. He claims that the "Christmas in March" spike in sales tax revenues somehow offsets the bond debt obligations and annual maintenance/operating costs but has anyone ever seen a scorecard on that data?
Nonetheless it's time to Play Ball! here in the Pre-Season Springtime Arizona Cactus League where scores have been created for all the stadiums, putting aside for now however they got  financed. 
To create a score for each spring training stadium, ReviewTrackers examined how fans felt about four aspects of their visits: the facility; family friendliness; food; and the fan experience.
The Cactus League home of the Cubs, Sloan Park, finished sixth.
While its family-friendliness was below average (perhaps due to its crowded nature, because it leads all of spring training in attendance), fans made positive comments about the barbecue, crepes and sushi from the rotating food trucks found along the outfield concourse.
Ranking Arizona spring training parks: Surprise at the top
Joe Mock, Special for USA TODAY Sports Published 3:20 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2018 | Updated 3:22 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2018
The emerging field of “data mining” is providing much-needed information to the manufacturers and marketers of consumer products. By using sophisticated algorithms, computers can sift through countless online comments by users of products, thereby painting a vivid picture of how consumers feel about it.
It’s only natural to apply this process to sports.
At USA TODAY’s request, ReviewTrackers conducted a study of more than 36,000 online reviews of the 23 spring training ballparks. The firm then analyzed 130,000 key words used in these reviews. They called the study “The Voice of the Fan,” and it provides a fascinating look at how baseball fans feel about the ballparks used for exhibition games.
How the 10 Arizona ballparks ranked based on the “Voice of the Fan” report:
Stadium, City, Team
  1. Surprise Stadium, Surprise, Rangers, Royals
  2. Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, Mariners, Padres
  3. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, Diamondbacks, Rockies
  4. Hohokam Stadium, Mesa, Athletics
  5. Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, Indians, Reds
  6. Sloan Park, Mesa, Cubs
  7. Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Dodgers, White Sox
  8. Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale, Giants
  9. Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix, Brewers
  10. Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Angels
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About the reporter: Mock operates BaseballParks.com, an affiliate of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties. He has visited all 203 parks currently used for Major League, spring training and affiliated Minor League Baseball. Follow him on Twitter @baseballparks

Source: https://www.usatoday.com

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Back Again + It's Far From Micro-Fun: What's Brewing?


Valor on Eighth: Here's to More Love, Valor & Compassion + More Affordable Housing Here In Arizona

In the heart of Downtown Tempe yesterday was the most recent remarkable success at the Opening Celebration for the Gorman Construction Company's 50-unit affordable housing project for veterans and veteran's families, "Valor on 8th".
It is located in a closely packed, highly-vertical building-boom area in tight proximity to new construction in-progress: "The Sterling", a 256-unit for luxury housing, condo apartments right next door, new student housing and a low-rise BioDesign building, 2 blocks from a Light Rail Station.
Here's a video upload 20 hours ago from Brenda Vidonic on YouTube that can provide you with more details quickly than words in this post with Gorman President/CEO Brian Swanton addressing the crowd of community development partners who attended the event:
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RELATED CONTENT

Story image for valor on eighth from AZ Big Media
AZ Big Media-Feb 23, 2018
Gorman & Company, Inc., in partnership with the Affordable Rental Movement of Save the Family, Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH), City of Tempe, Maricopa County, and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) have officially opened Valor on Eighth Apartment Homes today ...
Story image for valor on eighth from Cronkite News
Cronkite News-17 hours ago
The 50-unit development, Valor on Eighth near downtown, already has been leased to 45 low-income residents, including 13 veterans and their families, said Tina Lopez, chief development officer for Save the Family Foundation. “It's sad to say that a lot of the veterans get overlooked,” Miguel Valencia, who ...
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Story image for valor on eighth from Apartment Finance Today
Apartment Finance Today-Apr 11, 2017
Working with the city and nonprofit partner Save the Family Foundation, Gorman is developing the 50-unit Valor on Eighth near Arizona State University. Forty-five of the apartments will be affordable, targeting families earning no more than 40%, 50%, and 60% of the area median income, with 15 units having project-based ...
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Images from your MesaZona blogger on-site @ the Opening Celebration


 

Gotta Admit: I Had A Mad Crush Falling In Love With Joni Mitchell

Freshman @ Georgetown University way back when having a few beers at a bar on M Street. Here's a heartfelt huge tribute and gracious affection by posting this upload from YouTube.
50 years flies by so fast
All Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell -  Lifetime Award Concert TNT (4-16-2000)
Published on Aug 17, 2013
Views: 300,181
In fitting tribute to Joni Mitchell, the TNT network presented an all-star celebration at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, April 6, 2000. Many legendary performers sang Mitchell's songs, including James Taylor, Elton John, Wynonna Judd, Bryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Krall, and Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention fame. Emcee was Ashley Judd. Mitchell herself ended the evening with a rendition of "Both Sides Now" with a full 70 piece orchestra. (description from Wikipedia) This concert has never been re-broadcast, nor released in any form for sale. I do not own the copyrights to any of the material contained herein and simply present this event for fair use and historical purposes