Doin' The AfterMath of GTAT Bankruptcy: $100 Million of Hi-Tech Sapphire Equipment Up for Auction

The Money Ball Keeps Bouncing

That's the news according to a a recent report online from Construction Guide.com:
SEATTLE, Washington – June 17, 2015 – BidSpotter.com will be providing online bidding on behalf of BidIndustrial.com for the GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) Sapphire Fabrication & Inspection Equipment auction. 
This is truly one of the largest industrial auctions ever with $100 million worth of nearly new machinery and equipment from GTAT’s sapphire production plant in Mesa, AZ up for bid. Hundreds of lots are available for online bidding now thru July 8, 2015.

[Read the whole report by going to the link above]

Please Note: Inspection with guided tours will be held July 2 – 7 and are by appointment only. 

Online bidding can be done at BidSpotter.com.

To view the full catalog, learn more about this auction, and to sign up to bid, please visit BidSpotter.com. (http://www.bidspotter.com/en-us/auction-catalogues/timed/bidind/catalogue-id-bid-in10001)

Source: Market Cap Daily

Here's a very recent image of the declining values of GTAT - yesterday










There's not enough space here in the MesaZona Blog to fairly cover the whole story, so here are some links if you need background information

Did GT Advanced Technologies Mislead Investors? by Mark Hibben October 7, 2014
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2546055-did-gt-advanced-technologies-mislead-investors

Waiting For GT Advanced Technologies Inc By Paul Knag on June 15, 2015

 http://www.microcapdaily.com/waiting-for-gt-advanced-technologies-inc-otcmktsgtatq/111971/

GT Advanced Might Miss Out On Apple IPhone 6 Launch by Pete Barlas on July 7, 2014

http://news.investors.com/technology/070714-707546-apple-might-not-use-gt-advanced-glass.htm#ixzz3di3yGBdz

 

OneSource Virtual Plans Expansion in Mesa with Investment by Technology Crossover Ventures

OneSource Virtual  Receives $150 Million Investment From Technology Crossover Ventures
Thursday, 18 Jun 2015
Growth capital will support global expansion, the development of its Finance & Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) offering, and the expansion of other technology-enabled products and services for Workday customers. Technology Crossover Ventures joins previous investor Halyard Capital. The investment closed on June 4, 2015. 

  . . . on the local level, your MesaZona blogger received an email on Friday from Kevin Hautzinger, OSV Director of Marketing, stating "We do plan to use part of the investment to expand our operations in the Mesa office. 

We currently have 68 employees at that location and will be expanding to 120 employees by the end of the year . . . "

Wesley Bryan, President & COO

In a report from AZTechBeat in September 2014 “For more than six years, OneSource Virtual has experienced tremendous growth, and the expansion into a second processing facility is a natural evolution for the company,” Bryan said in a press release. “We are transitioning to a geographic servicing model with customers in the Pacific and Mountain time zones being serviced from the Phoenix office, while focusing the Dallas operation on customers in the Central and Eastern time zones.”

A spokesperson from OneSource Virtual, told AZTB that the Phoenix area was chosen out of a shortlist of locations that included Seattle and Salt Lake City and that Mesa specifically was selected based on available office space and the proximity to the airport.  
The spokesperson said working with Mesa officials to secure all the necessary paperwork was “simple and pain-free.”

Readers of this blog might wonder what OneSource Virtual does: OneSource Virtual (OneSource) is an innovative Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) provider and Workday (NYSE: WDAY) services partner. The sizeable investment from Technology Crossover Ventures will support global expansion, the development of its Finance & Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) offering, and the expansion of other technology-enabled products and services for Workday customers

“This investment from Technology Crossover Ventures further validates our business model is more than just ahead of the curve, it’s cutting-edge and will create opportunities for accelerated growth into the future,” said Brian Williams, CEO for OneSource Virtual. “Through this partnership, we will be able to better serve our existing customer base with expanded offerings, while developing new customer and partner relationships in North America and abroad.” 
 

Brian Williams, CEO

Ranked No. 83 on the Forbes 2015 List of America’s Most Promising Companies: OneSource CEO Brian Williams was also named a 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in the category of Emerging Growth Company for the SouthWest region.


“We invest in many market-leading technology companies. There was a lot of excitement around OneSource Virtual and their unique and innovative approach. The in-application service delivery model OSV developed for Workday customers puts them at the forefront of their industry,” said Jake Reynolds, general partner of Technology Crossover Ventures. “This company’s tremendous growth has been incredible to witness and we look forward to working with their innovative management team as this growth continues.”

William Blair & Company, LLC, acted as advisors on the transaction.
William Blair: Global Investment Banking & Asset Management

You can see the TCV's current portfolio here > http://www.tcv.com/portfolio/


Here's a link to a 1:02 You Tube video all about WorkDay:
OneSource Virtual HR, Inc >  https://youtu.be/rxns-U4tbPs

DOUBLE NEWS FLASH: 22 August 2015 > Celebrate The Opening of the Central Mesa Light Rail

It's about time: Oh Yeah!
. . . and just around the corner

Mesa Launches MuniciPAL > What About People with No Web Access?

Your blogger is passing this along:
Press Release: Mesa launches MuniciPal

Post Date: 06/18/2015 9:11 AM
Readers please note that work was this done during the tenure of former mayor Scott Smith in 2014

Residents who want to participate in City Council meetings but don’t have time to attend in person or are curious about items being discussed that affect their home or business, now have a new way to learn more and provide feedback.

The City of Mesa is excited to announce MuniciPAL, a web-based application that makes it easier than ever for residents to engage with the City about items on City Council meeting agendas.  Residents simply input an address to view upcoming agenda items that affect both the area around that address as well as citywide issues.  Using the built in commenting system, users are able to ask questions or provide immediate feedback on each item.

"Cities are the new centers of innovation and Mesa is a leader in developing programs that engage our community through the use of technology.

We are excited to take this next step and partner with Code for America and Arizona State University to develop ideas and applications that better serve our residents."

- Former Mayor Scott Smith, City of Mesa 2014

During the tenure of Scott Smith in 2014 noted in above quotation, Mesa was selected as one of ten governments to participate in the Code for America Fellowship. The program pairs innovative local governments with teams of civic-minded technologists for a year of service; together the governments and fellows build applications, engage the community, and collaborate with other local governments. MuniciPAL is the culmination of Mesa’s Code for America Fellowship 2014 year - one of former mayor Scott Smith's initiatives, like H.E.A.T. started during his administration that are now producing results and benefits for both the public and private sectors - an example of planning ahead - not arriving in office with no ideas and calling your time in office "Next Mesa", with nothing specific.

Re: What about people with no web access? . . . or The Digital Divide?
Your MesaZona blogger would like to hear from any organization working to reduce or eliminate the Digital Divide

So who were these "teams of civic-minded technologists?  [see addendum below]
Code for America embeds tech and design professionals in local governments to explore new approaches to resolving local challenges.

Code for America is a non-partisan, non-political 501 organization founded in 2009 to address the widening gap between the public and private sectors in their effective use of technology and design.
Link > Code For America Project 

Yes,admittedly and let's face it folks, in the usual bureaucratic double-speak, there are so-called "challenges" and "widening gaps between the public, elected officials and the private sector" but they are not necessarily connected to the effective use of technology and design . . . it might be a better idea to examine why the public has lost confidence in participating in the process of democracy and why so few members of the public have become involved or active in issues here in Mesa. 
Has the public given up on demanding transparency and accountability?
Or does the public to prefer to take action in the old-fashioned way: meeting people face-to-face and talking.  
Does any member of the city council have an "Open Door" policy to welcome the public?

Visit the new application online at municipal.mesaaz.gov. 
For more information contact Ian Linssen, The Mayor's Chief of Staff, at
 480-644-3002 or
ian.linssen@mesaaz.gov. 

Here are the bios, supplied by CfA, for the tech/design professionals who were embedded in local government here in Mesa: every one on them uses the self-described words "hacking", "hackathons" or "hacker" in their bios . . . ["embedded" in local government?]

So, What's a Hacker?  ZDnet says:
"It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be labeled bogus).

Tom Buckley is a researcher and developer focused on urban informatics. He worked in urban planning before hacking on data and doing research at Geocommons. Since then, Tom consulted for the World Bank, directed research at Casey Trees, taught a graduate class at The New School, and studied Geoinformatics.

Wendy Fong is a designer and educator. Recently, she was in Haiti working on a women's crisis call center platform. She's passionate about providing design solutions for non-profits and has collaborated with family services agencies, solar projects in rural Africa, and inner city youth programs. In her spare time she can be found at at civic hackathons, designing for good not evil.

Peter Welte is a hacker and organizer from Portland, dedicated to advancing environmental and community causes through the use of technology. Committing time to political causes, nonprofits, and advocacy campaigns, he specializes in front-end design and back-end development using Drupal. When not working, he enjoys he enjoys cross country bicycle touring.

Here's some information from The Open Knowledge Foundation about Mesa that you can find with this link> http://us-city.census.okfn.org/place/mesa

 

 

City of Mesa Tries to Cool Off Media Heat Re/Allegiant Airlines

Here's the Allegiant Air Survey

Late in the day yesterday - post date:06/17/2015 @ 4:07 pm -  a Press Release was issued  by the Mesa Office for Public Information and Communications
Mesa Shows Support for Allegiant Air 
The story behind this press release? 
Allegiant Airlines went public over unfair financial incentives offered by Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport - called "revenue guarantees"- to an out-of-state carrier and threatened to leave Mesa.

Allegiant Vice President Brian Davis said some incentives are normal, but these went too far, especially offering Elite a revenue guarantee for a flight to Salt Lake City.

“We think revenue guarantees all across aviation have proven to be a disaster,” Davis said. “But to use a revenue guarantee in competition against an existing carrier whose routes are economically standing on their own is just beyond belief.”

Phoenix Business Journal article by Eric J Toll 

An original incentive package that the airport board of directors was supposed to vote on Tuesday was worth $1.3 million and included a flight to Salt Lake City. Davis said Allegiant (Nasdaq: ALGT) has a growing list of problems with the Gateway airport authority, but offering government money to a competing airline to fly into a market Allegiant already serves crossed the line . . . The Gateway Board did not approve Elite’s flight to Salt Lake City and only included an incentive package for a three-days-a-week flight to San Diego, priced around $700,000.

QUESTION: What was The City of Mesa trying to pull off by making unfair incentives that interfere in "free market airline competition"? . . . and why pushing a flight from Mesa to Salt Lake City?
ELITE AIRWAYS????? .... only for "the elite"?????????
[ Elite Airways specializes in charter flights for NCAA teams ]

The story, from all different angles, was quickly picked up by all major Phoenix broadcast and print media exposing the bad faith bargaining and unfair government subsidies . . . now the City of Mesa is trying to regain control of this narrative with this appeal in the last paragraph of the press release: 
Allegiant Air customers received an e-mail survey [shown in the insert image at the opening of this post]asking whether they would prefer their service to be out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport or Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. 
If you received this e-mail please join Mayor John Giles and Councilmember Kevin Thompson in supporting Allegiant Air at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. OR NOT ...

Trans-National Economic Development: Governor Doug Ducey Arrived Today in Mexico City

The Sun Corridor

PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey today arrived in Mexico City for a packed week of meetings with Mexican officials and business leaders in an effort to bolster our economic and diplomatic relationships with the country. This is Governor Ducey’s first trip to Mexico since taking office in January 2015 - he moves fast stating that "Since taking office, I’ve spoken and met with many Mexican elected officials and business leaders; we’re all eager to work together to ensure both our economies prosper.” GovernorDucey's schedule of meetings in Mexico City can be seen on the schedule in this press release:

June 17, 2015 Press Release from Governor's Office

• Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner. 
• In 2014, Arizona’s total exports to Mexico were valued at $8.6 billion, and imports from Mexico were valued at $7.3 billion. 
• Visitors from Mexico spend an average of $7.3 million per day in the State of Arizona.
• Both nations who share a border now, but were once part of the same geophysical area, can benefit greatly from an enhanced relationship for mutual economic and cultural development.

The segment highlighted in the above image is a part of the development for a tri-national trading zone in North America uniting our neighbor to the north Canada, the United States of America, and our neighbor to the south, The United States of Mexico. 

The previously called CanaMex Corridor got stalled on a number of issues due to its broad reach and transportation issues.

Governor Ducey can "take the bull by the horns" in the territory where he's "El Jefe" from Phoenix to Nogales to Mexico City, the Capitol of the country for the mutual benefit of The State of Arizona and Mexico. He recently hosted the second-richest man in the world - Carlos Slim from Mexico City - at a conference in Phoenix. 

Viva! Arizona y Viva! Mexico

Side-by-Side: Flags of Arizona & Mexico

When your blogger lived in New York City, he worked with the Mexican Ambassador Jorge Pinto, Sergio Hidalgo with BanaMexT for Foreign Trade, and The Mexican Culture Institute, promoting cultural events and traveling and staying in Mexico City  D.F. and the city of Monterrey in the State of Nuevo Leon.
While living in Nogales, Arizona your MesaZona blogger worked with the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce to encourage tourism and economic development with The State of Sonora. Nogales is the Point-of-Entry for goods from Mexico shipped to the United States and one of the Gateways in Arizona to Mexico.

Phoenix-Nogales Segment to the left

Thanks to Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, funding for the new Interstate 11 has been approved in this report in The Phoenix Business Journal Eric J Toll on March 30, 2015

With an update on May 26 he reported that construction is underway on first segment of Interstate 11 - the project is the first new freeway mileage to be added to the nation's 47,900-mile interstate highway system since 1992. I-11 is to be constructed from Nogales to either Seattle or Calgary, Alberta. 

More details on this International Trade & Transportation Corridor within the U.S. can be found here in this link >
AZTTA Study

Here's an image to take a look at the planned routes in Mexico - notice the locations close to port facilities on the Sea of Cortez and for import/export with the Pacific Trade Region.

The port facilities in California are congested.

E-Juice and Vapor Commerce > 100 New Jobs in Mesa

Image from blog announcement on June 2, 2015

Here's a news release from June 2, 2015

Due to Legislative Pressure, Mt Baker Vapor is Relocating to Mesa, Arizona

The temperatures may get hot in The Valley of The Sun here in Arizona, but this company has made a decision to relocate here due to the oppressive tax climate in the State of Washington.