Small Business- Person of the Year: Dan Shay€¦ · Dan Shay, president of Shay Oil Com-pany,...

BY JOYCE LOBECK

Dan Shay, president of Shay Oil Com-pany, isn’t one to seek the spotlight.

He just quietly goes about running the business that has been in his family for three generations and supporting the com-munity he feels blessed to call home.

For that, he was recognized as this year’s recipient of the Small Business-Person of the Year Award presented at the annual Yuma County Chamber of Com-merce awards and installation dinner held Jan. 27 at Arizona Western College.

In accepting the award, Shay had two things to say: “this is nice” and, yes, he had been tricked into attending the dinner.

The award honors a local business person who “operates successfully in the Yuma-area market and contributes to high standards of excellence and community participation.”

That well describes Shay. He has run the business since his father died in 1983. Today the company, the local Chevron dis-tributor, has 20 convenience stores with fuel pumps in Yuma County from Tacna to San Luis, Ariz., and two stores in Quartz-site.

“Of course we like Yuma,” Shay says with a chuckle. “There’s no where else I’d rather be. Yuma has been good to the Shay family.”

The family returns the favor. Over the

years, Shay and the company have sup-ported a number of charities and fund-raising events in the community, many of them that benefit children.

The Small Busi-ness-Person of the Year award joins a lineup of other awards and plaques that have recog-nized Shay and Shay Oil Company over the years. Last year the company was nominated as Busi-ness Partner of the Year in the inaugu-ral S. June Pallack Excellence in Education awards program established by the cham-ber to honor those who work behind the scenes to help school children. Amberly’s Place honored Shay for sponsoring a room in the organization’s new building. Shay donated to the World War II National Mu-seum in memory of his uncle, who died in the war, and was a major sponsor of the Vietnam Wall That Heals.

Shay was selected as the only Chevron distributer in Arizona to participate in the oil company’s Fuel Your School program

to provide funds for public education. A dollar is donated to the program for each eight gallons or more fuel a customer pur-chases in October. In 2015, Shay donated $100,000 to support science and math projects in participating local schools.

Small Business- Person of the Year: Dan Shay

February 2017 Volume 3 – Issue 2

See JOYCE continued on page 11

COngratulatiOnS!New Members pg4

Yuma Visitor’s Bureau Feb. Calendar pg15A R I Z O N A

Y U M A V I S I T O R S B U R E A U

Member of the Month, D&H Electric pg3

Photo by Joyce LobeckDan Shay, president of Shay Oil Company, shown here with his wife Bobbi, is the recipient of this year’s Small Business-Person of the Year Award presented by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce.

Committee Updates pg10

Athena Award Winner: Terre Catanzaro pg6

BY JOHN COURTIS, Executive Director, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce

We had 3 new board members take the oath of office at our annual dinner on Fri-day, January 27th to help lead your Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. The new board members are, Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO of YRMC, Lisa Reilly, publisher of the Yuma SUN and Jeff Byrd, Community Relations Manager at 1st Bank Yuma. They joined current board members, Matt Mo-lenar, Chairman of the Board, from MGM Design, Adrian Elder, Board Past-Chair, from Yuma Investment Group, Art Mo-rales, Board Chair-Elect from Wells Fargo and Anna Chaulk, Board Secretary from

APS. Other Board members include: Kathy Ahuactzin, 24 Karat Awards & Jewelry; Dr. Michael Sabath, NAU-Yuma; Maggie Cummings, Green Oasis; Howard Blitz, Freedom Library and Travis Smith, Yuma Farm & Home Supply. We have a wonder-ful cross section of business leaders and a great diversity of opinions and experiences. Board Chair Matt Molenar calls it a “Power Team.” I call it “What Leadership Looks Like in Yuma!” Whatever you call it, it IS going to be fresh, vocal, and vibrant.

Maybe you caught the phrase, “YOUR Yuma Coun-ty Chamber of Commerce” in the first sentence. I hope you did, because this is YOUR Chamber of Commerce, not mine. I have the honor and privilege to be your Execu-tive Director, but all of you are the bosses, along with the Board of Directors, to take this Chamber to levels you want it to go. The new things we did last year, from the Lunch and Learn Series to the S. June Pallack awards, were all ideas that came to the Chamber from partners and members alike, looking for a home, a launching place and an organiza-tion ready to take on new ideas and chal-lenges from its members. We want and need the feedback from all of you so we

can deliver the kinds of events, programs, messages, and advocacy that you should expect from your Chamber of Commerce. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead your Chamber to 2020 and beyond!

Hopefully, you also see the new cam-paign, “Think Yuma First!” Of course, we will continue to support the Shop Locally theme because that is the cornerstone of our existence, it’s in our DNA, if you will. However, we wanted to cast a wider net and expand on the thinking to engage all levels of transactions from investments, business, promotion, real estate, health and medical, travel & tourism, and more. It also adds a little hometown pride to the conversation because we think all of us should “Think Yuma First.” When it comes to anything, we would love for you to, “Think Yuma First!”

I welcome your comments and ideas, so shoot me a note at [email protected].

Mission Statement:“ To Represent Our Membership

By Advocating A Healthy Economic Climate Through The

Effective Use Of Our Unique Regional Resources To Enhance

The Quality Of Life In The Greater Yuma Area.”

Kelly Averitt, Office Manager

If you have questions about yourmembership, or any of our events,please call me at 928-782-2567

FEBRUARY 2017 Volume 3 – Issue 2

Published and direct mailed monthly by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce.

For information or to ask about submitting articles, call the chamber office at 928-782-2567 or send us an e-mail at [email protected]

928-782-2567180 W. 1st St., Ste A

Yuma, AZ 85364

John Courtis, Executive Director

the Evolution is real, and it’s Here!

95906

Buying? Selling?investing? Promoting?

tHinKYuMaFirSt!

2 YUMABiZ February 2017

D&H Electric is an all service electrical contractor established in March 1976. It is locally owned and licensed and bonded in Arizona and California. Always striving in providing quality customer service and the latest in knowledge in energy efficiency and electrical services.

D&H Electric believes in being an integral part of our community. They are currently affiliated with: • Yuma Rotary • Yuma County Chamber of Commerce • Yuma Southwest Contractor’s Association • Caballeros de Yuma • National Federation of Independent Business • US Chamber of Commerce • APS – APS Express Solution certified, only one in Yuma, AZ • Project Management Institute

D&H Electric also believes in giving back to the community. They do so through: • Yuma Special Olympics • Yuma Regional Foundation • Arizona Children’s Association • Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY) • 4-H • Yuma Youth Soccer Association (YYSA)

If you attend local events throughout Yuma, you are bound to see a representative of D&H Electric.

Fred Dammeyer, Owner/President D&H Electric

2333 E Palo Verde St Yuma, AZ 35365

(928) 726-5671 www.dandhelectric.com

Congratulations to our February Member of the

Month – D&H Electric

February Dates to Remember2 - Education CommitteeTime: 11:30 AMLocation: Conference Room,

180 W 1st St

3 - Legislative AffairsTime: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PMSponsored by: APSLocation: Yuma Golf & Country Club

3150 S Fortuna AvenueLimited Seating, Please RSVP

4 - Yuma Military Appreciation DayTime: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PMLocation: Arizona Western College

21 - Board of DirectorsTime: 3:00 PMLocation: Conference Room,

180 W 1st St

22 - Military Affairs Committee Time: 8:00 AMLocation: American Legion Post 19,

2575 S Virginia Drive

22 - Ambassadors Time: 11:30 AMLocation: Conference Room,

180 W 1st St

23 - Transportation Committee Time: 10:30 AMLocation: Chamber Office,

180 W 1st Street, Suite A

9 - Good Morning YumaTime: 6:30 AMLocation: Pivot Point Conference Center, 200 N Madison AveSponsor: Yuma SunProgram: Yuma’s Best AwardsCost: $15/person

22 - Monthly MixerTime: 5:30-7:00 PMSponsor: Keller WilliamsLocation: 2553 E 24th StreetCost: Complimentary of

Keller Williams

For more information on any of these meeting or events please contact the Chamber Office at (928) 782-2567 or [email protected].

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The City of Yuma recently unveiled its newest addition to the Yuma golf scene on the location of the former driving range at the corner of 32nd Street and Avenue A at the Par 3 Golf Course, Arroyo Dunes. This is a 10 – hole, very short course, called a ‘PITCH COURSE” with holes ranging from 70 yards to 35 yards. there is NO CHARGE to play this course, and it’s great for beginners, duffers, kids and seniors, and ac-complished players just wanting to sharpen up their short game. Just follow the colored tee markers to the colored flags, and have fun!

ribbon Cuttings

In keeping with the principle that golf is a sport that can be learned and played by anyone, the Professional Golf Association (PGA) HOPE, or “Helping Our Patriots Ev-erywhere” has made its way to Yuma debut-ing a class that is to be offered for about two months to veterans. PGA HOPE joined with Las Barrancas Golf Course and the Foothills Golf Complex to invite veterans with illness-es, injuries and challenges at the Foothills Par

3 Wednesday morning for the PGA of Amer-ica free program, PGA REACH/PGA HOPE Adaptive Golf Program. For more informa-tion or to sign up for the program, contact Mark Croft with the Foothills Golf Complex at Las Barrancas Golf Course by calling (928) 304-1008 or emailing [email protected]. More information about the program can also be found online at http://lasbarrancasgolf.com/veterans/.

Recognition Specialists•GlassAwards•GiftItems•NameTags•Ribbons

•Plaques•Trophies•Medals•Acrylics

•RubberStamps•Custom

Engraving


BY JOYCE LOBECK As she sat through the Yuma County

Chamber of Commerce annual awards and installation banquet, Terre Catanzaro wondered why her presence was so neces-sary.

And why her family, friends and co-workers filled five tables around her.

The answer became clear as the de-scription was read of this year’s recipient of the Athena International Award.

Catanzaro’s face mirrored dawning awareness, shock and overwhelming emo-tion as she realized she is the latest in the elite group of women who have been pre-sented the award given to “an individual who has attained and personified the high-est level of excellence in her/his business or profession, devoted meaningful time and energy to the community, and gener-ously assisted women in attaining their full potential.”

Catanzaro is the chief administrative officer for JV Smith Companies, which has farming operations in Yuma, Califor-nia, Colorado and Mexico. In addition, she runs the Smith Family Foundation that provides scholarships for employees and their families.

While juggling a demanding workload and a family – her 10th grandchild is due this month – Catanzaro also is active in the community. She is the past board chair of the Yuma Community Food Bank, is treasurer of the board for Amberly’s Place and serves on the boards for The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and Crane El-ementary School District. She also sits on the Arizona Agricultural Employment Re-lations Board, a governor appointment.

In accepting the Athena Award, Catan-zaro tearfully noted that the last time she had been at the podium at Arizona West-ern College, it was to accept the Heart of Yuma Outstanding Leader Award Oct. 25 on behalf of Mike Ivers, Food Bank president who had died 12 hours earlier.

This time was a much happier occa-sion. And it follows a great example, she noted. Her boss, Vic Smith, is the latest Citizen of the Year.

“I’m proud to be able to help,” said Catanzaro, encouraging others to get in-volved. “It just takes a little time. You can do so much with so little.”

It’s about giving back, she said. “I’m so blessed. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t. To live in a community means to be involved.”

And someday, she said, “you may need a helping hand.”

The letter nominating Catanzaro stated that “she is an excellent leader and takes pleasure in her job, and she strives to ex-ceed expectations while building excel-lence in those people around her and never looses that sense of care and respect. Terre is challenged on a daily basis by conflicts that arise and is admired for her creativity and professionalism she portrays resolving these with ease.

“Terre is not only an excellent leader, she helps build excellence in all those around her, she encourages and motivates everyone to grow in every way possible, she facilitates company funds for employ-ees to continue their education. Terre also supports all employees with health and fit-ness goals by developing our health and wellness program.”

Furthermore, the nomination said of Catanzaro’s community involvement: “she’s not just involved, “she’s hands on. If backpacks need to be filled you will find her there … late night meetings, running from one place to another trying to do good wherever she can and is allowed to.”

The nomination concluded: “Terre Catanzaro is an amazing woman and should be recognized for all she does for our community.”

Her boss echoed that sentiment. “She’s phenomenal,” Smith said, adding that she handles her many responsibilities with ef-ficiency, grace and respect for all she deals with. “Since joining our organization, she has made a huge difference for all the com-panies. I’m her biggest cheerleader.”

He continued: “She is a great role mod-el … listens carefully and deals with people on a human basis. Anybody can walk into her office with an issue and she deals with it.”

Smith also spoke highly of Catanzaro’s community involvement. “She is fantastic is all I can say.”

And when she comes to him asking for support for the organizations she’s in-volved with, he doesn’t hesitate. “With her on board, I’m more than happy to help. She gets things done and I know the money will be put to good use.”

He concluded: “I think she is a very good role model and an inspiration to oth-ers to do better.”

Catanzaro was raised in Buckeye,

where her stepfather was a farmer and she was active in 4-H. She has a bachelor’s de-gree in agribusiness and economics from the University of Arizona and has been a Yuma resident since 1991.

There were 17 nominees for this year’s Athena Award, which was co-sponsored by the Yuma County Chamber of Com-merce and National Bank of Arizona.

AthenaInternationalAwardpresentedtoTerreCatanzaro

Photo by Joyce LobeckTerre Catanzaro is this year's recipient of the Athena International Award, selected from 17 nominees for the honor.


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where her stepfather was a farmer and she was active in 4-H. She has a bachelor’s de-gree in agribusiness and economics from the University of Arizona and has been a Yuma resident since 1991.

There were 17 nominees for this year’s Athena Award, which was co-sponsored by the Yuma County Chamber of Com-merce and National Bank of Arizona.

AthenaInternationalAwardpresentedtoTerreCatanzaro

Please join us as we welcome Governor Doug Ducey to Yuma

For his State of the State AddressLuncheon Event is

Friday, February 10, 11:30 amAt the 3 C Conference Center at Arizona Western College

Limited Sponsorships are available

EVENT SPONSORSHIP $1,000Includes table top logo, overhead slideshow, and banner logo

Table of 10 for the luncheon

TABLE SPONSORSHIP $400Includes table top logo and table for 10 for the luncheon

INDIVIDUAL LUNCH TICKETS $40available via eventbrite.com

CALL 928-782-2567 TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET

Mayor and Council of the Town of Wellton invite you to the 40th Annual Wellton Pioneer Day Parade and Fiesta on Satur-day, February 20, 2017. The Pa-rade will begin at 10:00AM. The Parade route is down Los Angeles Avenue in Wellton beginning on the west end. Be sure to get an early parking space, and bring a hat, chairs and water. This is a ter-rific parade for our small town.

After the parade, please join us for the Fiesta at Butterfield Park. There will be a carne asada barbecue and numerous food booth, craft booths and live en-tertainment. Many of the booths are run by local nonprofit groups and school clubs. We hope to see you there.

For further information on any of these items, please contact Wellton Town Hall at (928) 785-3348.

Wellton Pioneer Day


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BOarD OF DirECtOrS Next meeting: Tuesday, February 21st at 3:00 PM Old City Hall Conference Room; Members Welcome• This was Matt Molenar’s first meeting as Chairman. He thinks 2017 is going to be a great year and that he is looking for a hands-on board.

• New Board Members Lisa Reilly, Jeff Byrd, and Dr Robert Trenschel were all in attendance

• Two new members were approved at this meeting: Eyemart Express on 16th Street and Pacific and Naked Dates a date gift shop out in Wellton.

• The renewal process for 2017 dues was discussed and who comes due when as the year progresses

• Treasurer Art Morales would like to meet with John Courtis and Kelly Aver-itt to discuss the reporting of financials in 2017

• John gave the Board an update on the status of the Annual Dinner on Friday, January 27th at AWC, we have several sponsors thus far

• John then gave some details regard-ing the Yuma Military Appreciation Day the Chamber & its Military Affairs Committee is putting on, on Saturday February 4th at AWC

• John shared that he is working with the local GOP and the Governor’s Office to coordinate a State of the State Address, hopefully it will be within the first 10 days of February

• John went to Phoenix January 6th for the Governor’s Legislative Luncheon, he said there was a lot of talk funding edu-cation and HURF was never mentioned

• The Legislative Affairs Committee will be meeting on the even months, the meetings will be held at the Yuma Golf and Country Club, these meetings are designed to get the right people in the room to create outcomes

aMBaSSaDOrS Next meeting: Wednesday, February 22nd, 11:30 AM Chretin’s Restaurant & Cantina; Members Welcome• The 2017 Ambassador Leadership team got together to discuss the upcom-ing year

• Chair Tawnee Miller and Incoming Chair Karina Jones discussed what the flow of an Ambassador Meeting should look like with John Courtis

• The January 25th meeting will be held in the Chamber Conference Room, this meeting will set the tone for the rest of the year.

• The meetings following the January meeting will be held at other member’s restaurants, hotels, etc.

• Karina is going to create a “letter of commitment” that all Ambassadors will sign, this letter will have a description of the duties that come along with being an Ambassador

• John would like to do “Ambassador Ap-preciation Event at least once a year

MilitarY aFFairS (MaC) Next meeting: Wednesday February 22nd, at 8:00 AM American Legion Post 19, 2575 S Virginia Drive• Mark Croft, a PGA member, recently became an amputee and is now a certi-fied adaptive golf instructor. PGA Hope is an outreach program to veterans of all ages and all disabilities (seen or unseen). There is a 6-week program beginning January 25 and will be held at the par 3 at Foothills Golf Course. Mark Croft, Kathy Jensen, and Mark Hammonds are the coaches. Mr. Croft can be reached at Las Barrancas Golf Course and is looking for participation (they have 10 signed up so far) and any donations.

• Chairman Chuck LeDrew turned the meeting towards discussion regard-ing Yuma Military Appreciation Day (YMAD), he mentioned that he has a lot of verbal agreements, but only 8 ap-plications for booths so far, if you plan on participating please get your form in

• YPG plans on having artwork installa-tions at YMAD

• The Border Patrol Explorers are on board as well as a K-9 with a truck and a boat

• APS will have a craft table so any chil-dren that attend will have something to do

• MCAS has a request in for the Martial Arts demonstrators, the robot, and the K-9 unit

• Crossroads Mission will be having a pancake breakfast for YMAD again

• Billboards have been created as well as posters, radio and TV spots will begin airing soon

• John Courtis is working on h=getting the Mayor to speak at YMAD, as well as the Commanding Officers from YPG & MCAS-Yuma

• Set-up for this event including ‘chalk-ing’ can be done anytime after 3:00 PM on Friday the 3rd

EDuCatiOn COMMittEE Next meeting: Thursday February 2nd, 11:30 AM Old City Hall Conference Room; Members Welcome• John Courtis gave a brief overview on the Summer Works in Yuma program.

Only 13 positions were offered but there were upwards of 175 teachers who ap-plied. Need to work on getting the word out to businesses that could benefit from hiring someone who is already vetted, experienced, and committed. Would like to see the business commu-nity participate to the point where 50 teachers will get an opportunity to work this summer

• Ed Shippen thanked everyone for their hard work for last year’s S. June Pal-lack Award for Excellence in Educa-tion award program. He requested each member give their input on the process

• The 3 items that came up the most where the award categories, the nomi-nation form and the scoring, and get-ting more people involved both in the committee and public participation

• Most of the committee agreed the 6 categories and the nominees from last year were a good match. The nomina-tion form and website show eligible em-ployees from K-12. The form and web-site need to be revised to include higher education

• The nomination form was established prior to the scoring sheet, since the nomination form is strictly narrative, all present agreed it was very difficult to score. Several suggestions were made but the consensus was that the form will be revised to have the scoring cri-teria key words be incorporated into the form. For example: “Describe one in-stance where this person showed their dedication.” or “Give an example of the nominee’s unique abilities.” It was also agreed that a simple narrative at the end would give a little bit more information if appropriate. For example, “Describe why you feel this nominee should be awarded the Administrator of the Year.”

• We need to reach more people to get nominations from PTA’s, Moms, Dads, etc., Nicolle suggested giving the in-formation to the Superintendent of the school system and let them disseminate the information since there are so many schools in Yuma County

• Chairman Ed Shippen asked all present to come with nomination form ideas and ideas on scoring to help improve the process.

CommitteeUpdates


Only 13 positions were offered but there were upwards of 175 teachers who ap-plied. Need to work on getting the word out to businesses that could benefit from hiring someone who is already vetted, experienced, and committed. Would like to see the business commu-nity participate to the point where 50 teachers will get an opportunity to work this summer

• Ed Shippen thanked everyone for their hard work for last year’s S. June Pal-lack Award for Excellence in Educa-tion award program. He requested each member give their input on the process

• The 3 items that came up the most where the award categories, the nomi-nation form and the scoring, and get-ting more people involved both in the committee and public participation

• Most of the committee agreed the 6 categories and the nominees from last year were a good match. The nomina-tion form and website show eligible em-ployees from K-12. The form and web-site need to be revised to include higher education

• The nomination form was established prior to the scoring sheet, since the nomination form is strictly narrative, all present agreed it was very difficult to score. Several suggestions were made but the consensus was that the form will be revised to have the scoring cri-teria key words be incorporated into the form. For example: “Describe one in-stance where this person showed their dedication.” or “Give an example of the nominee’s unique abilities.” It was also agreed that a simple narrative at the end would give a little bit more information if appropriate. For example, “Describe why you feel this nominee should be awarded the Administrator of the Year.”

• We need to reach more people to get nominations from PTA’s, Moms, Dads, etc., Nicolle suggested giving the in-formation to the Superintendent of the school system and let them disseminate the information since there are so many schools in Yuma County

• Chairman Ed Shippen asked all present to come with nomination form ideas and ideas on scoring to help improve the process.

That’s a program Shay is committed to continuing to support.

For several years, the company has sup-ported Gotta Dream, founded by a group of local business people in 2007 to serve children in Yuma County suffering from life-threatening illnesses. And during the last holiday season, Shay Oil raised more than $75,000 for the planned Children’s Museum while Shay’s son sits on the board.

The company also provides scholar-ships, sponsors ball teams, supports the Dateland fire department, donates to the fund-raisers of various causes and buys a table at the Humane Society of Yuma Fur Ball.

Shay has been a member of Caballeros de Yuma for about 25 years and arranged for Mario Andretti to appear at the Mid-night at the Oasis car show in 2008. In addition, he has been a member of Yuma Rotary for more than 35 years.

“We try to do our share,” Shay said. He is quick to add that it’s really the customers who enable the company to support such causes. “We have good customers. We’re blessed.”

Shay Oil Company has deep roots. It was started by Shay’s grandfather in the 1930s in Mobridge, S.D., selling Phillips 66 gasoline, heating oil, sodas, ice cream and some grocery items.

After too many cold winters, Shay’s father, Gene, moved the business to Yuma in 1961. He be-gan with one location and by the 1970s had opened multiple ser-vice stations throughout Yuma County.

After college and their wed-ding, Dan and Bobbi moved to Yuma in 1971 so he could work in the family business. At the time of his father’s death, the business was in the process of converting a service bay station into its first convenience store at 16th Street and Avenue A.

That’s but one of many changes over the years, including becoming the local Chevron dis-tributor in 1992.

But one thing has remained constant. “I’m fortunate with the staff I have,” Shay said. “They’ve stayed with me through good times and bad.”

Of the company’s 175 employees, many have been with the business for 25 or more years; general manager John Bornt has been there 45 years.

In both 2014 and 2015, Yuma Sun read-ers voted Chevron the best gas station/convenience store.

As for the future, the Shays expect to continue to grow the company and some-day turn it over to their sons, Michael and Craig, for the fourth generation to own and operate the local business.

JOYCE continued from page 1

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As chosen by readers of the Yuma Sun

Loaned PhotoDan Shay is the third generation to operate the family owned business, Shay Oil Company. It was started in the 1930s in South Dakota by his grandfather and moved to Yuma by his father, pictured at that first gasoline station.

The first Shay Oil Station in Yuma was opened in 1961 near the Marine Corps Air Station. Today the company has 22 convenience stores.Loaned Photo


TSAEnhancementsatYumaAirportPassengers and guests

at Yuma International Airport will notice several new changes within the airport terminal.

In early January, lo-cal contractor, LPC Con-struction completed the expansion of TSA’s office adjacent the airline ticket counter. The project ex-panded existing leased office space and included new HVAC system, office store front, lighting, and provides TSA officers with ample space for future growth.

TSA also installed a millimeter wave Ad-vanced Imaging Technol-

ogy (AIT) unit within the airport’s screening area in mid-January. The machine is equipped with automated target recognition (ATR) software de-signed to enhance privacy by eliminat-ing passenger-specific images while improving throughput capabilities and streamlining the checkpoint screening process.

AIT is designed to enhance secu-rity by safely screening passengers for metallic and non-metallic threats—

including weapons, explosives and other objects concealed under layers of clothing. Imaging technology screen-ing is safe for all travelers, and the technology meets all known national and international health and safety standards. In fact, the energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is 1000 times less than the international limits and guidelines. For more information about AIT, visit www.tsa.gov/ait.

Sponsored by:

Name: Stephen D Cummings D.C.Place of Business: Cummings Chiropractic

Location: 281 W 24th Street, Yuma, 85364Phone: (928) 782-4339Website: cummingsfixmyback.comAmbassador since: 2016

“Steve Cummings is a great example of a strong, active, and sincere Ambassador. He was the co-founder of the Navigator Committee and when that committee was absorbed by the Ambassador Committee he chose to stay on as an Ambassador. At his first meeting Steve stated, ‘I’m here to do whatever you need me to do,’ and he has been a man of his word. Steve is at every event his schedule allows and he will do anything from taking money at the door to making sure the members feel welcome. He is a valuable asset to our team.” - Kelly Averitt

Sponsored by:

Name: Argelia MoralesPlace of Business: Re/Max Territory

Location: 1706 S 4th Ave, Yuma, 85364Phone: (928) Website: cummingsfixmyback.comAmbassador since: 2016

“Ever since I was 18 years old and started going to the Chamber events my goal was to someday become an Ambassador. I love being part of the community and gathering with people with similar goals and aspirations. Being an Ambassador has helped me brand myself as a reputable Realtor in the community. I found that being a member of this group has helped build both business and personal relationships that help me attain the goals I have set for myself. I recommend this group to anyone looking to further his/her career with the help of the Chamber of Commerce.” - Argelia Morales


Meet the surgeons at yumaregional.org/heartsurgeonsFor a referral call (928) 336.1675

That’s why Yuma Regional Medical Center continues to advance heart care in Yuma with the recruitment of two world-renowned surgeons. Dr. Peter Tsai and Dr. Ramaswamy Ravikumar bring years of experience, offering advanced techniques and personalized heart care to you and your family.

When do quality & experience matter?

When it’s your heart.


BY ANNA CHAULK, APS Community Affairs Manager

You flip a switch? Light. You push a power button? On. At APS, we want to be so good at our jobs, that you never give these actions a second thought.

But based on the questions I get in my role, I know a lot of our customers still wonder how it all works. For a quick overview, you can check out our latest AskAPS video at aps.com/askAPS.

The process starts with generation. We have a balanced energy mix, mean-ing we use various resources to help in-sulate our customers from price spikes, shortages or weather variations that could affect rates and reliability.

Did you know? Over half of our power comes from clean, carbon-free resources, including Palo Verde Nu-clear Generating Station, which is the largest power producer in the country.

Once the power is generated, it goes onto “the grid”: the infrastructure be-tween the generation resources and your home. This includes the large transmission lines that carry power in bulk, the distribution system which consists of smaller power lines, and the

substations that serve as connection points between the two. In total, we have more than 35,000 miles of power lines and more than 400 substations.

Did you know? More than half of APS’s power lines are buried under-ground.

All along the way, we are installing smart grid technologies to improve re-liability. These technologies do things like automatically reroute power around outages to minimize the num-ber of customers impacted, help oper-ators pinpoint the location of outages and enable the grid to better weather

the intermittency of solar power. All together, these technologies

helped us avoid about two million cus-tomer outage minutes last year.

Did you know? APS has launched two industry-leading programs to study how to reliably integrate solar onto our system: the Solar Partner Program and Solar Innovation Study.

Over the past 130 years, delivering power is something we have gotten re-ally good at. Today, 2.7 million people depend on us to keep it up. And I can assure you, the 6,400 APS employees are up to the task.

HowdoesAPSgetpowertoyourhome?

Investing in ArizonaWe believe it’s our responsibility to contribute to the growthand vitality of the communities we serve. That’s why wepartner with local business leaders to help attract new jobsand investments to our state. Every dollar that goes backinto our community helps create a stronger, more vibranteconomic future for all Arizonans and that’s a goal wellworth achieving.

aps.com


The new year is barely a month old, but already shows signs of being one of change and adjustments for the City of Yuma. The most apparent change is obviously the new presidential adminis-tration in Washington, but new leader-ship in both houses of the Arizona Leg-islature is also something to which the City will have to watch and adapt.

The City is keeping its fingers crossed that 2017 will finally be the year the state fully restores state-shared revenues, no-tably the Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF), a tax paid by motorists at the pump that’s supposed to be returned to the counties and cities in which motor-ists paid it and used for road mainte-nance. The Legislature has been “sweep-ing” these funds for other uses – a practice which would get the City in hot legal trouble if tried to do that for itself.

And while Gov. Doug Ducey’s State of the State address made headlines for its call for more education funding, his proposed budget appeared to indi-cate that the practice of sweeping these funds would be one source of revenue for this funding. The City has grave con-cerns about this.

Also adding to Arizona cities’ bur-dens is the Public Safety Personnel Re-tirement System. While one measure approved last year provided some relief, the City of Yuma is nonetheless faced with an unexpected hit of $1.7 mil-lion for this year, a huge increase from the previous fiscal year’s price tag of $250,000.

Yuma is challenged in maintain-ing its high standards for public safety. Other agencies are hiring away Yuma personnel for higher pay, while vehicles and radio equipment are beyond their shelf lives. In December, the chiefs of

the police and fire departments briefed the City Council on cost-cutting mea-sures that included reductions in ser-vice levels.

Another source of financial strife for parts of the City operation was the passage of Prop 206, a minimum wage increase. The measure gave Arizona em-ployers less than two months to prepare for a nearly $2 per hour raise for part-time, entry-level employees. At the City, this primarily affected the Parks and Recreation department, which hires a number of part-time, seasonal workers. Parks and Rec announced at that same Dec. 21, 2016 Council meeting that it is responding with a 10 percent increase in fees and a 10 percent cost reduction.

One of those reductions is keeping Kennedy Pool closed through at least June, with its opening subject to the re-sults of the City’s next fiscal year budget, which would take effect July 1. News of that pool closure sparked recent social media discussion that did not include information provided directly by official City sources. The City invites residents to contact us directly via the “Contact Us” bar across the top of our home page at www.yumaaz.gov. You can also follow City of Yuma Government on Facebook or @cityofyuma on Twitter.

The most important part of promot-ing Yuma as a travel destination is sharing the diversity of our area — its unique to-pography and all its communities. To that second piece, the Yuma Visitors Bureau is proud to have a new addition to our staff: Advertising Sales and Membership Man-ager, Mark Briones.

Mark has a vital role on our team by de-veloping relationships with business own-ers and management throughout Yuma County, and beyond. As a membership-based organization, these relationships are significant in supporting the Bureau’s mission and help paint the picture that has travelers adding the Gateway of the Great Southwest to their itineraries all year long.

As a life-long Yuman, Mark com-bines his fa-miliarity of the area with more than 15 years of customer service experi-ence, and the determination to help locals build business. If you are curious about how the Yuma Visitors Bureau can bring more customers through your door and assist in growing your brand, contact Mark by phone at 928-580-5885 or by email at [email protected] today!

Now, here is a look at just some of the exciting things taking shape in Yuma this month:

February 2017 Events:Throughout February –

Live Performances (Historic Yuma Theatre)

Throughout February – Walking & Trolley Tours (Sanguinetti House Museum & Gardens)

Feb. 2, 9, 16, & 23 – Village Jazz Series (Yuma Palms Regional Center)

Feb. 3 thru 5 – Two Rivers Renaissance Fair (Yuma County Fairgrounds)

Feb. 10 thru 12 – Silver Spur Rodeo and Parade (Yuma County Fairgrounds)

Feb. 12 – Art in the Park (Gateway Park)

Feb. 18 – Boogie, Brews & Blues Festival (Gateway Park)

Feb. 23 thru 25 – Annual Yuma Art Symposium (Yuma Art Center)

Feb. 24 thru 25 – What’s Growing in Yuma Festival (Historic Downtown)

Feb. 28 – Mardi Gras Dinner and Entertainment (St. Paul’s Cultural Center)

There’s more! Plan for your tons of Yuma fun at the redesigned VisitYuma.com. Then, head to the Visitor Information Center at 201 N. 4th Avenue for more things to do and see, and to browse the Yuman Interest Gifts & Souvenirs shop.

A R I Z O N A

Y U M A V I S I T O R S B U R E A U

Newyear,newlaws, newleadersbringchallenges for City

GrowingTourismin Yuma County


PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDYUMA AZPERMIT NO 42

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Bank with people who know and understand our area and reinvest everything back into the community.

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“In the non-profit world our staff wears multiple hats. 1st Bank Yuma is very efficient and respectful of our time and when we ask questions the response is extremely quick with an explicit explanation. This helps us make more informed decisions regarding challenges that we are facing.”

“Banking with 1st Bank Yuma is easy. They give us the ability to bank online and their website is easy to understand and navigate. In addition, their staff is very accommodating and knowledgeable about our account. We’re always met with a friendly greeting and smiling face.”

Annette Lagunas, Director of OperationsHumane Society of Yuma

Melinda Edwards, Office ManagerChampion Church

“Being a non-profit it is crucial that we continue to move forward at all times. 1st Bank Yuma meets all of our expectations which helps us meet our long term goals.”

“1st Bank Yuma gives first rate attention to all of our needs. We know that we are just as important to the bank as they are to us - making our relationship a TRUE partnership.”

We’re equally committed to everyone’s success!


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