In preparation for its fall opening, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel is opening a recruitment unit in the Arizona Center.

Called the Sheraton Recruitment Center, it opened on Tuesday, July 15th, in the retail, movie and restaurant complex located across the street from the hotel at Third and Van Buren streets in downtown Phoenix.

"This is an incredible opportunity for people looking to work in the downtown area. With the opening of the light rail at the end of the year and all of the new residential developments in the area, we're excited about the impact this will have in breathing some life into downtown Phoenix," said Cindy Radamaker, director of human resources at Sheraton Downtown Phoenix.

The Sheraton Recruitment Center will be open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Candidates may also visit www.sheraton.jobs/phoenixdowntown and apply electronically.

The 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, scheduled to open in October, will feature a 3,500-square-foot fitness center and a 4,500-square-foot outdoor pool and sundeck.

Due to such a great interest in the August 5th Downtown Business Coffee, we needed to switch locations to accommodate all those who have RSVPed.  So please be sure to note the NEW location:

Tues., August 5, 2008        8 - 9 a.m.

Mi Amigos at the Arizona Center

455 North 3rd Street

Parking available in Arizona Center parking garage (entrance to garage is on 5th Street, north of Van Buren)

Rick Simonetta, Valley METRO Rail CEO, will provide a passenger's perspective of what riding the new light rail system will be like.

Coffee will be provided. As always, there will be time for Q&A with me and Rick.

Thanks for the great response, and if you haven't yet done so, please RSVP to mayor.rsvp@phoenix.gov

And thanks again to everyone at Sonoma Casual Dining for hosting my July Downtown Business Coffee meeting. For anyone who couldn’t attend in person, here’s a summary of what we covered.

 We talked about some great, free resources that are available if you’d like to start-up a business in Downtown Phoenix. The impact of small, independent businesses on our economy is BIG – and we want to see more small and independent businesses. And so we want to help you through what can, admittedly, feel like a daunting permitting process.

 City of Phoenix Business Customer Service Center

These folks can help advise you before you sign a lease or buy a building.

If you’d like to start up a business, of any size, anywhere in Phoenix, and you’ve never owned a business before, this office can guide you for FREE on the most efficient route through the required processes and procedures. They’ll give you a big picture of which city departments you’ll need to work with, provide clarification on city regulations, and refer you to other government agencies you’ll also need to work with. Just a few examples of what Phoenix Business Customer Service Center can assist you with: site location, market research, business-name registration, licensing, rules for home-based businesses. Call 602-534-2000 or email bcsc@phoenix.gov.

City of Phoenix Development Services Department’s Office of Customer Advocacy

This office was created to give you FREE advice about project-specific permits required through the City of Phoenix Development Services Department. You’ll usually call the Office of Customer Advocacy when you’re a little further along in terms of knowing what you’d like to do and where. Call them if you’d like to remodel an existing commercial building, renovate a historic building, convert a residential structure to business use, or revitalize a neighborhood retail center. Again, for free, these city staffers can explain all that’s involved in obtaining building permits and, ultimately, that certificate of occupancy. 602-534-7344.

Maricopa Community Colleges Small Business Development Center

For any existing small business firm or individual interested in owning a business. One-on-one business counseling is FREE, while small fees may be charged for costs associated with training courses. www.maricopasbdc.com or 480-784-0590

City of Phoenix Downtown Development Office Artist Storefront Program

Offers matching funds for up to 50% of the cost of exterior improvements for commercial properties with an arts use within the Artist Storefront Program boundaries (McDowell Road to Buckeye Road, 19th Ave to 16th Street – map of this area is available through the Web site I’ll point you to). Award amounts range from $5,000 to $100,000. Call 602-534-9484 or visit  www.phoenix.gov/DOWNTOWN/   and then, in the far-left column, click on “Artist Storefront Program.”

Just another day at the Office: The new paradigm for today's workforce"

Presented by Linda Thompson

This is the topic of the next ASU Downtown Noontime Lecture on Tuesday, June 17th from Noon to 1 PM at the Mercado, ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus at 502 E Monroe.

Presentation is free but you need to RSVP at least 48 hours in advance to asulectures@asu.edu .

Linda Thompson is an author, professional speaker and educator.  Her newest book will be available for purchase after the lecture.

This presentation will help you understand:

* Who are the four generations that make up today’s workplace?

* How can today’s managers create a successful, cohesive, multigenerational workforce?

* Why do managers need to change their way of thinking, communicating and interacting with these diverse groups?

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Deadline for submission: No later than June 15, 2008

Bentley Gallery presents a call for artist submissions with the intention of selecting the most promising artists for possible representation.

Submission guidelines:

Send the following items to: submissions@bentleygallery.com

1. Several (4-5) images of recent work at a file size no larger than 200k each.

2. Artist resume (pdf or Microsoft word document).

3. Artist statement and brief description of your work.

4. Link to personal artist website if available

5. Contact information (name, full address, phone number, email address)

Due to the large number of submissions that we receive on a regular basis, we are unable to reply to all submissions. In the event that we wish to further consider your work, we will contact you directly. Please do not call the gallery or present physical works.

PHOENIX (April 7, 2008) – Still six months out from its official opening, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown has exceeded its projections for advance group bookings, reaching the $52 million benchmark – a goal that the hotel had hoped to reach by the October opening. “Downtown Phoenix has emerged as a first tier destination, and reaching this ambitious goal so far out is a testament to the quality of this city, this hotel, and those people who have represented us so well” said Steve Spivak, director of sales and marketing at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. “Despite what’s happening in the economy, we’re encouraged by not only the number of commitments we’ve secured, but also the continued inquiries we’re fielding from all different markets.” Since the hotel’s sales effort began in early 2006, in cooperation with the Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, the sales team has secured commitments from groups varying in size from 50 to 2500 attendees. Committed groups include European software giant SAP and National Automobile Dealers Association. And like other Downtown venues, the Sheraton anticipates a major boost when Phoenix hosts the NBA All-Star game in 2009. With a projected on-time opening of October 1, 2008, the highly anticipated 1000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel will be Arizona’s newest and largest hotel, offering luxury accommodations in the heart of Phoenix. Located in Downtown Phoenix, Sheraton boasts more than 80,000 square feet of meeting space, 17 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 2,900 people, and three outdoor function areas. One of the more intriguing amenities of the new Sheraton is the Link at Sheraton, featuring the Link Café.  “The Link is a third place, we want our guest to have an option between the meeting room and their hotel room, an area that allows guests to connect with home or work or with each other.” said Spivak. The Link features complimentary Internet access, soft seating, flat panel TVs and a signature café experience that is social but not bar-like. Sheraton is rolling out the concept at all of its properties as part of Starwood’s focus on its largest and most recognizable brand.   The Sheraton’s 29,000-square-foot ballroom and 15,000-square-foot junior ballroom are an ideal location for annual fundraisers, training sessions or trade shows. High-tech presentations and business meetings can be held in one of two boardrooms offering state-of-the-art technology, video-conferencing capabilities and on-site audio-visual staff. Additional amenities include the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper^SM Beds, a 3,500-square-foot fitness center programmed by Core Fitness and a 4,000-square-foot outdoor pool and sundeck.  The Sheraton is located in the center of the bustling Copper Square. It is the first hotel that has been built in Downtown Phoenix since 1976. It is owned by the City of Phoenix and managed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It strives to be a place that is warm and comforting, second only to home, where visitors can come to connect and belong. For more information visit www.sheraton.com/phoenixdowntown.

April 2. Free and open to all job seekers from entry to managerial level. Come dressed to interview and bring your resume. Phoenix Convention Center, noon-5pm. For information, call 602-200-6829 or visit www.jobing.com

March 4. Engineering and technology professional job fair. Phoenix Convention Center, 10am-4pm. Free and open to the public. For information, call 877-842-3976, ext. 17

The Fed's Minutes can be read at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcminutes20080130.pdf. )

To quote again from Economist John Mauldin, "The minutes from the January Fed meeting are quite frankly bearish. In just one paragraph on the housing market, they used the words "fell," "plunged," "dropped," "moved down," "declined," and "restrained."

Reading these minutes, you get the distinct feeling that this is a Fed that is very concerned about the immediate future of the economy. You can take it to the bank that there will be more rate cuts. A 2% Fed funds rate by this summer would not surprise me.

The possibility that house prices could decline more steeply than anticipated, further reducing households' wealth and access to credit, was perceived as a significant risk to the central outlook for economic growth and employment."

Thanks, John, for another honest forecast into how the Fed will respond to the national quagmire brought on by the real estate market changes.

Fortunately, it presents a much needed, different purchase climate with some rates tied to the 3% and dropping Fed, and the values that top-rated Phoenix/Mesa MSA offers for the long term in growth.

Yours for long-term success, Andrew Schmidt

Nations Home Funding BK0905991 ACSchmidt4@aol.com

Jan B. Jacobson
Special for The Republic
Feb. 10, 2008 06:31 PM

A new TV show will be using the streets of downtown Phoenix as a stand-in for Los Angeles over the next few weeks, but it wasn't the architecture or the weather that drew it here.

The show's producers came for Arizona's entertainment-industry tax incentives, and they're not the only people looking east from Hollywood toward Arizona.

TV and film productions spent an estimated $208 million in Arizona in 2007, and 2008 may be an even bigger year.

As of Nov. 29, the state had received 25 applications for production in 2008. In addition, the Arizona Department of Commerce received six applications in November to build infrastructure and studios or augment existing Arizona facilities in accordance with the state's tax-incentive program.

Source: The Business Journal of Phoenix, Friday, November 23, 2007 

Forget sales, accounting or law: Phoenix College will offer a look at some nontraditional careers when it hosts the Toyota Yaris Road to Success Career Fair next week.

Participants will be able to meet a photographer, artist, video director and other professionals in an event that will focus on jobs based on creativity, expression and skill. Industry experts will lead demonstrations and talk about their chosen fields.

Other careers to be explored include Web design, recording engineering and car racing.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 28 and 29 at Phoenix College, 1202 W. Thomas Road. For more: 602-285-7422