The Greater Phoenix Chamber has selected eight local companies as recipients of its 32nd Annual IMPACT Awards. The IMPACT Awards honor the accomplishments of small and large Valley businesses and the positive influence they have on the community and economy.
The 2019 IMPACT Award recipients are:
Large Business Category (More than 250 employees):
2019 Arizona Advocate – Lyft
2019 Community Champion – CopperPoint Insurance Companies
2019 Economic Driver – Fry’s Food Stores
2019 Exceptional Innovator – Barrow Neurological Institute
Small to Medium Business Category (250 employees or fewer):
2019 Arizona Advocate – Desert Botanical Garden
2019 Community Champion – Elontec LLC
2019 Economic Driver – University of Advancing Technology
2019 Exceptional Innovator – Urbix Resources, LLC
The two 2019 IMPACT Businesses of the Year will be selected from these honorees and announced during the 32nd Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix. Individual tickets are $95 for Chamber members and $105 for non-members. Tables of 10 for the IMPACT Awards are $900 for Chamber members and $1,050 for non-members.
“The recipients of this year’s IMPACT Awards truly highlight the strong diversity in our region’s business community. These businesses are reflective of Phoenix’s economic prosperity, unique, and a strong sense of community,” said Greater Phoenix Chamber President and CEO Todd Sanders. “Knowing their stories, I firmly believe that each of these organizations will serve as an example and help us to drive Phoenix forward for decades.”
More information about each award recipient follows:
Large Business Category IMPACT Awards:
2019 Arizona Advocate: Lyft
Lyft is the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S. and is available to more than 95% of the US population and Canada. Drivers and passengers prefer Lyft for its safe and friendly experience and its commitment to affecting positive change for the future of cities. At its essence, Lyft connects passengers with drivers so that passengers have a safe and efficient way to get to their destinations and drivers have financial opportunities to provide for their families. As the premier rideshare company in Arizona, Lyft paves the way for individuals to work, connect, and move across the Valley. Locally, Lyft fosters community partnerships that support local communities and transit efforts. For example, the company joined forces with iconic Arizona brands such as the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Rising FC, and ISM Raceway. Every day, Lyft is elevating Arizona’s voice and taking a stand on key issues to promoting a prosperous Arizona.
Location: Phoenix | Website: www.lyft.com
2019 Community Champion: CopperPoint Insurance Companies
Founded in 1925 as a provider of workers’ compensation, CopperPoint Insurance Companies is dedicated to protecting and empowering conscientious business owners. The company’s vision is to be a top-tier regional commercial insurance company and the preferred partner for business owners, agents, and brokers in every community it serves. Headquartered in central Phoenix, the company’s 333 Arizona-based employees are dedicated to community involvement that engages their employees. With $1.2 million in Community Giving annually, CopperPoint supports its employees’ volunteerism, board service, and provides corporate matching gifts and sponsorships. Through donations and service time, CopperPoint is invested in making Arizona a better place to live and do business.
Location: Phoenix | Website: www.copperpoint.com | Phone: (800) 231-1363
2019 Economic Driver: Fry’s Food Stores
In 1960, Fry’s Food Stores opened their doors in Arizona at the corner of Seventh Street and Missouri Avenue. This year, the company is continuing its tradition of expansion and serving unmet needs by opening a new store in the heart of downtown Phoenix, which has been without a grocery store for decades. As one of Arizona’s largest employers, Fry’s is focused on providing individuals economic independence through employment. The company even provides up to $21,000 education assistance to all of its associates. More importantly, Fry’s is opening the doors for others to succeed by showcasing many of Arizona’s homegrown foods, including Danzeisen Dairy, Nana’s Chips, and many others. For the past six decades, Fry’s has been committed to the region’s economic vitality, and that’s a commitment the company will carry forward into tomorrow.
Location: | Website: www.frysfood.com
2019 Exceptional Innovator: Barrow Neurological Institute
Since opening its doors as a regional specialty center in 1962, Barrow Neurological Institute has grown into one of the world’s premier destinations for neurology and neurosurgery. Barrow’s experienced, highly skilled and comprehensive team of neurological specialists provides a complete spectrum of care–from diagnosis through outpatient neuro-rehabilitation–under one roof on the Central Phoenix campus of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Performing more brain surgeries than any center in the U.S., the core of Barrow’s business is ground-breaking innovation in the space of neurosciences. From serving patients with the most complex neurological cases in the world to being a thought leader in neuroscience education, Barrow is home to life science research and the epicenter of innovative patient care.
Location: Phoenix | Website: www.barrowneuro.org | Phone: (602) 406-6281
Small to Medium Business Category IMPACT Awards:
2019 Arizona Advocate: Desert Botanical Garden
For the past 80 years, the Desert Botanical Garden has been a steward of Arizona’s natural, awe-inspiring landscape. Established by citizens concerned with the preservation of native Sonoran Desert plants, the Garden is committed to advanced excellence in education, research, exhibition,
and conservation of the desert plants of the world, with an emphasis on the Southwestern U.S. With 140 acres, the Garden is home to 55,000 plant species—including 379 rare, threatened or endangered species. Over the decades, the Garden has attracted tourists from all over the country, serving as a beacon of all that’s truly Arizonan. The Garden provides more than 230 days of programming for visitors—nearly half the visitors are from other states—to enjoy and learn about Arizona’s natural habitat.
Location: Phoenix | Website: www.dbg.org | Phone: 480-941-1225
2019 Community Champion: Elontec LLC
Headquartered in Phoenix, Elontec is a full-service furniture, relocation, and technology company, and the only one of its kind in the country. As an all-in-one solution, Elontec eliminates the need to contract multiple vendors while saving time and money, and providing seamless transitions for their clients. The heart of Elontec is service. With the creation of the ElonServe team, Elontec team members regularly donate their time to organizations across the Valley. In addition to serving the community with time, Elontec also serves as the founder and home for the Diaper Bank of Central Arizona, which provides 1 million diapers a year to local families in need. From founding the Diaper Bank to supporting Kitchen on the Street and West Valley Food Bank, Elontec is championing the community through acts of service.
Location: Phoenix | Website: www.elontec.com | Phone: 602.759.5500
2019 Economic Driver: University of Advancing Technology
University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is the technophile’s college experience—a community uniquely suited to provide students passionate about technology an ideal place to live and grow. UAT is a private and family-owned university that merges the values of traditional academy with the modern technology campus, a fusion that enhances their ability to educate students who will be tomorrow’s innovators. Started in 1983, UAT now offers both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and has better prepared a technology-focused workforce to meet the demands of employers and Arizona’s growing technology industry. With a focus on emerging technologies, UAT is attracting out of state students to Arizona and graduating students who stay local and fill the workforce talent gap.
Location: Tempe | Website: www.uat.edu | Phone: (480) 351-7920
2019 Exceptional Innovator: Urbix Resources, LLC
Urbix Resources is an advanced materials science company that specializes in high-value natural graphite products demanded by the energy storage and composites market. Urbix leverages its proprietary graphite purification technology to lower costs and improve the environmental footprint of manufacturers in the lithium-ion battery, steel, refractory, concrete, coatings, oil and gas, and composite industries. A classic start-up story, Urbix executives identified huge market opportunities on the horizon surrounding energy storage manufacturing and went to work making their vision a reality. The company is a pioneer in bulk “graphene” like materials that are already finding collaborations with composite, electronics, concrete, and coating manufacturers nationally and internationally. The Urbix infrastructure and business model epitomizes the next century of advanced carbon derivatives and the responsible supply chain it demands.
Location: Mesa | Website: www.urbixresources.com | Phone: (480) 207-3545
