We Are Arizona Announces Honorees

Phoenix (July 26) – We Are Arizona, an event celebrating the accomplishments of Arizona businesses, is proud to announce the honorees selected for their focus on changing the lives of people in Arizona and around the world.

The event will showcase three local businesses and three local nonprofits that are developing ideas and technologies to provide the innovation and connectivity that have a local, national and global impact. The event is co-chaired by Karrin Taylor Robson and Senator Robert Meza.

“Arizona is home to emerging talent and groundbreaking community programs – many of whom never receive public attention or accolades. Their unique approaches to solving problems are exactly what our communities need, and we are proud to support them in their efforts.”

– Karrin Taylor Robson, We Are Arizona honorary co-chair

The honorees are working hard to detect and prevent cancer, mitigate the opioid crisis, integrate mental health into family wellness, empower underprivileged youth economically, improve sustainability in architecture and building design, and promote stronger and healthier communities.

“It’s time to celebrate the businesses and nonprofits that have created a new paradigm for Arizona and are creating positive change not only locally but globally.”

– Senator Robert Meza, We Are Arizona honorary co-chair

Find out more about the We Are Arizona event at the Camby Hotel on our website: https://www.wearearizona.org/.

Honorees include:

Open Hearts Family Wellness – Open Hearts Family Wellness provides integrated mental health and wellness services to over 4,500 struggling Arizona families each year. The organization offers services such as counseling, autism spectrum services, intensive outpatient substance groups, intensive wellness coaching, family support, case management services, and psychiatric and meditation management services. With 106 team members and 42 years of service, they remain a staple in the Arizona community and are actively enhancing the quality of life in our state.

axialHealthcare – Opioid misuse remains a national concern, and axialHealthcare is committed to solving the problem. Using the latest research, advanced analytics, and a team with clinical expertise, axialHealthcare has created a suite of solutions that help optimize clinical outcomes and reduce opioid misuse. CEO John Donahue is engaged in educating the public regarding the national opioid epidemic and how axialHealthcare can help mitigate Arizona’s opioid crisis. Donahue plans to open an axialHealthcare office near Tempe and bring their solutions to Arizona residents.

VisionGate – VisionGate is a clinical stage oncology pharmaceutical and diagnostics company devoted to saving lives by developing cutting-edge products that assist in the early detection and prevention of cancer. Most notably, VisionGate designed Cell-CT™ 3D Cellular Imaging and Analysis, which detects the presence of over 700 structural biomarkers of abnormal cells. LuCED® is VisionGate’s trademark non-invasive lung test that also utilizes the Cell-CT platform. Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Dr. Alan C. Nelson has held numerous, high-level faculty positions as Arizona State University, and has been instrumental in shaping the future of cancer care.

AIR – Architecture – Infrastructure – Research, Inc. is an innovative architecture and urban design firm focused on collaborative sustainable practices that engage individual sites, address specific client desires, and analyze environmental concerns. Through innovation and a true attention to detail, founder and architect Darren Petrucci has transformed the Arizona landscape with structural beauty that stays true to the contemporary environmental context of this beautiful state. As the world becomes increasingly warmer and drier, AIR provides important insights into how our built environment can respond to climatic shifts not as crises, but rather as an opportunity. Petrucci’s forward thinking gives invaluable insight into how Arizona’s infrastructure can shift to design solutions that advance the human experience in relation to the natural environment.

The Shine Project – Inspired by the struggles of underprivileged students that she met during her senior-year internship at an inner-city Phoenix school, Ashley LeMieux created The Shine Project. It started as Ashley’s personal blog and blossomed into a business that simultaneously employs underprivileged students, and offers people reading Ashley’s blog an opportunity to support those students by purchasing products that the students create. The Shine Project is responsible for providing over 80 student scholarships, and they’ve seen some of their students graduate from college and enter the workforce. Ashley is doing her part to break the vicious cycle of poverty and bring opportunity to students who previously had none.

Chicanos Por La Causa – Chicanos Por La Causa is a nonprofit organization that promotes political and economic empowerment for the underserved and promotes stronger, healthier communities throughout the Southwest. Chicanos Por La Causa was founded in Phoenix in 1969 to confront oppression facing Latinos, as part of the movement led by Cesar Chavez. Chicanos Por La Causa has grown into one of the largest Hispanic nonprofits in the country and provides a comprehensive range of bicultural services in health and human services, housing, education, and economic development. As one of the largest community development corporations in AZ, Chicanos Por La Causa provides direct services impacting more than 250,000 individuals annually.

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About the Arizona Chamber Foundation
The Foundation is the leading resource for forward-thinking, expert research and analysis on the public policy issues that impact Arizona’s business environment. It houses the A for Arizona and Chamber Business News projects.