BY JOYCE LOBECK In mid-2017, the city of Yuma implemented a program to encourage development of vacant and blighted properties in 12 targeted areas within the City of Yuma General Plan. Not quite two years later, the infill program already is reaping some sig- nificant results. “I think it’s been extremely suc- cessful,” said Alyssa Linville, a city principal planner, as she reviewed the features of the infill incentive program, the needs it was designed to meet in the community and the results to date. “We’re seeing homes going in and dete- riorating properties being renovated.” And, as hoped, the activity is spur- ring neighbors to give their own homes a faceliſt, if nothing more than a fresh coat of paint. e infill program targets the histor- ic core of the city. It includes much of the city north of 16th Street to the riv- erfront between the levee and Avenue B that encompasses old downtown, the Avenues and the Carver Park area. e second area is known as Mesa Heights located between 18th and 24th streets from 4th Avenue to Kennedy Park. ey include vacant lots, deterio- rating homes and small commercial properties in need of revitalization. Oſten they have odd shapes and non-conforming sizes that limit their redevelopment potential under existing city code. rough a lengthy internal and community-outreach process, the city has developed an infill development incentive program to encourage projects through a toolkit offering flexible standards and reduced cost of development. Steps taken included getting feedback from developers and landowners, meeting with the Yuma City Fire Department to ensure public safety wouldn’t be compromised and making sure the program didn’t violate state law, said Linville. “A lot of research went into the plan. We wanted it to be compre- hensive … we didn’t want to leave anyone out.” e infill program reflects a new willingness by city officials to discuss plans with developers for those nonconforming properties, said city spokesman Dave Nash. e message is: “Check with us and we’ll see what in our toolkit might apply to your development situation.” e response is encouraging, said Linville. Before- and aſter-photos show a marked improvement in some properties. e numbers also tell the story of significant activity. In a report on the program for its first anniversary in July 2018, there had been 68 predevelop- ment meetings for potential projects in the target areas from July 21, 2017, to July 10, 2018, a 62 percent increase over the previous year. Statistics for planning cases and new homes are even more significant. In that 2017-2018 timeframe, there were 67 planning cases, up from 38 the previous year for a 76 percent increase. And there were 18 new homes, versus seven the previous year for a startling 157 percent increase. Other proposed May 2019 Volume 5 – Issue 5 See INFILL continued on page 9 CONGRATULATIONS! New Members pg4 Ribbon Cuttings pg6-7 Visit Yuma May Calendar pg15 Lunch and Learn pg8 Member of the Month, Yuma Community Food Bank pg3 Update On the City's Infill Program for Development This webpage map identifies the area of the Infill Overlay District.
Transcript
BY JOYCE LOBECK
In mid-2017, the city of Yuma implemented a program to encourage development of vacant and blighted properties in 12 targeted areas within the City of Yuma General Plan.
Not quite two years later, the infill program already is reaping some sig-nificant results.
“I think it’s been extremely suc-cessful,” said Alyssa Linville, a city principal planner, as she reviewed the features of the infill incentive program, the needs it was designed to meet in the community and the results to date. “We’re seeing homes going in and dete-riorating properties being renovated.”
And, as hoped, the activity is spur-ring neighbors to give their own homes a facelift, if nothing more than a fresh coat of paint.
The infill program targets the histor-ic core of the city. It includes much of the city north of 16th Street to the riv-erfront between the levee and Avenue B that encompasses old downtown, the Avenues and the Carver Park area. The second area is known as Mesa Heights located between 18th and 24th streets from 4th Avenue to Kennedy Park.
They include vacant lots, deterio-rating homes and small commercial properties in need of revitalization. Often they have odd shapes and non-conforming sizes that limit their redevelopment potential under existing city code.
Through a lengthy internal and
community-outreach process, the city has developed an infill development incentive program to encourage projects through a toolkit offering flexible standards and reduced cost of development. Steps taken included getting feedback from developers and landowners, meeting with the Yuma City Fire Department to ensure public safety wouldn’t be compromised and making sure the program didn’t violate state law, said Linville.
“A lot of research went into the plan. We wanted it to be compre-hensive … we didn’t want to leave anyone out.”
The infill program reflects a new willingness by city officials to discuss plans with developers for those nonconforming properties, said city spokesman Dave Nash. The message is: “Check with us and we’ll see what in our toolkit might apply to your development situation.”
The response is encouraging, said Linville. Before- and after-photos show a marked improvement in some properties.
The numbers also tell the story of significant activity. In a report on the program for its first anniversary in July 2018, there had been 68 predevelop-ment meetings for potential projects in the target areas from July 21, 2017, to July 10, 2018, a 62 percent increase over the previous year.
Statistics for planning cases and new homes are even more significant. In that 2017-2018 timeframe, there were 67 planning cases, up from 38 the previous year for a 76 percent increase. And there were 18 new homes, versus seven the previous year for a startling 157 percent increase. Other proposed
May 2019 Volume 5 – Issue 5
See INFILL continued on page 9
CONGRATULATIONS!New Members pg4
Ribbon Cuttings pg6-7
Visit Yuma May Calendar pg15
Lunch and Learn pg8
Member of the Month, Yuma Community Food Bank
pg3
Update On the City's Infill Program for Development
This webpage map identifies the area of the Infill Overlay District.
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.”
Tania Pavlak, Events & Outreach Coordinator
MAY 2019 Volume 5 – Issue 5
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
Sheryl Hehe, Administrative Assistant
I serve as your Executive Director, at the pleasure of the Board of Directors, and I simply cannot thank them for their sacrifice, counsel, support, and engagement. We have twelve opinions, political beliefs, backgrounds, and occupations, but one goal; to make Yuma a better place to live, work, play, raise a family, worship as you choose, and run a profitable business. This group makes sure that we are
spot on with our messaging, that I stay true to my plan of work, maintain the image and integrity of the organization, and of course, stay on budget. Yes, we are a non-profit, and being financially stable is a huge asset, and your Chamber is in good hands under the guidance of these engaged citizens. We are doing strategic planning, so your Chamber has strong direction for the next 3- 5 years.
We are so very proud of Anna Chaulk with her recent promotion to Phoenix. With that, Jeff Byrd picks up an extra two-thirds of a year as the Chairman of the Board, while Ed Whitehead was selected to fill in Anna’s term on the Board. Welcome, Ed, and congrats to Jeff!
Join me in thanking our board for their service to community:
The Yuma Community Food Bank passes out 11,000 emergency food boxes a month. They depend on local donations; these donations ensure eligible families who cannot afford enough food to stave off hunger will be able to continue visiting the food bank once a month to receive a shopping cart full of food. They are committed to making our community stronger by making sure everyone has enough to eat. It's shocking that anyone in America goes hungry. Yet every day, there are children and adults who do not get the meals they need to thrive. They work to get nourishing food from farmers, manufactures, and retailers to people in need. At the same time, they also seek to help the people we serve build a path to a brighter, food secure future. With individual donations, they can pair donations with corporate grants, federal aid dollars, and negotiated pricing on food items to squeeze the most out of every single dollar. Canned goods can't purchase the trucks, gasoline, and manpower required to pack and ship the thousands of pounds of food distributed each month, but cash can. When you give money, you maximize your impact. YCFB has refined the science of fighting hunger, precisely targeting those most in need. They've created programs to ensure that senior citizens
can access nutritionally-sound meals that keep them both satiated and help prevent illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Their Back-Pack program provides shelf-stable, easy-to-prepare snacks and meals to children that keep them fed on the weekends, when school meal programs aren't accessible. Time also is a valuable gift. It allows our non-profit to put more money towards buying food instead of paying employees. It doesn't take a big commitment to make a big impact. Your time makes a difference in the lives of your neighbors struggling
with hunger. Help the Yuma Community Food Bank get food in the hands of those who need it most. For more information on how you can help, please contact Yuma Community Food Bank.
Congratulations to our May Member of the Month:
Yuma Community Food Bank
May Calendar of Events
FOR INFO, CALL THE CHAMBER AT (928) 782-2567
9 — Good Morning, Yuma! Sponsor: Yuma Investment Group 6:30 am PIVOT POINT CONFERENCE CENTER PROGRAM: Presentation of the S. June Pallack Awards for excellence in Education. All Attendees pay $15
15 — Ambassadors - Venue T B A 11:30 am
15 — SOUTH COUNTY SOCIAL Armijo Insurance, State Farm 720 N. Main St., San Luis. Cost: $0
21 — Chamber Board of Directors - Heritage Center Bldg 3:00 pm
22 — MONTHLY MIXER 5:30 pm 1st Bank Yuma 2799 S. 4th Ave Cost: $0
23— LUNCH & LEARN w/ Dr. Michelle Sims 11:30 am At the AWC 3C Building “The Arizona Minimum Wage: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for Yuma Businesses” Visit www.928tix.com for your $20 lunch ticket
29 — Military Affairs Committee 8:00 am AL Post 19: 2575 S. Virginia Ave
30 — Transportation Committee 11:30am Please RSVP for Lunch - Chamber Of Commerce Office
MEMBER OF THE MONTH
WEB SITE DESIGN2-Time Chamber of Commerce Member Of The YEAR
2404 E. 24th Street, Yuma, Arizona 85365(928) 343-1243
Yuma, Arizona: The Yuma County Airport Authority announced its recent lease agreement with Aero-Care who will base their operations at Yuma International Airport’s Pappy Boyington Hangar within the air-port’s Defense Contractor Complex. The agreement includes an option for AeroCare to construct additional facilities allowing for expansion of their existing operations within five (5) years.
AeroCare, a Guardian Flight op-eration, has been providing safe and responsive air medical transportation since 2003. The company is strategi-cally located to respond to the needs of Southwestern Arizona and the Four Corners Area. AeroCare executes thousands of calls per year with the most highly trained professionals, and understands better than any other air medical provider in the area how to
successfully operate a program in such an amazing region.
Yuma International Airport Direc-tor, Gladys Brown shared “Our team is truly excited about this announcement and the timing of this agreement could not have been more perfect for both parties. Our entire team has worked hard to create the environment for aviation and aerospace industries to prosper, and AeroCare is another example of that success.”
“We are incredibly pleased to expand our operations at the Yuma International Airport,” said AeroCare Program Director Dave Simkins. “The hangar investment is an ongoing commitment to our staff, our medi-cal partners and the community and will continue, even during extreme weather, to allow us to provide quicker access to definitive health care for all of those who live in the Yuma region.”
“AeroCare has proven to be a strong community partner by providing essential air medical transportation services throughout Yuma County and the desert southwest,” said Gladys Brown. “We are proud of their involve-ment within the community to help stimulate interest in their profession and their plans for future expansion at the airport.”
AeroCare is a participating pro-vider in the AirMedCare Network, the
nation’s largest air medical transport membership program. When trans-ported by AeroCare, AMCN members incur no out of pocket expenses for a medically necessary flight. Member-ship is $85 a year for an entire house-hold or $65 a year for seniors. In addi-tion to covering members when flown by AeroCare, membership extends to all AMCN’s providers in 320 locations across 38 states. For more information, visit www.aerocaretransport.com.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony took place on Monday, April 15,
2019. This new full-time academy is located
at 1280 W. Desert Sun Drive, Yuma AZ 85365. The first year academy was present
and began their class this same day! Speakers included: Rick Colwell, AWC Director of LETA, Dr. Daniel P. Corr, AWC
President, Douglas Nicholls, City of Yuma Mayor, Greg Keith Wilkinson, City of Yuma Administrator, Susan Smith,
City of Yuma Police Chief, Captain Eben Bratcher, Patrol Commander (YCSO), Reetika Dhawan, AWC Dean of CTE,
and John Courtis, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce!
Amberly’s Place Thrift Shop hosted their grand re-opening on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 11:30 am. They-ve recently undergone a renovation and are ready to take in more donations, volunteers, and customers! Proceeds assist their local Family Advocacy Center so make sure to visit their store at the same location 812 S Avenue A, Yuma, AZ 85364. Open Tuesday - Saturday!
RIBBON CUTTINGS
Hospice & Palliative Care - Compassus has moved to their new location 2320 S 22nd Drive, Yuma, AZ 85364 .This evening event included live music, food, refreshments, raffle prizes, facility tours, kids zone, and more! The ribbon cutting took place at 4:30 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Their new facility was showcased for all guests to view and get to know their staff and services!
6 YUMABIZ May 2019
Amberly’s Place Thrift Shop hosted their grand re-opening on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 11:30 am. They-ve recently undergone a renovation and are ready to take in more donations, volunteers, and customers! Proceeds assist their local Family Advocacy Center so make sure to visit their store at the same location 812 S Avenue A, Yuma, AZ 85364. Open Tuesday - Saturday!
By Dave Nash, Communications Director
City of Yuma
A recent Editor’s Notebook column in the Yuma Sun took issue with the City’s policy – used since the inception of its government cable TV channel – regarding meetings the City does and does not tele-vise. As few in the community may have ever had reason to consider the differences between types of city meetings and the “why” behind them, we will explain.
Several different distinctions of Yuma City Council meetings exist: Meetings, work sessions and executive sessions. The most secretive of these is the executive session, defined and tightly regulated by Arizona law. Not only is the public not allowed in these, but those who attended it cannot discuss it outside of executive session. It’s reserved for specific subjects where public disclosure might actually cause harm to the organization.
A “meeting” is where the Council can and does take action (votes) on issues and (hopefully!) solutions to local problems. As such, it is the primary occasion where the public is not only offered the oppor-tunity to speak on items the Council is to vote on, but speaking is encouraged. Meetings are “regular” – on the first and third Wednesday of each month– or “special” – sporadically scheduled outside that time frame. Special meetings usually have a limited agenda that likely addresses a time-sensitive subject.
Then there are work sessions. As stated in Title 3, Chapter 30 of the Yuma City Code, a work session is “an interaction
between City Council and city staff and is for the purpose of information, discussion, and deliberation only. No formal action is to be taken at a work session.” Regular work sessions are held the day prior to a regular council meeting, mainly to clarify issues and ask questions concerning items to be voted on in the next day’s meeting. They are also often used by staff to brief Council on issues that may be on their agendas in future meetings but still need more work, or to provide progress reports on issues that Council had previously voted on. Special work ses-sions can be sched-uled outside of that regular, recurring schedule. Work ses-sions that are held in Council Chambers, whether regular or special, are typi-cally televised on the City’s government cable channel.
However, there is a further distinction among special work sessions. These are less formal sessions designed to encourage off-handed, un-scripted, spontaneous and creative discus-sion. These are referred to as “roundtable” meetings, based on the configuration in which Council was seated. Once a regular staple of the Council schedule, round-tables became infrequent and then rare with changes in administration and as the
composition of council members shifted from primarily retirees to primarily those employed outside of Council. Though also open for the public to attend in person, roundtable meetings have not been and are not televised. And the very good rea-son for that is deliberation.
Deliberation is a key component in any successful government body. It is part of American social infrastructure. It is a function that has been, in recent years,
under attack, notes New York Times columnist David Brooks in “It’s Not the Collusion, It’s the Corruption.” His example: WikiLeaks. “We’re now in a situation in which some of the worst people on earth get to determine what gets published,” Brooks writes. “Any organization needs to be able to hold private conversa-tions in order to de-
liberate.” Once the discussions designed to lead up to important and sometimes new or creative actions are assumed to become subject to widespread distribution and dissemination, it changes the very nature of those discussions, and can inhibit risk-taking that may be necessary to achieve a needed result.
While deliberation is obviously private in an executive session, state law places
limits on what can be discussed there. Thus, some deliberation must take place in a work session. In the case of the Yuma City Council, it is important to remember that members are essentially volunteers. With as many services as the City provides – from water treatment to fire and rescue to parks and recreation – it’s impossible to assume that each council member has pro-fessional training or life experience within the finer points of all of them.
Therefore, they need to be free to ask questions, no matter how rudimentary, elemental or even silly, of the professional staff. They need an environment free from pressure to perform well or “look good” in front of a mass audience of watching constituents. And to reduce the number and duration of these meetings, they need an environment that does not encourage members to engage in political grand-standing or speech-making.
Due to a mutual desire among Council, staff and constituents for feedback and transparency, the City does not conduct many roundtable meetings. Once held nearly twice a month, roundtables in recent years have been reduced to just a few a year: retreats, lasting 1-2 days, and budget worksessions, lasting 1-3 meetings. Of course, members of the public may still attend those meetings in person. But we would disagree that the lack of wide-spread distribution of these meetings is a “missed opportunity.” The real opportu-nity a roundtable meeting presents is for deliberations and discussions that lead to creative suggestions, innovative solutions, novel problem-solving, and leadership.
The nature of Council meetings, and why some aren’t televised
The Arizona Business & Education Coalition (ABEC) and the Yuma School Superintendent’s Office are partnering together to develop a framework to implement career exploration projects for middle school students
throughout Yuma County. Working collaboratively with a local business and community led leadership team, the first Project is currently underway in the Yuma Elementary School District at 4th Avenue Jr. High School and Gila Vista Jr. High School.
ABEC, the Yuma School Superintendent’s Office, and the
Project leadership team are very aware of the issues facing businesses in finding skilled talent to fill available job openings. The Project is being developed to help address this issue by providing students, at a much younger age, an in-depth career exploration
opportunity. In partnership with businesses like yours, modules can be tailored to meet your workforce demands and get students on track to discover
and nurture career aspirations by connecting education to the real world of work. The goal is to expose students to career pathways important to Yuma County including
Information Technology & Innovation
• Engineering & Design• Bioscience & Health• Construction/Trades• Fire Science & Law
Enforcement• Animal Science• Hospitality (Culinary)• Agriculture• Business
The Project provides middle school students with career based activities that lead to discovery and nurturing of career aspirations and connection of education to the real world of work. Through this discovery, students are inspired and become their own best advocate as they transition into high school, identify and select appropriate
and rigorous coursework, and put themselves on the path to success.
But we cannot continue to grow and expand the ABEC Project without your help and support. Working collaboratively with ABEC and the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office, business and community partners are able to effectively provide real world application projects to middle school students through
• classroom presentations,• hands-on activities and projects, • work based learning, • introduction to industry standard
equipment, procedures and safety practices,
• job site tours, and• industry mentorsPlease contact Tom Tyree at
[email protected] or Debra Raeder at [email protected] for more information on how you can participate in the development and expansion of this exciting project!
The Proper Role Of Government In Immigration, Education,
Health Care, And Other Issues
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 • 7pm-9pmDoors open at 6 PM
Yuma High School Snider Auditorium400 S. 6th Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85365
invites you to its
23rd Annual Awards Forum
• Scholarships to be awarded • Door prizes available• 50/50 raffle • Books for sale • Early scholarship class registration
Call THE FREEDOM LIBRARY 928-246-2327 for more information
Photo opportunity and book signing available on site
featuring Special Guest
Dr. Mary J. Ruwart• Research scientist
• Ethicist, libertarian author• Former candidate for President of the United States
• Former advisor to the Fully Informed Jury Association
• Chair of Liberty International
Findingskilledtalenttofillavailablejobopeningsprojects are in the works and may yet come to fruition.
“Developers are taking advantage,” Linville said. “They’re buying up some of these properties and proposing projects.”
Not all the cases are about building new homes, Nash noted. “We’ve met with people who want to add a patio. It could be an improvement or an ad-dition.”
Most of the activity has been resi-dential, Linville said. But there is some interest in smaller commercial proper-ties such as a former snack store on 1st Avenue that at one time stood out for its bright yellow color.
The Infill Overlay Incentive Plan identifies the need for the city to encourage and facilitate mixed-use development within the district, a re-turn to the corner market concept once common in neighborhoods people could walk to before the advent of large commercial developments.
“Establishing corner markets will increase walkability and further encourage the revitalization of our his-
toric neighborhoods,” the report states. Such uses might be grocery/produce sales, coffee shops, barbershops, dance studios and laundromats.
There also have been some larger developments within the target areas, among them the recently completed Mesa Heights Apartments, the Hilton-2Suites hotel now under construction downtown and the planned new hotels next to the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex. While they weren’t directly impacted by the infill plan, the in-creased development within the area may have been an incentive for these projects, Linville said.
Key features of the infill incentive toolkit include:
- Reduced setback requirements- Increased lot coverage- Accessory dwelling units- Reduced landscaping- Reduced parking requirements- Alternative alleyway paving- Utility fee waivers- Development fee credits- Reduced permit fees- Lease excise tax- International existing dwelling code.
Among them, the reduced setback requirements, lower building permit fees and reduced utility hookup fees have been significant incentives, Nash said.
The rational, he explained, is that these projects are within already-estab-lished neighborhoods that likely had utility service in the past and have no impact on existing infrastructure such as streets, sewer and water lines, public safety coverage and parks.
And schools have been supportive, anticipating increased enrollment to
counter the impact as families moved to new subdivisions on the outskirts of the city.
“It’s not a proverbial magic wand,” Nash said. “We can’t stop building and fire inspections. There still are costs to improvements. But we’re trying to be as flexible as we can be.”
Concluded Linville: “We like it. Rundown, vacant properties are being renovated. New people are moving in and improving neighborhoods. And it’s encouraging pride of ownership.”
COMMITTEE UPDATESBoard of DirectorsNext meeting: Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm in the chamber’s confer-ence room. At the April 21 meeting the following transpired:
• New members approved were: Riv-er’s Edge Assisted Living, Fraternal Order of Eagles #4538, Your CBD Store, The Daughters of Liberty, Blueink Title Agency.
• Jeff Byrd of 1st Bank Yuma will be elevated to Chairman with Anna Chaulk’s departure.
• New board member was appointed by the directors – Ed Whitehead.
• Lunch & Learn with Tony Rubleski was successful. Next L&L will be Dr. Michelle Sims on May 23 – she will be presenting her Minimum Wage impact study results.
TransportationCommitteeNext meeting: Thursday, May 30 at 11:30 am at the chamber office. There was a meeting April 25, but notes were not available as of YumaBIZ deadline. At the March 28 meeting:
• Each group gave their organiza-tion’s report.
• Southwest United Network (letter-writing consortium consisting of the chamber, GYEDC and the Southwest Contractor’s Associa-tion) to YMPO and ADOT was re-viewed. The airport would like to be included on this letter which has to do with funding of Highway 95.
AmbassadorCommitteeNext meeting: Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 11:30 am, location TBD. The group met April 24 at the chamber of-fices and prior to that met March 28 at Achieve Human Services.
• In March, Achieve Human Services hosted the meeting and supplied lunch from their on-site deli. Thank you Achieve and Christina Salinas!
• The ambassadors present were able to order a shirt with signing a new Ambassador commitment form.
• In April Gel Lemmon of Candle-wood Suites supplied lunch. Thank you Gel and Candlewood!
• It was decided to meet a week ear-lier in May due to numerous events on the 22nd. May’s meeting will likely be held at Emerald Springs.
MilitaryAffairsCommitteeNext meeting: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 8 am at the American Legion. At the March and April meetings:
• Each group gave their reports as usual.
• Memorial Day events were dis-cussed. Please spread the word!
• A gentleman in the foothills started his own Veterans Memorial Park on a lot adjacent to his site. He has talked to John about the chamber and possibly county taking this over so that the site will remain upon his passing.
• Dean shared that there are already events being planned and promoted by the fire stations so there will be no events hosted by the MAC, but all are encouraged to participate in the events from the city.
LegislativeAffairsCommitteeNext Meeting: Tentative - Friday, June 7, 2019 at the Yuma International Airport conference room at 11:30 am. Invite and RSVP required. The April 5 meeting notes are available to those who request them.
Education CommitteeNext Meeting: As needed. At the meeting April 22:
• S. June Pallack nomination forms were distributed to committee members for judging. The awards will be given out at Good Morning, Yuma! on May 9.
• Summer Works In Yuma – please post a job for a teacher and let teachers know this is available to them. Let’s keep our teachers here in Yuma for the summertime!
Retaining Your TalentBy Patrick Goetz, Arizona@Work
You go to considerable trouble and expense to identify, interview, and hire great employees for your organization. So retaining them should also be a top prior-ity. Luckily, most good retention practices are inexpensive to implement.
Effective retention To understand how to retain good
employees, you first need to know what they’re looking for. Today, the best em-ployees want:
• Career development opportunities and a chance to grow in their chosen field
• Regular feedback on how both they and the company are doing
• A chance to contribute directly to the organization and be recognized for doing so
• Flexible work schedules that recognize their need for work/life balance
• A good salary or wage and an opportu-nity to increase it over time
• Benefits tailored to their individual needs
Key strategies Good retention starts from the time
you hire employees to the time they leave your company. See how tweaking some of your employment practices can have a big impact on employee retention:
• Recruitment and hiring. Its worth spending time and effort on recruiting. When there’s a good match between employees and your organization, retention is less likely to be an issue.
• Orientation and onboarding. Again, it’s worth having good practices in place. Treating employee’s right in the critical early stages of employment has been proven to enhance retention.
• Training and development. Train-ing and development are key factors in helping employees grow with your company and stay marketable in their field.
• Performance evaluation. When em-ployees know what they’re doing well and where they need to improve, both they and your organization benefit. Pay and benefits. While today many employees tend to rate factors such as
THANK YOU TO THESE MEMBERS WHO RENEWED THEIR MEMBERSHIPS• 1st Bank Yuma• AAA-Arizona, Debbie Turner• AEA Federal Credit Union• Amara Rejuve Medical Spa and
Laser• Arizona Public Service• BDT & Associates DDA Invicta
Financial• Best Buy Insurance & Title
Services• Cal Ranch• City of San Luis• Countyline Fire Department• Edible Arrangements• Goldsboro's Bakery• Kissito Healthcare Palmview
Rehab & Care Center• Limelight Creative Group• Military Brothers Moving• Naked Dates, LLC• Navy Federal Credit Union• Orthodontics Inc. of Yuma• Pint House Bar & Grill• PrimeLending• Residential Bancorp• Rio Santa Fe Apartments• River Valley Estates• Shaw Diversified Services, Inc• SpiffyJohns• Town of Wellton• Yuma Investment Group Wealth
Management
MEMBER RENEWALScareer development higher than pay, good pay and benefits still count.
• Internal communication. Effective communication can help ensure that employees to want to stay with your company. Employees need to know—and be reminded on a regular basis—how the organization is doing and what they can do to help.
• Termination and outplacement. Em-ployees who leave on good terms are much more likely to recommend your company, and in doing so, help you at-tract and retain future employees.
Engage employees to increase retention Engaging your employees—that is,
making sure that they are committed and productive in their work—can benefit you as much as it benefits employees. If you hire the right employees, chances are good they’ll be engaged—committed to your business and happy in their work. But to ensure ongoing engagement, you as an employer must play a major role, particu-larly when it comes to communication. Consider these five strategies:
• Be clear on what your business stands for. Your company’s mission and vision and brand must be front and center in
everything you do. • Communicate well and often. Your
employees need to know—on a con-tinuous basis—how both they and your company are doing.
• Understand generational differences. To get the best out of all your employ-ees, know what motivates different generations.
• Find out what your employees need. Ask your employees on a regular basis how they’re doing, and be ready to fol-low up on their input.
• Empower all employees to do their best. Provide the leadership, resources, and training your employees need to realize their potential. Understanding what engages em-
ployees can help during all phases of the employment cycle—from recruitment to training to performance assessment and beyond. It’s also much easier to retain employees who are engaged and commit-ted to your company’s success.
Need assistance? Contact your ARIZO-NA@WORK Business Service Representa-tive at 928-329-0990 or visit www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter.
Information obtained from www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/
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.
Join us in celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week, May 5th-11th. Go to our Facebook page to hear about how Yuma jobs and economy, families, home-town pride, and health are impacted by tourists and travel. Visit Yuma will be posting daily interviews with local busi-nesses and organizations describing why travel matters. You can also check out blog articles written by a local military mom, and a grocery store manager about how tourism intersects their lives. Lastly, take a second to post your best Yuma photos to our Instagram page. Best photo winners receive gift cards for local restaurants and more!
We are happy to welcome Karen Harris and Jennifer McDonald to the marketing team. Karen will focus on Visit Yuma's message in our Visitor Guide, our website and on social media, while Jennifer's background in television, media and promotions means you will be seeing and
hearing more about Visit Yuma's activi-ties.
• Save the date: The Visit Yuma Annual Meeting is on June 19th at The Palms RV banquet room, from 7:30-9 a.m., with breakfast provided by Chef Alex Trujillo. Invitations will be sent out with ticket in-formation, or call 928-376-0100 to reserve tickets, which are $30 per person.
• Keep an eye out, too, for our new video series called Yuma Talks. Accurate Automotive leads off our new series, mod-eled on TED talks, to share the wealth of knowledge our community has. Owner Russell McCloud delivers helpful tips for weatherizing and prepping your car for summer.
• Now with more than 4000 down-loads, did you know the Visit Yuma app is fast becoming a key planning tool for attractions, restaurants, and lodging all around Yuma? You can build itineraries for when family and friends come to visit, or even just to think of where to go to dinner tonight!
May 2019 Events:May 3 — National Space Day (Colorado
River State Historic Park)
May 4-5 — 2019 Cinco de Mayo Co-Rec Softball Tournament (Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex)
May 4 — 6th Annual Yuma County LibraryCon (Yuma County Main Library)
May 4 — Saturdays at the Museum: Create your own May Basket (Colorado River State Historic Park)
May 4 — Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea (The Pivot Point Conference Center)
May 4 — Heritage Festivals Cinco De Mayo (Yuma Historic Downtown)
May 4 — Cinco de Mayo Kayaking Trip (Gateway Park)
May 11 — Sadie Hawkins Dance (North End Community Center)
May 11 — Banda Los Recoditos (Pipa Event Center)
May 12 — Breakfast at Tiffany’s for Mother’s Day (Historic Yuma Theatre)
May 18 — MCAS Yuma Mud Run Challenge (MCAS Yuma)
May 18 — Family Fish Fiesta 2019 (West Wetlands Pond and Park)
May 18-19 — Duel in the Desert - City of Yuma Southwest National Invitational Boys Tournaments (Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex)
May 18 — 2019 Pride of Yuma (Gateway Park)
May 25 — Children’s Ball 2019 (Yuma Art Center)
May 27-31 — Harkins Summer Movie Fun (Harkins Theaters)
Moving forward with new faces to serve Visit Yuma members
Let 928TIX.com fill your seats by bringing
local communities together for all of your
important events.
To find out how your organization can sell event tickets on www.928TIX.com
email [email protected] or call (928) 539-6800TIX&M A N A G E & S E L L Y O U R
The team at 1st Bank Yuma is heavily involved with these local organizations through participation and support!
Amberly’s Place • American Business Women Association • American Cancer Society Arizona Bankers Association • BetterYuma.Org • Boy Scouts of America
Caballeros de Yuma • Cibola High School • City of San LuisCity of San Luis Economic Development Commission • EverFi • Fort Yuma Rotary
Gila Ridge High School • Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation Humane Society of Yuma • Independent Community Bankers of America
Kofa High School • Navy League • Pow Wow • Precious Treasures • Rotary InternationalSan Luis High School • San Pasqual High School • Society for Human Resource Management
Somerton Chamber of Commerce • University of Arizona Alumni Yuma Chapter YRMC Hospital District • Yuma 50 • Yuma Association of Realtors
Yuma Catholic High School • Yuma Children’s Museum • Yuma Community Food Bank Yuma County 4-H Leaders • Yuma County Chamber of Commerce
Yuma County Historical Society • Yuma High School • Yuma Legends • Yuma Optimist ClubYuma Regional Council for First Things First • Yuma Rotary • Yuma United Way • Visit Yuma
Theresa WineVP/Director of Mortgage
Loan Services
Maria GonzalezAVP/Branch Manager
San Luis, AZ
Travis HiceVP/Commercial Loan Officer
Brian GerenVP/Commercial
Loan Officer
Tom ThompsonVP/Senior Lending Officer
Terry FarrEVP/Chief Credit Officer
Wayne GaleEVP/Chief Operating Officer
Laurie RamosAVP/Branch Manager
Main Office
Damian LiskaAVP/Branch Manager
Fortuna
Terry FrydenlundCEO/President
Ricardo PerezVP/Regional Manager
Jeff ByrdAVP/Community Relations Officer
John MarinoEVP/Chief Financial Officer
Howie JorajuriaVP/Commercial Loan Officer
Hometown Banking – 1st in Service
2799 S. 4th Ave. (Corner 28th St. & 4th Ave) (928) 783-3334 1800 S. 4th Ave. (Corner 4th Ave & 18th St.) (928) 783-1170645 N. 1st Ave. San Luis, AZ (928) 344-2888 11600 S. Fortuna Rd. Yuma Foothills (928) 783-3335
