08/02/2025

UDS-Biz

Growing Your Income

Business Glance: May 8, 2022 | Business

Business Glance: May 8, 2022 | Business

San Luis Chamber holds first meeting

More than 20 small and large business owners recently attended the first meeting of the San Luis Chamber of Commerce. They were introduced to the chamber’s concept and the resources that will be made available to them if they chose to join.

They were received with “great excitement as they have been waiting for an organization like this to come to San Luis,” the City of San Luis stated.

The San Luis Chamber of Commerce will bring resources to help local businesses thrive, increase sales and build a community of like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs.

For more information, call Felipe Camargo at 928-366-0324.

QuickBooks Online Part 1 & 2 courses set for May 13, 20

Arizona Western College Continuing Education will hold a two-part course on Quickbooks Online on May 13 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the AWC Downtown Center, Room 114, 1351 S. Redondo Center Drive.

Many businesses use this accounting software to manage income and expenses. With this program, businesses are able to invoice customers, pay bills, generate reports and prepare taxes.

This offered course is a great refresher for anyone that currently uses the program or any one that would like to get started.

The price of $290 includes all class materials. Seating is limited. To register or for more information, call 928-317-7674 or email: [email protected].

Gov. Doug Ducey announced $5 million in additional funding for the Back to Work Small Business Rehiring and Retention program to further assist small businesses as they continue to recover from economic consequences of the pandemic.

An Arizona small business has to meet eligibility requirements to receive funding, including it must be: owned and operated in the state of Arizona; incorporated before Jan. 1, 2020; rent or lease a physical location in Arizona; and have between five and 25 total employees that work at the physical location.

Eligible businesses may receive up to $10,000 for eligible expenditures. At least 75% of the awarded funds must go to current or new employees in the form of incentives. There is a cap of $1,000 incentive for each employee. Up to 25% of the awarded funds can go to other business expenditures such as mortgage/rent, utilities, etc.

The third symposium in the Desert Southwest Region “Growing Our Own” series, titled “Ecosystems of Innovation – The Brainstorm,” will take place May 24, from 1-5 p.m., at Four Points Sheraton Yuma, 2030 S. Avenue 3E.

The overall goal of the “Growing Our Own” initiative is to establish a world-class platform in the Desert Southwest to support STEM workforce development and increase opportunities for entrepreneurial innovation and economic growth.

The Yuma County Chamber of Commerce will hold the next “Good Morning, Yuma!” breakfast on Thursday, May 12, from 6:30-8 a.m., at Paradise Event Center, 450 Quechan Drive.

Yuma Regional Medical Center will present the program, with the event sponsored by the Paradise Casino and Quechan Tribe.

A limited number of tickets may be available at the door. The cost is $35 for members and $55 for non-members.

The chamber’s monthly breakfast is an opportunity for the business community to network with other local businesses and build connections. For more information, call 928-782-2567.

The Young Professionals Network Exploratory Committee of the Yuma Association of Realtors will host a networking event with fellow Realtors and affiliates from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12.

The evening will feature a light appetizer and drinks at the new Cafecito located at 176 S. Main St.

YPN helps young real estate practitioners become more business savvy by hosting regular networking events, communicating with other YPN members and sharing tips and tricks.

Binational workforce study

The Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp. Quarterly Investor Luncheon on Wednesday, May 11, will feature Eric Lee Bedoya reporting on the binational workforce study. The luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Four Points by Sheraton Yuma, 2030 S. Avenue 3E.

GYEDC and several partner agencies commissioned the study to demonstrate Yuma’s ability to fulfill new jobs created by new and expanding companies considering the region.

Partners in the study include Arizona Mexico Commission, Arizona Commerce Authority, Greater Yuma Port Authority, Yuma County and the communities of Yuma, San Luis, Somerton and Wellton.

The Arizona Small Business Development Center, in collaboration with the Yuma Chamber of Commerce and the Yuma County Library District, are presenting “CyberSafe Workshops for Small Businesses” at the Main Library, at 2951 S. 21st Drive.

This series of workshops, presented by Alan Watkins, is designed to teach business owners proper cybersecurity measures that can be implemented at no or low cost to stay safe. There is no charge to attend.

Here are the upcoming workshops:

– Wednesday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m.: Setting Up an Employee Cyber Training Program

– Wednesday, June 1, at 5:30 p.m.: Protecting Business Data in the Cloud

For more information, call 928-373-6514.

Small Business Boot Camp:

The Arizona Commerce Authority regularly hosts Small Business Boot Camp webinars, with speakers sharing strategies on navigating these unprecedented times and making important mentorship connections. The webinars are usually held from 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays but will sometimes hold workshops on other days.

Here are the next webinars:

– May 10: Bookkeeping Made Easy: Keeping accurate financial records is the difference between success and failure for small businesses. Bookkeeping can be overwhelming, but it is easier than you think. Join us and Pedro Alvarez from Chicanos Por La Causa to learn about simple bookkeeping solutions you can utilize to start tracking your business finances, such as transactions, accounts receivable, financial statements and more.

– May 17: Where you are and Where you Want to be: There is no such thing as perfection for entrepreneurs, especially when balancing personal growth and a business. Everyone experiences gaps between where you are and where you want to be personally and professionally. Luckily, closing these gaps is not impossible. In this session, you will have the opportunity to self-reflect as you explore your gaps and discover an open-minded approach to making the necessary changes.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is holding a series of free virtual information sessions to educate Medicare-eligible Arizonans and Arizonans who will soon become eligible for Medicare, about the different Medicare health plan choices available to them and what plans fit their specific needs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get their Medicare questions answered during these events.

Individuals do not have to have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona health insurance to attend.

The 2022 Virtual Medicare Information Sessions will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 10, 24 and June 7.

Planet Fitness invites teens to work out free all summer

Planet Fitness invites high schoolers ages 14-19 to work out for free at any of its locations from May 16 through Aug. 31 as part of the High School Summer Pass initiative.

High schoolers can visit PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass to pre-register, and get a reminder to formally sign up when the program officially kicks off on Monday, May 16. Teens under 18 must register with a parent or guardian online or in-club.

To further motivate high schoolers to make fitness a priority, all participants who sign up starting May 16 are automatically entered into the Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass Sweepstakes. Planet Fitness will award one $500 scholarship in each state and the District of Columbia, and one grand prize $5,000 scholarship at the end of the summer. These scholarships can be used for academic or athletic activities or programs.

In addition to free in-club fitness training that all High School Summer Pass participants will have access to, the certified trainers at Planet Fitness have also designed 15 trainer-led workout videos and 10 downloadable workouts – encompassing cardio, strength, toning and sports circuits – just for high schoolers across all fitness levels. This content will be available on the Planet Fitness App and at PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass starting May 16.

Compiled by Yuma Sun staff writer Mara Knaub. Submit items for Business Glance to [email protected].