Arizona Speaks & SCALE West Valley Roadshow
SCALE Roadshow – West Valley Stop | Buckeye, AZ
Join us in Buckeye, Arizona, for a dynamic stop on ASBA’s Strategic Coaching for Advancing Local Entrepreneurs (SCALE) Roadshow, an interactive, high-impact experience designed to support small business success across the West Valley.
This event brings together entrepreneurs, industry experts, and community leaders for a full day of expert-led workshops, thought-provoking panels, and high-value networking tailored to meet the needs of small businesses in Maricopa County.
Whether you're based in Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, or beyond, this is your chance to plug into a powerful community and walk away with tools and connections to help your business thrive.
Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 21st at 10 AM to join ASBA for our signature Arizona Speaks event.
AZ Speaks: Navigating AI for Your Small Business
How Small Businesses Can Compete and Grow with AI
Join us for this powerful AZ Speaks session focused on helping small business owners understand and harness the power of artificial intelligence. Navigating AI for Your Small Business will explore practical, real-world applications of AI tools and strategies that can help streamline operations, enhance marketing, improve customer service, and boost productivity.
Hear from industry experts and small business leaders who are successfully leveraging AI to stay competitive and grow. Whether you're just starting to explore AI or looking to scale its use in your business, this session will provide actionable insights, resources, and examples to help you move forward with confidence.
10:00AM - 11:00AM
Buckeye City Hall East at The Landing : 945 N. 215th Ave. Suite 137, Buckeye, AZ 85326
Thank You To Our SCALE Partner
Moe Issa Founder of Intraverse AI
From neuroscience research to deciphering market trends and now developing Gen AI solutions, Moe has charted an unconventional path as a Research and Analytics leader. This scientific rigor, combined with diverse experience across luxury retail, high-tech, FMCG, and higher education, has equipped Moe with a unique lens to understand stakeholder challenges and design AI workflow solutions that drive impact. As the founder of Intraverse AI, Moe's mission is to help small and medium businesses leverage the open source community to build novel AI automations and systems to improve business processes and drive impact, making private, cost-controlled AI practical for every SME.
Jeanine Jerkovic, CEcD, is the Economic Development Director for the City of Surprise
Jeanine Jerkovic, CEcD, is the Economic Development Director for the City of Surprise, Arizona, where she helped launch the West Valley’s first business incubator in 2010 and led a nationally recognized resident engagement campaign that not only recruited a Costco but catalyzed a wave of transformative retail growth. With over 20 years of experience spanning municipal leadership, international trade, and public-private partnerships, Jeanine is known for pairing strategic vision with creative hustle. Her earlier roles include Trade Commissioner for the Canadian Consulate in Phoenix and Vice President of International Programs at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, where she influenced statewide policy and led high-impact global business initiatives.
Raghu Santanam Senior Associate Dean, W. P. Carey School of Business
Professor Raghu Santanam is Senior Associate Dean of Executive Education, Corporate Partnerships and lifelong Learning at the W. P. Carey School of Business, ASU. He is a Professor and the McCord Chair of Business in the Information Systems Department. In his role, Prof. Santanam is leading the AZNext workforce partnership program at ASU ). AZNext is a public-private partnership designed to create a bold, innovative, and sustaining workforce development ecosystem that addresses the need for more skilled workers in IT, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing roles.
His current research focuses on Analytics, information assurance, and mobile platforms. Prof. Santanam has helped a number of organizations on data intensive decision-making contexts. He has authored several researched case studies on technology enabled business transformations.
Thank You To Our SCALE Roadshow Sponsors
Roundtable Hosts
We are looking for roundtable sponsors for the West Valley SCALE Program. To help equip Arizona entrepreneurs with the skills, guidance, and connections to grow in the areas of:
- Sales
- Marketing
- Operations
- Business Law
- HR
- Corporate Finances
- Vendor Relations
Support entrepreneurs with professional business advice and direction as a leading force in your field. Cost is $300. Roundtables will take place during the afternoon breakout sessions. Get in contact with Louie Picazo for table sales. lpicazo@asba.com or 602-306-4000
Thank you to our SCALE West Valley Roudtable Hosts
West Valley Agenda
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Networking & Coffee Hour
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM
SCALE Introduction
10:00 AM -11:00 am
AZ Speaks: Navigating AI for Your Small Business
How Small Businesses Can Compete and Grow with AI
Join us for this powerful AZ Speaks session focused on helping small business owners understand and harness the power of artificial intelligence. Navigating AI for Your Small Business will explore practical, real-world applications of AI tools and strategies that can help streamline operations, enhance marketing, improve customer service, and boost productivity.
Hear from industry experts and small business leaders who are successfully leveraging AI to stay competitive and grow. Whether you're just starting to explore AI or looking to scale its use in your business, this session will provide actionable insights, resources, and examples to help you move forward with confidence.
Thank You To Our AZ Speaks Sponsors
11:10 AM - 12:00 Noon
City Panel: Empowering Small business in the west valley
Join us for a dynamic city panel featuring leaders from five West Valley cities in Arizona, coming together to discuss the current state and future growth of small businesses in their communities. Each city representative will share insights on local economic development, highlight success stories, and outline initiatives their municipalities are implementing to support and sustain small business growth.
Darah Mann, AZED Pro Economic Development Deputy Director
Suzie Boyles, Economic Development Director
Adam Shipley Business Development Manager Office of Economic Development & Tourism
Brian Sandusky, Ph.D. Economic Development Project Manager
Maria Laughner, The City of Peoria Economic Development Director
Kimberly Jordan is the Executive Vice President at WESTMARC
Thank you to our West Valley Municipal Supporters
12:00 PM -1:00 pm
Networking & Lunch - Lunch will be provided
Thank you to our SCALE West Valley Exhibitors
1:00 pm - 2:00 PM
Hiring & Paying Employees Q&A with SHRM of Greater Phoenix
Whether you’re hiring your first employee or managing a growing team, the process of onboarding, paying, and staying compliant can be overwhelming. Bring your questions to this interactive Q&A with Society for Human Resource Management - Greater Phoenix and walk away with clear, actionable guidance to help you hire and pay employees with confidence, while protecting your business.
2:00 pm - 3:00 PM
Accessing Small Business Capital with National Bank of Arizona
This session will dive into the foundational principles of business credit through the lens of the 5 Cs — Character, Capacity, Capital, Conditions, and Collateral. Attendees will learn how lenders evaluate these key factors and how businesses can strengthen each area to improve their chances of securing funding. Whether you're preparing for a loan application or seeking investor support, this session will equip you with practical strategies to build financial credibility and unlock access to capital. This session will provide valuable guidance on navigating the financial landscape to access the capital you need for growth.
The impact of corporate governance on business performance with Zecca Ross Law Firm
Strong governance is the strategic framework that builds investor trust, empowers decisive leadership, and directly fuels sustainable growth and valuation.
3:00 pm - 4:00 PM
The Importance of Winning Locally Online in 2025 with No Boundaries Marketing Group
In today’s fast-changing digital landscape, local visibility isn’t just an advantage, it’s essential. As consumers increasingly search, shop, and connect within their own communities, your online presence can make or break your business growth. In this session, our marketing experts will share the latest trends, tools, and strategies to dominate local search, stand out on social media, and convert clicks into loyal customers. You’ll learn how to harness new technologies, adapt to shifting algorithms, and position your brand as the go-to choice in your market, no matter your industry.
One Big Beautiful Bill Act Info Session with Aniles & Co CPA Firm
The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now the law, bringing with it more than 900 pages of sweeping tax and legislative changes. In this session, Aniles CPA Firm will break down the most significant updates, explaining what’s new, what’s changing, and how these developments could impact your business and personal finances. Walk away with clarity and actionable insights to stay compliant and plan ahead with confidence.
4:00 PM
SCALE West Valley Roadshow ends
AZ Speaks Marketing Kit
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