By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Gary Spaniola was in the successful Detroit band Bitter Sweet Alley, when he just decided to call it quits. For 25 years, the new North Scottsdale resident avoided music and instead invented a high-end software system for home automation. “I was in love with that,” he says. “I taught myself computer language and code. That’s how I designed that program.” Now—much like music 25 ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski William Swearingen is passionate about senior living communities. As senior vice president of sales and marketing for Spectrum Retirement Communities, Swearingen was part of the team that brought Lone Mountain Memory Care to life in February 2018. “It’s one of the most beautiful memory care-specific communities that I’ve ever seen that doesn’t overdo that luxury component,” Swe ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Charles Small says owning Glo Medspa is the “best job ever.” Because of his work and that of his staff, Small’s clients leave the Scottsdale Medspa living their best life. “The best part of my job is helping people look better and then they feel better about themselves,” Small says. “It’s definitely rewarding.” Small’s background is in helping people. For 15 years, he served as ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Jo Gemmill believes there’s power in numbers. Collectively, Carefree’s restaurants and coffeehouses—including her English Rose Tea Room—will make their mark with the third annual Carefree Restaurant Week from October 1 to October 11. “It’s a chance to say ‘thank you’ to all the folks who have supported us through the pandemic,” says Gemmill, who also serves as the Carefree Rest ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Federico Venturini and Viola Tagliaferri, the husband-and-wife duo behind Carefree’s Pizzicata, are expressing their love for their home country of Italy with Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood in Cave Creek. The couple says, in Italy, the most important part of the dining experience is the company. They believe in those interactions, and they want to make a dining experience ...

By Greg Rubenstein Like the colossal trees found in Northern California, Toyota’s Sequoia is nearly as ancient—at least in automotive years—rolling on a platform largely unchanged since its 2008 debut. Fortunately, this full-size sport utility vehicle has only become better with age, and a new-for-2020 TRD Pro trim adds rugged good looks and upgraded off-road capabilities to a body-on-frame SUV with big-tim ...

By Marshall Trimble Tom Bullock was a gregarious, smooth-talking promoter. He’d been a bartender on Prescott’s Whiskey Row before heading to New York, where he made a fortune building street railways. Bullock proposed building a railroad from Seligman, on the 35th Parallel mainline, to Prescott. Meanwhile, Prescottonians raised $300,000 to bring the railroad to their city. The 72-mile branch would connect a ...

By Kamala Kirk When Brett Ortiz launched AZ Custom Hats & Apparel in 2016, his business grew quickly and built a reputation for making high-quality, custom products that include everything from hats and accessories to clothing items. “We started out selling hats with different sayings on them,” Ortiz says. “That eventually grew into people wanting us to make them custom hats, which then snowballed to sh ...

By Sarah Donahue From the Appalachian to the Sonoran Desert, Chris Chapman is planting his 250-year-old moonshine recipe in the heart of Cave Creek. A former post office will soon be a fully operational distillery—Hillis and McGee Cave Creek Distillery—with tastings as well as basic distilling and advanced distilling courses. Guests can enjoy live music played by a bluegrass band each weekend. He plans to c ...

By Kamala Kirk Since 2011, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships has been the United States’ premier polo event, attracting thousands of people from around the world, including top polo players, sponsors and celebrities. This year’s event will return on November 7 under a new name, The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented by Ketel One, accompanied by socially distanced safety measures and a focus on he ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Sunny Parker isn’t one to cancel appointments. But when brush fires are approaching Cave Creek and the town’s mayor, Ernie Bunch, comes calling, there’s no time to waste. Parker founded Arizona Foothills 911, a 9,000-member Facebook page dedicated to neighbors helping neighbors in emergency situations. The target audience is Cave Creek, Carefree, Desert Hills, Rio Verde and Nor ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski MSNBC anchor Lindsey Reiser says all journalists possess an inherent “curiosity.” Some call it being nosey—she contends it’s an insatiable thirst for knowledge. “It’s nice to be able to turn that into a career,” says the Scottsdale native. “I have a distinct memory of the Twin Towers coming down and running to my parents and letting them know this is happening. To this day, I s ...

By Alison Bailin Batz Now more than ever, it’s critical that we have strong leaders who can make informed decisions. “Just as critical is providing resources to help support the leaders of tomorrow, despite the current health crisis,” says Tamara Woodbury, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council CEO. “In an effort to engage and inspire the many local girls and young women learning from home or doing a hybri ...

By Annelise Krafft North Valley resident Raymond Damm comes from a selfless family, with service deep in his roots—especially military service. “My grandfather served 37 years in the United States Marine Corps, my father served 30 years and both of my uncles served 20 years,” Damm says. “Because of this, I moved a lot and lived in about a dozen states throughout my childhood, almost exclusively on military ...

By Connor Dziawura With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, the film industry was quick to adapt. Theaters found themselves shuttered, while some renowned events canceled this year’s festivities. Still, some festivals made the jump to a virtual format, allowing films to be seen from the comfort and safety of viewers’ own homes. Now half a year later, the 20th Scottsdale International Fi ...