Gilbert Sun News: Business - March 2016

Success is bubbling for The Soda Shop owners

BY TIERRA BEASLEY

Most people can’t spell entrepreneur, much less become one. What separates entrepreneurs from average Joes? It’s simple—drive.

Entrepreneurs think like a world changer and say anything is possible. With dedication to keep moving forward, dreams become tangible. Chase Wardrop and Dylan Roeder had the idea, the drive and the motivation to prove it.

They decided to start a business. Armed with the knowledge they acquired from their studies at Brigham Young University in Utah, Wardrop and Roeder left college and opened The Soda Shop in their hometown of Gilbert. They embarked on their journey, doe-eyed and eager but more importantly, determined.

Step one: come up with a unique idea. “We were going back and forth with a bunch of random ideas. We started with a snow cone shack, dabbled with creating an app. Just a bunch of random stuff,” Roeder said.

Then the idea of a soda shack came up. In Utah, soda shops were common but noticing a lagging market in Arizona, Roeder, 24, and Wardrop, 25, decided to bridge the gap.

The first task was to seek a location, which they would pay for with money from their savings, loans and other financial vendors. Many owners turned down their request to rent a building based on their age.

“Once it came time to do something it was like we weren’t credible because we didn’t have anything that showed we had experience,” said Roeder.

Next, the duo found Town policies cumbersome, according to Wardrop.

“Just permits and understanding the magnitude of what we were taking on,” including cost and commitment, shared Wardrop, “We had never done this. School does not train you. It kind of helps you to know what questions to ask. But it does not prepare you to start a business.”

Roeder said they were “naïve and ignorant” when they started.

“Thinking, it’s just soda [we thought] we get a soda machine and that’s all we have to do.’ But there were so many different components we weren’t prepared for.”

It was becoming clear; starting a business was not what they imagined. “Everything was an obstacle,” Wardrop said. Even with all the setbacks, they didn’t give up.

After finally securing a location in the former location of a dry cleaners near Baseline and Greenfield roads, the guys got to work.

Getting to work

Imagine they’re Rocky. “Eye of the Tiger” is blaring through the speakers. Prepare the montage.

Month after month, they prepared for the September opening. Wardrop and Roeder did most of the labor themselves, creating the walls, making the tables.

The first two months after opening, Wardrop and Roeder barely slept. The shop opened at 7 a.m. daily and closed at 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday, it closed at 11 p.m. “We were here for over 100 hours a week,” said Wardrop.

They even enlisted the help of their parents. While the dads ran out to get ice, the moms worked the counter—some days for 10-hour shifts. “It’s the best type of labor because it’s free,” joked Dylan. Minus the “Hugs and Kisses” tax.

Their labor was not in vain.

The Soda Shop has been steadily increasing its customer support with an average of 100 customers a day and over 8,000 followers on Instagram. The ice machines are full, the customers are satisfied, and everything is running smoothly.

Fear of failure

For the record: Wardrop and Roeder are not the exception. Sure they had family support and money in the bank, but they also possessed a new mindset and the right initiative. And accepting they may fail once or 20 times.

“I was afraid to do this,” Roeder shared. “You always question the idea of failure. It’s something that’s constant when you’re starting a business. You think, ‘Will it work out? Am I going to lose my money? Am I going to lose these other people’s money?’ And that’s scary.”

But after seeing the success of the Soda Shop, Roeder said he’s no longer as risk adverse.

“I understand we need some risk in order to get some reward so it’s changed my mentality on what I’m capable of and what I can do.”

Wardrop and Roeder plan to expand The Soda Shop but not anytime soon.

“We want to make this one the best experience for people. We’re constantly refining things,” Roeder said. “We want everyone that comes here to feel the love that we put into it for them...Once we get that down, we want open more of them.”

Turning dreams into reality

There are plenty of entrepreneurs who don’t know how to take their dream and turn it into reality. For The Soda Shop’s Chase Wardrop and Dylan Roeder, the answer was clear: Don’t give up.

Here’s what you can do to stay focused and achieve your dream: Start anywhere

“Once you start you will be amazed at what you can figure out. Everything seems overwhelming but if you keep going, little by little, you will be able to piece together what. Go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? You might fail and that’s just a great learning experience. Sometime we’re afraid to take that first step. Just start and tackle something you know how to do and keep going and developing plans. You can accomplish whatever you set your mind.”—Wardrop Talk about your goals

what’s left you can still make work once you’re committed to doing that. As long as you’re confident that whatever percent you’re setting aside is going toward something bigger.”—Roeder

Overcome doubts

“There are a lot of distractions. Instead of getting influenced by what the world expects, I broke it down to what I want. I knew I wanted to try my own thing and start my own business. When I broke that down, it made the other things less significant. And if this is really what I want to do, I have to prove it to myself.”— Roeder

Understand what you want

“The motivation will come when you understand what you want to accomplish. I feel like a lot of times we’re not sure what we’re doing with our own time. Once someone comes to peace with what they’re doing with themselves, the motivation will come.”—Roeder

Find a good partner

“We talked about goals and dreams all the time. At school, we did a five-year plan. It’s not that it always happens that way but we just wanted to make something of ourselves.”—Wardrop Save money

“You know, a penny saved is a penny earned,” Wardrop said.

“You can always set [money] aside. I think the perception is hard to live with less but once you make the commitment to put some aside you’ll always see that

“It helps being with someone who will motivate you when you’re down. If you have those two things—knowing what you want to accomplish and you have someone who is on the same page with you—the sky’s the limit. You can do whatever you want.”—Roeder

Again, don’t quit

“We had to keep going. We knew we wanted to do it. So regardless of who was accepting it...we knew we just had to keep fighting.”—Wardrop

time-honored traditions live on at Someburros with the Vasquez family.

Someburros celebrates 30 years of Sonoran success

BY JUDI KING

Someburros, a Valley institution since 1986, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. But, its heritage dates back another 14 years to Poncho’s, a small restaurant in South Phoenix which the Vasquez family launched in 1972.

The Vasquez’s modest take-out business began with Isabel Vasquez cooking in the small family kitchen where she prepared one pot each of red chili, green chili, rice and beans, served with warm homemade tortillas. The popularity of this simple take-out spread surpassed expectations, and the family knew they needed to expand.

In 1975, the Vasquez family converted their home into a full-fledged restaurant and bar, with family members participating in its operation. Over the years, Poncho’s has developed into a Valley favorite, tradition and icon, with President Bill Clinton stopping by the restaurant. It continues to reign as one of the most popular Mexican food restaurants in the valley.

cuisine served quickly, was a recipe for success.

Someburros—and the Vasquez family— continued to expand over the next three decades. Now, George and Mary’s three children—Tim, Amy and Jennilyn—have joined the family business and run the daily operation of all the Someburros restaurants.

Amy Vasquez says their restaurant is all about family. GSN photo by Judi King

The seventh location debuted last fall inside Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium, and there are plans to expand—yet again—to include three new Valley locations this year. They are seeking submissions from property owners and commercial brokers who may have potential locations.

The Gilbert locations are at 1335 E. Baseline Rd., (480) 755-8226, and 2597 S. Market St., (480) 497-8226.

Amy Vasquez sums up the restaurants’ success.

“It’s all about family,” she said. “We have always been family and community oriented. We strive to be a big part of the community by offering a family-friendly setting and giving back to our neighborhoods”.

In 1986, Isabel’s son, George, and his wife, Mary, opened the first Someburros in Tempe. The idea was to create an eatery that combined the original family recipes from Poncho’s with a fast-casual atmosphere that on-the-go families could enjoy without having the wait of a traditional sit-down Mexican restaurant. At Someburros, diners order at the counter and a server delivers the food to the table. It is a fast process, without the fast-food feel. Authentic Sonoran-style

The 30-year anniversary celebration is just one way of thanking the community for their support. “It will take place sometime in October. The details have not been firmed up yet, but there will be a huge celebration festival at the Tempe Sun Devil Stadium—on the field—featuring live bands, food, drinks, bounce houses for the kids and donkey rides, among other things,” she said.

Zerorez of Phoenix cleaning up the Valley

BY SHELBY RAY

One of the fastest-growing and most successful cleaning businesses in Arizona got its start in—of all places—a local couple’s garage.

“I know. A garage is not what comes

to mind when you think clean,” said Casey Ashdown, who started what is today Zerorez of Phoenix in his garage in 2004 with his wife, Jamie. “It was a very different kind of place to launch an office, but we wanted to be a very

different kind of cleaning company.”

Ashdown got into the idea of launching Zerorez in the Valley from his brother, who worked for a Zerorez sister franchise in another state.

“Unlike traditional carpet cleaning companies that use a method of hot water extraction using soaps, detergents and harsh chemicals that get left behind in the carpet fibers, we saw firsthand how Zerorez used this ‘Empowered Water,’ a water-based, nontoxic cleaning agent that leaves no soil-attracting residue behind,” said Ashdown. “The Empowered Water is able to remove embedded dirt, reduce the dry time and makes spots much less likely to reappear—kind of like the next generation of cleaning, and a far safer generation.”

Ashdown couldn’t believe no one had launched the concept in Arizona— and jumped at the chance, even if it did mean converting his garage into their first “Arizona headquarters.” He brought in his brother-in-law Nathan Perrins as a partner and to assist with marketing.

“Thankfully—the Valley—especially right here in the Southeast Valley during our first few years—loved how we avoided using toxic and harsh chemicals and were able to eliminate that rotty odor left behind from some cleaning services much as we did. It wasn’t long before we were

able to expand and open our first real headquarters office, located in Gilbert,” said Ashdown.

Zerorez growth under Ashdown and Perrins has been swift, but responsible.

“We didn’t want to just add bodies to our business—and we didn’t just want to provide service to communities then be done with them until next time,” said Perrins. “So, we made a conscious effort to find ways to give back, not to mention ways for our rapidly expanding team to work together both inside and outside of the office.”

One of the most effective programs they put into place is the Rezoteer Volunteer Program.

“The Rezoteer Volunteer Program provides our Zerorez staff and their family members a way to get involved with volunteer projects in their local communities and to share in the benefits of giving back alongside their co-workers,” said Perrins. “As often as once a month, our team is able to work together on a project that impacts their own neighborhoods, and our entire community-at-large.”

A great example of the program in action—their work with Save the Family.

“Save the Family is an amazing nonprofit organization in Mesa that helps families to transition from homelessness into homes and jobs,” said Ashdown. “They mainly handle

families of domestic abuse situations and try to make the children in their care feel as at home as possible.”

Eager to help make the children feel as at home as possible, The Rezoteers got together and crafted homemade birthday cards for children staying with Save the Family, planning months and months ahead to ensure all the kids got something special.

The group has also worked together to pack meal boxes for Feed My Starving Children and annually works to clean homes on a pro bono basis at the Sunshine Acres Children’s Home in the Southeast Valley as well.

As eager to give back funds as they are to give back their time, Ashdown and Perrins also developed Zero 2 Hero Program, which helps to raise critical funds for organizations serving children throughout the Valley.

“A great example of this program

in action is happening right now as we are collecting a portion of proceeds from all of our March cleanings and will be donating them to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital,” said Ashdown. “This is something we’ve done for years, and as fathers ourselves, it really hits home to us.”

All of this work has helped Zerorez of Phoenix grow from a garage-based business to a 2015 Better Business Bureau Ethics Award Winner that now has more than 31 vans, 70 employees and two major bases—the corporate headquarters in Gilbert and a newer second facility in Deer Valley. They also took home “franchise of the year” honors at a nationwide level a few years ago for their efforts.

“And we’re just getting started,” said Ashdown.

AT&T upgrades network in East Valley

AT&T has upgraded 21 cell towers on its 4G LTE network in the East Valley to give customers faster, more reliable wireless service. The upgraded cell towers include nine in Tempe, six in Mesa, five in Gilbert and one in Chandler.

The change will help customers get the most out of their mobile devices. With 4G LTE service, they should see better service when they’re watching videos, posting to social media or texting family and friends.

“We want our customers to have a great experience. They’ll be able to download, upload, stream and play

games faster than ever before on our 4G LTE network,” said Jerry Fuentes, president of AT&T Arizona and New Mexico. “We’re always working to provide better coverage. And we’re investing in our wireless network to accomplish that.

“We constantly invest in our network to give customers the highquality services they need to stay connected. This helps East Valley residents get the best possible experience over the AT&T network, whether at home, at work or on the go. We have the nation’s most reliable LTE network.”

AT&T invested nearly $350 million in its wireless and wired networks in the Phoenix area between 2012 through 2014. Since 2009, AT&T has invested more in the United States than any other public company. In 2014, the Progressive Policy Institute ranked AT&T No. 1 on its list of the United States’ “Investment Heroes.”

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SPARK Space turns business ideas into reality

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Do you have a business idea buzzing around in your head?

The Town of Gilbert can help give it wings.

The Town, in collaboration with ASU’s Entrepreneurship Outreach Network, has opened a space in the Southeast Regional Library for would-be entrepreneurs.

SPARK Space is a collaborative working area packed with resources to help start a business. What’s more, starting Thursday, March 17, it’s offering a series of free entrepreneurship classes called ASU Startup School.

The coursework was developed by ASU and administered to participants via trained Town employees, economic development administrators Hillary Hirsch and Joseph Rossell.

Gilbert studied small business licensing among regional municipalities that had a comparative process, Hirsch said. Small businesses are defined as those employing 50 or less.

“It’s evident that Gilbert boasts one of the highest concentrations of small businesses in the state,” Hirsch said. “There are also entrepreneurs who are in their homes, starting their businesses and working second jobs.

“It’s to give a home for people to come and expedite their ventures,” she said.

Depending on the response to its classes, they may be held in a larger conference room within the library, located at 775 N. Greenfield Rd.

Susan Halverson, who manages the grantfunded program for ASU, said that it tries to ensure that people have access to entrepreneurship education and resources in their communities.

“Public libraries are such welcoming and accessible places for virtually everyone. By working with public libraries, we are able to make these resources far more available than we can through the university itself,” she said.

The nationwide program that launched in 2013 in Scottsdale, is available in Tempe, Mesa, Apache Junction and now Gilbert, in the Southeast Valley.

Here’s how it works: After the library and the economic development department in a municipality make a connection, it applies to join the network at ASU. After it secures membership, it sends facilitators to train at the university, who, in turn, lead the startup school.

“We find that a lot of people really benefit from having an in-person component,” Halverson said.

The SPARK Space is also in partnership

with the Town’s SPARK App League, a program for children to learn how to develop apps, sponsored by ASU Polytechnic and Google. For entrepreneurs, SPARK Space offers free business programs such as workshops, webinars and streaming videos; access to the library database and workforce development resources; access to Town resources and business assistance; Wi-Fi; and meeting room space.

ASU Startup School consists of three stages. Stage 1 consists of five lessons that will be taught over a 10-week time period, held every other week, starting 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17.

Although participants don’t formulate a

financial plan during the workshops, they are taught strategies to seek funding and are introduced to different methods, such as crowd funding, bank loans and venture capital, Halverson said.

How does the program measure its success?

“We feel the program is successful as long as the resources are available and, in general, the people who are coming to use those resources represent the demographics of the community,” she said.

For more information, visit entrepreneurship.asu.edu/resources/ outreachnetwork. To register, write to Hilary. Hirsch@gilbertaz.gov

All Valley Someburros restaurants will celebrate as well with promotions and goodies.

Another part of their community commitment is “Festive Fundraisers.” Participating schools and local organizations will earn 20 percent of the pre-tax sales that their supporters bring in. They also welcome children to Someburros for a fieldtrip experience which includes Spanish lessons and the tricks to burro rolling.

It’s really about the food, though. Known for the red and green chili, Isabel’s signature rice and beans, and large selection of burros (19 ranging from $3.50 to $7.45), Someburros has some other dishes that are definitely worth trying, as well.

One of the most popular dishes is pollo fundido—marinated chunks of chicken breast wrapped in a flour tortilla then deep fried and topped with jalapeño cream cheese, grated cheddar and green onions, served with rice ($8.50). Another is tostada Verde, a delicious layering of green chili, grated cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes and sour cream on a crispy flour

Classic burro and house margarita is sure to please. Submitted photo

tortilla ($6.45).

The menu also features 12 combination platters ranging from $7.65 to $8.75, salads, soup, appetizers, a la carte items, desserts, kids’ plates and breakfast. Drinks range from soft drinks to the superb house margarita ($4.50).

With its large portions, low prices, fast service and authentic Sonoran, freshly made food, it is easy to see why Someburros has been a mainstay in the community all these years.

Chamber hosts series of events throughout March

Throughout the year, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce offers a variety of luncheons and meetings for its members and the community. Events are held throughout the town. The chamber office is at 119 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 101. For more information about events or to register, call (480) 892-0056 or visit www. gilbertaz.com.

Chamber Chat Midday

Presented by Silver Fox Plumbing, AC, Heating

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 2

Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, 2206 E. Williams Field Rd., Suite 101, Gilbert

Meet up with other Chamber members for lunch. This informal gathering is a fun way to share conversation with other professionals and learn more about businesses in the community. There is no agenda, no scriptjust good food, great company, and friendly conversation. Admission is $10 per person, pay at the door, includes lunch buffet, beverage and tax. Additional gratuity is requested.

The 411

Presented by Printwerx

7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 9

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, 119 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 101, Gilbert

The 411 is a comprehensive membership orientation to learn how to maximize the benefits of your Chamber investment. Gain an insider’s view of our programs and services, ask questions of the staff, and develop an action plan for Chamber engagement and success.

The event is free for current and prospective members of the Gilbert Chamber. Breakfast provided by Costco.

Chamber Chat After Hours

Presented by AAA Arizona

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23

MJaye’s Pub & Eatery, 323 S. Gilbert Rd., Suite 111, Gilbert

Meet up with other Chamber members. This informal gathering is a fun way to share conversation with other professionals and learn more about businesses in the community. There is no agenda, no script-just good food, great company, and friendly conversation. Admission is $10 per person, which includes appetizer buffet, non-alcoholic beverage and tax. Additional gratuity is requested.

Good Government Roundtable: District 17

Presented by SRP

7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday, March 25

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, 119 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 101, Gilbert

An event of SRP’s Good Government series, this roundtable meeting will bring members of the business community together with Arizona’s Legislative District 17 for an update on bills and budget talks at the Capitol. Join the Chamber for this meet-and-greet event, ask questions and provide feedback that will contribute to a vibrant business community. Admission is $20 for members, $35 for nonmembers. Catering provided by Paradise Bakery.