< Previous58 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 How did you get your start in the arts? I was a 7 years old when I auditioned for the Royal Danish Ballet School. That was the start of my ballet career. In my first professional appearance, I was cast as a blue insect with wings in a Leoš Janáček opera. What is the most rewarding part of your career? So far the most rewarding part has been being able to do something that I love. To me, it doesn’t really feel like work. I don’t like to work; I like to play. Lucky for me, I have gotten to do that these past 20 years. Ib Andersen What about the biggest challenge? The biggest challenge is to survive from one day to the next in this very difficult environment. Everywhere, the arts are so starved for support and you don’t get anything for free, so having the stamina to make it through the tough times in addition to celebrating the fruitful times has also been a challenge. Congrats on your 20th year with Ballet Arizona. Why do you think you have been so successful with the program for two decades? I am always looking forward—rarely ever looking back. It is a good attitude to have, in the sense that I don’t carry around what happened yesterday. I don’t hold a grudge about anything. In that way, I have this very selective memory. Bad things I don’t really remember. They leave me very quickly. Is that the reason I have been successful? No. Maybe I have some talent too. We have, throughout the years, been blessed with donors who have believed in us and have invested money in our work. In that way, I have been lucky. What do you hope for the future of arts and dance within the Valley? I hope that we will be prominent in whatever the future will bring to our community—that people will know we are here and what we stand for. I mean that for all of the arts in the area as well. I hope that we evolve and change with the times in such a sprawling city. What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? I think it’s about quality. Quality creates quality. It doesn’t go the opposite way. If you see, taste or hear something that really has an impact on you as a person, you will seek that out again. My hope is that I have a direct or indirect influence on what is being shown, and what people expect for what they go and see. What are some of your free-time passions? Eating and cooking. I am a 24/7 person in the arts. It’s who I am. Since I have been young, I have done more than just ballet—painting and sculpture as well. I cannot just go home, clock out and have a completely separate life. It is all one. It is not that I just enjoy making art; I am just obsessed with making art. It is something I have to do with everything I get my hands on. Celebrating his 20th year as the artistic director of Ballet Arizona @BALLETARIZONA Oct Issue.indd 589/25/19 11:27 AM @azfoothills #azfoothills 59 Did you always dream of playing basketball professionally? No, not really. When I was younger, I just played basketball because I just really enjoyed it and it was something to get me out of the house. It was something that I became very competitive at. The idea of playing professional was something that came after high school when I got to college. What is the most rewarding part of your career? There’s something to Diana Taurasi be said when you stick with something for a long time. When things are going well, when things are going bad and you can just stay with it and keep grinding away. I think that’s given me a better appreciation of hard work and a skill I can take with me no matter where I go, whether I’m playing basketball or not. Why do you think you have been so successful in your career? You have to have a lot of luck. You have to be in the right place, with the right people, with the right mindset, and I’ve been really lucky to be in those places a lot in my career. You have to give up something in life to get what you want. The things people don’t notice and the things people don’t know. If you talk to anyone who has gone a long way in their profession, they’ll say the same thing. I’ve given up a lot and have gotten a lot in return, so I’ve been lucky. What do you envision for the future of women’s sports? I think you’ve seen this evolution in the last couple of years of it being on the main stage and on a larger scale with more time and more exposure. I just hope it continues. These little fads in sports can come and go, but I think this is something that has been established for a while now. When you make it your career and your passion, you hope people take appreciation of it. What advice do you have for a youth athlete with dreams of playing professionally? Enjoy the game. Don’t worry about the end process or where you may end up in 10 years. Just worry about that day, have fun with it, enjoy it and embrace it. Don’t take it too seriously. What infl uence do you hope to have on the Valley? Phoenix has been home now for 15 years and the more I think about life after basketball, the more I think about spending my whole life here in Phoenix. It’s such a great city, and it has supported my career since day one. There’s such a passion and a sense of community even with it being one of the largest cities in the country. There’s this thread that incorporates every person that moves here from a lot of diff erent places, then you have the hometown Phoenicians who love it here, so there’s just a lot of great chemistry. Basketball player with the Phoenix Mercury, WNBA's all-time leading scorer and four-time Olympian THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 Photo b y Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty I mages Oct Issue.indd 599/20/19 4:26 PM60 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 Have you always been an entrepreneur and business-minded? In sixth grade, I earned my first $200 buying hacky sacks for $1 to $2 and selling them at school for $5 to $10. Then at 13, I built my first computer, and it would break so often that I had to teach myself how to fix it. By high school, folks in the neighborhood were paying me to fix their computers, and that eventually led to me developing Web sites and launching my career. What is the most rewarding part of your career? The most rewarding part of my career has been the chance to work Shawn Byrne with talented individuals and giving them opportunities to grow and succeed. I enjoy motivating and supporting my team both at work and in their personal lives to achieve their goals. At the end of the day, the client is trusting us with the livelihood of their business. Our clients receive the benefits of our team's tenacious attitude to win and see the results of our efforts in their ROI. It fills me with pride to see my team just as passionate about our client's success as their own. Why do you think you have been so successful in your career? Definitely my perfectionist personality. I don’t like screwing up, so I will do as much research on a topic or industry as it takes to fully understand it and be confident discussing it. I’m extremely competitive and quietly laser- focused, and these qualities have always given me the edge and motivation to be the best in this industry. A big key to my success is that work is truly my favorite hobby. I also am genuinely curious about people, so I prefer to talk about meaningful things when I have the opportunity to meet and interact with others—values, goals, strengths and opportunities. I’m not much for small talk. Sometimes that makes me the weird one at the dinner party, but it’s just who I am. What has been most noteworthy about the evolvement of the digital/marketing field since you started in the industry? Automation and AI Bots. Most business owners and consumers have no idea the amount of data that is out there to target audiences, capture them and nurture those audiences with tailored customer experiences to each individual. It is impressive the amount of money being spent on advertising without these businesses taking advantage of this opportunity. Another thing I see is how people focus on the channels more so than their marketing messages. Business owners just think, ‘I should be on Facebook,’ ‘I should be on YouTube,’ ‘I need to be on Google,’ ‘I need a Web site.” But, they all forgot the No. 1 marketing principal: the message. What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? Create jobs. Help feed hungry kids and make our education system better. I believe for this state to have a better future we have to focus on our youth and create a successful environment around them. Owner and CEO at My Biz Niche LLC with a focus on creating jobs and happier employees Oct Issue.indd 609/25/19 11:28 AM @azfoothills #azfoothills 61 What inspired your start in fashion? From a very young age, I innately knew. For a project in second grade, I researched prominent fi gures who share my birthday and one of them was Donna Karan. This discovery was the fi rst time I recognized fashion design as a possibility for a career path. My intentions never wavered since. The brand launched just last year and has already seen great success. To what do you owe this success? Sacrifi ce. I traded sleeping in for 5 Joan Dominiqué a.m. wake ups. I traded going out for working out. It’s about building the life I want to live. Fortunately, all my hard work was met with the right opportunity. What do you envision for the future of your brand? We just celebrated the opening of our fi rst by-appointment showroom in Central Phoenix. However, the greater goal is to create a home and retail store at some point. Perhaps in Scottsdale, my hometown, where it all started. What is the most rewarding part of your career? Being an entrepreneur is the art of living beyond your comfort zone, which is where the greatest self-growth occurs. It challenges me; however, I am constantly expanding my wealth of knowledge and experience. What about the biggest challenge? The unexpected hurdles that come in business, but that’s what keeps it interesting. What advice do you have for other young women like yourself who have a passion they’d like to pursue? The greatest advice I can off er is put aside all your insecurities about potential failure and just start working on your goal. Be brave; be vulnerable to ask for help. You are only human; you cannot do everything. Beginning your journey is the hardest part because you create all these worst-case scenarios rather than putting that same energy you are using to think of these scenarios into building your passion into your reality. In what ways do you give back to the community? In the past, I’ve worked with groups such as Stop Hunger Now and JCL, Connecticut chapter. My most recent endeavor is a workshop series this October with G Road and the Boys & Girls Club teaching the fundamentals of the fashion industry and illustration. I am always looking for creative ways to help the greater community. What infl uence do you hope to have on the Valley? Hopefully, I can inspire some young people like myself to be brave enough to dive into creative entrepreneurship, especially the ladies! What are some of your free-time passions? Outside of work, you can fi nd me practicing yoga (heated vinyasa or Bikram), boxing or in the gym lifting weights. CEO and founder of Maison Joan Dominique THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 @JOANDOMIN Oct Issue.indd 619/20/19 4:26 PM62 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 Catching up with… Dr. Brian Harris Since being featured in 2018 Most Influential Phoenicians, Dr. Brian Harris of Harris Dental has seen a substantial growth in his widely celebrated SmileVirtual software platform. “SmileVirtual allows dentists to offer virtual consults for their patients,” he says. “We are now being used by 180 dental offices across the United States and three other countries.” This progress has even led Dr. Harris to be called “the new face of cosmetic dentistry.” In the coming year, he plans to continue to transform the dental space and allow patients all over the world to get their questions answered for free via SmileVirtual. The Arizona native owns and operates the Biltmore-based Harris Dental with his father and brother, who are also dentists. @DRBRIANHARRIS Oct Issue.indd 629/20/19 4:26 PM @azfoothills #azfoothills 63 What is The REGEN Cliniq at The SHAW Center? The REGEN Cliniq to The SHAW Center bridges the gap between traditional and alternative medicine, allowing us to achieve aesthetic results that weren’t attainable before. The REGEN Cliniq is the integrative branch of The SHAW Center. In addition to traditional aesthetic treatments, I off er alternative medicine and regenerative treatments such as stem cell therapy, second-generation PRP (PRF), Bio- Filler, cosmetic Ozone Therapy, cosmetic Dr. Kenya Arnold acupuncture, IV nutrient therapy, vitamin therapy, weight loss protocols like HCG, and nutritional planning and support. Why and how did you decide to be a naturopath? I’ve always had a passion for aesthetics and felt that as a naturopath I would have expanded knowledge and scope of practice. I attended four years of post-graduate training at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine here in Arizona in addition to a post-graduate residency in Oregon. I’m excited to be part of The SHAW Center team, bringing my dreams to fruition. How do you integrate naturopathic medicine with plastic surgery? Plastic surgery addresses the physical concerns of the patient and naturopathic medicine works cohesively with this by restoring the inner well-being of our patients. Dr. [Lawrence] Shaw and I work in tandem with our patients to achieve optimal health and well-being; I support our patients with pre- and post-surgical treatment options like immune-boosting supplements, anti-infl ammatories, nutritional support, IV therapy and weight loss protocols. Our patients benefi t from our collaborative approach to health, wellness and beauty. What is the most rewarding part of your career? Being able to change lives. I love the transformation of mind, body and soul. So often physicians work on the physical portion of a patient’s well-being, and they don’t focus on the whole person. With Naturopathic Medicine, I focus on addressing the root cause of a patient’s health concerns, instead of treating the symptoms. I love when I can help my patient look and feel their best. What infl uence do you hope to have on the Valley? I hope to impact people on a deeper level to change their understanding of the true meaning of health and beauty. I want to guide the Valley in making healthy choices, while remaining active, and being the healthiest version of themselves. Naturopathic MD at The REGEN Cliniq at The SHAW Center THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 Oct Issue.indd 639/21/19 1:32 PM64 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 How did you get your start in the medical industry? When I was a freshman in undergrad at ASU, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do occupationally. I knew I wanted to help others. I just didn’t know how I wanted to help others. After taking several science-based classes dealing heavily with human anatomy and physiology, I discovered my passion for the medical field. Because I believe that vision is our most prized sense we possess, optometry seemed like the perfect fit. Nine short years of schooling later, my dream became a reality. Dr. Matthew Campouris What is the most rewarding part of your career? Every day I get to provide people the gift of sight. There is nothing better than watching someone really see for the first time. Why do you think you have been so successful in your career? I’ve been blessed to work in an area with patients that I can really relate to and establish a relationship where they feel comfortable in my care. My goal is to not only assist in correcting any visual complaints, but also to provide preventative care with regular ocular evaluations. Genuinely caring about my patients has been the root to my success. Do you have a patient story that you have been particularly moved by? I have had several patients come in not knowing their vision was and has always been severely compromised. Most don’t have a frame of reference to compare to because they have always seen the world in only one way. With these particular individuals, it has always been extremely rewarding watching them see the world in full clarity for the first time. It not only changes a patient’s life when they are able to see clearly, but it allows them to do better in school and be a more functional member of society. These are monumental moments in their lives. What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? I hope to simply educate everyone on the importance of annual eye examinations for all ages. Ocular melanomas are something that can pop up on anyone’s retinas. If something like this pops up in the back of our eyes, it will grow and spread before any symptoms manifest. It essentially goes undetected without a retinal evaluation. By the time the vision is affected, it’s often too late. In what ways do you give back to the community? I currently provide military screenings for those enlisting and, in the near future, school screenings. Without being able to see the board at school or a book in front of them, they are at a huge disadvantage. Optometrist with Campouris Eyecare, located inside Pearle Vision North Scottsdale Photo b y Abb y Ste ve ns Oct Issue.indd 649/25/19 11:31 AM @azfoothills #azfoothills 65 THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 Did you grow up as an animal lover? From the moment I was born, I was animal obsessed! I wanted a dog so badly, and lucky for me my parents were always happy to support my love for animals. Growing up, I had all sorts of pets—cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, donkeys, a pig and even a zorse. At 16, I started volunteering at the Arizona Humane Society in adoptions. That’s where my passion for the dog rescue world really blossomed. Geri Hormel What advice do you have for other young people who want to make a dream come to fruition? Never give up! There are times when you may feel like the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, but watching your dreams turn into reality will be well worth it in the end. How can the community help Almost There? There are so many ways to help. Adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, attend our events or even just spread the word. You can fi nd more information on us at atfcaz.org. What infl uence do you hope to have on the Valley? I hope to help bring more awareness to the Valley about the importance of rescuing, spaying and neutering. Arizona has such a high volume of homeless animals. The more we can all work together to help rescue eff orts, support our local shelters and spread the word about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets, the more we can help to lower the number of homeless animals that enter the shelter each year. What are some of your free-time passions? I feel very lucky because Almost There Foster Care is my passion, so even in my free time you can usually fi nd me doing something to help the shelter pups. When I am not focusing on the dogs, I am likely out with my fl ock of chickens. I am focused on raising happy and healthy chickens that lay a rainbow assortment of eggs with the brightest yolk. I am also an equestrian (although I have not been out to ride in too long!) and an occasional singer. Founder and executive director of Almost There Foster Care, a nonprofi t dog rescue that specializes in large-breed pups who are pregnant or nursing @ALMOSTTHEREFOSTERCARE Oct Issue.indd 659/21/19 1:33 PM66 AZFOOTHILLS.COM This wasn’t your first career path. How did you end up in the fields of real estate and design/build? I founded a social media app for apartment communities that would introduce residents to their neighbors. At that time, I was lucky enough to meet one of the top real estate developers in the country. He was my primary investor in the app and, at a later point, was my mentor in learning the building business. To top it off, I went on a blind date one day and met an interior designer. Little did Frank DiMaggio I know she was arguably one of the best in town, and eventually became my partner in business—and in life. The rest is history. What do you believe is the secret to your success? We have a unique formula. Having such a powerful and informative investor behind us, combined with a top designer and entrepreneurial sales and leadership, gives us the assurance that if the deal makes sense, we can move forward quickly and confidently. Once we start a project, we don’t just remodel it; we re-build and re-invent the entire house. It gives our projects a competitive advantage in the space. What is the most rewarding part of your career? What about the biggest challenge? It’s an incredibly rewarding experience to see the joy our customers get from finding their dream home and hearing how happy they are. The biggest challenge is managing client expectations. Everyone wants their house to be done extremely quickly but finding the right sub-contractors and keeping them on schedule is always a challenge and can be frustrating at times, for us and our customers. You specialize in “livable luxury.” How do you define that? “Livable luxury” is that sweet spot where a house feels modern but gives you that warm “home sweet home”-type feeling. It is fresh and current but has character and isn’t cold. It’s a delicate balance that great designers can pull off but is surprisingly hard to achieve. What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? I don't know about the influence I may be having, but I am super proud of the influence our projects are having. Creating a handful of record- breaking price-per-foot sales in some of the most prestigious gated communities in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Arcadia has really impacted the local real estate values. In what ways do you give back to the community? Being so early in my career, the best way to give back is to run a trustworthy, ethical company that creates great homes that our neighbors can be proud of and creates good-paying jobs for our employees and subcontractors. Founder of MDF Development, the Valley’s premier luxury design/build and remodeling firm THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 @FRANK_MDFDEV Oct Issue.indd 669/20/19 4:26 PM @azfoothills #azfoothills 67 What attracted you to the design/build fi eld? I have always loved interior design, but now as a design/builder I can be more intimately involved in the entire process. Interior designers typically go to job sites only a handful of times, and I started to feel a disconnect from the process as a whole. Building has given me that new perspective—and the challenge of executing my design. Now I can step back and say, ‘I dreamt it, and then I built it.’ And that’s a powerful statement. What do you believe is the secret to your success? Hard work and commitment. I gave even my earliest jobs my entire focus and dedication, and still do to this day. I believe I have talent, but no amount of talent or luck makes up for relentless commitment. Why did you decide to focus your work in Paradise Valley? Luxury has been my background since day one. It requires a completely diff erent skill set to invest in this part of the market. We have a very unique team with strengths that are perfectly suited to this and, collectively, we are comfortable with the large amount of risk speculative building here entails. We have also worked in parts of Scottsdale and Arcadia. Lauren Wallace Your properties can garner more than $2 million than other homes in the same area. Why is that? We are very particular about the projects we take on, but when we commit, we go all in. We are not cosmetic remodelers—we completely transform the property from the inside out. I put myself in the shoes of the future owners. What makes a project successful? There is no better feeling than handing the keys over to our clients. This new home is going to be the backdrop to some of their most cherished memories. It’s an honor to be a part of that, and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. What is the most rewarding part of your career? What about the biggest challenge? Starting and running a business is such an interesting way of life. I love the Lori Greiner quote, “Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.” It can be demanding but there’s a deep sense of freedom and joy in being completely self- supportive and knowing you’re building something of value. What infl uence do you hope to have on the Valley? I hope to be a role model to other young women that if they sacrifi ce at a young age, they can achieve greatness at a young age too. I want to tell them: If you want something, don’t let anyone tell you you’re too young or too inexperienced. Co-founder of MDF Development, and the company’s lead interior designer, who is making waves in the design community as the new face of Paradise Valley real estate THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOENICIANS '19 @LAUREN_MDFDEV Photo b y Brad O lson Oct Issue.indd 679/21/19 1:34 PMNext >