< PreviousINNOVA FROM ARCHITECTURE AND EDUCATION TO MUSIC, SPORTS AND TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE THRILLED TO INTRODUCE THIS YEAR’S INAUGURAL INNOVATORS. TURN THE PAGE TO MEET THE INNOVATORS AND LEARN ABOUT THEIR INCREDIBLE STORIES AS WELL AS WHO AND WHAT ELSE INSPIRES THEM. GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE AZF INNOVATOR AWARDS BY VISITING 2022ATORS AZFOOTHILLS.COM AND FOLLOWING AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS.COM KAISERWORKS IS PASSIONATE about creating elegant solutions to relevant problems and seeks to approach each project with the same optimism and rigor of invention that existed in mid-century American design culture. One of the firm’s most notable projects, the Silo House, has received international attention and was awarded Dwell Magazine’s “Best of Design” award in 2018. Kaiser’s studio continues to develop a growing line of sustainable compact dwelling units in addition to maintaining a broad range of client projects with a focus on place-making—from restaurants to office design to multi- and single-family residences. In his talk, “Big Ideas in Small Spaces,” given at Design Within Reach in Scottsdale, Kaiser said that he aspires to design spaces that “are evocative—that inspire wonder and feed the soul, in as much as architecture can so do.” What does it mean to be an innovator to you? An innovator is a creative problem solver. A good innovator knows how to articulate the problem in elemental terms, stripping away existing conventions and inviting the possibility of a truly novel approach. Our world is filled with “design by synthesis.” We see things we like and build a collage of them. That can yield nice design and certainly nice Pinterest boards, but you don’t get Ronchamp Chapel that way. Innovative design yields newness that delights the soul, strikes a chord deeper down and sometimes hits you in the face like a blast of fresh air. I am far from mastering this but feel blessed beyond words for the team of brilliant minds that strive toward this ideal with me every day, with every project we take on at Kaiserworks. • www.kaiserworks.com, @ksrwrks, @christoph.g.kaiser ARCHITECTURE INNOVATOR CHRISTOPH KAISER Christoph Kaiser is the founder and principal of Kaiserworks, a Phoenix-based architecture and design studio with a reputation for innovative and sustainably built product and building designs. SILO HOUSE BY KAISERWORKSAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS “AN INNOVATOR IS A CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER. A GOOD INNOVATOR KNOWS HOW TO ARTICULATE THE PROBLEM IN ELEMENTAL TERMS, STRIPPING AWAY EXISTING CONVEN TIONS AND INVITING THE POSSIBILITY OF A TRULY NOVEL APPROACH.” CHRISTOPH KAISER AZFOOTHILLS.COM ARCHITECTURE INNOVATOR LAWRENCE JARVEY Provision Coffee With a background in the fine dining and bar industries, wholesale sales and management and production coffee roast- ing, Lawrence Jarvey is the co-founder of Provision Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster, cocktail bar and all-day eatery in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. www.provisioncoffee.com, @provisioncoffee CALEB BARCLAY Dwellito Caleb Barclay is the founder and CEO of Dwellito, a tech startup that is building an internet marketplace for made-to-order homes. Dwellito lets customers find and design a home within the browser, walk through the home virtually, get financing and click “buy.” Barclay and his team look to increase the housing supply in cities that desperately need affordable housing. www.calebbarclay.com, www.dwellito.com, @dwellito JAY ALABASTER Journalist A Phoenix native and a longtime journalist, Jay Alabaster lives in Japan, focusing his work on a small fishing town’s struggle to adapt to modern-day environmentalist concerns. CHEF AARON CHAMBERLIN Chef & Restaurateur Captivated from a young age by an image of his grandfather in chef whites, Chef Chamberlin left home to pursue his culinary education in San Francisco at the age of 19. He spent a decade traveling and training under such noted chefs as Michel Richard, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nancy Oakes before returning to Arizona to work with LGO Hospitality’s La Grande Orange Pizzeria and Chelsea’s Kitchen. He went on to open his own establishments, including St. Francis, Phoenix Public Market and, most recently, Taco Chelo, a taqueria on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix, where he is a collaborative partner with Chef Suny Santana and artist Gennaro Garcia. @aaron_chamberlin BEN HALL Benjamin Hall Design Benjamin Hall Design, founded in 2011, is a Phoenix-based design practice. The firm, led by Benjamin Hall, is committed to the lost profession of master builder and provides top-quality services on both sides of design and construction. From conceptualizing projects to producing the final product, Hall works side-by-side with trades, swinging hammers and welding steel. His work has been recognized with awards, including the American Institute of Architects Honor Award in 2015 and 2020 and the Arizona Masonry Guild’s Honor Award in 2021. Hall’s well-known Valley projects include White Stone Studios and White Stone Flats. www.benjaminhalldesign.com, www.whitestonephoenix.com, @benjaminhalldesign , Rachael K oscica Photogr aph y WHITE STONE FLATS , Winquist Photogr aph y CHRISTOPH’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES H I M Arizona Foothills.indd 79/22/22 3:10 PM© 2022 COH HoldCo Inc. Appointments available in as little as 24 hours 833-746-CTCA More Cancer Expertise More Hope Cancer Treatment Centers of America® is part of City of Hope® By being part of City of Hope, one of the nation’s top 10 cancer hospitals, we’re able to combine groundbreaking clinical research with precision cancer treatment, providing you with the comprehensive, personalized care you deserve. Arizona Foothills.indd 79/22/22 3:10 PM AZFOOTHILLS.COM “INNOVATORS NEVER LOSE THEIR CURIOSITY. IT IS LIKE AN ITCH. IT IS ONLY SATISFIED BY SCRATCHING.” LARRY J. ORTEGAAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS ARTS INNOVATOR LARRY J. ORTEGA My art explains my life. My life explains my art. IT IS HARD to detect plagiarism in my work, but it comes by simulating the beauty of nature and light. The spirituality and the ethos of the desert have become the aesthetic in my art. I use light as a medium and a metaphor. My personal spirituality is nurtured and enhanced by my wanderings in the wilderness, both physically and mentally. My studio/home is surrounded by an undisturbed desert in an obscure canyon overlooking the lights of downtown Phoenix. It provides daily inspiration for my work. What does it mean to be an innovator to you? Artists that cross the boundaries of conventional wisdom and norms produce innovation. We are all born curious. But it is something easily lost. Innovators never lose their curiosity. It is like an itch. It is only satisfied by scratching. To be effective as an innovator is never losing interest but persevering. You must use more than one’s eyes to see the invisible. Faith plays a significant role in steering innovators to explore unknown realms. • www.larryjortega.com, @anobliqartist AGAVE GRAFFITI LIGHT TRAILS AGAVE WAVE SECRET SPOT AZFOOTHILLS.COM ARTS INNOVATOR PETE DEISE Sculptor Deise effortlessly intertwines a love of science and nature with his art in a way that draws the viewer into his own world of curiosities. For the past 20 years, Deise has studied the relationship of art and nature through his writings, drawings, paintings and sculpture. Through the elements of fall, winter, spring and the fire of the desert summer, Deise continues to adapt along with the movement of each season, absorbing information from nature and expressing it through his handcrafted raw steel sculptures. www.peterdeise.com, @peterdeise MELISSA ZIMMER Tattoo Artist Phoenix-native Melissa Zimmer is co-owner of Iron Key Studio, a custom tattoo and piercing shop, in Old Town Peoria. Whether the style is realism, neo-traditional, old school or black and gray, her craft demonstrates her ability to create professional and original work that keeps clients coming back time and again. She also exhibits at art shows, donates artwork to nonprofit organiza- tions and creates commercial painting projects. www.melissazimmer.com, @melissazimmer CATRINA KAHLER Artlink An Arizona native and a Valley resident since 1989, Kahler has over 27 years of experience in marketing, community devel- opment and public relations and has been actively involved in the development of urban Phoenix for 17 years. As president and CEO of Artlink, a 33-year-old nonprofit that connects artists, businesses and community, she leads the development and implementation of engagement strategies. Kahler is also publisher of Down- town Phoenix Journal, the first online magazine for downtown Phoenix, and serves on the board of Arizona Citizens for the Arts and Phoenix Community Alliance as chair of PCA’s Arts, Culture & Public Life Committee. www.artlinkphx.org , Pa u l M ar ko w MARK TARRANTI Altamira Fine Art Mark Tarranti is the executive director of Altamira Fine Art, which specializes in the exhibition and sale of Western Contemporary artwork with two gallery locations in Old Town Scottsdale and Jackson, Wyo. Altamira offers fine art in a range of media, from oil paint- ing, acrylic, contemporary glass and bronze to digital art installa- tions and mixed media. www.altamiraart.com, @altamirafineart DYANA HESSON Painter Botanical artist Dyana Hesson loves a good adventure. As a child in the gold country of Northern California, she was always happiest exploring outdoors. Hesson found art in college and has been painting professionally for 29 years. Represented by Bonner David Galleries, Hesson is a Master of the Southwest award winner, Master Signature member of American Women Artists and a founding member of the Art on the Wild Side art exhibit program at the Phoenix Zoo. Hesson lives in Mesa with her husband, Randy, daughter, Sydney, and Jack Russell terrier, Beau. www.dyanahesson.com, @dyhesson LARRY’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES H I MNext >