< Previous AZFOOTHILLS.COM FASHION INNOVATOR SOLSTICE INTIMATES Solstice Intimates create vintage-inspired hand- made intimate apparel from Tempe. Made with love, each piece is created and crafted with a level of expertise and attention to detail that will make your grandmother proud. www.solsticeintimates.com, @solsticeintimates WMP EYEWEAR FOUNDERS DAVID ULA , Jo se p h M ad d on WMP EYEWEAR WMP started as a big dream in a small Chicago apartment in 2012. Founded by a young husband-and-wife team on the belief that quality eyewear shouldn’t be exclusive to designer labels, the company has become one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Now based in Tempe, WMP remains committed to creating finely crafted, fashionable and affordable glasses that are accessible to everyone. Every product is (W)orn and (M)ade with (P)urpose. As proud supporters of the Arizona Humane Society, the company donates a portion of every eyewear purchase to animals in need in our local community, where more than 100K cans of food and truckloads of other much-needed supplies have been donated to date. www.shopwearmepro.com, @wmpeyewear WMP EYEWEAR SAGE’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES H ERAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS MAYFAIR GROUP Mayfair is here to build your internet happy place through purposeful merch, feel-good content and an empowering digital community by changing the narrative around unrealistic societal standards and celebrating the unfiltered human experience that connects us all. This mindset has been in the brand’s DNA since CEO Sam Abrahart launched The Mayfair Group in 2017. After years of struggling with her mental health, Abrahart sought to create a more meaningful life through uplifting content and a digital safe space. Mayfair is now a growing global lifestyle brand, including private label merch, wholesale sales management and strategic partnerships, where every- one is welcome in the #MayfairWorld. www.themayfairgroupllc.com, @themayfairgroup WHISH BEAUTY Aimee Werner founded Whish in 2007 as a natural, luxury shaving line for women. Whish has since evolved into a high performance, all-natural skin care and body care global brand with 100-plus products, manufacturing and fulfilling the entire line out of the Scottsdale corporate facility. Werner oversees many facets of Whish, including new-product development, sales strategy, supporting key customers and all aspects of marketing for the brand. Prior to founding Whish, Werner worked as a distribution channel manager for various semiconductor companies and directly managed over $40 million in sales. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Westminster University. www.whishbody.com, @whishbeauty DARYL BLAND BLERR Daryl Bland is a self-described multi-hyphenate LGBTQ genderfluid Filipino fashionpreneur. Bland founded BLERR Magazine during the height of the pandemic with the goal of creating a platform to highlight fashion through queer-poc individuals focusing on diverse identities, self-expression and those who are looking to revolt and revolutionize as a creative. BLERR has since evolved into an umbrella encompassing a creative media production house and agency to elevate brands and individuals to their highest potential. Bland’s related endeavor, Avant Yarde, is an immersive “yarde” and safe space that supports experimental ideas from queer-poc creatives and entreprenuers to be themselves and embrace the unknown space of possibilities, a constant state of BLERR. Bland also founded fragrance and beauty company Osai, which creates tranquil and transcending memories. www.blerrmagazine.com, @blerrmag, @doseofdaryl DARYL BLAND WEARING ALEXANDER MCQUEEN PARKA PUFFER DRESS AND SHOES. , AUBREE TIPPETS FOOD BEVERAGE INNOVATOR HEINRICH STASIUK BASED OUT OF Southern California, Wild Thyme Restaurant Group is a collection of award-winning restaurants founded by Heinrich Stasiuk in 2008. As a graduate of the prestigious Modul University in Vienna with a background in accounting, he has grown the company from one brick-and-mortar location to now 30 food and beverage operations. Concepts within the franchise include Shorebird (Newport Beach, Sedona, Palm Springs and San Diego), Stagecoach Country Roadhouse (Sedona), Jay Bird’s Nashville Hot Chicken (eight locations with 20 more in the pipeline), and Molé (Sedona and Palm Springs). What does it mean to be an innovator to you? To make a difference in the restaurant scene and to continue providing outstanding food, beverage and service. I like to do things differently and what has never been done before while pushing the boundaries as far as possible. Being an innovator to me means to always do things the right way and to never take shortcuts, even if it means taking higher risks. Surround yourself with people who are highly passionate about their work and always collaborate with the best talents out there. • www.wildthymegroup.com, @heinrichstasiuk AZFOOTHILLS.COMAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS FOOD BEVERAGE INNOVATOR HEINRICH’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES H I M ROBERTO MADRID Wild Thyme Group Corporate Executive Chef A native of Northern Mexico, Chef Roberto Madrid has spent decades crafting unexpected and delectable recipes of Latin American and Asian fusion cuisine that feature distinct tastes from around the world using locally-grown produce. Before joining Wild Thyme Group as corporate executive chef, Madrid served as executive chef at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa and Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch in addition to working with some of Scottsdale’s finest chefs. @robemad ANTONIO “TONI” GORDILLO Wild Thyme Group Corporate Executive Chef Raised in Phoenix, Chef Toni Gordillo has worked within the food and beverage industry for 19 years, including for the likes of Marriott, Hilton, LGO Hospitality, Houston’s and now Wild Thyme Group, where he has helped open over 20 of the group’s locations across the western U.S. and in St. Maarten. Chef Gordillo has also hosted the Children’s Health Orlando Golf Tournament for four consecutive years and has appeared on numerous TV cooking segments and is featured in two cookbooks. @cheftoniwildthyme MOSCATO ITALIAN RESTAURANT Owners Salvatore Moscato and Jenny Robbins bring authentic and homemade Italian cuisine in an elegant setting to the heart of Camp Verde. www.moscatoazcom.wordpress.com, @moscato_ristorante_italiano MELISSA REIN LIVELY The Brand Consortium Public Relations (TBCPR) With 15 years of experience, Founder and CEO Melissa Lively of TBCPR has been instrumental in developing and executing some of the largest and most successful publicity campaigns for a wide range of lifestyle, real estate, luxury, hospitality and entertainment companies and brands in Arizona, across the West Coast and in the UK. TBCPR is a collective of integrated public relations, strategic marketing communications, brand strategy, social media and event design services all under one roof. www.thebrandconsortium.com, @melissareinlively JAY BOGSINSKE Wild Thyme Group Director of Culinary In his role at Wild Thyme Restaurant Group, Chef Bogsinske has created menus and facilitated the launches of Sedona-based restaurants including Jay Bird’s Chicken, Shorebird, Molé Sedona, Stagecoach Country Roadhouse as well as Kai Modern Japanese Bistro in Huntington Beach, Calif. His vast experience also includes such well-known Valley eateries as The Phoenician, St. Francis, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Zinc Bistro and more. @chef_ jay_b ROBERTO MADRID ANTONIO “TONI” GORDILLO , Michael Fr anco AZFOOTHILLS.COM HEALTH WELLNESS INNOVATOR DR. RYAN HOUSE & JASON LAW DR. RYAN HOUSE: Born and raised in Phoenix, Dr. House is a co-founder of Mental Health Center of America, a multidisciplinary, outpatient mental health treatment center. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology and business from Pepperdine University. After spending the first 10 years of his career in business while transitioning back to psychology in 2016, Dr. House graduated from Midwestern University’s Clinical Psychology Program in 2021 and completed a psychology doctoral internship at Southwest Behavioral & Health Services. Dr. House is also a RxP Committee co-chair for the Arizona Psychological Association, where he is working on legislation that will allow a path for specially trained clinical psychologists the right to prescribe medication. JASON LAW: After leaving a career as a firefighter/EMT in Scottsdale, Law has been an integral part of many successful nonprofit and for-profit companies, including co-founding 1MISSION, a community development organization that has built over 950 houses throughout Mexico, El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2008; Mission Create, a nonprofit incubator that successfully launched over 90 nonprofits throughout the U.S.; and The Zach Hoffpauir Project, a nonprofit bringing mental health resources to student athletes. Law’s own mental health journey is the motivation behind his recent focus on the global mental health crisis. He is passionate about developing a comprehensive mental health center to address the fractured and confusing system. What does it mean to be an innovator to you? DR. RYAN HOUSE: Life is continuously changing, which means that we need to be willing to change with it. For me, this doesn’t mean that we blindly subscribe to the old adage, “Out with the old and in with the new” ... but we leverage what we have learned from our past in effort to support a better future. JASON LAW: An innovator is someone who creates a better way of doing something. Hopefully, for the better of mankind. • www.mentalhealthcenter.com, @mentalhealthcenterofamerica DR. RYAN HOUSEJASON LAW Mental Health Center of AmericaAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS HEALTH WELLNESS INNOVATOR CALEB MITCHELL The Phoenix Counseling Collective Caleb Mitchell is the co-founder of The Phoenix Counseling Collective, a group of therapists based out of a historic home in downtown Phoenix that offers a welcoming and safe place for individuals of all walks of life to grow and flourish. A licensed professional counselor and supervisor in the state of Arizona, Mitchell believes that his work as a counselor is to facilitate a process in which clients listen to their stories, are mindful of their bodies and become aware of their internal experiences. www.phxcounselingcollective.com, @phxcounselingcollective STEVEN SHEETS Southwest Behavioral & Health Services With experience in the behavioral healthcare industry since 2009, Steven Sheets has served as president and CEO of Southwest Behavioral & Health Services since 2018. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University and his master’s in professional counseling from Ottawa University. Sheets has held an Arizona Independent Professional Counseling license since 2016. www.sbhservices.org, @southwest_behavioral DR. MONA AMINI Psychiatrist Dr. Mona Amini is a psychiatry leader with a proven track record in mental health administration, clinical psychiatric care and advising. She enjoys leading complex clinical mental health operations for patients and families as well as managing the delivery of psychiatric medications. Her mission for mental health is to deliver early interven- tion and support to individuals, destigmatize mental healthcare and be a leader on approaches to revolutionary mental health treatment. www.mentalhealthcenter.com, @mentalhealthcenterofamerica DR. ALISON REUTER The Reuter Center Dr. Alison Reuter is an Arizona licensed psychologist, board certified in pediatric neuropsychology. Dr. Reuter works in private practice where she conducts evaluations (both private and forensic), and also provides family and professional consultation and counseling. In addition, Dr. Reuter works within an acute inpatient medical setting at Encompass Health Valley of the Sun Rehabili- tation Hospital, specializing in the evaluation of and support for individuals with brain injuries and other medical diagnoses. She is a member of the board of the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium, which creates and oversees quality postdoctoral training sites throughout the state. She earned her doctoral degree at Arizona State University. www.thedoctorsreuter.com ALEX STAVROS Embark Behavioral Health For the past 10 years, Alex Stavros has been CEO at Chandler-based Embark Behavioral Health, an organ- ization dedicated to premier mental health treatment for teens and young adults across the U.S. Prior to Embark, Stavros was the founder and managing partner of a social investment fund focused on acquir- ing and leading mission-driven businesses. While at Stanford University, he earned an MBA specializing in social entrepreneurship and a public management certificate and was also a Rising Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a world-renowned public policy think tank. The son of missionaries, Stavros grew up in Peru, living and playing alongside the troubled youth and orphans of Lima’s slums. He is passionate about the topic of happiness versus joy, and the idea of using business as a force for good—how “doing good” is good business. www.embarkbh.com, @alex.stavros RYAN & JASON’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES TH EMCARSON & AMBER EILERS AZFOOTHILLS.COM OWNERS CARSON EILERS and Amber Eilers are a husband-and-wife team who are self-described “serial entre- preneurs”; they also manage Original Realty Co., a full-service boutique real estate brokerage in Scottsdale. “We have been working together since the very beginning of our relationship,” says Amber, reflecting on the couple’s 11-year marriage and two children. “Together, we’ve flipped hundreds of houses, built several businesses and are always looking for new opportunities. When we’re not working, we both love trying new restaurants, grabbing drinks with friends, going to concerts and traveling to new places.” What does it mean to be an innovator to you? “We both really try to be forward thinkers and anticipate industry shifts,” says Amber. “With the hotel, we saw an opportunity to create something really unique and new for the area. People flocked to it because it filled a gap in what travelers were looking for! We’re over six years in now, and we continue to try to adapt to create incredible experiences for guests. With the real estate brokerage, we discovered that the research said that most new agents quit after less than a year in the industry. We wanted to change that and create opportunities for agents to grow and thrive, while still serving clients with excellence!” • www.thestrawberryinn.com, @thestrawberryinn www.originalrealtyco.com, @originalrealtyco HOTEL TRAVEL INNOVATOR About 100 miles north of Phoenix, e Strawberry Inn is a boutique hotel located in Arizona’s scenic Rim Country that’s designed for roadtrippers, adventure seekers and nature-lovers. , Pa u l M ar ko wAZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS HOTEL TRAVEL INNOVATOR SUNDANCE MOUNTAIN RESORT, UT Founded by Robert Redford in 1969, Sundance Mountain Resort is an all-season resort that offers multiple outdoor activities, including downhill skiing, ziplining, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and fly-fishing. The resort has artistic roots, authenticity and a strong connection to nature. “I loved that everything was curated and ready for guests right on site,” says Amber. www.sundanceresort.com, @sundanceresort LA PLAYA CARMEL, CA La Playa Carmel is a 75-room historic luxury boutique hotel, newly restored to preserve its turn-of-the-century charm while updating it to modern-day standards. Located two blocks from the beach and village shops, art galleries and restaurants, the hotel is situated in Carmel, Calif., and anchors its most prestigious residential neighborhood. The grounds encompass meticulously tended gardens, intimate patios, secluded courtyards and a tranquil terrace swimming pool. “Our favorite part was the lush, amazing landscape that is straight out of a fairy tale,” says Amber. www.laplayahotel.com, @laplayaca HOTEL EMMA, SAN ANTONIO, TX Once a 19th-century brewhouse, the AAA Five Diamond Hotel Emma is a 146-room boutique hotel in the Pearl District of downtown San Antonio that includes seven top-floor suites, a bar and club room, an excellent restaurant, a purveyor of fine foods and public spaces reminiscent of fine old hotels in far-flung locales. “We loved all of the amazing high-end finishes throughout the hotel and area, and it’s perfect for a couples getaway,” says Amber. www.thehotelemma.com, @thehotelemma AUTOCAMP RUSSIAN RIVER GUERNEVILLE, CA Located just 90 minutes north of San Francisco in Sonoma wine country, AutoCamp Russian River is the ideal destination for those who want to relax on the beach, take scenic drives along the coast or explore the Redwood Forests. Each accom- modation includes a separate bedroom and living room as well as luxurious bathrooms with spacious showers, while every suite comes with its own private picnic table and fire pit. wwww.autocamp.com/russian-river, @autocamp LIMELIGHT HOTEL KETCHUM, ID The Limelight Hotel Ketchum features 99 hotel rooms, 14 residences, plus a Limelight Lounge restaurant and lobby. The hotel is close to downtown shops and restaurants as well as Sun Valley Ski Resort’s River Run Base area. The hotel is consistent with the Limelight brand, featuring amenities and extras such as an expanded continental breakfast, après ski deals in the lounge, adventure activities for guests as well as pet-friendly rooms. www.limelighthotels.com/ketchum, @limelighthotel , Ke vi n S ym s CARSON & AMBER’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES TH EM AZFOOTHILLS.COM INFLUENCER INNOVATOR LAUREN LUYENDYK LUYENDYK FOUND LOVE while on Season 22 of The Bachelor, where she met Arie Luyendyk Jr. Since their time on The Bachelor, Arie and Lauren have gotten married and started several businesses and now have three beautiful children, Alessi (3) and their twins, Lux and Senna (1). Lauren and Arie spend most of their time at their home in Scottsdale and enjoy real estate, flipping houses, hiking and spending time with their family and friends. Lauren believes in giving back to charity, empowering her kids to explore (Alessi absolutely loves the outdoors and animals), and is passionate about health and wellness. She believes that a balanced lifestyle is key to overall happiness and strives to find balance and fun every day! What does it mean to be an innovator to you? It is an honor to be recognized as an innovator in my category because I feel this is a unique opportunity for me to connect with other creators and businesses in my local community! • @laurenluyendyk Lauren Luyendyk, née Burnham, is a business owner, fashion designer, social media in uencer, reality TV star, martial arts enthusiast, and most recently, a mom.CHANTELL MOULIN NIGHSWONGER VIDA I MOULIN After years in fashion PR and marketing, Chantell Moulin Nighswonger started VIDA | MOULIN in 2016 with the intention of bring- ing unique, trend-forward fashion to the Valley. Influenced by online retailers, such as Revolve and Shopbop, it was important that VIDA | MOULIN had a quick and constantly changing inventory introduced monthly to customers with editorial-style photography and lookbooks. Moulin Nighswonger later would take the lessons learned as a retail shop owner, and along with her husband and family’s investment group, Moulin Group, would spend the past several years redeveloping a mid-1960s office building in North Central Phoenix. The now-open curated shopping center, named The Frederick on Missouri, houses VIDA | MOULIN along with eight other small, locally-owned businesses. www.vidamoulin.com, @chantellmoulin, @vidamoulin AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS INFLUENCER INNOVATOR BELLA WEEMS-LAMBERT With more than 1 million subscribers to her popular YouTube channel, Della Vlogs, Bella Weems-Lambert is also a singer and founder of jewelry brand Origami Owl. @bellagraceweems ALEXA JEAN BROWN Alexa Jean Brown is a fitness influencer, blogger, mom of four and creator of Shop Lex Brown, an online women’s clothing boutique. @alexajeanbrown CARA DUMAPLIN Taking Cara Babies Arizona-based mom of four and former NICU nurse, Cara Dumaplin is the founder of Taking Cara Babies. Through online classes and resources, Dumaplin is on a mission to help babies and toddlers sleep so families can thrive. With over 2 million followers, Dumaplin has become a household name and trusted voice to parents worldwide. www.takingcarababies.com, @takingcarababies LAUREN GARCIA Lauren, aka “Lola,” of the blog and social media platform “What Lola Likes,” is a mom of two and passionate content creator. What was once a popular space to share style inspiration and her journey into motherhood has successfully evolved into inspiring women to stand confident in their true beauty and self-love, have open conversations and promote happiness. Lauren shares content based on present and personal experience, professional and local resources and all the milestones of her life. www.whatlolalikes.com, @whatlolalikes LAUREN’S PICKS WHO AN D WHA T I NSPI RES H ERNext >