Business Glance
Cristina’s Closet holding back-to-work classes
Getting back to work and need a few tips? Cristina’s Closets is hosting the following free classes in February:
• Vision board with aimee, Feb. 7 and 14, 12-2 p.m.
• resume review with mercedes, Feb. 9, 3-4 p.m.
• mock interviewing with Vicki, Feb. 22, 3-4 p.m.
all classes will be held at Fortuna road Plaza, 11375 S. Fortuna, Suite H, in Yuma. Call 928-2354588 to save your seat.
Cristina’s Closet, a nonprofit that helps people getting back into the workforce obtain interview clothes or a few outfits until payday, is located inside desert darlins, 11411 S. Fortuna road, Suite 114, in the Yuma east Shopping Center. For more information on Cristina’s Closet, call Cristina mcinnes at 928-235-4588.
Readiness Credential live webinar for job seekers
arizona@work Yuma County invites job seekers to the arizona Career readiness Credential Program live webinar on Friday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m.
The program is a major initiative set forth by the governor in partnership with arizona@work and the Office of economic Opportunity. This credential is available to job seekers across the state to prepare them for success by demonstrating their command of seven skill areas that are relevant to every occupation, industry and career pathway.
Through this live webinar employers/businesses will learn how they can benefit from the program by certifying job candidates’ skills or upskilling their current team. The program’s assessment tool reduces turnover and optimizes training by integrating into the hiring process, upskilling current employees or training new hires.
register at: https://buff. ly/3qsnt70. For questions, contact bso@ypic.com or call 928-329-0990 or 928-550-6064 ext. 8111.
Class: Starting a Small Business in Yuma
On Saturday, Feb. 18, aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to the main Library for “Starting a Small business in Yuma” at 10 a.m.
This class will teach attendees the basics of starting a business in Yuma County.
Class discussion will cover how to get started. Information includes forms, documentation, licenses, permits and trademarks and trade names. at the end of the class, attendees will learn about their “why” when starting a business and “how to pitch” their idea. There is no charge to attend.
The main Library is located at 2951 S. 21st drive. For more information, call andrew Zollman, business Librarian, at 928-3736514.
Border Entrepreneurial Challenge to take place March 9-12
The border entrepreneurial Challenge 2023 will take place march 9-12 at arizona Western College/northern arizona university-yuma campus with participants from mexico and the united States.
The purpose is for interested students, college and university alumni and entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to work with binational teams to pitch new entrepreneurial ideas or expand their existing projects to a binational panel of judges.
Collaborators include nau,
AWC, the AWC Foundation, universidad autónoma de baja California, CETYS, and San diego State university.
The bec will give participants the opportunity to present their business ideas to potential investors, by interacting with different participants from the border region, listening to experts from different entrepreneurial fields, having guided working sessions with mentors and competing with their team or entrepreneurial idea to gain the spot on the final presentation.
For more information, go to https://nau.edu/yuma/bec/ or contact monica acosta alvarado at monica.acosta-alvarado@nau.edu or 928-317-7112.
Design services contest for Yuma rural businesses
Imaginary Friends design Studios, 2511 e. 24th St., Suite a, is holding a competition called “new Year new Yuma” for businesses in rural Yuma.
established businesses and nonprofits are eligible to win a grand prize design worth $7,500 and many other lesser prizes for both commercial and nonprofit categories. more than $15,000 in design services will be given away.
To enter the contest, nominees must fill the following requirements: must have been in business since 2020, possess the necessary licenses for being in business, pay taxes for being in business, hold an ein number and have at least two employees on payroll who are not related to each other.
applicants must answer two questions: “Why is this business deserving of a brand makeover?” and “What would it mean to this organization to win this competition and prize? How would the new branding be put to use?”
Jon Perry, owner of Imaginary Friends, noted that the contest targets businesses that “just need this little extra push.” He explained: “I want to target those businesses that have been around just long enough that they are actively employing other Yumans and caring about the community enough to try to get going and help out the community by hiring and not relying upon our ridiculously high unemployment rate to help out the other way.”
nominations can be submitted online at newyearnewyuma. com until Feb. 28. Following that, a panel of judges will review all applications before selecting the winners via email on march 15.
a breakdown of categories and prizes can be viewed at https:// newyearnewyuma.com.
3D printer demo at Somerton Library
Children and teens are invited to the Somerton Library on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m. for a 3d printer demonstration. attendees will get an up-close look at the library’s 3d printer and learn how to program it to print various objects.
ages 13-18 welcome. There is no charge to attend any of the programs. The Somerton Library is located at 240 W. Canal St. For more information, call 928-6272149.
Computer Basics 101 set for Feb. 16
The Heritage Library will offer a Computer basics 101 class on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. Through hands-on learning, participants will explore how to operate and navigate the functions of a computer.
The Heritage Library is located at 350 S. 3rd ave. For more information, call 928-783-5415.
Computer basics class for adults on Feb. 17
The Somerton Library will offer a computer basics class for adults on Friday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m.
attendees will be introduced to the parts of the computer, internet, keyboard practice and basic applications. Information will be available in english and Spanish.
There is no charge to attend. The Somerton Library is located at 240 Canal St. For more information, call 928-627-2149.
Robots, 3D modeling for kids and teens
Children of all ages and teens are invited to the Yuma main Library for the following programs:
• Sculptural robots on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m.: Learn the importance of recycling and how you can turn everyday recyclables into a masterpiece! In this session, we will create “structural robots.” For ages 6-12. Supplies provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited.
• 3d modeling for Teens on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m.: Learn how to use Tinkercad and create STL files that can be used to print models on the library’s 3d printers. ages 13-18 welcome. a valid email address is required to participate.
• Steam Social on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m.: bring the whole family and discover some amazing games, toys, and activities you have probably never seen or heard of before (and all of them teach you about science, technology, engineering or math)! Play a game with your family, watch our 3d printer create something amazing, or meet one of our friendly robots. You never know what you will find at our Steam Social. Seating is limited and toys and games are first-come, first-served. best for kids ages 5 and up and their families.
• Lego Club on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m.: ages 8-12 are invited to participate in a different building theme and activity at our architecture-based Lego Club.
There is no charge to attend. The main Library is located at 2951 S. 21st drive. For more information, call 928-782-1871.
Feb. 15 sign up deadline for Yuma SW Contractors’ Career and Trades Experience
The next Career and Trades experience for the Yuma Southwest Contractors association will be held on march 15-16 at the Yuma County Fairgrounds.
This two-day event will focus on educating the current and future workforce. They will learn about all the trades, from electrical, cosmetology, culinary, mechanics, law enforcement and many more.
attendees will have the opportunity to experience the trades with hands-on activities, learn about wages, and talk to the professionals all in one location.
exhibitors, sponsors and schools are invited to sign up now. registration closes Feb. 15.
For more information, email to Career-trades@yswca.com or call 928- 210-5799. Sponsors and volunteers needed.
Kids invited to learn about 3D printing
Children of all ages are invited to the San Luis Library for the following programs:
• 3d Printer discovery on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. attendees will enjoy an up-close look at a 3d printer, including how to program it to print various objects. ages 13-18 welcome. Space is limited.
• Literary Legos on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. Listen to a story and build with Legos! Literary Legos is a program designed to provide literacy skills to children with a fun story that they can interpret through Legos.
The San Luis Library is located at 1075 n. 6th ave. For more information, call 928-627-8344.
Computer Basics for seniors on Feb. 21
The Foothills Library will offer the following classes and activities for adults this month:
• Computer basics for Seniors: microsoft Word on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m.: microsoft Word is a word processing program that allows for the creation of both simple and complex documents. Subjects such as formatting, printing and useful quick keys will be discussed and demonstrated.
Space is limited. There is no charge to attend. The Foothills Library is located at 13226 e. South Frontage road. For more information, call 928-342-1640.
Small Business Boot Camp: Metrics and tax basics
The arizona Commerce authority regularly hosts Small business boot Camp webinars, with speakers sharing strategies on navigating these unprecedented times and making important mentorship connections. The webinars are usually held from 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays but will sometimes hold workshops on other days.
Here are the next webinars:
• Feb. 7 – Successful metrics for Traction: Growth and scalability require identifying what works, what doesn’t and what needs to be changed to gain traction. metrics tell whether a business is doing the right things. The goal in this session is to review what metrics businesses should be tracking, how to track and use them to make better business decisions. In this presentation, attendees will learn simple and practical tools to improve results and execution. To gain alignment and achieve concrete results, Ceos can use these tools on their own with their executive teams.
• Feb. 9 – business Tax basics Lunch and Learn Virtual Workshop: Join the arizona Commerce authority and experts from the arizona department of revenue for a course in transaction privilege tax basics for businesses. Topics covered include: Licensing and reporting, Location based reporting, Tax rates, exemption Certificates, exemptions and deduction Codes, added Tax vs. Tax Factoring, and Calculating and reporting Tax.
To register and/or see upcoming or archived webinars, go to www. azcommerce.com/small-businessboot-camp.