Author James L. Thane’s books are a study in the North Valley By Madeleine Williamson North Scottsdale crime novelist James L. Thane brings fiction and reality together into his books by creating settings using Valley landmarks. Eddie V’s, Mastro’s and Pinnacle Peak all make cameos in his three books, “No Place to Die,” “Until Death” and his recent offering, “Fatal Blow.” “I just simply enjoy the area so mu ...

Spartan Home Services offers interior and exterior cleaning By Eric Newman When David Hartman moved to Anthem from northern Michigan with his fiancée Carmen Jordan, they had one goal: Keep the north Phoenix area beautiful. They aim to do it one property at a time. With children already living in the area, and wishing to find warmer weather, the pair settled in the Valley in July and opened Spartan Home Serv ...

A-Authentic Garage Doors builds solid reputation and plans expansion By Lauren Wise A garage door is one of those things that tends to reveal its true necessity only when it’s not working properly. Whether broken, damaged by a wayward emergency break – or the illusion that the garage is already open, as has happened to this writer – or squeaks so loudly you put mousetraps in the garage corners, you’re in a ...

Owner of KW Styling Studio finds fulfillment in helping clients look their best By Alison Stanton Kristy Wallace knew from a very early age that she wanted to go to cosmetology school and get into the beauty industry. “Growing up, I was always into makeup and hair,” Wallace says. “Between painting my dog’s nails and always being the friend who styled everyone’s hair and did their makeup, I knew it was my ca ...

HonorHealth begins building process for new hospital By Eric Newman A group of healthcare executives and local politicians broke ground to symbolize the start of construction on the North Valley’s newest hospital on December 5. The HonorHealth Sonoran Medical Center, HonorHealth’s sixth area hospital, will be built at Interstate 17 and Dove Valley Road. The facility, on the campus that currently houses the ...

What’s brewing at Scottsdale coffee shops By Olivia Munson Every day, Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee. For some, the day does not truly begin without a signature cup of Joe. Over the past years, coffee drinkers shifted from drinking in fast chains to enjoying the quiet atmosphere of a coffee shop. In Scottsdale, there are plenty of shops to help fit your coffee fix. Echo Coffee 2902 N. 68th Str ...

West Coast Plumbing & Air owners provide customers with life essentials By Alison Stanton As co-owners of West Coast Plumbing & Air, Michelle Ricart and her husband John Ricart IV offer plumbing and HVAC services to residential and commercial customers. “We provide all plumbing and HVAC services from garbage disposals and toilet repairs to barbecue gas lines,” Michelle says, adding they al ...

New Look Collision expands with new facility in Scottsdale By Eric Newman When Michael Whittemore began fixing an old Camaro and Pontiac Firebird at age 17, he knew he had a passion for cars. He parlayed that passion into an 18-year career as an auto technician, but never imagined he’d be the owner of his own automobile service center with multiple locations. His first New Look Collision shop opened in Hend ...

Pieh Tool Company carries on a family legacy in horseshoeing and blacksmithing By Eric Newman When Bill Pieh, founder of Centaur Forge Farrier and Blacksmith Supply, passed away in 2000, his youngest daughter, Amy, took it upon herself to continue the family legacy. Though the family sold Burlington, Wisconsin-based Centaur in 2002 – 42 years after its founding in 1960 – she is still a mainstay in the indus ...

Josh Rogers’ Anthem gym burns calories and inhibitions By Madison Rutherford   Josh Rogers has never had a “real job.” He played arena football for five years in Canada, started coaching and rolled right into opening his own fitness facility in Anthem with his wife, Laura, in 2005. “Once my career was done, I was like, ‘I’m going to open a gym,’” he says with a shrug. The rest is history. The first spa ...

Muscular Moving Men’s business grows bigger every year By Hayden Weber Moving can be one of the most stressful things in a person’s life. The guys at Muscular Moving Men are trying to change that. Phoenix natives Josh Jurhill and Justin Hodge started moving people over a decade ago with just a borrowed truck and trailer. Fast-forward a decade later and the two men now run the fastest-growing moving business ...

Animals can get the ultimate “spaw” experience at The Groomery by PetSmart Special to North Valley Magazine   Animals can get the ultimate “spaw” experience at The Groomery by PetSmart An upscale, full-service pet grooming salon opened in Anthem on Sept. 8. The Groomery by PetSmart is a new, innovative store concept focused exclusively on providing pet grooming services such as baths, haircuts, blow-ou ...

By Eric Newman   The Anthem Area Chamber of Commerce held a Legislative Town Hall on Aug. 14, featuring the Arizona State legislative candidates in District 1. Incumbent Karen Fann (R), along with Jo Craycraft (D), Noel Campbell (R), Jodi Rooney (R), Jan Manolis (D) and Dr. Ed Gogek (D) took questions from Anthem-area citizens and press concerning their viewpoints on noteworthy political issues in Ariz ...

Bigfish Creative Group coins new ‘Five Cs of AZ’ By Alison Bailin Batz   Bigfish Creative Group coins new ‘Five Cs of AZ’ Exactly 100 years ago — in 1918 — there were 1.75 million cattle in Arizona. “There were nearly two million cows and only about 300,000 people,” says Joe Pizzimenti, owner of Bigfish Creative Group in the North Valley. “Similarly, thanks to irrigation that started here in the late 1 ...

Cresa is committed to the diversification of commercial real estate.   In a historically, male-dominated industry, it's no wonder that the women of Cresa's Phoenix office have propelled themselves into the spotlight. They stand behind a firm that, since its inception in 1993, has been committed to the recruitment and retaining of women, and the diversification of commercial real estate. Women make up o ...