Transcript
Speaker: The voice of growth, mastering the mind and market, timeless wisdom, proven strategies, and the deep work that creates lasting success. Like and subscribe to stay aligned with what truly drives results.
Speaker: The two things that really get in the way of these types of mergers and acquisitions is lack of trust and too much ego.
Speaker: Being in the throes of the campaign, um doing the things that you do, talking to people, knocking on doors, you know, that was then made real.
Speaker: And so I got to the point in my career where people were were wanting me as a part of their team as opposed to me going after something.
Speaker: Are we still providing the right kind of value? The merger was great, but but what is next
Speaker: We should always be moving toward the next chapter. Every day i wake up thinking, oh, what fun thing do I get to work on today?
Speaker: My epitaph would read, he was a person that we not only liked, but respected.
Speaker: We're all moving in one direction. And i i don't think we need to lose sight of the past, but I also don't think we should completely dwell and live in the past. Because again, we're still writing our chapters and that those chapters are only in one direction. and That direction is forward.
Speaker: I love what I do.
Speaker: This episode is sponsored by Hub International, protecting what matters most to you.
Speaker: Every leader has certain experiences that they experience in their youth as they're growing in their career. What experience and leadership helped to shape yours?
Speaker: Yeah, well, thanks, Manny. Always good to be here. Good to see you. i I really think back to the times when I was in high school and college, when I got my first glimpse into politics. So I worked on Congressman Colby's campaign back in, was certainly to 92, 94, 96. I worked on those campaigns. That's when I was in high school and college. And, know, when you're in that experience and when you're kind of thrown into that, working on campaigns, this is Congress, this is, you know, it's a big deal. You're you're talking to people that you really never have talked to before, right? I mean, you you go through high school and you're learning all the things that you learn. But when you're when you're thrown into that, and and in high school, I'd actually started a political club with a buddy of mine. We actually co-founded a And so, you know, we were interested in it. But until that experience, I never really was was like really in it. So so being in the throes of the campaign, um doing the things that you do, talking to people, knocking on doors, you know, that was then made real. And so and also watching the congressman.
Speaker: You know, the way he talked to people, the way he approached issues, the way he kind of approached life in general was a a really early sight for me to see and really helped me understand what what leadership is all about. And it helped me really understand, too, what I wanted to do in life.
Speaker: Yeah, I think these ah these moments in our youth helped to shape, you know, the future, right, who we are. Are there any lessons that you've learned in the past couple of years that have been lessons in leadership for you?
Speaker: yeah Yeah, well, there's there's a big one. And that one is, so I was up until a little over a year ago, the CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber.
Speaker: And I, for the four years that I was the CEO, I i kind of brought the chamber back. um The chamber was was was failing. And so i i brought the chamber back to life. And at that time, ah about four years in...
Speaker: I once worked for Joe Snell at Sun Corridor. right I was there for seven and a half years, left. I was at the chamber, well, you know between the time I was CEO and and executive VP about, let's just say seven years, you know, six and a half years.
Speaker: At that time, Joe had reached out and said, look, you know we we've been having these conversations amongst my executive committee members and just some folks about how we're entering a phase in our community where we should probably be looking at consolidating efforts, consolidating organizations. yeah And so I want to just talk to you and see if that makes sense. And my almost immediate response was, Yes. Let's let's at least have the conversation.
Speaker: And so. So by once we got our executive committees together and we started really having a real conversation about why it made sense to merge the organizations, that was another step in in my personal journey as well, too, especially since most.
Speaker: Most mergers and acquisitions happen because there's a void, right? Like ah usually a leadership void. right So someone leaves and then, you know, then the organizations start talking and say, hey, what if? Right. Right.
Speaker: Well, this was a case where where Joe and I weren't going anywhere. And there was one other example in the country that we found where that existed and they were still able to make it work. So we had a lot of conversations with them. But at the end of the day, we also understood that the two things that really get in the way of these types of mergers and acquisitions is lack of trust and too much ego.
Speaker: And we were able to set all of that aside. We had the trust in each other because I had worked for Joe. And we were also able to to let our egos, set aside our egos for the greater good of the organization, the greater good of what we felt that this merger would ultimately accomplish. Yeah.
Speaker: And so because we were able to accomplish those two things right off the bat, that made us, that made the merger a lot easier to ah to happen, quite frankly. so So that, I mean, in answer to your question, that is that is a huge, within the last couple of years, leadership um lesson. yeah And another step in in in sort of my leadership development where I was able to look at the the whole situation, say, yes, this merger makes sense. Yes, I am going to have to have to take a step back as a leader. I'm still a leader, but you know I'm not CEO anymore. But i I am able to take that step back to say, I still believe in all of this.
Speaker: And I may someday get back to that place. But at this point in time, I believe so much in what we are trying to accomplish with this merger that I'm i'm willing to take that step back.
Speaker: Yeah, I think ah I've had similar experiences in my day, having started and run as Terra. And then after that, I took a sidestep and became the chief revenue officer of a company.
Speaker: And I was supporting the CEO. So it gave me a different perspective and it gave me also a different perspective. ability to interact with the world. So that kind of brings me to my next question.
Speaker: Well, first of all, ah we were talking earlier. This is a first for the podcast. Yes. We're outside. We are outside. We're in the morning. Yep. Really early. And we're having cigars. And I love it.
Speaker: And I'm glad we re we connected about cigars and stuff because it's it's one thing that I enjoy on an occasional basis. I talk about stillness a lot. I talk about just taking a step back.
Speaker: And if you're in the hustle and bustle of the world, it's hard to to really set aside that time unless you make the time. That's And when you sit down with a cigar, you're able to to really not go anywhere. I mean. Yeah.
Speaker: That's just the way it kind of rolls. you're You're in that place for at least an hour and a half, because that's how that's how long it typically takes me to smoke a cigar, about an hour and a half. ah So, yeah, you know you're in that space, usually surrounded by friends and sometimes in other situations where you go to a cigar lounge or...
Speaker: or what have you you, you meet new friends through that. But you know you're in that space for that period of time. And you're right. It's just a good good time that you know you're go to be there for a certain time to just take a step back, relax, enjoy the moment.
Speaker: Yeah, i want to give thanks to our friends at Fairway Cigars for at least providing a ah framework for people to communicate and hang out. I went there last night. I watched part of the World world Cup.
Speaker: And they were gracious enough to allow us to use their space. But with timing and all, it just made better sense for us to do it this morning. We're definitely going to do a podcast there in the future with with other guests.
Speaker: So they were really open to letting us use their executive lounge. Excellent. And so they also let me ah borrow this ashtray. It's very nice. It's very nice. All right. So the to the question, how has your your metric for success changed?
Speaker: changed over your career? So i would I would say an answer to that. it's I don't know if it's changed too much, but but what what I have really noticed and and really been blessed with is after my first couple jobs, I didn't really interview for the next jobs that I have received. I was sought after.
Speaker: And so I got to the point in my career where people were were wanting me as a part of their team as opposed to me going after something. And in some ways that's good. In some ways ah that can make you sometimes a little bit complacent. Yeah. So I certainly want to avoid that because there was a moment in in my career where I did get too complacent.
Speaker: i I was not... And I wasn't achieving the goals as as well as I know that I could have. and And i was i was caught.
Speaker: um Caught in the sense that the my superiors noticed that. i see. And so so that was that was and you know that was about 12, 13 years ago. So it wasn't um too too long ago. but But again, I just had kind of gotten to that point in my career where I just got a little bit too complacent. So it was a good it was a good check and balance.
Speaker: Say, okay, you you still have to move forward. You still have to innovate. You still have to you still have to learn new things. You still have to provide value.
Speaker: So so that was that was a really good. So so for me, it's it's really, you know, before that and after that, really making sure that that I continue to provide provide value to myself, provide value to the organization. And in this case, and in the last few jobs that I've had provide value to our investors, to our members,
Speaker: So i'm I'm always looking for that. and And I think the merger also helped with that because it helped create a new value proposition this that this community hadn't seen in a long time. yeah But even a year in we're still asking the same questions. We're saying...
Speaker: ah how are we still providing value? Are we still providing the right kind of value? The merger was great, but, but what is next? yeah So, and we should always be asking that question. What is next? What is new? What has changed?
Speaker: um What do the, what do the investors want? What does the community need? What does the community want? You know I would also say that, that, that a metric is, is impact. Yeah.
Speaker: you know, how how impactful are we in our daily jobs? How impactful are we in the work? And that's something that I wanted to keep my foot on the gas. I want to make sure that that I'm still providing impact. And at some times, you know, especially in in Tucson, where we are challenged, I think, from an economic standpoint, that we should continue to keep our foot on the gas to make sure that that the economy is in the forefront, that, uh, you know, things that we are working on issues that we are working on are always in the forefront and really leading in the areas that we should be leading. So, so yeah, I would, I would say that that's, that's my main metric right now.
Speaker: Interesting. Let me ask you this something about our community in particular. What is it about Tucson that is so part of your DNA?
Speaker: Tucson. Well, Tucson, i look, let me start by saying this. I love this place. I think Tucson is one of the best communities in the country. i I know we have a lot of challenges, but every time I travel somewhere, whether it's domestically or internationally, i come back and it it feels like home. Yeah.
Speaker: And it it truly is home. I am a Tucson native, and so i don't really know any other place From a living standpoint, i like you, I've been to a lot of places, but I haven't really lived in ah any other place. So so that's that's part of the DNA. It's just that sort of native soul, that that sense of community that I just inherently have because I was born here.
Speaker: But I think the other aspect is, you know, you hear a lot about how how caring Tucson is and how we all strive to to care for one another and really try to find ways to to build community and build culture.
Speaker: So so that that's part of the DNA as well. i I truly care about the community. I care about the people in the community. And I ultimately want to just continue to work on ways to make it a better place.
Speaker: That's what you do. Ever since I've known you, you've been involved with at some level with, uh, with making Tucson a better place. And I think your role as it's shifted over there over, i don't know, the past, at least 20 years since I've known you is, uh, is a lot of connecting dots, blazing new trails,
Speaker: ah unapologetically so taking a stance. And so that's my next question. How do you, in as far as your leadership style, how do you really, i hate to use the word balance. I don't like that word very much, but we'll sure you will use it here. How do you balance ah the needs of the masses and the the needs that you perceive need to happen?
Speaker: that sometimes are against the masses. Yeah, i I appreciate that question. that There are certain things to come to mind. ah You know, one one of the most recent is the the data center issues that we've been working on. So that's that's an area where, you know, we're we're not out there waving the flag saying, yay, data center, yay, data center. But we are waving the flag of economic prosperity yeah and and just building the economy within Tucson.
Speaker: And i I say Tucson, what I really mean the region, because there are other communities within the region who have been accepting of that. And so so working, just finding paths of least resistance ah is is is part of that. But I would just also say that.
Speaker: that we talk about that a lot. And, and i try to I try to do my best to position things in a way that are more collaborative in nature, but also don't go too far so that you're just going to completely piss the other side off. yeah Right.
Speaker: Because i you know, you were, use the word balance and I know, ah you You may not like using the word, but but it really is. it's It's making sure that we stick to what we believe in and we believe in building a better economy while also understanding where the other quote unquote side is coming from.
Speaker: So trying to get a good understanding a little of what those thoughts and feelings are on that other side and trying to find find that middle ground.
Speaker: Sometimes it's achievable, sometimes it's not. But I'm not going to be the person who's just going to like just beat the drum as hard as I can. i am going to be the person that is going to say, here's what I believe and this is why.
Speaker: Based on data, based on experience, why we should be moving in this direction, but also sitting down with the other person and saying, tell me why you think you're the way you're thinking. And based on that, how can we come to some sort of some realization ah of why this is important? I think I think, you know, the big challenge Tucson has right now is the last The last like big, you know, the BHAG, right? um The last BHAG that I think Tucson has had, there's a couple are RTA.
Speaker: And so we we got that done in 2006. It was reauthorized last year. um And then, sorry, this year. Yeah, this year. Wow.
Speaker: Sorry, this year. um And then and Rio Nuevo. But you know those are almost 20 years old. And so we i think we we kind of struggle with what is that next big thing that Tucson needs to really focus on and accomplish? And those are the conversations that we're having. so So for us, it's it's identifying what that next big initiative, that next next big project, that thing that is going to continue to push Tucson forward, especially from in in our view, an economic development sense where our our community can just try to become more prosperous. Yeah.
Speaker: You know, ah success and winning, wonderful things. But we learn a lot from failures. That we do. Can you point to any particular failures in your career that helped to define you?
Speaker: Yeah, well, i i mentioned a little bit or I alluded to a little bit earlier about that that sort of check that I had in in my career where I just got a little bit too complacent. and that was that was certainly a wake-up moment where...
Speaker: i I lost my composure. i lost ah my drive, quite frankly.
Speaker: And I wouldn't say I was punished for it, but like ah like I was saying earlier, it was noticed. Mm-hmm. And, and so that was, you know, I had many sleepless nights after that where I had to really reflect on, okay, you, you think you've been doing the right thing, but, but you haven't been doing something good enough. You haven't been doing your job good enough.
Speaker: so So what do you need to change to to to break that? and And so, that I mean, that's certainly one that that i that I really point to.
Speaker: So then there was there was another time when I was i was actually working for Councilmember Fred Ronstadt. was his chief of staff. Mm-hmm. And there was an issue that we were working on.
Speaker: And he was on, this was just one of those crazy moments. He was on the radio. Okay. And we were waiting for a decision to come down from the city clerk at that time.
Speaker: And I, we got the memo and I read it wrong. Oh, shit. Yeah. but Completely read it wrong. And so we started, this was back in the days of pagers. Yeah, course. And it was it was the type of pager that you could actually type a message on, right? You remember those? do, I do. So we had this machine where we could type this message. It couldn't be very long, but we were basically saying, got the memo, you know, and and so we heard him on the radio and he was saying, oh, hey, my staff just got the memo. And so we started typing out what the memo was saying, at least I was, and it was completely wrong. So he was giving erroneous information on live air yeah on live air.
Speaker: Uh, and one of my colleagues had pointed out my mistake and Fred had to go back on the air and, and basically retract everything.
Speaker: Uh, so, so that was quite the moment. Um, and, and we all have those kinds of moments where those, we just do these kinds of stupid things, but they're always learning lessons. It's like, Hey, make sure you read the full memo, dumb, dumb.
Speaker: If you run a business, you know that growth comes with risk. And the bigger you get, the more there is to protect. That's why I trust Hub International. Hub is the insurance broker for my company, and they have helped me to look beyond simply just having insurance to making sure we're actually covered for the risks that we face.
Speaker: As a CEO, that really matters to me. Why? because I want to spend my time growing the business, not wondering whether we're protected if something goes wrong. So they're not just a sponsor to the podcast.
Speaker: They're actually a company that I trust with my business. Hub International. What matters most to you, that's what Hub protects. If you're building something that matters to you, click the link in the description and see how Hub can help you protect it.
Speaker: Radiant Dev, transforming technical staffing. With over 20 years of industry experience, Radiant Dev connects growing companies the right talent.
Speaker: And as you know, the right people can transform your company. Their approach is truly innovative and will bring the right people to the table. From software and AI, to e-commerce, to aerospace defense, healthcare and life sciences, engineering, all across the technical domains, their structured approach to hiring ensures that you are able to build the team that you need to lead your industry.
Speaker: You know, with all the AI slopped today in hiring, trust the people at Radiant Dev to build your team. Go to radiant.dev to learn more and transform your company.
Speaker: You're going to get criticized by people. going get fingers pointed at you by people and groups and all that. When you have these moments happen in your life, how do you deal with that? So i am, and and this is kind of by nature, but also I'm by something that I've been looking more and more into.
Speaker: i I really feel that i am I'm a classic Stoic. And, you know, Stoicism sometimes gets a bad rap because Stoic, the lowercase s Stoic, people feel has you know it's just lack of emotion, lack of feeling. You're just...
Speaker: rolling through life, not caring about a thing. Well, the upper case upper uppercase S stoic is more about doing the right thing and moving forward in a direction that you feel is right, but also doing it in a way where you realize that you cannot control the sit fully control the situation. right You can only control what you do.
Speaker: Exactly. So do what is best, that you what you feel is truly best, and move forward in that direction. And as long as you feel that you have done everything right, that you have, you know, let's just take an issue. If you've researched the issue, you've put together the talking points, you've put together in your mind yeah how you firmly believe you're moving forward and and the way you're moving forward in your mind is the right thing to do, then that's the best you can do.
Speaker: Then you have done everything for yourself. Mm-hmm. to to feel good in the moment about what you've done on that issue, on that project, whatever it is.
Speaker: So that helps me. Because at the end of the day, i can look back and say, i really did a good job on those things that I that i said, that I did. And yes, there are always going to be people out there who don't agree, people out there who want to to throw stones. yeah Let them.
Speaker: Exactly. Just let them do that because at the end of the day, you feel good about what you did. So that that has helped me immensely. Oh yeah, me too. I mean, obviously this podcast is one of the cornerstones of stoicism. And for me, it was kind of born from me going through a lot of strife in 2013 initially with a kind of a painful divorce. And then as time progressed, I grew my company very quickly as Tara and everything was going really great. And then the market shifted.
Speaker: And then I was faced with with basically having to let people go. And this this thing that I created... became um, another chapter that I had to turn the page on. And how I did that was a lot through stoicism and realize that I did my very best. And, I did have a lot of sleepless nights back in the day, but once I realized, you know what, we're all going to be worm food. We're all going to die. You know, we're all at the end of the day, we have to just do our best and move forward.
Speaker: That's right. So that's what it had to be. Yeah, I can't remember. I don't think it was Marcus Aurelius, but it was someone, maybe Cato, who had said, we are always dying.
Speaker: Yeah. And it's not in the sense, the not in the negative sense, like, hey, just give up things now because tomorrow you may be dead. It was more of we are always we always have chapters in our lives. hmm. And we should always be moving toward the next chapter. So what what he's meaning by that is your your recent chapter just died.
Speaker: So now you're time it's time to move on to the next chapter. And i think i I firmly believe that's that's the way we should be looking at life, as as chapters where we are constantly growing. And there is going to be an end. There's an end for all of us. But as long as we are building chapters along the way, knowing that some chapters are going to be behind us because the next greater chapter is coming up, I think that's how we that's how we go through life successfully.
Speaker: Indeed. So ah when Michael Guymon is dead and buried, uha what is it you want your book to be remembered for?
Speaker: um ah I want, I guess I would say my epitaph would read, he was a person that we not only liked, but respected.
Speaker: Because it's easy to be liked. I'm a nice guy. I feel like i'm a nice guy. And a lot of people say that I'm a nice guy. But I also want to to be respected in the work that I do. So that's that's kind of the next level beyond being nice. It's also being respected. So that's how I would see it. But beyond that, Manny, I you know i i think it was Conan O'Brien who once said that all statues should be made of really hard soap.
Speaker: So that they deteriorate after seven or eight years because life goes on. Life goes on life goes on for all of us. And so, sure, I'd like to be remembered as that nice and respected guy for maybe seven or eight years, but then those folks can move on. Yeah, I was just in Argentina and we spent a lot of time in Buenos Aires all these other cities and you walk around, you see these statues of these magnificent warriors right on these like horses with all kinds of headdress.
Speaker: And then you read the the plaque and it's some random guy and you know, it's like, who is this guy? And then you go into, we went to the Recoleta Cemetery, which they have these ridiculous sculptures outside of these these mausoleums.
Speaker: And, you know, these are forgotten. Forgotten. Many them are forgotten. You look inside and they're falling apart and you see the caskets in there rotting away. It's like, who is that? right Right. Who was that? Obviously somebody very special, but the people that remembered that person...
Speaker: are now gone themselves exactly that's i couldn't agree and look i don't want to to disrespect the past i want to acknowledge the past i think the past has great stories but we're all moving in one direction yeah and i i don't think we need to lose sight of the past but i also don't think we should completely dwell and live in the past yeah Because again, we're still writing our chapters and that those chapters are only in one direction and that direction is forward. So so yeah, i I like history just as much as anyone else. I like the stories within history, but outside of that, yeah, they're they're gone. yeah We're moving forward. I'll be gone. Those people will move forward. Yeah, more exactly.
Speaker: i have a ah good number of friends that still live in the past. They reminisce. They talk about this. I've got, you know, hey, remember in high school, X, Y, Z. and And frankly, I've done my best to just move forward. And then I also have friends that live in the future a lot. Well, when this happens, well, when that happens. And I had a tendency to do do that in my youth.
Speaker: And I spent a good fair amount of my, you know, 40s now and 50s, early 50s, to try to get back on center and focus on the present. Yeah. I like that. Yes. I like that a lot.
Speaker: So you've got a very unique perspective, Michael. You have been involved with with politics in and all kinds of civic levels. You've been involved with education. You you know you talk to CEOs and you have people from both Tucson and from out of Tucson come in.
Speaker: So you've got this unique perspective about leadership. What is it about these leaders, patterns, if you will, that maybe most people don't see that you see?
Speaker: Yeah, I love that question because i have thought about that. And I think the the main pattern is our our two things. One, they're great listeners.
Speaker: And two, they're great visionaries. Yeah. you To me, the a lot of the CEOs I talk to, they don't really pay too much attention to the little details.
Speaker: They pay attention to what is going to be. It's kind of like what you talked about, you know people who live in the future. what what is What is that going to I think a lot of the CEOs live in that future to say things are good now.
Speaker: How are they better in two years? How are they better in five years? How are they better in 10 years? I think that's that's one of the differentiators where they have that ability to to see the forecast, to see what's coming, to anticipate what's coming and to also do it in a way that motivates the people that they lead to to go in that direction as well.
Speaker: So, you know, someone once said, you know, what is your definition of leader? That's easy. You, you, you lead people follow you, i right? mean, we could talk, we could talk ah poetically about all these leadership skills and, and, and the way to listen and the way to focus and the way to do this and the way to do that.
Speaker: It comes down to one simple thing. You're a leader because people follow you. And so so that to me is the differentiator as well, where the real successful CEOs, the people that we deal with, the people that are on our board, ah the people have led our organization,
Speaker: there theyre they're not only seeing and anticipating what's to come and addressing that, but they're also doing in a way where people are... believing in that and people are following that and people are listening to that and people are understanding that. So, so that to me is, uh, that to me is the differentiator and what I see in the conversations that I have with, uh, with all the CEOs that that we deal with on a regular basis.
Speaker: Can you name two leaders that you admire? Could be a dead or you don't even know them personally, or maybe somebody you work with. Yeah. One, i mean, the the immediate one that comes to mind is is the the person that kind of first taught me leadership, and that's Congressman Colby.
Speaker: i And, ah you know, he did pass away a couple years ago, so he is he's no longer with us. But, you know, he was a ah leader at a time.
Speaker: And, you know, politics it has changed a little bit since his— little bit. Well, you know, I always i always say that the don't lose sight in the fact that, again, going back to sort of this the history that we talked about, that debate has been going on and differences of opinion have been going on since the dawn of time. Yeah. Sometimes it changes in the way that that message is communicated. And, you know, 200 years ago, they didn't have social media and social media has changed the way people get their news, the way people ah make their case, the pay the way people spread information. So that has been ah a huge differentiator. But but he just he taught me a lot in in you know how to how to care for people, how to understand the issues, how to move forward effectively on issues, how to lead in politics in a way where people do respect him. Again, going back to that, there were I know there were a lot of people I worked with who who didn't agree with what he was doing, but they respected the decision that he had made. Yeah.
Speaker: So so that's um that's certainly one, you know, the the other one, Manny. And this is a little bit unconventional in a sense. But I also really liked how Chuck Huckleberry handled things.
Speaker: You know, again someone that, you know, just the mention of his name causes certain thoughts, immediate thoughts in people's minds. They could be good. They could be bad.
Speaker: But he ran the county for almost 30 years. So there's something to be said about that But he also, you know, he was an engineer. Yeah. yeah An engineer turned county administrator.
Speaker: And he was able to just through the way he presented issues, the way that I'll also also point this out. He entered as county administrator under a Republican led board and left under a Democrat led board.
Speaker: And all of those individuals would speak highly of him. And I think that says something about his leadership ability to to be able to take a step back and say, yeah I understand the the differences in politics amongst these board members, but here's how the county needs to move forward. Here's here are the things that we need to do. And what's interesting, too, is that he started off building his Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and ended his term building the ah basically the research park South Raytheon.
Speaker: So the the county worked out a deal where they bought this land south of Raytheon. They bought it as part of a buffer, but they also ah built it to to have a um a research park where companies could you know they could have the and they had the infrastructure there. Everything was set so companies could come in.
Speaker: So he had shifted, not well not necessarily shifted because they're not mutually exclusive, but but you know started off with how do we save as much of the Sonoran Desert as possible because it is unique and we need to save the parts of the Sonoran Desert that we should save yeah to establishing a research park that was focused on economic development and how and where companies could ultimately land.
Speaker: So it was just it's it's a great shift, but acknowledgment and, again, leadership to say, here's where I feel the county needs to go And it didn't matter if they were Republican or Democrat. They they follow. yeah And so so I think that that he really stands out in my mind as well.
Speaker: Yeah, I got a chance to meet him a few times and he was ah a larger than life guy. Yeah, sure. I mean, not only physically tall, but also a big presence. ah Great segue, by the way.
Speaker: ah What is it about Southern Arizona? What is the treasure that perhaps we're not using enough of? In other words, we're a very unique place, obviously. Yeah. And what is it about Tucson and the region, Southern Arizona in particular, that is sort of the the unearthed treasure that we should really be helping to to raise up?
Speaker: Yeah, i I kind of struggle with that. um I think, obviously, just the the place that we're in the Sonoran Desert, it's ah it's the unique you know most unique desert in the world. It's the only place that you're going to find saguaros. So there's there are some unique aspects to that.
Speaker: But, you know, we we've we've also been really struggled with... how we we are so close, we have such close proximity to the border, we could capitalize on that so much more.
Speaker: and And that's kind of where I go, where we have this unique opportunity as a a large community, the largest community in southern Arizona with that proximity to the border, just being a a ah more more of a welcome mat, more of a a place of commerce yeah where we could do more in terms of the commerce that comes up through Mexico.
Speaker: yeah.
Speaker: You know, it's a great place. It's a unique place. know, I think a million people is is a good size. You know, we're not too big. We're not too small. um You know, that hurts and helps us from an economic development standpoint.
Speaker: But i just think we have so much opportunity, so much more opportunity in in working with Mexico and and being that place to to be that true front door to the commerce that's coming up through Mexico. Yeah.
Speaker: If you were sitting across the table from a young entrepreneur that could plant their flag anywhere, why would you tell them to plant their flag here? So I would answer that this way, Manny. I think that from an ecosystem standpoint, we have a supportive environment.
Speaker: We have the tech park. We have the Center for Innovation. We have Startup Tucson. ah The Tucson Industrial Development Authority is becoming more of a greater resource. it is.
Speaker: So so from that sort of starting phase, phase, I think that we have we have a good, strong, ah supportive ecosystem. You know, after that, I think we're really at the chamber, especially trying to figure out how we how we get them help them to the next point.
Speaker: because we have had entrepreneurs that have wanted to sign up to be in a member of the chamber. And, you know, right now we're helping to connect them to the right people. if if they have a product to sell, you know, it's, it's a great space for them to, to meet others and meet potential business partners, to meet customers, all of that.
Speaker: um So that's, that's, that's a good resource and a building resource for them. um So so i would i would say that that just from an ecosystem standpoint, we do have a strong one here in Tucson and can help them get from point A to point B, from B to C, from C to D. So that's, I think we're doing well, but we could always do better. Yeah, I would agree with you on that.
Speaker: Especially having started a business in Tucson and navigated it, and now I'm running a ah different kind of business. we We've been around for almost 60 years. So what's interesting is that we're we're kind of very niche-y, and with the exception of the University of Arizona, we don't really do business in Tucson. Right. So it's a weird dynamic to be in town but not have a lot of customers in town.
Speaker: But I'm trying to, to especially with all the stuff happening in Phoenix with semiconductors, we have a semiconductor tool trying to bring more action to Tucson via the semiconductor wildcard there. Great.
Speaker: I love that. Next question for you. When you get up in the morning, what drives you? I, you know, it's so funny. I have have these conversations with my wife.
Speaker: My wife is now retired. So she wakes up and she goes and plays tennis or, know, watches the news, just hangs out. So now it's kind of the the phase where I, you know, I get dressed. I go to the gym. I, um,
Speaker: Well, no, it's the other way around. I go to the gym, I i get dressed and and go to work. And what I tell her, because sometimes she'll say, gosh, sometimes I feel bad that I'm just, you know, I'm here. I'm just, i get to do whatever I want. What i but I tell her is that, and she believes this, is that I love what I do.
Speaker: And so the love that I have for my job, the love that I have for the work that I'm going to do that day the love that I have for the ability to help people, the love that I have for solving some of the big issues that we have in our community, that drives me. So every day i wake up thinking, ooh, what fun thing do I get to work on today?
Speaker: What fun project do I get to accomplish? What fun... uh activity or issue do i get to work on where i get to have these conversations to make things even better that's my drive nice there is so much to be said about that michael that uh i actually wrote a poem about it many years ago when oh when i was doing a lot of poetry i'm not so much anymore it was about my my uncle who uh who shared with me some Sometimes when he was a younger man and he was out there working in the fields and, you know, we have a tendency to think that, yeah, they're suffering out there. They're, there' you you know, backbreaking work. It's hot outside and they're picking tomatoes or whatever they're doing. But he actually saw it as a as a different thing.
Speaker: that he's alive. He had a lot of stoic principles when I didn't even know that they were there, right? Right. He's alive. He's out there. He's enjoying the sun. He gets to to work hard with his muscles. He gets to cultivate and watch something grow.
Speaker: He gets to provide for his family through his paycheck, but also provide for the community and the food that he's that he's picking. and so I think about that a lot, especially when I have kind of ah a not so good day or I'm struggling with something. Yeah. I'm like, you know what? I am here on this earth and I'm walking around. I'm healthy. Like that is, that is huge. Yes. And so I'm, I, I'm very, very blessed and thankful that I get to do what I do because I love it. Same as you. I mean, I don't see it as work. I just see it as something that I get to do every day. Yeah. That's pretty amazing. It is.
Speaker: Second to last question. Yes. is if you think about a person that's ever lived or maybe alive today that you could spend dinner with, have a nice meal with them, have an opportunity maybe have a smoke with them, who would that be and why?
Speaker: So with that one, I'm going to take a little bit of sidestep because normally I go to politics. And whether it's a politician or a leader who has done these great things, I actually, and I, you know, it's, it's, my answer is going to be kind of funny because I could still do this today.
Speaker: But growing up, I idolized Ozzie Smith. i was a huge Ozzie Smith fan, shortstop for the Cardinals for many years. And he's someone who I would love to,
Speaker: to sit down and have a dinner with, uh, just kind of talk to him about his career, uh, talk to him about his, his life, talk to him about the things that he's still doing with the team, even after retirement.
Speaker: Um, so, so he's, he's someone I just, I've, I've always just admired. yeah ah and you know, baseball is a big part of my life. I i know it is love baseball. And so, so that, that's, that's where I go. I I'd love to just have dinner with Ozzie Smith.
Speaker: Yeah, there's so many people that I, that i've every time I ask that question, just so many people that come to mind. And it's changed over the years too. I mean, it's changed over every single time I ask. I mean, my father died when I was one. So part of is like, I'd love to to have that. right Absolutely. But there's other people that I admire and that I'd like to have ah really get in their brain. As much as people don't like ah Elon Musk or like him, I would want to sit and understand what makes this guy tick.
Speaker: but It would be fascinating. Might not even be able to catch up. Yeah. I don't know. It's just crazy. And then there's certain people that are like, maybe I thought were were people like to spend some time with. And then after learning more about them, I'm like, eh, maybe not so much. And so Marcus Aurelius would be one for sure. Yeah, absolutely. You know, like being at the command of ah of an empire and choosing a different road. i mean, it's it's a lot there.
Speaker: Absolutely. So last question. Yes. What is the message that you would want to give If you had the ability, maybe through this podcast, yeah if you had the ability to give a message to the world regarding anything, and could be your future self, it could be your daughter in the future, could be your future grandson, who would that be?
Speaker: Well, I immediately just go to the work that i do and the work that I've done and the work that I would want to continue to do.
Speaker: And that is be open, be more accepting of things that we need to do in our community grow wealth. Yeah.
Speaker: We talk a lot about poverty. ah Tucson really suffers with ah from from a high poverty rate. yeah And, you know, Tony Penn, the head of United Way, said this all the time. Many people say this.
Speaker: The beth path but best path to get us out of poverty is to provide good jobs. But the only way that we can do that is not only to build the skills that are necessary that the companies need, but also to be accepting of of companies, be accepting of economic growth, doing the things that we need to do in our community or any community for that matter to build prosperity and and to grow jobs. that that That would be my response to that.
Speaker: Nice. Well, thank you so much, Michael, for this opportunity. Appreciate your time and always love the opportunity to chat. Thank you so much, Manny. Cheers. Been a great friend. Thank you.
