Gilbert photographer’s ‘Landscapes’ captures scenes from Arizona

Neil A. Miller is a photographer with interests in landscapes, streetscapes and automotive photography.

The Gilbert resident exhibits his Arizona photography and promotes his coffee table book on the Morgan Motor Company of England, at Art Intersection through June.

In “Transitional Landscapes,” the nine black-and-white pictures of Arizona include a Chandler front yard, Hoover Dam and Highland Pines in Prescott. The work dates to the 1970s and were taken with a German Rolleiflex camera, which enables medium format photography.

 

“The images draw you in because of the composition,” Miller said. “It’s like traveling into the photo.”

The works are available for purchase, and prices range from $325 to $550.

As for his show, Miller said, “Using one’s imagination, a person can explore other dimensions beyond the height and width and specific subject matter of the photograph. The limits of exploration are personal, based on experience, attitudes, inventiveness and, to a large degree, an adventuring spirit.”

Miller, 66, a retiree since 2009 from his television photography job of 39 years for Channel 10 (KSAZ), has taught photography at Arizona State University and area community colleges.

He has been exhibiting since 1975 when his work was first displayed at Phoenix Art Museum.

But this is his first in Gilbert, and he has simultaneously incorporated his Morgan book to the show.

Creating the 239-paged “Morgan Exploration” was a labor of love for Miller, who has driven the British built car since the 1960s when he first purchased one from a junkyard and rebuilt it.

“There are no fancy assembly lines, it’s a traditional, handmade car,” said Miller, adding that the term used to describe the car’s manufacture is “coach-built.”

Miller visited the factory in 1969 and most of the 300 pictures in the book were shot then. He released the book in 2009 in California and England to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Morgan factory.

Although this was a personal labor of love, the Morgan management saw the book and designated it the factory’s official pictorial book.

The book traces Miller’s interest in the car company, its early days, the artistic quality of the vehicles and where they are now and the new models.

In 1969, Miller had his own car built in the factory, which remains in England in the care of a friend. Miller drives a 1963 model now.

He estimates there are less than 50 Morgans in Arizona, although the car has a strong following internationally.

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2011/05/13/20110513gilbert-photographer-arizona-landscapes-exhibit.html

Gilbert Public Schools, Higley United School District graduates for 2011

Top row: Lisa Marie Barrett, Jessica Marie Garcia, Jaimei Zhang, Shea Sullivan, Ho-Young Ahn, Rachel Hyneman

Row 2: Prateek Tiwari, Laura Tichacek, Aaron Webb, Courtney Whidden, Mackyla Patterson, Meaghan Shaw, Cassidy Kahle.

Row 3: Christen Nguyen, Abby Goreham, Mary Ngugi, Aidan Clevinger, Nicolas Martino, Laeth George

DESERT RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Graduation: 4 p.m. Wednesday, ASU Wells Fargo Arena.

Total graduates: 660.

Total scholarships earned: $4.6 million.

Valedictorian: Lisa Marie Barrett, 18, with a GPA grade-point average of 4.65, describes herself as a performer, artist and volunteer. She performs with Queen Creek Community Theater, and sings and plays guitar for her church; volunteers with Angel Acres, Inc., helping disabled and disadvantaged children through horse therapy; and paints.

“I am a strong believer in ‘actions speak louder than words,’ and in dreaming big. This is what has brought me to this point and will push me further in the future,” she said.

She has won a $1,500 scholarship from the Optimist International Oratorical competition, and is waiting word on other scholarships, and is hoping to study architecture at California State Polytechnic University.

Salutatorian: Jessica Marie Garcia, 18, with a GPA of 4.62, said, “I am not an environmentalist, I am an Earth Warrior! Most people would say they know me as a tree-hugger, and that’s because I am. It helps that I have been the Ecology Club president all four years of high school.” An honors student, she is a track and cross-country athlete. She earned an AIMS Scholarship for full tuition and a Presidential Scholarship to Northern Arizona University, where she plans to major in conservation biology.

Distinguished students:

Award-winning athletes: Talia Jones, Lexi Crist, Scott Hoffman, Ryan Hathcock, Taylor Aungst, Nathan Burch, Sam Papa, Dallas Doane, Brie’el Wiles, Gabby Washington and Jasmine Zaker.

Brendan Murphy, National Merit Scholarship winner.

Jacob Watts, U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Other notable students: Kiara Chapple and Dallas Doane.

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2011/05/06/20110506gilbert-public-schools-graduates-higley-unified-school-district-graduates-2011-prog.html

Gilbert business official honored

 


Posted: Saturday, May 28, 2011 10:15 am


Gilbert business official honored

Tribune

East Valley Tribune

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Gilbert business development manager Dan Henderson has been
named the economic developer of the year by the Arizona Association
for Economic Development.

Henderson came to Gilbert in August 2007 and has since
“demonstrated excellence in leadership and execution of creative
economic development strategies at the local level,” according to
AAED. In 2010, Henderson led Gilbert’s economic development team in
locating 15 new businesses to the community, resulting in $123
million of capital investment and more than 500 net new jobs.

This is the second time a Gilbert official has been honored as
economic developer of the year. Economic development director Greg
Tilque was honored with the title in 1992.

Henderson has an MBA in Computer Information Systems, and teaches
as an adjunct faculty member for Chandler-Gilbert Community
College.

on

Saturday, May 28, 2011 10:15 am.

Article source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/gilbert/article_169b9220-889f-11e0-a462-001cc4c002e0.html

Vivid Racing in Gilbert is roaring

There are more exotic and ultramodified performance vehicles in the parking lot of Vivid Racing in Gilbert than in the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine.

“It’s our business – you’re supposed to see the cool stuff,” said Dan Mermelstein, co-owner of Vivid Racing, an East Valley company started on a whim. A decade later, it supplies parts worldwide to those looking to customize vehicles. Mermelstein said the company’s success was unexpected. While a college student “scraping by,” spending time and money customizing his car, it never crossed his mind that he’d one day own and operate a premier retail business in the automobile-aftermarket industry, he said.

Just 10 years ago, Mermelstein was attending Arizona State University when he and a friend, Rob Rohn, took advantage of the demand for hard-to-find parts for Subaru’s WRX model. The two located suppliers and bought parts in bulk, keeping what they needed and selling the rest. They decided to list the products for sale on Internet discussion boards – and car enthusiasts flocked to the site, Mermelstein said.

 

Since launching in a Tempe dorm room in 2001, the company has steadily grown, generating more than $10 million in orders last year, Mermelstein said. Now in its 11th year, the company processes about 1,000 invoices monthly. It moved to a subsequent Tempe site and then a Chandler location to accommodate growth before relocating three years ago to its current 15,000-square-foot facility in Gilbert.

Success comes from the company’s original business model, which focuses on bringing together sellers and buyers of unique, aftermarket auto products.

According to Mermelstein, who earned his degree in marketing, the business thrives by word of mouth, with Vivid spending about 1 percent of its annual operating budget on marketing and advertising.

The partners have expanded into other areas of the car-parts business, adding installation services. Vivid Racing’s facility features six car lifts, a full-fabrication center and an AWD Dyno – a sophisticated device that tests features like horsepower and torque.

Another venture includes Agency Power, started in 2003. Although separate from Vivid Racing, it operates under the same roof, manufacturing parts. But the two entrepreneurs are eager to grow their business even more.

“We’re never content,” Mermelstein said.

Their customers, however, seem to be.

Parker Jardine has been customizing his own Subaru WRX since the day he bought it three years ago. He uses Internet forums to find parts and says the value of Vivid Racing’s business model lies in the personal trust it has built with customers. About $5,000 later, Jardine, himself a college student, is a loyal customer.

“You can’t really trust a company, but you’ll trust a person,” Jardine said. “When you’re buying from other people or companies that sell mainly on forums, you know they’re a part of the community. They’re not your typical company.”

About 95 percent of Vivid Racing’s sales come from out-of-state customers, hence the Arabic translation option available on the company’s website.

“The local market segment can’t support our kind of business,” Mermelstein said. “Maybe it’s the hardcore car enthusiasts, but we really don’t have a specific demographic. We might have 21-year-olds with their first tuner car, or 50-year-olds with Ferraris.”

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/04/28/20110428abg-vividracing0428.html

Gilbert protesters challenge pot dispensaries; 2 permits OK’d

The Gilbert Planning Commission on Wednesday approved permits for two proposed medical-marijuana dispensaries in the town’s northwestern corner, but not before fielding protests from several nearby residents and business owners.

Contentious discussions on marijuana-related issues lasted several hours, but by night’s end, Sonoran Star Remedies and Beleaf Inc. became the first two dispensaries to receive permits to operate in Gilbert.

The businesses now must apply to the Arizona Department of Health Services to obtain a license. DHS plans to accept applications for 30 days beginning June 1.

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Plans for a third dispensary also went before the Planning Commission in study session before Wednesday’s formal meeting. Unlike the others applicants, D.R.H. Enterprises wants to open a dispensary only and import marijuana from another site rather than grow it at the Gilbert location.

The company’s permit application for 175 S. Hamilton Place in the Elliot Commerce Park will come before the commission June 1.

State regulations allow one dispensary in each “community health analysis area” as defined by a map drawn by the Department of Health Services. Gilbert has two districts, essentially divided by Lindsay Road.

If more than one dispensary in the same area meets all qualifications, the certificate will be granted by random selection.

Would-be dispensary operators are having trouble finding suitable property in Gilbert’s eastern CHAA, due to a code restriction that requires the businesses be at least 1,000 feet from any public or private park, prospective owner Brett Paulson told the commission.

Paul Schroeder, operations manager for Sonoran Star Remedies, asked Gilbert officials to request that the state allow two dispensaries in the town’s western CHAA instead.

As of April 27, there were at least 12 medical-marijuana patient applications in Gilbert’s western zone and at least 29 applications in the eastern area, Gilbert senior planner Mike Milillo said.

About 10 Gilbert residents and business owners attended the meeting to oppose permits for the dispensaries, which could be up and running by fall.

Joe Turner, representing T3 Holdings, which owns two lots in the same business park as the proposed Sonoran Star Remedies, argued that the dispensary is less than 1,000 feet away from a community park and violates town code.

Turner pointed to nearby Cooper Ranch, where a private park includes a basketball court, open grass area and retention basin. The edge of the retention basin is about 750 feet from the dispensary site.

Turner’s protest sparked a lengthy philosophical debate as officials and residents wrangled over the definition of a park.

Town staff said the basin is not part of the park because there are no sidewalks leading to it, nor are there benches or congregating areas. So, the town measured the distance to the park’s basketball court, which is outside of the required 1,000-yard separation distance.

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Planning Commission Chairman Chad Fuller said residents often use the grassy areas and basin to play Frisbee or football, and Turner said it functions as a dog park as well.

But a majority of the commission agreed with staff’s interpretation and approved the dispensary with a 6-1 vote. Commissioner Jennifer Wittmann cast the dissent.

Some business owners in the Sunrise Business Park, where Beleaf Inc. plans to open, attempted the same strategy.

The dispensary would be just 500 feet away from the property line of the large Redemption Church on Elliot Road west of McQueen Road, said Iliya Paul, president of H2Ology, one of the dispensary’s prospective neighbors.

Town officials and the business owners disagreed on how the separation distance should be measured. The town’s policy is to measure from the edge of the actual church building, not the property line or parking lot.

The Planning Commission again sided with town officials and approved the permit with a 7-0 vote.

The commission plans next month to discuss how to regulate “caregivers,” who currently can grow marijuana at home for up to five patients who live more than 25 miles away from a dispensary.

Gilbert has implemented the following regulations for marijuana dispensaries:

1,000 feet from parks, churches and schools and 500 feet from residential areas.

Operations restricted to 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

A permanent building.

Cultivation only inside locked building.

No home deliveries or drive-through sales.

Each business must submit an extensive security plan to the town.

Certification by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2011/05/05/20110505gilbert-panel-oks-marijuana-dispensary-permits-protesters-object.html

Arizona BBQ Fans Invited To Enjoy Free Barbecue Meal From Award Winning Joes Real BBQ , while giving the Gift of …

04.18.2011– Gilbert, AZ – Arizona BBQ fans are invited to experience one of Arizona’s most famous restaurants for free! On Wednesday May 4th, Joe’s Real BBQ in Gilbert, Arizona, is celebrating its annual customer appreciation day by serving free barbecue!

Fans can enjoy their choice of a pecan smoked pulled pork or chicken breast sandwich, fresh homemade coleslaw, award-winning BBQ Pit Beans and a drink. There will be children’s sized sandwiches available for the little ones.

This year the folks at Joe’s have teamed with Loving Through Literacy in an effort to put the gift of reading within the reach of those without libraries. This organization fills and funds libraries in areas of the world without them. While donations are not required for the free meal, participants are encouraged to come with new or gently used books of any type. More information about the literary quest can be found at http://lovingthroughliteracy.com

Joe’s Real BBQ has won “Best Barbecue” from The Arizona Republic and Phoenix New Times for many years and was nominated for “Best Brisket” on Live with Regis and Kelly. They have also been featured in Chef Paul Kirk’s America’s Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America’s Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants, Sunset Magazine, the just-released book Restaurant Owners Uncorked and Arizona Highways Television.

Joe’s Real BBQ has been celebrating this “Free Food” day annually for 11 years and has given away over 44,000 meals! This year they hope to serve more than 5,000 people at this enormously popular event. Customers will also get to meet the “Real Joe” behind Joe’s Real BBQ. Fellow co-owners Tim and Tad Peelen will also be on hand to personally thank customers all day.

“Giving away free food is an ideal fun way to thank all of our regular customers who have supported us over the years,” said Joe Johnston, the namesake and co-owner of Joe’s Real BBQ. “It’s also a way for us to introduce our restaurant to people who have never tried us before.”

The free meal event runs from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and then 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday May 4th, 2011, at their restaurant located in Gilbert. Customers are encouraged to be in line by 7:30 PM to be able to receive a free meal before the event ends at 8:00 PM.

Joe’s Real Barbecue is easy to get to from anywhere in the Valley. They are located at 301 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, AZ, 85234. Phone (480) 503-3805. For more information go to: http://www.facebook.com/joesrealbbq or email info@joesrealbbq.com.

MORE INFO:

Email: Info at joesrealbbq.com

Web: http://www.joesrealbbq.com

Twitter: @joesrealbbq

Hashtag #freebbqday

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/joesrealbbq

Article source: http://pitch.pe/140601

Editorial: General Plan revision sets the right priorities for Gilbert

Gilbert is a great place to live. It didn’t get that way by accident.

Decades of planning have positioned Gilbert to become the desirable community it is today, and the General Plan has been a big part of that.

Arizona requires municipalities to keep one, and update it every 10 years. The latest version will guide Gilbert as it develops its last remaining major parcels, shaping it for decades to come.

Voters should approve the 241-page document. It sets the correct priorities, including:

- Gilbert will do all it can to attract jobs, particularly high-wage jobs. The town will focus its energy on growing industries such as health care, renewable energy and aerospace. The plan says Gilbert must do more to boost small businesses and simplify and speed reviews, particularly for projects that would generate high-wage jobs.

Gilbert Real Estate

The plan also emphasizes the need to preserve employment areas and focus on mixed-use development. It recognizes that even if Gilbert has a suburban focus, urban development will be needed in some areas to maximize land use and attract the skilled, creative types who crave that sort of atmosphere.

- Gilbert will work to become a more connected community, scaled more toward pedestrians than cars. After decades of widening roads, the plan puts a much larger focus on transit, open space and the town’s trail network. It recognizes these are essential to Gilbert’s long-term sustainability.

For the first time, the plan also acknowledges that arts and culture are necessary to connect residents and maintain the town’s high quality of life. It suggests creating a master plan to develop cultural offerings and bolster the presence of public art.

- Gilbert will encourage green building and energy conservation. The plan touts expedited reviews and lower permit fees for privately funded construction that includes environmentally friendly features. It suggests offering incentives to install more-efficient cooling systems or use renewable energy in existing homes and businesses.

The plan also emphasizes the need to find creative uses for aging buildings, particularly empty retail and commercial spaces. Policies that make it easier to reuse rather than to abandon and rebuild elsewhere would fight blight and prevent unnecessary sprawl.

This is not new information. But compare the amount of detail now to that in the 2001 version – both are online at gilbertaz.gov/generalplan – and it’s clear that Gilbert has a much better idea of what it wants and how it intends to get it.

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2011/04/19/20110419gilbert-editorial-general-plan-revision-sets-right-priorities.html